MMU: With the shift from face-to-face classes to online classes, how did you go about turning your curriculum to fit the online format?

JK: I kept the assignments in my spring courses very consistent, with little or no changes. With all the changes going on in the world, I wanted to the students to feel at ease with this aspect of their lives. Luckily, with technology resources, such as Zoom, an entire class is able to interact with each other through speaking, texting/chatting, as well as sharing their screens and projects. We’ve even figured out how to chat with a partner and work in smaller groups with Breakout Rooms. On week one, we had a student presentation and it worked well. I’m looking forward to seeing more student presentations in the near future!

MMU: What is the biggest challenge you are facing with teaching virtually?

JK: Since I’m an education professor, many of our courses have field work in the schools. For example, one of my reading endorsement courses, has twice a week tutoring for individual students. Since the local schools are not in session, the MMU students cannot tutor their students on site. The MMU students are still expected to write the weekly lessons for their students and they must include the resources: books, passages, and word work needed for the lessons. Essentially, they are writing detailed ‘sub plans’ for parents to teach their own children at home. Parents are very appreciative to receive specific reading and writing plans tailored to their own children’s needs. MMU students gain valuable experience writing plans that explicitly tell how/what skills need to be taught.

MMU: Walk us through your new routine.

JK: My classes meet on Zoom at their regular class time. We say hi to everyone online and check in to see how things are going. Then, regular teaching ensues. My science class is still very hands-on. Science is all about interacting: exploring, touching, hearing, smelling, and feeling. These things are difficult to accomplish simply by looking at a screen. It’s essential everyone gets the same experience and has the same items to work with in our individual homes. Therefore, I put together science kits for each of my students so that they have all the materials they will need for the rest of the semester.

This week, in our physical science unit we had experiments studying balance and motion and magnetism and electricity. The students moved their laptop cameras to show us how they balanced a pencil on its point and lit two light bulbs with wire and a battery. Coming up soon, we will be studying rolling and spinning, chemical reactions and mixtures and solutions. With the materials in this science kits, the MMU students are getting the same hands-on experience as they would have in face-to-face classes.

MMU: Do you miss your students? What are you doing to stay connected with them?

JK: I miss the energy of being together in one room. Online seems more formal. Students don’t interact with each other as much and it feels more distant. We are connecting at least weekly and often twice a week through email, text, or Zoom meetings. They are getting into their new routines and I want to make this transition from face-to-face to online instruction as smooth and flawless as possible.

MMU: What are you doing to keep yourself busy, when you aren’t grading, teaching, etc.?

JK: My school-aged children are home, so we are staying busy ‘home-schooling.’ They have a school-day routine and specific assignments that are required of them. We also make it a priority to get outside for walks or to soak up some sun on the front porch. In downtime, I play board and card games with my husband and kids, bake and cook, exercise daily, and I’m a book worm so of course I spend time reading the current novel I’m on.

MMU: What has this experience taught you about yourself and/or your students?

JK: This experience has solidified my decision to work at MMU. Literally everyone at this university is amazing, resilient, hard-working, and goes above and beyond. I’m proud to be a part of a school that values education, the common good, and being well-rounded in life. I never thought I handled change well and this has shown me that although I don’t particularly like change, I can handle it and can continue to teach and learn new things. Technology doesn’t come easy for me, but the more we are exposed to and the more we experience it, the easier it becomes.

MMU: Do you have any advice for students/coworkers/MMU community members as we navigate through this?

JK: Hang in there! We are all in this together and will support you through the half a semester we have left. Find time for yourself, your family, and your studies. Calculate the time it used to take you to commute (walk or drive to campus) and give yourself this gift of time to do more of what you love!