The Four Roles of an Online Teacher

After reading about the four roles of an online teacher, I definitely think I could predict several strengths and weaknesses if I were teaching an online course.  I think I would be pretty good at the “instructor” role; I love to design activities and integrate technology, and I think if I had time to really focus on the writing of a course, I could being building an engaging and challenging curriculum that would work in an online setting.  Weaknesses?  I would need to focus on time management and building schedules to really give constructive feedback, timely responses, and take care of some of the business that might need less thought in a face-to-face, traditional setting.  Another potential weakness is that I can only effectively troubleshoot PCs; I have very little experience with the Apple world.  Here is a more comprehensive look at all four roles:

Role of an Online Teacher	Description	Skills I Need to Improve	Strategies to Improve Skills
Instructor	facilitate student learning through engaging and challenging activities	structuring class to reflect formative, benchmark, and summative assesments structuring class so both synchronous and asynchronous activities have purpose and meaning	take time to properly write curriculum and design course, altering traditional learning activities to those that are better suited for e-learning network with other online instructors to learn what activities and strategies work for them
Social Director	foster synchronous and asynchronous discussions in both large and small group settings	asking questions that foster discussion and lead to deeper inquiry giving enough wait time to ensure thoughtful response	be a reflective practitioner and take notes on what works and doesn’t work after classes and courses focus on prompts to encourage discussion
Technician	integrate a variety of technological tools and programs into course curriculum and assist students with technical issues	keep up-to-date with Web 2.0 tools understand a variety of different computers, browsers, etc., so I can help students	search out online tutorials, webinars, and experts from which to learn continue to develop PLN subscribe to professional resources to help keep current
Program Manager	establish classwork and groupwork norms and guide student progress through coursework	time management prompt, helpful response to email and feedback for homework and projects	network with other online instructors to learn what activities and strategies work for them spend time developing calendar and blocking out time for structured online office hours