Maybe the biggest shift in going from the face-to-face setting to teaching in the online setting is that we no longer have a place and time where we show up to do the work of teaching. With that, our role changes from the up-in-front teacher to facilitator. There are upsides and downsides to both settings and both roles, but what’s important to recognize when making the switch is that a recalibration is necessary.
What needs recalibrated?
Our time: If we are accustomed to spending 1 hour a day, or 4 hours a week in front of our students, we need to reallocate that time on our calendar. Many online teachers fail to do this and I believe it’s the primary reason why they have a hard time making the switch to the online environment, they don’t replace their old rhythms with new ones. It’s going to take a while for you to figure out how often you are online and for how long, but set a baseline now and get it on your calendar.
