Instructing and Learning- VIRTUALLY

I found an eye catching and interesting article from EducationDigest written by Katie Ash.

(Image used with permission from Pics4Learning.com)

A teacher by the name of Jim Kinsella made the leap from using technology in the classroom to being fully immersed in teaching online classes. The school he taught at was not experienced in aiding students online however; Jim Kinsella’s curiosity and ambition lead him to and teaching online classes. In the article, he shared ideas on how to create an effective online learning environment and ways to meet the needs of students taking part in an online class.

            A big part of leading and teaching an online class is communication. By effectively communicating with his students as well as parents and guardians, Jim Kinsella made a huge impact in the effectiveness and meaning of the online class. One idea that could be used in other virtual classrooms is that each individual student must meet with the teacher via phone or skype at least once a week. I though that this was a great way to ensure regular communication. Kinsella had a wonderful view on teaching online, "You have to really care about students and want to go out of your way to help them be successful. That means working long hours and staying on the phone for an hour to get a student to understand an important concept."
          I thought that the article made a good point in saying that online teaching is not for everyone. It is a big responsibility as students and teachers do not participate in the classic face-to-face encounters. I also like how the article held teachers accountable for knowing and understanding the technology. Teachers should expect technological difficulties at some point and should know how to handle them if they are leading the class in a virtual classroom.
            I thought that the most memorable quote from this article was "Online teaching is much more hands-on than face-to-face teaching. The interactions that I have are one-on-one, so I get to know my students much better and in a much different way."