S. Korea prepares for its first ever online school opening due to COVID-19
- 4 years ago
사상 초유의 '온라인 개학',...학교, 학생 준비는 어떻게?
After being pushed back not once, not twice, but three times... due to the coronavirus outbreak, it is finally back to school time in South Korea - although it will be a staggered start AND online.
Middle and high school seniors will kick off the online classes this week... followed by students in other grades later in the month.
South Korea busy making last minute preparations to ensure smooth transition to online classes - our Lee Kyung-eun reports.
Since South Korea decided to start classes online due to COVID-19,... the first thing schools did was make sure that all students have the basics for virtual classrooms.
They distributed their own smart devices like laptops and tablet PCs,...primarily to students in low income brackets.
Schools without enough devices of their own received extra equipment from the Education Ministry.
Meanwhile, teachers have spent an extremely hectic two weeks learning a completely new system of teaching.
"I first had to buy things like a tablet PC, webcam and microphone. I've also watched a lot of YouTube videos for tips on online lecturing. I was so busy I can't even remember what I did, and I am still anxious because the equipment hasn't all been delivered yet."
For parents, the biggest challenge was adjusting their own schedules to fit in a new task.
"Usually they have their meals at school. But now they are home, I will have to prepare the meals before I go to work and call them to check that they've eaten their lunch. That's going to affect my morning routine, and I will be getting more phone calls from the kids at work."
Some students have tried out test classes, and they found online classes have both pros and cons.
"If school is all about studying, then online classes are perfectly fine. But for me, making friends is also very important, so I kind of miss it."
"When I went to actual school, I didn't have enough time to study on my own. But home-schooling allows me to spend more time studying the subjects I like more."
All of them said they are not completely ready for the transition, but schools cannot be delayed any longer either.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.
After being pushed back not once, not twice, but three times... due to the coronavirus outbreak, it is finally back to school time in South Korea - although it will be a staggered start AND online.
Middle and high school seniors will kick off the online classes this week... followed by students in other grades later in the month.
South Korea busy making last minute preparations to ensure smooth transition to online classes - our Lee Kyung-eun reports.
Since South Korea decided to start classes online due to COVID-19,... the first thing schools did was make sure that all students have the basics for virtual classrooms.
They distributed their own smart devices like laptops and tablet PCs,...primarily to students in low income brackets.
Schools without enough devices of their own received extra equipment from the Education Ministry.
Meanwhile, teachers have spent an extremely hectic two weeks learning a completely new system of teaching.
"I first had to buy things like a tablet PC, webcam and microphone. I've also watched a lot of YouTube videos for tips on online lecturing. I was so busy I can't even remember what I did, and I am still anxious because the equipment hasn't all been delivered yet."
For parents, the biggest challenge was adjusting their own schedules to fit in a new task.
"Usually they have their meals at school. But now they are home, I will have to prepare the meals before I go to work and call them to check that they've eaten their lunch. That's going to affect my morning routine, and I will be getting more phone calls from the kids at work."
Some students have tried out test classes, and they found online classes have both pros and cons.
"If school is all about studying, then online classes are perfectly fine. But for me, making friends is also very important, so I kind of miss it."
"When I went to actual school, I didn't have enough time to study on my own. But home-schooling allows me to spend more time studying the subjects I like more."
All of them said they are not completely ready for the transition, but schools cannot be delayed any longer either.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.