The 3 Biggest Remote Teaching Concerns We Need to Solve Now

With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, education systems are being urged to move their physical learning environment to the virtual space. The move to emergency remote teaching is just as messy as everything else, with educators scrambling to be able to find a way to continue their curriculum with their students online. Unfortunately, while we do have a good representation of online learning, not all educators are prepared to teach in this domain. Torrey Trust writes a very important article discussing the effects of unprepared designed remote learning that educators may or may not know because of the urgency of it all. The following are 3 of the biggest remote teaching concerns we need to solve now in this online learning environment (the following are excerpts taken from the original article by Trust):

Privacy and Student Data
“With this rapid push to remote teaching, educators may be jumping into the use of digital technologies too fast. Without training in how to evaluate technology for teaching and learning, educators may not be aware that they should be reviewing the privacy policies and terms of service of all digital tools and apps before determining whether to use them in their practice. Ultimately, using digital tools and apps without doing due diligence to examine the privacy policy, terms of service, and features available, can be harmful to students.”

Accessibility
“The fast move from print-based to digital materials and from in person learning events to digital learning events can create additional barriers for disabled students. Moving from in person lectures to video-based lectures without providing accurate closed captions can significantly limit learning for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Educators and school leaders have “legal obligations to ensure that all students, including students with disabilities, can access online and virtual learning programs,” according to Kenneth L. Marcus, the Department of Education’s assistant secretary for civil rights.”

The Digital Divide
“The shift to emergency remote teaching has illuminated the digital divide, or the gap between students who have access to and use technology in meaningful ways to further their learning and those who do not. Yet, technology is an incredibly important tool for educators. As the authors of the National Education Technology Plan noted, ‘technology can be a powerful tool for transforming learning. It can help affirm and advance relationships between educators and students, reinvent our approaches to learning and collaboration, shrink long-standing equity and accessibility gaps, and adapt learning experiences to meet the needs of all learners.'”