By: Reina Remias
NOTE TO READERS: Please help me on grammar errors and let me know if my content is okay (:
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Teaching via Zoom
Learning Target 1
Learning Target 1
Readers will be able to list 5 reasons Zoom is negatively affecting students and how a teacher will use Zoom.
Learning Target 2
Learning Target 2
Readers will be able to name 3 challenges Susan, a high school math teacher has faced while teaching during the pandemic.
2.1 Susan is no longer able to circulate around the class and check individuals to see if they are understanding the material.
2.2 Susan's students are not as talkative and engaged over Zoom than in person.
2.3 Susan's classes are very big and it is not feasible for her tp put each person in a breakout room and then go room to room to have them show her their work.
5 Reasons Zoom is Negatively Affecting Students
5 Reasons Zoom is Negatively Affecting Students
1) Zoom is screen time
Zoom classes means increased screen time for students. Most students already spend a lot of time staring at screens and Zoom will only increase that.
2) Zoom captures only 2 human senses
All 5 of the human senses are necessary in helping us create meaningful connections with others. Zoom only utilizes vision and hearing and a real life classroom is so much more than that. Students engage by hands on learning and that is just not possible over Zoom.
3) Zoom is isolating
When students go to school in person they are able to meet new people, join clubs, make friends, and form mentorship like bonds with their teachers. Students cannot do any of that by doing all of their classes remotely. A huge part of school is the community it creates. Some people meet their life long best friends in school, and it is very hard to get to know people, especially by just staring at a black box! One of the most basic needs for all of us as human is social interaction, wether you are an introvert or extrovert we all need to develop social skills as it is a part of the human experience! School is one of the primary places we first start to learn how to socialize with people outside of our family, if we are remote we simply cannot have that important interaction.
4) Zoom doesn't give breaks
In the traditional classroom, most teachers would offer the class brain breaks, whether that be through watching a quick fun video, getting up and walking around the classroom, or even recess(for younger students.) A typical Zoom class looks like staring at a computer screen while sitting in a chair for a couple hours, yikes! This is exhausting for not only students but teachers too!
5) Zoom is teacher centered
The majority of students learn effectively in a healthy balance between student centered engagement and teacher centered content. Zoom does not allow students to take the lead on their learning and it is hard to collaborate with their peers. From personal experience, most breakout room situations via Zoom are awkward and almost like pulling teeth to get students to talk to one another, especially if nobody turns their camera on. Effective student learning included collaboration with peers and interactive projects, both which are hard to do over zoom.
How to Start
How to Start
Oh the wild year of 2020, what a time to be alive! 2020 brought a lot to the world, but perhaps most notably the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic changed so much of what we previously knew of normal life. We have had to adjust to an entirely new way of living, including the way we teach and learn. Hooray for K-12 students and teachers, because Zoom is totally free for an indefinite amount of meeting minutes! Just sign up with your school email address and now you have a Zoom account. For ease, go ahead and download Zoom Client and install it on the device you plan to primarily use to zoom. Before hosting your first Zoom meeting for your students, educator Kimmie Fink recommends to do a run through practice meeting via Zoom to familiarize yourself with screen sharing and the chat function
Interview
To gain a better understanding of what it is really like to teach via Zoom in the pandemic, I decided to interview my high school math teacher. My interviewee’s name is Susan Bailey, she was a former middle school teacher and now she is a high school math teacher. She was able to tell me first hand the authentic experience of what it’s like to teach over Zoom.
As with anything in life, there are pros and cons. The same applies to teaching via Zoom amidst a global pandemic as well. Susan tells me that the best part about using Zoom to teach is that she experiences no discipline problems! Susan also states that “it has caused me to grow as a teacher and I’m much better with technology and digital assignments then I ever was.” “I’ll never go back to paper homework!!!”(S. Bailey , personal communication 2021)
The biggest challenge that Susan says she faces is “not being to circulate around the class and check individuals to see if they are understanding the material.” She goes on to say “students are quiet on zoom and my classes are very big and I can’t put each person in a breakout room and then go room to room to have them show me their work.” I wouldn’t have time to teach if I did that and we teach a totally new concept everyday.”(S. Bailey , personal communication 2021)
I was also very keen to find out from Susan how her students are affected by this sudden switch to online learning. Susan says, “I think it has been hard on teenagers not to be able to be with their friends. This has caused depression and when someone is depressed, it is hard to get motivated to do anything.”(S. Bailey , personal communication 2021) Overall though, Mrs. Bailey says that teaching through Zoom has forced her to change a lot about how she previously did things, but for the most part, she says "the change is a good one!"
Multiple Choice Questions
What is one reason zoom is bad for student learning?
a) no recess
b) too much screen time
c) no in person socialization
d) all the above
Why do you think Ms. Bailey struggles with using Zoom sometimes?
a) b & d only
b) her students don't like to talk
c) breakout rooms are hard to use
d) she can't check up on each student personally
References
Kimmie Fink on March 27, 2020 .contest-social .share-links svg. (2021, January 6). Zoom 101 for Teachers. We Are Teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/zoom-for-teachers/.
Ringelstein, Z. (2020, September 22). 5 Reasons Zoom Schooling Is Detrimental To Children. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakringelstein/2020/09/15/5-reasons-zoom-schooling-is-detrimental-to-children/?sh=14edb6781223.
Conclusion
Conclusion
In summary, doing this assignment has been interesting to say the least. I have found that my eyes are opened to a multitude of things regarding teaching via Zoom in the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall this time has been a learning experience for students, teachers, and even parents alike. Parents are now having to understand and learn how to help their children who are learning from their living room and not the classroom. I think that all of our lives are changed but I truly believe that we can use this change to grow and deepen our understanding of education and the important role all teachers have.
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