One thing that life has taught me is the lesson of patience. This does not mean that I do not get overwhelmed or act on impulse at time or get frustrated when abrupt change happens, especially when not in my favor. The Covid-19 pandemic is one of those changes that is out of my control. The global impact on the economy and way of life as we know it has drastically changed, including socialization and education. Brick and mortar facilitation of education has changed from schools to home-based learning. One method of instruction that has enabled this transition is the use of technology. Educators have been thrown into the world of remote instruction and successfully adapted to utilizing online resources to implement continuous education for the remainder of the 2019/2020 school year. This poses the question …. what will teaching and learning look like come this Fall? The reality is that even before the current global crisis, the 2020 educational trends projected learning to be submersed in the utilization of modern technology including artificial intelligence, augmented reality, online education, smart spaces and more…check out the article for more details. I do feel schools will eventually reopen their doors under the regulations and guidance with public health and the Chief Medical Health officer with the priority being a safe environment for students and staff. However, I do foresee changes to delivery methods and possible changes to the educational environment with a more blended or hybrid learning approach as Dr. Alec Couros talked about in our zoom lecture. In our break out group we also talked about this possibility in terms of half days or alternating days for attending school and online learning. This does however come with challenges, especially in terms of equitable access and potential childcare issues. There are many factors to consider in whatever decision the ministry makes.

We are educating a generation of young individuals that have been born into a world submersed in technology as stated, in the article shared by a classmate, 4 Ways Covid-19 could change how we educate future generations.

Today more than ever, students are engaged when learning utilizes some form of technology along with a more student-centered approach. If you have time watch this inspiring Ted Talk, I would love to hear your thoughts. Kalya Delzer sums up Re-Imagining Education in the future of innovative education, technology, digital citizenship and the tools our students are going to need to be successful in the future. I was comforted in the fact that regardless of technology is here to stay, so is the importance of personal connection and face to face student/teacher relationships. I suspect and hope this will not change even in 5,10,15 years from now.

“Technology today is the language today’s students think” – Kayla Delzer