Become an Online Instructor

June 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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If you have a degree and want to share your background and knowledge with others, you may want to consider becoming an online educator or teacher. Not only will you be able to teach others, but you will also be able to gain online technical skills, not to mention adding to your resume. And, best of all, you will be able to do this from home.

How do you go about becoming an online instructor? Here are a few helpful tips.

Examine your professional and academic background. Create a list of your degrees, work experience, as well as additional professional certifications. Some online institutions may only require a bachelor’s degree while others may require a Master’s or even a PhD. You can check out sites such as curriculumweb.org for more information.

Now that you have your qualifications listed, you can now search for online opportunities that match your education and skills. There are many free job search sites that can help you with this endeavor. You should also consider broad Internet searches for institutions that are hiring.

Once you have identified institutions that may suit your background, forward your resume via email. In addition, many schools have formal, online applications that you will need to complete.

Now that you have applied for open positions, you should be prepared to be patient. It can take several weeks before you receive a reply. It generally takes between three to four weeks to receive a reply. You will most likely receive a call or email requesting more information or to schedule an interview.

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Working together

March 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

‘No one is as smart as all of us’ was a quote I read earlier and I think it sums up what collaborative learning is all about.

When I work on something I usually do OK and get reasonable grades. But when I work with a group then the results are usually that much better. (It’s a fact that most people work better in a group) It’s a thing called Synergy.

Synergy is the idea that the whole is more than the sum of it’s parts. eg a Aeroplane, in reality it’s a collection of nuts, bolts, panels and a few instruments. Of themselves, they can’t fly or do anything much, but put them together properly and you get a passenger plane capable of transporting four hundred people on the holiday of a lifetime! all pieces working together the way they were designed.

At curriculumweb.org that is the principle they work on. the Teaching methods used seek to develop that means of working together to achieve the goal, be it to improve your SAT scores, study for that graduate program you want to get into for the Masters degree.

Unlocking the hidden talent we all have that often needs that kick start of a slightly out of the box idea that turns into something great. Imagine what we could achieve if we would allow those talents to come out! it may not change the world, but it would change your life!

What hidden talents do you have? I bet they make a world of difference to someone and I don’t just mean you!

How about unlocking them and letting the World enjoy the benefit!

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Standarized Testing – Utilizing Teacher to Teacher Forums

December 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Standardized testing can be stressful for everyone; students, parents, and teachers can all end up feeling frustrated when testing time comes around. This is especially true when you can’t even justify or stand behind the need for these exams based on the controversial way they claim to assess the quality of knowledge of students. But the fact remains that you will have to deal with them sooner or later. And as a teacher you know that preparation is the key to success.

Whether you are a first year teacher or have been in the field for quite some time, it is never a bad idea to brush up on some motivational skills for your students. The Internet is a great place to start researching when looking for new and improved ideas to help students excel in standardized testing.

Start by searching online forums for teachers. Who better to discuss the issue with than other teachers who are going through or who have gone through the same situations? This is a convenient way for you to talk to other teachers to see what tactics that may have worked or have failed for them while trying to help their students succeed.

Different forums and web resources are even broken down into grade, subject areas, and age groups, and because the difficulties with standardized testing can vary by age (such as attention span issues or test anxiety), this can help you pinpoint the best solutions for the problems of your students dependent on how old they are or what subject they struggle with.

The bottom line is that you are the teacher and although it may not always be easy, you need to find the best way to help your students succeed, not so that you can have the best test scores, but so that your students can fulfill their highest potential and gain a quality education.

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How Teachers Plan to Prepare Students for Standardized Tests

December 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Teachers need to prep students for taking the yearly standardized tests. It’s said that American students are the most tested students in the world, having over 100 million standardized tests each year, nation-wide. And the results aren’t taken lightly, as the scores are valuable to just about everyone involved; not just the student.

The scores tell on the teacher, in that it’s a peek into how well the teacher has taught the student, as well as how well the student learned the lessons. Principals benefit from good scores because the school will be highly ranked for government programs, and it means the principal is doing a good job.

Teachers Plan on Prepping Students for Standardized Tests

As such, it behooves a teacher to prepare the students well by teaching them for the test-taking from the first day, with frequent refreshers up until the actual test. That way the students are prepared, knowing well the information they’re about to be tested on. It can help to tell the students that they already know the stuff on the test.

Teachers can create a positive atmosphere in the class by shifting the focus from taking an important test to the rewards for finishing the tests. And it also helps for easing the anxiety by telling the students that the test is not a measure of how smart they are, but more a measure of how well they’ve learned their homework. It doesn’t judge them as a person.

Telling more confident students that it’s like a contest to see who remembers the most makes a game of it and may take away the stress of taking a big test.
Parents should be involved. Studies show that when students have a good breakfast they do better in school, behave better and do better on tests. Sleep is also something parents should make sure the kids get enough of.

Give them the best chance they can have.

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