H1N1, A Virus Effecting Our Learning

After searching through Karl Fisch's blog, The Fischbowl, I found a post that raised many questions and made me think about my education and America's education. "H1N1, Skype, and A Possible Tipping Point" is a blog post about Anne Smith's class and how the H1N1 virus has changed their classroom environment in a technological way. In this classroom, many of the kids have been affected by the H1N1 virus leaving them out for days or even weeks. Since so many of the kids in her class are gone, they have decided that instead of falling behind in work they will actually be in the classroom and learn with the rest of the class. No, they won't actually be in class spreading this virus, but they will be able to see and hear everything using Skype which allows people to communicate through a camera. This is helpful because the students can learn along with everyone else, they won't get behind on work once they get back, and the other healthy students don't have to re-learn the same things over and over again once the sick kids get better. As a high school student, I think this is a great idea because if you're sick for several days you have to catch up on what you've missed and keep up with what the class is learning at the moment which can add more stress than necessary. Also, being stuck at home not doing anything is not fun at all. As much as everyone says that they hate school, it does give us something to do during the day and provides us with something to keep our brains functioning on an intellectual level. I also have noticed when the students that have gotten better come back to class, all of us have to re-learn things. This can be frustrating because we have already learned it and need something new. I also have several questions from reading this blog post. Will this change our learning? Will more classes use Skype as a tool for absent students? Will this help us launch into an even more technological learning environment then we are already in? If not all schools can use Skype, will they miss out on careers and future learning? If another serious illness or virus comes along, will more technological efforts be made to help students? I have thought about these questions and about my thoughts on them. I think this will change our learning if more schools do this because it will help improve grades. I know that when I am sick for more than a week I get behind on my work and it shows in my grades, but with Skype, all students can still be in class even when they can't physically. I think that the schools that can afford computers and cameras will use Skype as a tool to help improve their student's learning. It is unfair to the schools that can't afford this technology because they don't even have the opportunity or access to this, meaning that they will have to suffer for getting behind in school for something that was beyond their control. Also, this may affect their futures too. Even though it could just be a short amount of time, it can affect their learning and grades for life because they are missing out on important skills and learning that can help when it comes time for college and a career. Those who did not miss out on these lessons might beat out the kids who never learned it all because they were sick and didn't have access to computers or Skype. This also could help us launch into a more technological learning environment because it is introducing new and helpful technology for students. Who knows what could be used in the classrooms next? Also, if another illness or virus comes into our school systems that is more serious then H1N1, the students would have access to Skype so they won't get behind. This could also lead to more technological advances in schools because if students are gone for a certain amount of time, they need to catch up somehow. All I know is that the H1N1 virus and any other illnesses that come along can and will affect our learning.