NAVIGATING SUCCESSFUL ONLINE PEDAGOGY:REFLECTIONS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF BASICTECHNOLOGY USE
Martin Mielick
Kanda University of International Studies
INTRODUCTION
This article reflects on the frustrations and emotions felt in the first month of emergency
online teaching that was implemented due to the 2020 pandemic. It also offers some advice
and potential solutions to dealing with technological issues when adapting to online
teaching. Discussions particularly focus on some of the key events and experiences
encountered in teaching a reading and writing course where English as a foreign language
was the mode of instruction. The article hopes to bring attention to the importance ofappreciating basic computer and tablet technology skills for writing tasks and checking
writing feedback. It comments upon the problems encountered with the fundamentals ofcomputer and software use such as attaching files correctly, choosing the correct language
keyboard and the basic uses of Google Docs, and it suggests ways in which teachers canbetter prepare for challenges faced in online pedagogy.
When the decision was made to switch to online teaching, my initial emotion was one of fear.
I would describe myself as a more traditional teacher and although I do use technology in theclassroom on a regular basis, such things as assignments and homework have almost always
been handwritten. Of course, this could not be the case in such a new and unique situation
where every student was remote. There were many challenges that faced teachers at such a
stressful time and we subsequently all had to rely on technology use for every lesson. In theend, this was without doubt a major effect on the success of teaching and learning outcomes.
One of the biggest emotions I felt when teaching was frustration, which generally refers tothe “low-level negative feelings aroused when individuals are prevented from achieving
goals or changing undesirable situations” (Morris & King, 2018, p.435). In the following
paragraph, I will unravel this definition in two parts and discuss its relevance to my context
and the problems I encountered. Firstly, I will describe my “low-level negative feelings” andsecondly, I will explain how I was “prevented from achieving [my] goals”.
CAUSES OF FRUSTRATIONMy negative feelings of frustration were mainly born out of the feeling of hopelessness. I had
shared my screen to talk students through software use processes, but there were regularlya small number of students who could not do certain online writing tasks that were
fundamental to the lesson outcomes. A problem that was a common occurrence wasattaching the wrong files when submitting assignments. Unfortunately, explaining andcommunicating potential solutions in English did not alleviate this issue. This was after
spending time on lengthy explanations on how to use Google Docs and Google Drive andafter conducting one-to-one help sessions for up to ten minutes at a time with students who17.	  Navigating	  Successful	  Online	  Pedagogy:	  Reﬂections	  on	  the	  Importance	  of	  Basic	  Technology	  Use.	  Martin	  Mielick.	  
Pages	  69-­‐71.	  Literacies	  &	  Language	  Education:	  Research	  &	  Practice,	  2020	  Special	  Section:	  Teaching	  During	  a	  Pandemic.	  English	  Language	  Institute,	  KUIS.

still needed assistance. One could argue that help sheets should have been created bymyself, but such a task was difficult for me to do as I am not an IT specialist, and I was alreadyfeeling overwhelmed from preparing my regular courses. Some frustrations were also further
compounded when I realised that students had previously had IT orientations at the start ofthe semester, but issues may have been due to the fact that most Japanese high schools do
not typically teach with any form of technology. In conclusion to this section, I concede that
it was very difficult to deal with the transfer to online learning. In such a time, it is challenging
for both teachers and students to regulate their frustrations when solutions cannot be foundor communication in the target language breaks down. I suggest that the above issues should
not be underestimated as key factors in navigating successful learning outcomes.
HOW WERE MY GOALS AS A TEACHER AFFECTED?
In this next paragraph, I shall discuss how some of the examples given above relate to how I
felt frustrated in achieving my teaching goals. As with any class I have ever taught, it has been
one of my key aims to build good student rapport. I highly value the development of a good
professional relationship between myself and students so that indeed, students also do not
feel frustrated about their learning. However, I have found developing rapport online to be
more difficult. For example, there are many extra-linguistic pedagogical skills a teacher
cannot employ as they are simply not available online. Furthermore, the constraints of timeand effort being given to explaining technical issues or firefighting technical problems seems
to take away the focus of the teacher from teaching language. I suggest that institutions
consider to what degree this should be the role of the teacher versus other institutional staff,and consider how they can support teaching staff to support students. The situation mademe reevaluate my view of my professional pedagogical responsibilities and it has also mademe more aware that teachers always have to be responsive to students’ needs in the everchanging face of education. As a positive outcome, dealing with this tumultuous time has
made me more confident in assisting students with online learning and more responsive tothe technological problems that can occur, thus indirectly improving my professional
development.
SOLUTIONS
Possible solutions to the previously mentioned issues could be to appoint online student
support troubleshooters and/or links to specific breakout rooms (using the Zoom app), orinviting IT specialists to your main room to explain the IT task to everyone in their first
language, not the target language. Further courses and regular IT training is also important
through this difficult time, and I suggest that success is more likely if it involves both teachersand students being trained on an ongoing basis. Other more independent and practicalsolutions connected to the above issues could be for students to watch basic YouTube videos
on ‘how to do’ tasks related to technology and software use as they are convenient forstudents to access.
After my experiences, I argue that teachers need to be responsive and patient with students’technology use and more aware of their software knowledge. Fundamental skills involved inusing computer or tablet technology seem simple but should not be underestimated as a
crucial factor in successful online teaching. As a main reflection at the end of a wholesemester of online teaching, I am now pleased to say that some students who hadtechnology use problems have now been successfully communicating via email, sending thecorrect files and submitting good written assignments, so perhaps there is merit in being
perseverant for both teachers and students.
CONCLUSION
The use of technology in online teaching acts as the basis of communication and it greatly
affects how teachers teach and learners learn effectively. Educators should notunderestimate how important basic IT skills and the ability to use software such as Google
Docs and Google Drive are. It should also not be assumed that students have these skills
readily available and/or that teachers can help students effectively. If students do not havethe necessary support in understanding IT fundamentals or the ability to use important
software, frustrations will unfortunately be an inevitable outcome in online teaching andlearning.
In my case, the reality of the 2020 pandemic had initially created negative emotions to theuse of technology at a higher educational institution for writing tasks, yet more positively,
now I am better equipped and more responsive to dealing with technological issues. I am
sure I am not alone in espousing such frustration as we all deal with the effects of the novel
coronavirus on worldwide education, but we may be able to say that we have developed asteachers more in using technology for online teaching and supporting our students.
REFERENCES
Morris, S. & King, J. (2018). Teacher frustration and emotion regulation in university language
teaching. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 41(4), 433-452.