Job Discussion Forums

nicknack · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 6 Location: Seoul

I see ads for online teachers through internet realtime teaching. Has anybody tried this?

Is it effective?

Thanks in advance.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

I have been trying to shakeout the technology a bit in a class broadcast...not one-to-one teaching but a broadcast, with similar applications. If you'd like to see how the technology works, come and join us while we're still in testing.

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=32000

comenius · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:23 pm Post subject:

As with all things, I think it depends on the abilities of the teacher, combined with the motivation and ability of the student. The technology definitely works, but it's not perfect. Online ESL teaching is still in its infancy, but it's come a long way since 1995, which is the year I first became involved with doing it.

In the US, I know there are quite a few "homework help" based solutions that are very popular with high school students. Every now and then you'll see an article in The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal talking about them. Many of their teachers are actually based in India--apparently they are able to hire graduates from math and science programs quite affordably, and offer them to US students. As I understand it, though, these are more tutors (in that they help with school work) as opposed to outright teachers. Perhaps a narrow distinction.

Fortunately for English teachers, our specialty is one area where it is difficult (if not impossible) to outsource to non-native speakers, at least for spoken English. It seems the online ESL model is moving to take advantage of that fact. Now that the technology is more suitable, many of the established "brick and mortar" schools that have been around for ages are stepping into this area, as well as a number of new independent players (such as Guy!).

Definitely an interesting trend to watch! Smile

nicknack · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 6 Location: Seoul

Thanks for your responses.

Does anybody know an online company that is good to work for?

Thanks in advance.

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Interestingly,
I have been doing this informally, lately.
My wife has a cousin in Japan (We live in China, and the guy is Chinese)and he speaks quite good Japanese - almost native, in fact. But his English is crap, and he wants to improve.
My wife just recently set up the Web Cam with her MSN Messenger thingy, so she can talk to her overseas friends and relatives.
I got home one day and she was talking to her cousin, and we got to talking and I agreed to give him little online lessons through the MSN thing.
It's been working a treat! He has a New Concept book (which is also crap but it was easy enough for me to get my own copy to use as a reference point), so we sort of use that for grammar points, we talk, I tell him what's bad about the book so he can correct it, and he gets speaking practice.
It's only one-on-one, but it works, and I can easily imagine having a class like that if we had the technology (which we might and I just don't know it). I mean, I can see what HE sees through my camera, in a tiny window in the corner (maybe 1.5cm square) and his picture is only about 2.5-3cm square, leaving plenty of room in the screen for a few other faces.
The students would have to take a lot of responsibility onto themselves, but it seems like it could totally work, no problem at all.