In this day and age, it is no longer a question of whether teachers should teach online or not. It has become the norm to expect all schools to incorporate some element of technology into their curriculum for students in grades K-12. In addition, there are many reasons why teaching with technology can be advantageous. However, even with the benefits of technology, it is still difficult to adopt a new way of teaching. In order for teachers to fully integrate online learning into their curriculum, they must have certain tools at their disposal as well as know what those tools are and how to use them. There are many different tools out there that can be used for online teaching. The following list discusses the most common ones and how they are useful for teachers or tutors who want to teach their students in a unique way.
Some of these tools include:
Computer with internet access - The first thing teachers need is a computer with internet access. This will allow them to access the classes which are taught through video sessions in their online teaching.
< >Screencasting Software - Teachers will need some sort of screencasting software to record lectures and upload them online as videos for students to watch on their own time and improve their learning pedagogy.Microphone - Another thing they will need is a good microphone for audio input and output. Without a microphone, students won’t be able to hear anything that is being said during their online learning.Webcam - The next important tool for teachers is a webcam, so they can communicate with their students and appear in front of them as if they were there physically. A quality webcam, such as an HD camera or better, can be useful to see your student's faces while you teach them. A decent webcam can be bought at much cheaper rates these days, and many laptops come with integrated cameras.Headset - It will also help to have a headset or earphones because you do not want your students to hear the audio from your speakers. This is especially important if there are other people in your household.Virtual Whiteboard - An annotation tool will allow you to highlight and draw on the screen while recording, or during live sessions with students so that they can see exactly what you are talking about during your online teaching. You could use a virtual whiteboard where you can annotate and draw with your computer's trackpad, mouse, or digital pen if you have an input device that works well for this purpos pedagogy.
