Teaching TEFL or TESOL online can be a lot of fun and educational for you and your students with some of the most popular (and free) online tools available now. All you need is a quiet place around your home, good lighting, a webcam, and a great attitude. With online teaching, you can sit back and enjoy your fresh cup of coffee while using some of the best free online tools to help navigate your students to a smart class, right in the comfort of your own home!
Understanding how important it is for more and more teachers to be online and up-to-date with the latest tools, we have put together a list of the best free tools used by many TEFL or TESOL teachers around the world.
Here are our top 8 most popular online teaching tools suitable for any digital classroom.
Webex
A free online teachers’ tool that’s easy to use for virtual classrooms and HD video conferencing. Webex allows you to see up to 25 participants each time. Unlike other applications, it does not have limitations to the number of minutes used for the lesson. This is a good solution for virtual online classes or meetings that will run for a longer period of time. In addition, it has a dial-in for telephone conferencing for up to six participants each time. It also has desktop and document sharing, compatible with most devices, and has data protection.
Hangouts
Bring your classroom to life with google hangouts for a free online classroom solution with up to 10 participants each time with no time limit. It can be used either on the phone or computer. It allows its members to participate in text, voice, or video chats. It can be used for one to one or group class. Hangouts is part of a larger ecosystem including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Translate, and Google Docs (great for document collaboration).
Google Classroom
This is one of the most popular free services used by teachers. It was developed by Google to meet the needs of teachers and their classrooms. The primary purpose of this online tool is to streamline the process of sharing files between teachers and students. It integrates documents, slides, Gmail, and calendar. One can create a separate class and add the number of students to each classroom. Students can also submit their assignments to be graded by the teacher.
Teams
This is a digital hub created by Microsoft and is free for students and teachers. It can be used as a virtual classroom and create a vibrant learning environment for your students. It has many features such as chatting, sharing screens, file storage, and can also be integrated with other Microsoft Office applications. Many of its users believe it simplifies group work and can store attachments within a relevant chat or Teams channel.
Zoom
Zoom gained massive popularity during the COVID-19 shutdown and quickly became the number one choice for teachers because of its simple interface and multi-device capability. It can host unlimited free one-on-one or up to 100 participants but with a time limit of 40 minutes for each session. It can also allow multiple users and record classes or meetings. It also allows for chatting and sharing screens. The desktop app is available for Windows and macOS, while the mobile app is available for Android and iOS. All applications allow you to join without signing in by entering the Zoom meeting ID and password.
Kahoot!
This is a fun-filled game-based learning platform that is used by millions every day to create play and share learning games. Kahoot! can be used for TEFL or TESOL teachers to teach grammar, reading, vocabulary, quizzes, and much more. It can be used for any age while students can compete individually or in teams, earning points in each mode. Kahoot! is best used for multiple-choice quizzes in smaller classes with students that can accept point award-winning competition. The best thing about Kahoot! is that you can create your own new Kahoots (games) or search their public library for free games and quizzes.
Miro
One of the best solutions for your digital classroom is an online whiteboard for a collaborative session with one-to-one or groups of students. It’s easy to use as it has pre-built and ready to use templates. Many universities also use whiteboard applications for their virtual classes and to present lesson plans. The application can be used on multiple devices simultaneously so you can share boards, create multiple private workspaces, and organize workshops. Make use of the online whiteboard for a real-life experience.
Animoto
This is a free video maker used by TEFL or TESOL teachers to create and share videos with an easy drag and drop video maker. No experience is necessary and can easily be used by students to create projects or assignments for their classes or teaching practice in place of presentations. Students can be creative and innovative while using this application with a simple drag and drop of their own photos and video clips into pre-built templates to create share-worthy videos in minutes. No video editing experience is needed!
Trello
This is a fantastic and easy tool to use for course planning and organization. It is used worldwide by educators and online TEFL/TESOL teachers. This application is excellent to organize your digital classroom with a syllabus template, weekly planning, and weekly newsletters. Trello is also good to post on boards, assign tasks for coursework and projects along with due dates. It’s an easy tool for student communication, things-to-do lists, sharing updates along with managing it with admin controls to keep information safe and secure.
Online Payment Tools
While teaching online is fun and creative, you will also need an online service for your payments. Here are a few popular and convenient options.
PayPal
One of the most widely used payment methods is PayPal which allows you to accept money payments, pay or send money. PayPal Commerce platform is a comprehensive solution designed to serve your needs and your students nearly anywhere in the world.
Revolut or Venmo
Alternatives to PayPal, these methods of payment allow your students to easily and conveniently pay for online classes. Revolut allows you to exchange money with no hidden fees, for example. One can open an account in just minutes. With both of these services, you can also easily request and receive money from your people within seconds with just a tap of a button and without the hassle of exchanging bank details.
Conclusion
The internet has always been a massive resource for learning and will continue to be more so in the future. An adaptive teacher must make use of the growing innovative solutions available online. The free tools mentioned earlier help keep learning fun and accessible and make online learning engaging and successful.
You should also consider investing in a good microphone if you haven’t already. You can be well-prepared and create an engaging online lesson but all that can go to waste if you can’t hear each other properly. Also, check if the embedded webcam on your computer is clear enough, the other alternative is to purchase an external webcam for better video quality. It’s the little things that can make all the difference!
Become a qualified language teacher with our TEFL certification course online. The internationally recognized certification will fully prepare you to teach online or anywhere in the world.
Andrie Steliou
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