{"id":284,"date":"2020-03-18T15:51:30","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T19:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jisri.com\/sarah\/?p=284"},"modified":"2022-09-23T14:47:56","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T18:47:56","slug":"e-learning-and-the-spread-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jisri.com\/sarah\/index.php\/2020\/03\/18\/e-learning-and-the-spread-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"E – Learning and the Spread of COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written By: Sarah Jisri (A Grade 11 Student, at the time) <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Written On : March 18, 2020<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Due to the continuous growth of COVID-19 cases, according to UNESCO<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, as of right now, over 100 counties including Ireland, the United States of America, Spain, Italy and China have been closing schools to avoid the quick spreading and further contraction of the virus and over 850 million learners are being affected by these closures. Which countries are implying or have already implied the e-Learning \/ online education system? And what is being done in Canada, since a few Premiers have recently declared school closures?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(UNESCO<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, As of March 18 2020, 2:54 pm)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Well, In the United States<\/strong> of America and China <\/strong>(and more countries), online education is already in place with millions enrolled in online courses meaning that they can earn credits from anywhere at their own pace, even with the Coronavirus pandemic that is making governments close down schools for the moment. In China, teachers and students use a program called DingTalk to view lectures and lessons from anywhere. Also, some e – learning companies like VIPKID and TAL Education are offering free online courses. According to South China Morning Post<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, More than 220 education bureaus in 20 Chinese provinces joined the free DingTalk homeschool online program, covering 20,000+ primary and secondary schools and 12 million students.
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How about Canada, Which provinces\/territories have closed schools? A few Premiers have decided to close down schools to mitigate the spread of the virus. According to Huffington Post<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia<\/strong>, New Brunswick<\/strong>, Ontario<\/strong>, Quebec<\/strong>, Manitoba<\/strong> and Alberta<\/strong> have closed their schools with some exceptions and different durations. Also, The Premier of Ontario has recently announced that Ontario is now in an emergency state. Since the spread of the virus is just starting in Ontario, , does that pose a possibility for longer school closures?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are Canadian high school students dealing with these situations and circumstances? Well, In Ontario<\/strong>, e – learning hasn\u2019t yet been implied into the education system. In Manitoba<\/strong>, e – learning hasn\u2019t become mandatory but the resources are available in schools. In Alberta<\/strong>, e – learning is available, but not for everyone and it isn\u2019t mandatory. In Quebec<\/strong>, e – learning resources and programs are available. In Nova Scotia<\/strong>, they already have e – learning programs in place with students enrolled in those programs. In Prince Edward Island<\/strong>, there currently aren\u2019t any e – learning programs available for students. In New Brunswick<\/strong>, e – learning is available for the Anglophone sector and the programs are constantly being improved and upgraded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, according to CNN<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that closing schools for 8 weeks or more, may have better impacts on reducing the spread of the Novel Coronavirus than having 2 – 4 week closures. If Canadian Premiers were to decide to have longer closures in each province\/territory, then how will students earn their credits during that time, if e-learning isn\u2019t available for all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, knowing who is using the e-learning system and what is happening in Canada, what are your views? Should Canadian Provinces\/Territories further enhance and focus on e – learning, or not? If school closures get extended, what will happen to the students? Will graduation and university admittance get delayed? How will this affect Universities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works Cited:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n