Teachers Topic is a periodical feature about a subject of interest to the teaching community written by a prominent expert in the field. This month, Shannon C’de Baca answers questions about online teaching. You can learn more about Shannon C’de Baca at the end of the interview.
Q: When did you decide to go into online teaching and why?
A: I was offered the opportunity from someone I trust. She and I both believed that this was going to be a part of the future and that current online courses were not up to par in terms of science. So, when she offered me a chance to design one from the ground up and include some face to face labs I took the offer.
Q: What are the biggest challenges when it comes to teaching online?
A: The start up is tough. There is a gulf between what we think kid know about technology and what they do. Helping them find their way in an environment where the information comes in so many formats is quite a task and it is different for every different study style or learning style.
Q: Do you ever feel too accessible/too connected to your students using this method of teaching?
A: I was the first two years and now I am carving out some “off” time. That is critical to preserve your sanity. But, I still get some cell calls when a kid has a meltdown and something is not working.
Q: How do the hours compare to teaching in a regular classroom?
A: I actually work longer for fewer kids in this environment. But the work is different because the connection is so personal. Each student has time with me one on one if they need it and that is both exhausting and rewarding. Of course the start up time is so much longer than in a face to face classroom. As the year goes along it gets better.
Q: How successful do you think the model of online teaching will be twenty years down the road?
A: I think the kids will drive the technology. Here in Iowa we cannot graduate enough chemistry or physics teachers. So, this is a short time fix. I think online will never replace a good face to face teacher. However, having a good teacher who may not feel comfortable with the pedagogy of chemistry work along with a class in this online environment and learn along with them (and pick up some methods along the way) does have great promise. I like the idea of helping new face to face teachers get a good start using courses like this for mentoring.
