Catching up
It has been a
long while since I wrote on my blog. A lot has happened since then and I
believe I have found a new goal to work towards. I am a teacher of GCSE
Mathematics, A level Mathematics and Further Mechanics. In my teaching, I
frequently use freely available web-based applications to support my students.
I now live and work in a place which has seen phenomenal progress in living
standards over the last 20 year or so. In this place education is valued and
teachers are very highly respected. The benefits of this can be seen in the
whole society
Social media applications and learning.
Until recently,
I had never considered using social media sites for educational purposes. This
could be because of the stringent rules enforced in schools in the UK. Rules
such as teachers should not have students as friends on social media
applications. The official stance was that teachers were discouraged from
accessing social media site during working hours. Teachers were also discouraged
from using their mobile phones during lessons. The source of these rules
assumed that mobile phones and social media applications could not be used for
the benefit of teachers and students. An informal departmental WhatsApp
group we had in one school was really excellent, especially during snow
days and when organising departmental social events.
Things are
what you make them
However, in
another school teachers and other school staff use WeChat to communicate in and
out of school. Teachers can read and send messages during lessons.
Communication is very prompt and efficient. No need for land phones around
school and walkie-talkies either. By the way, students are not allowed mobile
phones in this school.
Social media
applications and web tools in their own class
Fast forward to
February 2020, and a situation arose that required me to continue teaching my
classes while gatherings were suspended. This meant that while our school
remained closed, the learning needed to continue. The examination dates were
fixed and there was no word from the exam board about considering a
postponement. This was the time I learnt some new words such corona virus
otherwise known as COVID
19, lock-down and self-isolation.
At our school,
it was decided to provide lessons online immediately it was established that
school gatherings had been suspended. My knowledge and experience of using Edmodo was extremely valuable in this
situation. Fortunately, I had introduced all my classes to using Edmodo. So we
started using Edmodo to set student
work and to mark student work. A colleague introduced me zoom and explain
everything. I use zoom to hold video meetings with my classes. I also have a
WeChat group with each of my classes. This was suggested by a student in one
class during a zoom video meeting. the suggestions was supported unanimously by
the class. At this school and under these conditions Class WeChat groups have
approved by school leadership. I am therefore now using a social media
application for the benefit of my learners.
If I can teach my students online here, then I can teach students online anywhere where there is an internet connection. That includes students in
Africa and Zambia in particular. I have therefore set the Grace Online Tutoring
and Education group on Facebook. The initial aims of this group are;
1.
Tutor teacher how
they can use freely available tools and software on the internet to improve
lesson delivery.
2. Directly tutor GCSE students to prepare them for maths
exams in Zambia (Nov/Dec)
3.
Particularly interested
in helping people in vulnerable situations. E.g. teachers and students in
orphanages.
4.
I will offer my
services online freely but learners need to find their own access to the
internet.
Please join the
group if you would like to learn or support this project. My next blog will be
on getting started…
