Most recent public comments by Erin Oelkers https://nowcomment.com/users/147598 https://nowcomment.com/documents/377143?scroll_to=3330026 https://nowcomment.com/documents/377143?scroll_to=3330026 "What we know from research is that effective online learning results from careful instructional design and planning, using a systematic model for design and development. The design process and the careful consideration of different design decisions have an impact on the quality of the instruction. And it is this careful design process that will be absent in most cases in these emergency shifts." At the time of the pandemic, I was a 5th grade teacher and I also have kids who experienced emergency remote teaching during this time. From both the online teaching and online learning perspectives, the above quote is the most relevant to why there were so many misses and fails with emergency remote teaching/learning. The success of these experience varied due to expertise, available resources, and level of support for both teachers and learners. Compounded with the global crisis of people dying and families handling the myriad of changes to our everyday lives (remember grocery shopping during that time?!?!), it is easy to understand how for many, this period of learning for student and teachers was set up for failure. There just wasn't enough time, expertise, and resources to do it right. I have memories of my 5 year old being on live Zooms the MOST and my children in high school expected to navigate posting things online, juggling multiple google classroom pages, and having to interact with their teachers in very different ways. I have to believe that teachers were doing their absolute best to make do with the situation, but the reality is that many online learning experiences were not fully developed or based on pedagogically appropriate decisions. While I applaud the problem-solving and creativity of both teachers, students, and families during this time, I also recognize how unfair it was for many people who were going through incredibly challenging times. Issues of accessibility, equitable learning experiences, and building strong methods of communication with students and families were the most problematic from the teaching and learning perspective. Wed, 10 Jul 2024 06:16:02 -0400