A virtual classroom is an
online learning environment. The medium can be net-based and obtain
through a portal or software-based and require a
downloadable exe
file. A student in a virtual classroom participates in synchronous instruction as in a real-world
classroom which means that both the teacher and students are signed into the
virtual learning environment at the same time.
Many schools and
businesses have rolled out virtual classrooms to provide coexistent distance
education. Virtual classroom software apps often employ multiple
synchronous technologies like video
conferencing, web conferencing, web-based VoIP and live
streaming to provide remote students with the ability to collaborate
in real time. To build up the educational process more familiar, applications
may also provide students with non
parallel communication tools,
such as chat capabilities and message
boards.
Objective of
Virtual Classrooms:
1.
To support live on-line classes for distance learning and
remote education.
2.
To pool academic resources thereby improving access to
advanced educational experiences
3.
To improve the quality and effectiveness of education by
collaborative learning and teaching process.
4.
To hold and participate in the meetings, webinars,
Conferences/Workshop, interviews, etc. through video conferencing. To increase and improve the accessibility of
educationalØ resources to the persons
with disabilities.
Advantages:
1.
Offers Anytime Access: Offer group discussions,
office hours, and live classes at times that are convenient for instructors and
students but not based on the physical facilities.
2. Ensures
Comprehension: Ensure students understand
their lessons by asking for immediate feedback, answering questions, and giving
in-depth verbal explanations of complex material.
3.
Electronic whiteboard and
polls, quizzes, and surveys: A best practice of live instruction is to regularly offer
interactive exercises. By offering whiteboard exercises and asking polling
questions, students will remain highly engaged.
4.
Flexible content area: A variety of content
types can be viewed such as PPT’s, Word, Excel, images, WebPages, HTML, movie
clips, flash, CMS pages, PDF.
5. Access to persons with
disabilities: Live and archived classes can be close-captioned for the hearing impaired
persons while also reaching out to the visually impaired persons by offering
numerous keyboard shortcut keys, hot keys and similarity with most screen
readers.
Disadvantages:
- Lack of Socialization You may be able to learn a great deal at home and on your own schedule, but your educational practice may suffer if you're not around your fellow students.
- Technology Issues A virtual classroom is only as good as the technology in it. If the learning software got a problem, or your net connection fails in the middle of a lesson then you spend more time working with the software or repairing your connection than learning the material.
- Lack of Structure Taking online courses through a virtual classroom requires a significant amount of self-discipline.
- No Hands-On Learning Though some subjects are theoretical and can be taught effectively online, others require hands-on learning. Many subjects do not lend themselves well to virtual classrooms because they're best learned through physically experiencing something.
- Difficult Interaction Though virtual classrooms can allow students to chat with instructors and other students in online but it is not the equal as standing face to face with a teacher and having her clarify a problem for you.
References:
Yes, virtual classroom technologies like web and video conferencing have helped both educational institutions and students in terms of reduced costs, flexibility, better student teacher interaction ratio etc. Tools like R-HUB web conferencing servers, webex, gomeetnow, gotomeeting etc. are mostly used for conducting virtual classroom online training sessions.
ReplyDelete