Should Triangle Schools Consider A Blend Of Online And Classroom Learning Post Covid
Should Triangle Schools Consider a Blend of Online and Classroom Learning Post Covid
The benefits of continuing online education
If one thing emerged from the pandemic in terms of education, it was that teachers had to be dynamic and learn a host of new skills to engage children outside of the traditional classroom environment. Children in turn learned new hard and soft skills, both in expanding their digital knowledge and giving them the capabilities to think critically and deal with new challenges. As tech is advancing at such a rapid rate, there is a strong argument for promoting digital education within schools, especially as many of the abilities that can be taught (such as how to use collaborative software) will be carried over into workplace environments - and as the new approaches are still fresh in everybody's minds, introducing blended learning this fall will be easier on all involved.
What should Triangle schools be doing right now?
Immediate action could include checking weekly weather forecasts and scheduling online classes for the days that are likely to cause problems, but it doesn't have to be this involved. A better approach could be to offer homework projects that will cover disrupted lesson plans and ensure that the syllabus moves forward as intended. Kids will be able to use a host of free online tools to help with their efforts, such as the YouTube video editor available on CapCut which will allow them to create slideshows and more, or even use a host of editable photo templates to support a cohesive message for collaborative projects.
Teachers can even get in on the action and record short videos of themselves in advance, telling students about the upcoming week, class events, and even expectations for homework (The video stabilizer from CapCut means that they won't have the worry about the quality of the footage being shared).
Is a blend of online and classroom learning really the solution?
As the future is certainly moving further into digital environments and Triangle schools are facing difficulties, there are some worthwhile reasons to suggest bringing back virtual classes in at least some capacity. The leading one is that kids are missing out on education for the price of an uncomfortable (and potentially dangerous) classroom environment, so there needs to be a solution that works for everybody. As it stands, the right protocols are in place but aren’t being utilized, so it won’t take too much hard work to reinstate them and ensure that North Carolina’s kids don’t miss out.
