Shared Project Goals through Online Experiential Learning

*From one Virtual Educator to Another*

During school year 2013-2014 I had the pleasure of facilitating an Online Biology Course.  I worked with students in Louisiana from my home near Boston, MA.  I work with Smart Start Virtual Academy to provide cutting edge technology and course material to the students.  We learned a lot about the technical aspects of working together in our Virtual Biology Course trough the Learning Management System called MOODLE. We learned the course material and helped each other with some of the challenging topics in Biology.  Best of all, We learned how to relate to one another and become partners in education as well as validate that we are working together just as well as we would when working in the same room.  With the excellent support from the Virtual Academy Team, most of the students now understand that virtual communication, shared work and project goals, and sharing results are extremely important skills for the future workplace in a Global sense, We were able to open up our worlds to each other, and appreciate that because of the diversity of the United States, we are all Americans, rather than only citizens of our State. We learn about the unique and wonderful places and natural environments in our states, thus becoming closer as Americans.

We learned how to communicate using:

• Video Chat-creates an excellent opportunity for one on one focused and productive conversations without distraction-visually, verbally.
• Message Chat through the Moodle System-daily messages between the students and I to clarify instruction, answer questions, and general conversation about our lives-teaches us how to communicate clearly typing the though to the chat box.
• Email-we used email for exchanging information that is important to save, as well as attaching documents when needed. Our Virtual Academy Team communicates primarily in this way.  
• Moodle Assignment Submission-students upload their assignments so that I can grade and comment within a 24 hour period, which give students a quick indication of all of their grades which they can see in the system, thus eliminating the mystery of what their current grade is
• Phone-sometimes we talk to each other on the phone to say hello

Our best communication became evident when we created the same experiment in our locations, and shared the results of that experiment- Passive Transport Osmosis.  

We set up our experiments on the same day, and  we then shared results via Video Chat, Messaging, and a written assignment. 

See an example of student's written assignment submitted through Moodle describing what she learned from the demonstration:

My Goal as a Virtual Educator and Online Tutor is to prevent us from just looking a computer screen while learning.  I hope to pass along a sense of collaboration by observing our worlds and sharing them using a multitude of wonderful online tools for further study. Experiences we can Share to create a sense of Global Community...that's my goal!

Visit www.clare-computer-tutor.com for more information.

Thank you for reading!

Virtual Education/Online Tutoring-Some Misconceptions and Validations about Summer Vacation

Ah..Summer Time (reprieve from living in the Boston area Tundra over winter-0-5 degree mornings still fresh in my mind) and the Living is Easy-Teachers have the Summer "off" 

So...
Why do I mention this obvious fact?

As an Virtual Educator, my job continues.  My work continues. Always. 7 days a week.

Why do I say this?

Many people mention to me on a daily basis how great it must be to be a teacher and not have to work in the summer. In my particular job as Virtual Educator, I do NOT get paid for months lost to summer break. (I am extremely Against Summer Break).

Usually this conversation occurs at 7:00 AM while I am walking my dog and doing the best I can to NOT communicate with others doing the same.

I start to stammer-not know how to express that as an Online Educator, that I am ALWAYS working! But not necessarily collecting a paycheck from my Virtual Academy Biology Teacher Job, which is NONE of their business anyway!

Please see my flow chart (which I just learned how to do in Google Docs as of this writing) of the work I do and I may have forgotten like constantly making You Tube videos-channel name-Clare G and updating my web site 
www.clare-computer-tutor.com

I DO NOT get paid for this WORK IN THE SUMMER MONTHS-all of this takes hours on my computer as well as my smart phone, where I get a steady stream of twitters from other educators as excited about new technologies (yesterday I just learned about Augmented Reality on my smart phone) but the benefits of figuring out how to do all of this stuff defines a success that far exceeds the concept of getting paid for the work. Perhaps not having much money to go away or sit by fancy pools, no kids (I am truly glad that teachers get to spend more time with their kids in the summer), and simple lifestyle and a few hobbies (oh ya I can go fishing! forgot about that!) lends me the opportunity to really put quality time, energy, and fun into my summer en devours. 
Experiential Learning through Virtual Education and Online Learning-Learning the most effective ways to communicate with students takes A LOT of work! 

Thank you for reading!

Please visit www.clare-computer-tutor.com

Virtual Education-How do we Communicate when the World is the Classroom?

The world of education is changing rapidly with the advent of learning virtually-a worldly approach to teaching which decentralizes the classroom setting out of the brick and mortar.  The world becomes the classroom.  You may be thinking, well all we are doing is staring at computer screens, and you may be correct..this funny picture represents old school communication before the internet social media craze...So many ways to communicate and connect globally...but which one is most appropriate for Virtual Education?

I could show you lists upon lists of different internet tools for best practices for the Virtual Classroom...but if you are anything like me your head would be spinning and you would want to use ALL of them in your virtual education classes to make it look like you are reaching every student based on their learning and communication preference!  It baffles the mind! That's what communication is like these days, and you almost have to become a People Pleaser when you meet new people..
I often find myself asking, so which is your preferred method of communication?

• Text?
• Email? 
• Facebook posts and chat?
• Twitter?
• Old Fashion talking on the Phone?
• Skype or Google Hangout Video Chat? 
• or the classic Write a Letter or Card, put it in an envelop, put a stamp on it and put it in a Mail Box? (or as we now cleverly know it as Snail Mail)

 Did I miss Any?

I really do ask these questions of people, and I really do communicate with them in the only way they will communicate with me, which makes Me communicate in Every Way Humanly Possible these days-especially with my Virtual Students..you really got to think on your feet and be on your toes to reach them!
My goal as a modern day communicator with Everyone in my World is "Keepin it Simple"
My blog will explore how to choose and accomplish this in hopefully the most simple way possible.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy my blogs, and I am committed to brevity and simplicity!
Please visit my web site www.clare-computer-tutor.com
Let's start Communicating Today!