The IDEAL classroom

 I've always wanted to teach as a hologram...

All kidding (kind of) aside, I'm super happy online teaching.  Here are five reasons why:

1. I am a true introvert.  I express myself best through writing, and I like to have time to think about what I want to say. Although I am practiced at in-person teaching, I sometimes feel like I am following a script, and I feel a real energy drain from performing in front of a class.

2. It is flexible for instructors and students.  As a mom of two young kids, I like to be able to shift my schedule around when necessary and still stay on top of things.  I also feel like online gives me the opportunity to work with students that are in the same situation, with kids and jobs and time constraints, and online education gives them an opportunity that they wouldn't otherwise have.

3. It is an opportunity for constant, continuous improvement.  If something doesn't work in a class, I can change it right away.  I can pop right into my course shell and make the changes and I don't have to worry about writing it down somewhere, losing it, and forgetting it before the next semester.

4.  There is something super creative about designing an online class that I love, and there is also something very satisfying about seeing a course as a finished product (even if it is also constantly in development). 

5. I feel like I'm in a constant conversation with my students.  Although there are issues with feeling like I have to respond to questions super fast, and to be available in many different ways, I love the feeling that we are always talking and always moving through the same things together.  I don't get that with face to face classes.

Bonus:  I love being an online student.  I take classes pretty much every semester, either at YC, or elsewhere and I feel like I am constantly evolving in my abilities to be an online teacher and learner.