Teaching in the Clouds: My Online Journey Since 2007

Teaching in the Clouds: My Online Journey Since 2007

When Everything Changed

What were you doing in 2007? Perhaps you were still navigating university corridors or taking your first tentative steps into the working world. For me, that year marked an unexpected pivot that would define the next chapter of my career—the moment I discovered online teaching.

My journey to that point had been anything but linear. After leaving my small Irish village at eighteen, I threw myself into the vibrant chaos of multicultural English city life. From 1996 onwards, I hopscotched between office jobs, never quite settling but revelling in every adventure—the eccentric colleagues, the unexpected friendships, the sheer energy of it all.

Then life intervened, as it often does. A family tragedy forced me to confront a question I'd been avoiding: where was I actually heading? The answer led me back to university to pursue that English degree I'd always dreamed of but never dared attempt. What followed were some of the happiest years of my academic life—pure literary immersion, no dreaded maths or sciences to muddy the waters. It felt like coming home.

Teaching had always whispered to me from the sidelines, though I'd convinced myself it was beyond my reach. How wonderfully wrong I was.

The Digital Leap

By 2003, motherhood had transformed my priorities entirely. After my long-awaited little boy arrived, returning to traditional classroom teaching felt impossible. The pull to be present for those precious early years was too strong, so I drifted back into office work, biding my time.

Then came 2007 and a conversation that would change everything.

"You should come work with me at this online school," my teaching colleague and friend mentioned casually. "They're looking for teachers, and honestly? The students are actually pleasant to work with."

Pleasant student exchanges? In my experience, that was about as likely as finding unicorns in the staff room. But her enthusiasm was infectious, and her online classroom demonstration intrigued me. After a successful interview, I found myself crafting digital lessons and, by September 2007, teaching my first online classes.

 That first day—my goodness, I still remember it like it was yesterday. The now-familiar cry of "you're on mute!" that became the soundtrack of lockdown wasn't new to me. I'd been wrestling with it daily since 2007, long before Zoom became a household name.

My head would literally spin as I watched for student responses: a mark on the whiteboard, a poll answer, a comment in the public chat, or perhaps a whispered question from the more reserved students in private messages. Eyes darting everywhere—microphone on, then off, webcam adjusting—and that constant mental note: "Don't get up wearing your headset, or you'll take the whole machine with you!"

It was chaos then, and honestly, some days it still is.

But that's exactly why I approach new online learners with such care and patience today. I remind them to breathe, to take it slowly. Even though they've grown up with technology in ways we "oldies" never did, online learning presents its own unique learning curve.

"A link here, a click there... oh, I can change my colour? How do I do that? Sorry, where are we going now? What's this button for?"

"Slow down and breathe," I tell them gently. "It will be second nature by the end of the week."

And it always is.

Eighteen years later, I'm still here—still amazed by how right that leap of faith felt.

How the Landscape Has Shifted

Looking back across nearly two decades of online education, the changes have been both technological marvels and sobering social shifts:

The technology revolution has been nothing short of breathtaking. Where we once relied on basic chat functions and simple whiteboards—with students underlining and highlighting content while participating through main and private chat features—we now have access to an entire arsenal of interactive tools, engaging multimedia content, and seamless integration capabilities that would have seemed like pure science fiction back in 2007.

The constant emergence of new learning platforms keeps us all on our toes, and here's the beautiful part: sometimes my students become my teachers, and we learn together in true collaborative fashion. There are no egos here—just genuine teamwork and shared discovery!

Student engagement patterns have evolved dramatically. Today's learners are notably more reserved about using microphones or participating in group discussions. They gravitate toward private messaging over public collaboration, creating intimate one-on-one connections but fewer community bonds.

The reasons students find their way to us have fundamentally changed. What began primarily as behavioural referrals has expanded into a complex web of needs, with mental health support now leading the charge. We're not just educators anymore—we're often the steady presence in young lives navigating unprecedented challenges.

Confidence levels among students seem more fragile than ever, yet they respond beautifully to positive reinforcement and thrive in smaller, more intimate learning environments.

The Learning Never Stops

In 2021, something wonderfully paradoxical happened: after fourteen years of online teaching, I decided to formally study... online teaching. The Level 4 Award in Teaching Online felt almost absurd—like a seasoned chef taking a course on how to boil water. But those ten modules taught me invaluable lessons about the broader educational landscape, including the fascinating tidbit that online education actually began in Australia.

More importantly, the qualification connected me with the wider online teaching community beyond my subject specialty. The self-reflection exercises and collaborative learning reminded me why I fell in love with education in the first place.

Eighteen Years and Counting

As I reflect on this journey from 2007 to 2025, I'm struck by the constants amid all the change. Technology may have leaped forward, student numbers may have multiplied, and our learners may be quieter and more cautious, but the fundamental magic remains unchanged.

There's still nothing quite like the moment when understanding dawns in a student's message, when confidence gradually builds through patient encouragement, or when someone who thought learning was beyond them discovers they were wrong all along.

The clouds turned out to be exactly where I belonged—and eighteen years later, I'm still learning to fly.