A publication of , WizIQ Inc. 2013 WizIQ Inc. All rights reserved.

Contributors: Rosa Fattahi

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TABLE OF CONTENT
1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................... A. THE GOOD NEWS......................................................... B. THE CHALLENGE......................................................... C. THE SOLUTION............................................................ 2. TEACHING ONLINE ?............................................................. 3. SUCCESSFUL ONLINE COURSES ARE ................................. A. INSTRUCTOR-LED....................................................... B. STUDENT-CENTERED.................................................. C. QUICK TIPS................................................................. 3. CHOOSING THE RIGHT COURSEWARE ............................... 4. MANAGING COURSE CONTENT .......................................... 5. UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA ................................................... 6. MANAGING COURSE CONTENT .......................................... 7. USING THE RIGHT TOOLS .................................................. 8. OBTAINING FEEDBACK ....................................................... 9. THE BOTTOm LINE .............................................................. 10. ABOUT WizIQ .....................................................................
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GOOD NEWs

ONLINE TEACHING Is A PROVEN SuCCEss

A 2009 study by the U.S. Department of Education concluded that students taking all or part of their class through an online platform performed better, on average, than those who took the same course using only face-to-face instruction. The achievement of learning outcomes by students engaged in online learning was found to be higher than those of students receiving traditional classroom instruction.

THE CHALLENGE

UPDATE PEDAGOGY, DONT CONVERT

It is important to understand that online teaching presents its own unique opportunities and challenges. So, moving from the traditional classroom environment to online instruction requires more than merely converting course materials to an online platform. In fact, the resources, skills, and tools needed for successfully teaching students online vary considerably from those of the traditional classroom. In the online classroom, teaching techniques must be updated rather than reproduced.

THE SOLuTION

UsING MANY TOOLs FOR SuCCEssFuL TEACHING

The online teacher must employ a variety of resources and tools and consistently work to modify and improve their methods. A successful online teacher, then, in effect, acts as a kind of bricoleur one who applies a diverse range of available materials and tools while consistently assessing, judging, and revising their pedagogical practices in order to improve learning. The online teacher needs to have basic computer skills and be able to make the best use of a virtual classroom and its many tools, such as setting up courses, updating lessons, facilitating interactive class discussions, and managing course content. For this reason, a quality online learning platform can be an invaluable teaching tool.

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So, whats wrong with using recorded lectures to teach an online course?
Recorded lectures are boring and do not keep online students engaged. The use of lectures is itself an outdated teaching approach that has been proven ineffective for most teaching goals.

But my lectures are compelling and have proven to work for me in the past.

Unlike the classroom, online teachers must compete with other distractions in students homes or on their computer screens, so new methods must be used to keep them interested and attentive.

Okay, then what methods should I use to best teach my online students?

Unlike the classroom, online teachers must compete with other distractions in students homes or on their computer screens, so new methods must be used to keep them interested and attentive.

Online teachers must work with and exploit the strengths of electronic media, while at the same time navigating around its limitations. This requires a new understanding of how to fully make the best use of the many tools in todays fastest-growing and most exciting teaching realm: THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM.

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COuRsEs

SuCCEssFuL ONLINE COuRsEs ARE

INsTRUcTOR-LED
It is important that an online course be instructor-led, and that the teacher acts as an example for students by engaging with students frequently. A clear and consistent teacher presence is critical to a successful online course. However, instead of the lecture of the traditional classroom, teachers must create interesting and challenging activities and exercises to foster participation among students, while the teacher provides effective feedback and encouraging guidance. In order to avoid confusion and establish course protocols that work, directions should be clear and emphasized.

STUDENT-CENTERED
Online learning should be collaborative, incorporating small-group activities and team projects in which students must work together in order to foster an online community of peer learners. Collaborative learning enables students to increase their comprehension and expand their ideas through shared experiences and shared goals. Promoting collaboration can be a bit more challenging within the virtual realm of the online class, but, nonetheless, an online course should be student-centered, and the success of the course will depend on how well students are able to engage with one another in group discussion and online posts.

As a teacher, one must think about the way that various media affect communication. While many who use digital technology in education are attempting new and innovative approaches to teaching over the internet, the use of videotaped lectures is still commonplace in distance education and in open education initiatives. However, such video instruction does not promote the kind of active learning and student-teacher interaction that have proven necessary for pedagogical success.

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TIPS

QUICK TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE ONLINE TEACHING

Encourage student-teacher contact and interaction. Encourage student cooperation and teamwork. Avoid using recorded lectures, and keep any that are used short. Encourage active learning. Make use of social media and other online tools. Incorporate a variety of resources and materials. Give prompt feedback and clear guidance. Emphasize the importance of deadlines.

COuRsEWARE

CHOOsING THE RIGHT COuRsEWARE

In addition to learning how to navigate and use various technologies, the new online teacher must rethink the way that they organize and deliver instructional material. The student is no longer in the classroom with the teacher, and instead computers and software facilitate the learning process. However, because recorded lectures do not work, online teachers must be versatile as they make use of the online learning platforms available.

Still, it is important to remember that the online teacher should still be the instructor, not the technology, so the online teacher must find new ways to interact with the students by selecting ideal courseware that provides a comprehensive online learning platform with quality online courses.

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WizIQs Course Creation Wizard and Courseware can help you that not only provide effective organization of course materials, but ensure the alignment of courseware with course objectives. In addition, the wealth of online classes, educational recordings, and tutorial sessions available through WizIq provides an incredible resource for teachers learning how to make the most of the virtual classroom and employ new teaching approaches.

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CONTENT

mANAGING COuRsE CONTENT

Once course content has been created, it should be easily accessible for teachers to use in their courses, both today and in the future. WizIQs Content Library provides a secure place for storing course content, where it can be organized in file folders and easily accessed. WizIQ also allows teachers to easily upload courses on-the-fly, a valuable tool in todays busy world. Share PowerPoint slides, documents, web pages, and even your desktop with remote students in real time. Students and teachers can even share YouTube videos synchronously, so that the class can watch instructional material together. With the toolkit of WizIQ resources available, active and interactive learning in the online class is possible.

sOCIAL mEDIA

UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA

As an online teacher in todays digital world, it is also vital to be familiar and comfortable with social media outlets, such as blogging, as a teaching tool. When it comes to the social network, modern students are well-versed and savvy, and so using these as teaching tools allows online teachers to meet students on their own playing field, so to speak, where students will be most likely to engage and interact with the class. With Course Feed, online teachers are able to easily facilitate discussions and peer-to-peer learning through a social blog site. Course Feed enables your students to share ideas, work collaboratively, and extend each others thinking in written dialogue. Even more, asynchronous group-based learning will be simple to facilitate and participate in with this remarkable new tool from WizIQ Course Feed enhances student-to-teacher and student-to-student interactions by creating a forum for online discussions and facilitating traditional classroom dialogue in a virtual classroom.

In todays modern world, texting is another growing communication medium that can be a useful tool for the successful online teacher. Text chatting allows teachers to give personal attention to students both near and far, and it is a familiar and comfortable format for most students today. The easy and effective texting system available from WizIQ enables teachers to text and chat with students one-onone as well as in group chats, and it provides yet another tool for the online teachers kit.

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sHARING FILEs

RIGHT TOOLs FOR ACTIVE & COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

One big challenge in an online course is finding an easy way for students and teacher to share files and view them at the same time. The traditional classroom allows teachers and students to view the same material at the same time, and being able to do so is an invaluable instructive tool. WizIQs online teaching software has Screen Sharing and Video Sharing functions that provide students and teachers with the chance to share most common file types. Teachers can share PowerPoint slides, YouTube videos, documents, web pages, and even their desktop with remote students in real time. This way, students and teachers can view filesand instructional material synchronously, while at the same time engaging in dialogue. With the many WizIQ tools and resources available, active and interactive learning in the online class is possible.

CHAT

LIVE VIDEO RECORDING

Chat rooms are another useful digital tool for the online teacher. Using WizIQs Breakout Sessions and Recordings enables students to better comprehend difficult concepts and collaborate with their peers through discussions in breakout rooms. Teachers can choose certain students for individualized instruction by moving them into study groups, or breakout sessions. The more students interact with each other and the teacher, especially in an online class, the more learning occurs. WizIQ also provides a platform whereby students can watch recordings of live classes, in case of an absence or as a means of additional review and study. Unlike the traditional classroom, then, this allows students to revisit previous class sessions for their benefit.

WHITE BOARD

INTERACTIVE WHITE BOARD

But what is an online teacher to do without a blackboard or whiteboard on which to write important concepts or demonstrate problems? The full-screen, interactive whiteboard from Wiz

But what is an online teacher to do without a blackboard or whiteboard on which to write important concepts or demonstrate problems? The full-screen, interactive whiteboard from WizIQ allows teachers to write in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew on a multiple whiteboard set that students can synchronously view. With the whiteboard, teachers can also solve math equations and draw using the drawing tools while students observe. Plus, teachers can allow students to write on the whiteboard as well. It has all the benefits of the blackboard or whiteboard in the traditional classroomwithout all the chalk dust or ink smudges!
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FEEDBACk

OBTAINING FEEDBACk AND CONDuCTING AssEssmENTs

Obtaining class feedback and conducting assessments are also important tools for allowing a teacher to consistently analyze and adjust lessons in order to ensure student comprehension. As part of being a successful online teacher and a bricoleur, it is important to regularly assess your teaching approaches in order to determine where changes might be needed for increased learning. Often in a classroom, for example, a teacher will poll students on a matter, questioning them to determine content comprehension or to get feedback from the group as a whole. Without the right learning platform, this can be difficult for teachers in the virtual classroom. WizIQs polling feature allows teachers to create poll questions in a live class and receive instant feedback from students, displayed for the teacher graphically. Besides getting feedback from students or assessing student comprehension of material, the online teacher can also use the polling feature to prepare for exams as a class or to conduct surveys.

BOTTOm LINE

TECHNOLOGY OFFERs TEACHERs A WEALTH OF PEDAGOGICAL OPTIONs TO FOsTER STuDENT LEARNING

Technology, and a clear understanding of the course software and hardware, can play an important part in an online teachers success. Nonetheless, it is also crucial that online teachers have support for the learning platform they are using, as issues are sure to arise. Notably, WizIQ has quality technical support available for all of its customers. Making the transition to online teaching requires that the teacher re examine their approaches, learn new techniques, and employ innovative tools as they adapt their pedagogy to the virtual realm. Choosing a comprehensive and easy-to-use online learning platform is the first step. From there, with the right tools and a variety of course materials and digital resources, the online teacher is equipped to create a successful online course where active and collaborative learning occur, and where students get the very most out of the learning experience.

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THE COmPANY

ABOuT WIZIQ
WizIQ is an online learning and teaching platform that connects educators and students through its WizIQ Virtual Classroom technology. Available for individual teachers as well as organizations, WizIQ is a highly scalable solution for both synchronous teaching and asynchronous tutorials and assessments. Used for everything from teaching hybrid courses at major universities to offering guitar lessons one-on-one across thousands of miles, WizIQ is an incredibly flexible tool for delivering and enhancing any type of training or instruction. WizIQ is a Massachusetts-based company with nearly 2 million registered users and more than one million monthly visitors. WizIQ is rapidly becoming the preferred method for educators at all levels to establish an online e-learning presence that is engaging students with a degree of value that competitors simply cant match. WizIQs teaching tools work from a web browser, eliminating the need to download any software or worry about upgrades. WizIQ also offers a content library, a test/assessment module, teacher profiles, and public classes by experts. Going beyond providing online teaching tools, WizIQ enables trainers and tutors to find new clientele and sell their courses through an online marketplace with an integrated payment gateway, helping them build their individual teaching businesses. At the same time, these tools are scalable to meet the needs of universities and major training and teaching organizations.

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CONTACT US
You may visit our website, www.wiziq.com to know more about WizIQ Email us at: sales@wiziq.com Or Call us at: USA: +1-919-647-4727 Europe: +44-(0)-20-7193-6503 Asia: +91-998-985-7176

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