I've recently come across several sites that use Skype, or a similar video + chat system, as a way to provide one on one foreign language tutoring and teaching. One such program is a "fair trade" version, where instructors from the so-called "developing world" are provided an opportunity to be language instructors to students from around the world. Students pay a set hourly fee to have one-on-one time with their online teacher. For more information on this service go to http://glovico.org/. However, I've also seen YouTube posts where speakers of English or other languages simply advertise their language teaching expertise, provide their Skype contact information, and I assume then set up a payment scheme with their online students.
I'm wondering:
Would you pay to use this type of one-on-one tutoring service? If so, how much might you pay per hour and how would you select an instructor or program? Would you ever consider setting up a Skype tutoring session with someone who simply advertised online, for example through YouTube? I'm also curious to know if would you be willing to offer your services as a language teacher via Skype and under what circumstances or with what safeguards?
Since it's clear that there are lots and lots of free skype partners, why pay? To be honest, I know that communication is already very difficult for a second language learner in face to face situations, but it's even more stressful when on camera. There are some strange ways that you can be distracted with a camera image of the teacher and may create some disconnect for the lessons you are tyring to learn. My daughter told me that she has seen some teachers who work on italki and charge about $5 or $20 per hour for lessons, so that's reasonable. But I'm not sure if other teachers will charge more depending on the langauge popularity.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I would consider to pay for the service if it is very useful. If the fee of the service is under 10 dollars per hour, I will highly consider about it. Also, I will choose to work with an instructor. Actually, I have never thought about using the Skype or Youtube in my teaching activities because I need to think about the space or equipment of my program and the training processes for teachers and students. But I think it would be interesting for students to learn language through Skype or Youtube.
ReplyDeleteDuring last night's virtual class group work, my group reviewed, Mixxer (www.language-exchanges.org), a free language exchange program that utilizes Skype. Off the bat, knowing that I can probably search for free language exchanges I would try this option first for language learning via Skype. Like with anything free, you do get what you pay for and there's no guarantee that your language exchange partner (who on their end is doing this on their own time and volunteering to do it without pay) will also provide the actual tutoring or teaching you need in order to learn the language - or put in as much work as you do during the exchange. Levy & Stockwell (2006) make a similar argument when they talk about the need to maintaining a balance of contribution between learners with tandem e-mail exchanges for language learning.
ReplyDeleteBut, since your question talks about paying for an actual tutor or teacher, this is a little different as I personally don't have to bring anything to the table as far language goes and I would expect results if I am paying for them. Depending on my circumstances (how badly I wanted/needed to learn the language and also what language and if I readily had face to face contact with a native speaker of that language) I would find it reasonable to pay a credible online tutor for their time as much as a traditional face to face tutor would charge.
Choosing an actual online tutor or teacher would be scary especially if I had to pay for the service. Typically, I would ask friends for referrals and/or do my own research re: the tutor/teacher's credentials.
Lastly, I would definitely offer my own ESL services online with the proper equipment and safeguards in tact. This includes proper advertising, a proper workspace in my own home to provide the service quietly and professionally, working hardware and strong internet connection, and even a paypal account to safely secure fees.
Would you pay to use this type of one-on-one tutoring service?
ReplyDelete-Yes if it is a language program that prescribes to a specific curriculum and not jsut ad-hoc or casual.
If so, how much might you pay per hour and how would you select an instructor or program?
-I would pay as little as possible...always But selection of instructor would be based on the type of curriculum they prescribe to. I would like to see examples of how they manage their isntruction, what types of instruction they engage in. These are all very important factors. I would not want to get stuck with an online instructor who only wanted to use the "silent way" and stood in front of a webcam with cuisenar rods.
Would you ever consider setting up a Skype tutoring session with someone who simply advertised online, for example through YouTube?
-If it's free...sure...if it costs...definitely not. It's never good to give your money away to strangers online unless they are bonded by some sort of legal service agreement.
I'm also curious to know if would you be willing to offer your services as a language teacher via Skype and under what circumstances or with what safeguards?
-Probably not. I don't see an easy return on investment (time advertising and money setting up accounts and puchasing appropriate software programs). It's a nice idea, but, with a family and a mortgage, I'm more concerned with steady income. I think it would be wiser to offer services to an established distance learning provider (public or private) and build a clientel first.
Coincidentally, here is an article on the subject:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/09/181_44870.html
When I first read this post, I felt very skeptical about using Skype as a one-on-one tutoring program. I also had cautious feelings especially for the YouTube advertisements. I am not sure that I would use those services whether free or not. I think that it could be a very good way of teaching and learning a language. But, I am not sure of the quality on the other end. I am using an online tutor right now, but it is from an actual program that is set up. It is not just a random person you find on the internet that can teach you through Skype. If I were to use these random services, I might want to know who is on the other end. I would want a friend to be on the other end.
ReplyDeletePutting that all aside, I think that this service could be a very good one-on-one tutoring tool. I think that the people involved could actually learn language, especially if you are using the webcam and voicechat. If the person on the other end was an expert teacher, I might pay a good bit for it. It would all depend on the quality of the teaching sessions. Am I going to learn the language well enough to converse with people? If so, I would be willing to pay a little more.
Also, it was asked if I would offer my services as a tutor on Skype? No, I do not think I would. I would offer it to someone I might know. But, offering to just some random person online does not sound good or safe to me.
Would you pay to use this type of one-on-one tutoring service?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, but for me only in addition to a language course. I don't think I would every actually seek out someone online to learn a language. As much as I love technology, I would rather have language instruction face- to- face. I just feel more comfortable in that type of setting.
How much would I pay for it? Depends really on the instructor. If they come highly recommended I might actually pay more money for it, OR if I happened to be traveling to a specific country in the near future. I'm unsure as to what the rate is for one-on-one tutoring in a face-to-face setting is. I suppose as long as the price is comparable or less to a real life tutor.
Would you ever consider setting up a Skype tutoring session with someone who simply advertised online, for example through YouTube?
Yes, I think I might actually consider doing this, but not necessarily as a language instructor. I would much rather do this in an informal session, through simple everyday conservation.
Well, this sure is an interesting topic. I would use this option as a last resort. Why? Because how would the learner know that that the teacher has any credentials on this field? As far as I know, it could just be anyone teaching random bits and pieces rather than following an effective curriculum.
ReplyDeleteThis is sad, but I actually know someone who teaches by sending the assignments online. If the student has questions, the "teacher" will respond by email and even by skype, but the sad part is that the assignmets are not created,but copied from workbooks. How authentic can this type of teaching be?
I am more comfortable with traditional face to face teaching and would go this route. Different people have their own methods of learning, but when it comes to language learning, I think this isn't an effective way of teaching. Perhaps, if this was the only option at the time, I would probably consider it if the fees reasonable.
@ Mary. I'm curious. If you were casually tutoring online (not as a language instructor), would you charge or do it for free?...maybe just for the benefit of experience and meeting new people?
ReplyDeleteWould you pay to use this type of one-on-one tutoring service?
ReplyDeleteSince these services can be found for free I would not pay for them. I love the fact that you can find almost anything for free on the internet. Even if it is something that is not supposed to be free. I know that is technically wrong, but this day and age we use our resources. On Skype you could randomly found people looking to share their language or you could search and I'm sure you could find someone trying to learn your language and both parties will be getting practice. There are even free language learning sites, many that were researched during last class that use Skype.
How much would I pay for it? If it was required that I have a certain program for instruction then I would pay no more than twenty bucks. I just really feel that the new age of thinking is to be very resourceful and that means finding ways to teach yourself without spending an arm and a leg.
Would you ever consider setting up a Skype tutoring session with someone who simply advertised online, for example through YouTube?
Yes, but I would not pay them until I had a few sessions for free to see if it would be beneficial or not.
I think I would actually pay in some cases, if the language was rare I knew the teacher was good, and I really wanted to have a native speaker for a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI actually, as part of last class discussion was on livemocha, and for a fee they provide rating of different tutors who are online. I think that this would be ideal, because you can advertise all you want, but if there was some kind of a rating system I would be more willing to pay, lets say for a 5 star tutor online. They tutor would have to be online trained however, and have his own website, or something like that so we could not only skype which would be great, but also send necessary files and other necessary information. Obviously using a book maybe a problem, but in today's world I think unless the book is very obscure its pretty easy to find on amazon, or another website. In short I support this kind of tutoring, if the circumstances are right. So if I wanted to learn spanish no, but if I wanted to learn ukranian maybe that would be a good option.
Personally, I would not pay for any language courses anymore because there is just too much online for free.
ReplyDeleteBut, I do know many people who would LOVE to use such tutoring methods.
As for me being the tutor. I suppose I would do it. I do anticipate that doing it would require a lot of practice on my part to accomplish with out being frustrated.
I would actually not use Skype, I would use iChat (for the mac) because it is 100% free (besides your internet bill), it has iChat Theater built into it for free which allows the participants to substitute Keynote, PowerPoint, Pages, Video or other documents into the video feed. Unlike Skype which is switching to a pay model and no longer will also multiple video conferences for free. (iChat AV acme out several years ago (2003) and has always been free, even for multi-av-chat sessions).
But I am still unsure if I would ever really do it. I have a hard enough time explaining to my mom how to use iTunes correctly over video chat. I am also concerned about the user's ability to hear what I am saying correctly. Since a lot of un-voiced sounds over the internet either come out sounding voiced, or become completely unbearable (which was a actually something that was a marketing poly in the late 90's when different phone companies (MCI, AT&T, et cetera) offered 'better sound' for telephone; their software algorithm actually tried to make unvoiced sounds more hear-able, it doesn't really work that well, still)
I have got myself into instant internet communication about 5 ago. It was a lot of fun to learn interaction via Skype and Y-messenger, but only in Dr. Sauro class I have got my eyes wide opened to idea of teaching/learning via Skype. I immediately have decided to try and got very good results. I won't pay for tutoring for sure, because I would better get payed for. I won't set up Skype tutoring with somebody who advertised on-line. I won't trust such a person. I did pay attention in 2010 to some russian sites with "English for Russian". First of all I check on style of advertisement. It was aggressive, means - no good for me. It disappeared by the wind lately, but I still curious that had happened? Will see. I guess those people, who are trying to sell their lessons on-line couldn't provide good quality of teaching, because the number of ones, who want to learn might be too big for them. I don't know how they are dealing with it. Cheating? Very much possible. So I keep thinking about all of these. I need to have more observations to get my own opinion about providing on-line lessons. Right now I have some volunteer experience to see how it works. Yes, it works. And make to think where to go from this point.
ReplyDelete