As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a marked impact on everyday activities, educational organisations are still relying on technology to provide continuity to teaching and learning. But what does this mean going forward? Once normal service resumes will schools abandon digital learning completely or have web based platforms muscled their way in and declared 'I'm here to stay!'? In this post we are going to look at the future of distance learning post Covid-19 and what it means to have an effective blended learning system. What is Distance Learning, and Why Does it Matter? Distance learning is a method of delivering lessons and content remotely enabling teachers, students and guardians to remain connected and engaged. We've seen a range of obvious benefits to this approach during the Covid-19 crisis such as; Continue to provide lessons, set assignments and give feedback without physically being in school. Keep students engaged and motivated. Encourag
Remote Learning Challenges for Schools Engage Easy to use tools such as Google Classroom can open up virtual discussions about a subject or lesson. Using the Stream feature within Google Classroom, you can encourage students to talk about a section or element of the lesson, which not only breaks the lesson down into manageable pieces but also opens up discussions at a class level. With Google Docs you can also highlight and give valuable feedback. Formative assessments with Google Forms allows you to take quizzes on lessons to test understanding. It also offers auto-grading and allows you to embed videos or images - another great strategy in keeping students engaged digitally. Encourage Remote learning can be isolating and disheartening at times. Keeping connected with students using Google Meet can help maintain a level of structure and learning with the teacher, while the Calendar Appointment Slots can provide 1:1 sessions with students who may need a l