Benefits and Challenges of Online Learning

Online teaching is a by product of the Information Age. It began in 1994 with Utah's Electronic High School and today it's growing at a phenomenal rate.   Buzzwords like engaging, motivating, interacting, differentiating, and collaborating have the attention of  many in and outside the educational realm.  Just like the Industrial Age, this new era is changing how we live, learn, and communicate. 

Online learning is re-defining the dynamics of teaching. The roles, responsibilities, and strategies used are different than what is found in a traditional classroom . Online teachers are facilitators guiding groups and individuals through a course.  Online requires a teacher to be almost 24/7, responding quickly to students needs and questions.  A teacher's presence online is crucial for students to feel they are connected and not isolated. There are more managerial duties and technical requirements for an online teacher. Many online teachers feel isolated professionally and disconnected from their students as discussed in "Everybody is their own Island": Teacher disconnection in Virtual School.  Many feel they need additional skills and training to teach online, but agree they enjoy the flexibility in when, where, and how they teach. 

I became involved with online teaching for my county in 2012.  I attended JMU with another teacher interested in teaching HPE (health, physical education) online. We were the only HPE teachers designated by the department qualified to teach online. The program was introduced at the time, to only those students who could not attend a general physical education class because of health issues. I traveled during my planning time and met with each student at their high school.  Many times the parents would be there as well.  I outlined the procedures and expectations to the parents and then met individually with each student. From this information, I designed a course built around each student's interests and needs.  For example, I had a student with severe Lyme's Disease. She researched and designed a nutritional diet to help her condition.  Her doctor was on board with this as well.  For physical activity, she learned about yoga, designed a yoga fitness plan with poses, and developed breathing techniques to reduce stress.  Her engagement was rewarding and her success was my success, much like what I read about teacher's satisfaction in Factors influencing Teacher Satisfaction at an Online Charter School. I did receive compensation for my 12 students, but finding time out of my normal teaching schedule was a continuous struggle. My planning time was never enough to build, implement, monitor, interact, and manage an online class.  

The next year, central office decided online HPE students would be taught by a HPE teacher at their own high school. None of the HPE teachers received online training. Last spring our county announced all interested in teaching online would be required to complete their online instructional class.  The class was a basic one on definitions and learning how to use moodle. Meanwhile I was writing curriculum for HPE online learning with the 3 other PE teachers and our supervisor.  We were given 1 professional day per quarter. In June of last year, our efforts were thrown out the window and replaced by a software program consisting of worksheets and tests. These online classes were chosen by higher up administrators, not the department and were introduced mid June and continue today.  Lost is the flexibility and creativity to modify a lesson for individual needs.  It simply takes the joy out of teaching. 
My vision of online teaching is different from my colleagues and administrators.  I credit my master's degree and pursuit of continuing education for this. I understand the isolation and disconnected factor that many online teachers experience. I find staying involved and taking online classes helps broaden my thinking and increase my learning.  It also puts a teacher in a welcoming environment.

This past summer I passed on teaching the online classes.  My friend, the other HPE teacher, signed up to teach them.  There were worksheets with drop boxes and tests to administered.  The course itself is elementary compared to what a high school student would use. She said her biggest complaint was losing the students and getting them to turn in the work required.  Many waited until the last week to submit all the work.  She said it was frustrating and they would not answer her emails.  She was teaching 25 students.  This fall we had only 12 sign up for the class and she was the designated online teacher.  I may consider this next year, but it will be difficult for me to use this particular software program limiting my creativity and design abilities.

        "Who are you?"     

Online teachers look just like what you would find in today's traditional schools.  They come in all shapes and sizes, ages, and demographics.   They are experienced teachers who have extended their education with graduate classes, certificates, and advanced degrees. Online teachers want to engage their students just like a traditional teacher.  The difference is an online teacher's delivery is in an online environment using current technology tools. Simply stated online teachers not only think outside the box, they get out of the box and embrace the changing world.


" You can't teach them until you reach them" is my philosophy and technology has given us a way to connect with our students.   After all this is their world. We now have more technology tools to use for designing a lesson than we know what to do with.  In my humble opinion, technology has given back to us the very creativity and imagination spark we lost years ago. I like what Kristen Kipp said in her video "A day in the life" about online teaching.  She said her focus was all about the content.  She said, "I want my students to be engaged with the content, engaged with each other, and engaged with me.  Then they care about the class".  This hits home with me because I have experienced this very concept with online students.  I was one of two teachers to begin the first online health and physical education program for Loudoun County.  I had the opportunity to design and implement physical education lessons for high school students.  The first two years, the students on my roster were either physically or emotionally disadvantaged to the extent they could not attend a regular physical education class.  Some had panic attacks, phobias, severe lyme disease, bipolar, suicidal, immune deficiencies, etc. Most had an IEP. I began to interview them with the mission of finding physical activities they enjoyed.  Most hated PE and my personal goal was to change their thought of physical education. Every student became an authentic problem with the student helping me design individual lessons for them.  The student with lyme's disease helped me create yoga and nutritional lessons for future use.  She was engaged along with her family and doctor.  Some students I met only in the beginning of the school year.  We would work all year round and meet at the end of school.  Relationships were stronger than the students I saw every day.

I relate also to Holly Mortimer's video One Teacher's Take: Holly Mortimer Took her Teaching Career Online .
Holly Mortimer explains how online teaching has changed how we teach.  She said, "It's changed from what you're going to teach and how you're going to teach it (traditional classroom) to what are they learning and how are they not learning, how are they not engaged." She says the way to engage students is to give them prompt feedback. With my students, I gave them my gmail account instead of my school email.  I knew they would have better access to me.  My iphone was set to let me know when I received emails.  I could review promptly and respond right away for my students.  By responding quickly, students didn't become frustrated and I could often call them if they needed a more in depth conversation. Accountability goes both ways in online learning meaning the teacher and students.

I've learned I'm on the right track, that what I've achieved through online so far is in the right direction.  I can reach them more effectively online than I can in a classroom of 47.  I've learned this field is growing faster than we can accommodate the demands. Our educational system is outdated.  I introduced Mendeley and Popplet to several English teachers this week.  They were blown away by the program and the fact someone older actually showed them something new.  If I'm not careful, I may be presenting at the next facility meeting.