High school staff say they are excited to put to use everything they learned during lockdown as they look forward to a return to normalcy this year.
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Schools across NSW were interrupted last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic saw students and staff sent home from the classrooms and forced into online learning.
Staff at Murrumbidgee Regional High School say while the lockdown brought about unique challenges, it may actually prove to be a "double-edged sword".
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"It's certainly beneficial to be in front of a teacher," MRHS principal Davil Crelley said. "But at the same time, what staff and teachers learned about how to use technology will benefit us for years to come."
For the past decade education has slowly been turning more digital, but the move online during the pandemic accelerated this phenomenon for students and teachers alike.
English teacher at MRHS Elizabeth Ridgway says she "learned so much last year".
"With online learning, you don't really know what you can do until until you get in there under pressure, and that's exactly what happened last year," she said.
"Seeing what the kids can do on their own gives you whole new areas to play with. We are seeing how we can use this technology to teach the students in new ways."
What staff and teachers learned about how to use technology will benefit us for years to come
- David Crelley, MRHS Principal
"Last year, my Year 9 students were creating digital escape rooms and sending them to each other and they absolutely loved it."
Looking ahead to the upcoming school year, Ms Ridgway said she was excited to integrate this digital learning with traditional face to face lessons.
"I'm really excited to see the kids," she said. "I love working with them and it will be great to actually get back in the classroom permanently and be able to communicate directly."
Ms Ridgway said she felt students would benefit from a more traditional year.
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"Our kids really respond well to consistency."
"It's like anyone, if you're coming in here going 'who knows whats happening tomorrow', it's a very stressful way to work."
MRHS has used to holidays to full effect, upgrading buildings and classrooms across both the Wade and Griffith sites.
Part of these upgrades saw the implementation of more technology based learning devices, such as televisions and laptop areas for the students to utilise.