From Chalkboards to Chat boards: Resilient Educators

Technology has been increasingly present in education from elementary school to the university level since the new millennium. Computer labs are present in most well-equipped classrooms in schools and universities. Technology and the Internet have broadened and improved the education system even further through years. Many different platforms and applications integrated into lessons have facilitated the teaching and learning process. Moreover, with the integration of technology and the Internet in education, teaching and learning are becoming more informal and autonomous. Although, in the education system in Kosovo, before the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has been majorly neglected, especially in public schools. This paper focuses on the quick transition from chalkboards to chat boards and the potential of teachers to be resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study aims to make a micro reflection and review of the theories and methods of online teaching and what teachers need and want to change when they move to teach online. An online survey was sent to four groups of teachers at different levels. The findings were perceived similarly and differently to some extent by groups of respondents based on the level, subjects, educational backgrounds, and technological skills. The challenges and solutions are different for different levels and age groups, courses, online platforms and Apps, synchronous or asynchronous situations, and other technical tools and issues. As developers and shapers of education in the current global situations, teachers are assigned different roles, and online teaching is more complex than traditional classrooms. This paper has examined the practical applications for education in distance learning.