Welcome to my PME 811 - Innovation in Teaching & Learning blog! I am having challenges in finding just one question to explore during this course, as I have many smaller questions and ideas to flesh out. Perhaps further in the course, a theme will take shape. I hope you enjoy my musings, and I look forward to reading your comments!
Technology and COVID-19
Many consider technology and innovation as almost synonymous terms, so it seems like a reasonable place to start my blog on recent innovations in teaching and learning.
For this post I will be focused on technology, post-secondary education and COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for education worldwide, especially in Ontario where a third lockdown is being experienced. It can also be said that unique opportunities have been presented. Institutions and boards whose digital or online offering was not polished and prepared were forced to pivot and implement technology-based solutions almost overnight.
At the Smith School of Business where I work, we were fortunate to have most of the technological infrastructure in place to support online learning when it was needed. Many of our course and program offerings were already available via videoconferencing or on-demand online. The remainder of in-person courses were delivered digitally in a matter of days. The Smith School of Business Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning has been erected as a positive side effect of the pandemic. This can be attributed not only to the physical readiness of the institution for digital delivery, but also an institutional commitment to innovation, a concept which I may explore in a future post.
For postsecondary and adult learning, this readiness is not uncommon. As these institutions try to keep pace with the needs of customers, providing flexible learning options has become more prevalent. Online courses such as EdX, Coursera, and Linkedin Learning have been gaining popularity in the last decade. Postsecondary and adult learners have also been prepared as most are equipped with the technology and skills required to participate in digital learning. Most possess a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and access to high-speed internet. It should be recognized that a certain amount of privilege is assumed here, which I would like to discuss in another post later in this course.
Happy to see the organization
ReplyDeleteHi there - those photos of the teachers look pretty amazing. If only everyone had that. There was definitely a lot of stress and fear among teachers when things went virtual, at least for those who had not embraced online classrooms until this point. Since most teachers at least have access to the same tech (albeit, not impressive tech) there really is not much of an excuse for any teachers to have found themselves so completely unprepared, at least at the secondary level. Things have definitely changed a year in though.
ReplyDeletebtw, this is Jen from PME 811. I will try to use a public account for the future.
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