While we navigate our way through education during a pandemic, it's not just the traditional schools and classrooms that are having to find new methods. For Mara Hall, coordinator of Western Iowa Tech's Lifelong Learning, having to social distance has meant not only revamping her catalogue but working one-on-one with her lifelong learners, often teaching them to connect through new media platforms such as Zoom. When they first arrive online to their classes, though, Mara sees them light up with happiness, not only for overcoming the tech obstacle, but for the rejoining of the community. It hasn't all been overcoming obstacles. The pandemic has forced creativity, giving opportunity for new directions in Lifelong Learning. Mara has brought together a new cohort of teachers from reaches beyond Siouxland, connecting us with makers who have found their own voices on social media, building audiences smitten with their work. At the same time, beloved teachers like Russ Gifford and Chef Gasaway are shaping their own classes to engage online learners, welcoming new faces as well as the people who have long found joy and intellectual engagement attending their talks.
View the new Lifelong Learning catalog here.
To recieve a physical copy, call 712-274-8733, ext. 1864, or email Mara.
