:(
This is going to be a pretty negative message… Pardon me from the start…

I just finished a class (a free class) where I shared materials and links that took me forever to put together and that I wanted other teachers to have ready at hand in less than an hour to be used with their students.
I had 10 students registered, but only two showed up.
One entered the classroom only to be able to access the recording, but left two minutes after we started.
The other had no microphone and could not communicate with me when I was sharing the desktop to show the websites and she was not actually seeing them… And then she wrote she had to leave the class before it was over because she had to go.
I understand that sometimes we take an online class without really realizing that on the other side there someone, not just a recording, but is it acceptable?
The students liked the class and obviously were happy to have it recorded so they can go back to it to use it. I was happy they were there and they could have the chance to watch it afterwards.
But are we IT?
I understand now some of the forum entries I read in the past months where teachers felt they had been used as a tool, instead of as professional humans.
Are we just a recording?
Last year I followed a training where the teacher (he was actually there, with us…!) simply showed us a video of himself teaching the same thing he was supposed to teach us that evening. I thought it was a bit too much: would he not make the effort to acknowledge our presence in the class?
Were we not worth his time and effort to repeat the lesson for us?
Now I ask myself – should I rather just record myself teaching, avoiding any kind of interaction with the students when giving a free group class?
If I did, I would definitely feel better if the attendance was low or students just logged in to be able to later see the recording.
Would that be ethical though?
Isn’t teaching human interaction between cooperating people?
Maybe I’d enjoy recording videos teaching, maybe it would be fun.
Still, I believe teaching and learning should be human and interactive…

I agree with you on this one Maria Gloria…. Teaching and learning is an interactive human activity. And I don’t see the point of having a class if people who signed up only want to watch a recording of us (teachers) giving a class to a screen….

There are websites where people have access to class recordings and it’s okay since they are meant to provide users with that type of service. On the other hand, it isn’t eduFire’s vocation to have teachers recording themselves and then have those recordings available for the users of this site.

What puzzles me is that your class was intended for teachers…. I would have assumed that they would have attended since they are in a position to appreciate the negative and disappointing effects of no-shows ….

I have been one who posted several entries in the past months trying to make people aware of the fact that we are professional humans who deserve respect since we show up for our classes well prepared and with the intent of interacting with people interested in learning…. but I gave up because it seems that this culture of disrespect has now taken deep roots…. and I am not convinced this can be changed… :-(

It is just a tool and a balance must be found, just like with PowerPoint which I used to think was ruining public speaking. But now I find I am leaning on PPS more than would have imagined.

My rule with new tools is:

• learn the tool well

• learn when not to use it
• don’t try to be cute
• don’t hesitate to use it when it’s needed
• don’t hesitate to experiment occasionally

Different teaching styles will dictate different ways of using a recorded session. I’m planning on using it for my free classes so I can focus on the paid classes instead. We’ll see how that works.

On a side note; one thing I see in the real world that I’m glad not to see here is ‘screen casts’. I don’t understand the need to see a cursor dragged across the screen in real time when a well annotated snap shot of the screen would do the job. But it is a tool so I will learn to use it according to the rules above:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screencast
http://camstudio.org

Hi Maria Gloria, I am very sorry i did not stay during the class, but i am having some problems with the adsl connection today and I did not want to keep coming in and out of the class and disrupt it, that is the only reason why i entered and then left. I agree that it is not nice, but i also believe it would have been worse if i kept entering and exiting, believe me , I only did it so i wasn’t going to be an element of disruption (as it has happened to me with some students).I really wanted to takle part in the class and did not want to miss it,so i thought it was better than not showing up.
I know how you have felt, I had to teach to an empty class the other day (people had some personal problem but they did pay for the class, so i had to do it anyway and recorded it for them).
I agree it is not the best way of teaching, but as long as it is a one off, sometimes for students i am happy to do that. What i think is that it is not nice that other teachers did not turn up!!!! How come only 2 of us took part? I think it is sad people complaint about their students and then do that to the teachers themselves.

Anyway, I am looking forward to listen to the recording (those few minutes i was there it sounded very very interesting) and definetely (adsl permitting) will take part in the next class you are going to give.

don’t give up!!!

Good piece of advice Dave…. yet I am not sure we’re on the same page here…. the point that was raised by Maria Gloria was not about whether the use of IT tools during classes or not…. unless I don’t know how to read anymore….

Maybe the OP was about more than one issue. One that was on your mind so you tackled and another that was on my mind so I tackled— are we becoming one of those tools?

In my defense let me quote the OP:
“Are we just a recording?”
“Isn’t teaching human interaction between cooperating people?”
“But are we IT?”

Being part of the IT world I am both enthralled and aghast at how cozy we are becoming with our tools. Being an experienced speaker I am sad to see the loss of extemporaneous interaction but glad to see so much information handled by people who learn differently.

I gave examples of computer tools that are taking the human touch out of public speaking and tutoring IMHO, and how I decided to use them and not let them overwhelm the human side of me. Using these tools incorrectly will result in just what the OP was concerned with.

Our responses were different but neither were OT. Together we gave a more thorough response.

I studied music in college so I have a bit of a performance background and I’ve worked in the computer field for 30 years so I have a bit of a tech background. I am extremely conscious of not overusing tech wizardry in place of teaching. When I teach in the physical classroom, I don’t use any technology until I know that I can communicate with the students. I have a CD by the jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, titled, “Just You and Me.” It is solo piano, Dave playing, the listener listening. That is my initial philosophy with new classes – just the students and me. Once we communicate and accept each other, I’ll incorporate technology when necessary.

When I started teaching ESL online, I wanted to make sure I had everything I “thought” I would need – audio, virtual meeting software, etc. My students quickly corrected me, they told me as long as they could talk to me through Skype, they were happy. I still have the virtual meeting software, but I start simple. I always remember – it is about the student, not me or the technology.

Technology and education is a big topic. Granted there are many benefits, we wouldn’t be having this conversation if it weren’t for technology. However, some of my best classes were just the students, me, a whiteboard, and a dry erase marker . . . oh, and the eraser, sometimes the marker spelled words incorrectly.

Too many times at computer clubs I’ve seen people simply read what the PPT behind them said. It made me wonder why I was there.

Hi Maria,

Sorry you class didn’t go well. You learned a lot though. It doesn’t matter how many students showed up. The bottom line is, you were prepared and were ready to teach.
Not all classes will go as planned. You are a tool, and people can either use you for free, or get paid to use you. You make the choice whether you want to offer your services for free or not. I think you should interact with your students when giving a free class, because that way there, they are getting to know you, and are more likely to sign up for a paid class that you offer. If they know you are a good teacher, that takes the time to plan and the time and patience to teach… you will end up with students that are respectful and appreciate your passion.

You yourself have to be proficient with the EduFire Adobe Connect Pro application so that you can help your students when they run into difficulties. This is not a requirement, but it helps to have a crash course with the application, so you can help students that may be having technical difficultly while attending your class.

Setup a few videos of yourself teaching, to offer to potential students. There is nothing wrong with that… It’s actually good; cause they can see you teaching, and they get a lesson for free. Look at it from a marketing perspective. Best wishes for you!