3 Best Ways to Make Your Online Classes Productive
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The Coronavirus outbreak completely changed the way everyone functioned. Work from home became the norm. Schools and colleges had to be shut down, which paved the way for online classes. Online classes proved to be a whole new ball game. With an abrupt end to offline classes, teachers had to learn how to teach online classes. Online teaching sites and online teaching apps like Classplus sprang up to help the teachers adapt to the change.

The online mode of education was considered to be a temporary setup but, with no changes in the pandemic situation, online classes could be a medium of learning for a very long time. Teachers must learn to adapt and make sure the productivity and the quality of their classes are not hampered. The following are the 3 best ways for teachers to make their online classes productive:

Set up a workstation

To conduct a live class is no easy feat. Before you start teaching, set up a designated work station. Your workstation keeps you from getting distracted and keeps you focused. It ensures the availability of all the appropriate tools required for the smooth functioning of work.

For starters, make sure that your laptop/PC is in perfect order by clearing all the unnecessary files and software. If you have an old device, upgrade its RAM, or install an SSD to make the device faster. An online teaching app with features like sharing your screen requires a decent amount of free RAM to work smoothly. Set up a new windows work profile with only work files.

Have a minimalist work station. Only keep the things that are required. A simple and decluttered workstation can help you clear your mind to concentrate better on teaching. Even if you’re to teach online, you need certain essential items. Always have essentials like a water bottle, some snacks, a notepad, laptop charger, and other essentials so that they are easily available to avoid any hindrance in the middle of a lesson.

Most teachers prefer that their pupils do not use their phones in class. But nowadays the teachers themselves get distracted with phones. Keep your phone away from you or keep it on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode if keeping it away is not possible. Tell your family members not to disturb you when you’re in your workplace. Last but not least, buy a decent office chair if you’re going to be teaching for long hours every day. Otherwise, you may start having back problems. Only a healthy body can teach productively.

Have a plan

“Failing to plan is planning to fail”; You may think this phrase is trite, that doesn’t make it false. A big part of how to teach online classes is planning. Online teaching sites can only help you so much. It is you who has to put in most of the work. With no end to the pandemic insight, online classes are here to stay. Have a working plan with tangible goals and objectives in mind before you start teaching. Having a plan makes it easier for you to track your progress and prioritize accordingly.

To conduct a live class smoothly, you need a plan. Estimate how many classes you will take in the upcoming semester or until the new next set of examinations. Accordingly, set up your objectives for the course. Organize things into different modules and estimate how much time each module will take. Try to plan in such a way that you finish early. It ensures that you will have time for doubt clearing sessions and revision classes. You can use an online teaching app like Classplus to plan things.

Teaching online is a difficult task. It is tough to keep the students interested throughout the course. Have interesting case studies and practical exercises in mind to keep things light. Other than that, both online and offline, the mission of a teacher is to educate. A mere change in medium cannot affect the determination of a teacher to impart wisdom and instill ideals in their pupils. You can take the help of online teaching apps to help you plan and execute.

Using technology effectively

With the use of technology, you can make things interesting for your students. Online learning does not have a personal touch, and there is a dissociation in place that hinders the connection between teachers and students. To make up for that, you need to be novel in your approach to teaching. To conduct a live class that keeps the students intrigued, spice things up with technological solutions. A big part of how to teach online classes is using technology effectively.

Show your face when you are teaching. Lectures that show the faces of teachers are more effective than the alternative. Intersperse your face when you’re going through slides for an effective session. Online teaching sites have this feature built-in.

When making slides, make sure that the slides contain all the relevant material in the most concise way. Long slides are bland and uninteresting to read. Test out the font size, colors, templates, and other things so that the slides are easily readable.

You can use existing resources for your teaching. When you’re sharing open-source videos or information, ensure that they are to the point and concise. Have interactive activities like an online game or a fun quiz planned to break the monotony of online classes. Remember, these kids will be attending more than 3 or 4 hours of classes every day. Use an online teaching app like Classplus so that you don’t have to worry about all the peripheral things, and you can focus on your teaching.

Online classes have completely changed the way teachers used to teach. They have ushered in a new era of student-teacher interactions. Teachers have to adapt to the digital medium and teach in a way that does not compromise the quality of education. Online teaching apps have made it easier for teachers to be productive.