5 Trending Courses That You Should Join

If you are an educator interested in expanding your skillset or exploring an interest in a new subject, then joining an online course is the right thing to do.

Online courses are an affordable and educational way to access valuable material from academic institutions while studying at your own pace. This type, of course, are especially useful for distance learners, people who are not located near a school that offers that material.

During the pandemic, online learning became very popular. But even before that, more and more people were choosing to attend online courses rather than enrolling in school. For this reason, teachers must know how to present entertaining and educational content in their online classes.

But how can educators do that? Well, attending trending courses will let you catch up on the new things you might not be aware of. Not to mention that these courses could greatly impact your teacher recertification credits in the future. Thus, it is safe to say that it can be an investment.

However, which ones should you join?

1. K-12 Virtual Classrooms: Emerging Trends and Technologies

The Virtual Teacher Specialization offers five courses. This one is the second of the program, and it is the first free course on our list.

The main goal of Virtual Classrooms is that they are designed to introduce educators to the latest technologies that will help them become more effective. However, many ideas apply to traditional classrooms as well.

It has a 94% positive rating, and it is one of the most popular online courses for teachers on Coursera. The course duration is five weeks, and it will take from one to three hours each week.

The topics in the course include:

• Defining the role of educational technology and virtual environments.
• Identifying remote instruction and emerging technology.
• Using collaborative learning tools.
• Engaging students better with game-based tools.
• Debating the role of the existing technologies in a virtual environment and evaluating the role of MOOCs in virtual education.

The course can be taken at no charge, but the certificate comes with a certain fee. Nearly ten thousand students are enrolled in this course, which is taught by Dr. Racquel Stephens, a professor, and instructor at the University of California, Irvine.

2. Teacher Training Videos with Russel Stannard

TTV.com or Teacher Training Videos is a free resource website offered by Russel Stannard. Stannard is a UK-based teacher, and he stands by the motto of ‘Simple Tech Help for Teacher.’This site was designed to help you incorporate technology into the classroom.

Although Stannard has some great videos on remote teaching, the platform is also aiming toward learning to use many tech resources without getting too overwhelmed. Teachers can choose from a variety of videos and start watching immediately. The lessons are hosted on YouTube, so there is no sign-up necessary.

Some of the most popular videos are:

• Three Ways to Assess Students Online
• Simple Tips on How to Teach Online with Skype
• Flipped Classroom Approach for Teaching Online
• Create an Educational Website for Free
• Teaching with Zoom, and many more.

The site became so popular that it won the TEFLnet Site of the Year award in 2009, the University of Westminster’s Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award, and others.

Although it is free of cost, it doesn’t offer any type of certificate of competition.

3. Learn Google Classroom

Learn Google Classroom is a free course offered by GCF Global’s Learn Free site. On this site, you can find more than 2,000 free lessons on every possible subject. This course specifically is perfect for any educator who wants to understand simple web services.

The course has five sections and can be accessed directly from your browser without signing up. The sections cover the following topics such as how to access Google Classroom and create a class. It also allows you to learn how to create assignments and materials for students, and how to use google forms to create interactive quizzes.

This will also allow educators to learn how to grade assignments and leave feedback. They will teach you how to communicate with both students and parents through email as well.

Each of these five lessons includes videos, tutorials, examples, and step-by-step instructions. Although it is one of the best free courses for teachers, the course does not offer certification.

4. Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom

Next on the list is an advanced course on Coursera that will bring your online classroom to a whole new level. The course Is offered by the University of California Irvine, and it was designed to help teachers to empower their students.

After you finish this course, here is what you will have learned:

• You will be able to meet the needs of your students by creating an outstanding virtual experience
• Create an environment that will make you better acquainted with your students
• Give feedback through various online tools
• Identify students and help them thrive
• Compare online and face-to-face environments
• Give virtual classes that have a more natural feeling

Coursera is a platform that offers you to take courses in audit mode at no charge, and this course is no exception. You can obtain a certificate for competition for a certain fee.

5. Analytics for the Classroom Teacher

Last on our list is a course offered by Curtin University on the edX learning platform. It is an incredible course about analytics and one of the top free online courses for teachers.

In the age of technology, analytics is crucial for educators. This course is designed for people who do not have previous experience in analytics, so you will be able to learn everything from scratch. With the help of the Analytics for the Classroom Teacher course, you will learn how educators all over the world use analytics to make important decisions.

The course can be taken for free in audit mode, and it takes around six weeks to complete. It will take from three to four hours per week, and you can obtain a certificate for a certain fee.

Conclusion

If you are an educator in need of certificate recertification, it may be a good idea to join an online recertification course. This way, you can earn teacher recertification credits while studying at your own pace from the comfort of your home.

Whether you are looking to learn a new skill or you need some google classroom training, joining an online course is a great way to meet both your personal and professional goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the trending courses?

Today, online courses are more popular. Each person can find suitable courses for himself and get a specialty and start a career. The advantage is that for this you do not need to spend several years studying at the university.