We have just been ushered into a new world of education.  It’s called zoom education.  Unfortunately, we were not ready for it.  Teachers were not trained to educate via zoom.  Teachers were not skilled in higher levels of technology required for effective zoom education.

Parents were not prepared to be flexible enough to invite zoom education into their homes.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, zoom education is here and it is here to stay.   For our kids under zoom education to be most successful, the educational establishment must quickly retrain our teachers, restructure classrooms, hire a host of technology experts, and create zoom studios in the schools and in the homes of our teachers. We need to have an attitude of readiness. Bring it on.

Unfortunately, we were caught off guard.  Parents were not prepared to accommodate this new learning format.  Parents were not prepared to adjust their work schedules to support their children making the most of zoom education.  To incorporate zoom education within the context of the complex family life of two working parents was a major challenge.

It is natural for us to reject new systems we do not understand, have never utilized, and do not see their potential value.  On the other hand, when we understand the added value of zoom education, we become more accepting of it and willing to work with it. For example:

ADDED VALUE OF ZOOM EDUCATION

1. Zoom allows students to learn at their own pace using creative video content presented in easily digested segments.
2. Zoom allows for the teaching content and style to be subject to review and evaluation by professional development teams to enhance teaching quality in the classroom.
3. Zoom encourages teachers to simulcast to off-site classrooms for online learning opportunities and bring the field trip experience to the classroom
4. Zoom allows for guest speakers and virtual field trips to add quality to the learning experience of students.
5. Zoom allows for teacher-parent interaction and conferences in a timely manner.

On the other hand, there are many challenges that need to be considered and met by creative teachers and parents to enhance the zoom learning potential of students.  For example:

ZOOM EDUCATON CHALLENGES

1. How do you assure active learning by the student who is home alone without any supervision throughout the zoom day?
2. How do you provide a quality education for students with special challenges such as those with ADD/ADHD, autism, visual and hearing impairments, etc.?
3. How can the teaching experience be challenging, intriguing, inviting, and productive if the teacher is a technology neophyte?
4. How do you capture and keep the interest of students who are belligerent, defiant, anti-authoritative, and deceptive?
5. How do you capture the involvement of a parent who is working two jobs and has three children of school age, all learning by zoom?

Yes, without a doubt, zoom is here to stay.  Zoom will become part of the future mix of educational methods and settings.  Zoom will be found to be very workable for some students but not for others. How to predict this difference? The educational system is about to experience a catastrophic change in style, content, format, and learning systems.  We need to give it time.  We need ways to re-educate teachers and parents. We need to better prepare students to be independent learners and not so spoon-fed as has been the case heretofore.

Allan G. Hedberg, Ph.D.

Clinical and Consulting Psychologist

NOTE:  Published in THE FRESNO TIMES, Nov. 1, 2020

I refer you to my book, Deep Roots.  A g