Buhrak Mariia 417 group

Having experienced of how distant learning works, I can tell that it can be truly beneficial
process. Actually, the process of distance learning gave to every student and every teacher
opportunity to work in a different way – not in the way that we used to. The conditions of work
have changed and with it we all face a lot of difficulties. During this period, and the lockdown
itself, we are trying to manage work at home and studying. For me, the distance learning gives a
lot of new opportunities. For example:
 I train my time management skills and self-discipline
 I have got familiar with a lot of new on-line platforms for studying. My group
mates and I are currently working with the help of Google Classroom, video
conference Google meet, Edmodo, Moodle, Coursera and Kahoot. My favorite is
Moodle and Coursera. The last is an on-line platform with a great variety of
courses. I have completed two courses on Public speaking and Self-development.
 Distance learning is more flexible for me as I find time for distance work.
 During this period I have been learning at my own pace
 I have learnt a new lesson – the technologies could let you down so it is important
to have your files copied on different devices. Personally, I have got this point
when my computer had a breakdown.
 The last but not the least, distance learning saves a lot of time which enables me to
participate in additional courses and learn a lot of extra vocabulary from my
favorite platform Wordhunt.
Unfortunately, not everything concerning distance learning is that pleasurable. The
obstacles that I encounter are following:
 The first in my list is an insufficient quantity of social interaction. Actually this is
about the lockdown in general as still we have opportunity to communicate through
different platforms, Zoom for example. But nevertheless, such communication
could not replace the real one.
 The next thing that concerns the majority of students is working with mistakes. The
problem that stands behind is the fact that we are getting our marks without
remarks that could help us to avoid our mistakes later.
 The final thing is technology addiction. Now, it stands obvious for all that without
technologies we are literary helpless.

The way I see it, distant learning focuses mainly on the results of the education process. By
this I mean that we are given the opportunities to experiment with different tools and online
platforms. I want to share my experience of using on-line platforms that can train listening skills:
BBC Learning English – is a great app which is created for learners of different levels of
knowledge. Here you can listen to podcasts on different topic and complete quizzes. The app has
such sections: everyday English, business English, learn with news and learn with drama. Every
participant can create his or her own schedule or the teacher can choose the material for the
class. The app also trains pronunciation, grammatical and vocabulary skills.
Quizlet is already popular platform. It is easier here to create your classes and share
information with students. The teacher has the opportunity to check students` understanding of
the audio material through the quizzes. Students can get their point immediately as the whole
checking is done by the app.
From my opinion, an advantageous platform for teaching reading is Socrative. The app is
easy to work with. The teacher can create posts including the material which should be read. The
options of checking students` knowledge are different – from multiple choices to broad answers
and essays. The most important here is that after each class or test, students have the opportunity
to provide their feedbacks.
Overall the importance of distance learning is controversial. But through this process we
can really see our week and strong sides.