Online distance learning: an ethnographic study through the lens of diverse educators during the COVID-19 pandemic

Kyndell Pierce Tuttle

doi:10.17918/00001819

In an age of 21st century learning it is not uncommon to infuse virtual learning into a classroom setting, but what happens when you are asking for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to provide that environment for themselves through online distance learning? What happens when educators are forced into teaching in an online distance learning environment without professional development when using virtual digital platforms? Is equity being applied to the online distance learning environment? Educators today, due to Covid-19, a disease caused by Sars-CoV-2, a virus that caused a worldwide pandemic through the transmission of airborne particles, are required to provide online distance learning to all students without consideration for students' access to online materials. This ethnographic study examined the perceptions educators had about the equitable value of online distance learning through a social justice lens and through their "lived experiences" in allowing educators to be better equipped with the tools needed to implement virtual instruction for all students. COVID-19 induced social distancing and school closure measures which then caused the need for learning to continue in a virtual environment. This study provided an explanation through educators' perceptions and through their experiences with different virtual platforms they were using in order to continue instruction with their students. The change in pedagogy that left professional development and equity as an afterthought is pointed out in this study. In my experience, when we transitioned from in-person instruction to online distance learning, colleagues expressed they were ill prepared for the online distance learning environment of instruction and there was extreme concern for students that did not have access because of their socio-economic background. The ethnographic study examined the perceptions of educators from different environments and diverse socioeconomic backgrounds that are connected through a non-profit organization that focuses on social justice and equity. The educators involved with this non-profit organization represented student communities of mixed demographics. The mixed demographics lent itself to the digital divide within different socio-economic backgrounds students have and the professional development that educators were given in preparation for the online distance learning environment and the virtual platforms that were expected to be implemented. Keywords: professional development, social justice, equity, socioeconomic background, instructional technology, ethnography, educators, equity, perceptions, online distance learning, remote learning, Covid-19, Coronavirus, pedagogy, blended learning

Online distance learning: an ethnographic study through the lens of diverse educators during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Online distance learning: an ethnographic study through the lens of diverse educators during the COVID-19 pandemic

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