This year has been a whirlwind of unprecedented times. This blog post is a reflection on the previous year as well as the impact technology has played.
What are your thoughts on hybrid learning (in person and at home) compared to when you are in your learning groups (at school for all classes). Which format do you prefer, and why?
Working in the hybrid learning system has really opened my eyes and helped me grow as a person. Although there were some challenging moments, I feel there have been many positives to the hybrid system. Working the hybrid system, I get a lot more freedom to structure my time in a way that works best for me which helped me thrive this year.
One downside of the hybrid model was attending online meetings. It was definitely challenging trying to communicate through a screen and because of that I felt a huge a disconnect. There were many TEAMS calls that would drop into the depths of space, creating a void of awkward silence. The biggest obstacle that I had to overcome during the hybrid system was the idea that I had to show my face in video calls, especially the ones being recorded. The idea behind recording the meetings make sense, but in no way did I benefit from the recorded video calls. Before each meeting, my heart would begin to race and during class I did not feel as comfortable sharing my ideas knowing that there would be a record of the entire meeting.
Being in learning groups definitely required some adjustment. It was just like school before COVID-19, except in many ways it wasn’t. I am a person who prefers face to face interaction rather than through a screen; so, I greatly benefited from being able to connect with my classmates in learning groups. It was also easier to ask any questions that I had and share my ideas during class. Although along with all of these advantages, there was much less space for me to decide how I wanted to allocate my time which at times was frustrating.
For these reasons I feel that my preference between hybrid learning or learning groups varies depending on the teacher, the way the class is structured, the learning content , as well as my peers in the class.
How has technology benefitted you during the hybrid learning experience?
Technology has benefited me during the hybrid learning experience by giving me a platform where I can easily organize my ideas and be creative. I managed to keep all of my schoolwork in one place that I could easily access and take with me wherever I needed it. Technology also helped me stay in touch with my teachers and peers during online learning. I managed to stay in touch with peers and ask them questions about multiple assignment. Technology was also very convenient while working on group projects, especially the ones that I did in marketing.
How has technology impeded you during the hybrid learning experience?
Technology has endless advantages, but as they say too much of a good thing is not always great. I appreciated having access to my schoolwork wherever I went, but it caused school to never leave my mind. There was nothing separating my home life and school life and because of that I always had school with me; which was a looming weight that I had to lug throughout the year. Though as time has past, I am getting better at separating the two, and I feel I am a better and stronger person because of it
Is there anything that you hope remains a part of school that was new because of hybrid learning after the pandemic is over and school returns to normal?
Overall, I really enjoyed the hybrid system. The assignments we got were fresh and I had a lot more opportunities to be creative while completing the assignments. I thrived in the independence and flexibility that I got during the hybrid model. Managing my own time and working to tackle problems by myself first were great. When we had an assignment due on a certain day, I could structure my time and complete the assignment when it best suited me. There were some days I would get the assignment done earlier than expected and I could have my online work blocks to complete some of my other up coming assignments. I feel that I thrive in work environments where I can be independent and manage my own time, which is exactly what I got during the hybrid model. I hope that after this year there are some opportunities where I get the same freedom.
Below I have linked two project that digital technology have enhanced.
In-Depth: In-Depth Night 2021 – Makenna’s Blog (sd43.bc.ca)
Technology was a huge help while I was working on my In-Depth project. Since this has been a weird and unprecedented year, I had to work with my mentor online. There were some challenges that I faced while working with my mentor online, but there were also many benefits. I found it quite easy to schedule meetings with my mentor because it was much less of a time commitment than meeting in person. Also, by using technology throughout In-Depth, I was able to stay very organized. I could easily keep track of dates by having a calendar set up on my phone and computer. Keeping tabs on my project as well as updating my project plan were made easy because of technology.
Branding project: Branding Project Printed Menu.docx
Above is a link to the menu of the branding project I worked on in marketing. Technology helped me stay in touch with my partner throughout this project, which was very important, especially while learning in the hybrid model. Technology was a huge help in the research process as well as to help find pictures to insert into the PowerPoint. Also, technology helped my partner and I create our logo as well as put together a presentation that looks very nice.