Philosophy of Online Teaching
"Are you here by design or default?"
My childhood dream was to become a teacher but it took many career paths on my journey here. It is easy to find oneself in a profession without actively pursuing it. As I grow in my profession, I place more value on time and view it as a gift not to be squandered.
My answer to the question is “Yes, I am here by design”. I intentionally chose to return to school as a non-traditional student and pursue a career in E-Learning and Online Teaching.
My philosphy of online teaching revolves around creating a social, interactive, constructivist learning environment. An environment where learners interact, problem solve, reflect, and assess their own learning. I design activities that appeal to different learning styles and foster a collaborative approach to learning. More importantly, I use technology tools and principles of cyber-coaching to provide feedback. I think it is important to remember the person behind the name in the sometimes impersonal, text-based online environment.
I also believe it is important to be conscious of the not-so-subtle differences between face-to-face and online learning environments. The move from Instructionism in the face-to-face environment to Constructionism in the online environment is of great importance. The annotation on the next tab, best explains the change in pedagogy.
