Module 1: Lesson 5 - Web programs Flashcards
What are the main teaching platforms used? Name 6.
- Zoom
- Microsoft Teams
- Google Meet: Support
- WebEx
- Learncube
- Company Platforms & Teaching Platforms
Explain Zoom’s features, advantages, and disadvantages.
Features: Zoom offers high-quality HD video conferencing, browser extensions for easy scheduling, allows users to record classes, features breakout rooms for group work, annotation on screen, technical support.
Advantages:
- Easy to use
- One of the most popular programs
- Easy screen share with useful tools, e.g. whiteboard, pen, and text tools.
Disadvantages:
- 40 minute limit for group classes on the free version. You can simply re-enter the platform, but that disrupts the flow of the lesson.
Explain MS Teams’s features, advantages, and disadvantages.
Features: Teams lets users share files with students, work together, integrate with other apps and more. It integrates with many tools and allows teachers to provide opportunities for differentiation and collaboration.
Advantages:
- Allows for up to 250 members in a single meeting
- Large storage capacity
- It works on the web, Android, and iOS platforms
- Integrates with Office apps
- Features such as screen sharing and background blur
Disadvantages:
- Some features require the paid version
- Usability - Not everyone is familiar with Teams. It takes time to become familiar with all the features
- Costs
Explain Skype’s features, advantages, and disadvantages.
Features: Skype supports up to 50 participants in a video or audio conferences. It has easy to share presentations, photos, media, etc. for use during a call with integrated screen sharing.
Advantages:
- It has call recordings, live captions, and subtitles.
- No time limits
- Supports private conversations
- Useful features - Background blur / Chat feature and call reactions
- Works across platforms - the web, Android, and iOS
- Skype video chat application is free.
Disadvantages:
- Business users may not have access
- It may sometimes have poor call quality
- Some users experience interference from other applications
- Costs: Skype is free, but there are premium version for business.
Explain WebEx’s features, advantages, and disadvantages.
Features: Many schools are turning to WebEx because of its enhanced security. They also offer a lot of similar tools that Zoom offers to keep students engaged.
Advantages:
- Supports meetings with up to 100 participants.
- Features include an interactive whiteboard, screen sharing, messaging and HD videos, advanced noise removal and speech enhancement, gesture recognition and automatic transcription, custom layouts and calendar integrations, 1:1 and group messaging, and many more.
Disadvantages:
- It’s necessary to purchase the premium version to get the best features, as the free version is quite basic.
- It needs to be downloaded, which some students may not be able to do as it requires administrator privileges. - It is not so well known.
- Costs
Explain LearnCube’s features, advantages, and disadvantages.
LearnCube: This is a great all round teaching platform that provides an all in one solution for freelance teachers. It works well for both experienced teachers and teachers who are new to the profession.
Features: It has class scheduling, payment processing, and more. It allows teachers, tutors, and trainers to teach online using audio, video, digital material, an interactive whiteboard, pens, and text tool. The online whiteboard allows instructors to sketch, draw, or write content in real time and add audio and video files, Google documents, and PDFs into teaching modules.
Advantages:
- It has everything a teacher could need.
- It has screen sharing, document uploading, homework options, and class review features.
- It also has many class management features.
- You can white label it for your brand.
- They have great support and training videos.
- It is used by many professional teaching companies.
Disadvantages:
- There are a range of pricing options, from free to full company packages, but it can be a little expensive for an individual teacher.
- Costs
Explain “Create-a-Profile” Platforms and Company Platforms’s features, advantages, and disadvantages.
Features: They have features like web conferencing tools, and sometimes they integrate the web-conferencing tools into their own platforms.
Advantages:
- You can use the company platform for teaching and you won’t need any other tools.
- You won’t have any other extra costs to pay.
Disadvantages:
- You can only use the platform when teaching students through the company.
Things to consider when choosing a platform.
- How many students am I teaching?
- Are my students young learners or adults?
- How long are my lessons?
- Do I need any specific feature? E.g. screen share, text tools, whiteboard, breakout rooms, etc.
- Are my students able to use the platform through a company firewall?
- What is my budget?
