Online education is the future, and it’s important for students to be able to find the best online learning platforms. The best way to learn nowadays is through the internet. Yet not every online course platform is equal in its features, design, and pricing plans. Every business owner has their own needs when it comes to online education, so it would be unfair to settle for one particular online learning platform.
Once your educational software solution is chosen, there are several opportunities to increase engagement on your site. Watch this video for valuable insight around how you can motivate users to make the most of your learning solution
Google Classroom
Google Classroom is the low-key most versatile online teaching tool available.
This Learning Management System (LMS) is part of G Suite, which means teachers can use Google apps to create lessons, quizzes and documents all inside Google Classroom.
To use the Google Classroom app, you’ll need a G Suite for Education account. Many schools and teachers transitioned to this LMS when schools were closed due to the pandemic.
For anyone using Google products regularly, Google Classroom is easy to tackle. Inside the app, educators offer the content for the lessons, quizzes, assessments, and tests. They can also communicate with the students and parents via message boards or email.
The best thing about Google Classroom is that you can create all the content for your classes with the software of your choice. For example, you can simply use Google apps to prepare lesson materials or import any visual created with Visme.
In 2020, Google Classroom is easier to integrate with Google Meet, the new version of Google Hangouts. This has made it even easier to conduct an online class.
Zoom
You might know Zoom from business meetings but did you know that it also works great for online teaching?
There are two ways of using Zoom; Meetings and Webinars. The most suited for interactive online teaching is Zoom Meetings, while Zoom Webinars is better for lectures. Teachers can choose with which to work at any given time.
Zoom Meetings have practical features that make online teaching easier, such as breakout rooms. These help teachers separate the students into groups, much like you would do in a normal classroom setting.
Each group can communicate with each other and the teacher can be notified to come in and help if needed. Since Zoom became so popular for distance learning, many other online teaching tools have incorporated seamless integrations.
A Web Whiteboard App
AWW App is the perfect solution for teachers that are used to having a board to write on during class. This is a digital whiteboard where teachers can annotate much like on a regular board.
The integration between AWW and Zoom makes it easier than ever to teach a class online. You can also import PDF and PowerPoint files into AWW.https://www.youtube.com/embed/sWCW2qt7y8M
This app is great for teachers that enjoy explaining things by showing how it’s done.
The boards can be pre-created before a lesson or written on during the lecture. The settings permit students to collaborate or “come up to the board.”
Ted Talks
Ted Talks are a great resource for online teaching. We wouldn’t exactly call it a tool, but more of a repository.
Ted’s website offers videos of 18-minute speeches by influential speakers on a variety of topics. There are even some Ted talks by kids, which can be greatly inspiring for students.
Best of all, every talk is free to include in lessons. The videos can be embedded or shared with a link. They’re easy to incorporate with any LMS.
Dialpad
Dialpad has a VoIP for education solution that provides an easy to use application for schools where teachers & students can meet, text, chat, and interact online.
Students can engage with teachers within virtual classrooms using screen sharing, whiteboarding, and chat features. Teachers can also set office hours, share class recordings, and connect with the faculty all within the same platform.
Dialpad is accessible on a variety of devices, including tablets, smartphones, computers, and laptops. Using Dialpad helps to reduce IT overhead for schools, and removes the requirement for hardware.
Teachers can meet students remotely, and create online classes instantly from anywhere in the world. They can also send out bulk SMS messages to check in with students on assignments, send updates, and announcements. Schools can set up advanced call routing rules for students to reach the correct department or desk, so teachers never have to worry about missing important phone calls.
There are so many features available on Dialpad, that we couldn’t even fit all of them here. For teachers interested in an all-in-one application, Dialpad offers a free 14 day trial.
LightSail
One of the most challenging things to keep up with is your students’ literacy progress. This is true both online and in face-to-face classrooms.
LightSail is a program that has already been showing positive results in classrooms. Now, with the spread of online learning, their team has adapted to educative solutions provided.
The LightSail app provides students with a variety of reading material to improve their literacy. The app tracks how much each student reads and how they are improving.
Teachers can create lesson plans around what their students enjoy reading, be it a book, or a website. Everything the student reads can be turned into a learning opportunity.
Remind
A big part of school education is communicating with both students and parents. This is no different when the learning is being done online.
The Remind App is an advanced messaging system that works in three different ways:
- Reminders for upcoming lessons or due dates of projects and tests
- Email messaging with students and parents
- Direct messaging with parents of students
The main feature of Remind is that all notifications are sent to mobile devices, making it easier for teachers to interact with students and parents.
The app can be integrated with Google Classroom and Google Drive for easy access to class materials. Also, it’s easy to send links to Zoom meetings and webinars.
Teachers can set up office hours for timely messaging and control over their private lives.
Pear Deck
Pear Deck is the perfect add-on for teachers who regularly use Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint. It improves interactivity and the quality of visuals on the teacher’s slides.
The add-on is available in the editor and also includes a teacher platform to help keep track of student participation during class.
When you open the PearDeck add-on in your Google Slides or Microsoft Powerpoint software, it’s available in a sidebar. All the features are accessible from right inside the editor and can improve your presentations to a great degree.
Actively Learn
The Actively Learn website is a specialized platform to teach ELA, Science and Social Studies. It’s easily integrated with most LMS like Google Classroom and Canvas.
What stands out about Actively Learn is the way the readings are set up for both students and teachers. It’s the perfect platform for blended learning, and just as easy to use as an online learning teaching tool.
Each article, video or book excerpt has a set of questions, vocabulary features and further reading for the student. The features for teachers include suggested lesson plans and further assignments.
Padlet
Padlet is a multifunctional platform to collect information, visuals, videos, documents and much more. Users can create “padlets” or digital corkboards to create collections of data and information pretty much any way they want.
Teachers can use padlets to build group lessons, work on group projects, collate research for a lecture, and much more.
Padlet is one of the favorites in the online teaching world and it’s no surprise why. Here is an article with a long list of ideas for teachers using Padlet.
Academic Earth
Academic Earth is another of the top online learning platforms that offers a collection of free online courses from high-ranking universities and colleges across the world.
This site allows you to find specific courses by universities or subjects on the search list. Academic Earth collection of courses are designed to suit both personal and professional needs.
Alison
Alison offers free online courses in education and skill training created by experts in various fields. The platform provides resources designed to suit the needs of students, job seekers, and other types of learners. It targets all kinds of learners, from professionals and managers to teachers and freelancers. Alison also allows you to track all your courses to observe your learning progress.
Conclusion
Another reason why the online education platforms are so popular these days, is because of the fact that taking an online course allows students to learn anywhere, on their own time.