Remote Learning Is a Bad Joke

[TBoneTX 46,368]

Well-stated.  Comments?

Quote

Remote Learning Is a Bad Joke

Emily Gould - August 18, 2020

 

One exciting thing about being alive at this pivotal moment in history is that I'm constantly learning about strong opinions I didn't previously know I had.  Before mid-March 2020, if you'd asked me how I felt about videoconferencing, I'd have shrugged.  It's fine?  Now I would have to amend that opinion slightly.  It's not fine.  It's horrible, a form of psychic torture, and I hate it so deeply that my hatred feels physical, like an allergic reaction.  [...]

 

Continues here:   https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/kindergartener-virtual-education/615316/  

[Dashinka 24,954]

I guess some school districts would rather not have parents seeing what is taught in these sessions.  In a way, I can see a societal benefit of on-line learning, or more home schooling as it has the ability to break the indoctrination children receive in school, but in the end online learning will leave a lot of children behind in the basics.

 

Rutherford County Schools Tell Parents Not to Monitor Their Child’s Virtual Classrooms

 

Parents of students who attend Rutherford County Schools (RCS) must agree not to monitor their child’s online classroom sessions.

Officials at all county schools are asking parents to sign forms agreeing not to watch these virtual classes.

The Tennessee Star received a copy of such a form this week.

“RCS strives to present these opportunities in a secure format that protects student privacy to the greatest extent possible, however because these meetings will occur virtually RCS is limited in its ability to fully control certain factors such as non-student observers that may be present in the home of a student participating in the virtual meeting,” according to the form.

“RCS strongly discourages non student observation of online meetings due to the potential of confidential information about a student being revealed.”

 

https://tennesseestar.com/2020/08/15/rutherford-county-schools-tell-parents-not-to-monitor-their-childs-virtual-classrooms/

[Crtcl Rice Theory 2,432]

The Zoom Fatigue syndrome is real and physically taxing, for adults and kids.  Microsoft was working on some enhancements to Teams that would take some of this pressure off. On so many levels, we don't have the tools for remote learning.

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/coronavirus-zoom-fatigue-is-taxing-the-brain-here-is-why-that-happens/

 

 

But sending kids into the virus pool unprotected, that is not going to work. Look at the college level, Notre Dame went eight days and had to scrub in person classes due to outbreaks.

 

I also think that public officials who stand up and claim that kids are unaffected by this virus should be given a permanent spring break, I hear Florida is nice.

[yuna628 9,752]

Remote learning isn't too much different than homeschool. And of course what people will soon find out is that homeschool isn't a magical place filled with a flow of knowledge where everything goes perfectly. Everyone learns differently, but during these really weird times, school systems are trying their best. My husband's school is going all virtual with limited exceptions for those 'hands-on' groups. It's been absolute hell for the tech team to sort through. Students and teachers with poor internet, trying to rig camera/audio systems, trying to teach teachers how to use technology, and dealing with huge amounts of pressure from above.

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

Daughter has started school as planned and things are fine so far, they staggered the school back in, along with the times, they have basic protocols in place that will actually help with flu season as well, so it's not only aimed at the kung flu. Some of these ideas should've been done in the first place re:flu season (which kicks off annually within weeks of being back to school). When 3% of kung flu deaths are from people 44 and under and far more studies from schools that stayed open show kids are overwhelmingly fine and biologically more resistant to getting and spreading it, the level of paranoia winds up paralleling the level of harm it does to them. People can do with their own children what they please, but I refuse to allow my children suffer as my daughter did so unnecessarily, parents are in a far better position to make these judgment calls in an informed way for themselves and family than idiots with a title on a public soapbox ignoring the very rules they declare are so necessary for others. 

Edited August 20, 2020 by Burnt Reynolds

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

Also, about the remote learning, I think people need to actually sit down in a classroom and see how much time is actually devoted to straight academics. I volunteered at the kids' school many times, for events, and for helping instructors focus individually on students needing more attentive help (this has long been up my alley since I was a TA in high school for our special ed classes). Even though there were clearly problems with our daughters instruction that we had to spend time to correct (and I wasn't harsh on them because it was all thrown together from nothing in a hurry), she excelled at a far faster pace academically. If the material is prepared well and translated in a way that's decipherable to the student and parents, it's quite easy. A parent who has half a brain and yet puts out at minimum a mild effort can easily have their child excel in school remotely, there's really not that much time on a daily basis devoted directly to academics (especially in elementary), maybe an hour or two at most. However, back to sitting down in a classroom, this is where heuristics and experiential knowledge is far more valuable. The vast benefit of in-person instruction in a school environment with other children is the development of social skills, social learning, and social intelligence. These things cannot be taught academically. It's like riding a bike, or sex, you aren't good at it, in lieu of experience, by watching others do it or learning all the mechanics of it, you simply need to be in that environment and functionally learn (in contrast to the pointless "practice practice practice" without functionally learning). The vast majority of kids do not have this environment at home to foster bare minimum social learning needs and all the social experiences that come with childhood to best prepare them for adulthood and the world.

 

Nonetheless, "possible" isn't possible when kids are simply locked down, they're flat out denied essential learning. Even losing half a year to a year of that has significant impact on their life, they're only a child and are learning in this way for a small fraction of it. So the importance of in-person schooling cannot be understated. Likewise, even though we do things to counter risks our children go through, risks are also precisely what contributes to their learning. Every year, especially in early elementary, when children are walking petri dishes, they regularly give each other a plethora of pathogens that all carry a low to decent risk of permanent damage or death. This time of repeatedly being sick, fighting illnesses, etc. (so many elementary school children walk around constantly with low-grade fevers, coughs, sniffles, etc.) is highly beneficial, as its needed to have a functional immune system, and these risks compared to the studies we've seen demonstrate children are far more at risk from pre-kung flu normal life than the kung flu itself, yet we logically expose them to it because its how they thrive.

 

As always, logic > paranoia. 

[Dashinka 24,954]

2 hours ago, CanAm1980 said:

The Zoom Fatigue syndrome is real and physically taxing, for adults and kids.  Microsoft was working on some enhancements to Teams that would take some of this pressure off. On so many levels, we don't have the tools for remote learning.

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/coronavirus-zoom-fatigue-is-taxing-the-brain-here-is-why-that-happens/

 

 

But sending kids into the virus pool unprotected, that is not going to work. Look at the college level, Notre Dame went eight days and had to scrub in person classes due to outbreaks.

 

I also think that public officials who stand up and claim that kids are unaffected by this virus should be given a permanent spring break, I hear Florida is nice.

Don't parents do this every year with the flu, as well as other diseases such as measles, etc.?

[Dashinka 24,954]

31 minutes ago, Burnt Reynolds said:

Also, about the remote learning, I think people need to actually sit down in a classroom and see how much time is actually devoted to straight academics. I volunteered at the kids' school many times, for events, and for helping instructors focus individually on students needing more attentive help (this has long been up my alley since I was a TA in high school for our special ed classes). Even though there were clearly problems with our daughters instruction that we had to spend time to correct (and I wasn't harsh on them because it was all thrown together from nothing in a hurry), she excelled at a far faster pace academically. If the material is prepared well and translated in a way that's decipherable to the student and parents, it's quite easy. A parent who has half a brain and yet puts out at minimum a mild effort can easily have their child excel in school remotely, there's really not that much time on a daily basis devoted directly to academics (especially in elementary), maybe an hour or two at most. However, back to sitting down in a classroom, this is where heuristics and experiential knowledge is far more valuable. The vast benefit of in-person instruction in a school environment with other children is the development of social skills, social learning, and social intelligence. These things cannot be taught academically. It's like riding a bike, or sex, you aren't good at it, in lieu of experience, by watching others do it or learning all the mechanics of it, you simply need to be in that environment and functionally learn (in contrast to the pointless "practice practice practice" without functionally learning). The vast majority of kids do not have this environment at home to foster bare minimum social learning needs and all the social experiences that come with childhood to best prepare them for adulthood and the world.

 

Nonetheless, "possible" isn't possible when kids are simply locked down, they're flat out denied essential learning. Even losing half a year to a year of that has significant impact on their life, they're only a child and are learning in this way for a small fraction of it. So the importance of in-person schooling cannot be understated. Likewise, even though we do things to counter risks our children go through, risks are also precisely what contributes to their learning. Every year, especially in early elementary, when children are walking petri dishes, they regularly give each other a plethora of pathogens that all carry a low to decent risk of permanent damage or death. This time of repeatedly being sick, fighting illnesses, etc. (so many elementary school children walk around constantly with low-grade fevers, coughs, sniffles, etc.) is highly beneficial, as its needed to have a functional immune system, and these risks compared to the studies we've seen demonstrate children are far more at risk from pre-kung flu normal life than the kung flu itself, yet we logically expose them to it because its how they thrive.

 

As always, logic > paranoia. 

Just like letting kids eat dirt.  It is important to not shield children too much from life.

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

31 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

Just like letting kids eat dirt.  It is important to not shield children too much from life.

And that's assuming good intentions.

 

Unfortunately there's an environment right now where people actually don't give one fig about the harmful impact shutting things down has on kids (especially others' kids), their focal point is elsewhere. For Fauci, it's narcissism -- celebrity status, self-aggrandizement. For some others, they think shutting down schools will hurt Trump (e.g. the unions, making such egregious demands they would never put on the table unless they wanted things shut down), so to hell with other people's kids. Think how certain people who had elderly family in homes acted for their own interests to protect their family, but when it came to everyone else, they figured its an election year, send the kung flu people back into the homes (something no one would do unless they hated these people or had a sociopath-like disconnect), and as Tucker said, in an election year, everything is about the election, so their sacrifice will contribute to hurting Trump. All for a few months of better polling, which is as accurate as throwing a dart blindfolded.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Burnt Reynolds

[Dashinka 24,954]

4 minutes ago, Burnt Reynolds said:

And that's assuming good intentions.

 

Unfortunately there's an environment right now where people actually don't give one fig about the harmful impact shutting things down has on kids (especially others' kids), their focal point is elsewhere. For Fauci, it's narcissism -- celebrity status, self-aggrandizement. For some others, they think shutting down schools will hurt Trump (e.g. the unions, making such egregious demands they would never put on the table unless they wanted things shut down), so to hell with other people's kids. Think how certain people who had elderly family in homes acted for their own interests to protect their family, but when it came to everyone else, they figured its an election year, send the kung flu people back into the homes (something no one would do unless they hated these people or had a sociopath-like disconnect), and as Tucker said, in an election year, everything is about the election, so their sacrifice will contribute to hurting Trump. All for a few months of better polling, which is as accurate as throwing a dart blindfolded.

Unfortunately this is true especially within the US.  For some reason we are not seeing this in other countries.  I do wonder what this will do to private schools, and schools of choice.  I know many of the state and local elected officials with the "D" label will do everything they can to keep these schools shut-down as well, but I still expect a significant enrollment shift in the not too distant future.

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

41 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

Unfortunately this is true especially within the US.  For some reason we are not seeing this in other countries.  I do wonder what this will do to private schools, and schools of choice.  I know many of the state and local elected officials with the "D" label will do everything they can to keep these schools shut-down as well, but I still expect a significant enrollment shift in the not too distant future.

Its seen in Canada but the "conservative" leaders are well in the establishment (the Canadian population is easily boxed in psychologically and thus easily herded toward a perceived few choices) so there's little reason to rock the boat too hard. If Maxime Bernier were Prime Minister, or had continued his populist gains) I'd be a betting man that you'd be seeing more things like with Trump. 

 

Canada also has a competent healthcare system in each province (though not equally competent in each province) to deal with this (rapid expansion and fall/transition of scale) so all the chaos surrounding healthcare simply wouldn't be justified and criticisms would merely be used as an indictment upon the universal healthcare system itself. In the US, the scale is generally kept permanently high which is why so many hospitals operate at shockingly low capacity (homage to the ridiculous costs of healthcare), which is why you see all this marketing drive to give people the otherworldly perception of capacity (and all the amazing "Yahoo Math") to present an image of incompetence to try and hurt Trump and anyone else one associates with him. 

 

Too many reasons for it to succeed in Canada, too many reasons in the US to see it fail, and all point to Election 2020. Worrisome where that's where people's priorities are, but to anyone thinking they'd escape this in Canada should Trump be re-elected, you're one populist or anti-establishment movement away from seeing the same thing and with far less individual rights/protections (or even weapons) to help one. The US media teeters as it is with such a ridiculously high percentage regurgitating the same establishment-perpetuating trash, but in Canada its far worse, and they have far more power to suppress, particularly over right wing populism. Left wing populism, not so much, which is why they work to keep that down as well, because all is well atm after they sunk Bernier and the PPC. However, they are working on pulling in the growing Green Party and "establishmentize" them (if that's even a word), they'll soon become too large to control if the populism movement grows much more. 

Edited August 20, 2020 by Burnt Reynolds