Teaching without being able to see a student's puzzled face or immediately answer a question can be a challenge even for a veteran of the education profession.
And, when that environment is a virtual school, tackling the technological proficiency requirements can be a hurdle, as well.
"You have to be very creative with the technology and your lesson presentation," said Trina Michalsen, who teaches language arts and math to middle schoolers at the Northern Ozaukee School District's Wisconsin Virtual Learning school.
As virtual classes with all of the instruction taking place over computers have become more popular in Wisconsin, training teachers on how to employ new online instructional techniques also has become more prevalent.
The effort has been helped by a new state law that required teachers to get 30 hours of professional development by July 1 to teach fully online courses to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Schools and colleges have responded by offering in-house training programs, complete certificates and graduate school credits.
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