Providing online training makes it possible to reach thousands of people regardless of time and distance, but it also requires being able to navigate a maze of offerings between streaming platforms and online courses, both for the instructor and the student.
In questo articolo vediamo insieme 10 strumenti utilissimi – e testati da me – che consentono di organizzare video-conferenze, erogare corsi online e intrattenere in diretta i propri utenti grazie ai webinar.
Here are 10 tools that you can also use to launch yourself into the world of online education.
Group meeting and video conferencing platforms
Videoconferencing is a useful tool for that type of online training that involves a peer-to-peer, two-way exchange between teacher and student: therefore, it can be used for personalized consultations, training with small groups of people (4-5 participants maximum), or for corporate briefs in cases of smart working, for example. Favor video calls when the training is peer-to-peer, participants are few in number, and they have already had interactions with you and each other previously.
Zoom it is a widely used video calling platform at the moment. In the free version, it allows access to 100 participants simultaneously and usually a maximum video call duration of 40 minutes, which during this period has been extended and has no time limits. Whoever creates a teleconference with Zoom, then, he will have all the tools to best manage the “public”. You will be able to choose whether to turn your video or the participants' video on or off; choose to mute or unmute the participants' microphones (very useful if, during an online lesson, the students prove to be particularly unruly); share your screen on Zoom, and record the videoconference so that you can watch it (and have others watch it) whenever you want.
Skype it was the quintessential app associated with video calls in the past, then it fell somewhat out of fashion and was replaced by competitors. It is free, and the participants in the video call can be maximum 50 and there is the possibility to record the call. La differenza con Zoom, ad esempio, è che necessita di una rubrica interna ovvero bisogna conoscere la mail o il nickname della persona che si vuole chiamare per poterlo fare dalla App. Zoom invece funziona con l’invio di un link, che corrisponde a una stanza virtuale.
Google Hangouts Meet It is a platform connected to the Google suite for business conferences and meetings with colleagues. If you are the organizer, you must have an account. Google Suite that will allow you to organize a videoconference with 25 participants if you have an account Basic o Business, whereas if you have an account Google Workspace Enterprise The participant limit increases up to 30. It is now available free of charge until July to allow companies to enable smart working as a measure to combat the coronavirus.
Do you want to sell access to a videoconference that you will hold with one of these tools and don't know how to do it? Use the features of Eventbrite for selling event tickets, even if they take place online! Then you will give each participant the appropriate link.
Livestreams and webinars
Currently, most social networks offer the possibility of live streaming.
Instagram, Facebook e LinkedIn they allow live interaction between a maximum of two accounts and the possibility to comment and add reactions for those following the live stream. Instagram has introduced the ability to save the live broadcast, which was previously available for rewatch for only 24 hours, into IGTV content, while Facebook live broadcasts and YouTube si possono salvare e scaricare. Le dirette sui Social possono essere utili per chi si approccia per la prima volta alla formazione online, in quanto sono gratuite e meno “rischiose”.
Youtube permette anche di effettuare dirette private, ovvero in modalità “NON IN ELENCO”, in questo modo gli iscritti al tuo canale non vengono avvisati che tu sei in diretta e puoi dare il link a chi vuoi tu. E’ quello che suggerisco di fare a chi vuole vendere una diretta.
furthermore, there is also the possibility of broadcasting the live stream simultaneously on multiple channels, for example Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, using StreamYard.
In addition to social networks, there are other, more professional platforms for live streaming, which in this case are called webinars.
The one I use is called Livestorm and the webinar is scheduled to it takes place in a ‘virtual room’ where students can interact with each other and with me by asking questions in the dedicated form. The free version of Livestorm allows a maximum streaming time of 20 minutes. By subscribing to the monthly plan of 89 euros, up to 100 people can participate, with a 4-hour streaming limit for each webinar.
Furthermore, with the Creator subscription of GetResponse, Starting from just over 50 euros per month, you can host webinars capable of accommodating up to 100 participants (which becomes 500 by purchasing an add-on). A 30-day free trial is also available to test the software with no obligation. The special feature of GetResponse is that it is an all-in-one platform, ideal for those who want to manage online training with a solution that combines email marketing, automation, website creation, and even paid newsletters tools.
On-demand courses
On-demand courses differ from webinars in quanto questi ultimi sono tenuti solitamente IN DIRETTA, mentre i corsi sono stati precedentemente registrati e messi poi online, quindi non consentono l’interazione insegnante-alunni. Nei corsi on demand puoi scegliere che tipo di materiale offrire ai tuoi corsisti: videolezioni, testi, schede pdf, quiz ed esercizi. Consiglio sempre di alternare lezioni video con lezioni sotto forma di testo, con quiz ed esercizi per monitorare l’apprendimento.
Thinkific It is the platform that hosts, among others, also mine online courses, which therefore remain always available to users who have purchased them: the monthly subscription I chose costs 99 dollars, places no limits on the courses offered nor on the number of students. Thinkific is in English, but how it works is really simple: it is possible to customize your sales page and course interface, divide students into groups, gradually grant access to lessons, offer support to your students while monitoring their progress, and offer downloadable materials.
Teachable It has features very similar to Thinkific, including an unlimited number of courses and students, but it differs in price. Among the three monthly subscription plans offered, the basic plan costs $29 and takes a 5% cut from the sale of each individual course; the premium plan costs $79, and there are no commissions on sales. If I could go back, I might give it some thought!
Udemy It’s another platform for selling online courses, but it takes a 50% cut of each course sale. The advantage is that your course will appear on the dashboard based on the keywords students use to search for online courses, but you might be at a disadvantage compared to the industry giants, who will have more views and reviews.
I hope the online training landscape is a bit clearer now!
If you want to look into it further as well How to choose a training course, here are my tips!
And now, good luck with your work!