It is important to remember that instruction methods that are used for distance learning are not the same as the physical instruction that takes place in person.
It can be explained by the absence of any cognitive control on behalf of a teacher because even if one uses Zoom video conferencing, students still prefer focusing on other things and getting away from the teaching process per se.
It is one of the reasons why one must constantly look into existing online learning tools and boost remote instruction methods.
The complex part about it is that it is not possible to use the same teaching tool for every purpose. For example, middle school students might find Google’s virtual classroom solution more suitable while older students will focus on Socrative or even LMS solutions like Slack (higher education students) or Schoology.
It will always depend on your school since the majority of these great learning environments are free to use for students and teachers in their basic package versions.
The trick is to take your time to determine your online learning objectives and focus on how your instruction takes place to let every learner feel inspired as you share vital skills and knowledge.
After all, even the best learning tools alone cannot do the job for you as you must constantly adjust an online curriculum by taking care of the tools that you already have or may have used in the past. Combining existing tools will help you stay on track with your learning content and meet the innovations.
4 Online Learning Tools to Boost Remote Instruction
1. TalentLMS
This learning platform is proof that LMS does not have to be overly complex. Of course, we all know well that it is not easy to learn how it works if you are totally new to it and have only taught students with the help of classroom instruction, yet TalentLMS is totally different.
It uses automation all the time and addresses the way how online learning is changing student habits. It is one of those curriculum-centered platforms where an online instructor is in charge of every process. You can set the learning pace and combine several courses into one.
It also uses templates and allows you to create custom courses from scratch. You can add text, audio, and video files at no cost and let your students discuss and comment on what they learn.
Do not forget about special features like discussion forums, chat rooms like those on social networks, video streams, and a plethora of personal messaging tools.
Speaking of automation, it can calculate an average grade once the exam has been completed by letting you see various reports that the tool will create for you.
This way you won’t have to spend hours busy writing down every assignment result or compose email messages to other educators if you want to share some urgent data. Just click on a microphone icon and record an audio message by asking the system to send a friendly reminder.
This way you can safely open your mailbox and see what alerts you have got from other people. Students also have the great benefit of receiving helpful messages from other learners.
It is what makes this online learning tool safe as you plan to improve your current state of things and boost remote instruction methods without breaking down what you have already achieved before.
2. Thinkific
Let us imagine a situation where you would like to create a custom course for your learners. Think about Thinkific as a great e-learning solution that will help you not only provide unique instruction but also promote and sell your courses.
If it sounds too complex to even start, do not forget that it is also an LMS solution that every modern teacher will appreciate. It is the quickest way to create educational branding as your lessons will always stand out.
It implements a drag-and-drop method, which makes things intuitive as you secure your intellectual property content with the help of the authoring tool. It is especially important for those cases when you are a guest lecturer or you offer paid online courses for school students.
As an online learning tool, Thinkific offers all the basic features that every modern LMS system has, yet it also supports things like video editing, quizzes, downloading from cloud storage, and online discussions that are both public and private.
What makes it truly unique is the way how one can customize any existing content by sending updates and adding multimedia content. You can also control what each student sees and share different schedules for learners with special needs.
It is what makes it so good for those cases when your course has a commercial value or represents specific authorship rights. Since the system itself is free when you have up to three courses, it is worth trying because the number of learners that you can connect with is unlimited.
3. Canvas
Since open-source online learning tools have already been mentioned, Canvas is one of the best solutions that have it all to let K-12 and university students learn in a friendly environment. Canvas also provides a free custom plan for educators to enjoy all the course-level features that this software offers.
What makes it stand out is the way how it allows you to customize instruction methods based on how you add assignments, share responsibilities, and work on your grading online learning discussions.
Another important function of Canvas is their free Commons Resources database where you can cooperate with other educators and content creators by adding various third-party apps and create your instructions based on YouTube videos or even blog posts that you may have on your school’s website.
Of course, there are also personal spaces for each student where one can store information. The teacher gets 500MB of storage space per course, while students receive up to 50MB for storing photos and assignments that they work on.
If you are one of those students working with a dissertation, it becomes helpful to have all your content in one place. If you are still feeling stuck or you have lost some part by accident and need to get it done quickly, consider turning to the best dissertation writing services online by asking an expert for assistance.
By doing so, you will save yourself time and nerves as you will be able to share your existing content without leaving an already familiar LMS system. Just make sure to learn your instructions well as you ask for help!
4. Schoology
Another great way to boost remote instruction is a solution called Schoology. It has it all: management of assignment tools, progressing grading system, video and audio instruction, creation of quick exam guides, collaboration tools, and analysis of both group and individual’s progress.
While it is hard to pick a favorite when there are a plethora of similar tools, both teachers and students agree that Schoology is amazing as it allows every person involved to make a fair contribution by starting with a discussion or asking questions online.
Every student is able to track their progress and see how well they do compare to the past assignments. It is safe and friendly, which makes it a solid option for innovative teachers.
Even if you are using Zoom and things seem all the same, adding certain commenting features from Schoology makes things more fun and interactive. After all, it is the purpose of learning as you can boost your instruction and bring up happy smiles from your students and parents alike.
Time Management Issues & Shared Responsibilities
One of the most challenging aspects of boosting remote instruction is finding even more time to implement innovations and new teaching methods. For example, if you want to start with online learning tools like Quizlet, it will always take time to come up with a quiz that matches your course.
The same relates to learning LMS tools if you are not already familiar with the way how they work. The trick is to identify your current resources and avoid changing your entire learning structure without a “plan B” option.
Online learning is a complex subject, which is why such matters must be discussed among educators, parents, and even students to determine what will work for all.It is a matter of shared responsibilities where everyone must have their say.
Create a basic outline of your objectives and evaluate the list of available tools to see whether this or that online learning application matches your academic goals. Look for import and export options before you install anything.
For example, Google Classroom has one of the best compatibility with Google’s suite of famous products like Google Docs, Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, and Gmail among other things. If you want something more secure and advanced, it is always possible to use open-source solutions or try your hand at LMS (Learning Management Systems).
Remember that every online tool must be a supplementary element and not something that will force you to spend even more time trying to create a basic online lesson. Take your time, read online reviews, talk to your learners, and it will always pay off with a positive boost in your remote instruction methods.
