As I ponder on my last week of class, I'm thinking about what my future may hold if I do become an online teacher.  Spanish is such a skill-based class that it would require a synchronous environment, especially in the fundamentals of basic pronunciation, accentuation and grammar structure.

After all is said, written and done, here are my top five lessons I learned.

• Teaching online requires hundreds of hours of PRE-PREPARATION with thoughtful organization to different learning styles, addressing different student needs, with meaningful delivery and testing systems.
• Directions and course expectations must be clear and specific.  Examples of course projects/assignments should be given whenever possible to achieve learning benchmarks.
• The school day is a 24/7 reality where writing is the main component in communication.
• Class assignments take longer than in a regular brick and mortar classroom and many must be adapted for a successful online experience.
• Students require continual, timely feedback on assignments and assessments (both formative and summative).