Last week's speaker was Rotarian Kelly-Anne Frendo who did a job talk.  Kelly is a computer specialist who teaches computer science and programming. When teaching online the first thing she had to do was recognize the challenges the students were facing working from home.  Students faced challenges such as loneliness and issues with digital literacy.  Kelly's students however didn't suffer from digital literacy challenges as they has a certain level of proficiency with the computer. The inability to use computers at a certain level of proficiency were experienced with younger students and students in programs other than I.T. 

 

Technical difficulties such as power outages and internet outages were also encountered.  Some students suffered issues with time management and motivation as there weren't teachers and students there face to face to cheer them on and assist them in group settings.  Some also faced emotional worries.

To ensure that proper learning continued, Kelly had online live sessions using zoom.  Instructional videos were also created so students could go back and find the topic they needed to work on and review the information.  Technical difficulties were the hardest to resolve.  The teachers just had to be patient and understanding and dealt with issues as they came up.  The teachers taught students time management techniques and were kind and creative in working with the students.

Kelly allowed those in the meeting to try some of the interactive technologies that she used during the school year.  The activities were very interesting and made the learning process fun.

We also heard from some of Kelly's students during the meeting.  One student enjoyed not having to leave home physically to attend classes while another didn't like online learning and not being able to interact with others face to face.  The second student struggled to keep himself on task and had a hard time being indoors, unable to socialize with friends.  The experience of the second student was experienced by others, however Kelly was able to have success with her students through her use of technology and innovative teaching methods.