Hello everyone!
I have been absent from here for about 3 weeks now and I have a perfectly good explanation. For the first week, I was just purely getting ready for vacation and then the next week, vacation came, but it sucked! Plus, I had migraines the whole way through, so we left a bit early. I recovered from that and on the fourth of July weekend, I partied very hard, so that was well worth it. Now, I have decided that I will resume my teaching next Monday, but I really don't think that I need to worry. I may only have 77 classes down, but it's only been not even 3 months. I still have time to get through this and make our deadline of 1000 classes. For that, I'm just going to teach what I can, no deadlines or anything. Whatever I get is what I get. So, keep your eyes posted on that classes page and you'll see those numbers stack up in no time!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
New Course of Action
Alright. As many of you may have guessed, I am not going to be able to hit 100 classes by Monday. I have just found out that I am going to a neighboring town to visit some relatives and I will be there all day. Then, on Sunday, I will be hanging out with all of my relatives that day as well. So, basically, my whole weekend is class-free. What do we do now?
Well, we simply have to go to the next goal. Our next goal is to have 200 classes by July 12th. Now, this will not be easy and I will probably need some help. That assistant's position that I mentioned earlier is still available, so feel free to send me a message! I already have a planned vacation for the week of June 28th, so no classes there. So, that leaves me with 18 days before my deadline and I have 138 classes to go by then. So, 138/18 = 7.222222. Thus, I have to teach about 7 classes per day until then. This will probably not happen, but I will try my hardest to make it happen!
But, even with 7 classes per day, I will still be about 12 classes short from my deadline. But, I can make that up pretty fast. It is and will be getting much more difficult to do this, but by God, I will try! So, I am very sorry that we cannot celebrate my 100 classes on Monday, but I will try to get them as soon as possible! :)
Well, we simply have to go to the next goal. Our next goal is to have 200 classes by July 12th. Now, this will not be easy and I will probably need some help. That assistant's position that I mentioned earlier is still available, so feel free to send me a message! I already have a planned vacation for the week of June 28th, so no classes there. So, that leaves me with 18 days before my deadline and I have 138 classes to go by then. So, 138/18 = 7.222222. Thus, I have to teach about 7 classes per day until then. This will probably not happen, but I will try my hardest to make it happen!
But, even with 7 classes per day, I will still be about 12 classes short from my deadline. But, I can make that up pretty fast. It is and will be getting much more difficult to do this, but by God, I will try! So, I am very sorry that we cannot celebrate my 100 classes on Monday, but I will try to get them as soon as possible! :)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Let's Take This In The Other Direction!
I have been talking about this project for quite a while now and it is the main focal point of this blog. But, what I would like to do is actually talk about the blog itself. This will just be a quick overview on the things that are going on around here and what you can do to help me out.
1. FOLLOW! - In almost every blog post that I put up, I have always said to take a look and follow my blog here. Why I would like you to follow my blog is so that I can create a larger audience and so I am not talking to myself here and nobody else is listening or reading at all. On the right here, it says "Fans of Teach 1000!". Please look at this and see if maybe you would like to follow us. You can either follow by your Google Friend Connect through your Google account or if you are already a member, you can just sign in from there.
Once you follow Teach 1000!, you will have unlimited access to all of the posts that we put up, every update that there is, and anything else that you need! So, please do not hesitate to follow us!
2. Comment! - The vast majority of readers leave a blog without leaving a comment or contributing to it in any way. In every blog post from now on, I will always invite comments to the posts! If you are a new guy and don't know how to comment at all, please visit this link here! It will change your life!
If I see that someone has made a comment to a post that I have written or maybe it is a particular question to something else, then I will reply to it immediately! When you comment, then that helps me as a blogger and as a person on how I can improve this blog and in what I do with it. All that I'm saying is do not be shy. Please comment! :)
3. Participate! - I have seen many people that come to blogs and again, do absolutely nothing! If you would notice that there are some widgets on the right hand side of this blog, such as the "Visit These Pages!" and the "Donate!" button. You can just click on those and they will take you to fantastic new lands. If you see a page entitled, "The Origins", then that will show you how this blog was created and what the purpose of it is. If you see a page entitled, "Classes", then that will list all of my upcoming classes that you can enroll into and it even lists all of my previous classes that I have. (Back to #2. If you have a comment on a class that I have or a particular teaching style that I use or anything, please comment!)
You will also see a "Donate!" button on the right hand side where you can put your 2 cents or whatever you have into our blog here and it will be used for numerous school supplies and to make this blog and e-teaching even better than it already is! :)
So, I just have 3 simple requests from you: "Follow, comment, and participate!" This project cannot happen without your support and it will not be complete without your support! So for the good of e-learning and -teaching, get involved! :)
P.S. If you have a comment, please post it below.
1. FOLLOW! - In almost every blog post that I put up, I have always said to take a look and follow my blog here. Why I would like you to follow my blog is so that I can create a larger audience and so I am not talking to myself here and nobody else is listening or reading at all. On the right here, it says "Fans of Teach 1000!". Please look at this and see if maybe you would like to follow us. You can either follow by your Google Friend Connect through your Google account or if you are already a member, you can just sign in from there.
Once you follow Teach 1000!, you will have unlimited access to all of the posts that we put up, every update that there is, and anything else that you need! So, please do not hesitate to follow us!
2. Comment! - The vast majority of readers leave a blog without leaving a comment or contributing to it in any way. In every blog post from now on, I will always invite comments to the posts! If you are a new guy and don't know how to comment at all, please visit this link here! It will change your life!
If I see that someone has made a comment to a post that I have written or maybe it is a particular question to something else, then I will reply to it immediately! When you comment, then that helps me as a blogger and as a person on how I can improve this blog and in what I do with it. All that I'm saying is do not be shy. Please comment! :)
3. Participate! - I have seen many people that come to blogs and again, do absolutely nothing! If you would notice that there are some widgets on the right hand side of this blog, such as the "Visit These Pages!" and the "Donate!" button. You can just click on those and they will take you to fantastic new lands. If you see a page entitled, "The Origins", then that will show you how this blog was created and what the purpose of it is. If you see a page entitled, "Classes", then that will list all of my upcoming classes that you can enroll into and it even lists all of my previous classes that I have. (Back to #2. If you have a comment on a class that I have or a particular teaching style that I use or anything, please comment!)
You will also see a "Donate!" button on the right hand side where you can put your 2 cents or whatever you have into our blog here and it will be used for numerous school supplies and to make this blog and e-teaching even better than it already is! :)
So, I just have 3 simple requests from you: "Follow, comment, and participate!" This project cannot happen without your support and it will not be complete without your support! So for the good of e-learning and -teaching, get involved! :)
P.S. If you have a comment, please post it below.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Help Wanted!
Hello!
Upon further review of this project, it looks like that I may need some help with it. I cannot keep spending hours upon hours everyday, scheduling classes for the next day or taking a look at what I will be covering with that class. That is why I am asking for some assistant who will speak with me and help me out a bit. Your job will basically entail telling me at which times would be best for me to hold classes, co-hosting some classes of mine, notifying students of upcoming classes or possible cancellations, and possibly scheduling classes for me at the appropriate times that I give you.
Now, you need to know that this job is simply volunteer work and that is basically all that I am doing here. I am teaching nearly all of these classes for free and with that, I would like you to know that you will not be getting paid. You will only have the great knowledge of knowing that you have helped someone to achieve their full potential and to help hundreds of other students as well. Also, you don't really need any prior knowledge or credentials to take this job, but just the commitment of doing it (and a Skype account where we can talk!).
If you would like to apply for the position, please leave your information in the comments section or you can email me directly at ablair2391@yahoo.com. The absolute best way to contact me would be on Skype at the address of austinteacher. I really do hope to be working with you soon! :)
Upon further review of this project, it looks like that I may need some help with it. I cannot keep spending hours upon hours everyday, scheduling classes for the next day or taking a look at what I will be covering with that class. That is why I am asking for some assistant who will speak with me and help me out a bit. Your job will basically entail telling me at which times would be best for me to hold classes, co-hosting some classes of mine, notifying students of upcoming classes or possible cancellations, and possibly scheduling classes for me at the appropriate times that I give you.
Now, you need to know that this job is simply volunteer work and that is basically all that I am doing here. I am teaching nearly all of these classes for free and with that, I would like you to know that you will not be getting paid. You will only have the great knowledge of knowing that you have helped someone to achieve their full potential and to help hundreds of other students as well. Also, you don't really need any prior knowledge or credentials to take this job, but just the commitment of doing it (and a Skype account where we can talk!).
If you would like to apply for the position, please leave your information in the comments section or you can email me directly at ablair2391@yahoo.com. The absolute best way to contact me would be on Skype at the address of austinteacher. I really do hope to be working with you soon! :)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Very Good Weekend!
Wow, I had a really great weekend! Friday night, I went to go see a comedian with a couple of friends and he was absolutely hilarious! I was rolling on the floor hysterically! Saturday, I was swimming all day with friends and family, so I took a break there and Sunday, I went to go see the new film, the A-Team which is based off of the TV series of the same name. Let me tell you right now that if you are considering watching it, it is action-packed and LOUD! But, it really is a great movie!
But, now that my break is over, I have to get back to work here. I have scheduled some new classes for this week which you can see and enroll in on the Classes page (ALWAYS CHECK THE CLASSES PAGE!!!). I took a bit too long of a break and I am now a bit behind with my classes. As I said, I want to get done with my first 100 by the time next Monday comes around, but it will be a bit tough. I have 7 classes tomorrow, 6 classes Wednesday, which just leaves 28 classes left. So, Thursday - Sunday, I will have to do at least 7 classes per day if I want to make that 100. I am cutting myself very close, but I must press on..
I have also been rethinking this project over and over again in my mind and I have figured that once summer ends and the school year comes back around, I will not have time for about 6 or 7 classes per day and I won't be able to get it done. Thus, I have come up with a bit of a new calendar. The object of this is that I will teach 8 classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on all of the other days, I will be teaching 5 classes. Once the school year comes around (1st day on August 25th), then I will try to teach 4 classes after school and 6 on each day of the weekend. If I keep up with this schedule, then it would look something like this:
July 12 - 200 Classes Down!
July 29 - 300 Classes Down!
August 16 - 400 Classes Down!
August 24 (Day Before School Starts) - 453 Classes Down!
September 4 - 500 Classes Down
...and then I would just simply continue on. Now, if I make it to the halfway point of 500 classes by Labor Day Weekend, then everything will be good. I will have over a month and a half of leeway where I will be able to miss some classes and take a few breaks without fully overloading myself. But, like I said with the last schedule, this is just a guess and there is no guarantee that I will follow this exactly because things will come up and I cannot prevent that. However, I will try to stick to this as best as I can. But, for now, let's just see how this goes...
But, now that my break is over, I have to get back to work here. I have scheduled some new classes for this week which you can see and enroll in on the Classes page (ALWAYS CHECK THE CLASSES PAGE!!!). I took a bit too long of a break and I am now a bit behind with my classes. As I said, I want to get done with my first 100 by the time next Monday comes around, but it will be a bit tough. I have 7 classes tomorrow, 6 classes Wednesday, which just leaves 28 classes left. So, Thursday - Sunday, I will have to do at least 7 classes per day if I want to make that 100. I am cutting myself very close, but I must press on..
I have also been rethinking this project over and over again in my mind and I have figured that once summer ends and the school year comes back around, I will not have time for about 6 or 7 classes per day and I won't be able to get it done. Thus, I have come up with a bit of a new calendar. The object of this is that I will teach 8 classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on all of the other days, I will be teaching 5 classes. Once the school year comes around (1st day on August 25th), then I will try to teach 4 classes after school and 6 on each day of the weekend. If I keep up with this schedule, then it would look something like this:
July 12 - 200 Classes Down!
July 29 - 300 Classes Down!
August 16 - 400 Classes Down!
August 24 (Day Before School Starts) - 453 Classes Down!
September 4 - 500 Classes Down
...and then I would just simply continue on. Now, if I make it to the halfway point of 500 classes by Labor Day Weekend, then everything will be good. I will have over a month and a half of leeway where I will be able to miss some classes and take a few breaks without fully overloading myself. But, like I said with the last schedule, this is just a guess and there is no guarantee that I will follow this exactly because things will come up and I cannot prevent that. However, I will try to stick to this as best as I can. But, for now, let's just see how this goes...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Almost There...
Well, I have very good news. We are getting very close to the 100 classes mark! WOOHOO!! What I am going to have to do to reach this mark is to teach about 5 classes a day. I want to hit it by our schedule that I put up earlier which is June 21 which is actually the first day of summer coincidentally!
I may also have found a pretty good teaching technique that I am quite happy with. What I basically do is before my class, I get the whiteboard all setup and prepared. I put up an introductory photo into the lesson that we are going to do (something that deals with the topic) and I put the class outline along with it. How I make up the outline is basically by selecting three or four main topics that we will be covering throughout the lesson.
Then, I make another whiteboard and put up either a picture, map, or something that will catch the students' attention. I then put up some key things that we will be learning when we come up to that whiteboard. The key is in remembering how you will teach the class and you have to make sure that it follows a certain order, otherwise it just doesn't work. I also do my regular lecture method and I add a few questions into the mix, so that I can make sure that they are paying attention.
Once we are done with all of our lesson and it's time to go home, I put up some questions on the last whiteboard that are basically just a review of the lesson that they have just witnessed. I then make it into a bit of a game where whoever answers the most question wins like a gold star or a free session on any topic or something like that.
In order to do this, a teacher has to find different ways of keeping their students involved and you have to know what exactly you are talking about. It hasn't even been 100 classes yet and I'm already talking like I know what I'm doing! :P
I may also have found a pretty good teaching technique that I am quite happy with. What I basically do is before my class, I get the whiteboard all setup and prepared. I put up an introductory photo into the lesson that we are going to do (something that deals with the topic) and I put the class outline along with it. How I make up the outline is basically by selecting three or four main topics that we will be covering throughout the lesson.
Then, I make another whiteboard and put up either a picture, map, or something that will catch the students' attention. I then put up some key things that we will be learning when we come up to that whiteboard. The key is in remembering how you will teach the class and you have to make sure that it follows a certain order, otherwise it just doesn't work. I also do my regular lecture method and I add a few questions into the mix, so that I can make sure that they are paying attention.
Once we are done with all of our lesson and it's time to go home, I put up some questions on the last whiteboard that are basically just a review of the lesson that they have just witnessed. I then make it into a bit of a game where whoever answers the most question wins like a gold star or a free session on any topic or something like that.
In order to do this, a teacher has to find different ways of keeping their students involved and you have to know what exactly you are talking about. It hasn't even been 100 classes yet and I'm already talking like I know what I'm doing! :P
Monday, June 7, 2010
Constructive Criticism
Well, I have taught a few more classes over the weekend and I missed a few due to my horrible internet. I swear that this computer needs to just die already, so that I can get a better, faster one!
Anyways, we had some very good classes this weekend, but along the way, I have yet again noticed that my students are starting to fade within the class. I listen to my recordings and every time that I do, I start to fall asleep. I need to quit with this lecture method or just find something better to engage my students with, but I cannot figure out what I should do. I know the subject, but not how to present it well enough.
I just had a class about an hour ago and I received some constructive criticism within the feedback of it. The person said, "Austin's class opening is always very intriguing, but somewhere down the line the power of the magical story is lost and the lesson turns into a normal history class. If he could just make the class more intriguing towards the end, I think it would be one of the best classes of history attended by me!"
I really can't say that I blame the person and I really do admire this person saying this. So, my class opening is great, but I need that little something to keep my students hooked on the topic and not falling asleep! So, with that in mind, I really would like you to please post something in the comments, email me, or something about what I can do to improve this teaching technique that I have. I will not be able to do 1,000 classes if my students don't like me or how I am teaching them!
So, please keep this in mind and I hope to hear from you very soon! :)
Anyways, we had some very good classes this weekend, but along the way, I have yet again noticed that my students are starting to fade within the class. I listen to my recordings and every time that I do, I start to fall asleep. I need to quit with this lecture method or just find something better to engage my students with, but I cannot figure out what I should do. I know the subject, but not how to present it well enough.
I just had a class about an hour ago and I received some constructive criticism within the feedback of it. The person said, "Austin's class opening is always very intriguing, but somewhere down the line the power of the magical story is lost and the lesson turns into a normal history class. If he could just make the class more intriguing towards the end, I think it would be one of the best classes of history attended by me!"
I really can't say that I blame the person and I really do admire this person saying this. So, my class opening is great, but I need that little something to keep my students hooked on the topic and not falling asleep! So, with that in mind, I really would like you to please post something in the comments, email me, or something about what I can do to improve this teaching technique that I have. I will not be able to do 1,000 classes if my students don't like me or how I am teaching them!
So, please keep this in mind and I hope to hear from you very soon! :)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Summer Is Here!!!
Hey everybody!
I'm so happy to be back here and I really did need that break to get some other things done and over with. If you have not noticed by now, I have added a few things to our blog here including a hit counter (which is already over 650!), a poll (which will have a new question each week), and a donation button. Now, with this donation button, you are basically just donating some of your money to me, so that I can do some better things with this blog and with some other things as well. You can donate from $0.01 to $1,000,000!
I am so glad that summer is here because I am finally out of school and I get to do some other things. I am going to have to juggle my golfing, hanging out, and teaching all together this summer, so that should be pretty interesting. Don't forget to follow this blog, so that we can get some more friends and also remember to put some feedback with these blog entries or something about the site.
So, that's about it for now. Go and take a look at the Classes page, where you will find some more upcoming classes that are posted online for you to attend and also remember to keep track of where we are. Our goal for now is 100 classes by June 21, so let's try to aim for that! Always keep your short goals that you can reach in mind, so that you can get to your long-term goals later. My two cents.. :)
I'm so happy to be back here and I really did need that break to get some other things done and over with. If you have not noticed by now, I have added a few things to our blog here including a hit counter (which is already over 650!), a poll (which will have a new question each week), and a donation button. Now, with this donation button, you are basically just donating some of your money to me, so that I can do some better things with this blog and with some other things as well. You can donate from $0.01 to $1,000,000!
I am so glad that summer is here because I am finally out of school and I get to do some other things. I am going to have to juggle my golfing, hanging out, and teaching all together this summer, so that should be pretty interesting. Don't forget to follow this blog, so that we can get some more friends and also remember to put some feedback with these blog entries or something about the site.
So, that's about it for now. Go and take a look at the Classes page, where you will find some more upcoming classes that are posted online for you to attend and also remember to keep track of where we are. Our goal for now is 100 classes by June 21, so let's try to aim for that! Always keep your short goals that you can reach in mind, so that you can get to your long-term goals later. My two cents.. :)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
New Classes Coming + New Schedule!
Hi!
I have been hard at work on what I will be doing for when I come back to teaching online. But, I have been using most of that time to play with my kids, get ready for finals, and put in last-minute grades, so this is not wasted! I will be introducing some new courses into WiZiQ and EduFire which are the Human Legacy, the Eastern World, and Chemistry. If you would like some more information on these, then please either send me a message or attend the classes, but these courses will be awesome!!
Also, I have been putting together a bit of a schedule that I can sort of keep track of to know when I have to meet a certain deadline for a number of classes. So far, it is going like this:
June 21, 2010 - 100 Classes Down
July 23, 2010 - 200 Classes Down
August 18, 2010 - 300 Classes Down
September 19, 2010 - 400 Classes Down
October 19, 2010 - 500 Classes Down
Notice that the midway point of this challenge is exactly 6 months after I began this, so that will put me right on track! But, again, this is just a bit of a prediction because anything can happen, so I will try to follow this schedule as best I can, but please know that there are no guarantees!
Well, that's about all that I have for you right now. Please remember to check the classes page for some upcoming classes that I will be having, both on EduFire and WiZiQ, and remember, don't forget to follow!
P.S. WiZiQ is so nice that they put another blog post up about my challenge! Thanks WiZiQ!
Look at it here!
I have been hard at work on what I will be doing for when I come back to teaching online. But, I have been using most of that time to play with my kids, get ready for finals, and put in last-minute grades, so this is not wasted! I will be introducing some new courses into WiZiQ and EduFire which are the Human Legacy, the Eastern World, and Chemistry. If you would like some more information on these, then please either send me a message or attend the classes, but these courses will be awesome!!
Also, I have been putting together a bit of a schedule that I can sort of keep track of to know when I have to meet a certain deadline for a number of classes. So far, it is going like this:
June 21, 2010 - 100 Classes Down
July 23, 2010 - 200 Classes Down
August 18, 2010 - 300 Classes Down
September 19, 2010 - 400 Classes Down
October 19, 2010 - 500 Classes Down
Notice that the midway point of this challenge is exactly 6 months after I began this, so that will put me right on track! But, again, this is just a bit of a prediction because anything can happen, so I will try to follow this schedule as best I can, but please know that there are no guarantees!
Well, that's about all that I have for you right now. Please remember to check the classes page for some upcoming classes that I will be having, both on EduFire and WiZiQ, and remember, don't forget to follow!
P.S. WiZiQ is so nice that they put another blog post up about my challenge! Thanks WiZiQ!
Look at it here!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Taking A Break
I know that I have been very slow and I haven't had that much progress lately and if I keep it up, then we won't get this 1000 at all! So, I have decided to take a little break until my school year is over. I still have to grade papers, make finals, layout last minute assignments, and everything! Thus, it is too hectic of a schedule for me to keep up with. You have to remember that I come straight from my high school teaching my students there, then I come home and teach three classes online for 4 hours. The conclusion is that I don't have enough time to get anything else done!
However, it is a very good thing that we only have 12 more days of school left. Starting June 4th, I will be back teaching online and I will have to perform some double-time when I teach then to keep up with my quota. But, I will have a much better schedule and everything will be a lot easier for everyone!
So, I will see you all on June 4th! Bye! :)
However, it is a very good thing that we only have 12 more days of school left. Starting June 4th, I will be back teaching online and I will have to perform some double-time when I teach then to keep up with my quota. But, I will have a much better schedule and everything will be a lot easier for everyone!
So, I will see you all on June 4th! Bye! :)
Friday, May 14, 2010
What Is With That 3rd Class?!
Well, another week..another 11 classes down!
Throughout this week, I have realized that I do not have the stability or stamina in order to teach 3 classes straight through. So, what I have decided to do is to basically just do my first two classes (Algebra I, Psychology) and then take about an hour break and post my third class. Nobody has the physical willpower in order to teach constantly...well, maybe except me.
As some of you know, I also teach high school along with my online career, so believe me when I say that I can teach! Starting June 4th, I will be teaching a lot more classes per day since that is truly the first day of my summer vacation. I will probably do a couple in the morning, a couple in the afternoon, and a couple at night because you can probably guess that I am a bit behind in my classes. I MUST catch up!!
So, that's basically my theory for this week. Stay tuned for how my next week goes and if any improvements have to be made! :)
P.S. I have been recently been getting some actual interested students to maybe pay for a private lesson or two. Please do not forget that if you would like a private course or lesson, then do not hesitate to send me a message either at ablair2391@yahoo.com or on Skype at the address of austinteacher. :)
Throughout this week, I have realized that I do not have the stability or stamina in order to teach 3 classes straight through. So, what I have decided to do is to basically just do my first two classes (Algebra I, Psychology) and then take about an hour break and post my third class. Nobody has the physical willpower in order to teach constantly...well, maybe except me.
As some of you know, I also teach high school along with my online career, so believe me when I say that I can teach! Starting June 4th, I will be teaching a lot more classes per day since that is truly the first day of my summer vacation. I will probably do a couple in the morning, a couple in the afternoon, and a couple at night because you can probably guess that I am a bit behind in my classes. I MUST catch up!!
So, that's basically my theory for this week. Stay tuned for how my next week goes and if any improvements have to be made! :)
P.S. I have been recently been getting some actual interested students to maybe pay for a private lesson or two. Please do not forget that if you would like a private course or lesson, then do not hesitate to send me a message either at ablair2391@yahoo.com or on Skype at the address of austinteacher. :)
Saturday, May 8, 2010
25 Through - How Am I Doing?
OK, I have taught 25 classes now online, but we're going to see exactly how they are. Throughout this ordeal, I have just been teaching away and have gotten some pretty good results. There is one person (and probably more) that think that I may be burning myself out a bit and he is a very great online instructor on WiZiQ. As some objectors to this project said before it started, "Quality is better than quantity". This is a statement that I totally agree with, but as I replied to one person, "I know of the balance between quality and quantity, but what if sometimes, a person does quite a lot of classes and as they progress throughout their challenge, their quality gets gradually better as they move on." This is what I believe will happen.
Now, I know that there was a bit of a slump and there still is with my teaching, but I promise you that it is over. As I stated, I only want to continue doing this if I give the best classes that I possibly can and that is most certainly what I will do. I am taking a weekend break, but starting Monday, I will give it my all! Some things that I have noticed about my teaching are:
- My voice stinks. I just have always not liked my voice when I hear it online, but many other people always compliment me about it. I was in the school chorus for about 8 years and I was the lead bass, but for some reason, I just have never liked it. So, that is one thing that I always try to improve.
- I lecture way too much! I'm just getting so tired of going on and on and on about something (e.g. the brain) and absolutely nobody responding to it! It is so freaking frustrating! So now, what I am trying to do, is to create some presentations and show my students pictures and illustrations about what we are discussing and make sure that they are able to interact as best as they can.
- People just don't care about the subjects. I have known this for quite a while, but about all online students want to learn is English. Which is very good, but not good for me as I am an academics instructor. The reason that I am not an English teacher is that I don't have the patience to have somebody sound out the word, "boat" or "exciting". It just isn't good for me. I like to see people participate, ask questions, and learn something new!
Please remember that the purpose of my participating in this program to begin with is so that I may find certain things that my students like and dislike, so that I can become a better teacher. I believe that this formula is proving very good already!
Also, I have decided that WiZiQ will not be my only source of online classes and that I will also be doing some classes for this on EduFire. This is a very great learning platform and I have always been happy to teach with them! In addition to this, I have decided to switch over my Algebra II course to a Biology course which I have found that a lot more people are interested in this kind of a subject. But, who knows? My Algebra I and Psychology courses are still running very smoothly, so I will be keeping those until somebody says it stinks!
Don't forget to check out the classes page for my upcoming classes online and also to look at some of the recordings from my past classes and make sure to comment on anything that I may need to improve on or give me a compliment so I have the power to keep going!
Now, I know that there was a bit of a slump and there still is with my teaching, but I promise you that it is over. As I stated, I only want to continue doing this if I give the best classes that I possibly can and that is most certainly what I will do. I am taking a weekend break, but starting Monday, I will give it my all! Some things that I have noticed about my teaching are:
- My voice stinks. I just have always not liked my voice when I hear it online, but many other people always compliment me about it. I was in the school chorus for about 8 years and I was the lead bass, but for some reason, I just have never liked it. So, that is one thing that I always try to improve.
- I lecture way too much! I'm just getting so tired of going on and on and on about something (e.g. the brain) and absolutely nobody responding to it! It is so freaking frustrating! So now, what I am trying to do, is to create some presentations and show my students pictures and illustrations about what we are discussing and make sure that they are able to interact as best as they can.
- People just don't care about the subjects. I have known this for quite a while, but about all online students want to learn is English. Which is very good, but not good for me as I am an academics instructor. The reason that I am not an English teacher is that I don't have the patience to have somebody sound out the word, "boat" or "exciting". It just isn't good for me. I like to see people participate, ask questions, and learn something new!
Please remember that the purpose of my participating in this program to begin with is so that I may find certain things that my students like and dislike, so that I can become a better teacher. I believe that this formula is proving very good already!
Also, I have decided that WiZiQ will not be my only source of online classes and that I will also be doing some classes for this on EduFire. This is a very great learning platform and I have always been happy to teach with them! In addition to this, I have decided to switch over my Algebra II course to a Biology course which I have found that a lot more people are interested in this kind of a subject. But, who knows? My Algebra I and Psychology courses are still running very smoothly, so I will be keeping those until somebody says it stinks!
Don't forget to check out the classes page for my upcoming classes online and also to look at some of the recordings from my past classes and make sure to comment on anything that I may need to improve on or give me a compliment so I have the power to keep going!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Am I Doing Something Wrong?
I have taught almost 20 classes so far in this project and I feel that as I am teaching them that I may be doing something wrong. Every class that I teach, I feel like that there is absolutely no connection between me and the students because they just do not want to do anything. That is part of why I am doing this is to improve my teaching technique and I need your help into figuring out what I am doing wrong and how I can improve it.
Don't leave me out in the dark! I just taught 3 more classes today which is very good, but that is when I started to notice that I was just drifting through the lessons which is not what I want by doing this project. I still know that I need to step up my game as 20 classes is not very good so far, so I will be teaching some more. Please leave something in the comments below. What am I doing wrong? Are my lessons interesting? My courses? How do I improve myself?
Thank you.
Don't leave me out in the dark! I just taught 3 more classes today which is very good, but that is when I started to notice that I was just drifting through the lessons which is not what I want by doing this project. I still know that I need to step up my game as 20 classes is not very good so far, so I will be teaching some more. Please leave something in the comments below. What am I doing wrong? Are my lessons interesting? My courses? How do I improve myself?
Thank you.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Change of Plans
I have noticed throughout this week that people aren't really interested in the certain types of courses that I am teaching. Now, I am not a bad teacher, but the courses that I am offering do not relate to my students. Although, I have received popular feedback from my psychology course and I am keeping that, but my United States & African History courses are going to have to go. Instead, what I will replace with those two courses are Algebra I & Algebra II. So, here is the new course list for now: Algebra I, Psychology, & Algebra II. How's that sound?
P.S. Throughout this week, I have only taught 6 classes. :( So, I need to step it up a bit! :)
P.S. Throughout this week, I have only taught 6 classes. :( So, I need to step it up a bit! :)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Week #2
Hi!
Well, here we are at Week 2! I have set up my classes for next week and I am so excited to be doing this! Remember that the first three courses that I will be doing are my Psychology, United States History, and African courses.
I have created 2 separate pages for this blog. The Origins page is all about me and why I started teach 1000! The Classes page lists every single class that I will be having, so they will be on that page instead of on here. So, from now on, please go to that page to see different classes. Thanks!
Also, check out this cool video that I made for the program:
Well, here we are at Week 2! I have set up my classes for next week and I am so excited to be doing this! Remember that the first three courses that I will be doing are my Psychology, United States History, and African courses.
I have created 2 separate pages for this blog. The Origins page is all about me and why I started teach 1000! The Classes page lists every single class that I will be having, so they will be on that page instead of on here. So, from now on, please go to that page to see different classes. Thanks!
Also, check out this cool video that I made for the program:
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Day #4: End of Week 1
Hello everybody!
Today, I have taught another two classes which puts me at 9 classes down and 991 to go! I am getting so enthusiastic already as I know that I have been getting a lot out of this project already and will continue to. Also, I now have a blog post on the WiZiQ blog that is just fantastic and very flattering as well! Click here to take a look at it.
I will not be teaching anything tomorrow as it is my birthday and I will be celebrating all weekend! So, I have nothing to do but prepare until Monday. See you soon! :)
Today, I have taught another two classes which puts me at 9 classes down and 991 to go! I am getting so enthusiastic already as I know that I have been getting a lot out of this project already and will continue to. Also, I now have a blog post on the WiZiQ blog that is just fantastic and very flattering as well! Click here to take a look at it.
I will not be teaching anything tomorrow as it is my birthday and I will be celebrating all weekend! So, I have nothing to do but prepare until Monday. See you soon! :)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Day #3: Good News!
Hey!
Well, everyone who is reading (at least I hope someone is), I have taught another 3 great classes today and I have gotten some very good news that this project will be promoted even more by the great people at WiZiQ.com! Harman Singh, the CEO of WiZiQ, sent me a message saying that he would love to promote my project and the content writer, Richa Singh, just asked me for some information about the project. Things are really starting to look up and the absolute best part is that its only been three days!!
Well, everyone who is reading (at least I hope someone is), I have taught another 3 great classes today and I have gotten some very good news that this project will be promoted even more by the great people at WiZiQ.com! Harman Singh, the CEO of WiZiQ, sent me a message saying that he would love to promote my project and the content writer, Richa Singh, just asked me for some information about the project. Things are really starting to look up and the absolute best part is that its only been three days!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Day #2: Powerpoints, powerpoints, powerpoints...
Hi.
Wow, was that a good day or what? I just taught 3 classes non-stop about the benefits of studying psychology to the different Native American cultures that were in North America to ancient Egypt! I'll tell you that that definitely takes quite a bit out of you, but what really took me out was the powerpoints.
I'm having three classes a day and I have to remember when and what the powerpoints are doing. It takes me about 20-25 minutes to do each powerpoint, so I would say that on a nightly basis that it will take me about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. But, that is the harsh lesson of being a teacher. You have to prepare!
That's all that I have for you today and I have to get ready for tomorrow! But, first let me get something to eat. 25th Anniversary of the Blizzard at Dairy Queen and I am getting a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard! WOOHOOO!!!!
Wow, was that a good day or what? I just taught 3 classes non-stop about the benefits of studying psychology to the different Native American cultures that were in North America to ancient Egypt! I'll tell you that that definitely takes quite a bit out of you, but what really took me out was the powerpoints.
I'm having three classes a day and I have to remember when and what the powerpoints are doing. It takes me about 20-25 minutes to do each powerpoint, so I would say that on a nightly basis that it will take me about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. But, that is the harsh lesson of being a teacher. You have to prepare!
That's all that I have for you today and I have to get ready for tomorrow! But, first let me get something to eat. 25th Anniversary of the Blizzard at Dairy Queen and I am getting a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard! WOOHOOO!!!!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Day #1: Cancelling Stinks..
Hi!
Well, day 1 is now officially over with! Let me just tell you how it was...good! When I got home, I was just so tired and I had to take care of a personal matter, so I unfortunately, had to cancel a class on EduFire. But, don't worry! I'll make it up.
Afterward, I lounged around for a bit and then went for my next class. That was really fun as I discussed the earliest Americans which you wouldn't think is that great, but I had a lot of fun teaching it!
Then, after that, I found out that I had a meeting right when my next class was, so I had to cancel that one! I will tell you that it is not fun when canceling a class. But, I will make both of those classes up as I still have 364 days left. I'm gonna go rest because besides that class, it has been a long day! I hope to see you soon! Bye! :)
Well, day 1 is now officially over with! Let me just tell you how it was...good! When I got home, I was just so tired and I had to take care of a personal matter, so I unfortunately, had to cancel a class on EduFire. But, don't worry! I'll make it up.
Afterward, I lounged around for a bit and then went for my next class. That was really fun as I discussed the earliest Americans which you wouldn't think is that great, but I had a lot of fun teaching it!
Then, after that, I found out that I had a meeting right when my next class was, so I had to cancel that one! I will tell you that it is not fun when canceling a class. But, I will make both of those classes up as I still have 364 days left. I'm gonna go rest because besides that class, it has been a long day! I hope to see you soon! Bye! :)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Week #1: The Beginning of Learning
Hi!
I have set up my first few classes for next week and I am so excited to be doing this! The first three courses that I will be doing are my Psychology, United States History, and African courses. Please remember that before each class, I will be posting the links to all of them right here and on the days that I do them, I will discuss them as well. So, you can expect this blog to be updated quite frequently!
Click on the names of the classes below to go to the page and sign up for them:
Europe Before Transatlantic Travel
A History of Psychology
The Middle & New Kingdoms
Also, please do not forget to follow the blog so you can get updates as to what is going on and if you would like to leave a comment below, you are more than welcome to! I hope to see you very soon and happy learning! :)
I have set up my first few classes for next week and I am so excited to be doing this! The first three courses that I will be doing are my Psychology, United States History, and African courses. Please remember that before each class, I will be posting the links to all of them right here and on the days that I do them, I will discuss them as well. So, you can expect this blog to be updated quite frequently!
Click on the names of the classes below to go to the page and sign up for them:
Europe Before Transatlantic Travel
A History of Psychology
The Middle & New Kingdoms
Also, please do not forget to follow the blog so you can get updates as to what is going on and if you would like to leave a comment below, you are more than welcome to! I hope to see you very soon and happy learning! :)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Teach 1000!
Hello!
My name is Austin Blair and I am an online teacher who has worked with many different platforms and am a veteran in teaching online. I have just recently been offered a challenge that could probably change my life. What is the challenge?
Teach 1000 online classes in one year! The rules:
1) I must have at least 1 student in every class that I do.
2) All classes must be either on EduFire, WiZiQ, or any other online platform.
3) Each class must be at least 30 minutes long.
4) I cannot have the same student for more than 5 classes in a row.
5) Each class must be on a different topic, but can be in the same subject. For example, I can teach a world history course, but I have to have a different topic in each lesson.
365 days. 1000 classes. A worthless connection on a crappy computer. How far do you think that it will go? Put your comments below and wait..wait..wait. I will be posting links to all of my classes, so if you would like to join one, then you are more than welcome to sign up!
The challenge starts on April 19, 2010 and (hopefully!) will end on April 19, 2011. I hope that you will follow me on this great journey and I hope to learn a lot from it! Here we go!!
My name is Austin Blair and I am an online teacher who has worked with many different platforms and am a veteran in teaching online. I have just recently been offered a challenge that could probably change my life. What is the challenge?
Teach 1000 online classes in one year! The rules:
1) I must have at least 1 student in every class that I do.
2) All classes must be either on EduFire, WiZiQ, or any other online platform.
3) Each class must be at least 30 minutes long.
4) I cannot have the same student for more than 5 classes in a row.
5) Each class must be on a different topic, but can be in the same subject. For example, I can teach a world history course, but I have to have a different topic in each lesson.
365 days. 1000 classes. A worthless connection on a crappy computer. How far do you think that it will go? Put your comments below and wait..wait..wait. I will be posting links to all of my classes, so if you would like to join one, then you are more than welcome to sign up!
The challenge starts on April 19, 2010 and (hopefully!) will end on April 19, 2011. I hope that you will follow me on this great journey and I hope to learn a lot from it! Here we go!!
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