Wazzup Pilipinas?!
Most of us are very well familiar with the concept of a traditional classroom, be it in school, college or any other educational institution. We know how lectures are taken in these classes and how the teachers and students function in such setups. Offline and traditional learning was the only method of education before the pandemic hit and the entire world went under lockdown. Online classes are a very new concept when compared to offline classes but these classes have proven beneficial for all during testing times like that of a pandemic. In this article, we will be zooming in and taking a very close look at online classrooms and what goes on inside these classrooms. We will look at how these online classes are similar to offline classes and the ways in which they are different from offline classes.
A classroom is a place of learning where students and teachers interact and learn more about new topics related to various subjects. A classroom can be virtual and exist in the online space as well as real or offline and be in a school, college or any other type of educational institution. To understand the differences and similarities between these two types of classes, we must first clearly define both of them. This will help us perform a comparative analysis about the same. We will also look at the various features of both types of classrooms and how different activities related to teaching and learning take place in them.
First, let us discuss a traditional offline classroom since most of us are already familiar with the same. An offline class takes place in schools, colleges and other educational institutions like tuition centres or coaching centres. In this type of classroom, a teacher and a group of students are present physically in real-time. There is usually a blackboard or a whiteboard using which the teacher explains concepts and teaches about different topics related to their subject. The students and the teacher interact with each other during the class by asking questions and answering them, clearing doubts related to the lesson being explained and so on. Students raise their hands to seek permission before speaking to avoid any sort of chaos or confusion during the lecture. The teacher is supposed to mark and record attendance for their class to keep a count of how many students are present and attending the class. Different subject teachers come to the same classroom as per the set timetable and deliver lectures on their subjects to the students. Exams and tests are also conducted in the classrooms and the teachers have to set question papers for the same as well as mark the answer sheets.
This is how the offline traditional classes take place. Over the last two years educational institutions, be it schools, colleges, coaching or tuition centers, have remained shut due to the pandemic. All types of classes are being conducted online using apps, websites, software and online portals. Constant attempts have been made to ensure that online tools such as apps and websites make online learning and online classes much more similar to offline classes. This has been done to make these classes easier to understand and the tools easier to use for both students and teachers.
A mobile teacher app, a classroom app, an app for video meetings and an app for finding e-books are some of the different types of apps that are most commonly used by teachers and students in online class. Some apps and platforms offer the features of all these apps in one place as well. An online Virtual classroom takes place using a video meeting platform where everyone can turn their cameras and mics on and use them for communicating. These classes allow teachers and students to interact in real-time. Students can use features like raising their hands to answer questions or ask their doubts. Virtual whiteboards can be used to explain concepts similar to offline classes. Other than this tool, teachers and students also have the possibility of sharing their screens and showing videos, pictures and other media to help enhance the lessons. Unlike offline classes, attendance can be recorded and maintained automatically. Sometimes even question papers can be set using certain platforms and portals. Some apps also allow digital assessment of answer sheets.
