Creating effective online classroom

    

Online education boon to the academic

year 2020 onwards...

Online learning is education that takes place over the Internet. It is often referred to as “e-learning” or distance education. 

Online education can be broken down further. For example, into synchronous versus asynchronous learning. 

Synchronous refers to learning in which the instructor and learners are interacting in real-time. Obviously, a face-to-face course is synchronous,
but there are synchronous online courses as well, in which the class will meet through live chat or through video conferencing. Synchronous refers to learning in which the instructor and learners are interacting in real-time.

Resources and activities are accessed and completed online,

. 

There are often times when a course may be primarily asynchronous, however, once in a while, the instructor does require learners to meet together using video conferencing or a live discussion forum, making it slightly synchronous. The majority of online courses are asynchronous in nature because it maximizes the flexibility that online instruction provides. However, these are some of the factors that you'll need to consider when creating your online class.

With access to the internet and digital technology, learning has become much easier with many learners and scholars agreeing that Online Education is as good as Classroom Learning.

Since every coin has two sides. Let's focus on the positive side of online learning.

• Added Flexibility and Self-Paced Learning.
• Better Time Management.
• Demonstrated Self-Motivation. ...
• Improved Virtual Communication and Collaboration.
• A Broader, Global Perspective.
• Refined Critical-thinking Skills.
• New Technical Skills.

How can you ensure that your classroom resources are transformed into effective e-learning?

Determine the best format for your class daily access:

Do not assume that the students will know it rather teach then each module/format before using it for their independent access.Use variety of format to avoid assuration point in your teaching learning process.It facilitates collaboration, creativity, file sharing and grading. 

Assemble all relevant ,age apporritate classroom resources:

Build your resource bank for easy access of your learners,keeping in my the different types of learners in your online classroom such as Auditory and musical learners.Visual and spatial learner.Verbal learner.Logical and mathematical learner.Physical or kinaesthetic learner.Social and interpersonal learner.Solitary and intrapersonal learner.There should be something for each type of learner. No one should be left behind.

Identify the classroom training elements:

Ed-tech can make a teacher work smarter and more efficiently and as a result the day-to-day workload seems to reduce and become more manageable only if students are properly trianed to use and shown where to use it effectively.Here modelling each and every element of Ed-Tech becomes important for the educator.

Keep students acquainted:

It is imperative that a clear communication is established with students regarding the schedule of the class to ensure maximum attendance and preparedness. The access details and instructions should also be sent well in advance so that students can prepare for the class and manage their schedule accordingly.

Reduction of Repetitive Tasks:

With Google tools such as Forms, teachers can now create quizzes on a specific topic and feed in the correct answers for automated correction. Therefore marking of multiple type answer questions can become automated which in turn, over time, will relieve the pressure of marking tests by hand. However, these tests will first have to be created in the system as mentioned above, but the workload can be shared between colleagues, it can be recycled, revised and reused over time. So one does not have to spend time in coming up with a whole new assessment.

Flexible working:

Educators can share online documents of all sorts for collaborative activities between colleagues and students. These can be accessed at the tip of one’s fingers.

Simplicity is the key:

It is critical to design distance learning experiences that have very clear instructions and utilize only one or two resources. It’s also best, when possible, to provide resources like reading PDF/videos/E-books.that students can always access.

Small class size:

In a virtual classroom, it is always advisable to limit the number of students participating make breakout rooms for further collaboration in smaller gorups. By doing so, teachers will be able to take shorter and more sessions, as well as interact with each and every student who has joined the class.

Prioritize longer, student-driven assignments:

To encourage student choice keep open ended task so that it gives scope for student independent inqury and buy you time to keep planning future units—and that get your students off the computer.

Create a structure and stick to it.

You can create feedback structure  through any medium you like: emails, video messages,one to one conferrencing, messages through your learning management system, comments on shared documents, etc.

Be Animated:

Just like in a live presentation, you want to present with a little energy and animation. This is your opportunity to engage and be engaged.

Start with an open mind:

Not everything will work according to plan, but that may open the door to something else completely--something you might not have been expecting-- and that is ok. Be fluid, not just flexible.

It’s crucial to be mindful that cultivating an engaging online learning experience is hard. It takes time and an incredible amount of patience. If you are new to the experience, you’re probably going to feel like a first-year teacher again. That’s OK! Tackle the challenges step by step, take your students views into consideration and stay positive. You can do this!