1. @UWankings one of my fav humourous comrades but here a serious point is raised. A preamble - no disrespect to those expert in online /mobile teaching and learning - I work with ace academics who specialise in it. And maybe that's the point - mobile and online is a specialism https://twitter.com/UWankings/status/1253604258458603522

2. But it is not a specialism I am particularly interested in personally. I entered academia because what I am interested in and what I do (I work in Education/applied linguistics) is dependent on, and all about, humans talking face-to-face.

3. I am - maybe this is 'my bad' - not interested in becoming more than competent in distance learning (i.e. enough to reasonably get through this crisis).

4. I also dont want to add to my workload to do more training than the absolute bare minimum I need at a time I am incredibly stretched and at a time I know its going to get wierder (entering the extended exam/marking period) and wierder (what's going to happen in Sept?)

5. I also dont want to get trained for contractual reasons - I dont want to give UK HE any encouragement at all to argue "this is the 'new normal'" and "all our colleagues have now been trained in distance/mobile/zoom/online" without massive and very robust agreements in place

6. I dont want to encourage the notion of 'agility' in HE any more than its currently changing our working conditions.

7. I think we'll probably be in this situation for about two years (is my estimate). I do think we need different approach than the 'throwing stuff online' and that will (for those that want to stay in the job) then require the employer to pay to train people properly.

8. But I think the whole situation needs a pause and a really really good old think. For us this is about working conditions, health and safety, training and we (those of us who may not want to be distance teachers) need the space to have a think as well.

9. For employers it should be about long term thinking for once. Truly long term thinking, not kneejerk so called pragmatism, not getting us to rush online & claiming 'at Uni of X colleagues have responded brilliantly & better than our competitors' (yes I have seen that).

8. We need a pause. We need time to think.

9. I probably dont want to do this job if its future is at a distance, for ever. Learning to 'do distance' for me would not be 'new skills' they are 'entirely different skills'.

11. In the days before I was an academic, I was a bench joiner but had to do roofing and 1st/2nd fix because of no work. All those jobs are highly skilled but they're not the same.

12. Sorry if I'm taking this too seriously for the initial tweets and if I have misread the discussion. And sorry if not immaculately co-herent - the global pandemic and massive crisis is not a 'new normal' for me - I need time to think (as well as finish today's marking).