How to set up Virtual Classrooms?

How to implement Virtual Classrooms?

How to set up a Virtual Classroom, explained in detailed steps?

As the world readjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all establishing new ways of working for the foreseeable future. Virtual classrooms can be easy to set up, depending on how minimal you want to be with your online teaching presence.Before we get going with the implementation of Virtual Classrooms, lets understand how does it benefit Educators like you. The goal of a virtual classroom is to get students to be active learners in an online classroom and to let them “invent” their own knowledge. As students take more control of their learning, they develop the skills necessary to go on and be successful lifelong learners.

What is studio teaching?

Studio teaching is an approach to teaching that can be used to replace the standard lecture approach. It is based on sound pedagogical principles, is very flexible and leads to superior learning in most instances.

Why is this good pedagogy?

  • Studio classrooms provide a dynamic learning environment where students and instructors work as partners to promote learning
  • Active learning, including cooperative learning and group activities, is the most efficient way to promote student learning, and especially to develop higher order thinking skills.
  • While actively engaged, students develop good habits of the mind and the skills needed to be successful lifelong learners.
  • Studio teaching engages students
  • Studio classrooms are ideal for helping students think about their learning and develop better lifelong learning skills.

What are the components required to build a Studio Classroom?

  • An Interactive Flat Panel Display (65” Diagonal Minimum)
  • A Robust Interactive teaching learning software (Myviewboard Learning Software) which can help the teachers to connect with students over the internet and share the lesson content in a virtual classroom mode.
  • A good Video recording Camera (These days any SMARTPhone camera comes with a minimum 20 Megapixels Lens)
  • A Tripod
  • A Microphone (wired or wireless)
  • A Computer (Desktop or Laptop)

What do students think about studio classrooms?

  • Students are more engaged in a collaborative live class, when they find out they can attend a class and participate in the class activities as they would be in a physical classroom
  • All students report they put in more time in an interactive live class than in a video shared class.
  • Most students, however, do catch on and in the end say that they learn more and have more fun in a studio classroom.

Studio Classrooms are becoming widely accepted by Teachers and Education authorities, as it allows the teachers to teach lessons in their natural way and be able to interact & Collaborate with their students. For the students, it gives them the opportunity to attend the class very similar to their regular classes and able to interact, collaborate and participate in the lesson activities in a virtual LIVE class. At the same time, the teachers will be able to record their entire class teaching and post it to Google Classroom or similar LMS for reinforcement, student discussions and assignments.

Traditional education won’t go away, but as the years roll on, the importance (and impact) of virtual classrooms will be more and more noticeable. They create completely new possibilities and connect people on a deeper, more meaningful level, which is extremely useful in the world of education. With the growing consumption of online content through mobile phones, faster and further reaching internet connections and new, unknown technology, we will see exciting developments in education. One thing is absolutely clear, though: virtual classrooms are here to stay and we should use them to their full potential.

Our Virtual Classrooms, powered by Interactive Flat Panel Display and Virtual Classroom Software, are available to rent under various agreements to suit your needs. You may need to run an hour’s training for a small group or a whole week’s worth of training for a larger group.Fully supported by us from a technology perspective, this is your next best option to face to face training.

We are the supplier of state of the art virtual classroom infrastructure for some of the biggest Education Institutions in South India, for over 10 years. To Learn more about Studio Classrooms and how Education Institutions like yours, have been benefited in the recent times, connect with our Education Technology Consultants on this link.

Active learning strategies for teachersa

The Next Big Thing in Student Engagement

As a teacher, one of your biggest challenges is to plan lessons that inspire your students to stay actively involved in the learning process.But you’ve probably noticed that traditional, teacher-centered learning plans aren’t always conducive to achieving that inspiration.That’s where active learning strategies come into play. You can use them to empower, engage, and stimulate a classroom by putting students at the center of the learning process.Get inspired by the below mentioned strategies that will help students talk more openly, think more creatively and ultimately become more engaged in the process of learning.

Reciprocal questioning

Use reciprocal questioning to encourage an open dialogue in which students take on the role of the teacher and create their own questions about a topic, reading section, or lesson.

active-learning-research

After covering a topic of your choice in class — or after assigning a reading selection — divide the class into pairs or small groups and have students come up with a few questions for discussion with the rest of the class. To facilitate the process, you can provide students with “question stems,” which provide a foundation for a question but still require students to think critically about a lesson, text, or other section of material by completing the query. Consider the examples below.

Comprehension Question StemsConnector Question Stems
Describe x in your own words. What does y mean? Why is z important? How could x be used to y?Explain how x and why z. In what ways are x and y similar? In what ways are x and y different? How does x tie in with that we learned before?

Use these questions to anchor and explore concepts in course material, helping students investigate a range of new topics and points of view associated with your lesson.

Reciprocal questioning can be particularly useful when:

  • Preparing for tests or exams
  • Introducing a new topic or section of course content
  • Discussing reading or writing materials in greater detail

The pause procedure

Use the pause procedure to intersperse strategic pauses into your Online class lectures and enhance student understanding of teaching materials.

To use the pause procedure, arrange for pauses of two to three minutes between every 10 to 15 minutes of online lecture time.  During these brief breaks, encourage students to discuss or rework their notes in pairs to clarify key points covered, raise questions, and solve problems posed by the instructor.Alternatively, students can work together to write a paragraph that connects or highlights key ideas set out in their partner’s notes. Research on this topic, concluded that breaking a lecture into brief pauses can increase student attention and learning outcomes. The pause procedure, the study determined, is “a good active learning strategy which helps students review their notes, reflect on them, discuss and explain the key ideas with their partners.”The use of the pause procedure involves a minimal amount of extra time, but can confer significant benefits in comparison to lectures that continue without breaks.

To help teachers achieve this strategy, we are offering myviewboard virtual classroom teaching learning software for free during this pandemic. You may choose to apply for your Institution by clicking this link.

Game-based learning platforms

Game-based learning platforms add depth and differentiation to the educational process and allow students to work with their instructors to achieve their learning objectives.

Regardless of your audience or subject matter, the gamification of learning can help you to create exciting, educational, and entertaining content in your Online Classrooms. It’s not meant to turn work into a game, but it does play on the psychology that drives human engagement.

Take yourself back to the days when you “played out” in the street with childhood friends. Each game you played presented a challenge but you were driven by the promise of reward and perhaps a little gentle fear. The reward meant everything to you and in spite of the challenge and fear, you felt compelled to win.

Gamification in e-learning offers the opportunity for learners to engage with content in an effective, informal learning environment. If learners get excited about learning, they are more likely to retain information. Some of the tools that you may want to incorporate into your classrooms are listed below.

To learn more about Active learning strategies, do write to our Education Consultants at training@c3itxperts.com or Click here to connect with you at your convenience.

Engaged Learning Tips for Teachers

Teachings Tips for an Engaged Learning Environment

Engaged learning, tips for teachers on how to arouse students curiosity

As we move towards student-focused and process-based approaches to teaching, we give our students ownership of their own learning. During our efforts to shift our focus from teaching to learning, it’s important to think about how we’re designing opportunities for students to develop skills and achieve specific goals. Consider this quote from Albert Einstein:

“I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”

What are the “conditions” that will foster learning in our classrooms? While teachers don’t have control over all the conditions that will impact students, they do have tremendous influence over things like the use of classroom space, allotted time for each activity, and the materials they use. Less obvious, but extremely important to the quality of the learning environment, is the way in which the teacher and students relate to one another.

There should be one critical goal behind figuring out how all these factors come together in your classroom: stimulating curiosity in your students.

Curiosity can be characterized as a heightened state of interest and eagerness to learn that results in excitement and exploration. Studies show that curiosity is essential to learning, and that people learn more and better when they are curious.

Promote a spirit of inquiry in the classroom where every student can follow their curiosities:

The next consideration should be that each question is acknowledged. Not every student is eager to raise his or her hand in the classroom. Children who are more reserved, or need more time to ponder, benefit from alternative ways to communicate what they are thinking.

I can remember an example of this type of situation from my own childhood. I was in seventh grade during a whole-class lesson about the respiratory system, and, at the end, the teacher asked if anyone had any questions. I remember that I wanted to know what causes hiccups. But by the time I had formed this thought, there was no more time for questions, and I was not able to ask the teacher. How funny that this missed opportunity stuck with me all these years.

As I think back now, as an Education Consultant, what if the teacher had allotted time at the end of the period for every student to write on a piece of paper something interesting that was learned in class, and something they were still curious about? If this happened today, it would be referred to as an exit ticket, which is now considered an excellent assessment tool.

Today, the teacher could have a Google Form for each student to fill out, or a digital space online, such as on Padlet or Google Classroom, to post to. 

Technology also offers a vehicle for student discovery when students have the chance to research questions on their own. 

Student-driven, inquiry-based learning takes place in a classroom environment where students are encouraged to not only develop their own questions, but also be able to lead their own investigations.

Build anticipation for what’s to come:

Part of the joy of being an educator is stimulating an excitement for learning in young people. When students look forward to activities in the classroom, and find pleasure in learning experiences, our work is supremely rewarding! Many teachers incorporate “hooks,” such as compelling video clips, thought-provoking statements, and other surprising and novel ways to captivate their students.

Teachers can also use technology to arouse student curiosity about an upcoming study or project. Teachers can send intriguing clues, fascinating facts, and links to webpages and videos that help to build interest in upcoming class activities.

How do you arouse your students’ curiosities and provide opportunities for them to question, explore, discover and create their own pathways for learning? Share your thoughts at training@c3itxperts.com 

To Learn more about inquiry based learning connect with Ed Tech Consultants on this Link.  

5 steps to engage your students effectively

5 Steps to engage your Students more effectively.

5 steps to engage your students more effectively

We can design learning experiences that offer all students, shy or outgoing, more opportunities to be engaged and curious in the classroom and take control of their learning. Below are five strategies that encourage inquiry-based learning and provide ways for all students to be actively involved in the classroom and throughout a unit of study.

1. Start with What Students Know

When starting a new unit, ask students to think about the topic or refer them to a reference link about the upcoming lesson and have them share what they already know  or their understanding from the shared reference materials. This method encourages students to think more & wider about the lesson topic. Their ideas will lead them to ask questions and become curious about how their co-learners have different views on the lesson topic. This approach puts students in the center of the learning and offers opportunities for every child to feel included. Studies show that people learn better when they’re curious, so use student questions to guide lessons—start where the students show interest and then lead them into the new content.

2. Stop being the expert

Once a question is asked, there are three paths a teacher can take:

1. Ignore the question or tell the student now is not the time.

2. Answer the question as best as you can and keep going with your lesson.

3. Say “I don’t know, but that’s a great question… how can we find out?”

It’s okay not to know the answer! In fact, that can lead to richer, more in-depth and more interesting discussions. When you are not sure of the answer, use it as an opportunity to model curiosity.

Tell your student, you are not sure of the answer and ask for suggestions of how we can find out! They might come up with reading books, watching videos online, using Google, or conducting an experiment to figure out the answer!

Think how much more powerful and lasting this learning will be when the students take ownership, and when the whole class is actively engaged in building the knowledge together!

3. Turn a lesson into a project (or project-based learning opportunity)

Often, we feel that every lesson we do has to have a ‘point’ or something concrete that the children created or learned or accomplished. We want to be able to say, ‘Here is what I taught them today. Here is something we can show the parents. Here is a lesson I can check off the list.’

The truth is, real learning takes time, and experiences that gradually build on each other over time can create investment, interest, and understanding that is impossible to create in a one-day lesson.

Creating a whole project might sound intimidating at first, but teachers actually find that a project-based mindset takes a lot of pressure off, gives them room to explore children’s interests and use their questions as springboards for exploration while still meeting your requirements and objectives.

Let’s say As a Teacher, you would like to discuss Vegetables and you want to talk about Pumpkin. One lesson on pumpkins can become a week-long of science and math activities where children explore the pumpkins first, cut them open and observe the insides, compare them to other fruits and vegetables, measure their size, circumference and weight, and then generate some questions that lead to an ongoing experiment.

What else do we want to know about pumpkins? Maybe one child wants to know what happens if we leave it out – will it rot? How long will it take? Another might wonder how a pumpkin becomes pumpkin pie. A third might ask about where, or how, pumpkins grow.

As the teacher, you can then take that curiosity and pick a question to investigate, teach children how to find answers using books or technology, and, most importantly, show them that their questions can lead to experiments and explorations and new knowledge!

4. Have a (good) plan for questions

Step 1 is to create a classroom environment where great questions are welcomed. However, if we allow every question to lead to a new discussion or investigation at that moment, we will never finish any lesson we start.

This is why it’s important to have a question action plan or a system in your classroom for how questions are handled. Depending on when the question is asked, answering it or starting a conversation might work just fine.

However, what about questions that are on topic, but would take longer to answer fully? How about questions that would take the lesson too far off course to be addressed at the moment? To empower children and send the message that questions are important, we want to think about where these questions fit in, when they are answered, and by whom.

In an inquiry-driven classroom, questions drive the learning, and students drive the questions.

5. Create a “Question Wall.”

One way to accomplish this is to help students create a space, where they can put their questions without any hesitation.

A Question Wall is a great space to “park” questions, but it is only great if children know that there is a set time and procedure for when those questions will be reviewed. Perhaps you pick 1-2 questions to answer during the morning circle.

Perhaps you review them yourself during independent work time and then raffle off who gets to find the answer of the computer.  

Create a consistent system that works for you and your classroom, and make it a regular part of the routine so that questions are a vehicle for, not a distraction from, learning.

To learn more on effective methodologies on Online Teaching & Learning click here to speak with our Certified Educators.