Dadaab Wiki - User contributions [en]

World 1

2020-11-24T18:40:50Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:Togetherx2.png|600px|thumb|right |TogetherX Logo]]

=Welcome to OntarioXXV=
[[File:QUARANTINE-NATION-STAY-HOME-HUTCHINS-APR3-810x608.jpg|250px|thumb|left |Canada in lockdown]]
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of Virus C, which caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation, the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ontario Ministry of Education continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected provincial Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing case numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the provincial Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

'''Together X Controversy'''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=

[[File:Quarantine-canada_329193691.jpg|250px|thumb|left |Canada Quarantine]]

'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

[[File:Self-Management Skills.png|250px|thumb|right |Students learning from home]]

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorce rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=

'''Responsibilities of Teachers'''

Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

'''Effects on Teachers'''

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

'''Effects on Parents'''

Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

'''2021'''

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

'''Social Movement'''

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

[[File:Onlinelearninghoh.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Online Learning for Deaf Students]]

'''Special Needs Students'''

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live, recorded, or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

'''Low-Income Students'''

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

'''The Average Student'''

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn at their own pace and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

'''Minority Students'''

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed because of the deep roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower-level courses based on their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student-produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=

'''Effects on Mental Health of Students'''

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

[[File:Digital_Animal_Game.png|200px|thumb|left|Farm Club is a multiplayer online game recommended for children aged 5-10]]

'''Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development'''

Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

'''Bullying'''

While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

'''Assessments'''

Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

'''Social Interactions of Students'''

Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a TogetherX project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-24T18:39:03Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:Togetherx2.png|600px|thumb|right |TogetherX Logo]]

=Welcome to OntarioXXV=
[[File:QUARANTINE-NATION-STAY-HOME-HUTCHINS-APR3-810x608.jpg|250px|thumb|left |Canada in lockdown]]
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of Virus C, which caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation, the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ontario Ministry of Education continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected provincial Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing case numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the provincial Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

'''Together X Controversy'''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=

[[File:Quarantine-canada_329193691.jpg|250px|thumb|left |Canada Quarantine]]

'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

[[File:Self-Management Skills.png|250px|thumb|right |Students learning from home]]

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorce rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=

'''Responsibilities of Teachers'''

Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

'''Effects on Teachers'''

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

'''Effects on Parents'''

Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

'''2021'''

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

'''Social Movement'''

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

[[File:Onlinelearninghoh.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Online Learning for Deaf Students]]

'''Special Needs Students'''

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live, recorded, or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

'''Low-Income Students'''

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

'''The Average Student'''

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn at their own pace and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

'''Minority Students'''

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower-level courses based on their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student-produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=

'''Effects on Mental Health of Students'''

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

[[File:Digital_Animal_Game.png|200px|thumb|left|Farm Club is a multiplayer online game recommended for children aged 5-10]]

'''Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development'''

Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

'''Bullying'''

While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

'''Assessments'''

Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

'''Social Interactions of Students'''

Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a TogetherX project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-24T18:36:05Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:Togetherx2.png|600px|thumb|right |TogetherX Logo]]

=Welcome to OntarioXXV=
[[File:QUARANTINE-NATION-STAY-HOME-HUTCHINS-APR3-810x608.jpg|250px|thumb|left |Canada in lockdown]]
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of Virus C, which caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation, the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ontario Ministry of Education continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected provincial Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing case numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the provincial Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

'''Together X Controversy'''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=

[[File:Quarantine-canada_329193691.jpg|250px|thumb|left |Canada Quarantine]]

'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorece rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=

'''Responsibilities of Teachers'''

Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

'''Effects on Teachers'''

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

'''Effects on Parents'''

Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

'''2021'''

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

'''Social Movement'''

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

[[File:Onlinelearninghoh.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Online Learning for Deaf Students]]

'''Special Needs Students'''

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live, recorded, or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

'''Low-Income Students'''

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

'''The Average Student'''

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

'''Minority Students'''

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower-level courses based on their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student-produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=

'''Effects on Mental Health of Students'''

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

[[File:Digital_Animal_Game.png|200px|thumb|left|Farm Club is a multiplayer online game recommended for children aged 5-10]]

'''Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development'''

Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

'''Bullying'''

While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

'''Assessments'''

Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

'''Social Interactions of Students'''

Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a TogetherX project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-24T18:27:51Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:Togetherx2.png|600px|thumb|right |TogetherX Logo]]

=Welcome to OntarioXXV=
[[File:QUARANTINE-NATION-STAY-HOME-HUTCHINS-APR3-810x608.jpg|300px|thumb|left |Canada in lockdown]]
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation, the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=

[[File:Quarantine-canada_329193691.jpg|250px|thumb|left |Canada Quarantine]]

'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorece rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=

'''Responsibilities of Teachers'''

Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

'''Effects on Teachers'''

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

'''Effects on Parents'''

Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

'''2021'''

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

'''Social Movement'''

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

[[File:Onlinelearninghoh.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Online Learning for Deaf Students]]

'''Special Needs Students'''

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

'''Low-Income Students'''

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

'''The Average Student'''

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

'''Minority Students'''

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower-level courses based on their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student-produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=

'''Effects on Mental Health of Students'''

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

[[File:Digital_Animal_Game.png|200px|thumb|left|Farm Club is a social game recommended for children age 5-10]]

'''Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development'''

Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

'''Bullying'''

While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

'''Assessments'''

Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

'''Social Interactions of Students'''

Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a TogetherX project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-24T18:22:52Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:QUARANTINE-NATION-STAY-HOME-HUTCHINS-APR3-810x608.jpg|300px|thumb|left |Canada in lockdown]]
[[File:Togetherx2.png|600px|thumb|right |TogetherX Logo]]

=Welcome to CanadaXXV=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=

[[File:Quarantine-canada_329193691.jpg|250px|thumb|right |Canada Quarantine]]

'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorece rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=

'''Responsibilities of Teachers'''

Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

'''Effects on Teachers'''

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

'''Effects on Parents'''

Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

'''2021'''

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

'''Social Movement'''

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

'''Special Needs Students'''

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

[[File:Onlinelearninghoh.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Online Learning for Deaf Students]]

'''Low-Income Students'''

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

'''The Average Student'''

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

'''Minority Students'''

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower-level courses based on their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student-produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=

'''Effects on Mental Health of Students'''

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

[[File:Digital_Animal_Game.png|200px|thumb|right|Farm Club is a social game recommended for children age 5-10]]

'''Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development'''

Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

'''Bullying'''

While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

'''Assessments'''

Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

'''Social Interactions of Students'''

Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a TogetherX project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-24T18:19:12Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:Togetherx2.png|600px|thumb|right |TogetherX Logo]]

=Welcome to CanadaXXV=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=

[[File:Quarantine-canada_329193691.jpg|250px|thumb|right |Canada Quarantine]]

'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorece rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=

'''Responsibilities of Teachers'''

Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

'''Effects on Teachers'''

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

'''Effects on Parents'''

Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

'''2021'''

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

'''Social Movement'''

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

'''Special Needs Students'''

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

'''Low-Income Students'''

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

'''The Average Student'''

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

'''Minority Students'''

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower-level courses based on their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student-produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=

'''Effects on Mental Health of Students'''

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

[[File:Digital_Animal_Game.png|200px|thumb|right|Farm Club is a social game recommended for children age 5-10]]

'''Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development'''

Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

'''Bullying'''

While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

'''Assessments'''

Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

'''Social Interactions of Students'''

Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a TogetherX project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-24T18:16:25Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:Online Learning.png|800px|thumb|Online Learning]]

[[File:Togetherx2.png|400px|thumb|right |Together X Logo]]

=Welcome to CanadaXXV=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=

[[File:Quarantine-canada_329193691.jpg|250px|thumb|right |Canada Quarantine]]

'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorece rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=

'''Responsibilities of Teachers'''

Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

'''Effects on Teachers'''

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

'''Effects on Parents'''

Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

'''2021'''

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

'''Social Movement'''

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

'''Special Needs Students'''

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

'''Low-Income Students'''

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

'''The Average Student'''

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

'''Minority Students'''

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower-level courses based on their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student-produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=

'''Effects on Mental Health of Students'''

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

[[Plain image with caption|image=Digital_Animal_Game.png|caption=Farm Club is a social game recommended for children age 5-10|width=220px|align=right|caption position=bottom]]

'''Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development'''

Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

'''Bullying'''

While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

'''Assessments'''

Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

'''Social Interactions of Students'''

Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a TogetherX project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

File:Onlinelearninghoh.jpg

2020-11-24T18:13:26Z

Emmaf2:

World 1

2020-11-24T18:07:27Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

[[File:TogetherX.png|500px|thumb|right |Together X Logo]]

=Welcome to CanadaXXV=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=

[[File:Quarantine-canada_329193691]]

'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorece rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=

'''Responsibilities of Teachers'''

Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

'''Effects on Teachers'''

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

'''Effects on Parents'''

Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

'''2021'''

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

'''Social Movement'''

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

'''Special Needs Students'''

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

'''Low-Income Students'''

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

'''The Average Student'''

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

'''Minority Students'''

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower-level courses based on their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student-produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

[[File:Example.jpg]]
In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a TogetherX project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

File:Image-20170227-26340-1g7inox.jpg

2020-11-24T18:01:56Z

Emmaf2:

World 1

2020-11-24T17:47:55Z

Emmaf2: /* Special Needs Students */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

=Welcome to CanadaXXV=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Elementary school transformed into Quarantine centre]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right| Parents protesting the closure of schools]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

::'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=
'''Lack of Access to Technological Resources'''

When allocating funding for students who live in low-income communities there will be an equal-based approach in regards to receiving the resources needed to achieve academic success. The Provincial and Federal Government in conjunction with TogetherX will provide students with essential learning technologies. Private donor, TogetherX, will be offering to donate thousands of resources to alleviate some of the funds. The School Boards will purchase (with the Provincial, Federal, and TogetherX funding) the resources and deliver them to students individually. All resources will be purchased from TogetherX and Students will be responsible for returning the technological resources to their designated School Board buildings at the end of each school year.
In terms of students’ at-home wifi access, School Boards will attach a wifi router to the outside of every students’ home. The School Board has the ability to turn on and off the wifi at any time in order to only allow access to educational sites (this ensures that students are only using the school provided wifi for school purposes). This allows all students, no matter socioeconomic status, to have the same minimum resources which will allow for optimal success. By collaborating with TogetherX, it forces educators to use TogetherX resources, tools, and sites only. This allows TogetherX to collect student data which in turn, makes privacy a large issue. Every student is forced to have social media accounts and in order to involve themselves in online school activities.

'''Inequalities in Society'''

This online educationally driven world amplifies the socioeconomic divides and inequalities in society because those who live in a low-income household are unable to hide/escape that by being at school 6.5hrs a day. Students are forced to stay and learn from their household (however that environment currently is). Income and one’s household can create unequal disadvantages for some students more than others. Ex. some students may have a home office in their house (this allows for a quiet space that is designated for their studies), while others may have to do work on their bed (this creates discomfort/back and neck problems, and it is much harder to focus on studies). Also, the size of one’s family can be an advantage and a disadvantage. (If a student has a number of other siblings, it may be much harder to focus due to noise and other distractions, compared to a student who is an only child). Students who become restless while learning and crave a change of settings throughout the day are forced to stay and learn from their homes which can affect their mental health (there is no separation between home and school/learning space). Students' levels of anxiety can rise dramatically due to the many factors that online schooling can involve such as the lack of social interaction, a constant sense of feeling alone, and the inability to revive assistance as quickly compared to in-person learning.

'''Inequities in Home Life'''

Online schooling exacerbates inequities that are apparent in home life. Divorece rates are rising due to constant quarantine and the inability to leave one's home/alone time. Students are forced to deal with the repercussions that a divorce may have on one's family while trying to balance the stresses of online school and quarantine. This can have a toll on student's academic development, which may cause not only their grades to suffer but also their social interactions with others. Students who find school to be a safe place because their home lives may not be ideal are forced to stay in their negative home environments (home abuse rates are on the rise). Whether it be divorce or household abuse, these are issues that many students are forced to face throughout their personal home life.

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=
==Responsibilities of Teachers==
Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired to accommodate students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

==Effects on Teachers==

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

==Effects on Parents==
Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

==2021==

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

==Social Movement==

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets, and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

==Special Needs Students==

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning will be provided for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Teachers who are skilled in ASL (American Sign Language) will be hired and existing educators will be trained in ASL. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

==Low Income Students==

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

==The Average Student==

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

==Minority Students==

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower level courses based off of their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a [[TogetherX]] project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-22T21:06:52Z

Emmaf2: /* Minority Students */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

=Welcome to [insert world name here]=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

::'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=
==Lack of Access to Technological Resources==
==Inequalities in Society==
==Inequities in Home Life==

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=
==Responsibilities of Teachers==
Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

==Effects on Teachers==

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

==Effects on Parents==
Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

==2021==

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

==Social Movement==

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets, and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

==Special Needs Students==

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

==Low Income Students==

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

==The Average Student==

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

==Minority Students==

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower level courses based off of their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a [[TogetherX]] project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-22T21:06:39Z

Emmaf2: /* The Average Student */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

=Welcome to [insert world name here]=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

::'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=
==Lack of Access to Technological Resources==
==Inequalities in Society==
==Inequities in Home Life==

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=
==Responsibilities of Teachers==
Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

==Effects on Teachers==

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

==Effects on Parents==
Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

==2021==

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

==Social Movement==

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets, and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

==Special Needs Students==

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

==Low Income Students==

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

==The Average Student==

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

=Minority Students=

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower level courses based off of their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a [[TogetherX]] project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-22T21:06:26Z

Emmaf2: /* Low Income Students */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

=Welcome to [insert world name here]=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

::'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=
==Lack of Access to Technological Resources==
==Inequalities in Society==
==Inequities in Home Life==

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=
==Responsibilities of Teachers==
Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

==Effects on Teachers==

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

==Effects on Parents==
Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

==2021==

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

==Social Movement==

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets, and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

==Special Needs Students==

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

==Low Income Students==

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

=The Average Student=

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

=Minority Students=

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower level courses based off of their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a [[TogetherX]] project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-22T21:06:11Z

Emmaf2: /* Special Needs Students */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

=Welcome to [insert world name here]=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

::'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=
==Lack of Access to Technological Resources==
==Inequalities in Society==
==Inequities in Home Life==

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=
==Responsibilities of Teachers==
Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

==Effects on Teachers==

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

==Effects on Parents==
Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

==2021==

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

==Social Movement==

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets, and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

==Special Needs Students==

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

=Low Income Students=

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

=The Average Student=

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

=Minority Students=

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower level courses based off of their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a [[TogetherX]] project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-22T21:05:54Z

Emmaf2: /* Social Movement */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

=Welcome to [insert world name here]=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

::'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=
==Lack of Access to Technological Resources==
==Inequalities in Society==
==Inequities in Home Life==

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=
==Responsibilities of Teachers==
Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

==Effects on Teachers==

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

==Effects on Parents==
Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

==2021==

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

==Social Movement==

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets, and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

=Special Needs Students=

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

=Low Income Students=

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

=The Average Student=

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

=Minority Students=

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower level courses based off of their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a [[TogetherX]] project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-22T21:05:42Z

Emmaf2: /* 2021 */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

=Welcome to [insert world name here]=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

::'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=
==Lack of Access to Technological Resources==
==Inequalities in Society==
==Inequities in Home Life==

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=
==Responsibilities of Teachers==
Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

==Effects on Teachers==

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

==Effects on Parents==
Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

==2021==

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

=Social Movement=

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets, and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

=Special Needs Students=

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

=Low Income Students=

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

=The Average Student=

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

=Minority Students=

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower level courses based off of their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a [[TogetherX]] project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French

World 1

2020-11-22T21:04:38Z

Emmaf2: /* Equity and Learning */

[[File:Online Learning.png|900px|thumb|Online Learning]]

=Welcome to [insert world name here]=
The year is 2025. A freak mutation of virus C, which caused a world-wide pandemic in 2020, was identified in 2021, which made it more virulent. Patient zero is thought to be American, which is unsurprising due to the uncontrolled nature of the virus in the United States, but has quickly spread to Canada. In response to this new situation the Canadian government ordered a full lockdown in July of 2021, and the provincial ministries of education were consequently forced to transfer all learning to online platforms. While by 2022 the pandemic had subsided, the Ministry of Ed continues to mandate a 100% online teaching policy for fear that a re-introduction by a traveller could result in a rapid re-emergence of the virus. While some critics among parents and experts accuse the re-elected Chevrolet government for closing schools with the purpose of cutting education costs, the government sustains that online schooling is maintained purely for public health reasons.

=Learning Spaces=

'''School Buildings – Reinvention'''

With the education system moved completely online in September 2021, the use of schools as spaces for learning became obsolete. Within the first four weeks of the closure, school administrators and staff selectively cleared all classrooms of learning materials. Due to the increasing numbers of Virus C and the need for medical emergency spaces, school buildings were quickly adapted to testing and quarantine care centres for those who had no private spaces at home to be properly quarantined.

[[File:Quarantine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

Many Ontarians objected to the use of empty schools as testing/quarantine centres due to the buildings’ proximity to large familial neighbourhoods with high populations of children and elderly. In an address to the province in October 2021, the Chevrolet government acknowledged that the new use for schools would be beneficiary for those who did not wish to travel far from their homes and families to be tested quarantined. Two weeks later, protests against the new reinvention of school space were held, in spite of the serious health risks. Parents and school administrators said that the adaption of schools to medical centres “completely destroyed the hopes of return to normalcy” and “would make all school unsafe to return to if [Virus C] gets worse.”

[[File:Protestors.jpg|300px|thumb|right|alt text]]

When asked to comment the protests, Premier Chevrolet told reporters:

<blockquote>The age of physical schooling is now obsolete. We are in a time when we must adapt as the world around us changes. This resistance to change will help no one. Not out schools. Not our teachers. Not our kids. No one. Those people protesting in the streets, with full knowledge of this serious pandemic we are living in, again are completely irresponsible. Digital learning is our reality now. We must all learn to adapt. </blockquote>

Protesters were swiftly dispatched by authorities within two hours of assembly. The first recorded case of Virus was reported two days later, the individual was installed in the new quarantine centre—what was once an elementary school.

'''Private School Debate'''

With the closure of the public schools, the province entered into an intense long and legal battle with private school administrators who wanted to keep schools open in spite of increasing health risks. In December of 2021, private schools boards began talks with the provincial government about the decision to completely shift to online learning which resulted in many disputes and no solution. However after a year of detrimental breakouts in schools that chose to stay open and thirty-four reported deaths from Virus C, including one four year-old girl, all remaining private schools in Ontario closed down in January 2022.

Most private school buildings were sold to the provincial government as need for more testing centres increased with the worsening conditions of the pandemic.

==Learning Styles==

'''Old School – Learning in a physical space'''

* In the physical learning space there was a very big emphasis on the physical and social interactions of students. Students actively working together in spaces where they can see and communicate with one another developed social skills promoting a sense of community among the students.
* Classroom structures were pivotal to the physical education space. The organization of desks and tables, the daily routines and schedules were essential elements in any physical classroom. Many teachers and students engaged in personalization of the room. It was common to display student work on walls to create an environment where their work was valued. Classroom regulations, although varied across classrooms, were part of the community-building in the class
* Every classroom was part of a larger community in the sense that each classroom represented pockets of the school’s general population. Community efforts in the school were a large part of the day to day interactions (announcements, assemblies, seeing neighbouring classes).
* Learning materials were largely paper-based in the form of textbooks and notebooks. Some technology, such as laptops/iPads/tablets, had been slowly integrated into physical classrooms before the shutdown in 2021.
* Standardized testing culminated all classroom units, were paper-based and involved teacher surveillance over students.

'''New School – Learning in the virtual space'''

* Classroom spaces were reduced to squares on screen in the initial launch of complete online education. Many teachers and students spoke about having flashbacks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic when school abruptly shifted online. Although, a general survey conducted by Ontario school boards found that students, who had lived through the 2020 crisis, felt prepared to endure this new change.
* Although the initial decline in social and physical interactions worried parents, students seemed to make the best of the virtual interactions they did have. The cheer “Cameras on! Smiles On!” was the slogan of southern Ontario school that encouraged all students to keep their cameras on throughout the day in order to make the most of learning and receive enough interaction and engagement. Although the analysis of body language was severely limited in the online school system, use of “reaction buttons” such as the “raise hand” and “thumbs up/down” icons were heavily encouraged to mimic body language that was once used in the classroom
* Home settings also called for a shift in classroom surveillance dynamics, as teachers no longer oversaw all the students as they did their work, more independent study time was allotted to students decreasing most instructional time
* Personalization of virtual rooms was nearly impossible in the initial stages are teachers could not display student work or learning goals in the same manner. Instead “Home Personalization” was encouraged in which students displayed their work on a wall in their home, preferably the one that acted as the background in their video conferences. Many students created social media posts to display and share their heavily personalized, individual learning spaces.
* Standardized testing faded out in fall of 2023, as teachers were no longer able to oversee students writing tests, projects of applied knowledge, such as portfolios and game-based learning, became the basis of evaluations.
** Student-led initiatives and projects that sprung from online learning often involved an amalgamation of several skills and competences collected from a series of course content.
* Materials used in Ontario education systems were dependent on TogetherX, a company that rose to heights in 2022. In May of said year, the Ministry of Education entered into a contract with TogetherX to provide technology for students and create the software, known as Learn2gether, for the sole purpose of creating a space for schooling online. ''The contract had a contingent that all student work would be copyrighted to the company.''

::'''''Together X Controversy'''''

::* In 2024, "Ontario Virtual Reality Learning" (OVRL)--a student-designed program—was introduced in some schools to simulate the physical classroom of the old system. Per contractual conditions, TogetherX claimed copyright and will profit the most should the project be successful.
::* Public retaliation and accusations of plagiarism against the company led TogetherX to offer online co-op placements for those students who are interested in learning the logistics and design of creating this VR classroom.
::* In 2025, over 50 student projects have been absorbed into the TogetherX database. Critics of the system say that the Ontario curriculum is slowly being changed for the sole benefit of the company. Many have petitioned to have the company rescind the claim to copyright on student work, but the legal battle is one often considered too lengthy and dangerous for students or schools to take up.
::* After receiving only 2% of the profits from the initial run of OVRL, designers Andrea Flores and Elton Anderson denied to comment on the situation. However, an anonymous letter entitled “Learn2Never,” rumoured to have been written by Flores and Anderson, was published in an encrypted online forum. In addition to listing all copyrighted student projects, a plea to the Ontario student population concluded the letter:
:::''“TogetherX is stealing [student] creativity and livelihood. It is time to stop learning together. Bring school back!”''

=Funding/Socioeconomic Factors=
==Lack of Access to Technological Resources==
==Inequalities in Society==
==Inequities in Home Life==

=Roles of Teachers and Parents=
==Responsibilities of Teachers==
Due to the pandemic, teachers are expected to conduct all school-related operations fully online. Teachers will still be held to the same standards as if they were teaching students in a classroom in-person. Several teachers with knowledge of sign language will be hired. Every teacher is expected to attend two workshops in the beginning of each school year and monthly meetings to provide them with the necessary training and make sure that they have access to the essential technological resources. [https://globalnews.ca/news/7332973/coronavirus-ontario-schools-online-learning/ Additional staff] has been hired to resolve technical challenges quickly if they arise.

*TogetherX has provided teachers with the technology needed to run classes online. Each teacher has been given a laptop with a built-in webcam, a charger, a set of headphones, and a microphone. On the laptops, TogetherX’s teaching software named Learn2gether has already been downloaded. Teachers can use this application to provide online lectures for students that will be either synchronous or pre-recorded if the lecture is asynchronous. In its recent update, Learn2gether has added a new component in which teachers can offer a lecture in hologram mode. This means that a hologram will appear of the teacher, but also the students when class is in session. They can also upload resources for students such as course material, assignments, quizzes, and tests. Online assessments will be monitored to avoid any cheating from taking place and to ensure that they are completed in a timely manner. All grading will be completed online, and students will be provided with feedback when necessary.

[[File:Hologram.png|200px|thumb|right|Hologram Mode]]

*Students will have access to the Learn2gether application that can easily be downloaded from their browsers. They will have the option to communicate with their teacher if they have any questions or need additional help after lectures are over. Additionally, teachers can also communicate with their fellow teachers so that they can coordinate course schedules and materials accordingly for students. Students now have to complete their course selections online. However, course descriptions and requirements have been amended due to the fact that there were originally a lot of in-person components in courses like cosmetology, physical education, construction technology, and transportation technology. There is now a required hologram lecture that students must attend in order to meet the curriculum standards outlined by the Chevrolet government.

*Student clubs and sports teams will be fully run online so that students can still take part in extracurricular activities. Teachers who are supervising student clubs and sports teams are expected to attend all club and team meetings and ensure that students receive the necessary resources and funding. For student clubs specifically, meetings can be conducted using hologram meetings or meetings without holograms. For sports teams, all sessions will be conducted using Virtual Reality (VR) so that students can experience playing sports as if they were there physically. VR headsets will be purchased on behalf of the students by the school and will be sanitized and redistributed to sports players each school year.

==Effects on Teachers==

As seen in the start of the pandemic, there may be another teacher shortage. Back in [https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/thousands-of-toronto-students-to-switch-from-in-class-to-online-learning-1.5130787 September 2020], a lot of teachers quit their jobs as they did not feel like they were properly equipped and experienced to teach students online. Another factor to take into consideration was that many teachers had young kids at home whom they needed to supervise when they conducted their own online classes. This put a big burden on teachers as they had to run both a classroom full of students as well as take care of their own families who were completing schoolwork online at home. Additionally, many teachers believed that the transition to classes being run fully online was handled poorly by the Chevrolet government. Now in 2025, there have been many improvements made to the curriculum and the way in which classrooms will be run thanks to the help of TogetherX.

One teacher gave this statement during the December 2024 monthly meeting: ''“When the pandemic first started and classes were beginning to be run fully online, I was so overwhelmed with all the responsibilities I had to fulfill. I had to teach a class that was online and teach another class in-person. I don’t understand why the Chevrolet government was so disorganized, they knew it was only going to get worse. I felt so inexperienced with technology and I did not even know how to turn on my webcam. Now, after completing the necessary training, I feel so much more confident in teaching students online and the hologram option is so cool! I can see if my students are awake and listening rather than sleeping on their beds and just leaving the class on.”''

==Effects on Parents==
Parents have become overloaded with responsibilities as they have to earn money for their families while taking care of them. Before the pandemic, these responsibilities did not seem as hard to handle, but now with the stress of the pandemic, parents are finding it more difficult to fulfil all of their responsibilities. Many parents have decided to quit their jobs or transition to working from home so that they can supervise their children who are doing their schooling online. Parents who decide to continue to work while their kids are doing online classes have to hire babysitters to take care of their kids while they go to work. Not only is this a financial burden for families, but it also takes a toll on their well-being.

=Equity and Learning=

=2021=

Within the first year of the mutation of COVID-19 and the transition to online only learning, the government created various programs in an attempt to assist students with special needs and circumstances to succeed in this new world. These programs were unorganized, messy, and failing to provide for the students who needed them. These programs were unsuccessful due to the fact that many of the families and students who required assistance did not have access to adequate technology.

During this time of confusion and chaos, many students fell behind in their studies and those most vulnerable became invisible within the education system. The government and school boards were failing students everywhere.

=Social Movement=

After some time had passed, parents started a group called P4E, or “Parents 4 Equity”. This group had been creating petitions and spreading information online in an effort to break the current mold of education and encourage other parents to fight for the rights of their children. Finally, this group took to the streets, and demanded a better education system for all. P4E threatened to pull all of their children from school and wanted refunds for any financial donations made to the schools. P4E almost broke social distancing laws to achieve their goal, but the government and the board of education ultimately decided to listen to the people and begin a new plan to ensure equity within education.

=Special Needs Students=

TogetherX and Learn2gether are equipped with particularized materials and resources specific to the requirements of special needs students. Closed captioning for HOH (hard of hearing), deaf, and ESL (English as Second Language) students. Students with sensory sensitivity are able to learn from instructors through only audio or only visual with captions. Students with one on one EA’s use the hologram feature or VR mode to feel closer to their support workers without physically touching them. Classes or one on one sessions can be live or recorded or both for students who struggle to focus or sit for long periods of time. Students with IEP’s can regularly access their IEP through their student profile, parents also have full access to this information. TogetherX’s specialized and customizable programs for special needs students allow for a well rounded and supported learning environment online.

=Low Income Students=

The pandemic has had negative effects on all people, but low income families with multiple children are especially struggling. However, due to the funding put forward by TogetherX, every student, no matter their family’s financial situation, has access to up to date technology and strong, fast internet connection. Technology is no longer a privilege, but a right that every student has. TogetherX makes it possible for all students to learn online, and develop skills using various softwares like Learn2gether, which benefits students in the later years of life when job hunting. No student is at a disadvantage anymore.

=The Average Student=

Students without exceptional needs for learning are treated with just as much care as those with special needs. With Learn2gether, students are all able to build a relationship with their teachers, reach out for help, and access the learning tools they need, even if they are not specialized ones. No two students learn the same way, the greatest benefit of Learn2gether is that each student can learn in their own way and discover new methods of study at any age or grade level. There are no streams or pathways, each student learns the best way that they can.

=Minority Students=

In the past, minority students were often seen as less than other students, which existed due to the roots of systemic racism. They were placed in lower level courses based off of their race, it was surprising to educators when a minority student produced excellent work. In the current phase of education, minority students are celebrated! They are given opportunities to showcase their talents, ideas, and cultures. Through Learn2gether, minority students are shown how special they are, and are praised for being who they are. Due to the customization of Learn2gether, minority students are not seen as stereotypes and are able to take control of their own education. Learn2gether and TogetherX are committed to hiring a diverse staff of educators and support who interact with students every day through the software. TogetherX understands the importance of students identifying with their educators, and wants to facilitate an environment for success within the lives of minority students through initiatives like this. Learn2gether allows minority students to have a voice and tell their own stories throughout their educational careers.

=Social and Mental Health=
==Effects on Mental Health of Students==

The C virus pandemic and social distancing has seen an acute increase in reports of depression and anxiety. In adolescent students especially, it is thought that anxieties concerning health, family, economic stability and the stress of not being able to see friends have compounded onto academic stresses. Additionally, more students report losing motivation for school work or For students who have maintained contact with professionals, all appointments have been transitioned to an online capacity.

Many students with pre-existing mental illnesses and poor mental health, who previously used to access professionals through schools have lost the care they need. Reasons for this include the sharp rise of new youth and children requiring help and the hesitancy by many professionals to conduct diagnosis and therapies over video call. In-school psychologists and psychiatrists have rushed to develop provisional diagnosis and therapy methods for online appointments.

In response, in 2022 the Ministries of Education have distributed "self-care packages" via mail including weight blankets and portable daylight therapy lamps. Public reaction to this was unenthusiastic at best, as students in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec have signed a petition to their respective provincial governments demanding several calls to action including "increased employment of, and access to, child and youth mental health professionals".

==Long-Term Effects on Child and Adolescent Development==
Elementary school children: Because this is the age where children learn to develop cooperation skills by playing with other children. Experts are concerned that children of this age group will show developmental delays in social skills. Child development experts recommend some hours of play on age-appropriate online collaborative games. Many parents who cannot afford the technologies have opted to create family groups where one household cares for approximately 10 children at a time on a rotation schedule. Many experts are worried about the effects of the lack of touch and physical communication among same-age peers on child development, especially for children in single-child households. Already, [one study in 2023] found that children aged 8 who conduct most of their socialization online experience more nervousness around same-aged peers compared to children who are part of a rotational daycare group.

Pre-adolescents and adolescents: For adolescents, developing anxieties around friendships have become the primary concern. Individuals with already well-formed friendships find that [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170927105416.htm cyberspace friendships], through video calls, TogetherX hologram calls, instant messaging and social media are a good substitute for in-person friendships. However, many adolescents report feeling a lack of motivation in all aspects of their lives, and losing a sense of meaning in attending school.

In 2023, Youth Mental Health Canada, a youth-driven advocacy group have identified the need among youth for "private youth spaces", where youth can interact and discuss with each other in privacy, without written record and out of earshot of family members, which were afforded in public and on school grounds before the pandemic. However, parents and officials are hesitant to create such unmonitored spaces where bullying can occur.

==Bullying==
While school-based physical bullying has decreased, reports of verbal and cyber bullying has increased. While several factors may have contributed to this, including the fact that cyberbullying has replaced physical bullying, the stress experienced by students due to isolation and increased stressors at home is thought to also contribute. The pandemic has caused an extreme rise in reports of domestic violence, coined by advocates as a [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2024046 "pandemic within a pandemic"]

==Assessments==
Based on a [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7245163/ 2020 Paper], the Ministry of Education has devised and implemented a multiple-choice assessment of “resilience” assessment for students completed on an annual basis since September 2021. The intention of this assessment is to understand the ability of students to cope with social distancing measures and the inability to have social interaction with similar-aged peers, from healthy - coping - struggling to -unwell.
Teachers have also been asked to assess the students coping-ability on their report cards. In 2022 the World Bank had identified resilience as one of the top soft skills desired by employers.

==Social Interactions of Students==
Socializing through avatars in massively multiplayer online games and real world simulation games have increased. Unfortunately, monitoring bullying on such platforms is difficult, because they are not regulated by the school boards. In response to this, there have been proposals to invest in a [[TogetherX]] project to develop school-monitored simulation and MMO games, or “virtual playgrounds”, only accessible to current k-12 students for online safety reasons, as well as to combat bullying.
Concerns have been raised by parents on the accountability of the online monitors, with possible candidates including TogetherX employees, school administration and teachers. Other concerns by parents include worries that a school-sanctioned video game will detach children and youth from reality.
No headway has been made as of yet.

=Group Members=
*Matthew D'Ippolito
*Emma Frost
*Brenda Martinez Castro
*Rachel Nazareth
*Alisa Takabe-French