In the past year of the pandemic, I have been lagging behind in the technology needed for teaching. I have tutored via Zoom, so I have learned basics about teaching virtually using Google Docs and such, but my in-person teaching is still better. In person, I keep an assortment of printed materials on hand, so that the lesson could go in a variety of directions. In my large tote bag, I easily stash notebooks full of stories, grammar sheets, writing prompts and the like, and I choose from these, depending on each student’s knowledge and interests that day. However, I do not have all of these documents on my computer (I upload a lesson at a time), so my spontaneity and creativity online are limited.
I have taught popular classes through the recreation department, and I offered one of these as a virtual course, but I didn’t have enough people sign up for it, so I have not had a demand to immerse myself in the various online resources for teaching. In contrast, my daughter, a music teacher, is a whiz at this, and she teaches her colleagues at school how to use all sorts of appealing resources online. She teaches me too, if I ask, but, in truth, my interest remains limited. I will learn whatever is most useful when I need it.
I am looking forward to the time when I can safely teach in person again, with or without using much technology.
I wonder, have you enjoyed teaching virtually?
The Writer's Workshop 
We taught virtually last spring, but I’ve been in person with a hybrid model all year. We never thought we’d make it this far! Actually, as of today all PreK-grade 5 students in our PreK-8 school are back at school full time. I’m so thankful that my remote learning time was limited. Hang in there!
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Hmmm…enjoyed seems like a loaded word. I have been pleased to be able to teach in a format that keeps my students and their families and my family safe. I absolutely miss the creativity and flexibility of being in the actual classroom. I am lucky that I teach in a district that is very technology forward, so the kids all have district provided resources that they are used to using, and we all came into this with varying degrees of knowledge of how to utilize the virtual world in our classrooms. It definitely could have been worse! I have enjoyed not being sick since February of last year, and having a 30 second commute to walk across the house, and always being able to reheat my tea rather than drinking it cold. I have enjoyed reading the work of my students and seeing their brains and ideas develop as they struggle with so much during this time. I have not necessarily enjoyed the process of teaching to a screen full of switched off cameras and silent students, but I don’t give up and have been making small inroads to make connections with the students anyway.
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Thank you for putting this situation into perspective!
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