Distance Learning Post Covid-19

Take Heart Educators - Opportunity is Knocking

   

 As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the necessity of flipping immediately to online learning demonstrated that the education ecosystem is much more resilient than anyone might have thought. It also taught a valuable lesson in global experiences - how we are all truly much more connected than we ever imagined. 

Within minutes of the shift to online learning teachers across the globe wasted no time in recognizing the need to be flexible, imaginative, and resourceful to continue to serve their communities full of parents, students, and administrative stakeholders. Zoom, Skype, and a host of other online virtual meeting platforms moved out of the boardrooms and became everyday jargon across the kitchen table, proving that necessity truly is the mother of invention. 

What once seemed impossible has now moved rapidly to the mainstream; education delivery for K-12 has evolved and with it some growing pains are natural. Instructional design and technology have been waiting in the wings, like prima ballerinas waiting for their turn to shine in the spotlight, and their moment has arrived. 

 Indeed, not everyone shifted easily and successfully; but many educators realized the power at their disposal. Technology and a solid instructional design framework grounded in proven learning theories can provide access and reach to so many learners, who may not have had opportunities before, building foundational skills necessary for a 21st Century workforce. 

 As educators, we must take heart because opportunity is knocking. By understanding that there are more ways to reach and teach, we can embrace innovations and become lifelong learners of processes that foster important student outcomes on a wider scale.

 Exploring what did and did not work is part of reflective teaching, whether it be in a traditional brick-and-mortar setting or a virtual platform, the desire to deliver excellence should never diminish; it should merely evolve. The use of online learning modalities such as flipped classrooms, blended learning, and immersive learning through virtual field trip experiences, along with assistive technologies enriches learners in ways that were once not possible. In a way, Covid-19 gave the distance learning educational ecosystem an opportunity to build a better mouse trap by building stronger teaching and learning opportunities for all.