First steps toward a common goal at WIZIQ

Hi all, this is another amazing discussion, I must say. It took me rather long to go through all the comments and pardon me for not being here earlier - I was on the road raising investment for WiZiQ :)

I will try to post separate replies on different topics touched in this discussion beginning with Robert's. We are a start-up that was first self-funded by the two of us co-founders and have ever since raised 2 rounds of investment. It might be surprising for some of you, but we DO have a formal business plan and just so everyone knows, we will not make money unless the teachers on WiZiQ do! And that is the number one objective of our business: to help teachers build businesses on WiZiQ! Like any other marketplace, the operator of the marketplace cannot be successful without the service providers being successful. So we are on the same side.

We also know that we won't be successful without the help of the teachers i.e. without them generating content, promoting themselves and indirectly WiZiQ too. We expect WiZiQ to be a marketplace where teachers are earning through their expertise, intellectual property (content, classes etc.) and us taking a reasonable share of the transacted revenues to make a profit. Considering all this happens at a very large scale, WiZiQ will be a big financial success and that is what our investors are interested in.

We are working towards this direction already, both in terms of the technology and the business model. The underlying philosophy is that if a teacher can sell his service with his own efforts, say to the students in his contact or through his blog, twitter, facebook etc. we would only be charging to cover our costs of transaction and administration (currently 5% + $0.20 per sale). We will be formally announcing it tomorrow and will try to bring this number even further down in the future. And if WiZiQ helps facilitate the sale i.e. to the student on the WiZiQ marketplace without the efforts of the teacher, we would charge a 25% commission. Now, what is sold to the student entirely depends on what the students want to buy – neither WiZiQ nor teachers can help it. We are building WiZiQ so you will be able to sell almost anything beginning with individual classes. Here are a few examples of what you will be able to sell on WiZiQ:
1. A class, private or public for any price
2. A single item of content such as a video, presentation, document etc.
3. An online test
4. A question bank
5. A course: This is what we are working on as we speak and in the next few days announce an asynchronous course feature on WiZiQ which for now only premium members will have access to i.e. only they can create a course and set a price (or keep it for free). See the hidden page here: http://www.wiziq.com/sell-courses-earn-money

Our internal mandate is to 'get students for our teachers'. And we are devising a lot of ways to accomplish this objective. One of which is setting up a calling facility where students can get help reach out the right teachers or resources on WiZiQ e.g. we already get requests from students that they need help in certain subject areas. We will now be talking to these students over the phone and will be 'pointing them out' to the right courses, teachers etc.

Why? Because based on our business model, we have a win-win relationship with you guys. There is nothing more satisfying to us than seeing our teachers be financially successful.

Hi all, this is another amazing discussion, I must say. It took me rather long to go through all the comments and pardon me for not being here earlier - I was on the road raising investment for WiZiQ :) I will try to post separate replies on different topics touched in this discussion beginning with Robert's. We are a start-up that was first self-funded by the two of us co-founders and have ever since raised 2 rounds of investment. It might be surprising for some of you, but we DO have a formal business plan and just so everyone knows, we will not make money unless the teachers on WiZiQ do! And that is the number one objective of our business: to help teachers build businesses on WiZiQ! Like any other marketplace, the operator of the marketplace cannot be successful without the service providers being successful. So we are on the same side. We also know that we won't be successful without the help of the teachers i.e. without them generating content, promoting themselves and indirectly WiZiQ too. We expect WiZiQ to be a marketplace where teachers are earning through their expertise, intellectual property (content, classes etc.) and us taking a reasonable share of the transacted revenues to make a profit. Considering all this happens at a very large scale, WiZiQ will be a big financial success and that is what our investors are interested in. We are working towards this direction already, both in terms of the technology and the business model. The underlying philosophy is that if a teacher can sell his service with his own efforts, say to the students in his contact or through his blog, twitter, facebook etc. we would only be charging to cover our costs of transaction and administration (currently 5% + $0.20 per sale). We will be formally announcing it tomorrow and will try to bring this number even further down in the future. And if WiZiQ helps facilitate the sale i.e. to the student on the WiZiQ marketplace without the efforts of the teacher, we would charge a 25% commission. Now, what is sold to the student entirely depends on what the students want to buy – neither WiZiQ nor teachers can help it. We are building WiZiQ so you will be able to sell almost anything beginning with individual classes. Here are a few examples of what you will be able to sell on WiZiQ: 1. A class, private or public for any price 2. A single item of content such as a video, presentation, document etc. 3. An online test 4. A question bank 5. A course: This is what we are working on as we speak and in the next few days announce an asynchronous course feature on WiZiQ which for now only premium members will have access to i.e. only they can create a course and set a price (or keep it for free). See the hidden page here: <a href="http://www.wiziq.com/sell-courses-earn-money">http://www.wiziq.com/sell-courses-earn-money</a> Our internal mandate is to 'get students for our teachers'. And we are devising a lot of ways to accomplish this objective. One of which is setting up a calling facility where students can get help reach out the right teachers or resources on WiZiQ e.g. we already get requests from students that they need help in certain subject areas. We will now be talking to these students over the phone and will be 'pointing them out' to the right courses, teachers etc. Why? Because based on our business model, we have a win-win relationship with you guys. There is nothing more satisfying to us than seeing our teachers be financially successful.

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Reggie,

Thanks for your comments. And when you tell someone about WiZiQ, you can also tell them that our teacher trainers can train them, online, at a time convenient to them - of course, for free.

Reggie, Thanks for your comments. And when you tell someone about WiZiQ, you can also tell them that our teacher trainers can train them, online, at a time convenient to them - of course, for free.

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Hi Harman,

Its really nice idea and my good wishes are with you. I have already circulated this information to our colleagues and I hope some of them will certainly join as e-teacher.

From my company point of view it is a welcome step and I certainly look forward to sell some of our products through wiziq (online test, RPI....)

Hi Harman, Its really nice idea and my good wishes are with you. I have already circulated this information to our colleagues and I hope some of them will certainly join as e-teacher. From my company point of view it is a welcome step and I certainly look forward to sell some of our products through wiziq (online test, RPI....)

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I have been on WiZiQ for a few years and would like to share my current conclusions. I would like those who do not know me to realize that what I am going to say contradicts my work as a promoter of free e-learning for everyone. However, by giving free workshops, I am not contributing to the success of WiZiQ, the teachers, or the learners. IMHO, all the stakeholders involved will benefit if teachers took at least $1 from each participant for all of the workshops. The attitude of giving a free sample lesson may not be a good policy because it encourages free lessons and that's not going to help WiZiQ in the long run.

I have been on WiZiQ for a few years and would like to share my current conclusions. I would like those who do not know me to realize that what I am going to say contradicts my work as a promoter of free e-learning for everyone. However, by giving free workshops, I am not contributing to the success of WiZiQ, the teachers, or the learners. IMHO, all the stakeholders involved will benefit if teachers took at least $1 from each participant for all of the workshops. The attitude of giving a free sample lesson may not be a good policy because it encourages free lessons and that's not going to help WiZiQ in the long run.

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Dr. Aman Biswas,
I would be very interested in connecting with public schools in India to provide free e-learning. Please pass my contact details to the schools.

Thank you.
Nellie

Dr. Aman Biswas, I would be very interested in connecting with public schools in India to provide free e-learning. Please pass my contact details to the schools. Thank you. Nellie

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Yes Prof. George Machlan let me share our view of approaching so that it can help you all. We approached the principals of respective schools and colleges asking them if they wish to learn the new technologies for improvement of their children. As sometimes there are many schools in India, yet lacking broad band so we carry our data cables. With prior appointment they are rather pleased and helpful for assembly of their faculty and students. Many are really thrilled, they may have apprehensions for making it practically happen, but many students as they get our emails, they do approach who are serious for advanced knowledge.
One another positive for us (myself and Dr.S.Biswas) is that most of these kids have read our books or are referring. We also visited few orphanges who are helping in advance education for their residents. In this way we all are helping in spreading technologies, helping society as they further help to spread this elearning amongst their known fellows due to excitement. I feel all the teachers associated with wiziq should also join with each other and should have atleast quarterly get togethers to share their part of story and help each other. As mentioned by George "Anyway, my ultimate goal is to grow as one big family. Not as an overly selfish entrepreneur". This feeling is too good , Lets really grow together. Good luck to all of you.

Yes Prof. George Machlan let me share our view of approaching so that it can help you all. We approached the principals of respective schools and colleges asking them if they wish to learn the new technologies for improvement of their children. As sometimes there are many schools in India, yet lacking broad band so we carry our data cables. With prior appointment they are rather pleased and helpful for assembly of their faculty and students. Many are really thrilled, they may have apprehensions for making it practically happen, but many students as they get our emails, they do approach who are serious for advanced knowledge. One another positive for us (myself and Dr.S.Biswas) is that most of these kids have read our books or are referring. We also visited few orphanges who are helping in advance education for their residents. In this way we all are helping in spreading technologies, helping society as they further help to spread this elearning amongst their known fellows due to excitement. I feel all the teachers associated with wiziq should also join with each other and should have atleast quarterly get togethers to share their part of story and help each other. As mentioned by George "Anyway, my ultimate goal is to grow as one big family. Not as an overly selfish entrepreneur". This feeling is too good , Lets really grow together. Good luck to all of you.

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It seems the problem of turning WiZiQ into an online school available through Internet Cafes is all about marketing. It's great of have a good platform with which to teach but people have to know you are there. Things have to be planned and things have to be done.

It seems you have to

1. Decide on a Curriculum
2. Find instructors to provide instruction
3. Get the courses Certified
4. Market the courses through regular University catalogs with the University taking a cut.

OR

You can market them as Non-credit courses. In which case many students will avoid. Case in point. I have a wiki at www.teachergary.com. It is not part of the students regular classes and they are not required to visit the site. It's for them to increase their knowledge of English as a Second language. There are not many visitors from the University student body. They don't get credit for it so they don't visit the site. Some do but the majority don't.
For an online school to succeed it has to provide something beyond the knowledge.

It seems the problem of turning WiZiQ into an online school available through Internet Cafes is all about marketing. It's great of have a good platform with which to teach but people have to know you are there. Things have to be planned and things have to be done. It seems you have to 1. Decide on a Curriculum 2. Find instructors to provide instruction 3. Get the courses Certified 4. Market the courses through regular University catalogs with the University taking a cut. OR You can market them as Non-credit courses. In which case many students will avoid. Case in point. I have a wiki at www.teachergary.com. It is not part of the students regular classes and they are not required to visit the site. It's for them to increase their knowledge of English as a Second language. There are not many visitors from the University student body. They don't get credit for it so they don't visit the site. Some do but the majority don't. For an online school to succeed it has to provide something beyond the knowledge.

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“Every teacher is inherently different, based on past experiences, style, tone, knowledge...but wiziq isn't. WiziQ is a web tool." I agree completely.

You mention a lot about WiZiQ's business model but since neither one of us has relevant data, it's a waste of time to form sound judgments. But I will say this that over the long-term, teachers will continue to attract students if students see some value in doing so. Let's assume for a moment that WiZiQ is designed to your satisfaction while all else remains the same (i.e., same teachers with same amount of knowledge and pedagogical skill). Of course this would not automatically create more of a demand of students to WiZiQ because teachers are what make the difference, not the WiZiQ infrastructure itself. Certainly we all want more functionality from WiZiQ, but I sometimes think people place too many expectations on the tool than on the dynamic between teacher and student.

Please don't construe my argument as an anti-profit sharing stance for teachers because it's not. Teachers certainly deserve to make a profit for what they do, but it seems that you aren't will to do anything for WiZiQ without being financially compensated for it, which I totally respect. But some teachers are willing to share their work and experience with others openly with the understanding that future possibilities (that may or may not include a financial reward) may result. You say, “The teacher benefits are minimal.", but the benefits that I get are enormous and I don't make any money on WiZiQ. I think our point of departure mainly exists because you equate “benefits" mainly in terms of money earned while I believe it doesn't always need to be about the money.

Interesting conversation and certainly healthy when diverse opinions are expressed. This is precisely what's needed in a learning community that seeks growth and development. WiZiQ, teachers, and students all need to have a voice in how all can benefit which is why having WiZiQ and students brought into this particular discussion would be nice. The beauty is that we don't need to reach an agreement or concensus, but rather each individual will take this information and form opinions and act in a way that best serves their purpose.

“Every teacher is inherently different, based on past experiences, style, tone, knowledge...but wiziq isn't. WiziQ is a web tool." I agree completely. You mention a lot about WiZiQ's business model but since neither one of us has relevant data, it's a waste of time to form sound judgments. But I will say this that over the long-term, teachers will continue to attract students if students see some value in doing so. Let's assume for a moment that WiZiQ is designed to your satisfaction while all else remains the same (i.e., same teachers with same amount of knowledge and pedagogical skill). Of course this would not automatically create more of a demand of students to WiZiQ because teachers are what make the difference, not the WiZiQ infrastructure itself. Certainly we all want more functionality from WiZiQ, but I sometimes think people place too many expectations on the tool than on the dynamic between teacher and student. Please don't construe my argument as an anti-profit sharing stance for teachers because it's not. Teachers certainly deserve to make a profit for what they do, but it seems that you aren't will to do anything for WiZiQ without being financially compensated for it, which I totally respect. But some teachers are willing to share their work and experience with others openly with the understanding that future possibilities (that may or may not include a financial reward) may result. You say, “The teacher benefits are minimal.", but the benefits that I get are enormous and I don't make any money on WiZiQ. I think our point of departure mainly exists because you equate “benefits" mainly in terms of money earned while I believe it doesn't always need to be about the money. Interesting conversation and certainly healthy when diverse opinions are expressed. This is precisely what's needed in a learning community that seeks growth and development. WiZiQ, teachers, and students all need to have a voice in how all can benefit which is why having WiZiQ and students brought into this particular discussion would be nice. The beauty is that we don't need to reach an agreement or concensus, but rather each individual will take this information and form opinions and act in a way that best serves their purpose.

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What follows are my opinions on a variety of topics previously mention:

George says, “So what practical steps do you think we can do to drive this vision into reality? Remember keep it simple and practical. This thread is dedicated to doing, not what if..."

It appears I´m in the minority on this one, but I´ll say it anyway: “Members of WiZiQ (i.e., teachers, students, and WiZiQ personnel) do not need a single, shared vision to succeed. I equate this to saying, “Everyone who opens a Ning, Facebook page, Moodle class, etc., needs to have a shared vision". WiZiQ probably has a shared vision already that supports the notion that WiZiQ succeeds if teachers and students succeed. But beyond that, the notion of some shared vision among all the teachers/students as to how WiZiQ is to be used is a futile and impractical pursuit.

True, successful teachers may share some commonalities in the way they present their classes, but is it really about having a list of predetermined procedures, or even some shared vision? Teachers who are willing to observe others, take risks themselves, and reflect on their experiences with the intention of changing future behavior will be in a better position to develop their own teaching principles and personal vision within the realm of WiZiQ, and as a result will become more successful than relying on a notion that was reached prior by some group of individuals. For example, George and I may never agree on a single “best" way to conduct a class or what the vision of WiZiQ ought to be. But does this mean that neither one of us will be “successful" (however we define the word) using WiZiQ? I'd like to think not.

Many here are mentioning that schools, institutions, Internet cafés, etc. ought to adapt WiZiQ within their educational contexts which I think is fine in principle (both from a closed and for-profit standpoint as well as an open and non-profit standpoint); I´m not sure if I agree with converting WiZiQ in its present form to a school though. Learning on the web is about creating personal learning networks that link people with common interests and needs. WiZiQ's forte is their content repository and their delivery platform, but to become a school, I believe would take away from the R&D resources that are very much needed in order to continue improving what they already have established and are currently developing. There are simply too many other websites that combined could constitute a “school" in a way that WiZiQ or any other single website for that matter could never be.

Also, I´m not really seeing the big picture regarding the notion that turning Internet Cafés into schools through the use of WiZiQ results in a “win-win" proposition. I do see that teachers who earn more money on WiZiQ and who use Internet Cafés to do so can be a win-win situation for everyone though. But this can be done without Internet Cafés being treated as “schools" can't it?

Don says, “There needs to be a place for us to keep our documents, lessons and asynchronous materials, since WizIQ is primarily a synchronous tool...or is it?"

I haven't seen WiZiQ stats, but the content WiZiQ maintains online has the potential to be a strong asynchronous tool in that it can be shared among websites and platforms and at the same time can be shared synchronously through their WiZiQ class as well. This is a great position for WiZiQ to take in that it is both being “school-like" as well as “nonschool-like". Your question is interesting because the answer is going to depend on how each teacher decides to use WiZiQ (well-conceived approach from the WiZiQ folks). This supports my argument of not treating WiZiQ as a “school" because it then would likely lead to limitations in what and how content is shared. The value of WiZiQ is that there are a variety of ways it can be used.

Instead of us talking about what our vision should be, or some set of established principles on how to conduct WiZiQ classes, why not just maintain an ongoing open discussion on personal experiences with WiZiQ and what does and doesn't work well for us as individuals. If we leave it at that, then each person can take this information and reflect on how this information might impact one's future teaching efforts online. A descriptive rather than a prescriptive approach to being “successful" WiZiQers will ultimately lead to a network of individuals who are more willing and able to lead and learn going forward.

What follows are my opinions on a variety of topics previously mention: George says, “So what practical steps do you think we can do to drive this vision into reality? Remember keep it simple and practical. This thread is dedicated to doing, not what if..." It appears I´m in the minority on this one, but I´ll say it anyway: “Members of WiZiQ (i.e., teachers, students, and WiZiQ personnel) do not need a single, shared vision to succeed. I equate this to saying, “Everyone who opens a Ning, Facebook page, Moodle class, etc., needs to have a shared vision". WiZiQ probably has a shared vision already that supports the notion that WiZiQ succeeds if teachers and students succeed. But beyond that, the notion of some shared vision among all the teachers/students as to how WiZiQ is to be used is a futile and impractical pursuit. True, successful teachers may share some commonalities in the way they present their classes, but is it really about having a list of predetermined procedures, or even some shared vision? Teachers who are willing to observe others, take risks themselves, and reflect on their experiences with the intention of changing future behavior will be in a better position to develop their own teaching principles and personal vision within the realm of WiZiQ, and as a result will become more successful than relying on a notion that was reached prior by some group of individuals. For example, George and I may never agree on a single “best" way to conduct a class or what the vision of WiZiQ ought to be. But does this mean that neither one of us will be “successful" (however we define the word) using WiZiQ? I'd like to think not. Many here are mentioning that schools, institutions, Internet cafés, etc. ought to adapt WiZiQ within their educational contexts which I think is fine in principle (both from a closed and for-profit standpoint as well as an open and non-profit standpoint); I´m not sure if I agree with converting WiZiQ in its present form to a school though. Learning on the web is about creating personal learning networks that link people with common interests and needs. WiZiQ's forte is their content repository and their delivery platform, but to become a school, I believe would take away from the R&D resources that are very much needed in order to continue improving what they already have established and are currently developing. There are simply too many other websites that combined could constitute a “school" in a way that WiZiQ or any other single website for that matter could never be. Also, I´m not really seeing the big picture regarding the notion that turning Internet Cafés into schools through the use of WiZiQ results in a “win-win" proposition. I do see that teachers who earn more money on WiZiQ and who use Internet Cafés to do so can be a win-win situation for everyone though. But this can be done without Internet Cafés being treated as “schools" can't it? Don says, “There needs to be a place for us to keep our documents, lessons and asynchronous materials, since WizIQ is primarily a synchronous tool...or is it?" I haven't seen WiZiQ stats, but the content WiZiQ maintains online has the potential to be a strong asynchronous tool in that it can be shared among websites and platforms and at the same time can be shared synchronously through their WiZiQ class as well. This is a great position for WiZiQ to take in that it is both being “school-like" as well as “nonschool-like". Your question is interesting because the answer is going to depend on how each teacher decides to use WiZiQ (well-conceived approach from the WiZiQ folks). This supports my argument of not treating WiZiQ as a “school" because it then would likely lead to limitations in what and how content is shared. The value of WiZiQ is that there are a variety of ways it can be used. Instead of us talking about what our vision should be, or some set of established principles on how to conduct WiZiQ classes, why not just maintain an ongoing open discussion on personal experiences with WiZiQ and what does and doesn't work well for us as individuals. If we leave it at that, then each person can take this information and reflect on how this information might impact one's future teaching efforts online. A descriptive rather than a prescriptive approach to being “successful" WiZiQers will ultimately lead to a network of individuals who are more willing and able to lead and learn going forward.

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@Namrata and everyone, if our shared vision has already been established as "spreading awareness about online teaching/learning", great! I happen to agree with that and will assume the majority of the WiZiQ community agree with this notion as well. Perhaps I missed this declaration in some other post which is certainly possible.

Now, in order to achieve this shared vision, you bring up the idea that WiZiQ ought to be considered a "teaching or learning hub" in posing the question:

"How do we direct attention of the millions of people who visit it [WiZiQ] once and forget about it, or those who are completely unaware of this concept?"

It's a good question and one that perhaps others have asked themselves as well. However, I would like to modify this question to one which I humbly believe is a bit more relevant:

"How do [teachers] direct [the] attention of millions of people who visit [teachers online] once and forget about [them], or those [learners] who are completely unaware of this concept [that learning can occur online]?"

Notice how I've shifted the focus from WiZiQ to teachers. My whole premise is that we should not set out to create WiZiQ as the central “teaching or learning hub", or presume that it is some prerequisite for reaching learners online. If this ends up happening for some teachers/learners, great! But this will have been the result of some relationship or dynamic between teacher and student that worked at the class level, factoring in the following: the teacher's personal teaching style and preference, the students' individual learning preference, needs, and interests, the size of the class, the level of diversification (i.e., level of choice students have with regard to content, process, and product creation), the time of day the class is being offered, etc. And this just deals with the synchronous part of online learning…we haven't even dealt with the asynchronous part.

My point is that learning is a complex system that occurs at many different levels. You mention that you agree with using Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. to “spread the word", and I assume you mean to spread the notion of online education. But this emphasizes my point as well. I think we all agree that online learning requires using some mix of online websites, just as those previously mentioned. So, is it reasonable to suspect that the WiZiQ community can come up with concrete answers to the following questions:

1. How much of my teaching/learning should originate solely from WiZiQ?
2. What percentage of my teaching/learning should come from WiZiQ, Facebook, Ning, YouTube, etc.?

Do we agree that addressing these questions in a prescriptive way is counterproductive? If so, I would say the same idea extents to prescribing ways to conduct a WiZiQ class because again, the act of learning is simply too complex.

I think it boils down to language. If you are representing a consensus when you state the shared vision of WiZiQ as “spreading awareness about online teaching/learning", I'm all for it. I´m all for “joining hands" and sharing experiences, thoughts, and beliefs regarding how to improve online teaching/learning (notice I'm not mentioning only WiZiQ). If this leads to encouraging all WiZiQ stakeholders to lead and learn within the community, then we have reached a goal I am particularly fond of.

Good example of collaboration:

Tom shares an experience of what worked in a WiZiQ class. Dick shares ways of integrating different websites, platforms, etc. in order to create a more diversified learning experience with his learners. And Harry shows how a prior WiZiQ was a failure. All three communicate with each other and offer personal opinions regarding online teaching/learning.

Not-so-good example of members trying to reach a “common" end or goal within the WiZiQ community:

Tom shares an experience of what worked in a WiZiQ class. Dick shares ways of integrating different websites, platforms, etc. in order to create a more diversified learning experience with his learners. And Harry shows how a prior WiZiQ was a failure. [Notice the difference here.] All three communicate with each other in an effort to reach a consensus on what constitutes best practices when it comes to online teaching and learning, specifically when using WiZiQ. These best practices then become associated with the entire WiZiQ community.

The first example I mention is more “networked" while the second example is more “group" related. If we were a football team, perhaps the latter example would be recommended. But I don't see education (i.e., teaching and learning) working the same as a sports team, a business, or governmental agency. It's more “networked" in that yes reaching a consensus is an important subskill, but it's more about individuals achieving personal goals. It's about celebrating diversity much more than one would suspect when playing for the Dallas Cowboys, working at Microsoft, or working for the Justice Department.

Possible goal for WiZiQ:

The goal for teachers and learners within the WiZiQ community is to guarantee that everyone has the opportunity, authority, and support to lead and learn in an online educational environment.

It's my belief that if we focus on the above goal, that personal endeavors (e.g., financial rewards, personal gratification, etc.) will have a greater rate of succeeding.

@Namrata and everyone, if our shared vision has already been established as "spreading awareness about online teaching/learning", great! I happen to agree with that and will assume the majority of the WiZiQ community agree with this notion as well. Perhaps I missed this declaration in some other post which is certainly possible. Now, in order to achieve this shared vision, you bring up the idea that WiZiQ ought to be considered a "teaching or learning hub" in posing the question: "How do we direct attention of the millions of people who visit it [WiZiQ] once and forget about it, or those who are completely unaware of this concept?" It's a good question and one that perhaps others have asked themselves as well. However, I would like to modify this question to one which I humbly believe is a bit more relevant: "How do [teachers] direct [the] attention of millions of people who visit [teachers online] once and forget about [them], or those [learners] who are completely unaware of this concept [that learning can occur online]?" Notice how I've shifted the focus from WiZiQ to teachers. My whole premise is that we should not set out to create WiZiQ as the central “teaching or learning hub", or presume that it is some prerequisite for reaching learners online. If this ends up happening for some teachers/learners, great! But this will have been the result of some relationship or dynamic between teacher and student that worked at the class level, factoring in the following: the teacher's personal teaching style and preference, the students' individual learning preference, needs, and interests, the size of the class, the level of diversification (i.e., level of choice students have with regard to content, process, and product creation), the time of day the class is being offered, etc. And this just deals with the synchronous part of online learning…we haven't even dealt with the asynchronous part. My point is that learning is a complex system that occurs at many different levels. You mention that you agree with using Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. to “spread the word", and I assume you mean to spread the notion of online education. But this emphasizes my point as well. I think we all agree that online learning requires using some mix of online websites, just as those previously mentioned. So, is it reasonable to suspect that the WiZiQ community can come up with concrete answers to the following questions: 1. How much of my teaching/learning should originate solely from WiZiQ? 2. What percentage of my teaching/learning should come from WiZiQ, Facebook, Ning, YouTube, etc.? Do we agree that addressing these questions in a prescriptive way is counterproductive? If so, I would say the same idea extents to prescribing ways to conduct a WiZiQ class because again, the act of learning is simply too complex. I think it boils down to language. If you are representing a consensus when you state the shared vision of WiZiQ as “spreading awareness about online teaching/learning", I'm all for it. I´m all for “joining hands" and sharing experiences, thoughts, and beliefs regarding how to improve online teaching/learning (notice I'm not mentioning only WiZiQ). If this leads to encouraging all WiZiQ stakeholders to lead and learn within the community, then we have reached a goal I am particularly fond of. Good example of collaboration: Tom shares an experience of what worked in a WiZiQ class. Dick shares ways of integrating different websites, platforms, etc. in order to create a more diversified learning experience with his learners. And Harry shows how a prior WiZiQ was a failure. All three communicate with each other and offer personal opinions regarding online teaching/learning. Not-so-good example of members trying to reach a “common" end or goal within the WiZiQ community: Tom shares an experience of what worked in a WiZiQ class. Dick shares ways of integrating different websites, platforms, etc. in order to create a more diversified learning experience with his learners. And Harry shows how a prior WiZiQ was a failure. [Notice the difference here.] All three communicate with each other in an effort to reach a consensus on what constitutes best practices when it comes to online teaching and learning, specifically when using WiZiQ. These best practices then become associated with the entire WiZiQ community. The first example I mention is more “networked" while the second example is more “group" related. If we were a football team, perhaps the latter example would be recommended. But I don't see education (i.e., teaching and learning) working the same as a sports team, a business, or governmental agency. It's more “networked" in that yes reaching a consensus is an important subskill, but it's more about individuals achieving personal goals. It's about celebrating diversity much more than one would suspect when playing for the Dallas Cowboys, working at Microsoft, or working for the Justice Department. Possible goal for WiZiQ: The goal for teachers and learners within the WiZiQ community is to guarantee that everyone has the opportunity, authority, and support to lead and learn in an online educational environment. It's my belief that if we focus on the above goal, that personal endeavors (e.g., financial rewards, personal gratification, etc.) will have a greater rate of succeeding.

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@Robert, you say, "In my opinion wiziq needs to decide what makes it different? Why does a student visit WizIQ? Why should they stay? What do they get?"

Substitue "WiZiQ" with "teachers" (along with the appropriate pronouns) and I agree with you 100%. WiZiQ will succeed if teachers and learners succeed, and I don't think creating a "central hub" where WiZiQ can be all things for all people is practical or even possible. I say this because I have yet to find a platform, website, LMS, etc. that services all my needs, either as a teacher or student.

Learners will gravitate to WiZiQ because of the teachers regardless if the course resides in WiZiQ, a Ning, Moodle, etc. WiZiQ already has forums, a Ning, and a Blog which are certainly enough "infrastructure" to create a community of teachers, which I see should remain the primary focus.

But then again, I´ve been wrong before (smile). I´m certainly open to hear opposing views to this very interesting subject. It's interesting because our views on how we learn as teachers say a lot about how we think our students learn.

@Robert, you say, "In my opinion wiziq needs to decide what makes it different? Why does a student visit WizIQ? Why should they stay? What do they get?" Substitue "WiZiQ" with "teachers" (along with the appropriate pronouns) and I agree with you 100%. WiZiQ will succeed if teachers and learners succeed, and I don't think creating a "central hub" where WiZiQ can be all things for all people is practical or even possible. I say this because I have yet to find a platform, website, LMS, etc. that services all my needs, either as a teacher or student. Learners will gravitate to WiZiQ because of the teachers regardless if the course resides in WiZiQ, a Ning, Moodle, etc. WiZiQ already has forums, a Ning, and a Blog which are certainly enough "infrastructure" to create a community of teachers, which I see should remain the primary focus. But then again, I´ve been wrong before (smile). I´m certainly open to hear opposing views to this very interesting subject. It's interesting because our views on how we learn as teachers say a lot about how we think our students learn.

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I would like to restate that the common goal is spreading awareness about online teaching/learning. It could be through collective marketing or individual efforts.
George mentioned Facebook, Youtube, Twitter... and I too feel these are the platforms we could use to spread the word around. We need to chalk out a plan, if we want to work in collaboration.
For instance, if we find a discussion related to the "English Language" on Ning or a question put on Linkedin related to "Algebra Lesson Plans", we all should post our views and comments to those threads. This means the pool of teachers at wiziq collectively promote all the profiles.
The question is how do we inform each other of these online activities.

Again, being active on each others network and blogs is great promotion. We can also ask fellow subject teachers to join our existing blogs and work together as authors on the blog.

@ Benjamin, I understand terming wiziq as a school limits its functionality. Yet, if we consider it as a Teaching or Learning hub, how do we direct attention of the millions of people who visit it once and forget about it, or those who are completely unaware of this concept?

I would like to restate that the common goal is spreading awareness about online teaching/learning. It could be through collective marketing or individual efforts. George mentioned Facebook, Youtube, Twitter... and I too feel these are the platforms we could use to spread the word around. We need to chalk out a plan, if we want to work in collaboration. For instance, if we find a discussion related to the "English Language" on Ning or a question put on Linkedin related to "Algebra Lesson Plans", we all should post our views and comments to those threads. This means the pool of teachers at wiziq collectively promote all the profiles. The question is how do we inform each other of these online activities. Again, being active on each others network and blogs is great promotion. We can also ask fellow subject teachers to join our existing blogs and work together as authors on the blog. @ Benjamin, I understand terming wiziq as a school limits its functionality. Yet, if we consider it as a Teaching or Learning hub, how do we direct attention of the millions of people who visit it once and forget about it, or those who are completely unaware of this concept?

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Thanks George for acknowledging my concern and restating it practically. And thanks for the encouragement too.

Thanks George for acknowledging my concern and restating it practically. And thanks for the encouragement too.

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Hi Kirsten,
Yes, we can't force students to learn from us. That's what needs collective efforts.
There are schools in India, where teachers resort to using multimedia through Projectors and PCs. This concept was uncommon here say 5 years back. And, if this is to be thought upon, young minds are ready to learn through computers provided the technology is available.
I have tried teaching school students Grammar from their favorite TV shows and the concept rocks. But, how do I convince their parents or school authorities is the main question.

Hi Kirsten, Yes, we can't force students to learn from us. That's what needs collective efforts. There are schools in India, where teachers resort to using multimedia through Projectors and PCs. This concept was uncommon here say 5 years back. And, if this is to be thought upon, young minds are ready to learn through computers provided the technology is available. I have tried teaching school students Grammar from their favorite TV shows and the concept rocks. But, how do I convince their parents or school authorities is the main question.

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Hi
I wish good luck to the wiziq team and sincerely hope we as teachers help you succeed in this endeavour.

Hi I wish good luck to the wiziq team and sincerely hope we as teachers help you succeed in this endeavour.

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"Things only get mainstream when they are technically boring." - Clay Shirky

We as teachers cannot "force" people to take classes online. Students need to find out for themselves that it is a good option to do so.

Sure, going over institutions is an option but on the other hand: why should they canabalize their own business? If you want to go in this direction you need to get in contact with internet cafés. The owners could turn them into schools with the help of WiZiQ. Or completely new schools could be build upon this with the students sitting in the brick and mortar classroom and the teacher sitting at the other end of the globe.

But for single students who are not subscribed to a school you will have to wait. There is no doubt about the fact that education will be online in the near future but you cannot actively control when this will happen.
Take a look back at the dot com bubble. Basically all assumptions about ecommerce and use of the internet back then where right. The problem was that the companies were completely wrong about the timing. It did not happen in 1999/2000 but it massively started in 2004/5. And the same is true for online education. There are some factors that might excellerate the shift, like the roadmap of the US Department of Education but in the end the students decide :).

"Things only get mainstream when they are technically boring." - Clay Shirky We as teachers cannot "force" people to take classes online. Students need to find out for themselves that it is a good option to do so. Sure, going over institutions is an option but on the other hand: why should they canabalize their own business? If you want to go in this direction you need to get in contact with internet cafés. The owners could turn them into schools with the help of WiZiQ. Or completely new schools could be build upon this with the students sitting in the brick and mortar classroom and the teacher sitting at the other end of the globe. But for single students who are not subscribed to a school you will have to wait. There is no doubt about the fact that education will be online in the near future but you cannot actively control when this will happen. Take a look back at the dot com bubble. Basically all assumptions about ecommerce and use of the internet back then where right. The problem was that the companies were completely wrong about the timing. It did not happen in 1999/2000 but it massively started in 2004/5. And the same is true for online education. There are some factors that might excellerate the shift, like the roadmap of the US Department of Education but in the end the students decide :).

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@Namrata There is no doubt about the fact that education in public schools and universities will go more and more on the internet. And there is also no doubt that the generation that will already learn this way in school will then further develop their skills on websites like WiZiQ.
I agree that it will help the industry at a whole if online teaching will be integrated in the public school sector but there are short cuts. Because institutions are slow and suspicious as we all know. Business is always faster in implementing new ways of monetization which leads me to...

@I.T. ...if you think about the potential of internet cafés who work together with WiZiQ it's mind blowing. Just the Indian market alone, not to mention China, the Middle East and Africa.

WiZiQ is built to be extremly scalable. Even today every teacher can host a class of 500 students, pro teachers up to 1000.

Plus it would be a win-win-win situation:
- the internet café owners earn money
- the teachers could offer classes at competitive prices. Even if you would only charge $1 USD. If you have 100 students in the class, you can do the maths. Plus: people who are in an internet café already paid to be online. An extra dollar won't hurt them if they get quality instruction in return.
You see, where I am going: this could massively change education in India and other countries.
- WiZiQ makes money, too. As this is a company, WiZiQ needs to get more teachers who actually charge for their classes. I know, there is a certain fear factor amongst online teachers to take a step forward and even charge just $1. But someone needs to be the first one at the party, right?

There is of course a lot more to say, but if this is done right, and even more importantly, if someone would start this at WiZiQ by building up relationships to local internet cafés, in your hometown, you could walk to them or take a cab, explain the idea and then get back to your teachers and set up PAID classes together, even for $1 then something fundamentaly new could be born.

@Namrata There is no doubt about the fact that education in public schools and universities will go more and more on the internet. And there is also no doubt that the generation that will already learn this way in school will then further develop their skills on websites like WiZiQ. I agree that it will help the industry at a whole if online teaching will be integrated in the public school sector but there are short cuts. Because institutions are slow and suspicious as we all know. Business is always faster in implementing new ways of monetization which leads me to... @I.T. ...if you think about the potential of internet cafés who work together with WiZiQ it's mind blowing. Just the Indian market alone, not to mention China, the Middle East and Africa. WiZiQ is built to be extremly scalable. Even today every teacher can host a class of 500 students, pro teachers up to 1000. Plus it would be a win-win-win situation: - the internet café owners earn money - the teachers could offer classes at competitive prices. Even if you would only charge $1 USD. If you have 100 students in the class, you can do the maths. Plus: people who are in an internet café already paid to be online. An extra dollar won't hurt them if they get quality instruction in return. You see, where I am going: this could massively change education in India and other countries. - WiZiQ makes money, too. As this is a company, WiZiQ needs to get more teachers who actually charge for their classes. I know, there is a certain fear factor amongst online teachers to take a step forward and even charge just $1. But someone needs to be the first one at the party, right? There is of course a lot more to say, but if this is done right, and even more importantly, if someone would start this at WiZiQ by building up relationships to local internet cafés, in your hometown, you could walk to them or take a cab, explain the idea and then get back to your teachers and set up PAID classes together, even for $1 then something fundamentaly new could be born.

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Don, You can keep all your materials on WIZIQ as a premium memmber and download copies of your classes too.
The internet cafe is a good idea and I will look into trying that here in Auckland

Don, You can keep all your materials on WIZIQ as a premium memmber and download copies of your classes too. The internet cafe is a good idea and I will look into trying that here in Auckland

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8309583.stm

The article I submit is about my neighbour country, Uruguay, where school and internet access has finally become a social asset every child is entitled to. I believe the time is not too far when a pc and internet connection become rights for children to have in schools and outside schools.

In my country this situation was replicated in one region with a lot of success.

I truly belive that the change to the virtual classrooms is happening, at different speeds, but it is going on worldwide.

Let us be prepared to face the challenges!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8309583.stm The article I submit is about my neighbour country, Uruguay, where school and internet access has finally become a social asset every child is entitled to. I believe the time is not too far when a pc and internet connection become rights for children to have in schools and outside schools. In my country this situation was replicated in one region with a lot of success. I truly belive that the change to the virtual classrooms is happening, at different speeds, but it is going on worldwide. Let us be prepared to face the challenges!

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@George, I already changed my gender, apparently something got mixed up, and I hadn´t noticed it before. (Thanks anyway!)

I really would like to start up a blog, following one of your suggestions.
My website belongs to me and my partner, who is not so much into online teaching, but more on face-to-face. He lives downtown Buenos Aires, and is fully booked with groups. I live 400 km from him, and I am the one who took the lead on online teaching.

And you do not sound chauvinistic, you sound just like any man!

@George, I already changed my gender, apparently something got mixed up, and I hadn´t noticed it before. (Thanks anyway!) I really would like to start up a blog, following one of your suggestions. My website belongs to me and my partner, who is not so much into online teaching, but more on face-to-face. He lives downtown Buenos Aires, and is fully booked with groups. I live 400 km from him, and I am the one who took the lead on online teaching. And you do not sound chauvinistic, you sound just like any man!

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Time out....

Everyone take a deep breath. This is some great and passionate exchanges but we must leave room for inclusiveness in point of views. I am as prone as anyone to be very territorial in my paradigm. And I don't like to mince words but I think that we should steer clear of absolutes (e.g. there is no way, I would never, etc.) when this is really a sharing thread of ideas for actionable steps.

I would like to remind myself and anyone sharing in this thread that it was intended to come up with some simple ideas for action steps toward common goals. Not to redefine where the WIZIQ corporate business model should be. At the least that would be a different thread if not in a board room somewhere.


OK Round 2
"So what practical steps do you think we can do to drive this vision into reality? Remember keep it simple and practical. This thread is dedicated to doing, not what if..."
(Quote from original thread - above)

Time out.... Everyone take a deep breath. This is some great and passionate exchanges but we must leave room for inclusiveness in point of views. I am as prone as anyone to be very territorial in my paradigm. And I don't like to mince words but I think that we should steer clear of absolutes (e.g. there is no way, I would never, etc.) when this is really a sharing thread of ideas for actionable steps. I would like to remind myself and anyone sharing in this thread that it was intended to come up with some simple ideas for action steps toward common goals. Not to redefine where the WIZIQ corporate business model should be. At the least that would be a different thread if not in a board room somewhere. OK Round 2 "So what practical steps do you think we can do to drive this vision into reality? Remember keep it simple and practical. This thread is dedicated to doing, not what if..." (Quote from original thread - above)

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May I remind you all that I have the mind of a tactician, not a strategist. I really don't know which hill to take (strategy) but I can talk about how to "take the hill" ( a tactician). I truly respect and value the worth of the leaders who are called to be strategists. Ben, Robert, Don and James just to name a few. But honestly some of your concepts are way beyond me and that's OK.

In the current laissez faire (hands off) system of our association at WIZIQ it seems that there are many practical things we can do to encourage growth without finalizing the destination. I would like to now revisit some of my observations for "front line" pioneers at WIZIQ and the online teaching communities:

When we visit any given outside (web 2.0) venue it would be desirable to get in the habit of commenting. If someone took the time to share with the world their opinion or knowledge, it could be considered polite (at least) to take a few seconds to respond. This would be considerate but beyond that it shows that you have respected them enough to hear what they say and considered it. It could be a positive or negative response/comment but done correctly it earns you a voice. At some point you would then be considered in sharing your views or advice particularly as it pertains to your efforts at online teaching or just sharing about wiziq.

This type of sharing is directly opposed to marketing schemes to build up web penetration. It is a genuine conversation and sharing of ideas. Not a form of artificial relationship which is only meant to manipulate the readers or web crawlers to grade you higher. The relationship is an end in and of itself. If the search engines see that as "good" so be it, if not who cares?

On the flip side (within our WIZIQ community) I think commenting and critical discussion is even more important. The only way (short of spending a lot of money on some research firm) of discovering the best avenues forward is through feedback. As most of you know the feedback forms at the end of classes are almost non functional as far as constructive criticism.

Not only are the students pre programmed not to be critical. Many have been conditioned to only say positive things about a teacher as a sign of respect. Until we can convince them (and particularly ourselves) that honest feedback is critical for healthy growth we are doomed to languish in the myopic vision of ourselves to long. Our delusions of our effectiveness can be detrimental to our highest goals and calling. It can actually become so systemic that the entire organism (community at WIZIQ) can become threatened.

Did I scare you yet? I am given to the dramatic aren't I?

So here is the "practical step" I would suggest. Let's make it a habit to take the extra couple of moments to faithfully asses our experiences at any given class at WIZIQ. Then let's be brave enough to share them with the person who needs to hear them. It is a false (sorry that is an absolutism isn't it) relationship built only on praise. Let's encourage each other (and our students) to speak out and, I hate to say it, risk hurting some feelings.

One doesn't have to be mean or a jerk about it. One should be considerate. But let's try to be honest and leaders. Myself included, we need to be less thin skinned and learn how to take criticism. After the first shock or two it becomes something we can laugh at. But the laugh will be a hearty, healthy warrior laugh. And it will be a corporate laugh as battle hardened veterans after a successful campaign.

Oops, overly dramatic again, eh? OK I'm done, thanks again for considering me worthy of your company. Teachers are a pain in the ___ (you know what) but I am proud to now be considered one too.

May I remind you all that I have the mind of a tactician, not a strategist. I really don't know which hill to take (strategy) but I can talk about how to "take the hill" ( a tactician). I truly respect and value the worth of the leaders who are called to be strategists. Ben, Robert, Don and James just to name a few. But honestly some of your concepts are way beyond me and that's OK. In the current laissez faire (hands off) system of our association at WIZIQ it seems that there are many practical things we can do to encourage growth without finalizing the destination. I would like to now revisit some of my observations for "front line" pioneers at WIZIQ and the online teaching communities: When we visit any given outside (web 2.0) venue it would be desirable to get in the habit of commenting. If someone took the time to share with the world their opinion or knowledge, it could be considered polite (at least) to take a few seconds to respond. This would be considerate but beyond that it shows that you have respected them enough to hear what they say and considered it. It could be a positive or negative response/comment but done correctly it earns you a voice. At some point you would then be considered in sharing your views or advice particularly as it pertains to your efforts at online teaching or just sharing about wiziq. This type of sharing is directly opposed to marketing schemes to build up web penetration. It is a genuine conversation and sharing of ideas. Not a form of artificial relationship which is only meant to manipulate the readers or web crawlers to grade you higher. The relationship is an end in and of itself. If the search engines see that as "good" so be it, if not who cares? On the flip side (within our WIZIQ community) I think commenting and critical discussion is even more important. The only way (short of spending a lot of money on some research firm) of discovering the best avenues forward is through feedback. As most of you know the feedback forms at the end of classes are almost non functional as far as constructive criticism. Not only are the students pre programmed not to be critical. Many have been conditioned to only say positive things about a teacher as a sign of respect. Until we can convince them (and particularly ourselves) that honest feedback is critical for healthy growth we are doomed to languish in the myopic vision of ourselves to long. Our delusions of our effectiveness can be detrimental to our highest goals and calling. It can actually become so systemic that the entire organism (community at WIZIQ) can become threatened. Did I scare you yet? I am given to the dramatic aren't I? So here is the "practical step" I would suggest. Let's make it a habit to take the extra couple of moments to faithfully asses our experiences at any given class at WIZIQ. Then let's be brave enough to share them with the person who needs to hear them. It is a false (sorry that is an absolutism isn't it) relationship built only on praise. Let's encourage each other (and our students) to speak out and, I hate to say it, risk hurting some feelings. One doesn't have to be mean or a jerk about it. One should be considerate. But let's try to be honest and leaders. Myself included, we need to be less thin skinned and learn how to take criticism. After the first shock or two it becomes something we can laugh at. But the laugh will be a hearty, healthy warrior laugh. And it will be a corporate laugh as battle hardened veterans after a successful campaign. Oops, overly dramatic again, eh? OK I'm done, thanks again for considering me worthy of your company. Teachers are a pain in the ___ (you know what) but I am proud to now be considered one too.

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Her are a few practical steps that I think are foundational. Please note that I am not exceptional in marketing but these seem reasonable for a novice to WIZIQ and online learning.

1. What are your passions? What do you enjoy doing (online)? It may not be desirable to create a whole new and additional regimen for yourself to help spread the word about WIZIQ and your teaching online business.

If you like to maintain email lists and share in that way, simply remember to share pertinent experiences about WIZIQ. Does your target email groups have particular interests that may be served by an existing WIZIQ class or community? Simply share some links and testimonies of what you discover here at wiziq.

Do you like to blog? Great! Don't feel like you need to create a web page and become a webmaster to share your interest in teaching or attending WIZIQ classes. Simply blog with an additional eye to potential audiences. Remember to add links to particular classes and especially to your classes at wiziq. Always add an additional line to your signature giving your wiziq Bio link. You may also remember to link to particular threads within these forum like community threads at WIZIQ.

Are you into facebook, youtube, twitter, etc. Don't feel you must learn how to market into every thing out there. If you simply stay with your strengths which is what you are already interested in anyway, it becomes a small thing to become a marketer by simply focusing some of your efforts on wiziq and your online teaching endeavours.

2. Become proficient in the basics of running a class. This cannot be skipped. It is the down side of any great technological revolution, you must learn how to use the tool. Now mind you, you don't have to become an expert, just proficient. If you are to introduce others to wiziq and your new virtual classroom do them and yourself the courtesy of being familiar enough to make it a pleasant experience.

I would further encourage you to become an expert at one particular mode of instruction. It may be white board, or power point or simply how to run a lively discussion passing microphone privileges as quickly as a phone operator. You don't have to stop there but have one technological strength for you initial presentation style.

3. Hang out at Wiziq. Get a feel for the crazy things, the mundane things and the nuanced. Make a few friends and learn the "lay of the land". Not only will you learn from them but you may need to get some help one day and having a few connections will make your life easier.

Beyond the obvious (above) this "networking" has a great marketing function. Where you could never serve every potential student or teacher you run across, someone at WIZIQ can. And in the same way others will find people who can best be served by you too.

This is called "organic" marketing. It is the best kind of business model as it is the most sustainable. There is no need to buy outside advertising (fertilizer) to force growth. We become a symbiotic organism. When every part of our body is healthy and growing we all grow healthy and thrive! This is what a "grass roots" movement is also. Not by force form above but rather by a natural process and word of mouth sharing.

The nice thing about these kinds of things is that they are natural and comfortable. You don't have to think about marketing and website optimization and all of those stressful types of things (hype). Nor do you have to focus on yourself. You simply focus on helping everyone around you (both inside and outside of our wiziq community). And then the magic happens!

Her are a few practical steps that I think are foundational. Please note that I am not exceptional in marketing but these seem reasonable for a novice to WIZIQ and online learning. 1. What are your passions? What do you enjoy doing (online)? It may not be desirable to create a whole new and additional regimen for yourself to help spread the word about WIZIQ and your teaching online business. If you like to maintain email lists and share in that way, simply remember to share pertinent experiences about WIZIQ. Does your target email groups have particular interests that may be served by an existing WIZIQ class or community? Simply share some links and testimonies of what you discover here at wiziq. Do you like to blog? Great! Don't feel like you need to create a web page and become a webmaster to share your interest in teaching or attending WIZIQ classes. Simply blog with an additional eye to potential audiences. Remember to add links to particular classes and especially to your classes at wiziq. Always add an additional line to your signature giving your wiziq Bio link. You may also remember to link to particular threads within these forum like community threads at WIZIQ. Are you into facebook, youtube, twitter, etc. Don't feel you must learn how to market into every thing out there. If you simply stay with your strengths which is what you are already interested in anyway, it becomes a small thing to become a marketer by simply focusing some of your efforts on wiziq and your online teaching endeavours. 2. Become proficient in the basics of running a class. This cannot be skipped. It is the down side of any great technological revolution, you must learn how to use the tool. Now mind you, you don't have to become an expert, just proficient. If you are to introduce others to wiziq and your new virtual classroom do them and yourself the courtesy of being familiar enough to make it a pleasant experience. I would further encourage you to become an expert at one particular mode of instruction. It may be white board, or power point or simply how to run a lively discussion passing microphone privileges as quickly as a phone operator. You don't have to stop there but have one technological strength for you initial presentation style. 3. Hang out at Wiziq. Get a feel for the crazy things, the mundane things and the nuanced. Make a few friends and learn the "lay of the land". Not only will you learn from them but you may need to get some help one day and having a few connections will make your life easier. Beyond the obvious (above) this "networking" has a great marketing function. Where you could never serve every potential student or teacher you run across, someone at WIZIQ can. And in the same way others will find people who can best be served by you too. This is called "organic" marketing. It is the best kind of business model as it is the most sustainable. There is no need to buy outside advertising (fertilizer) to force growth. We become a symbiotic organism. When every part of our body is healthy and growing we all grow healthy and thrive! This is what a "grass roots" movement is also. Not by force form above but rather by a natural process and word of mouth sharing. The nice thing about these kinds of things is that they are natural and comfortable. You don't have to think about marketing and website optimization and all of those stressful types of things (hype). Nor do you have to focus on yourself. You simply focus on helping everyone around you (both inside and outside of our wiziq community). And then the magic happens!

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@Fabiana, visited your website, cool. I particularly liked the tie in with "The Matrix". I was sad not to see anything about the use of the WIZIQ platform, though. I will look forward to seeing your input throughout the WIZIQ community.

PS Your bio page says that you are Male. If your picture there is correct, you are the best looking "male" I have seen at WIZIQ ;-)

PPS I hope that doesn't sound chauvenistic.

@Fabiana, visited your website, cool. I particularly liked the tie in with "The Matrix". I was sad not to see anything about the use of the WIZIQ platform, though. I will look forward to seeing your input throughout the WIZIQ community. PS Your bio page says that you are Male. If your picture there is correct, you are the best looking "male" I have seen at WIZIQ ;-) PPS I hope that doesn't sound chauvenistic.

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@Gary, all of your points make perfect sense and are reasonable if one wants to compete with the existing system of education. I personally am here to help define something new. Something that has yet to be defined. I don't know if it can be done (this electronic underground school) or even what it will look like when we get it built. But it is "out there" just beyond the horizon. We are the pioneers of something new where man has not gone before.

OK,OK but do you get my drift? Those students who are looking for a cheaper version of what they have now can bargain shop elsewhere. Those teachers who want to become entrepreneurs and just cut out the middle man (school systems, admin, whatever) and make money doing the same old, same old. Probably won't make it here either. I am not Moses but I do think this is part of an Exodus experience and we will be searching for something totally new.

Or, I am so taken with the dramatic and vision that I crash and burn. But I am smiling and want to go out "in a blaze of glory".

Your turn, Gary. I gave ya both barrels without a warning shot.

@Gary, all of your points make perfect sense and are reasonable if one wants to compete with the existing system of education. I personally am here to help define something new. Something that has yet to be defined. I don't know if it can be done (this electronic underground school) or even what it will look like when we get it built. But it is "out there" just beyond the horizon. We are the pioneers of something new where man has not gone before. OK,OK but do you get my drift? Those students who are looking for a cheaper version of what they have now can bargain shop elsewhere. Those teachers who want to become entrepreneurs and just cut out the middle man (school systems, admin, whatever) and make money doing the same old, same old. Probably won't make it here either. I am not Moses but I do think this is part of an Exodus experience and we will be searching for something totally new. Or, I am so taken with the dramatic and vision that I crash and burn. But I am smiling and want to go out "in a blaze of glory". Your turn, Gary. I gave ya both barrels without a warning shot.

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I am trying something else that may or may not be new. As most of you know I have a blog about our experiences with wiziq it is here:
www.myeslfriends.blogspot.com

Well,since I have begun ongoing regular classes, I have created a unique blog for each one (series) to facilitate notes for students, feedback and various other things. But I have connected all individual blogs with each other by a "blog roll" (gadget for automatically collecting snippets from those other blogs). As each class series will draw a unique clientele within the ESL community they will still be exposed to the other offerings and of course WIZIQ.

Don't know how much it will actually help our community footprint but I think it is important to maintain a viable and "organic" presence in the greater blogosphere (and/or other Internet real estate). This obviously serves to build my "branding" but by being so intimately connected with the wiziq platform/community is should help all of us.

Anyway, my ultimate goal is to grow as one big family. Not as an overly selfish entrepreneur.

I am trying something else that may or may not be new. As most of you know I have a blog about our experiences with wiziq it is here: www.myeslfriends.blogspot.com Well,since I have begun ongoing regular classes, I have created a unique blog for each one (series) to facilitate notes for students, feedback and various other things. But I have connected all individual blogs with each other by a "blog roll" (gadget for automatically collecting snippets from those other blogs). As each class series will draw a unique clientele within the ESL community they will still be exposed to the other offerings and of course WIZIQ. Don't know how much it will actually help our community footprint but I think it is important to maintain a viable and "organic" presence in the greater blogosphere (and/or other Internet real estate). This obviously serves to build my "branding" but by being so intimately connected with the wiziq platform/community is should help all of us. Anyway, my ultimate goal is to grow as one big family. Not as an overly selfish entrepreneur.

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Hey everyone,

Great discussion...I have some thoughts to share.

In my opinion wiziq needs to decide what makes it different? Why does a student visit WizIQ? Why should they stay? What do they get?

I believe the platform is great, the teachers are motivated, of general high quality, and the students are knocking on the door. It's a very positive place to be.

But, it doesn't quite fit the bill. Not for me at least, but it certainly has the capacity to do so. My suggestions are these:

Create a forum, discussion board and chat facility.. for students. Easily done, easily maintained, easily servicable and students can chat with other students and teachers. Too many benefits to mention.

Consider integrating teacher blogs, podcasts, a wiki, articles, shopping cart, etc into the site, and allow teachers to produce approved wiziq content for publishing.

Implement a certification process for teachers. You don't want any teacher using your brand do you? Of course not. SO a certification process is required to train, educate and certify teachers. They can then proudly wear the wiziq brand and show it off for the benefit of us all.


Harness the 'content' and brand it, after an approval process. You submit your content to wiziq and wiziq permits 'brand use' on the product. Wiziq approved content. It's licensed of course under the creative commons shared use attributive clause. Or something similar.

Generate income by selling items at wiziq. So, set up a shopping cart...I have one.....and sell products, classes, courses, t-shirts, ...all approved by WizIQ and branded.

Provide benefits for hard working teachers. Profit share. If a teacher generates students, has high attendance, and gets positive feedback then they get a higher percentage of the profits. A new teacher would get very little but would have the incentives to work hard and develop a business.

Allow teachers to share in the revenue from site visitors and all those things that generate visitors like podcasts, articles etc....this can be monitored, recorded and distributed for everyone to see.

Promote wiziq with high quality articles. Again submitted to wiziq for approval and distributed.

Create a collaborative private 'wiziq' wiki where members can contribute to the business

In my opinion if we really want to take wiziq to the next level, we can. But it's a business like any other and requires a plan. Then the plan has to be implemented. You can't wander from one discussion to another hoping the business will create itself, or some piece of magic is going to walk through the door. That's just wishful thinking.

If wiziq wants to make money, they need to allow teachers to promote the brand, and they need tighter controls on who can be a teacher, and who cant. They need to focus on quality, promotion, and profit sharing. By collaborating and harnessing our talent we can create a very high quality community for both teachers and students. Any business is only as good as the people in it, and I don't think wiziq is using the talent they have to their advantage. They could, but it would mean a philosphical change in the way they operate their business. What's the alternative? I'm not sure they have one...there are too many competitors emerging with similar products. wiziq is not different, and it hasn't learnt how to differentiate itself from it's competitors. That's the problem in my mind. I don't know the numbers here, or what sort of revenes are being generated but I don't see or feel the buzz among students. So my feeling is that bottom line performance is poor.

I would be happy to write articles, create podcasts, and content for approval to the wiziq committee. I would love to share the profits of my work. Would you?

Currently I spend quite a lot of time trying to promote myself. I've been looking for a brand that works with teachers, is community minded, and provides profit sharing but I don't think one exists.

An example of this type of collaboration is suite101. I wrote 10 or so articles there 3 years ago and continue to be paid for my efforts. So, why can't wiziq develop this type of platform? We are all independent operators aren't we?

If they did, I'd be in like flynn. Working hard everyday for wiziq, proud to the an online teacher, with a fantastic community of high quality, motivated online teachers. Next year I plan on investing in my education and becoming an even better teacher. WizIQ has the capacity, community and platform to really push to another level. The classes can remain free, because the profits are generated from site visits. My suggestion is that wiziq move in this direction and that they move from follower status, to leader status. If I'm reading between the lines correctly I think that's what everyone here wants.

Best
Robert

Hey everyone, Great discussion...I have some thoughts to share. In my opinion wiziq needs to decide what makes it different? Why does a student visit WizIQ? Why should they stay? What do they get? I believe the platform is great, the teachers are motivated, of general high quality, and the students are knocking on the door. It's a very positive place to be. But, it doesn't quite fit the bill. Not for me at least, but it certainly has the capacity to do so. My suggestions are these: Create a forum, discussion board and chat facility.. for students. Easily done, easily maintained, easily servicable and students can chat with other students and teachers. Too many benefits to mention. Consider integrating teacher blogs, podcasts, a wiki, articles, shopping cart, etc into the site, and allow teachers to produce approved wiziq content for publishing. Implement a certification process for teachers. You don't want any teacher using your brand do you? Of course not. SO a certification process is required to train, educate and certify teachers. They can then proudly wear the wiziq brand and show it off for the benefit of us all. Harness the 'content' and brand it, after an approval process. You submit your content to wiziq and wiziq permits 'brand use' on the product. Wiziq approved content. It's licensed of course under the creative commons shared use attributive clause. Or something similar. Generate income by selling items at wiziq. So, set up a shopping cart...I have one.....and sell products, classes, courses, t-shirts, ...all approved by WizIQ and branded. Provide benefits for hard working teachers. Profit share. If a teacher generates students, has high attendance, and gets positive feedback then they get a higher percentage of the profits. A new teacher would get very little but would have the incentives to work hard and develop a business. Allow teachers to share in the revenue from site visitors and all those things that generate visitors like podcasts, articles etc....this can be monitored, recorded and distributed for everyone to see. Promote wiziq with high quality articles. Again submitted to wiziq for approval and distributed. Create a collaborative private 'wiziq' wiki where members can contribute to the business In my opinion if we really want to take wiziq to the next level, we can. But it's a business like any other and requires a plan. Then the plan has to be implemented. You can't wander from one discussion to another hoping the business will create itself, or some piece of magic is going to walk through the door. That's just wishful thinking. If wiziq wants to make money, they need to allow teachers to promote the brand, and they need tighter controls on who can be a teacher, and who cant. They need to focus on quality, promotion, and profit sharing. By collaborating and harnessing our talent we can create a very high quality community for both teachers and students. Any business is only as good as the people in it, and I don't think wiziq is using the talent they have to their advantage. They could, but it would mean a philosphical change in the way they operate their business. What's the alternative? I'm not sure they have one...there are too many competitors emerging with similar products. wiziq is not different, and it hasn't learnt how to differentiate itself from it's competitors. That's the problem in my mind. I don't know the numbers here, or what sort of revenes are being generated but I don't see or feel the buzz among students. So my feeling is that bottom line performance is poor. I would be happy to write articles, create podcasts, and content for approval to the wiziq committee. I would love to share the profits of my work. Would you? Currently I spend quite a lot of time trying to promote myself. I've been looking for a brand that works with teachers, is community minded, and provides profit sharing but I don't think one exists. An example of this type of collaboration is suite101. I wrote 10 or so articles there 3 years ago and continue to be paid for my efforts. So, why can't wiziq develop this type of platform? We are all independent operators aren't we? If they did, I'd be in like flynn. Working hard everyday for wiziq, proud to the an online teacher, with a fantastic community of high quality, motivated online teachers. Next year I plan on investing in my education and becoming an even better teacher. WizIQ has the capacity, community and platform to really push to another level. The classes can remain free, because the profits are generated from site visits. My suggestion is that wiziq move in this direction and that they move from follower status, to leader status. If I'm reading between the lines correctly I think that's what everyone here wants. Best Robert

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Hi Ben

I think a 'profit sharing' platform would work, it provides an incentive for the teachers, and management to improve quality, and maximize talent. Otherwise I will continue to promote my own brand. WiziQ doesn't pay me, my students do, and they don't come from wiziq...they come from my own marketing efforts, twitter followers, facebook page, podcast, wiki, email mailouts etc....what I'm suggesting is that I for one would be happy to invest my time and effort into WizIQ if I'm paid for my efforts, otherwise I will use it as a web conferencing tool and a place to chat with teachers. Nothing more.

Hi Ben I think a 'profit sharing' platform would work, it provides an incentive for the teachers, and management to improve quality, and maximize talent. Otherwise I will continue to promote my own brand. WiziQ doesn't pay me, my students do, and they don't come from wiziq...they come from my own marketing efforts, twitter followers, facebook page, podcast, wiki, email mailouts etc....what I'm suggesting is that I for one would be happy to invest my time and effort into WizIQ if I'm paid for my efforts, otherwise I will use it as a web conferencing tool and a place to chat with teachers. Nothing more.

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Hey Ben,

I don't agree with the change from 'wiziq' to 'teachers'. Every teacher is inherently different, based on past experiences, style, tone, knowledge...but wiziq isn't. WiziQ is a web tool. I wonder how many teachers have ever got a 'paying' student here. I'd suggest, very few. Why? Because the students come here on the basis of 'free classes'. Why pay? So, how is wiziq ever going to pay the teachers? They won't...they'll be happy generating income from all the students that visit the site to get the free class. They've got 'teachers' for free, right? Where do you get free workers from these days? What's more the teachers are paying wiziq, right? That's a double whammy. Shouldn't wiziq be paying the teachers? The business model is based on generating revenue from teachers efforts, free classes, and subscriptions. The teacher benefits are minimal. I don't think the type of student wiziq attracts will ever pay. I'd love to see a study of the demographics of the site visitors, however I doubt that wiziq would release this information if they had it. The students I've been getting to class are what I describe as 'student drifters'. Picking up information for free. They aren't dedicated students, nonetheless they provide an interesting interaction and are good practice for developing online classroom skills. If teachers expectations are to make money here, I think they'll be sadly mistaken.

Hey Ben, I don't agree with the change from 'wiziq' to 'teachers'. Every teacher is inherently different, based on past experiences, style, tone, knowledge...but wiziq isn't. WiziQ is a web tool. I wonder how many teachers have ever got a 'paying' student here. I'd suggest, very few. Why? Because the students come here on the basis of 'free classes'. Why pay? So, how is wiziq ever going to pay the teachers? They won't...they'll be happy generating income from all the students that visit the site to get the free class. They've got 'teachers' for free, right? Where do you get free workers from these days? What's more the teachers are paying wiziq, right? That's a double whammy. Shouldn't wiziq be paying the teachers? The business model is based on generating revenue from teachers efforts, free classes, and subscriptions. The teacher benefits are minimal. I don't think the type of student wiziq attracts will ever pay. I'd love to see a study of the demographics of the site visitors, however I doubt that wiziq would release this information if they had it. The students I've been getting to class are what I describe as 'student drifters'. Picking up information for free. They aren't dedicated students, nonetheless they provide an interesting interaction and are good practice for developing online classroom skills. If teachers expectations are to make money here, I think they'll be sadly mistaken.

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If we are true to form as virtual teachers, then to me it makes sense to begin using facebook for students and LinkedIn for staff...start forming networks based on what each of us teach, our style (in terms of meeting the learner's needs) and level of structure. There needs to be a place for us to keep our documents, lessons and asynchronous materials, since WizIQ is primarily a synchronous tool...or is it?

If we are true to form as virtual teachers, then to me it makes sense to begin using facebook for students and LinkedIn for staff...start forming networks based on what each of us teach, our style (in terms of meeting the learner's needs) and level of structure. There needs to be a place for us to keep our documents, lessons and asynchronous materials, since WizIQ is primarily a synchronous tool...or is it?

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I am delighted to hear that there will be an asynchronous tool built into WizIQ. I was principal of an online school last year, and know how important it is to have reference materials and assignments for students to complete in between synchronous contact ("classes"). With this in place, I will be ready to begin building and advertising teacher professional development on WizIQ using LinkedIn, professional associations such as the National Science Teachers Association, and of course, folks I work with in my bricks and mortar school! Very good news!!

I am delighted to hear that there will be an asynchronous tool built into WizIQ. I was principal of an online school last year, and know how important it is to have reference materials and assignments for students to complete in between synchronous contact ("classes"). With this in place, I will be ready to begin building and advertising teacher professional development on WizIQ using LinkedIn, professional associations such as the National Science Teachers Association, and of course, folks I work with in my bricks and mortar school! Very good news!!

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Welcome Don! I just listened to a recording of a session you gave on the "wiki" where you experimented with screen sharing. I commend you for the effort because I think this is a perfect example of teachers taking the role of learners. The more teachers try things out, the better they will know what works and what needs improvement. Please feel free to contact the WiZiQ team and share your needs. They always listen.

Warm wishes,
Nellie Deutsch

Welcome Don! I just listened to a recording of a session you gave on the "wiki" where you experimented with screen sharing. I commend you for the effort because I think this is a perfect example of teachers taking the role of learners. The more teachers try things out, the better they will know what works and what needs improvement. Please feel free to contact the WiZiQ team and share your needs. They always listen. Warm wishes, Nellie Deutsch

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Kirsten,

I would like to take your ideas of "turning internet cafés into schools with the help of WiZiQ..." and transform WiZiQ into an online school. I suggested this in the past and am happy someone else sees the potential of WiZiQ.

Kirsten, I would like to take your ideas of "turning internet cafés into schools with the help of WiZiQ..." and transform WiZiQ into an online school. I suggested this in the past and am happy someone else sees the potential of WiZiQ.

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Hi Everyone,

First, I would like to commend WiZiQ developers for this wonderful teaching tool. I would like to share with you briefly my background and how I see WiZiQ helping me and my students.

I am a college professor in the US. I teach both on campus and online biology courses. I try to provide as much technological advances for my students. This semester I decided to try WebCasting. I wanted to provide an opportunity for my online students to participate in the on campus lectures at the same time have the ability to record the lecture for students to view in the future.

Most of the programs I have looked at are very expensive and/or don't have the capabilities as your program. Although I have only used it one time during a lecture, I think that your program is what I am looking for.

To further your discussion of how to get WiZiQ into the spotlight, I think that it begins with the teachers who already have contact with students. As Don stated, we can provide presentations at national events as well as spread by email/word of mouth through the teaching community.

I have already made a presentation to the faculty at my institution. They are very excited to learn how they can incorporate this program into their curriculum/departments. Our institution is looking to expand the offerings of online courses. This type of program promotes both synchronous (live lectures) as well as asynchronous (recorded lecture).

How does WiZiQ directly benefit? Students will be required to log into WiZiQ to view live or recorded lectures. Once the students are here, they will see what else is available.

When I first registered on WiZiQ, I suggested a fee of $30-40 dollars, which is about the same as a normal class. I did not take into account the magnitude of how many students might be reached if I were to conduct or record lectures for up to 500 people. I realize that I wouldn't have 500 at a time, but having the recordings for later I would continue to earn money. --- Thanks Kirsten for pointing that out to me.

As Robert said, most students are looking for something for "free". However, I think that students would be willing to contribute $1 or 2 if the material is something they really wanted/needed.

Don't forget about tutoring... My students ask me all the time where can I go to get help. Of course my first response is ME. However, students are actually looking for someone to explain it differently than I did in class. For some reason, they don't realize that their teachers can explain things in more than one way.

To wrap it up, I'd like to say thanks for this wonderful tool. I plan to continue using it, and I will share it with everyone I meet. I hope that what I have shared is beneficial to this discussion.

Hi Everyone, First, I would like to commend WiZiQ developers for this wonderful teaching tool. I would like to share with you briefly my background and how I see WiZiQ helping me and my students. I am a college professor in the US. I teach both on campus and online biology courses. I try to provide as much technological advances for my students. This semester I decided to try WebCasting. I wanted to provide an opportunity for my online students to participate in the on campus lectures at the same time have the ability to record the lecture for students to view in the future. Most of the programs I have looked at are very expensive and/or don't have the capabilities as your program. Although I have only used it one time during a lecture, I think that your program is what I am looking for. To further your discussion of how to get WiZiQ into the spotlight, I think that it begins with the teachers who already have contact with students. As Don stated, we can provide presentations at national events as well as spread by email/word of mouth through the teaching community. I have already made a presentation to the faculty at my institution. They are very excited to learn how they can incorporate this program into their curriculum/departments. Our institution is looking to expand the offerings of online courses. This type of program promotes both synchronous (live lectures) as well as asynchronous (recorded lecture). How does WiZiQ directly benefit? Students will be required to log into WiZiQ to view live or recorded lectures. Once the students are here, they will see what else is available. When I first registered on WiZiQ, I suggested a fee of $30-40 dollars, which is about the same as a normal class. I did not take into account the magnitude of how many students might be reached if I were to conduct or record lectures for up to 500 people. I realize that I wouldn't have 500 at a time, but having the recordings for later I would continue to earn money. --- Thanks Kirsten for pointing that out to me. As Robert said, most students are looking for something for "free". However, I think that students would be willing to contribute $1 or 2 if the material is something they really wanted/needed. Don't forget about tutoring... My students ask me all the time where can I go to get help. Of course my first response is ME. However, students are actually looking for someone to explain it differently than I did in class. For some reason, they don't realize that their teachers can explain things in more than one way. To wrap it up, I'd like to say thanks for this wonderful tool. I plan to continue using it, and I will share it with everyone I meet. I hope that what I have shared is beneficial to this discussion.

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