Article Review:

Blair, J. (2002, May 9). The Virtual Teaching Life [Electronic version]. Education Week, 21 (35), 31-34. Retrieved February 15, 2004 from http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc02/article.cfm?slug=35virtual.h21

"The Virtual Teaching Life" by Julie Blair is a report on what it is like to be a teacher in an online classroom.  I was interested in this article because I know very little of what it would be like to teach in a classroom without walls.  I interact with teachers all day in my job as a Technology Director, so I'm used to seeing teachers in action in the regular classroom.  I was particularly interested to find out the differences between teaching in a traditional program as opposed to teaching students online in a virtual classroom.

This article seemed valid to me because it comes from a special report in Education Week, a well-known educational journal.  I thought the information was authentic because the article contained anecdotes related by online teachers and actual quotes by the teachers concerning online classroom activities.

In summary, the article discusses the differences between online teaching and teaching in a traditional classroom.  One teacher sometimes signs on to class discussions as a student because she feels students react differently when information comes from their peers rather than a teacher.  The teacher notes she would never be able to do such a thing in a regular classroom.  All the teachers interviewed for the article have experience as regular classroom teachers as well as teachers in the virtual classroom.  Some teachers missed the face-to-face interaction with the students, while others felt they formed a closer relationship with their students online than they could in a traditional classroom setting.  All agreed there were advantages and disadvantages involved in online teaching. 

One major difference between the two types of teaching is the inability of online teachers to rely on classroom theatrics to get a point or concept across to students.  Another major disadvantage mentioned was the mechanical failures that inevitably happen.  Online teachers must have excellent writing skills and must be comfortable with technology, including web design, in order to be effective.  Many online educators rely on "threaded" discussions that allow the students to communicate in real time.  Much communication is done through e-mail.  Cheating by students is a particular concern, but most of the teachers interviewed had found ways around the problem.  Most of the online programs required students to submit at least half of their work in hard copy form to the teachers.  Teachers also became adept at recognizing their students' writing styles. 

Communication between students and teachers and parents and teachers in the online classroom is extensive.  The online teachers felt they got to know their students very well, and mentioned the advantage of being able to communicate with parents when the parents were available. 

The online teachers who were interviewed for the article said teaching online requires good written communication skills, good organizational skills, and a certain mindset not all teachers may have.  Just as some teachers excel at teaching only certain age groups, not all teachers are cut out to be teachers in the virtual classroom.  Some online teachers do complain about feeling isolated, and some feel they don't get as much respect from other teachers as they did when they taught in the traditional classroom.  Some virtual classroom teachers have organized real field trips with their students and support groups of online teachers to fight some of the feelings of isolation and to connect with students face-to-face.

Questions not answered by the article:

What kind of training does an online teacher have to have?
How does one go about getting an online teaching job?
Do online teachers have the same certification requirements as regular classroom teachers?
How much money do online teachers make?  Are the salaries comparable to regular classroom teachers?

The information in this article is applicable to me in that I might be interested in being a teacher in a virtual classroom someday.  I think I have the qualifications to succeed as an online teacher, and I think I would enjoy the experience.

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