3. Don’t fight with the internet. Learn to use it as a resource for your students.

• Wikipedia is an excellent example of the vilification that many adults engage in when they talk about the Internet to students. Most people are aware that there is some bad information that can be distributed through Wikipedia. But seldom do teachers or tutors acknowledge the huge amount of good information in Wikipedia. It does no good to pretend that a digital encyclopedia is bad but a print encyclopedia is good. With today’s kids and teens, that just won’t fly. Rather than vilifying internet resources, try using these phrases:
  “Let’s take a look at this YouTube video, as it does a great job at breaking down this topic.”
  “These two sources have conflicting ideas about comma use. Let’s talk about when these exceptions are appropriate.”
  If you vilify a resource that your students are comfortable using, they are more likely to tune you out. Plus, when you praise their most trusted information source, they’ll be more likely to trust you and pay attention during your sessions together.

4. Use the internet to advance your own education.

• In some quarters, online education has gained a negative stigma. The fact is, whenever you go online for anything other than playing things like Candy Crush, you are getting an online education. It may be unfocused and unaccredited, but you are still learning. Since you are already doing it, you should add some focus and earn credits for your efforts. This will not only make you a better teacher, it will enhance your career prospects. Benefits range from increased pay for the work you are currently doing, to opportunities to move into administration. Take Gwynedd Mercy University’s masters of education online for example. Programs like this are designed to help you pursue your own educational and career goals while allowing you to continue doing what you love. Today’s teachers need to have at least a master’s degree if they want to get more than a temporary job in a school. It’s also worth noting that a Master’s Degree will open up doors for teaching at the collegiate level. The wider your job market, the more likely you are to find a placement! Of course, you might find that you love tutoring so much that you want to expand your business. That’s good too!

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