Most articles on Fractus Learning are written specifically for teachers and educators. Although today’s post is of course education related, it goes out to all those 9-5 professionals dreaming of giving a bit back. This could be the first step to sharing your knowledge to help students online and contribute to the most important cause in the world.
With technology changing the way students learn and teachers teach, you no longer need to be in a classroom to help students learn. With distance learning on the grow and many teachers “flipping” their classroom, there is more and more opportunity to get involved in education, regardless of your career choice. Here are four sites that make teaching a possible reality for just about anyone looking to teach.
Teach and Help Students Online
Khan Academy
Whether you are in education or not, you would have to be living under a rock to have missed the Khan Academy. Publicly endorsed and funded by Bill Gates and Google, the site offers free micro-lectures in just about every academic discipline. Starting as just a hobby for founder Salman Khan, tutoring his cousin through YouTube videos, the site has grown to incorporate a fully fledged LMS.
The site now lets anyone with a Google or Facebook account become a “coach”. The way this works is that any students using the site can enter your details and add you as their personal online coach. As a coach, you have access to see exactly what your student is learning as well as the ability to view real-time class reports. This is great for any parent, aunt, uncle, friend or colleague who wants to get involved in learning and share their expertise with students they know.
University of the People
In their own words, The University of the People is the world’s first tuition-free online university dedicated to the global advancement and democratization of higher education. With support from organizations such as United Nations and rapidly growing tuition costs, the site is making a big difference in higher education around the world.
The University is comprised of a community of active and retired professors, librarians, master-level students and other professionals. Volunteer educators participate in both educational activities and oversee the assessment process of this tuition-free online model. With opportunities for a variety of positions in the University it is a great cause to be a part of and a rewarding way to help students online.
YouTube
In this day and age of social networking and online video, you don’t necessarily need an organization to support your efforts to teach. As Salman Khan proved, all you need is a computer and the passion to educate to help students online.
Setting up your own channel on YouTube is quick and easy, and nearly every PC now sold includes a microphone and webcam for recording tutorials. More considerable than the technical hurdles is deciding what to teach and how to make your lessons engaging and noteworthy within the huge YouTube video library. Make sure to choose something you are passionate and interested in and be sure to harness your personal contacts to build an early following.
TutorVista.com
If you are interested in teaching, but are also looking to make some money on the side, TutorVista.com could be the perfect place to dedicate some of your time. Offering online tutoring to students who are looking for personal assistance, the site is now serving over 5 million online sessions to students worldwide.
There is a broad selection of positions available within TutorVista.com ranging in multiple academic disciplines and grades. Offering the opportunity to work from home with flexible hours, the job harnesses the power of technology to deliver live tutorials to students around the world. Perhaps a better options for those not working a full-time job, the site does require a minimum commitment of four hours per day.
So, would you recommend teaching to those looking to help students online? What other platforms do you know that help students online?
Image courtesy of Flickr, MiiiSH