As the effects of COVID-19 continue to impact the education system, teachers, parents and students feel like this school year has been longer than ever. As the 2020-2021 academic calendar comes to a close across many educational spaces, how are educators feeling about their experiences over the past year, and what are they planning for the future?
A multi-institutional study of new graduate student instructors has found that novice teachers struggled more than most to teach online without prior experience building their instructional repertoire in-person. They also found that these teachers relied heavily on student feedback and resources found in online professional learning networks like Twitter, whereas they were challenged by a lack of support at the institutional level. These findings are supported by an international study of 1500 teachers from 118 countries, which also concluded that the most successful pandemic educators were those with previous experience specifically teaching online.
While the year has been a challenge, the necessity of distance education meant considerable advances were made in the field of education technology. One study estimates over 16 billion USD was invested in edtech in 2020 alone. This same study continues on to stress the importance of equity when relying on technology in the education space, as the gaps in access to technology appropriate for education across cultures, environments and income levels have become more apparent than ever.
One thing which can be universally acknowledged is that Summer 2021 is time for a break As we reflect on a year that’s been nothing short of extraordinary, we here at Crowdmark wish you all a safe, happy and restful Summer!