Here we are in January, 2021, halfway through a teaching year unlike any other! Because of the pandemic, many Catholic school teachers and catechists needed to jump into the world of eLearning and still face the possibility of several more months in the eLearning world. We here at Catechist’s Journey would like to help by offering the following:
- First, we’d like to host a conversation right here about what you have learned about eLearning and what we still need to learn. Please use the Comments box below to share your thoughts about how the experience of teaching remotely has gone so far, what you have learned about eLearning, and what you still need to learn.
Second, we’re excited to tell you about an opportunity to participate in a webinar on eLearning, January 18, 2021, hosted by Loyola Press. The event will focus on the benefits of remote learning along with ideas to implement technology in your learning setting. Sign up here if you’d like to be invited to join Jennifer Falestiny, who currently serves as the Curriculum Specialist for the Diocese of Venice, FL, for the invitation-only webinar. Prior to her current role, Falestiny spent three years as STEM Education Curriculum Developer/Robotics Instructor for the Archdiocese of Miami.
So, let’s get the conversation started! How has your experience of teaching remotely been going? What have you learned about eLearning? What do you still need to learn?
On a technical level, I recently learned that I have to have the Zoom ap downloaded on my computer in order to share audio when sharing a video on my screen! This was a rude awakening, as I had a couple of embarrassing situations because of it! On another level, I learned that our students are so much more motivated and capable of learning about their faith than I’d realized before! This has been an inspiring and humbling experience for me as Coordinator of Religious Education! The kids have been doing great (especially in the lower grades–still not sure about the middle schoolers and high schoolers, but holding out hope nonetheless!). The third thing I’ve learned is that people are (or perhaps have become since the pandemic started) very understanding and patient with anyone having technical difficulties. We’ve all been there! I believe this has increased our sense of empathy. Praise God! I still have so much to learn, and always will, and I’m excited about it! Life is learning!
Thanks for sharing Teresa. Life is learning, indeed!