MOOCs and EdTech Tools for Distance Learning

Abstract

Nowadays, the rapid development of educational technology can enrich distance learning in many ways. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) constitute a recent and widely recognized mode of learning in distance education, first introduced in 2008. MOOCs have the potential to be transformed into a powerful tool that can strengthen learners’ engagement to online courses through open access to information and real knowledge. Also, web-based digital tools such as Kahoot, Google Docs (Google Documents), TitanPad and Etherpad are edtech tools that let a group of people come together to create and edit documents. These tools allow learners and instructors to ask questions, group them, write a text together and collaborate in real time. This paper aims to synthesize research and findings on the content of MOOCs utilization in the educational process and to contribute to a better scientific understanding of MOOCs and other edtech tools such as Kahoot, Google Documents, TitanPad and Etherpad, as they can be used in real conditions to improve educational technology.