Week 1 Term 2 - Done and dusted.

New Zealand is in the third week of lock-down and all educational institutions across the nation are closed. On April 15, week 1 of Term 2 started and it was a very unique beginning, as children and educators ventured into online learning. 

Vigorous preparation was required beforehand. Setting up google sites, updating information, integrating google hangouts as a digital classroom space, opening all online platforms to the public so that not only students but parents and caregivers can access the learning, making real use of google calendars as a marker for students and their families to refer to and check what each lesson is going to focus on. This was a task but for me personally it was something that I needed. Working from home has completely cut off all the noise and chaos (that I would normally find myself  running after when I am on site) and in turn, my focus has solely been on my core job, teaching. 

This week alone, I have been able to invest my time in finding creative ways to make subject of English relevant and accessible for my learners. Online learning and the different platforms offered to our learners were not so much of a priority for me before the lock-down. Now that we have to teach online, I now see and understand that these tools can be powerful if you are smart about how you use them. They can have impact if you are intentional on how you want your learners to see it and use it. 

Google classroom is one platform that I started using in week 9 of term 1. I have found this platform to be more interactive as students can post and comment, much like the social media platforms that we are accustomed to (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). In particular my Level 3 students have taken a liking to this platform and some have even shared articles that they have read and found helpful for their internal assessments. Some are asking questions or just simply acknowledging my posts (nice to know that kids can like something that I have posted ha!) This type of interaction and discourse between learner and teacher is something that I enjoy. 

Something that I have taken away from our first week online is that I want this discourse to continue. How can I ensure that students feel comfortable enough to share or ask questions in a digital space? Normally for our young people whether they have been in the middle of online bullying or not, the digital space can often be a ground of ridicule. It can be a nasty space for them. So if anything, when it comes to the digital space that I am in charge of for my learners, I want to ensure that it is a place where their learning and their achievement is the focus - nothing else. 

I look forward to what week 2 will be bring.