When I was marking the roll for my Year 9 Geography class, one of the girls turned her video on and shared the view from her window, taking the class on a tour of the snow and surrounding hills sprinkled with snow. This got me thinking, what other views can be seen amongst the Year 9 group when working away on the Learn@Home Program. We have students not only working from Melbourne, but also from rural Victoria and NSW, coastal Victoria, central Victoria, China and Malaysia.

Below is a snap shot of some of the views from study spaces as well as some students studying online.

Feedback from the year level regarding online learning has been overwhelmingly positive.  Many students have commented on the improved level of independence that they have had to develop in order to remain organised and stay on top of their studies.

Some interesting perspectives from students:

“I’ve really enjoyed online learning and I think that it’s great that we’ve been able to work so independently because it’s really helped to develop my learning skills! I also really like working in our streams without or without the teacher because working in small groups means that you can develop a better understanding of what you have to do and you can work with your friends to achieve something, which is great! (It’s also been really good to have hot food every lunch!). However, as much fun as online learning is, I’m very excited to be able to see all my friends and teachers again in person because it can be very hard with subjects like maths or languages to really grasp the concept without the teacher there with you! It can also be a bit difficult to learn when you have internet or computer issues.” Ava Colosimo

“I like the online learning, it is an opportunity to see our friends whilst still being able to learn efficiently. The 10-minute breaks in between our classes are a good opportunity for us to be able to rest our eyes and take a break from online learning so we can come back focused. It has given us opportunities to take up new hobbies as opposed to computer providing entertainment because we need a break from the computer.” Katherine Graham

“I like working independently and spending less time travelling to school.” Caitlin Wang

“Enjoys the structure to the day, learning at her own pace.” Anise Imam

“Enjoys seeing her friends, even though this is virtual, and having independence with classwork.” Charlotte Rodgers

“Getting more sleep, having more self-dedicated time.” Flora Du

“Being able to stay at home at my desk, gives me more independence of my learning and studying.” Christina Wu

“I have enjoyed the independent learning and I have been more productive with my time.” Kate Gibson-Rowsthorn

“Studying at home has reduced the time from home to school. Staying at home is playing a very important role in reducing Covid 19.” Diane An – China

Consensus amongst the students is, time spent on the screen is tiring and it has been challenging not seeing their friends and participating in sports teams and games.

Despite this, the year level has actively joined in with the Blue Ribbon events organised by School Co-Captains, Alexandra Shergold and Sophie Boyce, enjoying the bake off and eating the end product – Chocolate Brownies, participating in the Scavenger Hunt and joining in the Gratitude Lunch. Popular exercise has been bike riding, walking and dog walking. During House Tutor Group, the students have been encouraged to create a tab on their e-portfolio ‘Corona’ where they have been writing reflections, adding photographs and videos as a record of their feelings and thoughts during the term.

Now that the return to school date has been announced, we all very much look forward to On Campus Learning on Tuesday 9 June.