Free Public Classes or paid classes?

Dear all,

I think we got caught in an apples-and-oranges game. For me, the key is here:
I want the freedom to explore activities with my students that they
could not do in the exam orientated culture of the university where we
usually work.
Sharon makes her position quite clear in her blog, too.

On the other hand, I assume Namrata and Taran are referring to the courses that they offer and which require hours and hours of preparation, expensive resources etc.

I am not sure about motivation; the flip side of getting paid to teach is that sometimes you are expected to just open up the student's brain, stick a funnel in and pour all the wisdom they have paid you for - cos they have paid, haven't they, and thus they have kept their side of the bargain!

Although there are free classes on WizIQ, I haven't seen free courses - and no amount of Karaoke ESL, Draw Your English, or my own messed up attempts at online pub quizzes will get a 4.5 bander anywhere close to the coveted IELTS band 7 in the foreseeable future. The game classes are all about fun and enjoyment and experiencing English in a totally different way; they are not meant to help someone pass exams.

Just my 2 cents...

Dear all,<br><br>I think we got caught in an apples-and-oranges game. For me, the key is here:<br><i>I want the freedom to explore activities with <u>my students</u> that they could not do in the exam orientated culture of <u>the university where we usually work.</u> </i><br>Sharon makes her position quite clear in her blog, too.<br><br>On the other hand, I assume Namrata and Taran are referring to the courses that they offer and which require hours and hours of preparation, expensive resources etc.<br><br>I am not sure about motivation; the flip side of getting paid to teach is that sometimes you are expected to just open up the student's brain, stick a funnel in and pour all the wisdom they have paid you for - cos they have paid, haven't they, and thus they have kept their side of the bargain! <br><br>Although there are free classes on WizIQ, I haven't seen free <b>courses</b> - and no amount of Karaoke ESL, Draw Your English, or my own messed up attempts at online pub quizzes will get a 4.5 bander anywhere close to the coveted IELTS band 7 in the foreseeable future. The game classes are all about fun and enjoyment and experiencing English in a totally different way; they are not meant to help someone pass exams.<br><br>Just my 2 cents...<br><br>

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<div><div><meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <title></title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="LibreOffice 3.3 (Linux)"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; "> Paid versus no-fee classes...for what it's worth, an opinion from a teacher who currently does not charge for anything published online and has no plans to do so in the future.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">Regarding Namrata's points:</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">1. Since I don't know the story, I can't comment. :)</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">2. The value of any learning experience comes from the interaction with content, teacher, students, etc. and has little to do with whether students pay for the class or not. &nbsp;If students recognize value in the learning experience, they will be more likely to participate, regardless if they pay for the class or not. Put another way: students do not value a class because they pay for it. &nbsp;They pay for the class because they perceive the class as valuable to begin with. &nbsp;This value judgment stems from the perceived notion that they are learning in class and this will depend a lot on how the teacher designs the learning experience itself.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">3. The assumption is that “[downloading] versions of an exclusive asset" is a bad thing. Actually, there are licenses that permit such a thing: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/">Creative Commons</a>, which includes <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">licenses that permit one to gain a profit</a>. If “assets" is synonymous to content and ideas, then I would say by themselves, they have little value. It's the interaction of content, ideas, and people – the experience – that matters. Also, one seldom loses when "giving away" knowledge. &nbsp;Image if a group of five individuals shared an idea with each of the other four members. &nbsp;Each would "give up" one idea but receive four in return. &nbsp;I'll take those odds any day!</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">4. I'm not sure I understand this point, so I cannot comment.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; ">We need to shift the question from being about pay/no-fee classes to what it takes to become a more effective, efficient, and engaging teacher.</p></div></div>

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Thanks Sharon for presenting a different perspective.This is true that a highly motivated student will pay attention whether the class is free or paid.But average students tend to pay attention in paid class due to the desire for recovery of investment.For some students, the investment may be that of their time itself. I fully agree with the effect of non-monetary aspect of recognition upon the contentment of the teacher. The thread needs a treatment from paid Vs free classes.

Thanks Sharon for presenting a different perspective.This is true that a highly motivated student will pay attention whether the class is free or paid.But average students tend to pay attention in paid class due to the desire for recovery of investment.For some students, the investment may be that of their time itself. I fully agree with the effect of non-monetary aspect of recognition upon the contentment of the teacher. The thread needs a treatment from paid Vs free classes.

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Namrata is right. Paid class is attended by students who really want to learn for a genuine purpose. The FREE class, as a trend; is not regarded highly by the learners. This reduces the learners' quality of attention and responsibility towards the process of learning. The free class thus is not in the interest of the genuine students though it might create leads for the teacher.

Namrata is right. Paid class is attended by students who really want to learn for a genuine purpose. The FREE class, as a trend; is not regarded highly by the learners. This reduces the learners' quality of attention and responsibility towards the process of learning. The free class thus is not in the interest of the genuine students though it might create leads for the teacher.

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Thank you Taran. I am inspired and encouraged by your fees. All the best

Thank you Taran. I am inspired and encouraged by your fees. All the best<br>

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FREE Vs. PAID classes-
I do not wish to oppose the intentions or challenge the academic excellence of teachers who have a different opinion. However, here is my stake on this debatable topic:
1. Many students feel that Premium teachers are paid by wiziq.com and therefore conduct free classes. And, my dear teachers you know the story too well.

2. If I am a student in a free class, I can anytime enter or leave the class, because the class has NO MONETARY VALUE. Sadly, many students place a higher importance to something they expend some dollars on than to something that comes as a free gift.

3. If as a teacher, I give my best knowledge for free in the form of PUBLIC classes, I run the risk of giving downloadable versions of an exclusive asset. I have to use no other words to describe the transmission of downloadable information holding immense value for teachers. Yes, I am talking about everything from Copyright to Piracy.

4. I look around some big names online and analyze the marketing strategies. Google has its premium features like Gmail, Google docs, Google Analytics and others FREE of cost to all. BUT, it is still earning through various promotional and Advertisement channels on its networks. Compare it to our profiles on wiziq, we are not generating any Advertisement Revenue. Personally speaking, I would not like to generate revenue from Ads, when I am empowered with a pool of information to share with my students.

For those who want to know what students think about PAID and FREE classes on wiziq, just join and attend my session on WIZIQ FOR STUDENTS this week. Just remind me to conduct a poll, live in the class.

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>FREE Vs. PAID classes-<br> </b>I do not wish to oppose the intentions or challenge the academic excellence of teachers who have a different opinion. However, here is my stake on this debatable topic:<br> 1. Many students feel that Premium teachers are paid by wiziq.com and therefore conduct free classes. And, my dear teachers you know the story too well.<br> </p><p class="MsoNormal">2. If I am a student in a free class, I can anytime enter or leave the class, because the class has NO MONETARY VALUE. Sadly, many students place a higher importance to something they expend some dollars on than to something that comes as a free gift.</p><p class="MsoNormal">3. If as a teacher, I give my best knowledge for free in the form of PUBLIC classes, I run the risk of giving downloadable versions of an exclusive asset. I have to use no other words to describe the transmission of downloadable information holding immense value for teachers. Yes, I am talking about everything from Copyright to Piracy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">4. I look around some big names online and analyze the marketing strategies. Google has its premium features like Gmail, Google docs, Google Analytics and others FREE of cost to all. BUT, it is still earning through various promotional and Advertisement channels on its networks. Compare it to our profiles on wiziq, we are not generating any Advertisement Revenue. Personally speaking, I would not like to generate revenue from Ads, when I am empowered with a pool of information to share with my students.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For those who want to know what students think about PAID and FREE classes on wiziq, just join and attend my session on <a href="http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/547492-wiziq-for-students">WIZIQ FOR STUDENTS </a>this week. Just remind me to conduct a poll, live in the class. </p>

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Hi Anne,
Thanks a ton for the support!
Use your Paypal Account- you need to fill that up on wiziq
Talk to wiziq support team directly- they'll help you out

Hi Anne,<br>Thanks a ton for the support!<br>Use your Paypal Account- you need to fill that up on wiziq<br>Talk to wiziq support team directly- they'll help you out<br><br>

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Dear Elena, I think you've put it very well, and... I have not ruled put the option of doing paid cpurses on WizIQ either, but, as you so rightly say... The free classes are for fun, and fun is, in fact, a great way to learn. We are all doing different things in different spaces, and deesigning a course, which is paid for, for exam preparation or other things is just as valid as doing free courses. Doing this type of course, howevrr, trnds to be the norm, whereas the free classes you mention, like the Karaoke, Draw your English, etc. Are, to my mind, a breath of frresh air, and that is what I find unique about WizIQ. Of course, thr students who attend those free classes, in an ideal world, would then form a community and attend courses, paying for them too. Ideally learners, I think, need both. they need the systematic approach they would get in a traditional course com ined with the anarchic fun loving "stuff" in the free classes. I'm going to be having fun this summer. Frree classes will soon be planned for the end of June :-).

Dear Elena, I think you've put it very well, and... I have not ruled put the option of doing paid cpurses on WizIQ either, but, as you so rightly say... The free classes are for fun, and fun is, in fact, a great way to learn. We are all doing different things in different spaces, and deesigning a course, which is paid for, for exam preparation or other things is just as valid as doing free courses. Doing this type of course, howevrr, trnds to be the norm, whereas the free classes you mention, like the Karaoke, Draw your English, etc. Are, to my mind, a breath of frresh air, and that is what I find unique about WizIQ. Of course, thr students who attend those free classes, in an ideal world, would then form a community and attend courses, paying for them too. Ideally learners, I think, need both. they need the systematic approach they would get in a traditional course com ined with the anarchic fun loving "stuff" in the free classes. I'm going to be having fun this summer. Frree classes will soon be planned for the end of June :-).

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Hi everyone, I apologise for my dreadful punctuation and spelling in the last post, but I'm typing from my phone. Hope you'll make allowances.

Hi everyone, I apologise for my dreadful punctuation and spelling in the last post, but I'm typing from my phone. Hope you'll make allowances.

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It's interesting that this topin has given rise to quite a lot of resistance, although, that is to be expected, and, of course, we, as teachers, have a stake in the idea that our work should be valued and respected, what I am questioning is not that, in fact I do a lot of teaching work that is paid for. My decision to do free classes (and if you are not a Premium teacher you do not pay to teach) is a personal one (and it may well change) but I don't agree that students are not motivated when they come to free public classes. Some people cannot afford to pay for lessons, and some, who do pay for lessons are under the impression that they are "buying the language". By choosing not to charge for lessons at the moment, I want the freedom to explore activities with my students that they could not do in the exam orientated culture of the university where we usually work. This will also bring them into contact with others from other countries in a "safe context" and could motivate them to find new partners to explore their English with.  The issue of money and payment is a delicate one and of course teachers who work hard want recognition, which usually translates into monetary terms, but I want to look at recognition in other terms, not purely monetary. If I share my expertise online and this has a ripple effect, then I am happy with this. Payment can mean recognition and respect but it can also be a bond, in that your work is conditioned by it.

It's interesting that this topin has given rise to quite a lot of resistance, although, that is to be expected, and, of course, we, as teachers, have a stake in the idea that our work should be valued and respected, what I am questioning is not that, in fact I do a lot of teaching work that is paid for. My decision to do free classes (and if you are not a Premium teacher you do not pay to teach) is a personal one (and it may well change) but I don't agree that students are not motivated when they come to free public classes. Some people cannot afford to pay for lessons, and some, who do pay for lessons are under the impression that they are "buying the language". By choosing not to charge for lessons at the moment, I want the freedom to explore activities with my students that they could not do in the exam orientated culture of the university where we usually work. This will also bring them into contact with others from other countries in a "safe context" and could motivate them to find new partners to explore their English with.  The issue of money and payment is a delicate one and of course teachers who work hard want recognition, which usually translates into monetary terms, but I want to look at recognition in other terms, not purely monetary. If I share my expertise online and this has a ripple effect, then I am happy with this. Payment can mean recognition and respect but it can also be a bond, in that your work is conditioned by it.

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Thanks, George, for putting the link in. It wd have been good in my original post, but it doesn't work from my ipad. Next time I'll have to use a computer :-(

Thanks, George, for putting the link in. It wd have been good in my original post, but it doesn't work from my ipad. Next time I'll have to use a computer :-(

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Good idea... The class,I mean. I'm not an expert but I'm afraid I'm fighting addiction to my ipad...

Good idea... The class,I mean. I'm not an expert but I'm afraid I'm fighting addiction to my ipad...

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http://hartlelearning.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/making-the-right-choices-or-avoiding-living-death/

Sharon, in the comment editing/composing box there is a button that shows a chain.

This allows you to make any word e.g. LINK HERE to become a clickable link.  Simply highlight the word, click on the button, then past the web link into the prompted entry box.  Unfortunately most of us are too lazy to copy and paste a link into our browser so consider using this "hyper linking" when you wish to encourage readers to follow your recommendations.

<P><A href="http://hartlelearning.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/making-the-right-choices-or-avoiding-living-death/">http://hartlelearning.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/making-the-right-choices-or-avoiding-living-death/</A> </P> <P>Sharon, in the comment editing/composing box there is a button that shows a chain.</P> <P>This allows you to make any word e.g. <A href="http://hartlelearning.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/making-the-right-choices-or-avoiding-living-death/">LINK HERE</A> to become a clickable link.&nbsp; Simply highlight the word, click on the button, then past the web link into the prompted entry box.&nbsp; Unfortunately most of us are too lazy to copy and paste a link into our browser so consider using this "hyper linking" when you wish to encourage readers to follow your recommendations.</P>

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Oh cool! You have an Ipad?  You didn't tell us you were rich.  We need more rich teachers at WizIQ ;-)

How about a class describing the pro's and cons of Ipad vs. smart phones?  I must get into the mobil world and can't decide witch path to take.

 

<P>Oh cool! You have an Ipad?&nbsp; You didn't tell us you were rich.&nbsp; We need more rich teachers at WizIQ ;-)</P> <P>How about a class describing the pro's and cons of Ipad vs. smart phones?&nbsp; I must get into the mobil world and can't decide witch path to take.</P> <P>&nbsp;</P>

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ooh I agree with Namrata!  She puts it so well.  I understand that some students can't afford to pay a lot for classes, but I think even a small, token fee is recompense for hard work and knowledge, not to mention the cost of resources. In fact, you are as a Premium tutor effectively PAYING to take a free class!  If you compare with other sites, you will see that students who are motivated will pay quite large amounts - much more than on Wiziq. 

ooh I agree with Namrata!&nbsp; She puts it so well.&nbsp; I understand that some students can't afford to pay a lot for classes, but I think even a small, token fee is recompense for hard work and knowledge, not to mention the cost of resources. In fact, you are as a Premium tutor effectively PAYING to take a free class!&nbsp; If you compare with other sites, you will see that students who are motivated will pay quite large amounts - much more than on Wiziq.&nbsp; <br>

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ps - why can't I withdraw my payments? Does anyone know?

ps - why can't I withdraw my payments? Does anyone know?<br>

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thanks Shivgan for your input on this.  You raise some very valid points.  I know especially that making a payment is sometimes a big problem for students.

thanks Shivgan for your input on this.&nbsp; You raise some very valid points.&nbsp; I know especially that making a payment is sometimes a big problem for students.<br>

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I have taken some public free classes; and what I found was:

1. Students think that premium teachers are paid by Wiziq to teach for free
2. Also they dont know about the courses of premium teachers when they attend the class
3. Moreover they think that teachers are not going to teach the course for free and the classes are demo. Although I complete the course in the free sessions also.
4. They feel there are not other ways(than credit card) to attend a paid class or course (they dont know that they can pay Wiziq by Cheque/DD/Bank transfer to register for the course)
5. Free classes are not taken seriously by many non-premium teachers which destroys the credibility of good teachers, so they think all free classes have high absent rate for teachers. This might be because they don't know how to cancel or reschedule the class
   

I agree with Namrata's view point that free classes can sometimes be detrimental for the teachers.
Thank you,
Shivgan

I have taken some public free classes; and what I found was:<br><br><ol><li>Students think that premium teachers are paid by Wiziq to teach for free</li><li>Also they dont know about the courses of premium teachers when they attend the class</li><li>Moreover they think that teachers are not going to teach the course for free and the classes are demo. Although I complete the course in the free sessions also. </li><li>They feel there are not other ways(than credit card) to attend a paid class or course (they dont know that they can pay Wiziq by Cheque/DD/Bank transfer to register for the course)</li><li>Free classes are not taken seriously by many non-premium teachers which destroys the credibility of good teachers, so they think all free classes have high absent rate for teachers. This might be because they don't know how to cancel or reschedule the class<br></li></ol><br>I agree with Namrata's view point that free classes can sometimes be detrimental for the teachers.<br>Thank you,<br>Shivgan<br><br>

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