In class this week we talked about distributed learning, and ironically enough, we have been immersed in that very thing over the last year, due to the pandemic. Learning online has had many negatives, but also many positives. Below is the list of positives/negatives to online learning that our class brainstormed together:

Positives 

  • You can all type at once
  • No commute
  • More homework and personal time
  • Wearing pajamas and doing class in bed
  • Not taking the bus.
  • You can multi-task a lot more things on the go
  • Lectures can be recorded a lot easier, discussions are saved
  • Notes are accessible online
  • Ability to multitask during class.
  • Less gas money
  • More sleep
  • Don’t have to worry about forgetting things at home
  • We get to meet people’s pets!
  • Closed captioning on zoom calls
  • Being able to have people’s names and pronouns right there in case you forget

Negatives 

  • Tired bodies and eyes from too much screen time
  • Lack of ability to study with/connect with classmates
  • When internet is down, no accessibility to class
  • Hurts looking at a screen all day
  • I feel like I am way less active and do not get the fresh air I need
  • More home distractions
  • Hard to do homework after already sitting at the desk all day 
  • Tech can really be a pain and not always work when you need it/want it too
  • Get tired easily
  • Back pain 
  • No resources for more hands-on classes (music, art, physical ed, tech, drama)
  • Headaches (from the screen)
  • Difficult to connect with profs

Most of our daily views over the last year:

I have especially enjoyed not commuting, spending more time with my dog, and being able to work more, but I am excited for things to go back to ‘normal’.

Asynchronous & Synchronous Learning Tools

Asynchronous is a term I have only come to know in the past year. It means that you learn on your own time, from materials provided by a teacher. This can be done from anywhere at any time (although there is typically a ‘due’ date).

Synchronous is what most people think of as a usual way of learning. The teaching and learning happens at the same time, but can be done from different places (hello zoom synchronous classes)!

Asynchronous Tools

Synchronous Tools

  • Active Learning Classrooms
Active Classroom

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

  • Zoom
  • Video Conferencing
What is zoom fatigue?

Zoom fatigue is something that I think most of my peers and I, as well as many people around the world, have been experiencing. It is exhausting because:

  1. Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact
  2. Seeing yourself constantly in real-time
  3. Dramatic reduction in mobility
  4. Higher cognitive load

Distributed learning is great for allowing teachers and students to learn from anywhere, and thank goodness we had the ability to learn how we did over the last year, but I am excited to get back to face-to-face learning!