Use of various online tools to help students learn in smooth manner

The differences between online education and classroom instruction go beyond the medium of teaching. How teachers deliver instruction, interact with their students, and assess their learning is quite different in a virtual classroom. Hence, Ramagya School has adopted innovative techniques for teaching and assessment in online classes so that teachers use the right tools in the right circumstances and are able to pull the best tools from a larger instructional toolbox.

We adopt technology-first approach in our lesson plans and their implementation, while always prioritising the learning objectives. We adopt strategies that provide the best opportunities to students to learn and practice but with the least amount of technical overload. Following are the tools that give learners an opportunity to ask questions in conjunction with communicating their ideas while practicing cognitive and analytical skills:

One of our most used tools is ‘MS Teams’, which helps the teachers recreate the classroom-based learning experience online – students follow live and traditional coursework, participate in real-time learning and discussions and turn in their assignments. ‘MS Forms’ and ‘Google Forms’ allow the students to remotely test their knowledge. They are able to intellectually engage, access materials and collaborate with teachers even in a pandemic. Technology has the capability to enrich any learning experience. ‘Mentimeter’ helps in providing an active and customised learning experience through its interactive live polls and engaging presentations.

Not all students have the confidence or the communication skills to be able to correctly express themselves. ‘Kahoot!’ helps in implementing virtual reality through simulations and games that provide a challenging environment to students. They engage the students in problem-based activities which in turn make them future successful practitioners.

The multiple-choice quizzes and polls on Kahoot! make learning fun!

Creation of games increases the student participation as they usually find games less stressful. The game development app ‘Scratch’ makes the students scratch their brains to create the best games in their peer group. The design process is pretty simple and flexible and teachers are always in an advisory and not an authoritative position.

Traditional forms of teaching are changing rapidly with the advancement of technology. ‘Padlet’ has changed the way how lessons are delivered and received. Most students are visual learners; hence teachers prefer not relaying information out of textbooks but incorporate visuals which make it easier to deliver information and makes the lessons interesting. The Padlets can also be shared with the students and be used for revising.

When it comes to conveying certain complex concepts, teaching by showing is as effective in online classes as traditional ones. ‘Genius Corner’ helps transmit information, promote comprehension, and spark students’ interest in topics across subjects.

‘Online whiteboards’ help recreate classroom experience and help the teachers in recreating diagrams-graphs, digitize the content to be taught, help in collaborating with the students and draw mind maps which help the children in memorising the concepts taught. This platform mixes up students’ passive role with more active instructional strategies.

Role-plays and simulations on YouTube videos help the teachers recreate and demonstrate situations which were traditionally carried out in a face-to-face setting. They reinforce key concepts and let the students explore those in a real-world context.

These high-tech experiential teaching tools empower students to learn while doing. This helps them achieve expert-level knowledge and complex skills. All these innovative ways are first assessed by the teachers and adapted accordingly. They evaluate instructional success through feedback and the response of students. The learning analytics of all these apps and software also help monitor the progress of students and identify areas of concern. The teachers also attend national and international conferences centred on best online teaching practices and learning platforms.

Aparna Magee is the principal, Ramagya School, Sector 50, Noida. Views expressed are personal.