Online teaching.
What is Online Teaching?
Online teaching is quite simply, just what it says that it is. Taking classes or learning a new skill in an online classroom, through email facilitation, e‑learning software, or through live chat classes. This is generally done in order to avoid having to enter the actual classroom. Many online teaching facilities now exist within well-known colleges who use email and log ins on the college website to offer distance learning classes in varying subject matters to students from all over the world.
What Is Online Teaching Good For?
Online teaching is useful for those who simply do not have the time to attend classes in a facility that may be several hours drive away, or find it inconvenient for other reasons to attend live classes on site. Instead they can use web conferencing services and online training software to enjoy the benefits of online teaching. It can be the only means by which they can gain additional education given time constraints or work related reasons. Classes which are taught online account for nearly a third of the students who are attending college classes. In fact, entire degrees can be gained from attending an online university rather than attending classes in an on-campus facility.
Who Can Use Online Teaching?
Online teaching can be used by nearly anyone who requires additional knowledge about subject matter that may vary from college courses to continuing education credits to specialized knowledge in computers, writing or a wide array of other subjects. Nearly anyone who requires additional skills or training for their career path, or even those who have not yet attended classes in college can use online teaching in order to further their knowledge on any given subject or degree program that is offered by a college in an online course.
For the teacher involved, there is not a great difference required between the presentation skills needed in an actual classroom compared to that of online teaching. On the other hand, the presentation tools are different as the teacher is required to familiarize themselves with online meeting and remote desktop sharing solutions and then train the students in the use of these technologies. Luckily enough, such solutions are very easy and fast to learn and there is even free online education software readily available for use.
How Does Online Teaching Work?
Online teaching is accomplished in a wide variety of ways, using multiple methods. Many online college courses are taken on the college website using a secure log-in method. The classroom lectures may be downloaded and homework or required paperwork uploaded securely via the college’s site. Classrooms for online teaching are less formal, taking in fewer students and sending assignments and texts through email and receiving them in the same fashion.
Alternatively online teaching can take place in real-time, by utilizing desktop sharing software to form an online classroom. Students join the online classroom and can view the remote desktop of the teacher from their own computer, and listen to the teacher present the material via audio conferencing. There are also live chat websites for many online teaching events which permit the students to log in and facilitate the real-time online teaching. If there are dozens and dozens of students attending an online class, this is generally referred to as a webinar.