E-Learning is Child's Play - Or is it?

Covid-19 or Coronavirus has changed our view of the World. How we behave and interact with others has been shaped by this virus. For the cynics, who felt that tech, Social Media, a way of staying connected that did not involve Zoom, FaceTime or Skype, could never have predicted that this time would come.

As a traditionalist when it comes to education, it is human interaction that drives and motivates me, the connection with learners and how we bounce off one another is inspirational. However, for many years teaching and education have evolved. The virus has caused the classroom and lecture theatres to be moved completely to the online platform. Now more than ever, there is a need to adapt and change.

As parents become teachers, it is alien trying to understand that learning is not as it once was. The process is a lot more interactive and less of a one way street than it used to be. Whilst younger age groups need more guidance, older students can be in charge of their own learning, managing subjects within a their schedule.

Does this mean that we no longer need teachers, lecturers, teaching assistants, et al? Teaching is a skill and there is a level of understanding, no matter how basic of how children and adults learn. Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) like Moodle and Blackboard are platforms that have been around for eons. They were developed to compliment what the teacher or lecturer offers in face-to-face learning, a cost effective way to present resources and allow learners to readily access whatever they need to simplify their learning.

Webinars, however, are live, virtual events that are executed online. They tend to be educational or instructive sessions that include audio and visual communication between the speaker and attendees. Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, teachers and lecturers around the world have found themselves managing virtual classrooms, communicating with their students over social media platforms and learning by doing as they provide education from a distance to over 1.5 billion students affected by school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato said that “Necessity is the mother of invention”, and now, more than ever in the 21st century it is most definitely true, when a need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem. This most definitely applies to the facilitating of learning and the provision of education. Governments all over the World are stepping up efforts to provide training and resources to support teachers and lecturers in adapting to this new learning environment. Home situations are not always conducive to learning, parents are not equipped in the same way as teachers, and many young people will founder because they are used to their learning environment and being home-schooled by mum, dad, guardian, carer who kind of feel out of their depth.

We are doing the same. From this week will be offering webinars and on-line discussions to assist our clients, ensuring that they are not left behind when dealing with the day to day running of a letting agency. We will also be offering our Online Tutorial Hub for our Level 3 and Level 4 Learners. These Online Tutorials will help learners fulfil their potential and get closer to becoming qualified.

For further information contact - Lauren Green - info@guild-let.co.uk

Susie Crolla - Managing Director