What do you find hardest about teaching online and using technology in your teaching and learning?

 

I have already been teaching offline for over two decades now, and in the past, if I came across some colleagues who had a distinct web presence with their blogs or social network profiles, etc., I would just admire them and think that my "bonding with technology" time is yet to come.

March 2019, however, had different plans for myself and, I believe, the majority of educators. Educational institutions were closed because of global pandemic restrictions, and both students and teachers were left puzzled and unaware of what to do next.

The majority of my students were from remote regions of Uzbekistan, and very few of them had laptops, so we created a telegram channel where it all started.

I would share jpg images, pdf files, and audio instructions, and students would send their spoken answers in the form of recordings and writings as a photo of the notes.

Considering all the waiting, checking, and providing feedback, a normal 90-minute lesson lasted twice as long. But the first step was taken, which was great.

Then I had to learn how to use both Zoom and Microsoft Teams as both institutions I worked for used different platforms.

I would not say that I have full proficiency now, but I am proud to have good working skills in both mediums now.

Teaching online had obviously demonstrated various advantages – from the ability to work remotely and having more personal time, as I no longer had to commute to and fro.

There are amazing opportunities for conducting surveys and collecting instant feedback from students, ability to embed videos/audios into the lesson without the need to use additional multimedia resources.

I have also encountered a few challenges from both my side and the students.

To be continued…….

 

Visitors and Residents.

Who am I? What was my digital journey like?

Visitors and Residents are words to describe the level of engagement with the internet and online sources.

Marc Prensky (2001) started describing students as digital natives and digital immigrants, where the natives are someone already born in the digital era and immigrants who have learned how to use technology, but might never be able to become as fluent as natives.

Visitors and Residents, however, are more looked at from the perspective of the ‘mode’ of engagement (White, 2014b).

If a Visitor is someone who makes individual choices on what to retrieve from the web, without any footprint left online; a Resident, will have a more social presence, hence he is called this way, he will interact with others online, making posts, being involved in discussions.

I have always considered myself a person who ‘repels technology’. When I studied in high school and was doing my Bachelor’s at a local university in Uzbekistan, this was the time when the first mobile phones and the internet just arrived.

We would access the internet in small internet cafes, with a dial-up connection, which took a while to load a page. We were not aware of the amazing opportunities the internet would offer at that time, so we mainly used it to look up information related to our studies. For that time and a few years afterward, I would say I was a Personal visitor, mainly sending audio/video messages, having rare live chats on MSN (to my friends and fiancée in the UK), and emailing through hotmail.com. I believe Skype had also become available around that time, but I never used it actively.

I graduated from the university and started working, this is where I had to have more interaction with online resources. I worked at a training department and had to conduct presentations, I was also responsible for updating standard operating procedures. Due to a lack of experience in quality assurance, I had to go online to see samples, and some tutorials on how to make PPT presentations. I would say I was an Institutional visitor at that point because the online activities were not solely for myself, but also for the institution, i.e. my workplace.

When did I become a Personal resident? After I got married and had a child I had to stay at home for some time. For work, I did translations remotely, mainly sending/receiving translations via email. I was quite active on translation forums, looking for offers and discussing terms/abbreviations, etc. I watched some films online and sent photos to family and friends. I still did not have any profiles on social networks. I had friends from various countries, but mainly communicated via email. At that point, I registered on Etsy.com and sold a couple of bags I had sown and embroidered myself.

And finally, now, I can proudly say I am an active Institutional resident. Thanks to Innovating Learning and Teaching course, I now have a blog, - a fact I would not have believed if told some time ago. I have Instagram and Facebook profiles, working on my LinkedIn profile currently. I am actively involved in research and an active participant in forums and groups relevant to my research interests. I shop online, have both personal and corporate email addresses, and use a range of tools and platforms for teaching (Canvas LMS, EdPuzzle, Canva).

I know there is still a lot to explore and I am excited to learn more.

Reference list

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), pp.1–6. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816.

White, D. (2014). Visitors and Residents. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPOG3iThmRI [Accessed 16 Apr. 2023].

 

 

 

Do what you love, and love what you do💗

Hello there! Welcome to My World of Teaching!

I am Gulnoza; I have been in teaching for over 20 years now, and I continually learn myself. Teaching is what I am passionate about; this is something that inspires me to go further, to learn, to share, and to adapt. Some of the areas of my interest include blended learning, material design, assessment, and special education. I am an empath who believes in social constructivism and collaboration.

Come join me on this journey where I will share my experience and be happy to read yours.