We live in a digital age. Of late, the education systems across the globe have transitioned smoothly to function in a completely digital framework. Especially since the coronavirus pandemic, when schools and college campuses were shut down, locking millions of students and teachers across the entire nation out of the classroom, educational institutions and educators were left with no other option other than to teach online. Online teaching provides various advantages over traditional offline education such as increased flexibility, easily scalable, greater affordability and mass reach, dynamic content, higher student engagement and likewise. Some good online teaching platforms further simplify teaching and learning through features such as digital whiteboards, online teaching through mobile, automated attendance, seamless teaching in low data mode, automated fee collection system and the like.
In light of the various advantages which online teaching provides most educators might feel encouraged to give it a try or to completely shift to online teaching. However, they might get a little befuddled while choosing the tools required for teaching online. The best way to overcome the challenge of choosing the right teaching tools when the internet is swamped with a myriad of teaching tools is to keep yourself updated by doing your own research. In order to assist you in your teaching journey, we compiled a list of the essential teaching tools which are a must have for any online educator….
Digital Whiteboards-
Just like in a traditional classroom, whiteboards are a handy tool for teaching online as well. Whiteboards provide the educators a lot of room to work with and the illustrations, texts and pictures can be easily displayed on a digital whiteboard which makes the lessons quite comprehensible for the students as well. When teaching online, we have to work with digital whiteboards instead of regular ones. However, we can’t do away with not having a whiteboard in the class altogether. Digital whiteboards enhance the functionality of a physical whiteboard by offering various features such as built-in video conferencing and the facility to display graphics, pictures, not to mention that the content can be easily written and erased on a digital whiteboard when compared to a physical one. Therefore, a digital whiteboard is an essential teaching tool which will help you a ton in making your online class more interactive and engaging.
Webcam, Headphones and Video conferencing tools-
Webcams and headphones are important pieces of hardware required for smoothly conducting an online class. Most laptops come with built-in webcams. However, if your PC doesn’t have a built-in webcam you need to buy one. Moreover, you will also need a pair of headphones and if you want to record and share video tutorials with your students, you might also require a video conferencing API. It is a piece of software which lets you record, edit, and easily share videos; therefore, making it a handy tool for online teachers. Several good ones can be downloaded off the internet for free.
Internet Connectivity-
It goes without saying that you need a good internet connection in order to reach all your students at the same time. Some good online teaching platforms provide the feature to teach seamlessly even in low data mode. This can be particularly helpful for teachers living in areas with low internet connectivity or for teaching the students in remote areas. In our country, internet accessibility and affordability have risen considerably in the last few years. Therefore, it should be possible to get a strong internet connection in most areas.
Online teaching apps-
There are some great online teaching apps available across the internet totally free of charge which artistically integrate all the necessary elements and features required for teaching online. You can get the best bang for your buck by investing your time in learning how to use these apps for teaching online. These apps provide a one stop solution for all your worries as an online educator. Be it the digital whiteboard, or live video, recorded lectures, automated attendance or other online teaching tools, most of them are brought under one umbrella to make online teaching totally simple and hassle free.
Online teaching is the present and the future of education as well. It is high time that educators shift towards this new mode of teaching and learning. Make sure that you have the required teaching tools mentioned in this article before starting out on the journey of becoming an online teacher.
