Thoughts on WizIQ

After reasoning with myself and making minor changes to my research proposal for this study on Teaching Presence at WizIQ, I finally find myself enjoying the videos of 3 teachers at WizIQ, namely Nellie, Namrata and George. I am simply amazed with what I witnessed in their classes. What I see are three teachers, with different teaching styles in running their classes but all with a common goal-- they are bent to help their students learn English. In each class you get to immerse in a learning culture unique in itself... like watching 3 TV shows with 3 different plots and cast of characters, and the sound of world Englishes as learners find ways to communicate and understand each other. I have the benefit of learning crossculturally from all these online interactions in the virtual classroom. This is just speaking about 3 classes I've seen so far and imagine all other classes which have been going on right inside WizIQ!!! It finally dawned on me what WizIQ meant with its tagline: "anyone can teach, anyone can learn". What surfaces on my screen however, is more to the advantage of the adult learner. It is precisely because in a learning community such as WizIQ a learner gets to choose from a wide array of classes and teaching styles which will work for them--depending on what they need, who they want to be with and when, and most importantly, what suits them best. It's a diverse learning experience at this online learning platform compared to what is possibly happening in other higher education institutions where adult learners have not much choice when it comes to their teachers and their classmates, in return for a piece of paper they call a diploma. At WizIQ teachers and learners from all continents, willingly come together because they want to experience teaching and learning in a way which fits them...pure and simple as that. The platform lends itself naturally to individualized and collaborative learning, in a small class or a bigger one, and participation in a conference is still made possible. Who would have known that education can be this way for most of us who choose to learn online.