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Distance learning is something that has become dauting to me. I am currently in school to become an Elementary teacher and I have heard so many horror stories about what it is like to have to do distance learning especially with elementary-aged students. In completing field placements with in-person classrooms, I can't fathom taking their learning online. I have also talked with teachers who have had decent experiences with distance learning but it is something that I am terrified of as a beginning teacher. I have talked with teachers about their tips and tricks of the trade when it comes to distance learning but I still feel wildly unprepared. The era of Covid seems like it's coming to a close but the concept of distance learning could sprout up again at any time and I want to be more prepared for when or if it does. Any advice?

I am right there with you girl! I too am worried about something like this happening again. But one of my main concerns, is how to check for understanding while being virtual. I know that many have said in other forums that you could use reactions suhc as the thumbs up or thumbs down, but how will you truly be able to tell if they got the concept? A few students may not understand the concept, but don't want to be looked down upon from their fellow classmates. I honestly think the best way that we can prepare outselves, is to be flexible with what we are given. Most schools now a days push teachers to take advantage of technology, so you will already be incorporating that into your classroom, making another shutdown, easier to handle. 

From my experience can say that it's not that easy to engage all the students. It's possible, but you have to be creative and be able to keep everyone active. I think it can be possible if you use a lot of interactive tasks or have some group activities, etc. But you know, sometimes it's not possible to add some interactivity into lectures. It all depends on the subject. For example, I have an online writing course, and sometimes it can be so hard to focus. But our professor can give us writing tasks to complete in 30 minutes, so we have to be always focused, and it works. A few days ago, he randomly gave us the task of writing about the value of life, and it was so unexpected because I was distracted. Thanks to this site https://studymoose.com/free-essays/the-value-of-life with free essays on that topic, I managed to write a paper in less than 20 minutes. And now, I always try to be focused and engaged in the discussion because I can miss something important or some tips. But I can't say it's the best example of engaging students because it's pretty stressful, I'd say.

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Distance learning is difficult, especially for elementary-aged students and new teachers. One of the major issues with distance learning is that there is inequal access to technology for it. For that reason, I think it is best to provide physical resources (rather than digital) as much as possible. It is also a good idea to support parents in teaching their children, such as giving instructions as neccessary. 

As a student I saw first hand how difficult distance Learning was for teachers. I worry when I become a teacher it's going to be a challenge for me. There are so many downfalls of distance-learning such as lack of face-to-face interaction and one significant challenge of distant learning is the absence of face-to-face because teachers are used to communicating with students in person and they often find it hard to teach without seeing their students body language and facial expressions. You have no idea if the student is paying attention on the other side of the screen. The resources are also difficulty because not everybody has access to Materials needed for distance learning which puts some students at a disadvantage. I also think student engagement is a downfall because when your place behind a screen you don't feel as though you need to work as much overall we've seen situations were distance-learning is necessity so hopefully if the time comes I will be well prepared. 

Hi Maggie, I believe that distance learning was convenient during COVID-19, but unfortunately, many students were not able to improve their cognitive skills due to their social skills or even doing hands-on activities. I would say to try to incorporate real-life situations into your lessons so that they will get intrigued to want to learn the lesson plan. 

Hello Maggie, I hear your concern. I am also a college student studying to become a teacher and this uncertainly of having to do distance learning is scary. One thing I would suggest is building strong relationships with parents in supporting their child's science learning. Science should be a very hands on subject and in order for small children to complete activities and experiements they will need the physical help of an adult. This is a tip I would consider implementing in my classroom if distance learning is something we will have to conquer as future teachers.