Teaching is an activity that has always existed and involves the transmission of information from one person to another. But, without a doubt, the virtual teaching as we know it today is a much more recent phenomenon (although less so than you might think).
We can say that, throughout history, in societies there have been different ways of teaching and learning. What we call traditional pedagogy is a Western model that emerged from the eighteenth century and with which schools and formal institutions are developed.
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However, the evolution of technology and socio-historical circumstances have produced profound changes in our ways of transmitting knowledge, opening up a world of possibilities, including virtual teaching.
In this post we are going to talk about this model, its birth, its main characteristics, advantages, and much more. Join us!
What is virtual teaching?
Also known as online learning or online teaching, is a knowledge transmission model that it uses technology, the Internet and all the tools of the virtual world.
In addition, it is one of the modalities that has developed the most in recent decades, since it has many advantages for students and teachers. And we will talk about this later.
The beginning of everything: distance education
Distance education has been around for a long time, even before we started using the Internet. Did you know? For this reason, a few lines above we mentioned that perhaps the beginning of everything was further away than we think.
It all started with correspondence courses, then came radio and then television. Starting in the late 1980s, with the emergence and popularization of computers and the Internet, a different way of teaching was born: virtual education.
Now, we will tell you a little about the beginning of virtual teaching in some Spanish-speaking countries.
1. Virtual teaching in Mexico
According to a study by Norma Maldonado, from UNAM, virtual education in Mexico is intrinsically related to university education and, above all, to postgraduate degrees. Virtual teaching was adopted in the 1990s as a complement and option to the face-to-face model.
Institutions such as ITESM, UNAM and UR Virtual, among others, stand out. These universities have a national scope and, through virtual teaching, have strengthened relations with other countries.
2. Virtual teaching in Colombia
In Colombia, virtual teaching is more related to the history of distance education for people who lived far from urban centers. Thus, the in the late 1940s, was the means by which many people in the countryside were educated.
Over time, this model began to use technological tools and more people from different contexts joined this learning dynamic.
But it was not until well into the second millennium, with the arrival of computers and the Internet to a greater number of people, that virtual teaching began. The first steps were taken in a b-learning model or blended.
3. Virtual teaching in Spain
In Spain, the first steps of virtual teaching are also linked to the .
In fact, virtual teaching is said to be part of the third generation of distance education, after correspondence, radio and television education.
Information technology first arrived in Spain and then in Latin America, there in the 1980s, as we have said. First with the computer-assisted teaching programs and later with the idea of virtual campuses or .
Characteristics of virtual and traditional teaching
Let’s look at some of the main characteristics that determine and differentiate traditional (face-to-face) teaching from virtual teaching.
1. Lesson Plan
The o Planning is an essential requirement to ensure the path to success. Being clear about the objectives and the way in which we will reach them is essential to achieve them.
Of course there are things that can get out of control. In the virtual world, there can be unforeseen events with technology and, therefore, good planning will help you better respond to these eventualities.
2. Duration
When it comes to virtual teaching, it is best to plan to offer a short class. That does not mean that it cannot be deepened, but that the division of the contents has to be more dynamic.
Currently, most online content is consumed through mobile devices, which means that people connect and consume virtual content on their smartphones, including classes and educational materials.
3. Interaction
This is the most common headache and most often found in different reflections on the advantages and disadvantages of virtual teaching. Although it is normally placed within the disadvantages, it is not always.
It is true that the interaction of traditional or classical education supposes the direct and physical meeting of people, but that, definitively, is not what ensures the success of education.
The interaction can take two forms:
1- synchronous: when students and teachers meet virtually at the same time, such as in a chat or video conference;
two- asynchronous: when the interaction is not simultaneous, such as video classes or discussion forums.
The interaction did not end with virtual teaching, it has hardly been reconfigured.
4. Variety of media
Information technologies and the Internet have made it possible for there to be more and more educational resources. When serving a heterogeneous audience, it is necessary to use strategies that reach the largest possible number of students.
All this attention to the form of the content is necessary because empathy with the material is one of the main factors of motivation, continuity and active participation of the student.
5. Tracking
Virtual teaching, as well as other educational models, supposes an accompaniment of teachers or tutors.
The atmosphere of It involves monitoring through communication on virtual platforms, emails and messages on social networks, for example.
That is why it is so important to know how to express yourself in writing, ask for and give feedback, have empathy and listen, and do this process constantly.
6. Evaluation
It is important that the student understands if he assimilated the online content well and this can be done through different ways (for example, the can help a lot).
From online tests with multiple choice answers, to open questions, in which students must explain some ideas, the forms of evaluation in virtual teaching are very varied.
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Teaching methodologies
When we talk about methodologies we refer to the “how” of teaching. Virtual teaching has its peculiarities related to the characteristics that we mentioned above.
1. For virtual teachers
An advice for online teachers is to observe the specific aspects of virtual teaching, and not try to transpose or transfer the same practices of the traditional teaching model.
2. For online students
Besides the participation and interaction with teachers and other classmates will always be productive, because it will give an idea of how things are going, of what people think and will enrich the studies.
But virtual teaching implies great dedication and persistence. A piece of advice if you are a student: be clear about your goals and objectives.
Advantages and disadvantages of virtual teaching
We can say that all learning models have strengths and weaknesses, and many times choosing one or the other depends on the context and the objective of the teacher or the student.
We have already talked about many important aspects, but now we are going to reinforce the advantages and disadvantages of virtual teaching.
1. Advantages of virtual teaching
- It allows people from various parts of the world to learn together, since it eliminates geographical barriers.
- Prices of distance education are more attractive: it is possible to study without having to invest so much money.
- Flexibility so that students can carry out activities at their own pace, wherever and whenever they want.
- Teachers can broadcast the same video class to thousands of students.
- Anyone who has knowledge can teach it online and earn money with their classes.
2. Disadvantages of virtual teaching
As it is a dynamic and constantly changing educational model, there are some aspects that you should pay attention to if you want to work or learn with virtual teaching.
- Maintain student interaction and engagement.
- Establish communication between students, and these with teachers.
- Create reliable evaluation methods.
- Analyze and monitor the evolution of students.
Myths about virtual teaching
Myths are ways of understanding reality and are based on culture, feelings, prejudices, concepts, ideas and relationships.
Myths can be positive, when they are used to transmit ideas and teachings. For example, many cultures have myths to explain how we human beings understand each other.
The problem with myths is when they limit knowledge and do not allow you to experience something that can be beneficial. We are going to point out some myths related to virtual teaching.
1. You cannot learn without contact with a teacher
In the learning process, not only the teachers, but also the classmates, the environment, the materials, the content, the exercises and the complementary activities play a fundamental role.
In online learning, contact with the teacher is not canceled but redefined. There are many possibilities and It depends on the type of contact established in each situation.
2. Virtual teaching is limited
The problem with this myth is that it makes us believe that there are careers that deserve knowledge and supervised practice. But virtual teaching is fully capable of adding richness to the learning processes of all careers.
For example, in medicine, some theoretical subjects could be done virtually and maintain the dynamics of the medical clinic in person. Thus, we would have a mixed teaching model.
3. Virtual teaching will end real teaching
The main problem with this myth is that it determines that there is only one valid educational model, which is undoubtedly a mistake. So far we have already talked about the effectiveness of other types of education different from the traditional one.
On the other hand, you also have to be careful with myths that are based on nostalgia. With them, many people affirm that in the past everything was better and that it will never be the same again.
The important thing is to be able to think that virtual teaching, through technology, came to enrich the new educational models and make knowledge an educational experience.
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