Thanks to technological advancements, it is now possible to continue studying conveniently even remotely. Even school students can have their lessons online through video conferencing software. While it is incredibly handy and efficient, using a video call platform with numerous features is not enough to make education accessible and fun. It is also important to incorporate different activities to engage students and make the learning process easy and smooth. Luckily, studying with a virtual classroom platform allows including both online and offline activities that students and their teachers will love. In this article, you will discover some of the most effective and fun activities for a virtual classroom.
Fun Activities for Digital Classes
With education, it is important to have a balance of studying and entertainment. Children cannot sit through a few lessons in a row with full attention. You will need to add some games to allow them to spend some excess energy or gain this energy in the morning. Luckily, digital education does not mean that you can only sit in front of a computer and look at some pictures or watch videos during classes. You can also play active games just like in a real classroom. However, studying online also allows incorporating virtual games and other activities, which is a huge plus. Here are some activities you can include in your virtual classes:
- Scavenger hunts – it can be played both virtually and offline. It is even better if you can tie this game to the topic of your lesson. Create a list of items to find or use an already existing template from the Internet and offer it to students. With virtual conferencing software, it is also possible to create checklists that allow users to mark the found items. You can also ask to find certain things on a specific website, which will result in a fully digital scavenger hunt.
- Trivia – this is one of the easiest yet fun activities for the school. You can ask questions one by one and see which student will raise their hand quicker or simply turn on their microphone to answer. It is also great to divide students into groups and provide full lists of questions. The groups can join separate chat rooms to discuss conveniently.
- Musical chairs – of course, you will not be able to put chairs in a center of the room and have all kids run around. But you can easily play a music track while students dance and run in front of their computers at home. As soon as the music stops, they will need to sit down as quickly as possible.
- Book club – as a nice extracurricular activity, it is possible to host a book club. Even students that simply want to listen without joining the discussion can come and watch. It is also convenient to show some videos from movies based on the books you are discussing or play some parts from audiobooks to add to the atmosphere. You can also put on some ambient music to set the mood. Play some medieval or magical music if you are reading a fantasy novel and so on.
- Studying geography – there are plenty of opportunities to make geography lessons fun and interactive. You can mail your students a blank map of any country or region and ask them to name the countries, cities, rivers, etc. There are also many geography-related games online. Some games put you in a random place on google maps, and you can look around trying to find clues that will give away your location. It is also good for testing any background knowledge students have.
- Alphabet game – it is a great way to learn new words and terms. Choose a topic for your game and make all students name a word for each letter of the alphabet. Each following student might also repeat the previous word or all words before that to make it even more challenging.
- Digital field trip – thanks to online video tours, it is possible to visit numerous museums and exhibitions all around the globe. Find an interesting tour and join it online with students.
The list of games and activities can go on as video conferencing has plenty of opportunities for communication and collaboration online.
Hosting Virtual Classes
To have a virtual class, you will need to have a reliable software solution for digital conferencing and suitable hardware. As for students, they can simply use their phones or laptops to join video calls as long as they have microphones and cameras installed. Teachers might want to have a simple yet more professional setup to deliver better quality during lessons. Here is what you will need:
- Software – find an online platform for virtual conferencing that offers all the necessary features for your classes.
- Computer – use your PC or laptop to be able to join an online video conferencing platform.
- Camera and microphone – if your computer has a web camera, it can be used for streaming. However, you can buy an additional camera for better quality. The same goes for the microphone. The mic installed in a computer often picks up too much surrounding noise so you can use headphones with a mic or a headset to make better sound. Buying a separate professional microphone is optional.
- Background – it is also optional as you can change your background when using the video call software to any picture you want. However, having a nice clean backdrop with educational posters and such would be a nice addition. You can use this tool to make your own now.
Hosting digital lessons might feel difficult at first. However, modern software is so accessible and easy to use that any teacher should have no issues with it. The same goes for students, even the youngest ones. Setting up your hardware is incredibly simple as you will only need a computer or smartphone to open up the Internet browser and find the necessary site. Adding fun activities and games is important to make education as exciting and engaging as it would be at school. Many students might feel more lonely since digital studying implies staying at home. With video and audio streaming, it is possible to still have your communication and host classes for everyone.