Features in Online Teaching Programs

The main feature that is most important is being able to have video and audio as well as the ability to mute and hide the students audio and video just so you have good control over the classroom. In addition to the video and audio feeds, there is also a chat box in most programs, so you can communicate any links, problems, or anything else you would need to communicate to your students that wouldn’t just be through video. You can also privately talk to certain students and answer questions if they have any problems during your classes. When it comes to the tools for control in the virtual classroom, it all depends on the program and what resources they have.

One of the most important features to have in a program is the “screen share” function which allows you to show specific documents such as PowerPoint presentations or worksheets to your students. You can also share your whole desktop with your students so they can see anything that you can on your computer. In addition there is often the option to allow for students to share their screens as well so that they could share homework or other work that they are doing in the online lesson. 

Finally one of the most essential features to have in your chosen program (and one that almost all of them have) is being able to directly record the whole lesson through the program. This means that if you have any students who are sick, who need to catch up, or anything that you wanted to go back through from the lesson, you can easily send it to students or watch it yourself to reflect on your lesson. Just remember to make sure you have permission to record your lessons, as you want to try to be as considerate of your students (and their parents if they are younger learners) whenever possible.