The pandemic has made distance learning the new normal in the education world. Teachers in all schools around the world have adapted to new ways of band database teaching and are gradually returning to the classroom with reopening plans. In the next FUNIBER webinar , on July 8, 2021, Dr. Carolina Escudero and Dr. Ivaylo Yoskov will present online and distance learning experiences.
Dr. Carolina Escudero is a professor, researcher and consultant in Social Media Psychology. She is also the academic director of international programs at the University of Missouri in the United States since 2006. Dr. Ivaylo Yoskov is the first Bulgarian researcher to defend a PhD thesis in the field of journalism.
The conference, titled “ DIY teaching experiences during the pandemic and the lessons we learned,” focuses on teachers and educators preparing for a new way of learning and a new way of teaching. Dr. Escudero and Dr. Yoskov will present topics such as communication, the use of new technology, the digital divide between students, and the incorporation of knowledge during the pandemic. As a professor, Dr. Escudero tells us why a conference on these topics is necessary for teachers everywhere.
“Virtually no member of the educational community was prepared to teach this way, let alone online,” said Dr. Escudero. “The learning aspect during the pandemic was not and continues to be easy, due to the uncertainty experienced by both teachers and students.”
The webinar is organized by FUNIBER within the framework of the LoveDistance project , which focuses on increasing the quality and accessibility of distance education for minority groups in Israel and Georgia. The presentation of Dr. Escudero's experience in adapting to distance learning during the pandemic is an important narrative that serves the project in future efforts, as LoveDistance progresses.
“We have to look not only at the digital divide between students that the pandemic has brought with emergency situations, but also at the emotional aspect because there have been students who were not able to connect digitally,” said Dr. Escudero. “In each setting and in each school, teachers had to adapt their materials differently for their classes and students.”
LoveDistance was created before the pandemic began, but COVID-19 has only strengthened the need for accessible, quality distance education for students. Many students during the pandemic did not have the proper resources or technology to complete their studies entirely remotely. The LoveDistance project provides training to teachers on how to make education more accessible for students in disadvantaged situations, as well as emotional and physical resources for students.
