Make On-line teaching exciting and fun.
Teaching and learning online can be boring for both the teacher and student alike. But with a bit of upfront work and using some of the tools available you can go from zero to hero.
Technology has become increasingly important in the instruction of children and adolescents in this new era of learning. Here are some resources that help teachers and students communicate more effectively. You might find useful
Popular digital education tools.
Thousands of digital education tools have been developed with the goal of giving students more freedom and enhancing the learning process. These tools foster collaboration and improve communication between teachers and students. At the same time as making the lessons more exciting for both the teacher and student.
Here is a list of my most popular on line tools.
Socrative is a system that allows teachers to build exercises or educational games that students may complete using mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops, or tablets. It was created by a group of entrepreneurs and engineers that are passionate about education.
Teachers can view the outcomes of the exercises and, based on this information, adapt following sessions to make them more personalized.
cK-12 is a website that aims to bring academic books to the K12 market in the United States and around the world at a lower cost. To accomplish this goal. This platform uses an open-source interface that allows users to create and distribute educational content via the internet.
These can be customized and that includes movies, audios, and interactive exercises. It can also be printed if it meets the editorial requirements in each region. The books developed in cK-12 can be tailored to each instructor or student’s needs.
Twinkl produces instructional materials that may be used at every stage of a child’s education. Their teacher-created resources include anything from complete schemes of work, lesson plans, and evaluations to online educational games, augmented reality, and much more.
Anyone who wishes to use the Twinkl website to download teaching resources must first create a free account. A free account grants you access to a wealth of free resources. You can purchase a premium subscription to obtain unrestricted access to all of Twinkl’s award-winning teaching materials.
ClassDojo is a tool for improving student behavior. And the teachers can provide immediate feedback to their students. Good behavior in class is rewarded with points and kids are more open to the learning process.
For pair or group work, ClassDojo gives real-time alerts to students, such as ‘Well Done Susan!’ and ‘+1.’ The data gathered on student behavior can later be shared with parents over the internet.
Kahoot! is a game-based and question-based instructional platform. Teachers can use this tool to generate questionnaires, conversations, and surveys to go along with their academic teachings.
The information is shown in the classroom, and students answer questions while simultaneously playing and learning.
Kahoot! encourages students to learn through games, which boosts student engagement and produces a dynamic, sociable, and enjoyable learning environment.
Google Classroom is a powerful learning community-based social platform. Students can ask questions and receive responses from their lecturers and classmates. Teachers can also upload engaging questions and lesson materials for students to review at home.
It can also be used in conjunction with other Google products, such as Google Forms, which can be a useful tool for gathering student feedback. It is a free online learning environment that can be used with google meet.
Quizlet / Quizlet Live
Students and teachers can use Quizlet to create and share their own learning materials, such as flashcards and diagrams. Quizlet Live is a free in-class quiz game created by Quizlet that may be used to bring learning materials to life. To win, kids must all contribute, stay focused, and communicate well in this fascinating and interactive game. Quizlet routinely receives positive feedback and is a fantastic method to bring study notes into the twenty-first century.
Another free online game site is Baamboozle. Its key benefit is that it is set up in such a way that students may play online in teams without having to go into separate breakout rooms.
To put it another way, students can choose a question to answer and discuss it in front of others to find the correct response ( While other students are waiting for their turn to choose another question).
If that explanation was a little perplexing, don’t worry; after you visit the site, everything will be clear.
Starfall is an online service that was created to help children learn to read. Its phonics-based learning model includes online activities and print series that can be downloaded for use in the classroom and at home. It includes animated songs, videos, and math activities for children in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Grades 1–3.
Choosing the right Tools for Online Education
It’s just as vital to understand how the tool or platform you’re using works as it is to choose the right one.
Explore each tool and learn how to make the most of it to improve your teaching experience. Your pupils will look to you to teach them how to use the platform on their own.
There is a wide choice of remote teaching software available, and I have selected some of the finest around.
Communication Tools for the Internet
Whether in a real or virtual classroom, effective communication is essential for successful teaching and learning. Maintaining online communication with not one, but over twenty pupils is, without a question, difficult.
Platforms that enable communication with bigger groups, including video conferencing, instant messaging, voice conferences, virtual rooms, and more, can be accessed from any device and from anywhere.
The following are some of the most in-demand tools:
Zoom
Microsoft Teams
Skype
Google Meet
With these tools, you can have a better teaching experience.
Make an agenda or a plan for each online session and share it with the class before it begins.
Explain to students what online etiquette they should use in class and what is expected of them prior to or at the start of the course.
All microphones, except the one used by the speaker, should be muted. This helps students maintain their focus by canceling out distracting noises. Anyone who has to say something can make a gesture to get the speaker’s attention without interrupting them.
Have I Forgotten Any of Your Favorite Online Teaching Resources?
Most of the above-mentioned online teaching tools are free, or you may test them out for free to see how they perform for you. Invite a colleague to look over the tools with you and choose the ones that best fit your teaching goals.
What other tools do you recommend for remote teaching? Please let me know in the comments section below.
This is the second in a series of articles about online teaching. I hope you found this post helpful.
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Thank you for sharing this very informative article. Teaching a classroom is already difficult, you have different students with different ethics. Effective communication is the key to sharing knowledge virtually. With a little research a teacher can decide which platform is better for them and their students. Your article has given us a good summary on the different platforms available.
Yes Diana, you are right. Effective communication is the key to sharing knowledge virtually. but quite often the students get bored with the content. So the teacher needs to make an effort to elevate their on line lessons to the next level. There are many on line tools out there. I prefer classroom teaching as you get the nuances of your subject across a lot easier than on line. However with Covid forcing so many, still, to teach on line this may help.
Stephen
It s so amazing how technology has changed and is changing the way that we do business, even when it comes to learning. With new devices that are out there learning has and is becoming more fun not only for kids but adults as well. I am so happy for these devices that are making learning fun for all walks of life.
Thanks Norman, technology should play a bigger role in the classroom, whether it is on line or face to face. Everyone likes to have fun while they learn and I hope this helps with all those being affected by COVID-19, and having to teach and learn on line.
Stephen
Hi Stephen. Thank you for very interesting article. My kids were learning online for all last year and I must admit that I have mixed fillings about it. From one hand it gives great possibilities and flexibility , and some tools you are mentioning about would be great help. I especially like quizlet platform and for sure I will suggest teachers from my school to use it more. But at the same time kids need direct contact with their colleagues and I believe that constant online learning may affect their social skills. I believe best option is hybrid model with few days learning online and few in school. Then its possible to leverage benefits of both ways of learning.
I totally agree, I much prefer face to face teaching. On line you miss out on the nuances. But with COVID forcing on line teaching in many countries some teachers are struggling. I hope this information will help them make it more interesting for the students. Developmental and social skills are a big feature of the classroom and I am very impressed that you raised this issue. The sooner we can get back to normal the better for our children.
Stephen.