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Post by Bonobo on Apr 2, 2020 11:24:20 GMT 1
Teachers are obliged to run online lessons since 25th March. Some are able to do it, many not. My two kids who go to the same school have regular online lessons with live contact - with cameras or without. They use their phones, Ipod and a PC computer in their room. They even have PE! When I hear stomping in their room, I know they are doing exercise. Funny.
However, I print a lot of stuff for them - teachers assign homework which must be done. They even check attendance.
However, not all schools are able to do it. Ours, in the big city, is modern enough and teachers are also well prepared to run such lessons. But I can read it doesn`t work so good in countryside schools - both teachers and students are not able to cope with all the problems, mainly an access to quick connections.
Another problem is big traffic on some nation-wide school e-platforms which quickly get jammed and logging onto them takes a lot of time.
PS. I mostly do conferences with or without video. In case most students in class can`t join us, I record a video to share with them at a later time. We do exercises in online Workbooks. Mail, school e-platform are also standard. I don`t use Facebook, though.
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Post by jeanne on Apr 10, 2020 23:55:55 GMT 1
The small city next to my town has many low-income families, and these families do not have the resources for the children to engage in online teaching. The city has given these children Chromebooks to do their work, so now supposedly, everyone can participate. Other towns and school districts have done the same. There goes the school budget for the next few years!
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Post by Bonobo on Jun 16, 2020 8:17:12 GMT 1
Online teaching is over coz the end of the schoolyear is pending. What can I say? Initially, as sth new and different from regular school routine, it was fun. After a few weeks, it became a boring drudgery. Face to face interaction can never be replaced by online contact, it is impossible. Assessing homework took twice more time than it used to when at school. Testing was a parody. Checking and answering posts from students and notices from school and co-teachers took hours a day. I was so depressed at certain moment that I started thinking of changing my job, I mean the workplace. But I gave up such ideas as that would be pure madness -- I could run into much more stressful situations in a different school. I have been fed up with online teaching to such an extent that I gave up most of up my social activities on the computer. I just abhored the idea of using it at all. I am slowly coming back to normalcy. I hope. The small city next to my town has many low-income families, and these families do not have the resources for the children to engage in online teaching. That is what has been said about kids from rural areas of Eastern Poland, the poorest of all. But in America? Impossible.   The city has given these children Chromebooks to do their work, Never before have I heard this term. Now I know. |
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Post by jeanne on Jun 19, 2020 18:37:07 GMT 1
I was so depressed at certain moment that I started thinking of changing my job, I mean the workplace. But I gave up such ideas as that would be pure madness -- I could run into much more stressful situations in a different school. I have been fed up with online teaching to such an extent that I gave up most of up my social activities on the computer. I just abhored the idea of using it at all. I am slowly coming back to normalcy. I hope. Let's hope we will all be able to put online teaching and meetings behind us. I cannot imagine how stressful it must have been trying to teach classes online...ugh! Unfortunately, it is very possible here in the U.S. It is reality for many immigrant families and many single-parent families who do not make enough money to live on or to pay for childcare. They do get some public assistance, but enough to pay the bills and have computers and pay for online access? No... This situation was exacerbated by the shut-down of businesses when many lost their jobs. |
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Post by Bonobo on Sept 13, 2020 20:30:38 GMT 1
I am a pessimist about coming back to real schools in September. The infection rate is still high and refuses to drop. Even if we return for a while, the quarantine will be brought back sooner or later in autumn. So, here we are in September...what is going on with school...are you proceeding as usual, or have changes been made to keep everyone safe from spreading/catching the virus?? My pessimistic prognosis didn`t come true and I am glad. 3 of my students are currently on a quarantine - all 3 are close friends, girls, a boyfriend of one of them was diagnosed positive. How do we resist covid? In our school both teachers and students have to wear face protection. When students sit alone they can remove it but only when the teacher consents. I wear a big shield all the time which is OK except hot and humid days - then I feel I sweat under it too much. Also, students have to stay in their classrooms during short breaks, but can go out into the yard during long breaks if the weather permits. They stay in the same classroom all day. If a change takes place, the desks are cleaned. All people are required to disinfect hands upon entry and later on too - automatic dispensers stand in corridors and there are spray bottles or wall dispensers in each classroom etc. What else? Of course, mass gatherings in the auditorium are out of question. One small classroom has been turned into an isolation ward in case a student is suspected of being infected. We don`t measure temperature - it is a useless method which checks nothing, in fact. I have noticed people follow most regulations except 2 metre distance - it is impossible to keep it in such places as most Polish schools - too many students in too narrow passages/corridors. Thank you, PiS - it was them who deformed the system and created mamooth facilities with hundreds or even nearly one thousand students. Polish experimental approach is described here: politico.eu/article/despite-coronavirus-fears-poland-goes-all-in-on-re-opening-schools/ |
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Post by jeanne on Sept 17, 2020 0:06:01 GMT 1
So, here we are in September...what is going on with school...are you proceeding as usual, or have changes been made to keep everyone safe from spreading/catching the virus?? My pessimistic prognosis didn`t come true and I am glad. I'm glad, too! Let's hope it continues.... Your school's approach sounds similar to many schools in the US. Towns and districts can decide on how they proceed here in the US. The federal government is pretty much out of the decision making. Parochial schools seem to be more liberal with their attempts at normalcy...the ones I know of have returned to school five days a week. Many public schools have children attend only two days so the numbers can be kept low. For two days one group attends school while the other group learns remotely, then they switch for two days. What they do on the odd fifth day differs. Some school systems use it for children with special needs to attend in person for their individualized instruction...not sure what other school systems are doing with figuring out who goes when. In some towns near me, the debate has become quite contentious. There is one side that thinks kids should be back in school, another side thinks they should be learning only remotely, and others think a combination. Some of the confrontations in committee meetings have become rather heated! This is all very much an experiment for everyone no matter what method they are using...no one knows what will happen with the model that their schools are following. We shall see...let's hope for only the best... |
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Post by Bonobo on Oct 11, 2020 10:12:41 GMT 1
[ In some towns near me, the debate has become quite contentious. There is one side that thinks kids should be back in school, another side thinks they should be learning only remotely, and others think a combination. Some of the confrontations in committee meetings have become rather heated! That`s so human. Probably happens everywhere. Also in Poland - the infection and death rate have skyrocketed recently - some experts claim it is the fault of open schools other claim it is not. |
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Post by jeanne on Oct 26, 2020 22:55:42 GMT 1
[ In some towns near me, the debate has become quite contentious. There is one side that thinks kids should be back in school, another side thinks they should be learning only remotely, and others think a combination. Some of the confrontations in committee meetings have become rather heated! That`s so human. Probably happens everywhere. Also in Poland - the infection and death rate have skyrocketed recently - some experts claim it is the fault of open schools other claim it is not. Rates of infection are rapidly rising here, but thankfully, the rates of death are remaining on the lower side. This indicates that the rising rate of infection is among the young people, especially the college-age youth, who tend not to follow social distancing guidelines when they are together, and they also have the lowest rates of serious cases and death... My state of Massachusetts has very many universities and colleges and it is believed these students returning to their schools this fall has caused the rates to soar. The elderly are still being cautious, so the deaths rates are still low, but even so, it is still the elderly who are dying, not the young people who are being infected at high rates. |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 3, 2020 14:48:01 GMT 1
My state of Massachusetts has very many universities and colleges and it is believed these students returning to their schools this fall has caused the rates to soar. The elderly are still being cautious, so the deaths rates are still low, but even so, it is still the elderly who are dying, not the young people who are being infected at high rates. PIS government first happily declared that schools are safe places and sent us all to them. In October, they suddenly changed their mind. But at least I gave students a few tests and collected some marks so I don`t need to engage myself and them into online testing which is a parody, of course. |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 3, 2020 17:43:49 GMT 1
My state of Massachusetts has very many universities and colleges and it is believed these students returning to their schools this fall has caused the rates to soar. The elderly are still being cautious, so the deaths rates are still low, but even so, it is still the elderly who are dying, not the young people who are being infected at high rates. PIS government first happily declared that schools are safe places and sent us all to them. In October, they suddenly changed their mind. But at least I gave students a few tests and collected some marks so I don`t need to engage myself and them into online testing which is a parody, of course. So you are back to teaching fully remote? |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 4, 2020 12:20:19 GMT 1
PIS government first happily declared that schools are safe places and sent us all to them. In October, they suddenly changed their mind. But at least I gave students a few tests and collected some marks so I don`t need to engage myself and them into online testing which is a parody, of course. So you are back to teaching fully remote? Yes. Only private lessons are still face to face. |
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