| Like many adults, until recently, I had never | | | | follow these rules: |
| contemplated building a website and learning online | | | | Look at the teacher's blog and/or sales letter |
| technology to create an e-business. | | | | and separate the sales pitch from the course |
| Still, the growth of the world-wide-web and my | | | | content. You'll sometimes find that some items |
| location in an area where good-paying jobs are | | | | identified as curriculum are really just miniature |
| hard to find forced me to re-evaluate whether I | | | | sales pitches. When you remove the sales lingo, |
| could master enough website technology to build | | | | what is left? |
| a blog and do business online. | | | | During the preview "call," does the teacher |
| The one thing I did know was that a good | | | | communicate substantive information about |
| teacher or consultant could make the difference | | | | website creation or online technology, or just |
| between success and failure. After a few months | | | | repeat sales jargon? |
| of attending online classes to learn how to build a | | | | Some presenters will provide a PDF download |
| website or blog, I also learned that the key word | | | | that is entitled a "learning" or "action" guide. This is |
| is "good." | | | | a learning strategy intended to keep you focused |
| Website creation teachers, on or off-line, are | | | | on the content of the call. However, it also gives |
| plentiful, but few have any meaningful | | | | you an opportunity to see how well the presenter |
| understanding of learning strategies, the | | | | has organized the content he is presenting. Some |
| peculiarities of online teaching or how their lack of | | | | of these presenters provide huge blank spaces |
| teacher training might impact their students. The | | | | where you're supposed to make notes or fill in |
| average online teacher does not ask herself how | | | | the answers to questions. No matter what the |
| to create a substantive course or consider how | | | | teaching strategy is, you should know by the end |
| to address the different ways in which individuals | | | | whether you benefited from any substantive |
| learn. When you're an online technology beginner | | | | information by using the action guide. |
| and eager to believe what the six-figure e-learning | | | | If there is no learning guide, take notes of |
| entrepreneurs claim, you can be easy prey to | | | | every session you attend. A later review of the |
| those who are better salespeople than they are | | | | sales letter, learning guide and notes will tell you |
| online teachers. | | | | whether the website creation teacher fulfilled her |
| Once you decide to investigate whether online | | | | promises about what she would the during the |
| technology is for you, you'll be dubbed a | | | | teleseminar or webinar. |
| "newbie"-an annoying term if your life experience | | | | Was time allotted for a question and answer |
| far exceeds those who teach you what you need | | | | period? The willingness of the teacher to field live |
| to know. However, if you're serious about learning | | | | questions demonstrates their confidence in and |
| how to create websites and blogs, you soon | | | | mastery of their topic. |
| begin to appreciate that newbie is a convenient | | | | If questions are allowed, how well did the |
| way to identify the on-or-off-line courses and | | | | teacher answer the questions? Were the answers |
| teachers who are prepared to teach the beginning | | | | complete and comprehensible or did the teacher |
| website creator. | | | | avoid providing information? |
| Almost every online website creation instructor | | | | Review your notes and critique the speaker's |
| provides an introductory lesson or preview of her | | | | performance. What did you learn? That, after all, |
| course via a teleseminar or webinar. Although | | | | is the bottom line. Did the teacher make |
| these free classes or previews are designed to | | | | previously unknown topics understandable for |
| seduce you into believing that the presenter is | | | | you? |
| superior to all others, you can get beyond the | | | | Finally, be sure that what you pay for your first |
| hype to evaluate both the extent of their | | | | online web creation course, you are entitled to |
| knowledge and ability to communicate it to | | | | take it on a second or third occasion for nothing |
| e-learners like you. | | | | or a very minor charge. |
| When evaluating online web creation instructors, | | | | |