Faced with the growth of online training, voices arise that cry out against it, arguing that the student disconnects, that “he does not arrive” the same. And it is that the digital medium is not the same as face to face. And it never will be.

But digital education, whether through synchronous sessions or content, can and should be warm and deep as well. As long as we, as teachers, put a little bit of soul into our texts, videos or forums.

We humans know how to go against the laws of physics, defying them with devices that defy gravity or entropy. Today we can, and must, row against the current, “reformulating” with new elements the practices that are successful in a classroom to transfer them to the digital world.

The digital medium doesn’t make it easy, and I know it well because I’ve been facing it for decades. That is why I want to share these tricks that I have developed:

PQTS:’What is it for you’

In a hyperstimulated world, our attention has gone micro. Time is the student’s most valuable asset. Or he is clear from minute zero how and in what he is going to apply what he learns or disconnects.

Let’s say no to the “expert syndrome”, which revels too much in the knowledge it transmits. They seek value and applicability, let’s show them at every step.

NOEGO: Let us teach from humility

Let us recognize that teachers like to be up to date and that, sometimes, we forget the point where our students are.

The Jobs-to-be-done methodology , extracted from digital marketing, can help us reformulate the content from the point of view of the student’s needs.

Because they will be more interested in the benefits of what we tell them and the references that support it when they have understood how they are going to relieve their “headaches”. It is a good idea to start by reviewing the most useful concepts for each type of student, which we can even collect in advance.

D-HUMAN: Let’s connect with the mind of a digital student

What we do is changing who we are. Technology has put the real-time world in our pockets and made us more impatient. Although perhaps you yourself would never choose to study like this, you have to bet on what they prefer.

1. Microlearning, understanding that it does not mean counting less, but counting it in more “edible” portions. William Shakespeare once said that brevity is the soul of ingenuity .
2. Let’s make the mobile our ally. It is the dead time killer of the 21st century. Let’s create content and propose activities that can be completed in those moments with mobile in hand.
3. Let’s personalize, allowing them to select the content that interests them most and the activities that most appeal to them.

Let’s take TikTok as an example: they are one minute videos, but the students are there for an average of 50 minutes. Let’s teach in pills.

Q-WOW: Let’s move, let’s surprise, let’s smile, let’s enjoy and let’s enjoy

Professor Fernando Mora Teruel, specialist in neuroscience and learning, says that “it is only possible to learn what you love” . If we enhance emotion, we flee from boredom.

1. Gamification is a good idea, but not the only one. We can be more entertaining and entertaining with disturbing questions, humor or anecdotes. With good graphics and infographics that “paint” the key messages.
2. Ask students to investigate to teach their peers. We learn a lot when we teach.
3. Let’s teach with a smile: the students will perceive it. We transmit our level of energy and enthusiasm in the classes, but also, believe it or not, in our texts, presentations or videos.

CO-XX: Let’s count on them

I encourage us to stop being the teacher of the master classes and become influencers of our own. We can co-create with students to form a learning community beyond the classroom. Become the benchmark that provides threads to pull and tools to learn more individually.

They know well that the ability to learn proactively and continuous learning are among the skills most in demand by companies. And that you learn to learn, from everything and everyone, throughout your life. Let’s use collaborative platforms and social networks to teach how to search for more. Let’s show our willingness to keep in touch.

For technology to improve the lives of our students and also ours as teachers, we must remember that the materials will never achieve it if we do not develop a digital mindset. We must take advantage of our online classes and digital materials to approach digital education without prejudice. It opens us all (teachers and students) new opportunities.

Author Bio: Virginia Cabrera Nocito is a Mentality and Digital Training Professor at Nebrija University