Eight Tools to Improve Online Education
LETU Mongolia shares the tools its teachers used to move learning online during the COVID-19 school closures.
Originally published by: iKon.mn
Schools and kindergartens have faced restrictions and moved online since January 26 because of COVID-19.
Although television lessons and online teaching are being provided nationwide, ensuring that students receive an adequate education has become a major responsibility for each school and, especially, each teacher.
LETU Mongolia American University completed its transition online within just three days of the restrictions beginning. Since then, all our course materials, video lectures, classes, assignments, textbooks, and examinations have been delivered successfully online. We are proud of how well our students are learning.
This success was possible because we and our teachers already had the tools we needed.
With restrictions extended and online learning set to continue, we would like to share tools that we have tried ourselves to help educational institutions make online education more accessible and effective. We hope these resources will help universities, schools, and kindergartens across Mongolia improve, develop, and engage students in online learning.
Every tool listed here has strengths and limitations.
Some require support from your school, but most are available free of charge to educators around the world. You and your students need an internet connection, but being able to work directly from a smartphone is a considerable advantage.
Preparing video lessons
Teachers will already have noticed how different online teaching is from teaching in a classroom. Choosing the right tools and preparing materials are among the biggest challenges. The wrong tool can turn a single lesson into hours of work and an enormous file. Choose whichever of the following tools, used successfully by LETU teachers, suits your needs.
1. Loom
Loom is a free screen and audio recorder for preparing online lectures, lessons, tutorials, and explanations. If you have a webcam, students can see your face while listening. Loom also hosts your videos for free and lets you embed them elsewhere.
Advantages
- Free to use.
- Record on Windows, Mac, and iOS.
- Loom hosts your videos for free, so you do not need to upload them separately to YouTube or another video server.
- Students can see you if you have a camera.
Limitations
- Not available on Android.
2. Screen Recorder
Screen Recorder is a Google Chrome extension that makes it easy to record video lessons from your computer screen for free. Although it cannot use a webcam, it is very easy to learn and use.
Advantages
- Free to use.
- Very easy to use.
- Records your computer screen and audio.
Limitations
- No webcam support.
- You must save and host the recording yourself, for example on your computer, YouTube, Vimeo, or Google Drive.
Screen Recorder in the Chrome Web Store
3. Online meetings and seminars
The greatest limitation of recorded lessons is that you cannot interact with students, answer their questions, or see whether they understand in the way you can in a classroom. Video meetings address this problem. Everyone can connect at the same time from wherever they are, see one another, take part in lessons and discussions, and work in groups.
Zoom
Zoom is one of the world's most popular video meeting tools. It is easy to use on smartphones, laptops, and desktop computers.
Advantages
- Very easy to use.
- Up to 100 participants can connect at once.
- Works on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
- Supports screen sharing.
Limitations
- The free plan limits video meetings to 40 minutes.
4. Google Meet
Like Zoom, Google Meet is a widely used video meeting tool, integrated with GSuite. To use it, you must have GSuite or GSuite for Education. GSuite for Education is free for accredited schools, but the school must apply separately.
Advantages
- Easy to use and integrated with GSuite apps.
- Supports screen sharing.
- Works on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
- In response to COVID-19, premium features are free until July 1: recording meetings to Google Drive, meetings with up to 250 participants, and viewing by up to 100,000 people.
Limitations
- Requires a GSuite account.
5. Classroom management
Another important benefit of classroom learning is its organization, structure, and shared expectations. Students know where classes take place, how to communicate with teachers, and what work they need to do. Online education changes that structure and organization. A learning management system brings these elements into a digital environment. Teachers can use one place to share information, lessons, examinations, discussions, and grades, and stay connected with all their students.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a free online learning management system that lets teachers manage classes without paper. Anyone can create a class and add students.
Advantages
- Teachers can share materials, videos, quizzes, and assignments online.
- Students can access their classes from a computer or smartphone.
- Works with free Google applications such as Docs and Sheets.
Limitations
- Requires a Gmail account.
- Not available in Mongolian.
6. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams for Education is an easy-to-install learning management system that lets teachers create online classes, share files, screens, and videos, hold video meetings with students, and assign work. It connects with Microsoft Office 365 applications, helps organize materials, and makes classroom management easier.
Advantages
- Easy to share and organize materials and communicate with students.
- Available as an app on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
- Free access to Office 365.
- Supports video meetings.
Limitations
- Originally designed for businesses, so it is not a perfect fit for education.
- Assignments and quizzes must be graded manually.
- The school must register.
7. Moodle
Blackboard, Canvas, and Moodle are giants of the learning management system world. Blackboard and Canvas can be very expensive to license, while Moodle is open source. Compared with Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams, Moodle offers a more comprehensive set of features, including automated assignment and examination grading. It is designed for use across a whole institution, with scope for more extensive tuition, grading, and other functions.
Advantages
- A comprehensive, open-source learning management system at low cost.
Limitations
- Requires substantial technical knowledge.
- Takes considerable time to learn.
8. Supplementary educational resources
These educational resources help students deepen their knowledge of a subject and learn from different perspectives. They may even learn from remarkable people they would never otherwise meet.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a world leader in online education. One of its greatest strengths is that many lessons are available in Mongolian. It offers a wealth of useful materials in mathematics, biology, computer science, and other subjects.
TED Talks
TED Talks help students think globally. By listening to world leaders, pioneers, and original thinkers, students can see themselves as global citizens. More than 250 talks have Mongolian subtitles, covering fascinating topics such as technology, science, and business. Choosing relevant talks and connecting them to your lessons could make learning especially engaging.
TED Talks with Mongolian subtitles
Hicheel.mn
The Government of Mongolia and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports are making televised school and kindergarten lessons available free of charge on Hicheel.mn. Teachers have an important role in helping school and kindergarten students use these carefully prepared resources.
One.mn
One.mn offers seven lessons explaining how to use Google's cloud office tools, including Docs, Slides, Forms, and Calendar.
Recommendations prepared by Robert Ritz, Director of LETU Mongolia American University.
Working together
Moving from classroom teaching to online learning is not easy. LETU Mongolia American University is ready to help and collaborate, to the best of our ability, with educational institutions and teachers working to provide successful online education. If you need help introducing a learning management system, we are ready to assist. Please contact us with any questions. We wish you every success in the valuable work of education.
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