Techie by Nature

            If the pandemic taught us one thing; it was how to pivot. Many teachers across the U.S. had to change from in-person to virtual, practically overnight. Not only did teachers have to shift their instruction, but they had to change their approach to teaching as well. Often we discuss how the pandemic impacted our schools, students, and families, but we really do not discuss how the pandemic affected education and the positive shifts that it made for education after the pandemic. Many times, parents equate pandemic learning with online learning, but distance education is much different. Danchikov et al states, “p ractice has shown that in the current conditions, the existing resources of educational institutions can effectively transform formal education into online education with the help of virtual classes and other key online tools” (Danchikov et al, 2021). Emergency Remote Learning vs. Online Learning     According to John Watson, author of The Post-Pandemic’s Digital Lear

      In my experience as a distance education student, I have had to learn a lot of things. Self-discipline, time-management, work-life balance, the list goes on.  Sometimes, I felt like Elle Woods when she was studying for her LSATs.... (her determination was UNMATCHED!)                  Self-Regulated Learning Skills in Online Learners Self-regulation is a set of behaviors that an individual adheres to, without direct input from others. For example, children won’t inherently brush their teeth, but after they are conditioned and encouraged to repeat the behavior, they will no longer require input and reminders from their parents and continue to complete the task on their own. Similarly, self-regulated learning skills are a learned behavior as well.  According to Simonson and Zvacek, “self-regulated learning skills can have a significant impact on student success in any educational environment.” The authors go on to state that “distance education learners would especially benefit from

A Little Bit of Backstory        As I started my post-secondary education, I was under the impression that I needed to have in-person teaching and lecturing to be the most successful student. After all, I had just graduated from 12 years of previous in-person learning from public school. It made sense. As I progressed through my educational journey, I found myself struggling more and more in in-person classes. I found that if a subject was not interesting to me, I would be present, but my mind would wander and before I knew it, the class or lecture was over. This caused me to be ineligible for my chosen program and I had two choices: change my major or transfer to another institution.       I took a chance, chose the latter, and am so happy that I did. Although I was a little nervous about transferring, after meeting with my advisor, I was completely at ease. My advisor informed me that a majority of the program was online (which meant I didn't have to travel) and that I was onl