Holy moly. Today, I had the pleasure of taking part in an hour-long Zoom class. The facilitator was an accomplished professional and entrepreneur. The participants were authors, business owners, creatives and professionals taking part in a vibrant collaboration of thoughts and ideas for the growth and development of all involved. The class was bustling, but orderly. I was honored and thrilled to be part of it.
It didn’t take long for reality to set in. At the 20 minute mark, I started daydreaming. My mind wandered and wandered. I redirected myself for the next 10 minutes. It was then I realized, I was done. Like stick a fork in me done. After 30 minutes, I struggled to stay focused. The content was interesting. The facilitator was engaging. Everyone participated. I was struggling to stay connected. I started watching the clock. I was holding on until the top of the hour. I began to loathe the class. I wanted it to be over.
Our poor students. Yikes. I get it. I really get it. I am a veteran of online learning. I LOVE online learning. What I sat through was laborious. I cannot imagine most students thriving using the Zoom format. Even if the teacher is doing a good job, anything happening after the first 20-30 minutes is dicey as it relates to retention. I don’t think the Zoom format is bad, but I think it should be used in relatively short increments. In districts where learners are expected to be online the entire school day, heaven help the kids.
I am a seasoned, educated, mature adult and I, as far as I know, do not have ADHD/ADD. The experience I had today really caused me to think and sympathize with learners who don’t have the same degree of motivation, focus and self-regulation I have. I applaud the educators who are logging on, trying to create vibrant lessons and learning opportunities for their students. Teachers, please keep up the good work and know, if your students are drifting, it’s not necessarily you or your content. But also, be mindful of the length of each lesson. When it comes to Zoom, I think less is more.
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