Daniel Dever-Week 2 Improving Your Online Personality and Improving the World

The reason that I am interested in online teaching and conveyance of information is the potential to reach and interact with a vast audience. When I say interact I do not mean just presenting accumulated and my knowledge on a specific subject for consumption, but also to learn from and gain unique perspective from an expanded universe.

An example of how online teaching has both transmitted information and also led to improvement in many lives can be found in the field of pediatric cancer treatment.  Doctors in university or research centers who treated or researched pediatric cancers were members of one of two distinct groups, namely the Children’s Cancer Group (CCG) and the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG). Membership in one of the two groups was mutually exclusive as the two groups were rivals for patients and research money. In addition, which of the two groups the doctors belonged to was determined by the institution they worked for, not by the doctor’s choice. Since there was little or no collaboration between CCG and POG until research was published (i.e. many months or actually years after studies on drugs or treatments were published in peer reviewed medical journals), research and treatment doctors were unable to accelerate research and/or treatment thinking and methodologies of fellow researchers in a “competitive” group. Further, it is easy to conceive that many collaborative discoveries were not begun or consummated because of the man-made division between the groups.

With the advent of online courses and teaching, both CCG and POG set up virtual classrooms and courses to teach both in medical schools and to practitioners at treatment centers “new” (or augmented) treatment methods, research protocols, and drug combinations and results.  Almost by default, knowledge was spread much faster than in the past as individual members of each group could be “in class” and thereby learn from the “competitor” group.  Online learning also promoted collaborative effort (and therefore results) as CCG and POG researchers and practitioners who were working on the same pediatric cancer could collaborate and accelerate the learning curve in the fight versus that particular pediatric cancer.  In fact, this sharing of information led in some degree to the eventual combination of the two groups into one – and increased the usage of online teaching and learning by the new consolidated group both within the group and in a university setting.

Easing the suffering of children and changing medical treatment are lofty goals that I do not know that I can claim for my reason to entertain online teaching. However, the principles of combining the conveyance of information with increased learning and idea collaboration toward a type of result for both learners I am teaching and for me, like the principles in the CCG/POG example, is my driver.  In my chosen field of organization change and corporate governance, I can use my education, experience and updates on accepted practices to teach, learn and collaborate through online education: the result of which could be increased or extended employment, augment to the health of organizations, and improvement to what we receive from organizations.

A major challenge to achieving my goals of combining the conveyance of information with increased learning and idea collaboration toward a type of result for both learners I am teaching and for me in online teaching will be overcoming the preconceived idea that business and finance are dry and/or boring.  This perception is somewhat more difficult to overcome in online teaching as one has to stretch, make the content relevant, and inject some “personality” into one’s online persona. The personality or personal presence factor is one of my major strengths in a traditional or face-to-face classroom, institutional or individual setting.  Achieving the same level of personal interaction or personality (hence keeping up a level of interest) may be difficult to achieve in online teaching. In my pursuit of improving my “personality” in online teaching I came across an article which I hope I can assimilate into my practice when teaching online. I include an excerpt of it below because maybe it can be a boon to my fellow learners and instructors.

Specifically, in an article published in October, 2010 in Online Education, Errol Craig Sull not only states that injecting personality is possible in online teaching, but is actually essential. (Sull has been teaching online courses for 17+ years and has a national reputation in the subject, writing and conducting workshops on distance learning.) In his writing Sull states that, “Online instructors are hired because they are judged as having the right combination of education, teaching experience, content expertise, and professional accomplishments. But once an instructor is in the classroom, these abilities and achievements can go only so far. There also must be a constant injection of personality.” Sull offers practical suggestions “for conveying a positive, supportive, and enthusiastic personality. Establish a friendly and inviting personality on day one of class . . . your personality on day one can be examined, experienced, and revisited throughout the course. Thus, any postings on day one that speak of you must convey that you care about the class, the students, and the subject, and that you are looking forward to the course and are eager to help your students. Never confuse personality with teaching strategy. One can have the right—the best—teaching strategies ever created, yet a bland or dull online personality can make those teaching strategies nothing more than two-dimensional. Once those strategies are sprinkled with heavy doses of an upbeat and just downright nice personality, they truly come alive—and the students will react in a more engaged manner. “

Sull’s suggestions are:

  • Sometimes you may need be an actor who wears the right personality. Your everyday, “Hey, this is me” personality might not be the one that is right for online teaching, and that’s fine…as long as you can play the role of an online instructor with a great, enthusiastic personality for your students (as well as your online supervisors, support team, and colleagues).
  • Students take their lead from you—the way you come across to them will determine just how engaged and motivated they remain throughout the course.
  • Use your interest in the subject to help build your online teaching personality. You were selected to teach your subject partially because of your academic and/or professional expertise and interest in the subject, so share it with your students. Beyond what has been prestocked in your course, you can add articles, pictures, essays, cartoons, interviews, YouTube (and the like) snippets, and factoids that add richness and depth to your subject. The students will immediately know you really are “into” the subject, and your excitement and enthusiasm for the subject will spill over to your students.
  • Control knee-jerk reactions. Students can write or do things that get us upset. And we can make egregious errors in our hasty reactions to these student mistakes and oversights that may not only cost us our students’ respect and rapport, but possibly our jobs as well. So hold back—take some time before you respond, and if you don’t have the time—such as in a live chat, a phone call, or a video conference—always remember that your actions and reactions are not merely yours but also the school’s, and because you are the instructor you are always held to a higher standard than your students are.
  • Be careful of your vocabulary choice. Each of us has words we use on a regular basis; they are part of who and what we are, and they often simply pour out. But our online courses demand that we pay special attention to the words we write, the context of those words, and the perception of the message we are trying to get across. Once posted, our words will live on throughout the course, and thus we must focus on the vocabulary we choose.
  • Help your personality come alive with audio and/or audiovisual. Today’s technology allows us to get closer to our students—and lets our personalities really shine through. Skype, MP3, Twitter, Facebook, Jing, Adobe Connect, Prezi, Wimba, and other tools can take us to our students in an audio and/or visual way and thus allows students to see and hear an instructor who is excited, enthusiastic, caring, and dedicated to his or her students, the subject, and the course. “

(Sull’s suggestions are excerpted from Teaching Online with Errol: Personality DOES Matter in Teaching Online! Online Classroom (Oct. 2010): 6,7.)

54 thoughts on “Daniel Dever-Week 2 Improving Your Online Personality and Improving the World

  1. Dan, thank you for leading this off. If there were one item I would pick off Sull’s list, it would be “control knee-jerk reactions.” I don’t think this is strictly between professor and student, but also student-student. In the program I was in, it was almost exclusively forum-based, and I observed a number of dust-ups between students as well as between instructor and student when something was misconstrued or poor word choice made a valid critique seem like a personal attack. I think this strengthens for “helping your personality come alive.” It was amazing how attitudes would change after students had met face-to-face which happened a few times a year. But helping form that personality earlier on, as we have done in this class, a lot of those problems could be avoided.

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  2. Daniel, I really enjoyed reading your post. I wonder if in addition to the suggestions above, we can leverage the online format to provide more opportunities for personality development. I am thinking about things like Facebook, Instagram, Google+ all those digital spaces that essentially provide us an opportunity to engage socially. What are your thoughts on using these tools in addition to blackboard. What if you had a facebook page for students to interact with you? Or does that become too informal?

    1. Hi Mackenzie
      To have a Facebook page in general function would not be too informal, but rather its negative, in my opinion, would be that a Facebook page would detract from the other technologies that are useful to an online class (whether it be Voicethread, Google tools or whatever applicable tool). I say this because many people have too much familiarity and casualness with Facebook to use it as a specific tool. Meaning, in my opinion, for many Facebook is a reflex and used for too many purposes other than education/information exchange. My thought is that a Facebook page could be incorporated into a class to post/note news events or world events that relate to what is being taught in the class – i.e. a “real world depository” that relates education to the real world.
      Hope this makes some sense, Dan

    2. Actually, I would hesitate to use social media that I use in my personal life in an online class. I have used Twitter in the classroom, but only because I don’t use Twitter in my personal life. I need to have those boundaries for a number of reasons, including personal safety. But others may feel differently. As a student, I would also hesitate to use it–for instance, if Leah required us all to become Facebook friends and interact on FB, I would have probably dropped the course! I need to have a solid personal/professional boundary in my teaching.

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  4. I completely agree with the author’s perspective on online teaching. The ability to reach and interact with a diverse audience is truly a powerful aspect of this medium. It’s inspiring to see examples like pediatric cancer treatment where online teaching has not only transmitted information but also fostered collaboration and improved lives. The challenges mentioned, such as injecting personality and overcoming preconceived notions, are certainly important to address. I appreciate the practical suggestions shared by Sull to make online teaching more engaging and effective. online cricketid

  5. The challenges faced by the author in combining information conveyance, increased learning, and idea collaboration in online teaching are relatable. Overcoming the preconceived notion that certain subjects can be dry or boring is crucial for creating an engaging learning environment. Sull’s suggestions provide practical strategies for maintaining an enthusiastic personality and fostering student engagement. The incorporation of audio and audiovisual elements can bring online teaching to life, allowing instructors to connect with their students on a deeper level. It’s inspiring to see educators striving to make online teaching impactful and enjoyable for learners.
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  6. I appreciate the author’s dedication to utilizing online teaching to improve their field of organization change and corporate governance. The potential for extended employment, organizational health, and better outcomes is indeed significant. The challenge of overcoming the perception that business and finance are dry or boring is understandable, but it’s heartening to see the emphasis on injecting personality and making the content relevant. Sull’s suggestions for conveying a positive and enthusiastic personality resonate well with the goal of creating an engaging online learning environment.
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  12. تعمل مؤسسة الحربي على تصميم وتنفيذ مدارس متطورة ومساجد معمارية جميلة، تلبي احتياجات المجتمع المحلي وتعكس الهوية الثقافية والدينية للمنطقة. تشمل مشاريعها تصميم وبناء المدارس الحكومية والخاصة، بما في ذلك المدارس الابتدائية والمتوسطة والثانوية، بالإضافة إلى بناء المساجد الكبيرة والصغيرة التي تعمل كمراكز للعبادة والتعليم الديني.

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  13. الدكتور محمود غلاب، صاحب مركز غلاب للأشعة التداخلية، يبرز كشخصية بارزة في مجال الرعاية الصحية وتقديم خدمات التشخيص الحديثة. يعتبر مركزه الذي يحمل اسمه مركزًا رائدًا في مجال الأشعة التداخلية، حيث يتميز بتوفير خدمات طبية متقدمة وفعّالة للمرضى.
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  16. هل تبحث عن بيئة سكنية فاخرة في قلب القاهرة الجديدة؟ تفضل بالاستفادة من عروضنا الحصرية على شقق التجمع الخامس، والتي تقدمها لكم نايل بوليفارد بخيارات سداد مرنة وميسرة. تمتع بأسلوب حياة متميز في مجتمع متكامل الخدمات، حيث يتوفر كل ما تحتاجه لراحة وسعادة أسرتك. احصل على شقتك الفاخرة الآن واستمتع بالتقسيط المريح والتسهيلات المالية التي تلبي احتياجاتك. اتصل بنا اليوم لمزيد من المعلومات ولا تدع الفرصة تفوتك لتحقيق حلم السكن الأنيق والمريح في أفضل مواقع القاهرة الجديدة.

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  17. إن إنشاء شركة في دبي يمثل خطوة استراتيجية مهمة للراغبين في الاستفادة من فرص الأعمال والتجارة في هذه الإمارة الحيوية. تقدم دبي بيئة مثالية للأعمال بفضل تشريعاتها المرنة والمتطورة وبنيتها التحتية المتطورة، مما يجعلها وجهة مفضلة للمستثمرين من مختلف أنحاء العالم. يتضمن إنشاء الشركة في دبي عدة خطوات مثل تحديد نوع الشركة، واختيار الاسم التجاري المناسب، وتقديم الوثائق المطلوبة إلى الجهات المعنية. يتمتع المستثمرون في دبي بالعديد من المزايا مثل الوصول إلى سوق كبير ومتنوع، والتمتع بالتسهيلات الحكومية، وعدم فرض الضرائب على الأرباح في معظم القطاعات. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، يوفر إنشاء الشركة في دبي فرصة للتوسع العملياتي وزيادة الربحية، مما يجعلها خيارًا مثاليًا لريادة الأعمال والنمو الاقتصادي.

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  18. تأسيس شركة في دبي يعد خطوة استراتيجية مهمة لرجال الأعمال والمستثمرين، حيث توفر دبي بيئة رجال الأعمال المثالية مع تشجيعها على الاستثمار وتقديم الدعم اللازم للشركات الناشئة. تشمل خطوات تأسيس الشركة في دبي تحديد نوع الشركة المناسب وتحديد النشاط التجاري، ثم تقديم الطلب والمستندات المطلوبة للجهات المعنية في دبي. يجب الامتثال لجميع اللوائح والقوانين المحلية، وتحديد موقع الشركة وإتمام الإجراءات الإدارية والقانونية اللازمة. بعد الحصول على الموافقات اللازمة، يمكن للشركة البدء في مزاولة أعمالها بفعالية في دبي، مستفيدةً من بيئة الأعمال الديناميكية والمتطورة في المدينة.

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  19. هل تبحث عن بيئة سكنية فاخرة في قلب القاهرة الجديدة؟ تفضل بالاستفادة من عروضنا الحصرية على شقق التجمع الخامس، والتي تقدمها لكم نايل بوليفارد بخيارات سداد مرنة وميسرة. تمتع بأسلوب حياة متميز في مجتمع متكامل الخدمات، حيث يتوفر كل ما تحتاجه لراحة وسعادة أسرتك. احصل على شقتك الفاخرة الآن واستمتع بالتقسيط المريح والتسهيلات المالية التي تلبي احتياجاتك. اتصل بنا اليوم لمزيد من المعلومات ولا تدع الفرصة تفوتك لتحقيق حلم السكن الأنيق والمريح في أفضل مواقع القاهرة الجديدة.

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  20. تقدم شركة كايرو هايتس مجموعة من أكبر المشروعات السكنية المتميزة وشقق للبيع بالقاهرة الجديدة والتجمع الخامس والعديد من الوحدات السكنية الراقية بعقارات بيت الوطن والتى تتميز بالخصوصية والهدوء والإطلالة الفريدة على حدائق ومساحات خضراء.
    تختار كايرو هايتس بالقاهرة الجديدة مشروعاتها بعناية وبمواقع استراتيجية بحيث تكون قريبة من مناطق الخدمات والمراكز الترفيهية وأشهر النوادى والمؤسسات التعليمية الهامة.

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