In March, the University has moved to distance learning. We were not ready. “We” is teachers 45+, confident users of the blackboard and chalk, those whose active vocabulary has no words for “pump” and “using”. We did not have microphones and web cameras. The prospect of installing on the computer a Zuma called Association with a mission to the moon.
While we rushed in search of equipment and mastering new computer programs, proved on closer examination not to be so difficult to use, the authorities had to suspect us of laziness and professional incompetence.
This was encouraged by the unexpected activity of some of the students proved to be highly suspicious and touchy. We don’t even believed when it was revealed that some young thing had in the first week of Moodle, mess and hassle, write us a skillfully structured complaints and demand money back for education — on the grounds that the teacher N not held a seminar online, but only sent to mail materials to explore and tasks to perform. “How so? — was indignant the students with active lifestyle. — What does it mean to “examine yourself”? We don’t understand anything!”.
it turned Out that there is a category of students — a fighter for the legal right to shirk. It is he who in time of peace, before the quarantine went to school without much enthusiasm, after a time, and even after three reports were prepared, exercises performed through the stump-deck, lectures rested eyes in the smartphone, and the workshops preferred to keep silent. And this wonderful student didn’t provide online lessons in the proper amount! Apparently, it was not clear that he will now be contemptuously ignored.
In General, while seething all these passions, teachers 45+ came around, got the microphone, installed the necessary programs and quietly “went live”, depriving truants with an active lifestyle trump card in the struggle for their mythical rights. The learning process went on as usual, and soon we even had the strength to comprehend what is happening.
Now I want, like Robinson Crusoe, which the wags on the Internet have often called among the pioneers of self-isolation, start making notes in two columns: “my bad situation” and “in my position, okay.”
so, “What’s in my bad situation?”. I believe that many will agree with me colleagues was very painful to communicate with black rectangles. For many years, even decades, as educators, we were surrounded by people. We used to meet with the audience eyes to follow face, it is important for Us, in the end, to see the smiles in response to a joke. But while online classes bolisinto students refuse to watch the video. When I tried to know the reason, girlish voice told me that it is impossible to show the people plain. The young men said nothing, but individuals its still not shown. Whatever caused this sudden modesty, I personally like this format of communication really do not like. Black rectangles with labels (and sometimes pictures) make me nagging Association with gravestones, and the loss of huge and important non-verbal layer of communication makes it inevitably flawed.
What else is bad? The same “we don’t understand,” which a red thread passed through complaints touchy students. Distance learning has revealed one of the most important trends of our time: a younger generation with an enormous effort to perceive a written text. I’m not even talking about reading the textbook is perceived by young people about how carved spark with the flint (a time-consuming and unclear why). Often even a single offer is either not read up to the end (the reader is exhausted), whether understood by 30 percent, as in reading in a foreign language in the first year of study.
One small example. In two different groups of freshmen I suggested the topic of the report “Borrowed words in the center of public attention”. It would seem, for the material does not need to go far: the Network is available through numerous media publications, the authors argue for the purification of the language from foreign words, and indeed countless discussions on this topic at various venues. However, students have consistently sent me “reports”, consisting of transferred to slides with General information about the borrowed words (from any language they come from, why, how to develop the Russian language). And not a word about public attention, mentioned in the title!
What else is bad in my remote location? Of course, the shaft clearly. Innumerable exercises, reports, papers, sent to me by students and composed of pure water of plagiarism. And those who writes off, are always the worst source of information possible — including, against which the notorious Wikipedia looks quite noble. My God how much the Internet absolute marginal sites where piled up in a heap some anonymous essays and scraps of obsolete books! And which only nonsense not draw students from there, obsessed with one thought — to fight back my teacher!
Maybe somebody will have a question: what, to isolation was different? The Internet didn’t exist or no one cheated? Of course, all these phenomena took place until March 2020. I’m talking about increasing intensity. Probably with a personal — face to face communication with the teacher not the most part of dobrosvettion of students experiencing a crisis of conscience or just more afraid of being exposed. Hiding behind a black rectangle, turning from a living person into the address bar in the email, the one who never wanted to learn, now acquired tremendous inner freedom. And the student, so that once rolling, can not stop on the way reckless plagiarism.
But enough about sad things. Don’t go if I in the second column of the records — “That in my position well”? Well still, with regard to, pardon the tautology, good students. Extreme situation is revealed, thank God, is not only a disgusting human qualities such as selfishness, quarrelsomeness and desire to catch fish in muddy water. No less clearly manifested, and the best side of human nature: intellect, diligence, self-discipline, kindness and gratitude. Some student groups impressed me a serious attitude and some unexpectedly adult composure. They immediately established a clear and on time delivery of all tasks, and the preparation of reports, these guys are the most sensible questions that help me clarify the following classes.
Well in my situation, the remote form has made me much more actively than before, to prepare the presentation for visual support of lectures and seminars, to develop new, relevant to today’s situation of the task. Before hands did not reach to the search of educational literature available in electronic format. I, as a person who began to teach in the last century, the racks in the wall crammed with necessary literature, as many folders crammed with hand-written and printed notes. And Yes, I confess to quarantine, I’m not just some irritation told the students to go to study hall, took the tutorial and did as it should, statements. These requirements are, sadly, already outdated 20 years ago. And now the regime of self-isolation has allowed me to come to terms finally with the fact that student the question “what to read?” is in no way associated with visits to the reading room. But this does not mean that it does not require a response. Even as requires! And so the boys didn’t kill time on marginal sites, the teacher just has to tell the students a new, electronic way to representative sources of information. By the way, and good old-fashioned books of my youth were mostly available for download, and a new very decent books there were many, so I have gradually formed a parallel paper the electronic library, the contents of which are so easy and pleasant to share.
moreover, work with students moved to a new level of customization. Before I started my classes online, I had to ask all studcustomers exercise and then check the work of each. And then failed to stop. So read, comment on, evaluate up to one of the points exercises 100 a week. It’s tiring, but I still like it. And very cool that examples of the various speech phenomena that my students are now found in the media, will serve as the next generation of students.
I Know that some office employees receiving “taste of freedom”, was horrified to think of returning to the workplace. About myself I can not say this. I dream of returning to the University audience. But certainly not for the sake of meeting with Board and chalk. I want to finally see a face, hiding so long behind the black rectangles. I’m not all well remembered. I wonder how those look whose smart answers to online seminars and vivid writing bring me so much joy. And the most sensitive, those with an active lifestyle, let them look how you want. The world, fortunately, they are large enough.
