Daily Archives: June 13, 2020

Nations across the world have taken different yet significant measures to limit the spread ofCOVID-19. The most immediate one taken by almost all countries was to cancel physical face-to-face teaching in schools and higher education institutions. All kinds of social and religious gatherings and public events, too, were banned. With a sudden shift from the classroom to e-learning, many wondered whether the adoption of online education would continue to persist post-pandemic and how such a shift would impact the education market.

Indeed, in India, too, physical classrooms have replaced online classes. The transition has mostly been smooth in private universities though public institutions are yet to adapt to the changes. This has led to widespread debates on the future course of classes whether they should be conducted online or not. Realising the long-term impact of COVID-19, faculty members, too, are finding it hard to conduct online classes with ease. On the other hand, students have been left clinging on to their mobile phones, laptops and computer screens. What, however, is certain is that a post-COVID world must gear itself to adapt to some changes. Being physically present in a classroom may not be the only learning option anymore not with the rise of the internet and new technologies, at least. As long as there is access to a computer with a robust internet connection, students can attend live sessions or watch pre-recorded classes. Does this mean that online education will soon replace classroom education? It should be kept in mind that even though there have been huge technological advancements, they arent flawless. E-learning comes with its own set of challenges.

Challenges and possibilities: In the case of traditional classrooms, lack of engagement is problematic for teachers and students alike. Unlike online education, here, they cannot pause or rewind the classes in case they miss out certain chapters. On the other hand, online education is not as easy as speaking into the microphone at the one end and connecting a laptop or phone and listening on the other. There are other challenges with this form of education that have to be faced by both faculty as well as students. While the former will have to put in extra labour to generate lectures, it will be difficult for the latter to make sense of it online. Then, how will this form of education compensate for the academic loss suffered by students? Practically speaking, there is no alternative to classroom activities.

Most important of all, even after so much digitisation, rural India will face unprecedented challenges due to poor connectivity and frequent power cuts that would affect the productivity of the classroom. Talking about access to electricity, according to Mission Antyodaya, a nationwide survey of villages conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development in 2017-18, 16 per cent of Indias households received one to eight hours of electricity daily, 33 per cent received 9-12 hours and only 47 per cent received more than 12 hours a day. Further, according to data collected by the National Sample Survey as part of the Survey on Education (2014), only 27 per cent of households in India have some member with access to the internet. Access to the internet does not necessarily mean that a household actually has internet at home.

While increasing ethernet connectivity should be the larger goal, in the short term, data on mobile phones must be subsidised. Device ownership, too, is a problem and for this, the Government must provide for cheap smartphones for students to get on with the business of teaching. Organisations such as the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), IGNOU and other such bodies offering distance education as well as the Government must assess current and future infrastructure requirements for digital age and bridge the gap.

But what if e-learning becomes the way of life for education? What would be the major issues and areas that require introspection? And what does this mean for the students going forward?

Most universities are now offering web-based file-sharing services to their faculty members and research communities. However, there are several other ways to make multimedia resources accessible over the internet. Certainly, the most familiar one is YouTube, which though ubiquitous and easy-to-use, does present challenges to classroom use that must not be ignored. The most glaring one is the comments section. The instructor can take it for granted that some comments will not be suitable for projection on a classroom screen.

Similarly, advertisements found lining the video could be a problem, too. Regardless of the product being promoted, the classroom need not be turned to a search service in order to access multimedia resources. To avoid this, a number of web browser extensions are available that provide for the unsullied viewing experience, hiding comments, menu side bus and advertisements from the view. A number of cloud-based tools, too, are available that allow files to be stored and shared across a remote host, which at the very least offer the instructor the flexibility to adapt. Foremost among these is Dropbox, which is a file hosting service that offers free data storage across several operating platforms. Amazon cloud drive offers 5 GB of free storage and provides a straight forward web-based interface for uploading and retrieval of files. Similarly, GoogleDocs allows for the uploading of entire folders to the cloud, making remote storage of a set of organised files quite easy.

Make the digital transition: Technological prospects for classrooms have evolved in remarkable ways since the COVID-19 pandemic. We have witnessed the successful introduction of smartphones that are capable of running audio-visual clips and interactive language drills; tablets are now replacing the laptop as an essential classroom gear, and there has been a rich array of online dictionaries. Further, news media and Unicode blogs are now searchable in original scripts; a sea of websites are dedicated towards the study and dissemination of literature. The worldwide popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google classroom, Zoom, Cisco Webex and the user-centred design of web has addressed concerns of language use. Even mini tablets are now equipped with a built-in digital camera. In fact, they allow students to use audio and video editing software.

comments

More:

Learning in times of crisis Mysuru Today - citytoday

Get your Pimm's at the ready, as this Saturday (13 June) is the Queens official birthday, and while it's not the actual day she was born (thats the 21 April), this year marks her 94th birthday celebration.

While we won't be sending the Queen a present (because what do you buy a monarch?) you may have a grandparent, great grandparent or another elderly relative's birthday that you need to prepare for.

Shopping for someone over 90-years-old can be tricky, as you want to give them something they can enjoy even when theyre typically less mobile and sharp.

Their eyesight may not be as good, so keep that in mind when looking at smaller items such as books, and how heavy a gift could be, as this could be difficult to carry.

If you have a date approaching to celebrate, find some inspiration in our gifting guide.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

For a gift that keeps on giving, this Bloom and Wild three months of flowers (Bloom and Wild, 60) is a flower subscription that will see fresh blooms arrive at their doorstep monthly.

A three, six or 12-month letterbox flower subscription means there will always be a new bouquet of colourful blooms at their door (Bloom and Wild)

Arriving in a letterbox parcel that can be delivered even if no one is in, theyre easy to arrange in a vase and will last weeks, with flower food and step-by-step care instructions provided in each order.

Indoor foliage is ideal if the recipient may not get out the house very often (or at all during these times) and a house full of plants doesnt only look good, its also been proven to provide a host of psychological benefits such as improved mood, reduced stress levels and longer attention span.

In our guide to the best house plants, the Canopy Plants Monstera minima (Canopy Plants, from 23) impressed us the most. Its easy to care for, fast-growing and only needs watering once a week.

Bring the outside in with an easy to care for house plant (The Independent)

To keep it in the best condition possible, set it in a space that gets sun and shade, and dont forget to trim it if it starts to become overgrown.

Make your gift personal with a piece of artwork to hang in their home, designed from family photos.

This Dorinda Art custom family portrait illustration (Etsy, 12.35), is a digital illustration that can feature up to 10 people, from friends, family, or even pets.

A personalisedfamily photo print will add a special touch to any room that all visitors can enjoy(Etsy)

You can also get creative with a photo album, as a way of preserving memories that your elderly relative can share with younger generations in your family.

Apps like Colourize, which is free to download for iOS and Android, use artificial intelligence to allow you to add colour into photographs that were taken with a black and white camera in past decades.

Its a thoughtful way to learn about your own familys history and you can present them in a decorative album, such as this Begolden coloured leather photo album (Not on the High Street, 32). It's soft to handle with no sharp edges, and you can also personalise with a name, date or occasion.

A soft book photo album is a great way to preserve older pictures and reminisce aboutfond memories (Not On The High Street)

If you have more recent photos, perhaps from weddings or grandchildren being born, you can also create a photo album online by uploading pictures and designing the layout before it arrives fully made at your door. All you have to do is wrap it and add a card.

We like Papier's "the minimalist" photo book (Papier, from 28), as it's a softback and you can choose everything from the cover to captions.

You can also design a photo book online with a hand in its layout, captions, picture size and fonts (Papier)

Its a simple design, hence the name, which will be easy for an elderly relative to browse through.

Food hampers are perfect at doing the hard work for you, especially if your culinary skills aren't quite up to scratch.

If your recipient loves afternoon tea, bring the tradition to them while cafes and restaurants remain closed in lockdown. This Cutter and Squidge afternoon tea at home set (Cutter and Squidge, 29.90), has everything you need to treat them on a special occasion.

While you're unable to take them out for afternoon tea, bring it to them with a food hamper (Cutter and Squidge )

The set for two includes brownies, mini lemon cakes, buttery scones (these will need to be warmed up), clotted cream, fruit jam and loose leaf tea.

John Lewis and Partners also has a wide selection of sweet, savoury and alcoholic hampers to shop from.

Try the brand's taste of Britain hamper (John Lewis & Partners, 40), which comes in a pretty willow basket containing all butter shortbread, milk chocolate, humbugs, strawberries and cream fudge, bakewell tart popcorn, strawberry jam and 10 English tea bags.

When buying a food hamper, make sure you don't buy one with foods that might be difficult to chew (John Lewis and Partners)

For a taste of nostalgia, this old favourites letterbox sweets gift box by Sweets in the Post (Not on The High Street, 12), is a selection of handmade sweets including sherbet lemons, mint humbugs, minty frosty bites and cinnamon balls.

For a sweet tooth, buy them a box of treatsthey may have enjoyed during their childhood (Not On The High Street)

Each box comes with a gift card and personalised message too.

For more birthday gift ideas, read our guide to celebrating milestones during lockdown here, and our round-up of the best letterbox flower services here

IndyBestproduct reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.

The rest is here:

As the Queen celebrates her 94th birthday, here's our gift ideas for people in their nineties - The Independent

Blended learning a mix of being in class and learning remotely will be a reality in schools in Ireland when they reopen in September, the Minister for Education Joe McHugh has said. But given the experiences of pupils, parents and teachers of mandatory homeschooling during the Covid-19 lockdown, how feasible is it to continue remote learning into the next academic year? We asked parents for their views.

I have two children, one primary, one secondary. While the primary-school teacher is very active using apps such as Seesaw to interact with children, the secondary-school teachers seem a lot more lax.

My primary-aged child misses the routine, and is essentially left to her own devices if we are busy at work (typically one parent will work from home and one go to work). If lucky, well complete a portion of the assigned work a couple of days a week.

The secondary-school child knows that teachers have limited power over the internet. He does a bare minimum, an hour or so a day, after much cajoling. He is a capable child who does well at school, but he is not motivated to study on his own initiative.

They will catch up on the learning (it might take a while to break bad habits), but I am worried about their mental states. As parents, we have taken on the roles of teacher, sports coach, friend and childminder while, in our case, having no change in our roles as full-time employees. The pressure is huge. Im sure Im not the only one ready to crack.

I have no idea how they expect blended learning to work. I have a six-year-old in junior infants. Im lucky if I get 10 minutes schoolwork from him. I also have a four-year-old and a nine-month-old. My nine-month-old had Down syndrome, and while he is thankfully healthy, I have to do physio with him and spend longer with him at mealtimes than a typical baby.

Im due back to work in August, and presume I will be working from home. How on earth Im supposed to manage homeschooling as well as work and the various appointments my nine-month-old has, I have no idea.

I am a single mother of a 10-year-old girl. When schools closed I took our tiny caravan out of the garage and set it up in the garden as our new school. I changed my work schedule to a split shift. I work early in the morning for few hours and in the evening for a few more. At 10am my daughter puts on her jacket and we go to school in the caravan until 2pm.

The school has been very good, setting up homeschooling via an interactive app. On Mondays they send the core material for the week, we receive videos from the teacher, we upload work, do presentations, and we have a blog. I am more aware now of the curriculum my daughter is following in school.

Of course, the social aspect is missing. But my daughter and her friends have spent hours on video calls, while playing their favourite videogames, or dancing or singing karaoke together.

For us, homeschooling has been a positive experience.

I am consistently fascinated to hear Government politicians talking about remote learning continuing in the autumn. When did it start? My colleagues in other countries have had formal video lessons for their kids, but in Ireland this is the exception. The teachers in my childrens school have been amazing and accessible, but sending some worksheets to do at home is not remote learning.

My wife and I both work full-time, so even finding 30 minutes to do school work is a challenge. In Ireland, its always been the assumption that someone is at home to mind children. If this continues to be the assumption from Government in the autumn, many people will be forced out of the labour force to care for their children.

I am a single mum working full-time and have a little boy who is eight. It has been extremely difficult balancing work and a child at home. After numerous attempts, given that doing any work during this time has been confirmed by my sons school as non-compulsory, I have stopped trying and have chosen to use this time to teach my son life skills, like sorting washing, recycling and taking out the bins.

For me, the pandemic has brought back the balance I have longed for, for years. I need only one thing to make it perfect. . . and that is the kids back in school.

I have three boys. The youngest two have autism spectrum disorder. They have not engaged with remote learning, despite the wonderful efforts by their teachers. The change in routine has seen them both regress terribly, huge gains have been undone, and socially they are struggling having been isolated from the familiar faces they see each day. Blended learning will not work for the majority of children with additional needs. They need to be back at school. They need consistency.

The day the schools closed my son cried for the whole day, he has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability. He has regressed so much and has started pinching his face with stress. He has to be coaxed out of the house. I pray he will get back to school in September full time. Remote learning is not working here.

We have a full programme of schoolwork daily for our fifth-class and junior-infant children. Im self-employed in hospitality, so Im currently off work but spend hours on the computer before and after homeschooling. Its a juggle to get it all done.

There is great variety in the junior infant programme, but fifth class is the same routine and the same books, day in, day out. The school built a fantastic website, and both teachers engage with us daily, but there is no face-to-face interaction.

Im worried about my children falling behind and I carry the burden of their learning on my shoulders. On Sundays I watch videos so I can teach the maths programme. I correct workbooks from answer books sent from the school. We photograph all the other work and send it back through an app. Its never-ending.

I feel under pressure to complete all the work sent home. I know other parents dont, and thats fine, but I want to prioritise their education and give them the best chance in life. We have no idea when this will end. I dont know how Im going to manage when my business reopens.

Blended learning is not sustainable with the lack of broadband infrastructure. The only one of my three children who has had any face-to-face interaction with their teacher has not been able to interact with the sessions, as the rest of his class either cant see him or hear him, or both. Uploading work to Seesaw is also an issue due to connection problems.

If homeschooling continues in September a co-ordinated approach by all schools should apply. The level of homework and the social media used differs not only from school to school, but between classes. Some teachers are providing and marking homework, some are sending videos, some are using textbooks and some are providing handouts via apps, which require a printout or the child to have his/her own iPad/device.

I am a public servant working from home (my spouse also works but I am the homework person), and my kids do well in school, yet it is difficult to find time to manage all the apps and the 20 notifications a day from the school. They say homework is voluntary, but follow up on children who have not done enough.

The children are also comparing with friends so there is peer pressure to complete everything. Schools need to be reminded that not every family has a stay-at-home parent available to homeschool all day long.

I have homeschooled my eight-year-old granddaughter during lockdown. I dont feel she has missed out. When you take art, PE, story time and other extra activities from the school day, her educational learning time isnt that long, so we dont spend all day doing school work. We have done many other things together and have broadened her learning about everyday life, nature and general knowledge. She misses her friends but FaceTimes them regularly.

We will be very reluctant to send her into a packed school unless we are 100 per cent sure she will be safe. You wont stop children touching each other. To do so all day long would require the skills of an army colonel, and thats not the environment we want in our schools.

Im a self-employed mother of two. My kids are in third class and senior infants. Irish primary schools are not set up for remote learning. My kids have not had one remote class with their teachers. I understood at the start; we were all struggling to deal with an unprecedented crisis, but three months in, Im less tolerant.

Children need engagement with their teachers; and not via email. There has been no indication of how blended learning will work. I imagine it will mean more dumping on parents, who are also meant to be helping reopen the economy. Years of underinvestment and the biggest class sizes in Europe are coming home to roost. Our children have been treated appallingly. I wont forget this when the next election comes around.

My twins are 10 and go to an all-Irish school. I do not speak or read it well. Their books are in Irish, so I cant help them. I am terrified to be told they will be remote learning in September. They live in a rural setting, ideal in normal times but very lonely now and not good for their mental health. They are missing their school so much.

My kids fourth-class teacher has been fantastic. Using Google Classroom, he uploads a PowerPoint every day for each subject. Work is corrected and commented on every day. There are 32 kids in my sons class. The teacher responds straight away to any questions. He is definitely working hard.

Some parents want Zoom classes, but I do not agree with them, as I dont know who could be watching my kid, off camera, on one of the other kids devices. Also Im worried about Zoom bombings (hackings). My nieces secondary school stopped Zooms because of a boy flashing himself behind his brother on the screen.

My partner and I are essential workers. Homeschooling our three children aged four, 11 and 14 has been a nightmare. I have had to rely on a neighbour to look after my children. I start school work once I come in from work at 5.30pm.

The 11-year-old has managed without any hand-holding. But our 14-year-old suffers extreme anxiety, which has been made all the more apparent during lockdown. She struggled with the volume of work set. She stayed in bed for six days in one period, only getting up to go to the toilet. Fortunately we are already in the system, and I contacted CAMHS, who have tweaked her medication to help her cope.

I could not help with certain subjects such as music or Irish, so these were left to one side. For the rest, we made a plan, schooling from 6pm until 10pm. I set some small tasks to complete while I was at work. She is now on holidays, which is a great relief.

My eight-year-old daughters school refused to continue her resource learning support for dyslexia. The principal emailed to say they were not in a position to do so, and online learning could not replace the classroom. After eight weeks we received one email from the resource teacher with a list of apps to try. A 40-minute Zoom class happened once a week for the class in its entirety. We resorted to hiring a tutor as my husband and I were both working full-time.

I have three children. My daughter (13) is going into second year. Her motivation has gone down the tubes. Some of her teachers were fantastic and did a mix of Zoom and home learning, and others did little or nothing at all. It made my blood boil, as I know other schools were running all-day classes.

Unless more effort is made, my daughter will be completely disengaged by the time school returns full time.

My son (eight) will be changing schools in September, as he is nearing the end of junior school. He did school work 10am-11am, and watching the Home School Hub on RT, a godsend. His teacher put a lot of planning into her homeschool programme, but it was not the most practical, with lots of websites and pages to be printed.

Our six-year-old son is in the ASD unit. The teacher sends work every day via an app. After several meltdowns trying to encourage work, I parked it as it wasnt worth the stress. His new routine involves a trip to the beach. This is heaven for him, and it is going to take an army to get him to leave the house to return to school.

I am worried; the regression is real, the aggression is real. Special-needs kids are the real victims in this pandemic.

Our 14-year-old daughter is self-motivated and has engaged with Zoom classes and schoolwork. She has been content in her learning bubble, but I worry as she is missing out on the social interaction.

Our 12-year-old daughter has high-functioning autism, dyslexia and dyscalculia. She is in sixth class and has been attending an autism unit while being integrated into her mainstream class with an SNA.

Since March 13th she will not engage in any academic activities. I tried a loose routine a walk, half hour schoolwork, half hour dance. She stubbornly rejected any routine being imposed. She no longer enjoys me reading to her as it makes her realise how she is unable read the books her peers are reading. We have tried audiobooks but she cant concentrate. Technology is her best and worst friend.

Thanks to voice recognition she can message her friends and check spellings, but she is fascinated by videos and gets frustrated trying to decipher the hundreds of messages on her friends group chats.

I have resigned myself to functional learning as the school have termed it. We play cards, we bake, she is doing five minutes of Duolingo Spanish a day, we go for walks, play tennis, she grooms our dog. We also incorporate some worksheets sent from school.

This learning will continue until she starts in mainstream secondary school in September. After six months without structure, we are anticipating a very difficult transition.

Read more:

Im ready to crack. Parents on three months of remote learning - The Irish Times