At first, we discussed different aspects of transparency as seen in projects, products, and different fields of our liking. Then we tried to broaden our view by examining entire areas of interest and expertise, in order to find common grounds and in contrast, narrow our vision to only two or three topics. After another meeting on Monday, we agreed on the subjects of Education and Healthcare. We found that as those fields were two of the most heavily affected by the Covid19 pandemic, studying them is not only interesting for us but can also provide useful insights for ways to help and hopefully relieve some of the grief that was caused in this uncertain time. Over the week, we interviewed people from both fields and most parts of their respected hierarchies. Below are useful insights we obtained from our interviews in each subject.
Education:
- There is a lack of transparency about the Concentration of the Pupils because the teacher can't see and feel their Concentration Beyond the screens.
- The teachers don't have one website or application that contain all the relevant information because a lot of regulation that not synchronized.
-There's a lot of uncertainty and lack of transparency in the decision making from the ministry of health and the ministry of economy.
The ministry of education doesn't always know or understand the reasons for certain decisions but they still need to act upon them and delegate them to the schools. Furthermore, they have a hard time planning since there are
changes all the time.
-There's a lack of understanding by the civilians towards the processes of the ministry of education.
-There are advantages in these times though. People understand that you can learn from anywhere, anytime, from everyone, and anything.
Students don't have to be physically in class to study. These times are breaking the norms regarding physical space, content, time, and students.
-These times are also a great opportunity to teach the teachers digital tools that are also relevant to the classroom.
There are new abilities to teach in smaller groups (breakout rooms) and a more personal experience.
-The teachers have children of their own which makes it a lot harder to teach and be fully present.
-There are no borders anymore. The private life mixes with professional life; everyone enters the other's private home
and it's breaking cultural norms. For example, there are classes where parents and grandparents are participating in.
-A change in the educators' role. It's not about passing knowledge anymore but to teach how to learn, to arouse curiosity, to be a mentor, and to support.
Now, they teach searching abilities for other information and how to criticize the results. Moreover, there's an understanding
that children don't need to watch lessons for hours to learn properly. They can watch shorter lessons and the rest
would be a-synchronous content where the teacher's role would be to assist and advise.
- There's a big issue with the final exams and the higher education facilities. There needs to be an agreement and understanding
of the situation where the students are tested on a smaller amount of study material, hence there can be a gap between the corona graduates and the
graduates before the corona.
- The main problem that needs to be solved is the problem of the children's attention and sedation while performing the test. If we can find a solution to this problem, it will be possible to perform more tests on each working day, the course of treatment will be more pleasant for both (the staff and the children) and the work atmosphere and the clinic will be better.
Healthcare:
- One of the main problem is family patients that don't listen to the doctors and don't respect medical procedures and roles, to prevent further infections and panic in medical centers.
- Another major problem occurs during the physical examination of children. Most of the times the medical crew needs to put a lot of effort to distract the patient from the inconvenient examination.
According to a nurse from Schneider children's hospital in Peth Tikva, the staff has limited tech tools for solving these problems. She believes that new innovations that will distract the child from the examination will help make the examination process more efficient.
For example"Snoezelen" develops Multi-Sensory Environments that turn a usual room into relaxing spaces that help reduce agitation and anxiety, but they can also engage and delight the user, stimulate reactions, and encourage communication.
