Acknowledging the tragic of the situation the crisis has shown an opportunity for the Internet to do some damage control - provided that the affected were ready! I have first hand experience of a region, where they talk of how to do this deep inside the crisis. When the crisis is over, there is no need of course!
You wrote earlier that your learners are in mainland China, you reach them through the Bamboo Curtain(?) Any changes in the landscape since the Corona crisis?
Re: 250 million students suddenly require teaching online
by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Number of replies: 4
In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera
Re: 250 million students suddenly require teaching online
by James Steerpike -
I am not really sure what is happening as my winter holidays allowed me to leave China in the last days of December. I am due to start back in the first days of March. The situation is not clear but gathering thousands of students into shared dormitories, canteens and classrooms is now likely to be delayed.
Classes for younger students have already been cancelled and millions of teachers - and I am not exaggerating these numbers - have been asked to use online methods. Most are trying using social media.
My colleagues have been asked if they could teach online. With over 300 students to teach, without a LMS the task seems impossible. I recklessly said yes and I am now thinking through the problems. The first is I left my computer behind and haven't touched a keyboard in six weeks. A secondhand Thinkpad is on order.
I think it is too late for teachers suddenly asked to teach online to do anything more than send out some notes and videos. Other countries have more time to prepare. I don't think I am being alarmist in saying some schools around the world may have to cancel face to face classes.
Are schools preparing for that possibility?
In reply to James Steerpike
Re: 250 million students suddenly require teaching online
by Thorsten Bartel -
Maybe reach out to Moodle partners worldwide and ask if they'd be willing to set up instances as a form of international emergency aid.
Simultaneously reach out to hosting companies to evaluate their readiness to host these instances...
Just some thoughts. Moodle partners would be the fastest way to quickly build a (scalable) Moodle working space. Some of them might want to help either out of compassion or at least for the reputation and advertising potential coming along with such a move.
Simultaneously reach out to hosting companies to evaluate their readiness to host these instances...
Just some thoughts. Moodle partners would be the fastest way to quickly build a (scalable) Moodle working space. Some of them might want to help either out of compassion or at least for the reputation and advertising potential coming along with such a move.
In reply to Thorsten Bartel
Re: 250 million students suddenly require teaching online
by Martin Dougiamas -
One idea might be to raise money and send it us here https://moodle.org/donations so that we can work on some solution with MoodleCloud ...
In reply to Martin Dougiamas
Re: 250 million students suddenly require teaching online
by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
The solution is there: A MoodleCloud for China! One caveat though: It has to be (physically or network-wise) on their territory. James may tell you his encounters with the Bamboo Curtain. (In fact, much is documented here in the forums.)