Teachers in digital classrooms use the best tools for remote teaching and learning to offer the best interactive learning experiences for students.
Remote learning tools are software products that can be in the form of digital text, audio, and video.
Online teaching is no easy feat. Aside from your best teaching skills and effective teaching strategies, you need to employ the best tools for remote teaching and learning. Through the use of these teaching tools, learning can take place anytime and anywhere via an internet connection.
In this article, we’ll probe into the best features of some of the accessible and affordable tools for remote teaching and learning. Discover how these online teaching tools can help increase students’ performance even though facilitating is done online.
More so, monitoring students’ performance in distance learning has been made effective using the best tools for remote teaching and learning.
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>>> You must be looking for the best apps and tools to advance online education. We actually found them! Click the link below.
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What is remote teaching and learning?
Remote teaching and learning is a mode of delivery where teachers and students interact at a distance. Rather than meeting in person, teachers and students are in different places while sharing common learning goals.
Although remote teaching and learning aren’t just about using technology as the medium of interaction, most educators around the globe today rely on the use of different online teaching tools to empower student learning.
<<< To provide a great introduction to our article, check out the video below. Gain insights and build your choices.
What are the best tools for remote teaching and learning?
Using online teaching tools effectively aids remote teaching and learning. Other districts may just send learning packets and modules to students, but most educators facilitate learning through these user-friendly and interactive online teaching tools.
Let’s take a closer at these technology options. If you’re an online teacher, read further and consider what’s on our list.
Discover interactive features of these popular online tools. Check out the top 10 best tools for remote teaching and learning.
1. Pear Deck
Not meeting your students in person is quite a challenge if you really aim for an interactive and lively interaction. However, with Pear Deck, students can interact with your presentations so they can connect with you efficiently.
With Pear Deck, you can embed six ways of interactive formative assessments into your presentations thus making your discussions interesting and engaging. With this, you can directly assess the performance of your students.
Also, this tool allows you to give feedback in real-time, thus making your students feel that they’re just like in the physical classroom.
Making interactive lessons using Pear Deck is extremely easy and simple. Templates are provided for you to choose from as you wanted to embed interactive questions into your presentations. This is an opportunity for your students to participate in the discussion just like in the real classroom.
Additionally, as this online tool makes your lessons and presentations interactive, students are more motivated to participate and are at their best.
Hence, as this opportunity comes, it can be a greater advantage of increasing student performance in online learning.
Best of all, teachers and schools can enjoy the premium features of Pear Deck at no cost at all.
And what makes really a powerful tool for your online classroom? Pear Deck offers seamless integrations of other useful tools so your interactions will be smooth-flowing and stress-free!
Best Features:
- Activity Dashboard and Tracking
- Assessment Management
- Asynchronous Learning
- Content Library
- Content Management
- Interactive Learning
- Feedback Management
- Real-Time Monitoring and Notifications
For more features, click here!
For teacher login, do it here!
Pricing Options:
- Basic: Free
- Contact Pear Deck for schools and districts
- Individual Premium: $149.99/year
2. Google Classroom
Google classroom, being one of the most comprehensive free online teaching and learning tools, offers a wide range of capabilities for both teachers and students.
In fact, Google classroom is one of the widely used platforms today that contributed to the increased efficacy among students who are learning at a distance.
You can use integrated tech tools and effortlessly share learning content such as YouTube videos, Google Docs, Surveys, and files from your Google Drive.
Moreover, with Google Classroom, you have the option of assigning learning activities to the whole class or to a specific learner. Also, you can give the learning assignment right away or schedule it for a specific day.
Likewise, to keep your students engaged, you can ask your students to participate in a virtual discussion through a question-and-answer activity. This is to add fun and excitement to your online classroom. It’s an opportunity to give feedback to your students so they get more interested in learning.
For your online classroom to be an environment of respect, you can take control by muting specific students from posting and responding.
Also, to establish privacy, you can invite a student to a private classroom where he or she can attach and turn in assignments for grading. It’s done via code. The good thing is since it’s private, you can add your constructive feedback and assessment to a specific student.
Above all, Google Classroom is always free. Hence, you can enjoy this treat and create meaningful online learning experiences for your students.
Best Features:
- Class Scheduling
- Collaboration Tools
- Content Library
- Feedback Management
- Student Management
- Screen Sharing
For more features, click here.
Pricing Options:
- Free
3. Zoom
One of the amazing online teaching tools I know of is Zoom. It’s a cloud-based video conferencing platform that allows users to conduct online meetings, virtual classes, webinars, share files, and collaborate with one another via instant and group messaging and among other features. There’s more to this video conferencing tool that can make teaching more productive.
Now, if you hold synchronous online classes, Zoom is a great teaching platform that can make your virtual classrooms interesting. Enhance your presentations through this video conferencing app.
Zoom is a reliable teaching tool and it’s very easy to use. It can accommodate numerous participants and allow them to communicate with one another as though students are in the same room. As it features screen sharing, it allows the interactive exchange of ideas and discussions.
Through this online platform, your entire class can certainly make the most of your interactive content while giving your students an opportunity to share their ideas. Hence, collaborative and interactive learning is made more efficient.
One of its most extensive features is using a virtual background. Cover your messy environment with Zoom’s built-in virtual backgrounds. Plus, it allows you to customize your virtual background which makes it more interesting.
Best Features:
- Attendance Management
- Virtual Backgrounds
- Video Streaming
- CRM
- Calendar Management
- Collaboration Tools
- Commenting Notes
- File Management
- Live Chat
- Presentation Streaming
For more features, click here.
Pricing options:
- Basic- Free
- Pro Package – $14.99/month
4. Edmodo
Educators’ workloads are made easier using Edmodo, a mobile-friendly online platform that streamlines a number of time-consuming tasks. With this software, you can easily send messages, create assignments and share them with your students. Thus, Edmodo is here on the list. It’s user-friendly and has the capability of making your online classroom an engaging one.
Edmodo is a relatively simple tool to learn, and both teachers and students will find it to be so. Real-time notifications and updates are extremely useful and there are instructional videos if you want to learn more about a particular feature.
Besides, with its amazing content library, you can have plenty of resources to choose from. Hence, your teaching loads have become easier and more fun. Make the most of its large resource repertoire and choose the most excellent content for your specific instructions.
You can easily share lessons, assignments, and other learning materials with your students. It’s quite simple and there are numerous useful tools that allow you to track and monitor students’ progress.
All in all, its overall quality and features can highly impact student learning, making students empowered to learn and extend their horizons while learning at a distance. Teachers, students, and parents may all sign up for free accounts. Once done, everyone can share their thoughts and expertise in a virtual classroom.
Best features:
- Collaboration Tools
- Assignment Management
- Communication Management
- Content Library
- Course Tracking and Management
- Skills Assessment
- Real-time Updates
- Gamification
Pricing options:
- Free plan
5. Blackboard Learn
Here’s another highly recommended software for K-12 remote teaching and learning. Using Blackboard, you can provide today’s diverse learners with unique learning experiences to keep them engaged and motivated.
When using the Blackboard app, you can interact with your students in a simple and straightforward manner. You can collaborate in the Blackboard app. Just launch the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Sessions through a link given within a course.
Through this synchronous web conferencing solution, you can share content and learning videos with your students while interacting with them. Collaborate is supported on Android with Chrome browsers and iOS 11+with Safari browser.
As a real-time video conferencing software, Blackboard Collaborate allows you to add files, share applications, send messages, use the virtual whiteboard, make polls, and create breakout groups. With all these Collaborate features, you are certain that your students enjoy learning remotely and enhance their skills.
Moreover, it’s very easy for your students to join a session from a link. Just provide them the link and they’re all set. They’ll just tap the link on their mobile device and it will launch in their mobile web browser.
Best Features:
- Activity Dashboard
- Assessment Management
- Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning
- Attendance Tracking
- Blended Learning
- Built-in LMS
- Collaboration Tools
- Communication Management
- Virtual Classroom
For more features, visit Blackboard Learn.
Pricing Options:
- Free Trial
- Contact Blackboard for more pricing information.
6. Canvas
Here’s the number 1 Learning Management System for educational institutions. Canvas offers robust teacher and student apps that are user and mobile-friendly. Hence, this software is more extensively used than other learning management system platforms.
With its capability to seamlessly integrate with existing technology solutions, Canvas is a reliable and secured tool that contributes to the creation of a strong foundation for your curriculum and to educational institutions.
As you extend your best teaching skills, Canvas likewise offers its efficient teaching solutions for a more interactive virtual learning environment. It supports your teaching goals while making it a lot easier for you to share and facilitate content.
Magnify your online teaching experience while maximizing the learning experiences of your students as well through Canvas. It’s an amazing tool that helps you achieve teaching and learning goals easier.
Canvas ensures equal access and persistency of instructions for all students. With the aim to boost the productivity of K-12 and higher-ed learners, Canvas provides all elements of education through a solid digital basis. It’s for every single pupil. All the time. Thus, not surprisingly, it’s the world’s most popular LMS.
Best Features:
- API
- Academic
- Blended Learning
- Classroom Management
- Asynchronous Learning
- Collaboration Tools
- Course Library
- Drag & Drop
- Gamification
- Grade book
For more features, click here.
Pricing options:
- Free plan
- Free trial
- Contact Canvas for more cost details
7. Edsby
If you are to maximize the learning experiences of your K-12 students, then you’ve got to try Edsby. It’s a multi-awarded K-12 Learning Management System (LMS) that offers the most comprehensive set of features in one app.
Designed specifically for the requirements of K-12 learners, teachers, and parents, Edsby has been used by some of the largest K-12 districts in North America and the New Zealand Ministry of Education. Teachers find this online platform effective in improving instructional delivery and increasing student performance.
With its social media like-features, you can create a classroom where you can interact with your students as you conduct instructions. Also, the app’s efficacy for assessment both online and offline has been appreciated by its users.
Moreover, this application also offers collaboration tools that maximize cooperative learning; hence, making every student an active participant of the big group.
Additionally, with its efficient classroom management features, you can quickly grade your students’ outputs as they can submit assignments and files online.
In Edsby, every class in a district has access to a secure, controlled virtual place where they may study and engage with one another. It provides a secure, regulated environment for a class to communicate, discuss, and learn about digital citizenship.
Also, with its interactive interface, it allows the most hesitant students to express themselves. Undoubtedly, Edsby is an excellent choice for flipped classes and integrated learning. Also, students may view their work and engage in conversations about it.
A number of convenient tools such as attendance management and content management are also among the amazing features of Edsby.
Not only that, Edsby also owns readily available Open Education Resources with plenteous and enriched learning materials that you can use to enhance your curriculum and create interactive content. You just have to copy and paste and you can manage learning content to meet the learning needs of your students. Everything has been sorted and accounted, hence it’s easy for you to reorganize and reuse for your subsequent classes.
Best Features:
- Access controls and permissions
- Assignment Management
- Breakout Rooms
- Built-in LMS
- Chat/ Messaging
- Class Scheduling
- Customizable Forms
For more features of Edsby, click here.
Pricing options:
- Free trial
- For a subscription plan, contact Edsby for pricing details.
8. EdPuzzle
If you are to make the best of the K-12 curriculum and be a creative teacher, EdPuzzle stands as a unified Learning Management System platform that won’t get in your way of making powerful lesson presentations for your students.
Take advantage of this app in your flipped classrooms by assigning video lessons to your students to watch at their own pace. As students master basic content and concepts, students are empowered to participate in your class discussions while creating wonderful learning experiences.
Make the most of interactive video lessons so you can teach even more effectively using EdPuzzle. Moreover, you can customize your presentations by adding voice narrations, interactive open-ended questions, audio notes to address students’ learning needs.
Edpuzzle integrates with a variety of extrinsic platforms, including Google Classroom, Blackboard, Canvas, and many others. You can also collaborate on learning content and share video lessons with other teachers in your school or district. Bets of all, you can easily monitor students’ activity and assess their performance.
In addition, schools of all sizes may use Edpuzzle to build content and enrich the curriculum by selecting videos from third-party platforms such as YouTube, Khan Academy, among others. Also, you can record, create, and publish unique video learning materials to facilitate instruction.
Best Features:
- Activity Tracking
- Course Authoring
- Course Management
- Learning Management
- Progress Tracking
For more features of Edpuzzle, click here.
Pricing options:
- Basic is for free
- Pro Teacher: $11.50 per month
- For teachers and students, contact Edpuzzle for a pricing quote.
9. Schoology
To have an in-depth perspective for personalized learning, take advantage of the Schoology application. Using varied learning activities and implementing them remotely is made easier through Schoology.
Schoology is an all-around platform that provides educators with effective course development and management, administration tools, opportunities for sharing out best practices among teachers, and free comprehensive analytics.
Schoology has the capacity to integrate Learning Management systems with evaluations to achieve better results and to increase student performance.
As one of the effective online tools for teaching and learning, schools and districts capitalize on Schoology to improve student performance, increase community collaboration, and customize learning.
The incredible features of Schoology enable you to adapt your educational methods to the learning needs of your students so they can improve their performance.
In fact, millions of users from approximately 60,000 K-12 schools and universities around the world relied on Schoology for the advancement of education and enrichment of the curriculum. Also, teachers use this app to re-equip themselves and teach at their best.
Best features:
- Academic/ Education
- Assessment Management
- Asynchronous Learning
- Blended Learning
- Built-in Course Authoring
- Classroom Management
- Collaboration Tools
- Faculty/ Staff Management
For more features of Schoology, click here.
Pricing options:
- Contact Schoology for a quote.
10. Socrative
As you thrive with your teaching mission in distance learning, you’ve got to know Socrative as a versatile teaching platform that can make a huge difference in your teaching skills.
Socrative provides you with everything you need to increase student performance through efficient monitoring and tracking of student progress.
This is another software for effective classroom management and interactive formative assessments. Just choose the typical form assessment for a certain lesson and for a specific group of learners.
Appropriate for K-12 classrooms and higher education, many educators have relied on this web-based assessment management to advance distance education.
Best Features:
- Interactive Quizzes
- Attendance Tracking
- Access Control
- Activity Dashboard
- Data Import/ Export
For more features of Socrative, click here.
Pricing options:
- Offers free basic plan
- Contact Socrative for Pro features
Conclusion
Choosing the best remote teaching and learning tools can advance education and can empower educators, students, and parents. Hence, the digital tool should provide everything in one place for maximum efficacy.
We can’t deny the big help of these digital tools in facilitating distance education, making quality education equitable and accessible.
Thank goodness, convenient, practical, and user-friendly digital tools are readily available. I know there is still more out there waiting to be explored.
As a busy teacher, have you chosen your reliable online teaching support? Share its best features below and together let’s enhance remote student learning.
