Blog Post #9

My experience with distance learning in K-12 centers on my time after my knee surgery in March 2014. During a routine football practice I injured my knee and required reconstructive surgery. Without the ability to move around for several weeks, my mom and I decided to opt for distance learning for the remainder of the semester. Pinellas County School District assigned a handler to deliver textbooks and learning materials to my home. They would come to check-in on my progress and take my completed assignments back to my teachers at Pinellas Park High School for grading. My handler was kind but it was sometimes difficult to understand the instructions for my work when I was getting it second-hand. They were also responsible for other students engaged in distance learning, therefore our assignments could sometimes be mixed-up. Overall, the experience was difficult for many reasons. However, with the mass adoption of Zoom meetings following Covid, I imagine the problems I experienced are non-existent today.

One new skill I acquired while working on assignment 4 was the slide master function. Almost all of the other components of the assignment I had experience with, except for the slide master. Quite honestly, I was dumbfounded as to how to operate it at first; but after messing with it more, I began to appreciate it's function. One thing I didn't like about the assignment was the recording aspect. I understand the benefits of including the recording requirement but it almost turns the assignment into two separate evaluations: how well can you build a slideshow and how well you can articulate a lesson in 6 minutes. 

One lingering question I have is how to effectively evaluate whether AI tools actually improve learning outcomes. While AI based assignments are innovative, their long-term effects on critical thinking, retention, and equity remain unclear. I am also interested in how educators can balance the efficiency of AI-assisted instruction with maintaining student autonomy and skill development. As a course suggestion, it would be valuable to include a stronger focus on evaluation frameworks, perhaps through a research-style assignment where students design and assess a technology intervention using measurable outcomes. Incorporating more real-world applications, such as case studies or simulated lesson implementations, would also help bridge theory and practice.