"Learning to Dance Is Harder": Aging Teachers' Post-Pandemic Perspectives on Teaching Online During COVID-19

• In Event: Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on Education Systems Around the World

Abstract

Prior research has indicated teacher and administrative perspectives to neoliberal reforms
(Fuller, 2019; Spreen et al., 2022) and the rate of acceptance for the use of technology in the
classroom (Murray et al., 2019) and risk (Gómez et al., 2017). Related research considered
terms of service agreements (Karanicolas, 2021; Moll, et al., 2017) coupled with privacy
policies (Aimeur et al., 2016; Bonatti et al., 2018; Naarttijärvi, 2018; Phelps, et al., 2000) as
impeding the use of technology and potentially increasing vulnerability from IT perspectives
(Miller, 2021) to the integration of technology. Responses from teacher and education
administrative participants in this case study identify a typology of the technology savvy
teacher as younger and more willing to take risks, coupled with experience from a young age
with technology applications in the classroom and post-secondary studies. Additionally,
responses from IT participants indicate a lack of collaboration with teachers and
administration for “helping” outside of the scope of their IT role and assigned duties.
This case study is part of a larger study involving post-pandemic, semi-structured interviews
with teacher participants and considers perspectives within one Francophone school district
in Canada. The study highlights overwhelming confidence and ease with technology-
integrated teaching through the use of a school district MOODLE. Responses illuminate the
district’s strategy during COVID-19 to providing course offerings through one virtual school
for all to students province-wide. Responses go further to honour a capacity for technology-
integrated teaching across all ages and genders post-pandemic in online environments, with
one aging participant comparing challenges to teaching online with dancing.
This paper positions the participant responses within the larger spectrum of teaching and
learning during COVID-19, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of the collaborative
efforts and streamlining for teachers’ course delivery and ongoing professional development.
Further considerations note the use of technology in teachers’ personal lives, post-pandemic,
in the areas of cooking (recipes), sewing, the development of languages, art classes, and
networking. Popular MOODLE applications such as POODLL are mentioned by aging
participants. In addition, the desire to continue to bring aspects of audio and video technology
into the classroom emerges from the participant responses as teacher considerations for the
development and enrichment of course delivery for students as they returned to in-person
classes. Results of the case study imply that providing teachers of all ages with ongoing
technology support and professional development for online teaching and learning during
COVID-19 alleviated many of the stresses potentially experienced by others. Considerations
for ongoing transformational reciprocity (Jameson et al., 2010) through the collaboration of
online and inperson teachers remains promising for participants in this case study.
Results indicate that 26% of participants feel comfortable using technology in the
classroom, while 42% of participants feel very comfortable. they also indicate
that 70% of participants feel positive about using technology in the classroom, while 22% of
participants feel positive if everything is working correctly, noting troubleshooting and
technical difficulties are a cause of anxiety while teaching.

Author

• Stephanie Ann Sadownik, University of Victoria
  Presenting Author