Online teaching #3: How different or similar is the teaching online to in-class teaching?

Online teaching #3: How different or similar is the teaching online to in-class teaching?


The online-teaching is different than in-class teaching because of the adjective"online". On the other hand it is similar because of the verb "teaching". I will first focus on the similarities and then on the differences from my perspective, each of us can learn our own lesson from them.

Similarities

1. 
What stays the same in an online lesson are the people: teacher and students. In todays' situation this is for sure an advantage, as they know each other from the in-class time. That is why they can assume how the lesson will look like even though it is online, they can feel quite safe and calm.

This argument is not valid if the classes are all online since the first lesson till the last one.


2. 
Even though we changed our way of teaching we still teach the same curriculum. In case of teaching English, we just continue teaching vocabulary, grammar and all linguistic skills. Till the end of the year each institution aims to finish planned material. In my case, teachers from my school just need to continue and finish units from linguistic books that is what we would have done in-class as well.


3. 
Some teaching materials are the same. We just share the screen and the worksheet we would have printed is there for everyone. Moreover, we can show it in the right quality, with colors. I believe it is one of the biggest arguments for teaching online. Other materials like videos, recordings or online games are even easier to share because we use the computer anyway so we do not need to switch our brains from "writing on the board" mood to "using a computer" mood.


Differences

1. 
Environment where the teaching and learning takes place is different. Because of that teachers need to adjust the exercise and activities to the possibilities they have on an online lesson (e. g. breakout rooms). In my opinion crucial part of the learning is missing- the senses. We still have the auditory and visual but they are different than before. Looking at the screen is not the same as looking at a person who is in front of you and I believe it is a disadvantage. Moreover, we cannot use the sense of touch. The distance between teacher and students is palpable and clear.


2. 
Communication and interaction have changed on the lessons. We still talk to each other but it is different. The people we talk to seem to be closed in our computer, we can easily stop the conversation by just shutting the computer down. Only the subconsciousness of this fact can change the way we approach the conversation. Other channels of communication like "giving reaction" or "writing on the chat" have their advantages, like: they are faster, you can communicate with few people at the same time. But the disadvantages are there as well, the communication is extremely limited. For me "thumb up" can mean "I like it", for someone else it can be the statement "I agree", which are not the same.


3. 
Relying on the technology is another difference to mention. During in-class teaching we can still conduct the lesson without any technologies. When it comes to the online world, with a poor internet connection or lack of the electricity we are automatically disabled to function. Especially if this is the teachers problem, without him the lesson cannot be conducted. It is really big responsibility, nowadays teachers have a new profession: IT specialist. Moreover, there are unpredictable difficulties which are extremely annoying and leave us helpless. The same thing about students and their parents, even more, if they do not have enough computers at home they need to choose who works or learns today.


Can you think of other differences? Share in the comments!

Online teaching #2: Learning new skills

Online teaching #2: Learning new skills


There is no denying that online teaching is different than in-class teaching. Both include students and teacher but the difference is the place, classroom or online connection. If someone imagines it is quite similar I need to deny- they require different skills from students and teacher. The place influence each second of the lesson, each action and activity. Today I will discuss what new skills teachers need to have while online teaching.


The technology


The computer and internet are basic tools of online teaching. These are very broad ides, you can not lear how to use a computer in one day. It is a skill like writing or riding a bike. It requires practice, time, mistakes to learn and be more fluent while using a computer. Internet is a space inside the computer, so it is next step to learn what is it and how to function in the online space. If you read my post you probably can use the internet very well, so I guess you realize the internet is enormous and it takes plenty of time to learn it.

As with most things, if we grow up using the computer and internet (other technologies as well) it is natural and intuitive for us. In today's situation, I am lucky to be one of the people who were growing up in the online environment. It is natural for me to use different technologies and the internet.

But not all other people are as lucky as I am. The most experienced teachers are older than me, twenty, forty or even more yers older. It means they did not need to use the computer and internet on the daily basis before. It is not an obligation to use new technologies, we do not have such a law. But in a situation like we have now, time of pandemic, it is the only way to teach. I respect older people than me, older teachers. I believe I can learn so much from them and I feel so sorry for those who are overwhelmed by online teaching. For example, I have not used Zoom before but I have used Facebook, Skype or Discord, it was my basic communication with friends. And Zoom is a very similar program. In most cases older people do not have that experience.

Extra issue is to have your own computer which is advanced enough to work well, be up to date. The same with the internet connection, it can be slower or faster. That is also the case of having enough money to spend on new technologies.

Obviously, the higher technology skills teacher has the better. He can better control students during the lesson (enable screen sharing, accept students joining the lesson, mute someone). He can work faster and make the lesson more fluent. He can cope with different technical difficulties by himself, which makes students respect him more. That is why I perceive this skill as the most important one. 


Online resources


In the previous post I have described the online resources which I use most often. I gathered them since few years: worksheets, games, videos. But in-class some teachers tend to use paper worksheets and the content of a course book. So next skill is to find online resources, to google.

I perceive the fact of finding good and free online resources as a personal achievement. If you have ever done that by yourself I am sure you will agree. If not, I will tell you why is it so. When you find something that fits your topic and students it happens that:

the quality is poor 
 
the content is slightly different from the one you planned (like "autumn" and "fall")
 
the author put some kind of protection for using his work for free (like waterline)
 

These are just few examples and they happen to me almost each time I search for some online materials. Sometimes I come to conclusion that it would take me less time to make the material myself than to seek through the whole internet.


Flexibility and openness


Even if a teacher is an experienced user of new technologies it is not enough to conduct an online lesson. Being flexible is priceless if we have technical difficulties or if our students have some. The problematic situations which may happen are unforeseeable. That is when the teacher need to make a quick decision, which is quite similar to the sudden situations in-class. But what makes us as teachers more effective in such situations? The experience and measures which we can take.

In terms of new technologies day by day computer scientists create new solutions, updates. That is why being opened for the novelties is highly helpful, it lets a teacher to function in the online world.


At the end of this post I wish all of us to have the mentioned skills. One big trade standing behind them is patience, so let's practice it every day and keep online- teaching!


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