Over the past couple of years, most education systems had to move online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It took some time for schools to set up effective systems for proper online classes, with assessments and other metrics included. In addition, students needed to utilize a stable internet service plan, like the one sold with Spectrum bundles. This led to a major shift in the education sector, with schools, students, parents, and teachers in the lurch. A few tech-savvy schools already had strong online education systems in place, but for the most part, it was a new reality for everyone.
This situation was especially difficult for teachers, as they needed to host online classes and figure out how to assess student progress. They couldn’t take physical quizzes and needed to ensure students were not cheating during online assessments. Furthermore, they needed to reinforce lessons in a variety of innovative ways, so that students retain the information. The good news is that there are a number of apps out there to help them do this efficiently and easily.
Top Hat
This software is more suitable for higher education at the college and university levels. It lets instructors track attendance, record participation, and grade assignments automatically. In addition, it even captures student responses in real-time and enables live discussions.
Teachers can even assign grading weightages to participation, and the app will record them automatically. Top Hat does all this without students or teachers needing to use any extra hardware or needing extensive data usage. Therefore, it is an excellent option.
Kahoot
While it has gained immense popularity as a trivia portal, Kahoot is actually the perfect platform for teachers. It lets them host polls online, and design quizzes with automatic grading metrics. Furthermore, it allows students to engage with teachers and material and gauges their level of understanding of various topics.
Kahoot is an excellent classroom management platform and makes learning and assessment much easier. The cherry on top is that it’s totally free, and is quite handy for complex subjects.
Socrative
This is a useful app for teachers and students on the go. It lets teachers create, assess, and monitor quizzes online. This includes showing them who’s online and creating rapid quizzes to assess student understanding in a quick manner.
Teachers can grade these quizzes in real-time, and monitor how well their students have progressed over time. This app is free on both Android and iOS and is quite simple to use.
The Answer Pad
This app comes with a wide range of monitoring and assessment features, which let teachers test their students thoroughly. It is an excellent platform if teachers want to set complex quizzes complete with formulas, charts, and proficiency levels.
With The Answer Pad, teachers can break down test results in a variety of ways, and also look at student performance in real-time. Its range of assessment and tracking tools is quite comprehensive but extremely responsive, so it is a great tool for online classrooms.
Schoology
This tool lets teachers create full courses, complete with assessments, discussions, and reading material. Its free version comes with a grade book, online attendance, and a calendar. If teachers opt for its premium version, they can access highly exciting features, such as additional audio and support features, along with more comprehensive student progress monitoring.
It is a great platform for organizing courses and creating comprehensive lessons in one place for long-term planning.
Kiddom
Kiddom is a one-platform solution for many problems teachers face with online classes. They can plan, deliver, and assess various lessons, and get comprehensive results and tracking. Furthermore, students can also access their grades on this tool, so teachers do not have to go through the extra effort of making sure they hand out grades to each student individually.
Using Kiddom, both parents and teachers can track student progress, and identify any problem areas.
GoFormative
GoFormative is an excellent learning app for teachers who like to make their assignments more engaging than the typical MCQs. On it, students can draw, write, or type their answers, while teachers can intervene in real-time to offer any assistance or feedback they deem necessary.
Quizizz
This free tool comes with a variety of ready-made quizzes, and teachers can also use it to make their own ones. It creates an engaging assessment experience and lets teachers track student performance as they give their quizzes. These can even include pictures, so this platform is perfect for all grade levels.
It is likely you are thrust into the world of remote learning with little preparation because of the pandemic.
Both instructors and students are trying to navigate through this new normal and overcome the challenges of online classes. To get the most value from your online program, adjust to this change, overcome learning challenges, and engage in the lectures, follow these tips:
1:Optimize Your Internet Connection
I use Charter Spectrum Internet services to attend my online lectures. The provider recommends being close to the router for optimal speed.
If you are experiencing speed issues, you can also directly connect your laptop or PC to the internet using an Ethernet cable. Speed will determine the video and audio quality.
Don’t panic if you get disconnected during an online chat or video conference. Simply log back in and drop a note to apologize for the glitch.
2: Plan In Advance
The best solution to minimize common issues with online lectures is to familiarize yourself with the software in use. Log in early and test it out. Consider it an orientation where you walk around the campus and classes to get familiar with everything. Planning in advance will help you set clear expectations too.
3: Technical Issues May Arise, So Be Prepared
Technical issues are bound to arise in this online-only environment. During video conferencing, your computer may shut down or your Wi-Fi may act spotty.
A simple solution to this problem is to stay in touch with your professor and inform them about whatever is happening. Hopefully, they will understand and show flexibility. Ideally, the online sessions should be recorded as a backup for situations like these.
Every student and instructor taking online classes needs to understand that they are not alone. Allow yourself to remain patient and work through these problems as they arise.
4: Mute the Video and Audio
When joining an online session, the software always prompts if you want to mute or turn off the video. Make it a rule of thumb to always join the session by keeping both audio and video mute.
Background noise can be distracting. When it’s time to contribute to the discussion, simply unmute the microphone and speak.
5: Send Messages Privately
Not every question you want to ask needs to be shared in the group conversation. Therefore, use the IM feature of the learning platform and send the message to the instructor separately.
6: Keep Distractions at Bay
For a smooth experience, close all extra tabs on your PC during class time. Turn off all notifications that could distract you from the lecture.
Try your best to sit in a separate room or space to keep away from human distractions as well.
7: Ask for Help, When Necessary
Studying online doesn’t mean you are alone. While you may not be able to meet your classmates or instructors in person, this does not mean they aren’t available. If you are struggling with a topic or you have a question about an assignment, don’t hesitate to reach out for help.
In conclusion, there are numerous apps teachers can use to track student progress. These are often free and are all quite easy to use.
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