Online Teaching Blog

Now that you have passed the interview stage you are required to participate in online training to become familiar with the school’s Learning Management Software (i.e. Blackboard, Moodle, etc.). Depending on the school the training time and requirements can vary. For example, I participated in four weeks of intensive training for one school while I participated in self-paced training for another, which only took about four days. During training you learn how to setup your classroom, respond to posts, grade assignments as well as other valuable tools. It may seem overwhelming if you haven’t taught before but follow these tips and I promise you will succeed and survive online training.

This article serves as a bridge between my planting seeds and what’s in your portfolio articles.

Universities select an online learning platform as a foundation and shell in which to house the content of their online learning programs and classes. While customized offerings often add greater flexibility, it’s also critical to maintain a simple ease of use. Many students can thrive in a simple environment that gives them easy access to the material that they need. Customization is nice, but not at the expense of simplicity.

With a lot of miles (millions) under my belt and countless international trips to time zones not conducive to working from the minute you hit the ground, a good friend recently asked me for some tips for international travel to keep from going stir crazy when your hours hit 15 or more in the flying tin can. The truth is long hauls do not make me crazy, it feels like a bit of an office with wings; but her question is valid and points well taken.

I was asked by a few folks to share this with other educators who may also be traveling a lot. So here goes – my method to surviving long haul international trips and avoiding jet lag pretty much completely (admitting that lifelong insomnia plays an instrumental role in jetlag survival and staying awake for long periods of time without much downside beyond crankiness). My goal is to land, stay awake until nighttime after being awake the entire flight, sleep a full night, and hit the ground running the next day both at work and enjoying the new sights.