What really distinguishes DL teaching from classroom teaching?

• Time and space. The learners and teacher can be anywhere at any time and learning can be taking place; learners can be interacting with other learners, the teacher can be interacting with learners, and individual learning can be taking place via discussion boards or live classrooms.

What are the myths of being a DL teacher?

• That it isn’t “real teaching” because the kids aren’t right in front of you
• That it is a place to “hide out” if you are a teacher that has had difficulties in the classroom
• That it takes less energy than classroom teaching. I find my job less physically demanding but it requires WAY more energy to plan experiences that will work for learners that will be valuable and to build relationships with the families.

How do you build relationships with your students in a DL environment?

• Face to face experiences: field trips, community activities, weekly interaction days at recreation centres or schools
• Online experiences to build school community: discussion boards, online clubs, live virtual classrooms where we can talk and interact together
• Personal emails to the learners
• Home visits to those in remote locations
• Encouraging “my life” videos where learners can post little movies of themselves in their environments so the whole class can build an understanding of the person and can respond
• Weekly phone calls
• Encouraging learners to submit learning samples on a regular basis to receive personalized feedback and comments.