Melinda Solis

It is important to keep organized class records and to develop a system of organizing emails, discussions for each assignment or each student.  It is also important to understand that there are multiple kinds of behaviors that learners exhibit.  Some learners are noisy and will dance around classroom discussions and need to be redirected.  Some will have anxiety about participating and may need to be contacted privately and motivated or offered alternative assignments.  Teachers can counsel students, but it is important to set parameters of what you can address and in what amount of time that you can be expected… >>>

It is important to keep the learners engaged in the learning process.  The instructor should provide opportunities for discussion and chatting at the beginning and the end of the session.  Learners should be made aware of the length of the session and instructions should be clear and concise.  Instructors need to be aware of the difficulty of learners not seeing your facial expression and voice tone and should utilize bolding, underlining, color, and emojis to avoid alienating students.

I learned that developing a trusting, respectful relationship with my students is possible in online teaching.  I should post my credentials and background, return work within 24 hours, and also ask students to post their own background as an opener activity.  I should encourage students to comment on others work and also ask students before posting their names with my posts.

Switching to remote learning can be frustrating for teachers and students.  However, the frustration can be lessened when the teacher becomes more familiar with technology and online teaching support.  It is important to understand how to navigate the remote learning environment in order to give learners a higher sense of comfort and security.