The following interview is part of an interview series in which we feature education professionals from a variety of different fields in order to highlight individual efforts and creative solutions to education in the 21st century.
1. Who are you and what do you do in education?
Hello, my name is Laura and I’m an Italian teacher. I got a Masters degree in Italian language and literature at University of Padova and CEDILS certification at University of Venice. This is a qualification that enables me to teach Italian as second language. Currently I teach Italian in secondary schools and I have experience of teaching to groups of foreign students (both teenagers and adults).
2. Describe a typical work day in your life!
My day is dotted with online lessons with variable and unusual timetables, as my students come from different countries and therefore I have to take into account The different time zones. Of course this requires a flexible mind, not tied to traditional working hours, but the positive side is that I can organize the day according also to my needs. Of course, the work does not end after the lesson, as there are homework and new lessons to prepare. A teacher never stops learning and preparing new material for his students!
3.In what way has technology in general and the net in particular changed your work?
Technology and above all the Internet have changed my work a lot, helping me to reinvent my career path. Compared to traditional lessons, the Internet gives me the opportunity to introduce myself to a very large number of people and to set lessons differently from traditional lessons, using multimedia tools, such as video, audio, online performances, etc. Naturally, besides the quality of the teaching activity, it is also necessary to work on my internet presence in order to let people who want to learn Italian online about me, and this requires constant attention to the world of the Internet.
4. What challenges do you see for education in the future?
In recent years, the approach to digital technologies has deeply changed in schools, universities and training centers.
The new challenges mainly concern the relationship between technology and teaching. The teacher must constantly integrate the didactic materials with technological means, without thinking however that this is enough to automatically improve learning. Technology facilitates
access to a large amount of material and information, but it can not replace the teacher in her role as a guide to learning. Technology does not have to be the end, but the means of learning. The versatility of this tool is of very great value, which if well used, can make the lessons more effective.
5. Where can we find you online?
My website: learn-italian-online.net/teacher-online.html
Facebook: facebook.com/learnitalianwithlaura/
Italki: italki.com/teacher/3132050
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