Most Used Online Platforms

1. Canvas
O Canvas. Adaptable, reliable, customizable, easy to use, mobile and time-saving.
Canvas is designed to get out of your way and to let you do your thing. What does that
mean? Canvas ensures you that you won’t be spending time on finding out how the
platform works and struggling with the technology. Every last feature and last
interface is crafted to save you time and effort and to make teaching and learning
easier.

O Is Canvas not powerful enough for you out of the box? You can easily plug in third-
party apps like, for example, BookWidgets that enables you to make interactive
lesson material.

O Canvas has built a whole app center to make it easier for institutions and instructors
to experiment and adapt new technologies into their courses. Browse through loads
of LTI apps and install them in a single click. No IT support necessary.

O Finally, Canvas has - like any other learning management system - a long list of
features. Besides the basic features like sharing assignments, grading, annotation
tools, notifications, feedback options, etc. they also have a graphic analytics reporting
engine. Analytics allow teachers to measure effectiveness of content, view learning
outcomes, and intervene when students need extra help.

O Canvas is mostly used in middle school and high school as well as colleges and
universities.
2. Moodle

O Moodle is one of the most appreciated free online learning

management systems. It provides educators with an open source
solution for e-learning that is scalable, customisable and secure. It’s
used worldwide and has a large selection of activities available:
 Organize and display courses the way you want on the dashboard and
view at a glance current tasks and messages.
 Moodle enables you to work and learn together in forums, wikis,
glossaries, database activities, and much more.
 The calendar tool helps you keep track of your academic calendar,
course deadlines and group meetings.
 You can also drag and drop files from cloud storage services
including MS OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive.
 Formatting text and adding media and images is very easy with an
editor that works across all web browsers and devices.
 Notifications make it possible for users to receive automatic alerts on
new assignments and deadlines, forum posts and private messages to
one another.
O The Moodle interface is easy to navigate on both desktop and mobile
devices. There is one thorny issue though: teachers keep saying it’s
outdated.
3. Edmodo

O Edmodo is the second global education network and provides

communication, collaboration, and training tools to enable all
students to reach their full learning potential.
O Educators are at the center of an engaging network that connects
them to teacher colleagues, students, administrators, and even
parents. Edmodo was designed to protect the privacy of students and
teachers. They provide a secure platform in which teachers and
students can connect and share resources, leveraging both
educational content and apps.
O Experienced Edmodo teachers say it’s very good for discussions, but
a bit more complicated to have your course content organised. It’s
often compared to Facebook, but in a safe and controlled
environment appropriate for school.
O Edmodo also offers tools that enable school leaders and teachers to
use powerful analytics, deliver professional development, improve
learning outcomes with frequent formative assessment, and curate all
their educational content.
4. Schoology

O Schoology is a learning management system for K-12 schools,

higher education institutions, and even corporations.
O Manage your classroom, create and submit assignments,
participate in interactive discussions, perform assessments,
collaborate with your peers are just a few possibilities of
Schoology.
O Schoology is a secure online platform with one goal: connecting
people to learn. Teachers can create, manage and share
information and resources with their students. Students receive
those class assignments and can link to readings and guides
selected by their teacher. Schoology also makes it easy for
students to interact and collaborate with classmates, and work
on learning activities on their own pace.
5. Sakai

O Sakai is a 100% open source online platform. With a wide

range of features, Sakai provides tools necessary for teachers,
students, research investigators, and project leaders to build a
good online classroom. Sakai’s standard set of core tools
delivers discussion capabilities, announcements, messaging,
file management, assignment delivery, assessments, a grade
book and many more. Sakai targets higher education and
academic institutions.
O Sakai has an amazing community and live for feedback and
improvement. That’s what makes it so great. Community
involvement is essential for Sakai’s continued sustainability
and evolution. The community involvement is not limited to
forums and feature requests. Sakai has active groups
dedicated to accessibility, internationalization,
documentation, and specific tools and functionality.
O The teaching and learning community contains developers,
academic administrators, and instructors, as well as a full-
time community coordinator.
6. Showbie

O Showbie stands for the connected classroom with a focus on

teaching, and not on technology. Showbie combines all of the
essential tools needed in the paperless classroom in one easy-to-
use app.
O Using Showbie instead of other learning management platforms
would mean less time spent struggling with your tech setup, and
more time for teaching and learning.
O Besides the set up, you have some learning to do. Showbie’s
features are designed to have a connected classroom with a focus
on feedback and discussion.
O Showbie allows parent involvement, discussions and
collaboration between students and teachers. The teacher can also
set up groups on different topics and invite all students or some
selected students. This makes it easy to create groups for
differentiation and personalized learning. It also encourages
students to engage more.
O Other features are the annotation tool, gradebook, creating and
assigning assignments, student portfolios and adding voice notes
to student work.
7. iTunes U

O iTunes U gets often compared to Showbie. Why?

iTunes U as well as Showbie are both apps. It makes
them easier to use on mobile devices than most
other online learning platforms.
O There are some differences though. iTunes U also
focuses on colleges and universities and is also
available for students. Students can enroll in
courses without their teacher’s permission. There’s
a huge library with intresting courses a student can
choose from.
8. Google Classroom

O Google Classroom is often forgotten when it comes to online

learning platforms.
O Google Classroom is a free web-based platform that integrates
your G Suite for Education account with all your G Suite
services like Google Docs, Gmail, and Google Calendar.
Students are able to use Google docs, spreadsheets, forms,
slides and sites and store them in the correct folder. Sharing
becomes so easy.
O Google classroom makes it easy to create classes, distribute
assignments, communicate, and stay organized. Teachers can
quickly see who has or hasn’t completed the work, and provide
direct, real-time feedback and grades right in Google
Classroom.
O Assignments appear in your Google Calendar. It’s a way for
students to keep track of their homework. All classes have a
unique color. It keeps you and the students more organized.
Students can even set the calendar to get notifications of
homework that needs to be done.
 Other Platforms used in
Online Teaching
O 3P Learning
Create learning experiences that stick with blended learning tools for mathematics and
literacy. Delivered from you to your learner, wherever they are
O BLOOMS
With Bloomz, teachers and schools save time by having all the tools they need to
communicate with today’s parents and students in one easy-to-use (and free) app.
O Buncee
This online learning resources platform gives teachers the ability to create online
lessons, boards for students to share their thoughts and work, and collaborative learning
spaces. It provides teachers the ability to easily communicate with kids and parents, too.
O ClassDojo
The ClassDojo platform has a communication tool that makes it easy to stay in touch and
track student progress too.
O Deck.Toys
This platform helps teachers create and share online lessons using their easy tools. The
ability to offer differentiated paths within the same lesson is a nice feature. (Note:
Requires teachers and students to have Google or Microsoft accounts.)
O Dialpad
Build a connected campus! Hundreds of education providers have started using Dialpad
for not only video conferencing but also as a phone system to keep campuses, students,
and staff connected. Keep students engaged while using enterprise-level security to
ensure privacy protection and security standards.

O EdPuzzle
Create interactive online lessons using a video clip of your choice. This tool provides
accountability and tracking for student progress, too.
O Edulastic
Edulastic is an online K-12 tool that allows teachers to make their own assessments and
assignments or choose from over 35,000 pre-made assessments.

O EDUPLANET
Teachers can access a collection of learning paths from some of the most well-known
thought leaders in education. Topics cover Understanding by Design Habits of Mind,
Social Emotional Learning, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, Personalized Learning,
and Growth Mindset

O Explain Everything Whiteboard

Create interactive lessons and collaborative spaces for your virtual classroom with these
real-time tools.

O FlipGrid
Students and teachers can record short videos to document and share their learning.
Consider it social media for learning, and a great way to stay in touch!
O Genially
Genially offers interactive visual communication tools to create presentations,
interactive images, infographics, and more. Many of their premium templates and
resources are now available for free, for everyone.
O Habyts
Teachers can control student screens during remote instruction while keeping
students focused, accountable, and motivated at home. Habyts allows parents 24/7
visibility of screen time and school-assigned tasks, targets, goals, and rewards.
O Hapara
Get the most out of Google Classroom and other Google tools with this platform.
They offer webinars and other resources to help teachers create and manage the
best virtual classrooms.
O Kahoot!
Engage students with their distance learning features, play in class, and dive into
game reports to assess learning. Create your own Kahoots! or choose from 40+
million existing games.
O Kapwing
A collaborative online image and video editor with a cloud storage workspace.
Teachers can make video lessons to send to students for remote learning. Students
can work together on a group project. Classrooms can share multimedia projects
with each other.
O ManagedMethods
ManagedMethods is an easy, affordable platform developed for school district IT
teams to manage data security risks and detect student safety signals in the cloud
O MICROSOFT TEAMS
Microsoft has a wealth of products, but Teams is great for education! Build
collaborative classrooms, connect in professional learning communities, and
connect with colleagues. Conduct individual and group chats, store files, and even
make calls through the platform. Plus your virtual classroom stays secure.
O Parlay
It’s hard to hold class discussions with no class, right? That’s where this site
comes in. Create your own topic, or ask their team to create a custom discussion
prompt just for your class.
O Pronto
A communications hub that connects people via chat and video.
O Seesaw
Create a learning loop between students, teachers, and families. Students show
their learning, teachers gain insights, and families stay engaged. You’ll also find
intuitive tools like draw+record, collage, video, and more.
O Slack
With all of your resources and communication in one place, Slack can keep
students engaged and connected when everyone’s remote.
O START.ME
Enables teachers to create an easy start hub for their classroom. This start hub
makes it easy for students to access all their educational resources and tools.
O StudyBee
A grading and student feedback system that extends Google Classroom
functionality, with the ability to link assignments to custom or standardized
educational objectives from the US.
O Sutori
A collaborative presentation tool used for all grade levels that works perfectly for
the remote classroom.
O Webex
Companies across the world use Webex to keep their teams in contact remotely.
They offer lots of tools that are ideal for taking your classes online.
O Wooclap
A free tool to help maintain interactivity and effective pedagogy. Their goal is to
capture the attention of students to improve their learning whether they’re in the
classroom or at home taking an online course.
O Ziplet
Digital exit tickets made easy!
O Zoom
Project your lessons in group settings with zoom. You can even record the sessions
for students who need to review later. This video and audio conferencing tool has a
chat functionality where students can ask questions as you teach.
O Teacher/students relationship can be improved significantly
with use of social media platforms like Facebook/Messenger
in the academic environment. The adoption and use of social
media platforms like Facebook/Messenger will make the
teaching/learning process an interactive, collaborative, and
participatory activity for all students.
O The advent of information and communication technology now allows for
easy access to information in a convenient form. Social media and social
network services such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp enable easier
accessibility and retrieval of information from anywhere and at any time.
Through these apps, information is becoming intertwined with our daily
lives and could either enhance productivity, efficiency and intelligence or
make users vulnerable to its side effects (Fauzi, 2019).
O Using social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Zoom, Skype,
Webinars, and so on provides free access to online communication and
information. Through these various platforms, teachers can connect with
students and incorporate social media into their lessons, making them
more interesting, relatable and engaging (Willbold, 2019). Today, both
social media and technology have become an indispensable part of our
lives.
Advantages and Disadvantages
of Online Teaching using
Different Platforms
O As with most teaching methods, online learning
also has its own set of positives and negatives.
Decoding and understanding these positives and
negatives will help institutes in creating
strategies for more efficiently delivering the
lessons, ensuring an uninterrupted learning
journey for students.
 Advantages
1. Efficiency
O Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver
lessons to students. Online learning has a number of tools such
as videos, PDFs, podcasts, and teachers can use all these tools
as part of their lesson plans. By extending the lesson plan
beyond traditional textbooks to include online resources,
teachers are able to become more efficient educators.
2. Accessibility Of Time And Place
O Another advantage of online education is that it allows students
to attend classes from any location of their choice. It also allows
schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students,
instead of being restricted by geographical boundaries.
Additionally, online lectures can be recorded, archived, and
shared for future reference. This allows students to access the
learning material at a time of their comfort.
O Thus, online learning offers students the accessibility of time
and place in education.
3. Affordability
O Another advantage of online learning is reduced financial costs. Online
education is far more affordable as compared to physical learning. This
is because online learning eliminates the cost points of student
transportation, student meals, and most importantly, real estate.
Additionally, all the course or study materials are available online, thus
creating a paperless learning environment which is more affordable,
while also being beneficial to the environment.
4. Improved Student Attendance
O Since online classes can be taken from home or location of choice, there
are fewer chances of students missing out on lessons.
5. Suits A Variety Of Learning Styles
O Every student has a different learning journey and a different learning
style. Some students are visual learners, while some students prefer to
learn through audio. Similarly, some students thrive in the classroom,
and other students are solo learners who get distracted by large groups.
O The online learning system, with its range of options and resources, can
be personalized in many ways. It is the best way to create a perfect
learning environment suited to the needs of each student.
 Disadvantages
1. Inability To Focus On Screens
O For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online
learning is the struggle with focusing on the screen for long
periods of time. With online learning, there is also a greater
chance for students to be easily distracted by social media or
other sites. Therefore, it is imperative for the teachers to keep
their online classes crisp, engaging, and interactive to help
students stay focused on the lesson.
2. Technology Issues
O Another key challenge of online classes is internet connectivity.
While internet penetration has grown in leaps and bounds over
the past few years, in smaller cities and towns, a consistent
connection with decent speed is a problem. Without a
consistent internet connection for students or teachers, there
can be a lack of continuity in learning for the child. This is
detrimental to the education process.
3. Sense Of Isolation
O Students can learn a lot from being in the company of their peers. However, in an
online class, there are minimal physical interactions between students and teachers.
This often results in a sense of isolation for the students. In this situation, it is
imperative that the school allow for other forms of communication between the
students, peers, and teachers. This can include online messages, emails and video
conferencing that will allow for face-to-face interaction and reduce the sense of
isolation.
4. Teacher Training
O Online learning requires teachers to have a basic understanding of using digital
forms of learning. However, this is not the case always. Very often, teachers have a
very basic understanding of technology. Sometimes, they don’t even have the
necessary resources and tools to conducts online classes.
O To combat this, it is important for schools to invest in training teachers with the
latest technology updates so that they can conduct their online classes seamlessly.
5. Manage Screen Time
O Many parents are concerned about the health hazards of having their children spend
so many hours staring at a screen. This increase in screen time is one of the biggest
concerns and disadvantages of online learning. Sometimes students also develop bad
posture and other physical problems due to staying hunched in front of a screen.
O A good solution to this would be to give the students plenty of breaks from the screen
to refresh their mind and their body.
 Effects of Online Teaching using
Different Platforms
O Online learning changes the way that students of all types and ages
interact with and access information. Its effect depends both on the
student and the institution making the change. A well-developed
online course, just like a well-developed traditional course, can
open up new worlds of learning for students.
O Access
Online learning increases access to education for many different types
of people. For those with time-consuming daily obligations, the
flexibility of an online course, or even an online degree, can mean the
difference between getting a high school degree and a college degree,
or an undergraduate degree and a doctorate. In rural areas where
resources may be tight, online courses can broaden the scope of
education for students, including classes the region's educational
system could not otherwise afford to offer. Those with disabilities,
such as an inability to see or hear, may also find that the technology
available to them in an online course makes learning easier.
O Efficiency
If developed properly, online classes may increase efficiency and course
productivity. To supplement lectures, teachers can provide access to tools that
facilitate discussion and active participation. In an online environment,
teachers can reach students with different learning styles more easily. For
example, they could post a video lecture for those who learn best by listening,
a diagram, photos or video for those who learn best by seeing and an
interactive game for those who learn by doing. Online assessments may help
teachers identify those students that need some extra attention, making it less
likely that these students slip through the cracks than in a traditional setting.
O Social Interaction
Hot debate surrounds the social implications of online learning. For those
with crippling social anxiety, a screen separating them from others may be a
relief -- and provide a less stressful way to ask questions and make comments.
Some may have the opposite reaction, however, if they lack proficiency with
computers and the Internet. If well-crafted, an online course facilitates
discussion while respecting all of its students. Because instructors cannot see
student reactions, and do not always receive immediate feedback, they must
tread carefully with touchy subjects and keep the discussion focused and
respectful. Online learning instructors may have to try harder to make
everyone feel connected to the group and to the course content.
O Costs
Online learning may decrease costs for institutions
and students alike. Students can save money on gas
and other travel expenses, while maintaining a full-
time job that may not have been possible with a
traditional education. Although program development
and technology may cost more initially, institutions
may find that they can reduce costs due to decreased
facility usage and an increased student to faculty ratio.
Each institution will differ, and depending on its
situation must analyse the costs and benefits of
implementing online education.