Are you interested in using a virtual classroom to reach your educational goals? You may want to learn about the different elements that this online classroom should have.
Now all these elements does not have to be present in a single lesson. Also, you are not limited to only one. You are free to use as many as you can as long as it is relevant to the current lesson. You also need to think about the eLearning course as a whole so you can use the right elements to get your lessons across.
Here are the different elements you may want to learn to use when you are creating a virtual classroom.
- Chat. This specifically refers to text chat. This is when both the instructor and students have access to a chat platform so they can exchange messages in real time. It allows them to discuss as the lesson is going on.
- Presentation of lesson. This is what the instructor will use to visually share the lesson to the students. It is not just about what the instructor will say. Visually stimulating students is also an important part of an online classroom. It is what will keep them riveted to the screen and to keep on learning. There are various options that can be used – all of them have their own pros and cons. Choose one that will compliments the lesson well.
- Shared screen. This is a great element in a virtual classroom because this shared screen can be used by everyone to share information, comments and discuss between themselves in real time.
- Audio. While chatting can satisfy the discussion requirements, having an audio setup will make the communication come faster. A microphone and speaker (for all participants) is required for this.
- Sub rooms. This will allow the virtual class to break up into smaller groups to discuss and interact privately from the rest of the class. This is great for students who need to discuss in groups or team up for projects. It still allows the instructor to stay on top of each group discussion.
- Polling tools. This is great for virtual classrooms that usually take surveys or polls results as part of the discussion. This will allow the instructor to share it with everyone and start a discussion out of it.
These are only the basic elements that you can use in a virtual classroom. As time goes by, it gets to be more sophisticated and you get a lot of options too. Make sure you are able to look at all your options before you decide on the elements that you will use. If possible, you can visualize what you want to happen in your eLearning course, list down what you want your course to have and then see if there is a program that can provide what you need. There might not be one available now but maybe in the future, there will be. Always search for what is current so you can expand your options.
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