The topic of almost every conversation throughout this week has been about COVID-19; we have discussed it in class because of the impending impacts it has on our education. With the release of Governor Cuomo’s statement that all SUNY and CUNY schools are moving to distance learning it is necessary for us to develop a plan. I think this is especially difficult for our class because of the immense amount of discussion and presenting, in addition to the site visits. In this blog post I want to initiate conversation on how to proceed in the deliberations of decision-making that we have to complete. I want to share with you my suggestions for how to address class time, and I also want to hear from all of you what you agree/disagree with, in addition to your own ideas.
First, I think it is necessary that we have a specific time that we meet for online discussion, and that we all engage with each other through Zoom. We need to hold ourselves, and each other, accountable for continuing to engage with one another. If unexcused attendance becomes an issue, there should be a system of point deduction by Professor Campbell.
I also think that it will be difficult to talk in a large group through technology, and to help solve this problem we should continue to discuss in small groups. It would be ideal for Professor Campbell to post the small groups that we would work with for that class period before class. Then we break up into these groups for a set amount of time to discuss, and then return to the entire class discussion. There can be a group leader assigned to share out to the class about what the group discussed. Professor Campbell could also rotate being in a group for each time we break out.
Within full class discussions, if we want to share something we can change our screen to be a certain color, or flash a light to let Professor Campbell know we want to share. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to voice opinions during the class discussion if we aren’t able to see one another?
The continued use of PollEv will also be beneficial to communicate how the class feels about something. It could be made unanonymous so that Professor Campbell could specifically call on someone who voted on something to share their opinion.
For site visits we could do a Zoom conference call with someone from each of the organizations. If possible, it would be beneficial to have Professor Campbell there with the staff member of the organization to mediate conversation.
For presenting I feel that it might be easier to make videos of presentations and share them with the class. If we have group presentations, each member of the group can be responsible for a section of the presentation, make their video, and then someone in the group can be responsible for incorporating all videos into one.
In conclusion, obviously the impending switch to online learning is not ideal, and we came to Binghamton to interact with other students and staff. Unfortunately, Coronavirus may be more serious than we expect: in an interview with an expert in infectious disease epidemiology speaks to how highly contagious the disease is and how vital it is to avoid large gatherings (https://youtu.be/cZFhjMQrVts). This pandemic causing the shift to online classes is completely out of our control, but what we can control is how we move forward with our learning and this class. We should continue making an effort to engage with each other and contribute to conversation. From the article on How to Be a Better Online Teacher, I read about how the battle of online teaching is getting students to engage in class and making the class interesting and enjoyable. Both of these things, we as students can control by the effort we put in. I hope we all can continue to effectively work towards our end goal of making a difference in our community with the money we have to donate!
-Nicole McGrath
Hi Nicole, I agree that it's important to have an open discussion on how we should approach online/distance learning. I am glad that Professor Campbell was able to give us the opportunity to give our own input and ideas. During Tuesday's class this news did not necessarily phase me or was of much seriousness to me, however, it now feels very surreal since Governor Cuomo announcing the switch. Personally, I enjoy learning in a physical classroom environment and it works best with my learning style, so my biggest concern is how virtual classrooms will accommodate to each learning style. Another concern I have, and others share as well, is how we are going to be able to transition a course that was designed to function in a physical classroom setting into a virtual one. This transitioning process will of course be very experimental and we will probably go through trial and error, but I think it is crucial we have an open mind and are flexible. This is something that is all very new to us and we hopefully could use this experience as an opportunity to setting a system or protocol for any future instances.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nicole, for providing potential ways to tackle these issues. I think it is safe to say that switching a discussion class online will not be an easy task. I agree that breaking into smaller groups with one group leader who will fill Professor Campbell, is a great idea. I feel like it is a better plan than just Professor Campbell lecturing for an hour and a half while we just interject intermediately. After all, we do have to donate $11,000 to an organization and cannot afford to shirk that duty. Zoom meetings with staff members of the organization would be a great way to have our questions answered but I do not think it could properly convey everything we hope to learn about the organization. However, we have to make do with a bad situation and as such something is better than nothing, I only hope it would be enough to make an informed decision. I have never attended an online class as I am a very auditory learner, so it sucks to have to do most of my learning on my own in a sense. My only concerns are presentations and how that would work but hopefully, we could send Prof. Campbell the slides and take turns speaking. All and all I think we will all make it through this difficult time and make the most of a rough situation.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI also understand what you mean that switching to online learning will be especially difficult for this class because we incorporate discussions in groups and engaging questions on the daily as a component of this course. The loss of human-to-human engagement will definitely affect our ability to share ideas and build off opinions of others within the class.
Breaking into smaller groups is definitely one way to combat this obstacle. During our Saturday Zoom session, having a break-out session in smaller groups allowed us to not only turn on our cameras so there would be more face-to-face interaction, but encouraged people to express their opinions in a more comfortable situation, which partially brought back the concept of building off others' ideas.
For group presentations, I feel as if the best way to approach them is through recorded videos, because this will allow the most fluidity between the transitions of speakers. Students can record their section of the presentation and then the clips of each person's speech can be edited together through a video editing software, perhaps with the addition of a recording of a screencast of the slides/presentations and then this video can be streamed through Zoom. This would minimize confusion when there are over thirty viewers in the same Zoom room and multiple people have to be talking at the same time through their microphones and cameras.
The most important aspect we must keep in mind during this less-than-ideal situation is to maintain a positive outlook. Something my professor mentioned during lecture on Friday resonated with me: "Take this situation as a way to take advantage of your learning career." Although the transition to switching online for the rest of the semester is something new and unclear for all of us, we must keep in mind that the nature of our courses will still remain the same, despite us transitioning into different environments and conditions for our classes. We need to know that there will be an alternative way to accommodate every aspect of this course, as long as we get creative. The digital world may be a limitation with regards to human interaction, but it can also be a gateway for many other opportunities we haven't explored, and may turn out to be a very useful asset in the continuation of this class.
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing this situation to our attention through your blog post topic; I think we can all attest to its relevance. I agree that with this class especially, transition to an online format seems to take away a lot of the group decision making and collaboration that we are supposed to learn together.
From the article you linked, I can definitely see the challenges that teachers have to face when engaging their students online than in person. To your first point, I agree that we must all be accountable in participation and be as present as we can be. This can only work if we all cooperate and try our best, for the teachers and for our own education. Being accountable, to me, also means being responsible for ourselves. These are extremely stressful and difficult times, and I think we should all trust each other to want to learn - which is why I do not think that there should be a system of point deduction because it serves as a negative enforcer.
For example:
In my other class, my professor was very transparent about the possibility of us moving to online classes and she cautioned us to be responsible and take care of ourselves. With COVID-19, it is difficult to discern the symptoms from the flu. My professor waived the mandatory attendance for this class and told us that if we were feeling sick, we should not force ourselves to come to class because we would put ourselves and others at risk. To me, being accountable and responsible is ensuring that we do not worsen the situation. Following the announcement of distance learning for SUNYs, my professor then sent out a Google Form asking us whether or not we would have reliable internet service, whether or not we have a laptop/computer/device to use Zoom, whether or not we would still be able to meet during class times (and if not, which times were best).
While I understand the sentiment that we should all be attending classes and participating through Zoom, I think it is also important to acknowledge that some people may not have access. Not everyone is so privileged to own their own laptop or computer, and may not have reliable internet. As the situation in NYC continues to change, people are struggling to adapt. We should be uplifting and supporting one another, instead of punishing each other for things that are out of our control.
I really agree with your idea of small group discussions through Zoom. I think that it's a good alternative to our situation, and groups could schedule their own times to video call. For site visits, I think that at this point, we should all come up with 5 good questions to submit to Professor Campbell, who can then narrow the question list down and ask the representatives over Zoom while we listen.
For voicing our opinions during full class discussions - from my other classes, there is a feature where students can "raise their hands" and the professor can call on them. Usually, everyone is muted except for the professor, so when a student raises their hand virtually, the professor can unmute their mic.
For presentations, some people may not have access to a microphone or camera. I think that if a group member cannot gain access, he/she should be able to make it up through an alternative assignment. However, I think it would be a cool idea if one member shared their screen during Zoom and the group took turns presenting the slides.
Thank you again for bringing this up. For me, adapting to these changes and this situation has been a whirlwind and I think that it's important we discuss how we can proceed together. Honestly, I am pretty sad that classes have moved online even though I know it is important to practice social distancing and preventative measures. I feel like this class especially was one that we will be missing the full experience of, but I think that we will all stay motivated in trying to make the best out of this situation.
Maggie