Lernen in Corona-Zeiten


Studying in times of Corona

4 weeks have passed, since our school has closed its doors and we shifted from personal face-to-face teaching to online learning. This was a big change for all of us and posed new challenges. We have successfully overcome them – however, our days were not always easy to structure, f.ex. , but we have managed. Ilhamdulilla.
We wanted to find out how our students were coping with online learning. Two classes have used different forms to express their experiences and hence themselves: Some outlined their daily schedules, some conducted interviews with other students or teachers, some were taking some pictures and others wrote small newspaper articles.
So let's scroll down and have a look at some excerpts of the results of these two classes:

Class 7b

1. Yassin

Yassin is taking his time to draw more and reflect the times when people could travel and move more outside their houses. like you see in his first picture.

 

The 1st picture previews 2 gentlemen dreaming of going on a trip to Disneyland. Unfortunately, currently, they cannot do that because of covid-19.

The 2nd image shows that I have been doing a lot of reading recently. However, that's getting a little bit boring now, so I need to find a new challenge and hobby.

2. Mirella

Mirella shows us that we can also use the time in a meaningful way – for example to organize our wardrobe:

"Probably you can see here a pic from a part of my desk, which I organized the last few days. So actually when quarantine kicked in, I started to clean and organize myself and my surroundings like my wardrobe and my desk and a lot more. Here you can see my school books and folders organized and my wardrobe, too.

So you can take it as an idea in order not to get bored and have a clean organized home, as well. I prefer and recommend cleaning and organizing so much and I hope you can organize and clean your home with me in the future, too.

It helps bringing positivity, trust me!

Thank you and have a good day!"

3. Amina

What is your typical day at home like?
Amina describes her typical day during Corona times – She seems to have a great daily routine to perfectly structure her day.

"When we have an online lesson, I wake up at 7:25 am and in the weekend I wake up at 10:00 am. After I woke up, I go to the toilet, wash my face and brush my teeth. When I'm done with that, I have breakfast while I am logging into the online learning platform.

I do my work and then I usually take a shower and put on clean clothes. After I'm done with that, I have lunch and sit with my family. We have dessert and then I go out on my farm to clean up the dogs and give them their food. That can get really messy so sometimes I take another shower and then I put on my pj's and bake a cake while I face time with my friends.

When I'm done with that I serve the cake to my family and we eat a bit of it. When we're done with that, I help my grandma with the dishes and tidy up a bit. Sometimes I have dinner, and sometimes I do not feel hungry.

In the evening, I enjoy chatting with my friends. At 10 I mostly read for 1 hour and at 11 o' clock I usually go to sleep."

4. Rachid

Rachid also tells us about his daily life in times of Corona. He reminds us how important friends are. Even if we cannot see them – we should call them if we miss them. This does not only cheer us up, it also benefits our motivation to keep on studying. Thank you for sharing this, Rachid.

5. Mohamed

Mohamad wants to show us some pictures of what he usually does these days. As far as it seems, you are successfully designing your day in a very varied way. The pizza looks great, by the way! Well done!

6. Youssef Yassin

Youssef has given free rein to his creativity and designed the following poem for us. Thank you for your efforts.

CORONA is in everywhere.
Our world has changed in a blink of an eye.
People are dying with lake of supplies.
We can feel the fear and worry.

But God is with us.
We are his beloved ones.

We will fight this battle together as one.
A hero comes in many forms.
TO me, my hero is every one of you.
United, with God this war is already won.

7. Nour

On the one hand, Nour shows us how much fun school was, back then. On the other hand, she points out how much she has learnt so far. She managed to get used to working online.
Your desk looks very professional Nour.It somehow reminds us of a desk, managers usually have. It really seems that you have become even more structured and organized. Hats off to you!

No.1
Two Photos of my Routine:

Here is what I do every day. I just study and study and study. Sitting at home and working online is not fun at all. Going to school is definitely more fun. Even if it's harder, I like it more because we can meet our friends and teachers in person.

Teachers currently do a great work: They check our homework and teach us new subjects. At home our teachers are checking the materials through lo-net2 and although sometimes we don't understand our tasks, our teachers do excellent and tremendous efforts to get material and subject easier to us.

I've learned from the sitting at home a lot like to be responsible, to do my tasks well, how to use apps on the laptop, how to use technology and especially: How to use technology in the right way.
2:

This picture shows how I live while the coronavirus is around the country: I use a lot of alcohol to disinfect my hands, to stay safe and to stay clean.
I have learned how to take care of myself and others. The coronavirus suddenly came and we were not prepared, but somehow we manage.

My daily Routine:

I wake up early in the morning, then I take shower before the first lesson starts, then eat my breakfast. My breakfast mostly consist of a proper tea and sandwich. After I ate my breakfast, I get my books for the lesson and wait until the teacher puts the tasks on LONET2.

When I receive my tasks, I directly start. I have break until the next lesson starts. Then I do the same till 2:20. At 2:20, the school ends and I finally eat my lunch.

I like to watch a movie on NETFLIX as a reward from my day. I love to make popcorn and watch the movie with my family. When the movie ends, I draw a little bit. I draw funny pictures and I even like to sometimes do some challenges with my brother – just for fun.

In the evening, I eat a snack like a cake or pancake. Every day, I do the snack myself, because I cook really well.

I usually daily fight with my brother, because he makes me really angry – you have no idea! He even hides all my stuff and thinks it is funny.

Then, I work out for an hour and eat my healthy dinner. It's always oats with yoghurt. I take a shower, brush my teeth and go to bed. This is what I do every day at home. Nothing new.
Class 8d

1. Malak, interviewed a parent, two students and a teacher at a university. She asked them about their thoughts and opinions, in regards to the Corona virus.

Interview
E-Learning
A lot of countries have decided to close their schools, because of corona virus and started a learning system online, called E-Learning. Everyone has their own different opinions about E-Learning and the topic is very controversial.

A parent (her mum)
First I talked to my mom and asked if closing the schools because of the virus was a good decision.
She responded with saying «No, not at all. But it would've been better if schools educated parents more about E-Learning.»
«Do you feel like there is more pressure on you making sure, that your kids did their job and are understanding everything, because of online school?», I asked.
«Yes, it is not my job to teach my kids things they were supposed to learn at "school" but I don't mind helping them. Also in the class of my other daughter, the teachers don't even send feedback or explanations for anything, so the parents are the ones who just need to figure things out.»
The next question was «As a parent, do you think online school or E-Learning is better than normal school?».
«No, I think normal school is better. From my opinion it is, as I said not my job to teach my kids things they were supposed to study with their teachers.» She answered.
«Do you feel like there are any positives to E-Learning ?»
«Yes, kids can try new ways of learning and in this time we shouldn't let our kids get out of the house a lot».

Two students at ESK
Then I started speaking to Omar and Nour students at ESK. Their responses were mostly different.
«What is your general opinion about E-Learning ?» Omar answered with saying « It's fun, but sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the lessons and the timings».
Nour's response was different: «It's harder than I expected and the deadlines are too short, so a lot of times it's hard to hand things in, in time.»
«Do you feel like it's harder to understand the teachers, since you are doing online classes and you can't talk face to face?»
«No, not at all. Because we have a chat, where we can communicate with the teachers. We also use the app Zoom so we can talk to them», said Omar.
Nour answered with «Yes my teachers don't always reply to me and they don't explain things well on the chat.»
«Do you miss school?» Omar said «I don't. I think online school is more fun. You also don't have to deal people that you don't like» «No, I actually don't miss it.»
Nour says«I feel like, although E-Learning is harder, it is much more exciting than school.»
«Are there any big changes in your grades, since we've started online school?» Omar's grades didn't change and are still the same, but Nour's answer was very different: «Actually the teachers, as I said, don't give us feedback or tell us anything about our grades.»

A teacher at a university
Lastly I sat down with Sawsan (also my mom), a university teacher.
«What do you think of online teaching?» «It's not better than normal school, because there's a lot of misunderstanding between teachers and students. Students can't really always understand what we are trying to say.»
«What do you think is better: online teaching or normal teaching?» «I think normal school is much more better. In online classes there's a lot of misunderstanding and from my own experience, not all teachers know how to deal with the online classes and teaching online. Especially government schools should teach teachers and students how to work online», she said.
«What is your opinion about closing the schools?». Her response was «In these hard times it was a good idea to just close the schools and keep all the kids at home. In the end, security is our first priority.»
«Do you use websites and apps that are made for online school and classes?» «Yes, the university has its own website, where you can find all the lessons and the explanations. My class and I also use apps like Edmodo»

2. Nicole Magdy, interviewed a student from ESK and asked her about the online Schooling. Mia talks about her perceived work load in comparison to other schools and touches upon other controversial topics such as "cheating" (plagiarism).

Interviewer: Hello Mia, so today I'm going to ask you some Questions about E-learning that we are currently doing at school, because of the Coronavirus.
Mia: Oh okay, that's cool.
I: So first of all, what is your opinion about this situation?
M: I think it's terrible if you have a look at what is currently going on in the world. It's really scary, cause the Corona cases are increasing every day. People are dying.
I: Yes, it's pretty terrifying. So how is your school handling this quarantine situation?
M: They are actually handling it really well. We have a website called lo-net and the teachers upload all their work and we do it and send it back to them. We wake up every morning for our first class at 7:30. It's like we're normally going to school.
I: Wow, that's really professional. I heard that some schools stopped or paused their lessons.
M: Yes, I have heard that some of the governmental do not work the same way, while we are here taking classes for more than 6 hours every day. That's pretty unfair if you ask me!
I: Yes, it is, but in the end they will find it really hard to catch up later on what they have missed. But anyways, did you face any problems while embarking on online learning?
M: Yes, a lot actually. First there were a lot of problems with either the students' or teachers' internet and everyone was really confused. There was also another huge problem.
I: and... What was that?
M: So basically there were a lot of students, actually most of the students, cheating.
I: Cheating? That's weird. How did they cheat?
M: So when a teacher gives us a task to do, the students were lazy and didn't want to do it, so they thought it was a good idea to copy- paste the answers from the internet.
I: Woah, that's terrible!
M: Well that's not even the worst part... So like I said some people copied the answers from the internet, but others asked other students for the answers.
I: WHATT! This is horrible!! What happened next?
M: The students thought the teachers are so stupid and wouldn't notice, but the teachers found out and all the parents were informed. The teachers were really mad, but after a few days it got better.
I: I'm sure these idiots have learnt their lesson. This is such a stupid idea. If you copy the answer, you won't learn anything, so why do it anyways. Didn't know students are that lazy these days.
M: Well, these are the quarantine effects, I guess. Hahaha
I: Yeah, you're right, we're all really lazy these days. Anyways, thank you for letting me interview you. Bye Mia.
M: You're welcome, thank you for interviewing me! Bye Bye!

3. Ahmed Mattar, coincidentally met a reporter on his way to a supermarket (whether this was just made up or really occurred, remains an open question). They talk about online learning and Ahmed speaks of his siblings fighting, his dad singing and other incidents that took place while he was having a zoom lesson.

Ahmed Mattar went to get the groceries that his mom forgot to bring(as usual) when a news reporter spotted him and asked him a few questions

Reporter: Excuse me sir, I'm sorry for bothering you but can we ask you a few questions?
A. Sure.I can spare a minute or two
Reporter: First of all, are you currently going to a school?
A. Yes, I go to Europa Schule Kairo.
Reporter: Oh a German school, man I feel sorry for you. I have just heard a couple of minutes ago that all international school have switched to online learning. Could you give us your opinion on that young man?
A. It has its pros and cons. For example, now our parents and teachers can't tell us that using our phone for a long time is a bad thing. So now I can play with my phone a lot, but not for a long time because we have Arab parents.
Reporter: That sounds great. So what is bad about online school?
A. Well, now I still have to wake up at 7:30 and start working but another thing is that whenever I have a Video conference my brother finally decides to fight with my sisters, my father suddenly decides to sing and my mother decides to clean the room I'm in.
Reporter: Well you look like a busy family. What about you how are you dealing with quarantine?
A. To be fair, I like being in quarantine, but I also would like to go back to my club and start training.
Reporter: You do sports?
A. Yeah, Judo. However, since quarantine started I had to start training at home.
Reporter: Wow so you're not afraid of catching the Coronavirus?
A. I didn't say that, but if you wash your hands on a regular basis and wear protective gloves and a mask you're on the safe side.
Reporter: Is there anything you want to say about the online classes that you think are funny?
A. Yes actually. For example when the teacher disconnects or when we keep changing our profile picture and names etc.
Stranger: Get out of my way I need toilet paper!
A. And that for example is something very strange that everyone does - they head straight for the toilet paper. I can't understand these people.
Reporter: Ok, before you go, is there anything you want to say to your family, friends or teachers at home?
A. Yes. Bibo don't play my games. Mom and Dad I love you and to all the teachers, I hope you're enjoying your day and stay safe.

4. Jannah Sidky, 8D, wrote a report on online learning and covers its benefits as well as challenges.

Online learning continues to gain popularity day by day. So many schools and universities are taking online classes due to the corona Virus.

This disease called COVID-19 started in December 2019 has infected millions of people all over the world. In Cairo, Egypt are already 1200 people infected and it killed 80 (beginning of April 2020).

It's dangerous and that's why we should study at home. I personally find that going to school was better and easier, but online school is not that bad. We face some problems and it might be a bit complicated sometimes, but we solve everything within time.

My school (Europa Schule Kairo) has been using our own website called lo-net2, where our teachers set the tasks, etc. It's also easier for the teachers, I think, because they don't have to prepare every single night around 100 papers and tasks and they don't have to worry about students disturbing the class or making some awful jokes about anything.
We also use this app called "Zoom". I find it really good, because it is like FaceTime, but it fits a whole class and more. 100 students can be in one meeting together, that's pretty cool.

On the other hand, I find it annoying that some teachers are apparently taking advantage of quarantine by giving us so much work that usually fits in 2 lessons at school.
Another problem is, that as you may know, the Internet is quite weak all over the world, so sometimes it takes some time for the email to get delivered and some teachers mark it as "not completed" and give us a 6 if we send it 2 minutes after the deadline.

Even if I find that going to school was better, I'd still rather stay at home, be safe and do everything online while being comfortable at home.

5. Last but not least, Amena, discusses the drawbacks and advantages of online learning.

 


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