Zoom has developed into a vital tool for blended learning, successfully bridging the gap between face-to-face and online instruction. In this blog post, I will explore the benefits and challenges of using Zoom in blended learning.
I believe that Zoom's accessibility is one of its biggest advantages. Both learners and teachers may connect easily, no matter where they are, owing to the platform's adaptability with a variety of devices. Zoom offers a way for students who are unable to engage in in-person sessions to do so virtually, preventing them from missing important learning opportunities (Li and Lalani, 2020). Lessons may also be reviewed because of the recording option, which gives students flexibility while balancing their schoolwork and other activities.
In addition to this, Zoom's interactive resources improve student engagement. Participation is encouraged by features like chat, polls, and breakout rooms. Breakout rooms, for instance, facilitate small-group talks during peer collaboration exercises, which are crucial for cooperative learning and critical thinking (Martin and Bolliger, 2018). Additionally, the chat feature enables students to exchange ideas or ask questions without interrupting the lecture's flow.
Zoom is a flexible tool for a range of educational purposes because it also facilitates multimodal learning. For example, teachers can accommodate materials to both visual and auditory learners by using the screen sharing tool to provide slides, videos or live demonstrations. The capacity to incorporate different media formats into online instruction is consistent with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, which make sure that all students may access the content (Hodges et al., 2020).
However, Zoom is not without its challenges. Technical problems, such as unstable internet connections, can make it difficult to participate for teachers and, most importantly, students. These difficulties worsen the digital divide and produce unequal learning opportunitiess for learners in places that lack adequate digital infrastructure (Xie et al., 2020). To lessen these problems, teachers should offer asynchronous options or alternative resources.
Zoom's application raises privacy issues as well. To safeguard student data and guarantee compliance to institutional regulations, features like screen sharing and video recording need to be carefully managed. To protect participants, teachers need to be aware of privacy settings and promote ethical platform use.
Summing up, Zoom is a useful tool in blended learning because of its adaptability and a variety of functions, even though it is not a perfect digital tool. Teachers can optimise its potential to develop inclusive and stimulating learning environment by solving the issues with access and privacy. For example, synchronous Zoom sessions combined with asynchronous material distribution can help accommodate different learning speeds and lessen "Zoom fatigue" (Hodges et al., 2020). Additionally, offering teacher and student training on how to use Zoom effectively can improve the quality of the learning process as a whole.
References
CAST (2018) Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Available at: https://udlguidelines.cast.org
Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T. and Bond, A. (2020) ‘The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning’, Educause Review. Available at: https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning
Li, C. and Lalani, F. (2020) ‘The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. This is how’, World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/
Xie, J., Siau, K. and Nah, F. (2020) ‘COVID-19 pandemic – online education in the new normal and the next normal’, Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 22(3), pp. 175–187. doi:10.1080/15228053.2020.1824884.
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