We are excited to introduce Teacher Insights to Tech Talk for Teachers. With this series, we celebrate all teachers and the important role that you play in our lives and community. We will regularly talk with teachers from around the country and beyond about their current experiences in the classroom—their challenges, their successes, and the lessons they have learned that they will continue to implement once students are able to return to the physical classroom.
We are starting our interview series with a fourth grade teacher from Medellín, Colombia: Trentino Parcells. He brings us an international perspective of the pandemic’s effects on education in South America, with stories about how he, his students, and their families have grown together, as the learning delivery model shifts as needed to keep both students and teachers safe. Trentino also shares the value of virtual home visits before the start of the school year to meet students and their families individually and a lesson learned about time efficiency.
Join our Digital Learning Specialists as they talk with Trentino about his experiences with remote and hybrid learning and how he strives to create a student-centered experience.
Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids to work together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.
Bill Gates, American business magnate, software developer, and philanthropist
Teachers Need Teachers
Inspiration comes in many forms. For teachers, we often look to one another for support, empathy, validation, and understanding. This week, with Trentino Parcells, we’ll talk about the impact that shifting between learning models has on both the teacher and students, as well as the unforeseeable a-ha! moments and reflections that have helped him develop new ways to engage students despite physical distance.
Teacher Insights
From investigating the best and worst lessons that have been taught to discussion about pedagogy and techniques, we talk with teachers to learn how their practice has changed during pandemic teaching—their challenges, their successes, and their wonderings for the future. Tune in to hear more about one teacher’s response to the important questions below:
- Can you describe how your school has been set up during the pandemic?
- What successes have you experienced with distance learning?
- What do you consider as benefits and drawbacks of distance learning?
- What have been your challenges, and have you found ways to overcome them?
- What have you learned during distance learning that you can bring to your classroom when you and your students return to face-to-face?
- What do you wish you would have known a year ago?