This article will guide teachers and students who are new to e-learning platforms and the various tools they offer. It is recommended to go through this article before conducting or attending your Scout classes so that you can make most out of the platform.

 

E-learning platforms offer a variety of tools that facilitate learning in the virtual classroom. These tools enhance student-teacher interaction, diversify the methods available for learning and altogether make the process of education more immersive and fun. Given below are a list of tools that Scout provides to its users:

Chat

Chatting is the most common tool used for interaction. There are two main types of chatting available- Public and Private. The public chat allows the teacher or student to post messages that are visible to the entire classroom. The private chat allows the student and teacher to have one-on-one interactions. The teacher can also leave further reading material on the public chat for students to follow-up with after the session.

Webcam

Webcams provide visual cues during the class. The participants can choose to turn it off or on. The teacher can use this tool to make e-learning more personal. This tool helps bring the familiarity of traditional classrooms into the internet space.

Audio

Voice interaction through microphones is another tool that making e-learning more personal. The teacher can deliver a lecture and ask questions to students using the audio controls. They can also choose to mute/ unmute students’ audio to minimize distractions or background noises. It is also possible to select specific students’ microphones so that they can be unmuted to answer questions.

Emojis

Emojis are non-vocal ways for students to express their emotions during class. They can use the Hand-Raise emoji to express their need to speak or the thumbs-up/down to convey whether they have understood the topic being discussed. Emojis are very useful tools for getting feedback while the students are still on mute.

Breakout Rooms

Breakout rooms allow the teacher to divide the class into smaller sections for group discussions. The teacher can set a timer for breakout room sessions so that the students automatically regroup at the end of it. Breakout rooms enhance the interaction-quotient and encourage peer-learning and collaboration like a traditional classroom would.

Polling

Polling is a tool that helps teachers gauge the attention level of the students at any time during the e-learning session. The teacher can choose pre-set options as answer choices to a question or type in their own choices for students to pick from. They can monitor the answers and publish them for the class to view.

Screen Sharing

This tool helps teachers share multimedia content with students. This can be in the form of presentations, videos or images. This tool opens up new avenues for learning by integrating various sources of information which are seldom done in the traditional classroom.

Multi-user whiteboard

The Whiteboard offers tools like the pen, eraser, colour changer to draw on a blank screen that is visible to the students. It is the digital counterpart of the traditional classroom blackboard. It allows explaining concepts using diagrams. The teacher can give students access to the whiteboard too, to allow collaborative drawings and inter-student interaction.

These easy-to-use tools can multiply the learning during online classes but are often under-utilized by teachers. Make sure to explore them beforehand and actively prepare your lessons around these tools so that your e-learning session becomes fun and exciting.

 

If you are a student, Click Here for tips on attending online classes.

If you are a teacher, Click Here to learn more about conducting online classes.

 

Picture Source: Pexels

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