רפואת הפה והשיניים - עיתון ההסתדרות לרפואת שיניים בישראל - כרך ל"ז, גיליון מס' 2 אייר תש"פ

On the face of it…

We discovered online learning…

a moment: if a certain situation is forced on us, let us try and find the advantages (if there are) … Well, there are… Online teaching allows to be connected to the lecturer anywhere. Often, the lecture or the seminar is recorded ahead of time, thus audience can listen or watch the lecture anytime, at his/her convenience. Online teaching can save time since the lecture is “net”, without losing time on arrangements. Online teaching allows asking questions, online of course, by writing them while listening, and the lecturer or the host can see the questions and respond. The Israel Dental Association maintains weekly online lectures on a regular basis in a large number of topics, theoretical and clinical, as well as on related topics. These online lectures are accepted with great enthusiasm by a large number of participants. One must admit, the online lecture is not the traditional frontal lecture, but… we adapted ourselves… Nevertheless, let this Corona time pass, and we will all be able to meet in traditional frontal lectures… Food for thought…

One aspect of the “Corona time” forced us social distancing, face masks, and in fact unfamiliar personal and professional modes, of life. On the professional side, conferences, lectures, seminars, which were the pillars of the learning modes were replaced by the online learning. The online seminar, the Webinar, became the king… International and local conferences turned online. Suddenly we found out that we have adapted to this mode of learning! There is no need to name the shortcomings of online learning. We all know that lack of personal contact between colleagues, students, friends, that is the human touch which is the heart of humanity, was taken from us. Certain practical professions (and dentistry is no doubt very practical), pose a serious difficulty in online learning to educators. It is true that the online lecture has been present before the Corona time. Respected lecturers presented lectures, courses and seminars online. Clinical procedures were recorded and posted online. The difference from the past is the fact that today, it is possible to maintain learning and teaching mainly online. Is it possible to find advantages in this mode of learning? Let us think for

Prof. Benny Peretz

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.2 רפואת הפה והשיניים, אייר תש״פ, כרך ל״ז, גיליון