Handy tools for digital classrooms

Post Covid-19, there will be a noticeable shift in imparting knowledge. It is rightly said that ‘Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who don’t use technology will be replaced by those who do’.

There are many tools available for educators to teach online and most of them are available for free. One can use a tool that is easy to use, enables sharing resources like documents, weblinks, material, video or audio clips, helps keep track of students’ progression, enables uploading and evaluating assignments, checking for plagiarism and giving feedback.

In the digital age, it will be helpful for teachers to be adept at:

Virtual classrooms: There are a good number of online tools available to conduct classes virtually. While some tools enable conducting classes via video conferencing, others additionally contain features to make announcements, share material, assignments, evaluation, communications, conduct online quizzes with feedback etc.

Online books: Theses days tools are available to create books that can be shared easily via many modes. Such tools also allow teachers and students to simultaneously work on a book. This can be useful for adding examples, bringing in new perspectives and working on a project together. Study materials can be converted into books which can be enriched with comics, stickers and artificial intelligence (AI) suggested illustrations. There can also be a switch between edit and read mode. These can be published online with multimedia.

Infographics: As the name suggests, infographics are a combination of ‘information’ and ‘graphics’. There are many tools for creating infographics. These can be statistical, comparative, hierarchical, timeline, list and so on, which can be used according to the level of students, subject matter and other factors.

Online dashboards: Creating an online dashboard is helpful for collaborative work and improves productivity. Digital dashboards allow one to create beautiful boards and documents which are easy to read and fun to create. The digital dashboards provide multiple layouts to choose from. Documents, photos, videos and music can be used to make the information come alive. The final dashboard can be exported into image, CSV, PDF formats. It can be secured with a password.

Screen video recorders: There are tools which can be used to record explanatory videos from a computer and thereby enabling learning to be more personalised. One can record videos, assignment solutions and explanations. In addition, activities like speech and language practice, exercises on comprehension, interactive slide presentations etc can be incorporated.

(The authors are with Christ)