COVID19 was an Impetus for a Change

What a year; for a good reflection. This post is not meant in any negative or disrespectful context. The human race is well known for its ability to adapt to a stimulus/change. When faced with opposition, there are two choices, give up or move forward (Growth Mindset). Let us explore this further.

Technology has been a controversial subject in the educational process. With the pandemic, that same technology turns out to be a catalyst and a modality for meeting our learning outcome goals. Google Meet, Zoom, Teams, even Facetime have been used as the only resources for face-to-face interaction. Birthdays and teachers used parades to show appreciation for friends and students. We fought for this connection that, in some cases, we sidestepped just a few months earlier. Jamboard, Google Docs, and other synchronous/asynchronous technologies were the only connections that could be used. This alone caused education practices to change. This change was not just the change to using more technology; it was a pedagogical shift. If someone did not know how to use technology for learning or you were apprehensive about the use, you had to figure out a balance quickly. This was a good shift, mainly.

Time was the next benefit of the pandemic. If you wanted the time or not, everyone received the same amount. The only trouble is in trying to figure out what to do with all of that time. Some found benefits in learning a new skill, while others used the gift of time for relaxation. Time allowed a lot of the time to do whatever project was previously placed on the back burner because of the burden of work. I know I finished a few “honey-dos” that were unfinished before.

Resources became free for pro-level access. This is/was a significant positive and showed that we are all in this together. Even Google gave free access to the Enterprise level of Google Suite (now known as Workspace). Free is always the best style of technology! We all came together for the single focus of education and support of students the best we could in the situation we were dealt. No one asked for this change, but we did benefit from the alignment of one single focus. Parents appreciated teachers, and teachers fully supported families like no other time before.

Now that everything is SLOWLY getting back to a normal-ish way, we have to look for benefits. We cannot get back to “the way it used to be.” We have learned a lot about how technology can benefit our educational world, which is a change for the better.

The one thing I would like everyone to remember, together we can overcome anything. Be kind to one another and help each other. Everyone is battling with the recovery back to “normal,” whatever that will look like. Be kind and realize that not all struggles can be seen by looking at a person or kiddo. Hug your students and kids and do everything you can to show them you love and care for them. Their mental and physical well-being should always be our focus.