by Dr. Pelham Mead

So what is the difference between face to face teaching and online teaching? Basically, online teachers have to do more work initially, but the following year is will be easier using the curriculum and activities from the first year. What makes online instruction difficult is that teachers who are used to playing it by ear in lecturing, now have to go back and research the same topic but changing the delivery. Projects become most important and the flipped classroom approach where the student does all of the work and the teacher just directs them as to what they need to do.

Tools like Google classroom, and Power cards are helpful online as well as Powerpoint. Youtube have videos on almost every academic subject and they can be a good resource. Educational games are a good motivator. Recently, I came into contact with flipgrid.com online and found out it is not compatible with MAC computers with it’s video capability.

Zoom and FaceTime set the standard for face to face discussions online at least for now. I expect dozens of new video phone programs to pop up to meet the online demand.

Here is my Powerpoint slide show I presented to the Orange County YMCA recently. It has sound effects and is light on humor for high school or middle school students. Powerpoint now allows it to be saved as a movie or a .pdf file.