The education system was digitalised two years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns imposed around the world due to the same. Online was the new normal for all kinds of activities. Slowly, new platforms emerged to make the online system of education more advanced and also introduce more activities that could take place online using apps, websites and software. The online system of education had a large number of benefits which is also the reason why most educational institutions wish to incorporate the features of the online education system into the offline system as well. The online education system was initially a little difficult to adjust to but the platforms and tools were designed such that teachers and students could easily get familiar with them and have a better experience online.
Online classes became very common during the period when the education system was running completely online and the offline method or hybrid method of education was not even practically possible. Online teaching and online learning were activities that were done in the online classrooms. Multiple apps, websites and software were created and introduced to support classes online and create a virtual classroom space where the students and teachers could experience a setting similar to that of the traditional offline classes. Of the various platforms that came up for creating online classrooms and conducting classes online, the classroom app became the most common and was used by educational institutions of all types around the world.
When we talk about the online classes and the virtual space created for online classes, we must not only consider the classrooms and the platforms that were designed for the online classroom. Just like in scholar in college or in any other educational institution, learning can take place outside the classroom as well, so is the case with online education. Online learning need not necessarily take place in an online classroom. Even in the online mode, there are multiple spaces where learning and teaching can take place. There are also different methods using which students can learn online. These methods are also used in the various online classroom spaces and are helpful for students completing different courses and learning various subjects online. In this article, we will be going beyond the online class and learning more about one of the virtual learning spaces that exist for the students and learners across the globe.
Online learning takes place using a wide range of apps and websites. These platforms are very commonly accessible using a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet or a personal computer. These apps can be used for learning in two different modes- live and recorded videos based. This gives the learner more options to choose from depending on their schedule and other tasks that they might have to do. Both live classes and recorded videos classes are different and create a different type of learning space online. Both these classes can often be conducted and attended using the same platform like the same app or website but many apps do not offer the features for both and hence the learner must carefully choose the learning platform.
Let us take a look at what the live classroom or the live learning space looks like. There are two types of live classrooms. Live classes can be conducted using the classroom app or a video meeting platform. This is the common online classroom space that we all know about. The other type of live class takes place on live video streaming platforms. This type of platform allows the teachers to live stream educational videos to a very large audience and students from around the world can watch these videos at the same time and learn together.
This type of class is usually free or charged minimally. The videos that are live-streamed can be shared on the platform for future use as well. This allows students to use these videos at any time and access them over and over again for revision. Some teachers offer links to additional study material and readings along with their videos to help the students learn properly. If the students wish to communicate during the live video, they can use the chat feature.
Live videos are a great way of learning and most students use these videos as additional learning to complement what they have learnt in their classes at school or college.