Tools to use when teaching online - Google suite, Live streams, Kahoot, Zoom
Teachers need to get familiarized with online tools which they can use for teaching. Especially nowadays, during COVID-19 and post quarantine time, a lot of things are going to be changed, and online education is going to become the new normal.
In this day and age, everything is shifting towards online, and education is no exception. The tendency started from the early 2000s, and technology slowly began allowing people to use it at their convenience.
When talking about education, there are a lot of universities, schools, and colleges which offer online classes and programs. Students tend to like the process of online studying, and it is more or less comfortable for them to adapt to a new way of learning.
So, for all teachers, it is mandatory to understand the situation and learn more about the tools that would help them in the teaching process. There is an endless number of tools that teachers can use, yet we chose the ones that are necessary and mandatory to get familiarised with.
Google is advancing its technologies to another level, and it does that by continuously updating its services and making them more user-friendly. Since we are talking about online education, at least two of Google’s features are highly applicable for this topic; Google Docs and Google Slides.
As a teacher, you want to have your student’s papers at your hand in order to make notes, suggestions, and corrections. However, in the virtual world, it is getting harder and harder to get the paper in your hand. Google Docs is a perfect solution to this problem. It allows teachers to make live notes and comments. Additionally, students have the chance to reply to the comments and ask for clarification.
Another powerful tool for online teaching is Google Slides. As a teacher, you are probably aware of the impact that presentations have on the learning process. Google Slides will allow you to create slides and share them with your students and make their learning experience exceptional. Also, it is worth mentioning that the commenting option works not only for Google Docs but also for Google Slides.
Live Streams also play a significant role in online teaching. What would replace a big class with tens or might be hundreds of students? - Right, a live stream with a real-time audience (students) watching you. Facebook has a renowned tool for making live streams. Especially if you are planning to get a Facebook page, blog or website, doing Facebook live streams will benefit you a lot. Recently, an online school which teaches IELTS has conducted live streams IELTS lessons over Facebook. It proved to work seamlessly, and the audience of IELTS students was quite satisfied. Why not try to do the same and get your teaching methods to the next level? Students will join your live lesson, and besides, learning from your content will also be able to ask questions in the comments to which you may answer and help students further.
Although Kahoot is a well-known platform used in the university classroom setting, you can still use this exciting and helpful software to make your students’ learning experience more fun.
Kahoot helps teachers to create online quizzes, and students can participate in those by only entering the passcode generated by the website. After the quiz is over, the winner will be displayed on the screen. Whether you are an experienced or rookie teacher, Kahoot is there to help you. You can be sure that your students will look forward to their next quiz when Kahoot is used.
Although Kahoot is a well-known platform used in the university classroom setting, you can still use this exciting and helpful software to make your students’ learning experience more fun.
Kahoot helps teachers to create online quizzes, and students can participate in those by only entering the passcode generated by the website. After the quiz is over, the winner will be displayed on the screen. Whether you are an experienced or rookie teacher, Kahoot is there to help you. You can be sure that your students will look forward to their next quiz when Kahoot is used.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, at first, Zoom was the leading program for daily meetings and stand-ups. Also, in universities and schools, teachers extensively use this tool to maintain classes. It is just like Skype, but with more user-friendly solutions. Whether you are having one-on-one lessons with your student, or you have a group of students, Zoom is an excellent tool to use.
Zoom is also convenient for teachers because of its live whiteboard, which is an essential part of any classroom setting. Although, regardless of the benefits that Zoom has, there is a security issue concern, which makes everyone think twice before using that platform. While choosing an online platform for teaching, make sure to do a bit of research, and handle classroom privacy issues accordingly.
To wrap it up, whether you choose to use these tools or not, make sure to conduct the classes as naturally and genuinely as possible. Do not be afraid of trying new methods of teaching; some of these tools may come handy for your teaching style.