Will Shift to Remote Teaching Be Boon or Bane for Online Learning?

[Lou]

Now that my children have started with their online classes, I can see the pros and cons. The cons would be the noise in the area. There are certainly times when the neighbors or ambulant vendors serve as distractions to the children due to their noise. However, this can be managed by moving your child's study area to a quieter space in the house. Or, you can opt for a noise-canceling headset, perhaps. I also observed that there are instances wherein the internet connection suddenly goes slow or worse, gets disconnected. Our solution was to get another provider so we have 2 ISP's plus additional data for back up.

However, more than what was stated above, what concerns me more is the social interactions of the children. Obviously, online learning is teaching our children more about using available technology and intrapersonal communication via messaging/video apps. Why worry is if this type of home school set up takes longer, would it affect our children's face-to-face interactions? Would they still have the same level of sensitivity they have over their classmates before the pandemic happened? Would they still be able to read each other through their facial expressions, gestures, and body language without relating the to emojis?

I am also not sure that my children are able to fully grasp their lessons. As a mom, I always go through their emails and notifications to ensure that all activities were done and I discuss it with them to ensure that they did understand their lesson. So, maybe this set up is a good way to bond with your children. But, how about those parents who are busy making a living?

This article may help parents like me with their children's online learning: https://www.childrenandscreens.com/m...home-learning/.

[JerryYan]

I think there are advantages to it in the long run that we must accept the difficulty alot will experience for now. While it is unfortunate some may not be ready for it, it will push us all to be more effective and efficient in the time we spend online and the way teaching is done universally. It will further allow us to evolve with the change of the times across all ages as the whole of the academe will be affected by this. I just hope the majority of us will be more considerate and kind as we all adjust together in the necessary changes of the times.

[Indelible_Mark]

I agree with the push. Populations have been moved out of its collective comfort zones and these inequities would be just one more among many. I'm optimistic though that even third-world countries will rally (later rather than sooner) and catch up with the rest of the digital world. Norway has since recognized 'access to the internet' as a 'human right'!