Virtual education has become a booming business in recent years with more parents opting to enroll their children in virtual schools across the country. And now, more school districts are making virtual learning options available for parents to choose.
While there are many upsides for families learning virtually, such as eliminating the need for transportation and escaping poor building conditions, bullying, and school violence, one would be remiss if they didn’t mention the downsides to virtual learning.
Perhaps the biggest problem when it comes to teaching students virtually vs. in the classroom is that teachers spend years in college studying pedagogy and student teaching in person. However, most teachers rarely receive the proper training when it comes to teaching students virtually.
It stands to reason that the less experience a teacher has teaching virtually the less effective they’ll be. Just like how newer teachers are less effective than experienced teachers in a traditional classroom.
What can both virtual and brick and mortar school districts do to ensure that their teachers are high-qualified to teach our students virtually:
- Provide high-quality training on all the virtual tools available to teachers
- Allow enough time for teachers to practice using these tools before they are in front of the classroom
- Partner with an educational technology company that offers top-notch customer support
When talented teachers are given powerful tools to teach virtually, are thoroughly trained on how to use those tools effectively, and are backed up by responsive customer service, they can accomplish anything.
Of course, not. Teachers must continue to educate students in even the worst of circumstances.
If teachers have no idea how to use software appropriately or technical issues arise, they’re stranded with nowhere to go for help and no backup plan to continue class as planned, unless they have access to quick and responsive support from their vendor.
Jigsaw Interactive offers a dedicated Account Manager and a full technical support team to ensure issues, questions and challenges get identified and resolved as quickly as possible. This gives teachers the comfort and confidence in the system so they can pay attention to what’s most important – the students and their education.
