Setting up a virtual classroom

MyCoachingToolkit - The Virtual Classroom - Blog Wide

Setting up a virtual classroom 

We are all now really comfortable and confident using online tools like Skype and Teams to stay connected and present information, however they do have limitations if you want to deliver truly interactive training sessions. So this blog looks at the virtual classroom as your digital space that enables learners (during a training course) to communicate with each other, consult training materials and use interactive tools to participate in educational activities.

A virtual classroom demands more preparation than a face-to-face course because as well as mastering the tools, you will have to think (in advance) about how you will deliver the training and what tools you would like to use.

 

A virtual classroom allows you to:

  • View all participants invited
  • View a list of connected participants
  • Send instant messages
  • Communicate via the microphone
  • Interact on a shared whiteboard to write things down
  • Share notes
  • Distribute resources
  • Raise your hand
  • Record the virtual classroom
  • Launch a survey
  • Share your screen and any information you have open on your computer
  • Show a video posted on social media and YouTube

 

The advantages of the virtual classroom

  • It allows you to work with people regardless of their geographic location
  • Unlike a traditional e-learning course, the virtual classroom is fully interactive and offers the possibility of immediate feedback
  • It encourages social learning, which is a learning mode that includes social interaction like chat, internal social networks within companies, etc

 

What else can the virtual classroom deliver?

The virtual classroom doesn’t restrict you to only using the tools included in the software. You can also incorporate a range of other multimedia tools into your virtual training sessions. And maybe try incorporating Connectivism, a theoretical framework for understanding learning in a digital age. It emphasizes how internet technologies such as web browsers, search engines, wikis, online discussion forums, and social networks contributed to new avenues of learning.

The aim of this is to connect learners to the knowledge network, so they can use it independently and effectively. It also seeks to connect learners with each other so they can share, develop and transfer their knowledge. This has the virtue of reminding us that with the wealth of knowledge available and its perpetual evolution, knowing where to find the right resources is now a skill we should all develop.

Linking learners’ knowledge to relevant external resources and giving them the tools to follow the evolution of knowledge in their field – in a way establishing a knowledge map – is just as important as learning something by using long-established knowledge or resources.

 

Further reading:

If you would like to learn about the virtual classroom and how you can set up and run successful interactive training sessions, check out our new ebook in the online shop:

Ebook : The Virtual Classroom – Learn how to set up and run a virtual classroom with this 19 page e-book. We show you how to make the most of this opportunity to coach and train in a new way.

 

We constantly add content to the site, so please check our on-line shop and look at the full range of games, ebooks and kits. Or read some of the other blog posts written by our team of international coaches.

 

Please note – Please include a reference and link back to this original blog if you wish to copy or share anything we have written: (cc) MyCoachingToolkit.com – 2023

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