After teaching live for decades, I was a bit nervous about starting to teach online. Body language, minimal facial expressions, intimacy would all be changed radically. I feel pretty comfortable with technology and computers, but I was concerned about establishing rapport and maintaining a strong connection with students.
It has been a great adventure. I was surprised to realize that the voice is actually much more important than the picture. (This is even more so in a language class of course.) The video is just a pleasant addition, but it is the audio connection which is most important.
It is also great fun to have all your computer resources available instantly: the internet, photo files, etc. It actually makes teaching pretty effortless and more fun for teacher and students alike.
Instant messaging makes it so easy to teach vocabulary. Online dictionaries allow you to translate words instantly.
Humor is really important for me – in life and in my classes. Online teaching allows for new ways of having fun using the webcam.
No commuting of course! Snacks easily available! No shoes! A revolution in education.
Tags: learn english online, learn french online, learn spanish online, online language classes