The Business of E Learning and Teaching
E learning is an incredibly powerful thing. It’s accessible to almost everyone. Teachers and pupils can connect with each other across limitless geographic borders. What should we learning and teaching though in this brave new world of technology? In my opinion we should be learning and teaching how to function in that very world.
My first experience of online learning was with a TEFL course I took soon after being made redundant a few years ago. One advantage of being in that unfortunate position was that It made me eligible for discounted online learning in that field. I went on to do a further course in TEFL online.
I believe that education is the most important thing in the world. Teaching English as a foreign language was attractive for many reasons. The potential to travel, educate and learn being the main two. I also believe that the internet is our most powerful resource and I wanted to marry the two.
Although both TEFL courses and the process of E learning itself were superb, the latter led me in a different direction. The course materials, and the methods of teaching online were all quite well advanced. It was obvious however that something was missing – particularly in the online teaching course.
What We Should Be Learning and Teaching Online
It gave me a great grounding in how to teach English online. But what was missing was training on how I would actually go about establishing and marketing myself as an online teacher. I came to realise that I needed to learn more about that side of things – the business side if you like. Digital marketing to be precise. Business and education aren’t traditionally a good mix but if you aim to be a freelance educator you need to be good at both.
We live in a world where the internet is the new medium for almost everything. We need to accept that fact and learn and teach the skills needed to thrive in that medium. That’s Digital marketing. When I started looking for training on digital marketing to make a living teaching English as a foreign language I found a startling thing.
I found that there wasn’t much in the way of formal training courses on how to market a business based on online learning. I found that the people who do offer that type of education are actually modern entrepreneurs – not institutional teachers. They focus on transformational learning rather than traditional learning.
When I did find the people who could provide that education, my horizons were expanded way beyond the notion of just teaching a language. I discovered that if you learn how to operate online you have an incredible skill set. One that can be adapted to create online income from almost anything. I now believe that these are the skills that anyone with the desire to educate should be teaching.
Expanding The Horizons of E Learning and Teaching
It goes back to the old analogy of teaching a man to fish, which is the basis of all education. The internet just gives us the ability to provide online learning to an almost unimaginably vast audience.
The actual methodology of teaching these skills is very similar to that of any online learning course. It uses videos, blogs, social media and communication platforms. These provide both synchronous and asynchronous education. Digital marketing however is how we reach that audience.
Time zones, geography and language are largely irrelevant in the online world. The big fact to grasp is that people now go to the Internet for information first. They are happy to pay for the convenience of E learning. That’s what makes it possible to turn education into business.
Just imagine for a moment, as an educator, being able to teach individuals how to create financial and lifestyle independence no matter what their background, education level, age or experience. These are universal, life changing skills that can be used to make our world better. Isn’t that the main aim of education?
If you want to bring your teaching skills to a wider audience and create a sustainable income and modern lifestyle for them and you its time for a different style of online learning.
I’m part of a worldwide, community style online learning, teaching and business movement. Their aim is to bring this real world education and prosperity to millions. They’ve already changed thousands of lives with their unique earn as you learn proposition. Get their free 7-day video bootcamp by clicking on the image below.