1. Online instructor jobs are opportunities to work as teaching a professional from home. It is a good way to supplement your existing income. Some people even use it as their main source of income.

2. Online instruction can also be an effective way for teachers, especially new educators, to acquire useful instructional practical experience. It is greatly diversified and offer you numerous niche subjects for educators to share their expertise. Online teaching jobs are a trendy

3. Online instructor jobs are for educators, not for attendance recorders and paper graders. It is a perfect part-time employment for teachers, graduate students, along with degreed professionals. It is a practical part-time occupation which is ideal for busy professionals. It is just like other jobs primarily due to the fact live and asynchronous (not live) chats permit online interactions. Online teaching jobs are highly sought after amid women, especially those who work from home.

4. Online teaching can appeal to adults, and older individuals, and is actually a fulfilling career decision. It tends to be more diverse than the majority of people understand. It is anticipated to grow considerably faster than the nationwide average for many careers by 2014. Online instructor jobs are one the most popular professions recently.

5. Online teaching jobs are getting more readily found with the rise in popularity of online degrees expanding. It can be extremely profitable in beneficial the teacher, since the starting salary can help supplement their current incomes. You will need to consider how the experience of instructing online will vary from traditional, face-to-face classrooms. It is usually custom made for the students’ need. This possibility has created a new job route for many educators. Online teaching jobs also offer opportunities to professionals with real world experience. These jobs are not just limited to teachers.

Online teaching jobs can be inspired by academic enthusiasm, however, you don’t want to squander your efforts if you are not truly educated on what online teaching jobs can offer you. Have you considered an online instructor job?

For more information on online teaching jobs check out www.howtoteachonline.com

While rubrics may be quite time consuming to create, they will save you time in the long run by eliminating questions about the students’ feedback. It will also result in better work being submitted by the students. I have provided a sample rubric in my book for you to use as a guide. I have found it helpful to post the grading rubric on the announcement board prior to the due date of the assignment, so there is not any confusion on what is expected of the student.

Do you use grading rubrics in your classes? Do you think they could be a helpful tool to help the students?

Thanks for your time my friend.

Now, lets jump ahead to about three years ago. I had been teaching online for many years at this point and I was quite good at it. My biggest challenge I had was dealing with my computer problems. Many times, these computer issues  could take up a better part of my day and I felt that I was wasting a great deal of time. I had read a number of great reviews about the new iMac and decided to give it a try. Admittedly, at first I was a bit frustrated and probably a bit stubborn. But once I got moving and was able to understand what this shiny machine could do for me, I was truly impressed.

My only real regret today is that I did not get a mac sooner. I say this because, it has changed the way I do my job. Being able to have a computer that “just works” has allowed me to get my work done in a more efficient manner and had I am sure has made me a better educator. I know that there are many skeptics out there that are not the biggest fan of Apple. I suggest taking a look at these great machines and how they can change your life. I can honestly say that my investment had more than paid for itself.  With the advancements in virtual machines, you can have the best of both worlds. What are your thoughts? Are you a Mac or a PC? Are there any inherent differences that you can think of? What are the benefits? What have you experienced?

Thanks for your time friend.

What is online discussion and how does this occur? The discussions area, also known as threaded discussions, is one of the most commonly used tools in online teaching. Discussions that take place online can easily be compared to those that you would have in a traditional on-the-ground classroom. A few exceptions would be that you type your responses and they are not done at the same time or live. The purpose of the discussion board is for the students and faculty members to have a discussion about a topic. This allows the students to share their opinions on the topic and confirm their understanding of the topic being discussed. The discussions are a public area where students can share their learning with each other and the faculty member. The discussion area is an area that can vary from school to school, but the premise remains the same.

One of your contractual obligations as a faculty member normally includes posting in the discussion areas a set number of times or a set number of days. This is one area where many schools differ. Some schools require that you post a minimum number of postings on a specific number of days, while others look at the percentage of postings that you make compared to the number of students in the class and their participation. This is an area where I see many new faculty members run into difficulty. It is vital that you are clear on what the schools expectations are for discussion boards as this will ensure your success in the classroom and that you will be asked to teach again.

Discussions Pros and Cons

Pros
Allows interaction with all classmates
Allows time for reflection and thought about a topic
Discussions continually grow over the course
Promotes community and discussion on topics

Cons
Does not allow real-time response (some students expect instant feedback)
Students may feel nervous about posting in a public area where all can read their work
Faculty need to monitor all posts to ensure that there are not any unanswered questions or inappropriate postings
Can be time consuming for faculty to participate and respond to all students

A good rule of thumb for life is to not do things that you do not agree with yourself. Do you remember your parents saying, “Do as I say not as I do!”? This type of attitude is not conducive in an online discussion. You need to set a good example for the students when participating in the discussion area. When responding to the students, you need to model your posting to the same expectations that you have for them. Show them how to do it the right way.

What are your thoughts on discussions? How can they help the online clasroom?

They are out there somewhere: your dream job, your dream school. You want what they have and willing to take it. What do they look like? Where do they hang out? How can you connect with them?

The good news is: Once you find one, you find another and another.

Here’s a list of quick tips to help you realize that applying for online teaching jobs is so different. These are some easy steps that you can take to help you find that online teaching job.

Do Your Homework.

You there in the back: stop groaning! Thanks in large part to the ready availability of information online, performing research is easier than ever.

Look to your friends and colleagues to find out what kinds of people share your interests. Ask them where they go online to find jobs, then visit those places and check them out. Many people are afraid to speak to other people when looking for a job. They think that they are helping their competition. I thought that way in the past and it got me nowhere and fast! Once I started networking and sharing ideas with other like minded people, my whole process changed for the better.

Seek out groups and forums dedicated to topics related to your product. Join some of them and ask around: have they ever found a job online? If so, how did they find it. What was their experience?

Ask an expert! Find successful web sites that have what you are looking for and contact them. Connecting and networking with successful people in the online teaching field helped me find many jobs, which I still have today.

Networking

“Great minds think alike.” The best thing about finding your target is people with similar interests tend to gather in the same area. This is true in both the physical world and the cyber-world. If you can identify the best way to reach your target school, you can strike internet gold.One of the biggest challenges is that there are surprising few online resources for people like you that are looking for an online teaching jobs. And I have found that ones that are out there are vague and not helpful as they do not provide helpful information.

Do Your Research

In-Depth Research: It’s Easy…Right?

When looking for an online teaching job, I would laugh and say “no”. It is true that the more you learn about online teaching, the greater your success will be. As I mentioned before, the information on finding an online teaching job is limited and vague. I spent countless hours searching for information and data to help me find jobs. You have heard me mention before that I have failed many many many times, but this is why I succeed. If I get knocked down, I pick myself right back up again. This is what I told people in my book and this is what I tell people that I consult on a one on one basis. I tell them that finding an online teaching job can be difficult and I want you to learn from my mistakes and I want to save you time and help you find that perfect online teaching job.

What are some resources have you used? Have they been successful? What is the biggest challenge that you see when looking for an online teaching job?

Thanks for your time my friend,

Brian Robison

My response is “time management and organization!”

I am sure you are not a stranger to this situation. You have too much you need to do, you do not have the time, and you see all your leisure time fade away as you calculate how will you manage to do all the items on your to-do list (you have a to do list, right?). Not only do most people know this situation, most people know something about time management, but fail to understand it correctly and, most importantly, fail to comprehend the basic concepts of time management and implement them in their very busy lives.

Time management is not about doing too many things in less time, but doing the right things at the right time in the right way. How you manage your time is part of your personal schedule. Time management is the answer to most of your work and social problems. Almost anyone can find a way to have a little more time to do more things and enjoy life a whole lot more. The first step towards effective time management, and a regular time management routine, is to set clear goals and targets, keeping your mind on the target and goal will assist you in getting where you want. Goal setting makes you more focused and sets a direction for how the tasks should proceed. I will go into my time management practices in future writing, but I wanted you to take a moment and evaluate your time management and organization skills. What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?

You may be asking, “How did you learn to be an expert in time management and organization?” My initial response would be trial and error. This will help you save time; you can learn from my mistakes. I have read many books on this topic, but the one upon which I base many of my principles is one that many of you may already be familiar with, Getting Things Done by David Allen. I mention him in my posting on inbox zero.

This book changed my life and the way that I looked at work and personal goals. I do not follow his methods 100 percent; I have modified them to fit me and my needs. I strongly recommend checking this out, as this will help you along your journey.

Being able to be productive, effective and efficient in life is a continuous process, but the payoffs are great. I am able to balance several online teaching jobs while exceeding the schools expectations and so can you! The fact that you are here today trying to improve yourself is a great achievement in itself. You have taken the first step to a better life, both financially and emotionally. Your life-changing journey has already begun and you are already making changes in your life – not everyone does that. There are few people that are willing to get out of that daily grind that is bogging them down and you have done it! You have decided to make a better life for you and your family. You have decided to take charge of your life and career. You have deiced to take yourself to the next level! I am happy to be a part of your transformation and look forward to working with you along the way!

As you continue on your way, I want you to reach out to me and let me know how you are doing! What have been your successes? What have been some of the challenges? Remember, I am YOUR personal coach and I have a vested interest in your success!

What are some of your time management strength? What are some areas that you need help with?

The premise behind Inbox Zero is having all of your “inboxes” in life empty and processing your information in them correctly in order to focus on what is important to you and your projects. Inboxes in life can be email, voicemail, a physical inbox that sits on your desk or any place that you gather data and information.  It is really an simple idea but unfortunately not many people use this thought process to sort thorough all of the stuff that can be thrown at us at any give time. At the 2011 Online Teaching Conference, I did a presentation on Inbox Zero and how it has changed my approach to work and my life.

I discuss these more in depth in this video below.  If your ears are ringing when you watch this, you need to think of finding a better approach to dealing with  your stuff in your life. Please view it and comment in the discussion. What are your thoughts on this process? Are there any concepts that you are going to take away and try?

Other Books by David Allen:

Presentation from the 2011 Online Teaching Conference. The 2011 Online Teaching Conference was a four-day online conference that took place June 20–23, 2011. The target audience is educators that are seeking information regarding online education, one the fastest-growing fields in the world. Our conference featured many online education experts who presented on topics such as how to find a job teaching online, online teaching basics, dealing with difficult students, the future of online education and much more.

Now, let’s examine the curriculum vitae or CV. You may have never heard of this before and may be asking, “What the difference between resume and CV?” The primary differences between a resume and a curriculum vitae are the length, what is included, and what each is used for. A resume is a one- or two-page summary of your skills, experience and education. While a resume is brief and concise – no more than a page or two – a curriculum vitae is a longer (at least two pages) and more detailed synopsis. It is smart to have both, because schools may ask for one or the other.

A curriculum vitae resembles a resume in many ways, but is more specifically focused on academic achievements. I call it a super charged resume. A CV summarizes educational and academic history, and may include details about teaching experience, publications (books, articles, research papers, unpublished manuscripts, or book chapters), and academic honors and awards. I would recommend using a CV rather than a resume for teaching opportunities.

Many schools prefer a CV over a resume. Take a look at the sample CV that I have provided in the Resource Center. CV’s are frequently longer than resumes, since the emphasis is on completeness rather than brevity. While there is no single correct format or style for writing a CV, the following types of information are generally included, and typically organized in this way:

• Name and Address
• Education
• Objective
• Awards
• Teaching Qualifications or Areas of Research Interest or Areas of Specialization or Areas of Competence/Expertise or Principal Research and Teaching Interests
• Teaching Experience
• Research Experience
• Publications and Presentations
• Works in Progress
• Related Professional Experience
• Languages
• Other
• References

On a CV it is appropriate to describe both teaching and research experience in detail (on a resume this is usually not appropriate). If applying for a position that primarily involves research, describe research experience first; if the reverse is true, put teaching experience first. Your CV is your chance to share with the school your qualifications for the job in a more detailed way. Make sure that you give them what they are looking for. You need to be able to stand out. Next, we will be examining cover letters and their importance.

As I prepare for my live class tonight, I wanted to share a little about live lectures in an online class. I have taught for many online schools in my teaching career and only one has required that I have a live class or a seminar. For the school of Criminal Justice, we are required to hold eight (8) one (1) hour live seminars. These seminars allow live interaction with the students and the teacher. Ideally, the teacher will use a PowerPoint presentation to assist with their lecture. The students can hear the teacher speak, but the student are only able to type (I have heard that they are moving to a system where student can speak as well). There is no video of the teacher only audio. I am not 100% sure of what the requirements are for other subjects, but I am sure they are very similar across the board.

I have worked for this school since 2004 and I have taught about 500 of these seminars.  Even though this school is the only one that I have worked for that required these live classes, I am sure there are more and others may shift toward this in the future. I wanted to share with you some of my best practices for the seminars and presentations.   I will be going over all of the key areas of a successful seminar. I attempted to put all of these into one posting for you, but my list became several pages long and I did not want to bore you  to death.

Have you ever taught or taken a class that had a live seminar or meeting time? What are your experiences? Have you thought of ways to make the sessions more enjoyable and interactive for both you and the students?

Thanks for your time my friend,

Brian Robison, M.S.

In another posting, we discussed unlocking the full potential of e-mail and its importance.

Today let’s take a look at some of the pros of e-mail. Being an online teacher e-mail will more than likely be your biggest form of communication with your students and even fellow colleagues.

Here are some of my pros when dealing with e-mails:

• • Allows a private message between the sender and the recipient
• • Reduces students’ anxiety about contacting a faculty member
• • Quick response time
• • Easy to monitor and organize
• • Easy to use
• • Low cost to use
• • Can motivate students to get involved
• • Improves students’ writing abilities

I discuss these more in depth in this video below. Please view it and comment in the discussion. What are some pros or emails that you can think of that can make your life easier? Did I forget any?

In another posting,  I will discuss email some more! This is a very important aspect of online teaching and I want you to get as much information as possible on it. We will be looking at: The Cons Of Emails.

I will share some of the positives of this great communication tool and how it can help your online class. Stay tuned!

Thanks for your time my friend.