We’ve talked about the difference between being exposed to information (especially online), and actually learning it.
But what about teaching?
What’s the difference between simply presenting information online, and actually teaching it?
You heard right: presenting information is not the same as teaching it.
Just because you’ve said something (using text, video, or audio) doesn’t mean you’ve taught it.
In order to learn new material, people have to go beyond simply being exposed to it.
They have to:
- focus on it
- take it in
- process it
- label it, and
- store it in long term memory for easy retrieval.
Now wait just a minute”, I hear you saying. “How can I control what someone else does with the information I present online, after I’ve presented it?”
You can’t.
Unless you’re teaching online in an academic or corporate setting where learners are required to show up for your course and pass it in order to fulfill a requirement, you have little if any control over whether and how learners consume and process your course material.
As an online course creator working with independent adults, your responsibility for teaching the material ends once you’ve put it out there for people to consume.
So teaching online (as opposed to just exposing people to information) involves putting the material out there for people to consume, in ways that promote learning.
That means you have to present the material in ways that allow your audience to:
- focus on it
- take it in
- process it
- label it, and
- store it in long term memory for easy retrieval.
In this type of online teaching context, presenting the material is not the first step; it’s the last. If you want to teach online in an effective and engaging way, presenting the material should be the final step in a carefully planned series of steps. That series of steps will guide you in knowing exactly what material to present, and how to present it.
So.. what are the steps you should take in order to present your material online, in order to teach it effectively?
Stay tuned for the next blog post to find out! (Can you stand the suspense? It's a real cliffhanger....)
(If you just can't wait to find out how to teach effectively online, go here.)
