SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador 2023: Potsdam – Kathryn Jeror

Kathryn M. Jeror is a clinical faculty member of Literacy in the Advanced Studies in Education Department of SUNY Potsdam. She specializes in literacy education and holds NYS permanent certification in Nursery, Kindergarten & Grades 1-6, English 7-9 Extension, and as a Reading Teacher. Prior to joining SUNY Potsdam, she taught junior kindergarten, second grade, middle grades title 1 reading, 6^th grade social studies and ELA, and middle grades ELA AIS. Kathryn teaches courses in assessment, interventions, emergent literacy and supervises practical experiences in the MSED Literacy program for candidates seeking certification in Literacy. She also teaches literacy methods for classroom teachers. Kathryn’s areas of interest include preparing teachers to move into the role of literacy leaders, and more recently on how to effectively use the online teaching environment to engage graduate students in literacy.

Online courses and programs allow us to meet the needs of graduate students who are juggling many priorities in their lives. These adult learners can benefit from the flexibility of asynchronous online learning, allowing for good work-life balance while still moving forward with their professional goals. When I first moved to teaching online I was interested in how I could maintain the kind of experiences and activities we had in person. Now I am more interested in how I can capitalize on the uniqueness of the online environment to offer experiences we couldn’t accomplish, or couldn’t accomplish as well, in person. The challenge is to continue to develop my knowledge and understanding of engagement in online learning, using the tools of our LMS effectively.