There are lots of online course platforms out there. It can be a bit overwhelming to choose the best online platform for teaching online. That’s why we created this post. Here, you can find out which courses and sites will make it the easiest to build your authority, generate targeted leads and build a sustainable business.
If you’re about to start as an online English teacher, or find itself in an online teaching co-working space right now, you probably faced the same question many times. Which online platform should I choose? If you are looking for a way to get started with teaching online and make a step further in your career, this article is definitely helpful for you!
MasterClass
Price:
Unlimited Subscription (includes access to all classes) – $180/year
Library:
80+ classes
Free Trial:
No
MasterClass is an online learning platform that everyone is talking about. What makes it different is that the courses are taught by world-famous experts and celebrities. You can learn acting from Natalie Portman, filmmaking from Martin Scorsese, singing from Christina Aguilera, cooking from Gordon Ramsay, writing from Dan Brown, etc.
For $15 a month you get unlimited access to all classes. Each course consists of an average of 20 lessons, each lasts approximately 10 minutes. Classes include high-quality video lessons, assignments, workbooks, and community activities. You can also join discussions to ask questions, get feedback, and connect with other students. There are no deadlines, so you can learn at your own pace. All the videos can be downloaded for offline viewing using a mobile app.
The classes are divided into nine categories: Film & TV, Culinary Arts, Writing, Music & Entertainment, Sports & Games, Business, Photography, & Fashion, Business, Politics & Society, Lifestyle, and Science & Technology. MasterClass doesn’t offer certificates of completion.
MasterClass is a good platform for creatives who are interested in personal development and seeking inspiration from the best professionals in the field.
Brilliant.org
Price:
Brilliant Monthly Subscription (includes unlimited access to all courses) – $24,99/month
Brilliant Annual Subscription (includes unlimited access to all courses) – $149/year
Library:
60+ courses
Accreditation:
No
Free Trial:
Yes (7-day free trial)
Brilliant is an online learning platform that focuses on STEM subjects – Science, Math, and Computer Science. The courses are designed for both children (aged 10+) and adults. Their goal is to make learning fun, engaging, and interacting, and that is what makes Brilliant one of the best learning platforms, especially for young adults.
You can learn a variety of subjects on Brilliant, including Algebra, Logic, Advanced mathematics, Calculus, Geometry, Classical physics, Quantum mechanics, Foundational computer science, and others.
Brilliant offers monthly and annual subscriptions that include full access to all courses on the platform and thousands of practice quizzes across all topics.
In my opinion, Brillian is a great platform but because it only covers STEM subjects, it is mostly suitable for those who are interested in math and computer science. A 7-day trial is available for anyone who wants to try Brilliant at no cost.
Blackboard Collaborate
Blackboard Collaborate is a highly interactive, browser-based online teaching platform built to create learning experiences.
The platform also features an interactive whiteboard, live chat sessions, live polls and quizzes, screen sharing, and real-time annotations and text. You can record, monitor, and manage live classroom sessions, and create reports based on performance. Blackboard Collaborate allows you to connect with entire classes or individual students based on the needs of the classroom.
There is a 30-day free trial for Blackboard Collaborate. You must contact the company for pricing information.
Adobe Connect
Adobe Connect for virtual classrooms is an online teaching platform that runs in a web browser with Adobe Flash Player. The tool offers teachers the opportunity to host on-demand or live online classes from anywhere.
It features interactive whiteboards, real-time and private chats, interactive polls and voting, and two-way video and audio. Teachers and students can also share screens and livestream presentations to create the feeling of being in the classroom.
For students with disabilities, Adobe Connect features a Section 508-compliant virtual classroom solution that makes the virtual classrooms more accessible.
Plans start at $50 per month per user. A free trial is available.
Podia
Best All-In-One Online Course Platform for Webinars, Downloads, and Memberships ($39/month)
Podia is an all-in-one online course platform with over 50,000 members that is great for digital downloads, webinars, and memberships.
Its main types of courses include:
- Standalone courses that include images, video and audio files, MP3x, PDFs, quizzes, and more.
- Pre-sell your course by taking payments before launch.
- Cohort-based courses with a future start date.
- Drip courses deliver your course in a section-by-section format.
- The ability to add coupons and memberships.
They truly excel with their membership options. You can grow your own online community by interacting with members, bundling products for specific groups, offering tiered plans, and connecting with Facebook Groups and Slack.
Podia also acts as a webinar platform to host either live or on-demand webinars.
Another awesome feature is the ability to run your own affiliate program inside of Podia. You can view all of your affiliates in one place, view helpful reporting, and make payouts based on your own customized commission structure.
There is 24/7 support, no transaction fees, and a simple three-step process to get your course website up quickly.
Although they don’t charge fees, their payment processors have transaction fees of 2.9% + 30¢.
Pricing:
- Mover ($39/month) – Unlimited everything, zero transaction fees, sell courses, digital downloads, and 5k emails sent per month.
- Shaker ($79/month) – Everything in Mover, plus the ability to create membership communities, add affiliates, and 15k emails sent per month.
- Earthquaker ($179/month) – Everything in Shaker, plus dedicated account manager, personalized onboarding, and 50k emails sent per month.
Overall, if you’re looking for strong membership functionality and the ability to increase your sales with the help of affiliates, Podia is a unique and worthwhile course builder to try out.
Edpuzzle
With Edpuzzle, you can create interactive video lessons with embedded audio notes, assessments, and quizzes. Its analytics tool enables you to track how students are watching your videos and if they understand the content.
WeTransfer
The answer to your prayers. Transfer large files easily to colleagues and keep your ideas moving. It’s free and does not even require you to create an account. Just upload files, enter the recipient’s email and you’re away.
Canva
A brilliant, free graphic design tool you can use to create educational visuals and infographics for the classroom. It couldn’t be more intuitive and is loved by both beginners and experts alike. We guarantee you’ll be hooked.
Zoom
Zoom is probably the most popular online software in the market for holding meetings, classes and online get-togethers, especially since the start of the pandemic.
Zoom offers the following to their users:
- Chat function to
- chat with your whole class or individual students
- Breakout rooms to separate students into groups for discussions
- Share screen function to share your screen or allow students to share their screen
- A built-in whiteboard with text and drawing features to share with your students.
The free version allows up to 100 participants, unlimited one-on-one meetings but a limit of only 40 minutes for group meetings.
Zoom is a great option for teachers who need a platform to teach their students since this app is used worldwide and most people are comfortable and familiar with its functions.
EdApp
EdApp’s new public microlearning courseware platform Educate All is free for teachers, students and anyone else on the planet who has a desire to learn. Together with UNITAR, EdApp is redefining what we mean by ‘team micro teaching’ by creating a true global village of educators.
EdApp’s authoring tool is an excellent way to effectively educate your learners with vital knowledge and skills. EdApp’s content library is populated with course topics ranging from addressing global challenges, leadership and entrepreneurship to hospitality and physical exercise. Powerful learner metrics are available for learner assessment, and EdApp’s Brain Boost spaced repetition feature is next to none. You can access EdApp’s mobile-based LMS for free!
Seesaw
Seesaw is a digital portfolio app that captures student work through the use of photos, videos, and audio. This free teacher tool enables students to showcase their work and collaborate with their peers. Using the Seesaw blog platform, students gain an authentic sense of authorship and are able to share ideas and feedback constructively in a safe teacher-moderated space.
The app is also a fantastic way of enhancing parent-school engagement (which we all know is a key factor in positive student outcomes), as they are able to sign in with QR codes. The reflective opportunities Seesaw provides is my favourite feature. By getting students to reflect on teacher feedback, it completes the learning loop—essentially promoting ‘feeding forward’ rather than feedback as an effective learning model.
Baamboozle
This is another free online game site. Its main advantage is that it’s set up so that students can play online in teams, but they don’t have to go into different breakout rooms. In other words, students can select a question to answer and talk among themselves in front of others to determine the correct answer (other students are waiting for their turn to choose another question). If that explanation is a bit confusing, it will be very clear once you go to the site itself.
Quizizz
This is a free online learning game site that is incredibly easy to use, has zillions of already-made games on just about every topic that are fun activities for reinforcement and formative assessment, and has recently added a simplified Nearpod-like feature (for those of you familiar with that popular tool) called student-paced “Lessons.” My students love playing Quizizz games in teams divided into separate Zoom breakout rooms. Unlike other game sites, students can see the question and the possible answers on the same screen and don’t have to split them into two.
Math Learning Center
This virtual manipulative website is a staple in mathematics classrooms where students interact with familiar manipulatives such as base 10 blocks. Teachers can customize the site by creating problems, saving templates, and sharing private links with students. The best part is that the tools encourage flexible thinking as students explore multiple ways to model their understanding.
Conclusion:
If you’re here then, you’re probably looking for a good place to host your on-demand videos. You might also want to consider having a one-on-one virtual coaching, or want to hire someone to do a screen recording of your teaching session. No matter what your online teaching platform needs are, we’re confident that you will find it with us.