Schools are increasingly turning towards online teaching platforms in hopes of attracting more and more students. There have been many impressive examples to the success in using online teaching and learning platforms for schools so it’s of no wonder why people gravitate to these solutions.
If you are an avid Internet user and always on social media, you have probably come across many memes and posts concerning “Online Teaching Platforms For Schools.” What are they? How do they work? And how can they improve the education of students?
Have you ever thought about trying to teach a course online? Or thought about the logistics of an online teaching platform for schools? Lots of companies and organizations are starting to see the benefits of using online teaching platforms for schools.
Online Learning Platforms are the perfect solution for schools and institutions looking to create a learning environment that is accessible to not just students but also staff, faculty and administration. They provide a rich online experience including tools to create content such as quizzes, tests and exercises, collaborative tools for live chats, forums and peer feedback for assignments and rich media experiences like video lectures, audio lessons and more.
Why Vocabulary and Tech?
Technology is an effective and engaging tool that can be used to improve vocabulary acquisition for all learners and engage them in the learning process. Technology resources can provide students with a variety of multimedia content to help them construct knowledge about vocabulary in a way that meets their unique learning needs. Technology allows teachers to design learning experiences that provide students with flexible learning paths. This post will explore some digital tools for helping students construct knowledge about vocabulary.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom requires the use of a Gmail account to access Classrooms. This platform is fantastic for easy communication, teamwork and sharing homework files. Plus, you can even use Classroom to make a class website and store important resources or information for students.
Buncee
Buncee is a fun and simple tool that helps students and teachers create course materials, presentations and stories. The platform has over 2,000 templates that allow users to build charts and visual art creations.
Buncee is a multi-purpose, web-based tool for educational, business and personal applications.
EdModo
As a global learning management system (LMS), EdModo is a collaborative platform that connects teachers, students and parents.
Teachers like you can:
- Support students
- Distribute quizzes
- Share assignments
- Create posts and messages
Students have a greater chance of reaching their full potential thanks to EdModo’s organized class folders and built-in planner.
Parents may wish to create their own account so they can supervise their child’s progress.
Edulastic
As a valuable online education tool, Edulastic’s high standards help you administer assessments, help students and track their progress. Google Classroom synchronization is available free to use in combination with Edulastic. Students receive the best of both worlds: effective academic resources that are easy to use!
LinkedIn Learning (Lynda)
LinkedIn Learning which was formerly Lynda.com is an educational platform that offers professional courses in business, technology-related and creative fields in the format of video lessons. The platform comes as a premium service for LinkedIn users and offers over 16,000 courses in 7 languages and focuses on helping individuals invest in their professional development.
Pros
- Highly recognizable and valued in the B2B community
- Comes with a one-month free trial
- Provides personalized course recommendations for users
- Offers certification upon course completion
- Allows you to assess your progress using quizzes
- Has offline learning access to learn on the go
- Grants you access to other premium career features
Cons
- The quality of the courses it offers is ambiguous and you need to conduct some research into them before enrolling
- Joining as an instructor may be challenging
Who is it for?
Students: It is mostly suited for professionals and businesses looking to train their employees.
Instructors: Apart from individual learners, business teams, universities, and government organizations can use the platform for educational and training purposes.
As a course creator, you can also apply to become a LinkedIn Learning instructor here.
Pricing:
LinkedIn Learning comes with two subscription plans for students:
- Monthly: 1-month free trial then €39.33/month
- Annually: 1-month free trial then €29,49/month
Udemy
Udemy is one of the most popular online course marketplaces on the web. This educational platform has over 40 million students and 50 thousand instructors and subject matter experts creating online courses.
Udemy makes course creation possible for everyone with the possibility of acquiring new skills. In doing so, it offers a range of online learning materials including PDF documents, PowerPoint, text, and video content among many others.
Instructors can join Udemy and start teaching online, but it takes a huge piece of the pie from the revenue and has control over pricing and discounting the course.
Pros:
- No setup cost (for instructors)
- Geared towards self-paced learning and video courses
- No need for highly technical knowledge
- A Udemy app available for iOS and Android
Cons:
- Very limited interaction with students (both for students and instructors)
- High competition between course creators (for instructors)
- No personal branding option (for instructors)
- Control over prices and often sells courses for incredibly low prices (for instructors)
- No data ownership or control over branding – It keeps emails, user data, and does not share this information with their instructors (for instructors)
- Visibility depends on your own marketing, the platform only promotes courses that are already popular (for instructors)
Who is it for?
Students: Udemy has a course for almost every discipline, but always read the reviews before buying one. Quality is not consistent.
Instructors: It’s great for teachers, instructors, educators, and freelancers who are just starting out.
Pricing / Revenue (for instructors):
- No starting fee but very high commissions on sales of up to 75%.
- 50% per course sale when students come through organic search on Udemy or search engines.
- 75% when students come through their paid user acquisition channel.
- 97% on course sales when you sell through your own links. Udemy keeps a 3% administration fee.
*Pricing adjusted on a global price tier matrix developed by Udemy.
Coursera
Coursera is an online education platform with 23 million users, that is dedicated to offering high-quality online training courses worldwide. While partnering with world-class universities and businesses, it provides students the opportunity to receive certifications from renowned institutions upon joining their paid courses.
Coursera offers individual courses, specialized courses, and degree programs that support on-demand video lectures, homework exercises, peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums.
Pros:
- Offers a variety of learning options and activities
- Awards students with different types of certificates and degrees
- Offers high-quality educational tools and instructor interactions (for instructors)
Cons:
- Limited to educators in partner institutions. (for instructors)
- Less flexible course creation options compared to other platforms (for instructors)
Who is it for?
Students: Anyone who wants to learn from prestigious institutions, whether they are looking for a one-off course, certification, or an online degree.
Instructors: It is aimed at professors who are based at a HE partner institution or business.
Pricing:
Coursera offers free courses, subscriptions, and one-off payments depending on the course or program.
Skillshare
Skillshare is another popular course marketplace that has more than 4 million students and up to 24,000 lessons in various disciplines. Course lessons last from 20 to 60 minutes and are made out of a series of small videos, class projects, and a student community that encourages interaction through discussion forums.
Classes are divided into 4 categories:
Creative arts: from graphic design to fine art, cooking, and music production.
Technology: including data science, web design, and e-commerce.
Business: finance, accounting, and project management.
Lifestyle: teaching, languages, gaming, and wellness.
Pros:
- Offers a supportive discussion forum where students exchange feedback
- Provides the ability to take many courses for the same price
Cons:
- Class content limited to only four categories
- No certificate of completion or any other formal recognition
Who is it for?
Students: It is suitable for students interested in the creative arts, technology, business, and lifestyle classes as mentioned above.
Instructors: It’s great for instructors who are in the creative field and want to make a side income. Instructors can make money through Skillshare’s royalty system and referral program.
Pricing:
Students: After a 14-day free trial, the pricing is $32 per month or $168 per year for access to all the courses.
Instructors: Free to join, but it comes with specific class guidelines you need to follow.
Skillshare pays instructors based on minutes watched from their course and premium referrals.
EdPuzzle
Create interactive online lessons using a video clip of your choice. This tool provides accountability and tracking for student progress, too.
Eduplanet
Teachers can access a collection of learning paths from some of the most well-known thought leaders in education. Topics cover Understanding by Design Habits of Mind, Social Emotional Learning, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, Personalized Learning, and Growth Mindset.
Explain Everything Whiteboard
Create interactive lessons and collaborative spaces for your virtual classroom with these real-time tools.
FlipGrid
Students and teachers can record short videos to document and share their learning. Consider it social media for learning, and a great way to stay in touch!
Genially
Genially offers interactive visual communication tools to create presentations, interactive images, infographics, and more. Many of their premium templates and resources are now available for free, for everyone.
Google Classroom
Many teachers already use this as one of the top virtual learning platforms for their classrooms. There is a lot to explore here, but most of it is easy to use, so don’t be afraid to dive in! Once you’ve started, make sure to check out resources for Google Meet, Google Slides, and check out these Google Slides Templates.
Habyts
Teachers can control student screens during remote instruction while keeping students focused, accountable, and motivated at home. Habyts allows parents 24/7 visibility of screen time and school-assigned tasks, targets, goals, and rewards.
Hapara
Get the most out of Google Classroom and other Google tools with this platform. They offer webinars and other resources to help teachers create and manage the best virtual classrooms.
Types of virtual learning platforms & examples of each
Student and teacher communication platforms
Communication is key when it comes to ensuring students receive the education they deserve. Interactive video lectures help teachers and students communicate effectively in real time.
Education platforms encourage students to:
- Collaborate
- Communicate
- Share videos, photos and homework assignments
To help students learn, you can set up classes, distribute and collect homework assignments.
Plus, virtual platforms give parents the opportunity to take part and supervise their child’s progress from home.
Conclusion
Online teaching platforms are different from online learning management systems. The online teaching platform provides the tools to conduct live (or asynchronous) classes and lectures with students, student collaboration and more.
If you are a student about to graduate, one of the questions you might be asking yourself is how to find a good part-time teaching job. However, even though universities nowadays have courses on how to reach your dream job, and many HR companies have special schemes for graduates, finding your dream job can still be a hard task. Particularly if you are looking for an online teaching position.