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What is a virtual classroom?
A virtual classroom is an online learning environment that recreates the experience of a traditional classroom by providing a space for students and teachers to interact in real-time.
Virtual classrooms are often used in online courses and programs, as they allow for more flexibility and engagement than asynchronous learning. Since 2020, 98% of universities have moved classes online.
In addition, virtual classrooms can be used to supplement face-to-face instruction by providing a convenient place for students to access course materials and receive feedback from their peers and instructors.
Ultimately, virtual classrooms provide a unique and effective way for students to learn.
Top features of interactive virtual classroom software
In order to make your lessons interactive, the virtual classroom should have a variety of features. Some of them are as follows:
- A simple and engaging format
- Mobile-friendly interface
- Learner-focused content and functions
- A secure basis for protecting student data
- A simple and engaging format
Virtual classrooms should be well-organized and straightforward. Elements that may assist in this regard include:
Course descriptions: These should demonstrate the usefulness of each course and what students will have learned by the conclusion. Create them so that prospective students are compelled to enroll.
Content repository: Students must be able to view the course material and learning progression. Include as necessary movies, supporting documents, infographics, and other items.
Progress monitoring: A useful visual assistance that encourages pupils to continue with the course.
Whiteboard: Interactive whiteboards play a significant role in establishing a collaborative virtual classroom environment on virtual classroom platforms. A whiteboard is essential for instructors and students to write, draw, and share content.
Content sharing feature: A virtual classroom platform should allow both teachers and students to share content in a collaborative atmosphere. A perfect virtual classroom platform would enable instructors and students to share images, videos, and content from the cloud, computer, and online platforms.
Creating groups: Depending on the virtual delivery platform you employ, you can divide the class into multiple groups for tasks. Thus, each group can perform a certain workout independently. Then, you can visit each group individually and offer instruction and assistance.
Centralized control: For a virtual learning environment to be productive, the instructors must have control over the participants. Ideally, before making a purchase, you should check that the virtual classroom platform you select offers centralized control.
For example, the instructor (host) should have the ability to turn on/off the microphone, camera, and screen sharing, as well as provide/revoke screen share and private chat access.
The ability to share high-resolution audio and video: The platform's capacity to support uninterrupted, high-quality video streaming is crucial for interactive virtual lessons.
When creating your layout, it is preferable to avoid distractions.
Mobile-friendly interface
Ensure that your online classroom is accessible and usable on mobile devices. The adaptability of virtual classroom platforms is another important factor in their appeal. Having mobile help can be advantageous for both instructors and students.
Utilizing browser-based systems is also beneficial. The browser-based virtual classroom platform is a cloud-based HTML5 virtual classroom that enables users to join and host virtual classrooms via Android and Apple iOS-based devices without installing an app. This is very useful if you do not wish to spend additional money on the application but wish to preserve all platform capabilities on mobile devices.
Learner-focused content and functions
The focus of virtual classrooms should be on the learners, not the teacher. The purpose of the instructor is to foster learning and provide assistance to students as they progress through the lessons.
Your virtual classroom should provide the tools necessary for users (students) to control their own learning experiences. Make materials and data easily accessible so that students may find what they need fast.
A secure basis for protecting student data
Virtual classrooms should, of course, be safe places where each student's information stays private. You are responsible for ensuring this security as the course designer by employing a virtual classroom that meets or exceeds security standards.
With member logins, a good virtual classroom can help you make sure your students' security and privacy are taken care of.
What are interactive virtual classroom activities?
Being interactive in a virtual classroom may be more important than in a physical classroom. According to a survey, keeping all students motivated and engaged was the most difficult aspect of online student support for 43% of respondents.
Let's explore engaging virtual classroom activities to get more interactive during online education:
Play games
Gamification is an important part of online teaching. You can simply play in-person games in a virtual environment. For example, you can use the whiteboard to play Hangman. You can show a picture in a foreign language class and ask the students to answer the question in the chat.
The puzzles are visually appealing and simple to create online. You select a related image for the lesson and cut it into pieces. The puzzles could be a fun way to learn the shape of a continent.
Pair matching is a fun way to keep students engaged while they learn. For example, you can associate arithmetic and its solutions and use it in math class.
With Perculus, you can embed your own games into the virtual classroom or use Perculus’ integrated games as icebreakers. The platform allows you to spend class time interactively with your students without hassle. Try for free to discover more.
Assign group projects
Students talking in small groups are more likely to join in. So, through break-out rooms, you can engage students in the lesson and assign them a group project. Then give them project instructions. After a while, go through each room and ask if anyone needs assistance.
Visit places online
You can visit new places based on the course topic. For example, if you are studying history, you can visit an online museum. You can share your screen with the entire class to demonstrate what is important.
Then allow your students to take turns sharing their screens and demonstrating to their classmates what is important to them.
Offer quizzes and completion diplomas
It is essential to incorporate reinforcement and awards into your classes, as students respond positively to them.
This is easily attained through the use of quizzes. By measuring learners' progress at key points throughout the course, you may assist them in retaining material by reviewing fundamental concepts.
In addition, quizzes allow students to demonstrate their learning and receive recognition for their efforts.
Add the power of storytelling to your class
Storytelling is an ancient form of attracting people. Aside from making a lesson more appealing and making the trainer's job easier, storytelling has several advantages. In order to make virtual classes more interactive, you must deliver more stories rather than lectures. Storytelling has the following significant advantages:
Establishes values: Stories serve as a life lesson for students. Allow your students to participate in the story and choose essential life skills such as kindness, compassion, humility, and so on.
Improves listening: Storytelling can help students refocus their attention on the classroom and thus improve their listening skills.
Helps students to remember: Storytelling can help you break the monotony by allowing students to immerse themselves in the story and better remember what was discussed in class.
Conclusion
Every day, more and more schools are making their classes available online. If you want to keep up with the technology of this day and age, you should find the best virtual classroom software for your students. Also, if you want your online lessons to be interesting, you should look into different interactive virtual classroom activities.
Use this article as a guide if you are new to online tutoring and trying to figure out how it works or if you just want to get better.
