Online learning has taken the education sector by storm across the globe. Students who live far away from schools and other educational institutions can now easily attend classes with an easy tap. The value of online learning has come to light in tough and unimaginable situations like Covid-19 this year.
Live streaming with E-learning web apps is a very useful technology for distant learning. It surpasses the barriers of space and time and connects teachers, students, and parents anytime anywhere all around the world. There is no doubt that 2021 is going to be any different than in 2020 owing to Covid-19 restrictions. And therefore, online learning is here to stay. So, let’s look at the top 5 online classroom software for successful remote learning in 2021. But before this, let’s have a quick look at some of the must-have features you should look for before you choose any virtual classroom software.
Key Features of Online Classroom Software
1. Security and Privacy Settings
Educational videos are only available to authorized viewers which makes security and privacy settings a must-have feature. So, it is always suggested to look for a live streaming platform that has security features, end-to-end encryption, secure video upload, domain restrictions, and more such options. It allows you to exercise control on your content as per your need.
2. White Label Service
White-label video streaming offers a more professional learning experience and atmosphere as compared to consumer-grade platforms. Wondering why? This is so because free video hosting providers like Youtube keeps their branding and marketing activities intact, which is both distracting as well as unprofessional. Whereas, white-label service providers allow you to stream video content that does not involve any third party branding but your own unless you set them.
3. API
API stands for Application Programming Interface i.e. a tool that allows broadcasters to create their programmatic integrations. It gives you the power from building custom web and mobile apps to online platforms. API also assists in integrating video tools into existing web applications like virtual classroom software. This feature is now more important than ever since e-learning has come into place and schools have been trying to provide a smooth yet consistent online learning experience.
4. Recording Live Sessions
This feature is a must-have when looking for good live class platforms. Recording directly on the live class platform saves the time and energy for external setups, file transfers, editing, and so many other post-processing steps. Having this feature makes it a lot easier to record and share on a single platform. And the best part about this feature is that the recorded lectures can be visited anytime to facilitate a better learning experience.
5. High-Quality Delivery
An institution’s content must be optimized for speed and a CDN (Content Delivery Network) ensures so by cloning the same content to be available in multiple places at once. CDN’s can scale up or down depending on the traffic and the best part is they do not crash even if a large number of students log-in at once.
6. Automated Closed Caption Support
Closed captions deliver spoken text as written text in real-time giving a personalized experience. This eliminates the chances of poor quality live class or in case there are some lags in the audio. It is practically not possible for the teachers to speak and write simultaneously or even upload captions later. Therefore, it is better to have real-time automated closed captions to make the live class a good experience for both students and teachers.
Top 5 Online Live Class Platforms
1. Vplayed
Vplayed enables both video and audio streaming across multiple channels and devices. It uses a high level of data security and privacy and not only this, but it is also efficient in continuous delivery of video. This allows multiple people like the students, teachers, and the staff to experience teaching and learning without compromising their privacy. With this streaming is possible anytime, anywhere if you have a stable internet connection.
Key Features:
- Live and On-demand
- Flipped Classroom
- Lecture Recording
- Complete Customization
- Multiple Revenue Options
2. Dacast
Dacast is a great option for live streaming online classes for remote learning. It supports powerful video uploading, optimized CMS, with better security. This platform is the perfect-pick for institutions with large video-on-demand libraries. And lastly, it also offers custom pricing for higher streaming volume.
Key Features:
- Password protected streaming
- Unlimited viewers
- Mobile device support
- IP address and geographic
restrictions - Ad-free streaming
- Video monetization
- Embedded HTML 5 video player
3. Zype
Zype is a video distribution and management platform that allows the publishing of live videos, recording, and also the management of video content in libraries accessible through any device. Apart from all these features, Zype also enables professors to upload pre-recorded video lectures, screenshots, and other tutorials. Students can organize the videos into playlists as well. Additionally, users can also make their class accessible to a few selected students through passes, pay per view, subscriptions, and so on.
Key Features:
- Live Streaming
- Scheduled Training
- No Video Playback
4. Contus Vplay
The live streaming and on-demand video streaming enables online tutorials at lightning speed via CDNs. This live streaming platform allows you to stream live classes at scheduled times. It also allows curators and guest speakers to become more involved in the entire teaching process. The on-demand video feature is backed by a powerful CMS (content management system) which allows students to find related videos for their subjects.
Key Features:
- Multi-screen Platform
- Reliable Hosting
- Scheduled Streaming
- Interactive Chat
- Multiple LMS Integration
5. Panopto
It creates a library of videos, enabling secure live streaming along with the recording of lectures and live classes on any operating system. The secure video streaming feature allows the teachers to share screenshots, host videos as screen captures, and record lectures and tutorials. It also makes streaming easier and much more accessible from different locations and devices with minimal buffering. This feature is very helpful if you plan to invite guest speakers or anyone else without any technical hassle.
Key Features:
- Course Suggestion
- Lecture Capture
- Monetization Options
Quick Tips To Make Online Learning More Effective
With traditional learning, giving instructions, maintaining discipline, giving feedback, and vice versa was an easy thing to manage but with distant online learnings, some new challenges have also arisen. So, we have curated a list of some super easy to follow-through steps to ensure a better learning experience for your students.
- Get students into the habit of participating
- Focus more on the quality of content
- Keep the teaching style as friendly and easy as possible
- Make the live-class an interactive session
- Give students the leverage to study both online and offline
Summary
At the moment, live streaming is only in its infant stage. It is definitely going to dominate future education and will also have a huge impact on how millions of students will engage in the education field. With live streaming gaining momentum we will see a lot of changes like an increase in the number of educated people and meaningful knowledge taking over theoretical ones. And with this, there will also be a rise in the need for good Live Streaming Platforms to ensure the quality of education is not compromised.
Director @Anyalpha, a Top Software Development Company offering Mobile App Development and Website Development Services to Businesses & Startups.