Online Teaching - What's it all about?

Last year I started a new teaching position with Texas Connections Academy as an online teacher. I have been planning to write some reflections on my first year as an online teacher, but yesterday I decided that perhaps before I reflect on the school year, I should clarify what I do.

Inevitably when someone new finds out what I do, I can tell they are confused and then I get a barrage of questions. So, I thought I would take the time to answer some of those questions now and see if I can paint a more clear picture of what online teaching looks like (at least from my perspective).

The first question I ALWAYS get is about logistics. Where am I and where are my students? It seems that the classroom where students sit in rows of desks is so ingrained in peoples' minds that they have difficulty imagining students learning in any other setting. Well, I am at home in my office where I spend the majority of my school day. I teach from my computer with help from the good ol' Internet, some software, and my telephone. The students are at their homes (or really where ever they work on school work). To learn and accomplish their lesson goals the students need basically the same tools I do - a computer with an Internet connection, their books (or access to online ones), and a phone.

What do I DO all day? Well, I teach. :) I grade papers. I plan lessons. I teach live sessions via an online classroom and Adobe Connect (think Elluminate - what I use is similar but proprietary). I call students who are struggling or who I need to speak with. I answer emails with questions about concepts or assignments. I answer the phone. I talk to parents who need help motivating their students, further challenging their students, or need some help with teaching strategies. I look at reports and see how students are performing on tests, concepts, etc. I attend field trips. I create lessons or clarifying assignments/instructions. I analyze TEKS vs. lessons to make sure all concepts are taught in enough depth. What I don't do is just sit around all day.


What kind of kids do I have? Do I have all of the BAD kids? No, I don't have all of the bad kids. In fact, I have a lot of really GOOD kids. I have students who didn't fit the mold of the traditional brick and mortar school for various reasons or I have families who wanted to try something new. I have competitive athletes, musicians, chess players, actors - students whose schedule makes it difficult to attend school during "normal" school hours. I have students who are autistic, have Asperger's, are high energy - students who might find it difficult to function in a "normal" school setting. I have students who are BRILLIANT and needed something more tailored to their needs. I have students who live in very rural settings and getting to a "normal" school is a chore. I have students whose religious views are perhaps not the mainstream views of the majority. I have students who have had social problems with bullying or "fitting in." I have families who made the decision to do online schooling so they could be more involved and aware of what their students were learning. I have some good, sweet kids.

How do you make that one-on-one connection with so many students? (this one is for you Darren). The same way I do in a face-to-face environment - I talk to them. :) At my school we are "required" to have so much synchronous contact whether in our virtual classroom, on the phone, or in person (at field trips). We also make curriculum based calls to assess how students are learning concepts. In all honesty, I talked to some of my students more last year than in a brick and mortar school. In a traditional classroom when you have large classes, the quiet students who aren't struggling just kind of get overlooked while the teacher is dealing with students who need remediation or those who are discipline problems. It isn't "as easy" to overlook them in an online environment.


How do I know the students are the ones doing the work? Isn't it easy for them to cheat? Sure, it is easy for them to cheat. Let's face it, if they want to, it is easy for them to cheat in a traditional school. So, how do I know they are doing their work? I don't know that every single assignment is completed by the student, but it is easy for me to tell when short answers or essays aren't completed by students. In most of the learning units there is what is called a "portfolio" assignment which is basically either a writing assignment or an application of a skill. If students haven't done the prep work, they are going to struggle with the portfolios. Teachers also conduct curriculum based calls where we ask students about what they are learning. In Language Arts I might ask a general question like, "Tell me about the story you are reading?" or I might ask something more specific and higher level like, "How does the antagonist in story x compare with the antagonist in story y?" The curriculum based calls are logged in a database and can be tracked, so teachers, admin, etc. can see if students are consistently missing questions. Students know they will be accountable for information (most of the calls are not scheduled) and talking to the kids gives the teachers a chance to get to know them.

Those are the main questions I seem to get from people. Perhaps I will write a "day in the life" post before I compose my reflection as well. I think it is important for the public to begin to clearly visualize what online learning is all about and embrace that it is a viable learning opportunity for many.

Feel free to pose further questions in the comments and I will try to get them answered.