The world split when education went virtual for several months.
There were students who loved it. And even continued with it when school went back in person.
And then there were the students who hated it. Not only the students themselves, but their parents.
So much so that the thought of having a virtual piano lesson on a snow day evokes PTSD-style reactions.
But it didn't have to be this way. COVID could have been an opportunity to show children the possibilities of technology.
The problem was, teachers didn't adapt all the way.
Yes, they got Zoom running. Yes, they figured out how to keep the curriculum moving. They were so happy to get this far, newspapers celebrated how quickly they pivoted.
But...they didn't pivot all the way.
The school systems took the concept of school and copy/pasted it into the virtual universe. And it didn't work.
So rather than walking to six different classes a day, students had six classes a day on Zoom. Even working adults don't spend that much time in front of a computer at once.
The schools also didn't bother to give the students any Zoom social time, even for lunch.
And so, inevitably our politicians told us how dreadful the online school situation was because of too much screen time and lack of social interaction. Even though both of these factors were controllable.
But it's much easier to blame technology than a lack of creativity and problem-solving.
How cool could it have been, though?!?
Maybe rather than a full day of online school, the classes could have been cut in half? And more responsibility could have been handed to the students for their own learning?
Or maybe the curriculum could have pivoted to a more self-directed, project-based education rather than the standard correct-answers-on-tests curriculum.
The possibilities could have been endless.
But now, many students need to rebuild their trust in online learning because of their experience.
The best we can do is remind our students that online learning isn't what they experienced during COVID.
Online learning presents the opportunity to study with teachers on the other side of the planet.
Online learning presents the opportunity to collaborate with people across the world, as if you were all in the same room.
And online learning presents the possibility of creating change in places that might not otherwise see it.
That's the potential of online learning when done right.