Extended Classroom

We are beginning to resume some face-to-face classes, with students coming back to normal classrooms on campus.   We continue to practice social distancing, of course.  But it feels good to actually be able to see the students face-to-face again. 

On the other hand, there are students who are still away from Hong Kong, on the Mainland, or foreign countries such as Indonesia, Kazakhstan, etc.  Most of them are unable, or unwilling to go through the hassle to come back to Hong Kong to attend classes.  There are also some who are in Hong Kong who are reluctant to come to class. 

Hence we have to conduct “extended classrooms”.  Students who can, come to the classroom on campus.  Others attend through video-conferencing.   In the first class that our team conducted this morning, 10 out of 28 students came to the classroom.  Another 16 attended through video-conferencing, most of whom turned on the camera as requested.  In the second class in the afternoon, out of 13 students, one came to class, the rest joined online.  Many students continue reluctant to show their faces.  Many also prefer to discuss by typing text in a chatroom rather than verbally expressing themselves. Many also struggle dealing with the enhanced security measures.  

The technological and logistical challenges we face in making such a class happen is considerable.  Our strong technical team helps a lot.  I can imagine teachers and teams who are less technically adept might find the challenges daunting.  Some other challenges became obvious quickly.  It is not easy to address the two groups of students simultaneously in such a class.  Should the teacher address the students in the room, or those on the screen?  How do you ensure that students do not feel neglected?  

Our original projects scheduled for the summer in Cambodia, Rwanda and Tanzania, are impossible now.  We are keeping open an option to carry out one overseas project in Winter.  In the mean time, we are arranging some alternate projects in Hong Kong so that students can complete the subject by the end of summer.  Some will create virtual-reality materials with 3D cameras to be used for primary school students, with topics on animals / conservation in collaboration with Ocean Park. Some will conduct online tutoring remotely for children in Rwanda.  

All of these are exciting projects with their own technological, logistical, and social challenges.  We are praying that we, teachers, students, and our partners, can handle the challenges as we venture into uncharted territories together.