Distance Learning

by Finnley O. and Mrs. Huffman

Due to Covid-19, Redlands Christian Middle School is trying something new and very different: distance learning. This consists of students using their Chromebook for the day and learning just like they do at school, except it is all online. There are various predictions on when this pandemic will end, and we were curious as to how the students were adjusting to this new situation.

To start, students check into their Google Classroom. On Mondays and Wednesdays, it is periods 1, 2, and 3; and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it is periods 4, 5, and 6.. Each class is slotted and hour and a half. Electives did not move to online learning, unfortunately.

We sent out a survey to all the middle school students about online learning. Out of the 205 responses, 67% of them said they liked online learning, while almost 33% did not.

To engage with the students, teachers often set up Zoom meetings where the students and teachers can see each other, giving a feeling similar to that of being in the classroom. 61% of students said they like having Zoom meetings sometimes, but while 32% of students always enjoy it, 7% do not like Zoom meetings at all.

Something that might make Zoom meetings a little more fun is a virtual background. While they might be unavailable in some class settings, when allowed, students enjoy experimenting with different backgrounds, such as Spongebob's living room, a picture of a hamster, a picture of friends, Yogurtland, and Star Wars. Many teachers use this setting as well. Some even use pictures of the school or classroom, to make distance learning feel not-so-distant.

Teachers have been working hard trying to adapt to distance learning. While all teachers are comfortable with Google Classroom, Screencast-O-Matic, and Zoom, this is a great time to utilize the now free resources online.

Mrs. Ishida and Mrs. Huffman have been using Membean, a vocabulary training program.

One 7th grade shared that "Membean is a cool website because you can do some much on it, such as see meanings of the word, spell the word, and adventure on it." Another 7th grader added to that "adventure," saying it is fun "because I can see clips of movies and shows [as I learn the words]." An 8th grader shared that Membean is "easy to use. I can learn well using it, and doing vocab for 15 minutes is perfect in my opinion."

Another student favorite is Gimkit, an online review game platform. A 7th grader shared, "Mr. VanSoelen showed us Gimkit and it is so fun!"

Other online resources that students have enjoyed using include, Edpuzzle, SmartMusic, and FlipGrid.

During this strange time, it is important for everyone to be flexible and patient. Our school community is blessed to have the resources to continue our studies, but we must recognize that there are some students who might not be able to focus as well in their home environment.

While 79% of middle school students have a good place to work without distractions, about 18% only do sometimes, and 3% do not usually have a quiet place to focus on school work.

For some students, it is hard not going to school in person because they miss the social interactions. Out of the 205 surveyed, what 83% miss the most about going to school is seeing their friends.

Almost half of the students said they need a haircut, but 37% of them said they would never be desperate enough to cut their own hair, or even have a family member do it! However, 9 students said they did give themselves a haircut, and they regret it. We'd love to hear that story in the comments!

So as you can see, distance learning and online school can be hard, but it can be worth it to know that if other hardships come like these, we know that we can survive through them. How are you doing with distance learning? Let us know in the comments!