This week we are continuing our remote learning recap on the Tackling Tech Podcast. In the continuation of this special compilation episode, eleven guests from the last four months are featured talking about the challenges, changes, and advice that have come about during this unprecedented time of COVID-19. They also share what they’ve learned during this time of remote learning and what they believe will be the future of remote learning. Brett shares his biggest takeaways from these interviews.
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Don’t have time to listen to the episode? Here’s a peek at what’s inside…
The challenges that come with remote learning
One of the many topics that arose in our conversations throughout remote learning was the various challenges that have come with remote learning.
Erika Rodriguez, a teacher at Klein ISD, shared the challenges she’s experienced with her LMS during remote learning, troubles with internet connectivity, and how grateful she is that her district was already 1:1 prior to remote learning. Rachelle Dene Poth shared her observations as a teacher during remote learning and the challenge of trying to maintain connections with students during this time.
We spoke with Pearl Arredondo about how her school responded to remote learning and the challenges of keeping students engaged remotely and shared her advice for how teachers have been engaging students during this time. Josh Bridges shared his experience balancing different roles during this time, the difficulties of balancing being a teacher and a parent, and his tips for multitasking during remote learning.
Changes that have been brought on by remote learning
With the onset of remote learning, many changes have ensued. The most obvious change has been the change of location where learning takes place, but our guests shared some other changes they have experienced that might not be as obvious.
Elizabeth Walhof shared her thoughts on how remote learning has been different than in-person learning, district changes for remote learning and how they are tackling this period, and what is helping her get through remote learning. Sean Coffron, a Tech Coach, explained that remote learning has changed his workflow in his role and how remote learning has changed conversations between educators.
We also spoke with Jake Miller about the significant changes between teachers and technology during remote learning and how educators should view technology during this period. Erika Rodriguez explained that remote learning has made her miss her students and how she has changed the format of her online classroom to maintain some “normalcy.”
Remote learning advice
Throughout this time of remote learning, one question we’ve asked all our guests is any advice they would share with other educators during remote learning.
Erika Rodriguez had lots of advice for educators during remote learning. Her biggest pieces of advice were to find your support team, talk to people every day, Share the reality of what is happening, and to determine what your work-life balance is going to be. Stephanie Howell, Tech Coach, had similar sentiments and shared that her biggest takeaways are to keep building relationships and to work on personal wellness.
We also asked Monica Burns for any advice that she has for educators during this time. She shared that educators should be reflective, discover what they’re learning, take notes and journal at the end of the day, and be prepared for whatever scenario presents itself going into next year.