Schooling between desks and computers

The academic year starting in September will be different from the usual, for sure split between desks in the classrooms and computers at home. An academic year in which distance learning, that started to catch on this year, will be able to coexists with face to face classes. Assuming we find the right tools to help simplifying these arrangements.

The beginning of the new academic year will be very different from the usual. It will be a coming back to the classrooms after a moment that we all have found difficult, and from which children and teens have been able to draw important lessons, this time coming from life itself.
As for the work environment, education also had to adapt itself and look for ways so that children, stuck at home, could to continue their learning journey, which is -by the way- their “job”.

Schools are closed, what about education?

Hence, 835 thousand Italian teachers from primary and secondary school threw themselves into distance education. And they carried on ‘doing’ universities, academies and Conservatories, kindergartens…basically, a rather large number of teachers went from a traditional kind of teaching, on the benches, to a digital one, so that education would prevail over the lack of teaching.

This is the reason why we can say that school were closed for 4 months, but education never stopped. It adapted itself to the situation to avoid taking away from children this precious right.

We can all agree that face to face education is very rich and the relationships developed between students and teaches have a precious value. But we cannot deny that the last academic year would not have moved forward if it weren’t for distance lessons. And, as for smart working now we have draw conclusions and inspiration from the positive things that this experience has brought along.

Face to face vs distanced. The blended model

For children is essential to be surrounded by their peers and professionals that are able to give them the inputs and knowledge they need to grow in the most appropriate way.

Hence, the first thing we need to admit is that going back to the classrooms cannot be postponed any longer.

Indeed, the “real” social relationships, being away from parents, learning from others, are very important values that cannot be learnt if not from their original context. Secondly, we should suggest distance learning in those situations where it is possible to overlook presence or facilitate access to education in specific situations.

For example, it has been suggested to use this option for remedial lessons carried out outside of school hours. In other words, it is important to keep in mind that distance learning can become a very useful complementary tool for the education of our children.

This “blended model” surely would help schools to offer a more personalised and diversified education to their students. Also for school activities is necessary to learn to make the best use of the new digital tools. In this respect, teachers’ meetings, , sharing report cards and why not, parents’ meetings are all activities that can be easily performed online, saving time for everybody.

Tools beyond the blackboard

For schools a big obstacle to overcome is for sure finding a platform that is capable of meeting all the needs. Even better, if it’s all in one. And so, the platform Contesto Scuola reveal itself as a useful tool: we are talking about a single place where is possible to share information on each single student with his or her teachers and parents. A solution that meets the needs of teachers, families and students simplyfing the ways we share information. Because it is when the work gets tough that misunderstandings happen!

Also training schools or academies have a very valuable support to perform offline and online tasks at their best with WiredExperience. In addition, WiredExperience is also a marketplace where it is possible to sell the course directly without having to go crazy because of the administration.

In short, with the right tools, turning distance learning into a complement to face to face is the winning mix to give education the right value.