Online platforms for teachers are now widely used all over the world. One of the reasons why more and more teachers choose to use online platforms is because they want to find new tools for modern education. Besides, there are plenty of them nowadays, so choosing the most suitable one isn’t an easy task.
Here are the best online resources for teachers.
Udemy
This is a massive online teaching platform with over 2 million students worldwide and 13,000 courses. It lets instructors design robust classes including video lectures, PowerPoint files, screencast videos, documents, audio files, text, and mashup videos. The platform is completely free for instructors to create their courses which they may offer either for free or for a fee. If there is a fee involved, Udemy takes a percentage of that. This is a very professional-looking platform that has a lot to offer.
RCampus
One of several online learning platforms, RCampus can be used to create courses, student assignments, keep grades, hold class discussions, and post many types of educational content such as videos, links, images, etc. It can also be used as an ePortfolio management system in which both students and faculty can “build multiple, fully-functional presentation portfolios for demonstrating their skills and knowledge or for career development”.
Learnopia
This free online learning platform enables instructors to design and offer courses consisting of a combination of videos, audio files, PowerPoint presentations, and documents such as PDF files, as well as tests consisting of multiple choice questions. Instructors can choose to make their courses freely available or charge a fee for them. Learnopia takes a percentage of all for-fee courses.
Peer 2 Peer University
P2PU is a grassroots open education project that offers free university-level courses. It is run by volunteers. Instructors can create courses and offer curriculum in the form of slideshows, videos, documents, and discussion boards. Enrollment in courses is limited to provide the best experience for the learner, making it one of the best online learning platforms.
Teachers Pay Teachers
Rather than a place to teach students, this is a website where instructors can either sell or share freely their teaching materials. Teachers may post videos, learning kits, lesson plans, study guides, clip art, and much more that they can choose to give away or charge for. If there is a charge involved, teachers earn royalties on the money earned.
Thinkific
Thinkific is a mostly free online teaching platform that allows you to create and distribute online learning materials. Designed with a variety of different industries and needs in mind, the platform works on a freemium model, with the basic free subscription including the vast majority of the tools you need to offer and distribute online lessons. With support for online sales of lessons, student assessments and more, the Thinkific platform offers a robust set of features for students and teachers alike.
Edmodo
Edmodo is an online teaching platform with an interface that resembles Facebook. Students can join class pages with a code distributed by the teacher. Within these pages, teachers can post updates, polls, worksheets, and other assignments for students. Since Edmodo is purely for educational purposes, students will not be distracted by irrelevant content while perusing the content on Edmodo.
No teacher is an island – join Edmodo’s global education network and connect with your fellow teachers and students now. Collaborate in groups, administer and provide educational materials, measure student performance and communicate with parents to create a more personalised and enriching learning experience for both you and your students.
To facilitate online discussions, teachers may post questions or videos and prompt students to type their opinions in the comments section.
In the folders tab, teachers can also organise and consolidate class materials for students.
Besides engaging students on Edmodo, teachers can also invite parents to the class group. From Edmodo, teachers can send updates and announcements to parents, thus enabling parents to be aware of their child’s progress in school. Types of account on Edmodo. Infographic from Edmodo on Facebook.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a free service for schools that have registered for a G Suite account. On Google Classroom, teachers can create and grade assignments on top of sharing files and documents with students.
Since Google Drive is integrated with Google Classroom, it is easy for students to collaborate with their classmates on group projects and assignments. With the option to send emails to students within a class, Google Classroom streamlines the way information is disseminated.
For more tips on how you can incorporate Google Classroom into your teaching curriculum, please check out the video below:https://www.youtube.com/embed/rCNImsWUxZA?feature=oembedGoogle Classroom tutorial on YouTube.
HeyHi’s Online Whiteboard
You may have noticed that the preceding online teaching platforms seek to improve communication between parents, students, and teachers, or to consolidate course content online. Now, we would like to introduce you to HeyHi’s online whiteboard, a teaching tool that complements any of the aforementioned platforms.
HeyHi’s online whiteboard incorporates video conferencing features that allow teachers and students to collaborate remotely. With such capabilities, we would like to suggest that teachers adopt HeyHi’s online whiteboard as part of a shift towards a flipped classroom teaching format.
What is a flipped classroom pedagogy?
In a flipped classroom, teachers upload learning materials for students to go through and internalise at their leisure. In class, teachers will then devote time to concepts that are harder to grasp.
In this case, teachers can upload notes and pre-recorded tutorial videos to an online learning platform such as Moodle or Edmodo. Students are expected to plan their schedules and master the basics of this content before attending a virtual class on HeyHi’s online whiteboard. Students who have gone through these independent learning exercises online will then be prepared to launch into class discussions from the get-go.
With a flipped classroom pedagogy, teachers can leverage interactive tools such as HeyHi’s online whiteboard to make classes engaging and more enriching for students.
Facilitate class discussions with HeyHi’s online teaching platform
HeyHi is an online teaching platform that grants students access to a shared whiteboard. With HeyHi’s pen and highlighter tools, students can write and draw pictures to demonstrate their learning. Rather than to complete assignments by themselves, students can discuss over video chat while filling up worksheets together. By doing so, students have the opportunity to cross-check what they have learned beforehand and thus improve knowledge retention.
You may be wondering, “In a class of thirty will it be too chaotic for students to collaborate?” Well, HeyHi’s online whiteboard is expandable and you will never have to worry about running out of whiteboard space. Simply zoom out to reveal more blank spaces, or shift to a different section of the whiteboard.
You can also create new whiteboard pages without erasing or deleting the original whiteboard that you or your students have been working on.
You may be pleased to know that HeyHi is also free to download for Apple and Android devices! Please refer to HeyHi’s pricing page for more information on the different subscription tiers.
Moodle
Moodle allows teachers to create and customise a free site for their classes. On Moodle, teachers can manage students and course materials across various subjects or modules that they teach.
Moodle is a powerful tool for teachers to track whether students are clicking through to view or download class materials. Moodle Analytics can also predict and highlight students who are struggling with course content.
When teachers turn to online learning, they worry that the lack of supervision will lead to lower grades among students. With Moodle, teachers can closely monitor the learning progress of students and thus offer their assistance whenever necessary.https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ORsUGVNxGs?feature=oembedMoodle promo video on YouTube
ClassDojo
ClassDojo is a free online teaching platform that also mirrors Facebook’s interface. ClassDojo is unique from the other online teaching platforms on this list because it introduces a point system. This point system incentivises students to put on their best behaviour and to participate actively in class.
A favourite among teachers, ClassDojo is a free school communication platform that teachers, students and parents can use every day to build close-knit communities by sharing what’s being learned in the classroom through home photos, videos and messages. Parents can track their child’s progress, and children can showcase their learning. There are also free class behaviour management tools system and lots of added features for teachers too. Check out this free beginner’s guide for teachers to learn what ClassDojo can do for you.
Similar to Facebook, teachers and students can upload images of their class activities for parents to view from their mobile devices. This feature gives parents regular updates on their children amid their busy schedules.
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.
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.
Teacheroo, the online teacher community
Teacheroo is a dedicated, friendly space for teachers everywhere to connect, share ideas and browse 1000s of free resources. Share posts, blog and stream live video from your Teacheroo profile. Search, follow and chat with like-minded educators, join groups, and get tailored news, tips and insights straight to your feed.
Create an account and prepare to be inspired. From epic lesson plans to clever classroom design, Pinterest is the place to be. Create your own boards to collate all your ideas in one place and share your best boards with your students.
Pixlr
Pixlr is an online photo editing tool that allows you to design, create and edit your photos and images easily. Right now, Pixlr for Education is offering an upgraded version of Pixlr for free, for teachers and educators.
Loop
Ask your students anything in under 30 seconds on Loop’s easy student feedback app and website. Free for teachers and students.
Calendly
Stay in control of who you meet and when with Calendly, a free calendar booking app. Calendly integrates with your calendar so you are never double-booked – a miracle when teaching – and allows you to save time when booking in your parent-teacher appointments or meetings with colleagues.
Conlusion
A lot of people are looking for the best educational platform that provides the best tools to help them choose, organize and share their content. That’s why there are many sites on the Internet that review and list educational platforms. And we decided to do it too.++++++++