Tales of the Digital Age: Online Learning
I just ended the day with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For years in primary school and from the couple of dozens of books I've read, I heard and knew a lot about this movie. It became sort of a turn-off along the way because I had an idea of what it was about it but today I decided that I was gonna watch it as I proudly knitted my first mitten.
As I watched and knitted, I realised that I didn't really have anything to write about today, or I couldn't come up with anything so I asked aunt Iselin if she had any suggestions and let's just say, her first suggestion is the reason I am making a post today. Thank you so much!
Due to the Coronavirus, a lot of things have changed all over the world. This change has had an effect on people from all walks of life. I wish there was a quicker way of getting into this topic without drifting away from my main point because that's what's about to happen.
The term 'social distancing' is one of the several terms that are suddenly used in our everyday vocabulary and its being practiced too. This means that a lot of people have to work from homes(those who can), others lost their jobs and one of the biggest things for me and many others that go to school: online learning.
A folk high school is probably one of the best kind of school in the world and I'll quote a text from the Norwegian folk high school's website:
"...these schools have no grades, no rigid curriculum and no exams...you get to practice what you learn, not merely immerse yourself in theory."
I want you to get what a folk high school is so that you will understand the type of online classes we have now which is slightly different from the normal school/university type of online classes because we don't get assignments that counts for marks, we talk most of the time and socialize basically. Let me just get into it before these words distract me...
Before all of this, most of the classes did very practical stuff like travelling, dog-mushing, hunting and fishing, going on hiking trips and having activities at school every single day. Now most of that can no longer be carried out so in the mornings, we have the morning meeting and then each class meets on Zoom. Today two of my classmates showed us what their homes look like and that is the assignment that we'll have for the rest of next week until everybody has done it.
At first it was really difficult to get used to having an online class because we are used to being practical, apart from when we would evaluate trips and so on but after the Easter holidays I guess most of us realised that this was the last of our school year and that we have to make the most of it. Now I look forward to seeing my peers everyday and hearing what they have been up to and how they have been. Also, the energy has been different since after Easter as I mentioned earlier so now it feels more real. This is now one of the ways my Norwegian still stays in tact, although I really do not say much!
We have a few other subjects on Discord, I must say, the evenings are one of the best when we come up with quizzes and play Kahoot or someone talks about a place they'd been to and uploads pictures while doing so. Or someone got a new dog and shares cute pictures. The school aims to keep that full-of-life spirit going and we bring our best to the table too.
On the other hand, I spoke to my little sister about how she was coping with online classes back home. She told me that it felt like they were just socializing . "..it has no classroom atmosphere and there is no seriousness. We just tease each other and it really helps no one...I'd get better marks teaching myself", she said. She also added that since she does not always have data, she just has to use the resources that are at home when she has no access to the internet. A friend told me that to straighten out the 'no data" issue, he asks about updates from his classmates.
Not all is lost in the world of online learning. Another friend mentioned that the good thing with this is the fact that one has a flexible learning schedule, it's less intimidating, one can work from anywhere at any time and have more time to put together ideas. I didn't ask more about "less intimidating" because I think you might have an idea or two.
Really this piece was just to bring to your attention how some of the only options are not always the best options for everyone. Online classes are the best alternative right now but not everybody has access to it and that sort of jeopardizes their learning. The best thing that one can do would be to talk to friends and ask about updates as well as to read from what you have, that is probably the best way to prepare yourself( for an exam that might be coming or not, I came across a meme on that!:)
How do you feel about online school? How you are you coping? What are some of the main challenges?
P.S I bet a lot of us learned to use educational apps and actually have a good reason for being on our phones/computers everyday for a few hours:)
hearts, Queen
#blogging #namibia #folkhighschool #coronatime #school #friendlycontent