Now WiZiQ Premium Membership Free for Academic Teachers. How?

If you know teachers who could benefit from this offer, tweet it! The offer ends on Feb. 28, 2010.

I read the offer, and it sounds great! But my present Premium membership expires in 35 days, and the description of the program says: "If you are a premium member and your premium membership expires within the offer period, you can avail the offer to get it renewed."

Since my Premium membership expired a few days after the offer ends, may I reasonably assume that I cannot take advantage of this offer? I suppose you would have no problem with my paying for an extension on my Premium membership before it ends, as I have been getting reminders every time I log in to WizIQ, that I need to renew.

I am assuming an upgrade would include also extending your current membership. It's bit of short notice, what if a teacher doesn't sign up until June or July, will they get the same kind of offer? At wikispaces.com you can request an ad-free wikispace if your work at a school, similar to this offer.

Obviously this one gives more, but if WiZiQ is trying to generate more traffic, they should be looking for different ways to bring in students than milking the teachers and leeching off their students.

It's all perspective Marcus.

How can I activate my premium membership?

Rajeev, simply follow the steps on the academic teachers' special page. When you are logged in and you see a tick mark with a step, it means that step has been completed and you can move on to the next one.

"It's all perspective Marcus."

So you are telling me that if there are 20 students on WiZiQ that I teach, I can get premium membership too? After all, it's just perspective, right?

Yea, right. Don't try to pull that one.

You know what you are doing. Just like the RIAA.

Marcus,
Man, can you hear yourself? My God man, I know that you are not that mean and angry of a person. Please review the metaphors and adjectives you use. Those are fighting words! Please, this company is not the enemy. They are not perfect and they may make mistakes (OK yes they have made some mistakes) but your tone has crossed the line man. Please reconsider where you are coming from. AND, reconsider your assumptions about WIZIQ and their heart.

I have fought a lot of dragons in my day. Passion is a requirement for fighting them but, a cool head and a pure heart will win the day. Marcus, as a fellow man who has been hurt deeply by authority figures, I too have trust issues and I must be vigilant and wise in dealing with authority. I also must guard my heart not to be so hardened that I never trust again. There is an enemy out there, but WIZIQ is not one of them.

George

Why is there some effort here to paint WizIQ's offer as a negative thing? WizIQ are being generous with this offer, and if it doesn't apply to you, Marcus, then leave it alone. There is no rule or law that says they have to offer the same privilege to everyone, and it is gracious of them to offer it to academics and people who work for non-profits. Teachers are some of the most underpaid people (in the U.S., at least), and people who work for non-profits usually make slave wages, if anything at all.

It's not fair to bring your grievance about needing to pay for teacher membership here, to this issue. They are separate things, and not connected.

Marcus,

Growing a network is no crime, I feel. Wiziq is doing a wonderful service to teachers and the taught. Let's look for the benefits to teaching and learning community in the offer.

Sebastian Panakal

I am assuming this offer is for full-time teachers or adjunct professors. I have been teaching, but only part-time, in the continuing education department of a community college. I don't have, nor do I use, an edu email address; however, I am on a 1040 and not a 1099 status.

Either way will be okay. Just wondering.

Hello and thank you for this offer!... but I don't think I can accept it because of the same reason... I'm an independent teacher and it is my choice but I still work with some schools ...
So I'm not sure about your offer?

Hello and thank you for this offer!... but I don't think I can accept it because of the same reason... I'm an independent teacher and it is my choice but I still work with some schools ...
So I'm not sure about your offer?
Marie

"it is gracious of them to offer it to academics and people who work for non-profits. Teachers are some of the most underpaid people (in the U.S., at least), and people who work for non-profits usually make slave wages, if anything at all."

Apparently, you don't have your facts straight. Why paint me so negatively when I am trying to paint a brighter picture for teachers? If you don't like my admiration and support of teachers, then take your own medicine and leave it alone.

WiZiQ will be around to correct you that they are not non-profit. Maybe they will enlighten you with a few other things.

It is a great idea for me, for my teachers and for my students.
But I face a trouble during the process of adding teachers' e- mail so they can have the invitation.
Can someone help me?
Ruty Hotzen from Israel

As an Invite to 20 members - am i required only to send emails to become eligible for premium membership or do I need to wait till they actually join?

Rajeev,

The condition you are talking about is only of the "invite" to users with valid e-mail addresses whether or not they join. So basically, you can't invite an abcde@hotmail.com :)

Regards,
Harman

Great, so you can fool the system. I should just stay in WiZiQ heaven (the classroom) and stay out of WiZiQ hell (Online Teaching : The e-Teaching Community).

I'll remove myself from this group, if unable to please remove me. See you in class, in the classroom. This will be my final post here.

I would like to explain the academic offer and the intention behind it:

The intention is to promote the use of WiZiQ in academic institutions such as colleges, universities and high schools where teachers don't have a direct commercial incentive such as a tutoring/consulting business etc. We believe that most of such teachers (who as we all agree are well under-paid) would not be reaching out for their wallets to buy WiZiQ Premium membership and yet they would want a good online teaching platform to use with their students - there are many big comapnies trying to license academic institutions their software.

The success of this campaign will tell us whether we should have a dedicated "Academic Premium" membership.

The rules for qualification are the same as mentioned here:
1. Primary (and verified) e-mail on WiZiQ should be the official e-mail such as from an EDU domain (government organizations, highschools, community colleges and non-profit organizations will also do).
2. At least 20 invites (not joins)
3. Has filled in enough of the details in his teaching profile
4. Doesn't have an intention to use WiZiQ for commercial purposes (i.e. features such as Learning Requests, Paid Classes and the upcoming feature, MemberContact)

As long as you meet the four (academic) conditions mentioned above, we have no problems offering you the discount. And since for us you are as premium a member as any other, we can't differentiate between you using the commercial features than other premium members.

We just expect that you would apply for the discount if you think you qualify based on the above information.

This sounds like a GREAT offer. At the end of last semester, I gave a presentation to faculty members at my community college regarding the use of Web/Video Conferencing and included some of the neat features of WiZiQ. One of the main concerns was the limitation of only having 3 recordings saved. I'm sure that may colleagues will be pleased to hear about this offer.

Thanks... Reggie

I meet the standards for this offer; however, i don´t have an official email account, how can i join and take advantage of this offer?

I too have the same concern/query as Lilana Dercye. I too meet the standards for this offer; however, i don´t have an official email account.
However, I wonder, if there can be any feasible alternative for WiZiQ to verify institutional affiliation of a teacher, other than the teacher's E-mail account.
Thanks to WiZiQ community.

Iwould like to add wiziq has something really new to offer to students...
If you can just find the same teaching like in a real life what's the difference for the students... on the contrary you should open your door to new independent teachers to make the difference in the educational system.
This is my suggestion of the day ...

Marie,
I feel slightly snubbed too. I had a longer posting here but decided that rather than discuss my take on it, I will let the "official" teachers get a little extra attention. It is also about marketing and attracting diverse populations. I will practice what I preach and let WIZIQ handle their part of the equation and I will try to focus on mine. We have to stick with it for the long haul.

If I interpret correctly when we met the 4 academic conditions we can earn the Premium Membership.My question: In condition we get it, can we have public and paid classes as well?

If I interpret correctly when we met the 4 academic conditions we can earn the Premium Membership.My question: In condition we get it, can we have public and paid classes as well?

This could be a good strategy of wiz team to get official teacher under this banner, great idea indeed! But the request of the day is could the team find some alternative for teachers who may not get the official email id yet get the benefit, what u say afterall is for "underpaid teachers"and those teacher are more who does'nt have an official id