Z is for Zealous

Virtual teachers have made a passionate commitment to the newest approach to education in history. They are dedicated to insuring students experience the joy and success of learning. These educators are pioneers and nurturers, willing to step outside tradition and embrace a new methodology which is firmly anchored in learning theory, creativity, and results. Future doctors, lawyers, CPAs, engineers, teachers, authors, and entrepreneurs are born every day from this dedication, and what may have first generated skepticism, now is heralded as an amazing educational breakthrough.

Two particular teachers in my lifetime stand out because they made sure I knew they believed in me. Neither one ever really delivered any inspirational, life-altering speech about strengths and my future. Instead, they each consistently did several things: measured me against high standards; regularly praised my hard work which insured I would continue to be diligent; and demonstrated daily through conversation, laughter, and steadfastness that I was a valuable human being about whom they cared. These two teachers never knew one another. They met me at different stops along my educational journey, however each invested in my life and future through their zealous commitment.

Often the days of instructors run long in the virtual teaching world. When the classroom is defined by a computer screen, text messages, emails, and webinars in which the teacher and student are only shown in a one inch square video, it is easy to lose sight of what we are really all about and the wondrous things we are doing.

Remain committed to one student at a time. Teaching is your job, not your pastime. Who is behind that screen, on the other side of the assignment? What does he or she demand of you or, more important, need from you even though they don't know it? And even on your busiest days, do the students' needs remain your primary focus?

I know each teacher's dockets are filled with email responses and material to grade, but at the end of the week, month, year in your revolutionary virtual teaching job, of what will you be most proud? It doesn't matter what age your student population is, what new tools you have mastered, or what testing demographics you achieved. Let it always be about your students.

Reflection: Sometimes the term "zealous" implies too much passion, too much commitment. Can you be too steadfast about educating youth? Conversely, have you encountered teachers for whom education is only a job, whether virtual or on the ground? As we reach the end of the alphabet journey, what does being an educator mean to you no matter where you serve?

Y is for Yardstick

The traditional definition for a yardstick is a 36 inch measuring tool, no more, no less. It's a very precise mathematical measurement, always the same with no variation, entirely predictable. That's the known.

Or is it? Examine your personal teaching yardstick. What criteria do you use to measure your students' engagement and success? Do you look at the grade book screens for assignment completion, check the activity logs, count the responses you receive to student emails and then draw your conclusions?

Do you assess the students' cumulative grades and draw universally recognized conclusions, such as failing grades, missing assignments, failure to attend a live webinar and no response to phone calls or emails equal a disconnected learner? After all, it's a virtual learning environment and this is the window we have, right?

As you might expect, I have another theory or two for how to push beyond what would appear to be the obvious yardstick for students. Here are just a few questions I suggest need answers:

• What tone do you hear in work submissions?
• Is the student most often working in isolation?
• Where is the student working - bedroom, living room, dorm room, coffee shop?
• When was the last time you sent a student an email to ask how the course was going, quietly ignoring the student's true engagement level?
• What do you think about student plagiarism on a personal level as opposed to a teacher/student level? (In other words, could a student's inability to clear the plagiarism screening software mean he truly doesn't know how to integrate research rather than a blatant attempt to deceive?)

Most current virtual teachers were trained to work in a brick and mortar school. Transitioning online has been both challenging and exciting. Remember, however, that students and teachers look the same no matter what tools are used.

Did you go out in the hallways or walk the campus commons between classes, greeting dozens of students as you passed them? Had you become schooled in reading the slumped shoulders or nervous laughter? And wasn't it interesting to just stand still and listen as the students walked by? Oh, the things you learned! Just as the teaching venue has changed, so too should the variety of creative ways we reach and teach our students.

Reflection: I challenge you to look beyond the obvious yardsticks with which we have grown comfortable in education because many of them limit our ability to learn about our students and how best to support them in the virtual school environment. Sometimes, an inch isn't an inch, but instead, an indication of something more. Don't be afraid to ask a student what that might be. A new, more flexible yardstick could make all the difference.

X is for Xanadu

We have finally reached "X." Haven't you been curious about what word I would select? Xanadu fits online schooling perfectly. The word originated in a Coleridge poem in the late 19th Century and means "a beautiful place."

We work hard for our students, teaching them new things as we too learn the newest ways to reach and teach. The connections made despite the distance and view-blocking computer screens (when the webcam is off) are amazing. We are people-to-people, caring and working together. Hard work most days, but also a complete educator's joy.

Those early years as a virtual teacher remind me of a treadmill. I was always creating accountability tools so I could track incoming and outgoing calls; noting how my students worked and mastered their subjects; and capturing details on activities, strengths, and background. It was hard work each day to know how to prioritize and make a decision on who needed me first and most.

I have learned that even though everything about management systems, accountability tools, creativity tools, and more have moved through ongoing and unlimited iterations, teachers still face decisions on how and who to prioritize. All of the needs are still there and always will be no matter the sophistication. Can we see this as a beautiful place in spite of the stress and usual long teacher hours? Indeed I believe we can!

Students at every age come to us with diverse needs which, for many, can best be met in the security of their own homes in front of a laptop. We craft and deliver learning approaches, mold accountability levels, and reinforce personal responsibility. We develop memories in live conferencing sessions which become reference points for the students, just as those types of conversations did in the on-the-ground classrooms.

We answer hundreds of emails, many the seed of a future conversation with these same students. We make mistakes as we run the webinar and the emoticons fly into the chat area - our students are laughing with us! We forget to hit the "record" button and one of our students private-messages us as a reminder. That's collaboration!

Connections may look or feel different, but at the center, the education is the same, molded to 21st Century expectations. Our classrooms are a beautiful place, a virtual Xanadu. Hopefully, this classroom experience is a good fit for you at this point in your career. Just know that your commitment and presence is one of the reasons this new education model is truly, simply, Xanadu.

Reflection: Spend time reflecting on what brought you to virtual teaching, what the benefits are for you and your students, and how being part of the online Team just makes the virtual experience stronger. Do not choose to work in isolation, but instead, join the team connection and start the conversation.

W is for Wonder

Many days we can't help but wonder if we are doing all we can to meet the needs of learners in our care. Maybe more days are filled with self-doubts than not. Our students wonder if they have done enough to be proficient in their courses and eventually on the mandated exams and college entrance tests. As we know, parents wonder if students are working enough hours and doing the right things, a concern at every age, including when the child goes away to college.

The good thing is, while we can and will always wonder, we do have tools to move from speculation to proof. We can watch student work via automatic grading systems and grade books. We have emails and phone calls, time shown on learning management systems, student notes and webinar scripts. We are able to look for improvement, weaknesses, and consistency. We can make sure the students are keeping tabs on their own progress and completion. Students are reassured when they know we are watching over their growth, learning, and involvement. They build confidence when we mentor their work and their dreams. They stop wondering if they can be successful because they believe they can.

Detractors and skeptics of online education most often aren't fully aware of how it works. Naysayers wonder if this type of education is rigorous enough, consistent in delivery and content, and a place where teacher and student can engage. Teachers need to assess and share how they are engaging with their learners virtually. We know the proof of how we are engaging with learners, how the learning management systems actually work, and we need to offer transparency to build that assurance and understanding.

www.digitalbookworld.com

Online learning is an economical choice in many ways. No bus rides, fewer hardbound textbooks that are outdated long before a district can afford to replace them, no need for particular wardrobes, packed lunches, or opening day school supplies. While admittedly we must educate our students on the responsibilities of working on the Internet, they are removed from drugs, gangs, and violence.

It's one level playing field - everyone has an equal opportunity to learn and, for us, to teach - with security and confidence. We deliver an excellent, researched curriculum in an engaging format with sound objectives and criteria. Technology and learning platforms are constantly innovating and improving. The programs are rigorous and afford different levels of involvement to meet each student's interests.

Do you wonder if you are effective, perceived as effective, or have utilized every tool needed to allow you to be effective? Used properly and thoughtfully, online education provides an excellent and supportive teaching and learning environment. Use your colleagues as a sounding board to remain current and engaged. Don't work in audio isolation because it "looks" different than years past. Team teaching has never been easier and can produce some remarkable outcomes. We have always known teachers and the teaching profession make a difference. That fact hasn't changed except to improve.

Reflection:  When was the last time you teamed with another teacher to reach a student? Or worked with a colleague or two to preview presentations and online course work? And do you attempt daily to think and work outside the box in this innovative model?Continue to wonder, always wonder.