What It Means to Be a Modern Online Educator

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Traditional college instruction is part of a well-established tradition that has remained fairly unchanged over time. Becoming an instructor in this environment has meant conformity to teaching standards that have also remained fairly unchanged. A college professor is associated with someone who is a subject matter expert, likely to achieve a position with tenure, and have dual roles as an instructor and researcher. It is expected that they will be published authors of scholarly journal articles that have been peer-reviewed and contributed knowledge to their field. While this form of education and instructor still exists, there is another academic institution that has also been established and it is an online college and university.

For a modern form of online education you will not likely find any positions that are labeled professor. Most online universities hire adjuncts and many refer to their instructors as facilitators. Some universities expect their instructors to complete annual professional development requirements but rarely does that include publishing peer-reviewed journal articles. What is needed now more than ever is a new category of educator, one who meets the needs of students who participate in this modern form of education. Now is also the time for online universities to embrace this new form of instructors, those who can be called a Modern Educator.

From Traditional to Online Teaching

The traditional format for educating students is the lecture-driven class. The instructor delivers information to students and they must demonstrate what they have learned through various assessments. They know that their instructor or professor is an expert in the particular subject area for their class. This method of instruction is the same style that is used in primary education and it is teacher-centered. As technology has brought new possibilities for the field of education a new format developed – online courses and online degrees. At first traditional educators taught these courses but over time that has changed, especially as adjuncts filled a majority of the instructional roles. Now with online degree programs and online schools having been fully established in the education field, a new type of educator was also emerging.

Evolution to Modern Teaching

With the growth of online learning came the need for hiring a large volume of instructors. Some online universities have classes that begin weekly and others offer courses starting monthly. Hiring adjuncts was the answer and the majority of jobs teaching undergraduate students have been filled by instructors holding a master’s degree in the subject field they were teaching. Over time the number of instructors qualified to teach online has grown substantially and now many adjunct positions require a doctorate degree. What has contributed to the increased pool of available online instructors is the fluctuation in enrollment numbers, the limited number of full-time online instructor positions, and the increase in degree specializations – especially those related to online teaching. There are also many online schools that offer online teaching specializations and those students who complete their master’s degree are added to the pool. It is estimated that at present there are nearly two million adjunct online instructors teaching online courses.

The requirements for teaching online also may include continuing education. Most online universities require some form of annual professional development. Those universities generally offer workshops and training courses as a means of fulfilling this requirement. Publishing scholarly journals can be used to help meet the professional development requirements but most schools do not require it. These modern teachers are also different from a college professor by the manner in which they are allowed to present themselves in the classroom. An online instructor is often called a facilitator and rarely is this position referred to as a professor – although some instructors will refer to themselves as a professor to establish their position in the learning process. Many online universities tell their instructors to use their first name as a means of creating a casual and approachable image – even if the instructor has a doctorate degree.

An Example of a Modern Educator

Within the field of online education there is a significant difference among educator types. There are those with a master’s degree who can teach undergraduate courses and there are those with doctorate degrees who can teach both undergraduate and graduate students. For those schools that offer doctoral degree programs, an expectation for instructors to be published in a manner similar to that of a college professor may still be in place. But there is a need for a new standard. If traditional methods of learning do not apply to online education, then traditional instructor qualifications should also not apply to online educators. Now is the time for a new instructional category, one that is referred to as a Modern Educator.

My work as an educator has evolved from traditional college teaching to that of online teaching and now I have become a Modern Educator. Instead of spending months (or possibly longer) trying to become published in a scholarly journal, I publish online articles. Instead of my work being available only to those who have access to and read scholarly journals, I now have an opportunity to reach a broader audience. My work is available as soon as I write and publish it, and more importantly – I understand how to use social media. I am connected to an international basis of educators, universities, and students through the use of social media.

Through social media it is possible to share ideas and resources, along with online articles, blog posts, and other intellectual contributions. This also applies to transformation of the publishing process. Instead of waiting to find a publisher and go through the traditional publishing route, I have self-published e-books. This has allowed me to become highly engaged in the field of education and it has redefined what it means to be a college instructor. Becoming a Modern Educator indicates what online instructors should be involved with and online schools developing as a requirement for their professional development.

Steps to Becoming a Modern Educator

Whether you have a master’s degree or doctorate degree, if you teach online courses you need professional development. But this should be more than taking a workshop – it needs to involve making an intellectual contribution. In addition, the work of a Modern Educator also needs to be involved in some form of social or professional networking. Here are some steps you can take and strategies you can use to become a Modern Educator.

#1. Write a Blog – This provides a platform to share your expertise and summarize your knowledge. As you continue to conduct research for your areas of professional interest and you can include what you have learned through your blog posts. There are numerous free resources that will allow you to create and share your blog, such as Word Press.

#2. Write Online Articles – Instead of taking the time required to write and submit articles to scholarly journals, which can always be an option for you, find a resource that allows you to publish online articles. The articles you write, which are based upon your knowledge and experience, will allow you to reach a broader audience, refine your writing skills, and establish yourself as a subject matter expert. I utilize Ezine Articles, which is an article marketing database.

#3. Use Social Networking – Every online educator needs to learn how to establish their presence via technology. It only makes sense that if you work in a technology-enabled environment you should also know how to be engaged in online communities. LinkedIn provides a means of professional networking, finding groups that match your interest, and even finding online jobs. Twitter can connect you to an international base of educators, students, and universities – providing a place to share resources.

#4. Develop a Website -If you find that you are highly ambitious and want to develop more than a blog you could also build your own website. This would be a place for you to house resources that you have created, which could be shared with educators and students. There are free webhosting services available and others that charge a small fee.

#5. Write E-Books – The field of publishing has changed and now authors are taking back control by making their books available in an e-book format. Kindle and Nook devices are the most popular devices. Kobo is another device that is gaining popularity because it can be used on mobile devices such as Blackberry. You will likely need to hire someone to format the book, sign up for an account to distribute your e-book, and once it is ready you can have it available in a relatively short amount of time.

Maintaining a Modern Educator Status

A Modern Educator is someone who does more than teach online classes. They are active in the field of education and their chosen subject matter. They know how to teach using technological tools and engage in a virtual community of other educators through social media. The Modern Educator is also conducting research and making intellectual contributions through technological means. The work they publish is done through technologically-enabled resources and made immediately available for their intended audience. They know how to use social media to promote their work and share resources with other educators and students.

It is time now for the Modern Educator mentality to become the standard for online learning. Instruction has adapted in format from traditional to online, and so too must the instructor. It is also important that online schools and hiring specialists recognize the new Modern Educator. This is someone who has likely taught for several institutions because of fluctuating enrollments and staff changes; however, what matters most is their ongoing professional development and intellectual contributions. The most desirable candidate for an online teaching position is someone with more than extensive work as an online educator. It is someone who can also utilize technological tools as a means of publishing their work and connecting with other educators. A Modern Educator is the new college professor and the one most prepared for teaching through the use of technology.

5 Reasons To Use Digital Marketing Services To Transform Your Business

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If e-paper has replaced newspaper in your home then don’t feel guilty about it. You are not alone; in some years this will be a norm everywhere. It is primarily because of the penetration of internet services, high-end smartphones in remote corners of the world and cheap accessibility. Most of the action takes place in the online space and this is why it has become a common hunting ground for businesses at large.

Decoding Digital Marketing

Marketing is not merely an attempt to sell products or services but an integrated process aimed at creating a predefined impact. It is a strong influencing force that can transform a business. So, experts stress on the growing importance of digital marketing in shaping a business for maximum gain. There is a swelling number of internet users and this provides ample scope for a business – new as well as existing ones, for market attention and convert it to tangible gains.

Here’s Why Digital Marketing Is Not An Option But Compulsory For Every Business

Digital marketing is a staple strategy for every business aiming to make it a noted venture in the respective industry. The process flows through several channels and uses a number of tools to accomplish the desired goal. It is specifically goal-oriented and you can see the results in lesser time than traditional marketing methods. Here are some of the most important reasons for relying on it for a successful business.

Concrete analysis and adaptation: In digital marketing, user activities are monitored to arrive on a concrete data about the targeted group. Real-time data that gets updated from time to time; it enables more accurate analysis. This makes it most effective in predicting market trends and adapting to the changes.
Unhindered communication: There are several barriers of communication, in traditional marketing processes which can hinder the transmission of messages to your target group. However, digital marketing communication does not encounter such hindrances because it is direct and engage customers for undivided attention.
Customized content: Based on the data, communication strategists decide on messages which can be easily understood by consumers, meet their demands or resolve their problems and direct them to purchase the products or services.
Customer tracking: Digital marketing services target individual customers by identifying them through the device they use and their demography. The analytics are used to predict customer preferences, behaviours and predict their actions. It tracks customers from their initial interaction to end sales.
Dynamic approach: It uses real-time data, reaches the maximum possible customer pool, provides an immediate workable solution and aids in easy sales. This dilutes the time-lapse between each procedure and encourages more consumer engagement and sales.
Digital marketing offers you easy and unmatched solutions to overcome some critical marketing challenges. This has become all the more relevant because of intensifying market competition and penetrating use of technology. Digital marketing services are leveraging business like never before.

Changing Times for Digital Marketing Services Companies

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Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the ever-changing landscape as it relates to online marketing and the services that entrepreneurs and corporations purchase from digital marketing services agencies.

In recent times, many of you might remember the news concerning a number of corporations that pulled advertising dollars away from YouTube, leaving a number of prominent YouTube content creators very upset about decreases in income – and I’m sure Google and YouTube were not pleased about the situation either.

I then read where Proctor & Gamble, a huge investor in digital marketing globally, recently cutback over $140 million dollars USD on digital advertising due to ineffectual online ads. Why were they saying these ads were ineffective? Their two greatest reasons cited were that many of their ads were ending up attached to content of objectionable quality, which means that YouTube was not able to discern which channels were good locations to place these ads and companies were getting their names and ads associated with content they did not want to be in any way related to. And secondly, many of their ads were falling into channels and spots where “bots” were looking at the ads instead of human eyes. And bots do not spend any money on products so these advertising dollars were just being thrown away.

The funny thing was that after these advertising cuts had occurred, virtually no loss in sales or business growth were noticed by these corporations. The only thing to change was the increased percentage effectiveness of advertising spend relating to sales.

JP Morgan Chase in March reduced the 400,000 sites it had been allowing ads to be placed on down to only about 5,000 pre-approved sites and, as quoted by their Chief Marketing Officer, Kristin Lemkau, to the New York Times: “we haven’t seen any deterioration on our performance metrics” since the change.”

Over the past several years, we have seen corporations make steady moves away from spending money on TV advertising in the direction of digital advertising because quite frankly, a great many more leads per dollar spent were attainable online. Many digital marketing firms enjoyed dramatic growth over just a few years due to this windfall of media spend money coming in.

For a time, it was utopia but now corporations are learning as is evidenced by the examples above. They are now creating the statistical charts and graphs they need to show their management teams how effective their media spends are. And they are now able to discern where their bang for the buck just isn’t there and to drill down on those statistics to figure out why – which is why you are now seeing these cutback types of moves occurring across the corporate landscape and the statements being made as to why the cutbacks are occurring.

To obtain the media spend capital from these corporations today, it is becoming more apparent that digital marketing services companies had best be prepared to show statistical evidence that the money spent will engender the financial returns anticipated. And as a marketing firm, you will need to be able to start answering questions about how you can manage their funds so that real people and not bots are viewing the ads being placed and that the ads are being placed in quality places, attached to quality content. If you can’t, you may end up being cut just like the 3,500 websites got cut that had been profiting from JP Morgan Chase advertisements.

In summary, it is getting tougher to be a digital marketing firm these days and it will come to be even more so. Online marketing services companies will have to do more due diligence as they find places to spend corporation advertising budgets. And more due diligence means more work which will cut into profit margins. However, if you want to stay in business over the longer term, this something you are going to have to get good at. Those that do, will be picking up additional business from advertising firms that don’t.

About Dan Grijzenhout: Dan is a professional digital marketing strategist and consultant providing consulting services to businesses and corporations. Also an online trainer, Dan currently has over 16,000 students taking his entrepreneurial, business and marketing courses online.