Teachers' Points on Virtual Learning

Covid-19 Pandemic changes every single matter of life, including education. Nowadays, to ignore some meeting, the presence of technology has a chance to take the point on some virtual meeting, among the teacher and the students. The learning can be set effectively, if the teacher is a kind of a creative one. However, this technology based era is something like boomerang if the teachers are conventional teachers, whom have some difficulties to operate the techs.  

As an English teacher in one of Junior High School in Tulungagung, I experienced some matter according to my students’ point of views and the teachers’ perspective. A homeroom teacher, it is my current chance in one of eighth grade class of my school, is able to monitor the class activities. Most of the teachers just put the files and ask the students to read then work the assignment, and submit it. The others’ style are as the same. I am questioning as a freshman by the system, why the teachers do not have any live room to interact virtually with the students? We have some newest application which is available to apply for virtual meeting, such as Zoom, Google Classroom and many others. However, I understand that not all the teachers are able to create them, nor the availability to do that. By applying the only system that is share the materials, then ask the students to do some assignment, submit it, it is less effective because the students are stressful by the amount of tasks. Every subject has a task that must be submitted. It is less useful because they do not feel safe and comfort while learning, instead of feel painful and stressful. This matter must be a concern for the current teachers, moreover for online learning.

When I was a graduate student, Dr. Susanto, M.Pd, our lecturer at that time, taught us about Hybrid Learning. Hybrid means half face to face, half online meeting. I cannot say that our lecturers had predicted the nowadays condition, but, that curriculum is really useful for me, it works todays. Hybrid means blending, both online meeting and face to face. Thus, they have different roles. What should be done when we have a face to face learning and what activities which can be applied while we practice virtual meeting.

Techs are the only answer for virtual meeting. There are many applications which are available to access, either purchased or free access. It is not ignored, that the students have their right to get some comfort learning, feel less stress, and high motivated to learn the materials. Because, according to Indonesian Curriculum, they must learn all subjects, not some subjects which are matched to them. We, as the teachers should understand this one. That creativity, innovation, creating a joyful learning environment and understand the students’ needs are some aspects which have the points to apply for implementing virtual learning, online based.