Week 8

The presentation we got from Lily Compton about Teacher education going into Virtual Schooling taught me two main things. First the existence of three roles or participants in virtual schooling, and second the teaching skills for doing this kind of teaching. 

Talking about the roles, I do see the need of separating the teacher from the designer; but I hadn't thought about a stand alone position such us Site facilitator. I had an online teaching experience last summer and by listening to this presentation I realized I was the teacher and site facilitator at the same time, and thanks God I was not the designer. And to be sincere I was not not even the teacher, because the software I was given to "teach" the class with, put me in the role of controlling what exercises students were to do, and grading, nothing else. It was a dream because I didn't have to lesson plan, but I didn't feel like a teacher but a programmer (besides I never met my students).

Looking at the Skills pyramid from Hampel & Stickler (2005) I learned teachers should enhance online socialization (No 4) besides facilitating communicative competence (No 5). Referring again to my Spanish online class I was not completely successful at No 4 due to schedule problems among my students mainly. I did think it was important, but I just didn't find an answer (and need to look for it still). And No. 5 was beyond my capacity because that was my first online teaching experience. 

I am taking one online class now, and the knowledge I have gained there plus what I have learned in this CALL class will make a difference in the next online class I teach (this spring). I wish I had a Site facilitator to help me carry the load, I may ask for one based on what I learned from the presentation, and I just hope the department listens to me because I'm just a TA.