Virtual classroom

Virtual classroom: Definition, Nature, Features, Advantages with Dis-advantages

1. VIRTUAL CLASSROOM Dr. Jagannath K. Dange Associate Professor Department of Education Kuvempu University Shankaraghatta Dist : Shimoga,Karnataka [email protected] http://jkdange.blogspot.com

2. 1. Universalization of Education 2. Equity In Access 3. High quality Teaching 4. High Quality Materials 5. Education without Boundary 6. Use of possible approached

3. Introduction Virtual classroom refers to instruction in a learning environment where teacher and student are separated by time or space , or both, and the teacher provides course content through course management applications, multimedia resources, the Internet , videoconferencing , etc. Students receive the content and communicate with the teacher via the same technologies .

4. Meaning Virtual = something whose existence is simulated with software. A teaching and learning environment located within a computer-mediated communication system. All activities and interactions are through computer-mediated communication

5. VIRTUAL CLASSROOM? A teaching and learning environment located within a computer-mediated communication system. All activities and interactions take place through the computer instead of face-to-face. Virtual classrooms may involve three overlapping scopes of interaction technologies : VC courses, meetings and presentations. Among the synchronous events are online meetings, which may include online presentations .

6. Definitions Virtual classrooms are complete programs of learning. They consist of a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous events . They are special application of computer and network technologies to the task of education. A Virtual Classroom is private online space in Blackboard that teachers can use to support student learning . It is accessible via the Internet, 24×7 . Just like your face-to-face classroom, a Virtual Classroom is a busy place . The online learning space where students and instructors interact .

7. Virtual Classroom vs. Real-Life Classroom. The classroom is the real, tangible, touchable place to teach and to learn .... In the virtual classroom, the teacher is usually able to interact with only one student at a time(sometimes in group) and it is from behind a computer screen .

8. A Virtual Classroom might contain: Class activities Group and individual learning activities Discussions and chats with students, parents and guests Quizzes and surveys Homework activities and assessment documents Full online courses with modules of work Forums and synchronous chat sessions

9. FEATURES

10. Advantages for students Virtual classrooms remove the need to travel to a location in which to participate in the course or lessons. Virtual classrooms can be accessed from any computer that has the necessary software, hardware, Internet connection , and Internet browser requirements in order to participate in the virtual classroom virtual classrooms are accessible to students with physical disabilities, which is an advantage over the real classroom, as they can access it from home. Virtual classrooms have been affirmed as “ time independent” meaning that students can access the course material and activities in the virtual classroom at a time that is most convenient to them.

11. Advantages for teacher The teacher is not required to work from an office or classroom to instruct lessons or organise material and lessons; this can be done from anywhere where they have access to a computer with an Internet connection and other necessary software/hardware, which is an advantage. Electronic content can be updated more efficiently than printed material, and at a lower cost , which saves the teacher time and money when preparing and adjusting material to suit their lessons and courses within their virtual classroom.

12. Limitations for students and Teachers Limited offerings : the choice of courses is limited at present. Equipment requirements : students who do not have a computer will have to travel to use the necessary equipment. Delayed feedback : it may be hours until a question is answered by the teacher.

13. The best virtual classroom software for online teaching

14. Product , developed by Google, especially for educational institutions for managing a virtual classroom. It is a structured tool that assists the teachers in managing their coursework . Using the classroom, the teachers can easily share their course material with the students. Released publicly in 2014, the web service can be accessed on both desktops and through mobile apps, available for iOS and Android devices .

15. The salient features of the classroom include : 1.Facility for organization of course content : The course material is support to add text, videos, presentation etc. The Classroom combined with other products of Google like Docs, Sheets and Slides for writing . 2.Free of cost: It is a freely available web tool. 3. Accessible anytime anywhere : 4.Supports assessment through assignments and quizzes: It provides a platform to create, distribute and grade digital assignments . They can also upload an external file for evaluation . Similarly , the quizzes can also be evaluated automatically or manually

16. 5. Students ' progress can be tracked : Through assignments, quizzes and questions, the teachers can grade the students and track their progress. A Grade Book is maintained that records the scores of each student. 6. Discussion forums: The teachers and students can easily communicate via discussion forum and posting comments . 7. Scheduling : Google Classroom has been integrated with Google Calendar to provide support for scheduling material. A due date can also be set for assignments or quizzes to monitor late submissions. 8. Simple setup procedure: It is easy to create a classroom account and add students . Students can be invited to join the class through a private code. A separate folder is created in each user's Google drive where the user can store his/her documents.

17. Conclusion The virtual classroom transcends the boundaries of location, time and space providing a flexible learning environment for all. Schools, universities and corporate organizations benefit form Virtual classrooms because it provides an excellent way for experts to teach a geographically dispersed group of students without hassle

18. All the very best