Learning to Teach

I should preface with Beth loves teaching zoom classes. She doesn't have to leave her house. She doesn't have to drive anywhere. I hate teaching zoom classes. I can't read the students' faces to know if I've gotten through to them. I don't like not being able to have an interactive discourse. The students check out and play on Facebook if they aren't interested or don't understand. 

Last time I taught a class online, I got crap reviews, partially because the students didn't find me relatable (my words--their thoughts). The class was a cluster, but that was for a lot of reasons, and me not being relatable was a byproduct of the entire day. However, I could have done a few things better to not have that situation. But it would have been easier had I been able to be with them in person. But I digress... 

 So Beth was the chair of some committee commissioned by the Dept. of Real Estate to make online "zoom" classes a permanent thing. When she got the appointment she went ape. This was a dream come true. And she and her committee made the most of it. 

Today I sat through a, "how to teach adults via zoom," class that basically blew. First, we are required to find 5 ways in a three hour time frame to interactively engage students. This ranges from breakout rooms to polls. Now tell me, when teaching BRAND NEW agents the 10 page residential purchase contract, why would I put them in a place all by themselves to discuss what they don't know? And what would a poll do? Decide via vote what the best way to handle the earnest money would be? The class I teach is a lecture, question and answer class. Though there is "interaction," most of it comes through discussion and real-world legal examples. One can't have a discussion with 30+ adults in the online format. I know. I've tried. 

Oh yes, in order to take attendance, we have to give a "secret word" at some point every hour. At the end of the class, students are to e-mail all secret words to the instructor so they can get credit for the class with the Department of Real Estate. Hence, if a student is taking my six hour information-overload class on the purchase contract and they miss one of the secret words because they are taking notes on a boatload of concepts, they don't get credit for the class and have to redo the six hours again. Yes, you read that right. 

There are still to be monitors in classes of 50 or more people (really, you need a monitor after about 10 people). Even our group of Real Estate Instructors needed a monitor, as I saw a few people doing questionable things. There were 30 of us. And by the way, I'm guilty too. I sent a couple of texts to my friend Kay, who was also in the class.

We were also taught lots of tricks on how to make zoom more--and I am not making this up--"fun." This included raising our hands, using chat and annotating--but my version of Zoom did not include an annotating feature. So instead I watched the other 29 participants do an online word search and write anti-Dodgers graffiti during our "annotation session." 

Though I am certified to teach online, I think I will do my level-best to wait until the classrooms open up again. I am more interested in teaching and helping new agents understand what they are doing than playing with technology. Not that it matters, Beth hasn't invited me to teach since July.