Teach Now (Teaching Certification): First Day In a Virtual Classroom

Module 1: Day 1

There are many reasons why I was hesitant to start this teaching certification. First of all I am not very good with computers or technology, and second of all, I am swamped with SOOOOO much work at the moment finishing my M.Ed in Education and yes, third of all, I am also doing my Advanced Raja Yoga Teaching Certification simultaneously with this virtual program I just started.

There are also many reasons why I decided to go with this program. First of all, I've done a lot of research and this program is completely legit. I was going to go with Teacher Ready at first but not being American, I could only get a piece of paper at the end of it saying that I have done exactly all the courses that a teacher in the state of Florida would have done to get certified.... except that I would be able to get a legit certification  (BTW I checked their website out but it wasn't as helpful as when I contacted cshears@teach-now.com as he had more information for students teaching outside the US). Second of all, I don't have to quit my job completely to go and finish my certification like many of my peers have. I CANNOT afford to do that!

So what was my first day of virtual class like?
Well the platform they are using is called Adobe Connect, and I have to say it was pretty. darn. cool. Everyone's faces appears in small boxes, there is a chat box, a poll box, and a board box. I will try and get a screen shot in my next class and post it on here.

What did we do on the first day?
Emily, the brain and CEO of Teach Now, introduced herself and the program, and made us all feel really comfortable that this program is truly legit and just as intense and as valuable as any teaching certification program in Washington DC. We then went around introducing ourselves one by one, and at the end, she was open for any questions or concerns we were having. THAT took an hour and it was over.

What is my first impression of this program?
I think it felt a little overwhelming at first, but I am writing 3 days after the start of this class and now that I've had a bit of time to browse around their classroom, like anything, it is starting to become more familiar. The only downside I see to this platform is the speed. I live in S.Korea, so I am accustomed to incredibly high speed internet and yes, I know I only have to wait about 3 seconds between clicks... but still. I AM spoiled..LOL! Looking at their homework, I have a feeling that it's going to be very similar to the Ed. Tech. class that I took in my master's courses, where one of my assignments was to start my own educator's blog.... sooooo I thought, I already have this anyway, and why not just document everything I do in this program to help others see if it's for them too :)