As we live in the digital world, the educational industry has gone through numerous transformations too. Old-school pen-and-paper methods are losing their positions, while technologies reclaim their time in a student’s classroom experience.
Exciting as it is, various ed-tech tools help students and teachers optimize communication, add interactive activities, and improve learning in general. But as they are many, we’ve decided to break down the list to these 10 must-use tools that would be of the essence both for teachers and students.
Google Disc and Google Docs
Hardly made for learning in the first place, Google Disc and Google Docs became popular among educators and learners really fast. Here you can build online presentations, write and assess essays and papers in real time, share and store different learning materials through the cloud service, as well as communicate and ask questions in an easy-to-use chat. Due to the variety of functions offered, teachers and students can also keep their materials centralized and well-arranged, set access rights, and upload files in different formats. Both remote and classroom learning gets easier with Google products. But the best about them – they’re completely free!
Edmodo
Edmodo is a virtual classroom, aka social network with around 35 million users willing to take part and contribute to the learning process. The platform offers numerous functions. Teachers can upload educational materials, assess student assignments, build learning groups and communities, as well as keep in touch with parents. It all helps stay organized and aware of what’s going on in your class, as well as enjoy convenient communication and online learning – often, without actually leaving your room.
Quizlet
Do you remember flashcards we used to make to get ready for tests or exams? Quizlet has given this old-school method new life. Available in both PC and mobile versions, the app allows creating, sharing, and using online flashcards for a variety of subjects and through different activities. Individually or with a teacher, you can learn via flashcards, writing exercises, and multiple options tests. Quizlet works especially great for language learners and it’s completely free.
cK-12
Seeing education made available to anyone as their goal, the creators of cK-12 have built an amazing resource where teachers and educators can create and share learning materials online, as well as spice them up with videos, pictures, tests, and interactive tasks. The resource contains books on photography, math, social studies, science, and college-level disciplines. Printing of the materials is also allowed, so both teachers and learners can easily adapt them to their remote or classroom needs.
Socrative
According to Jean Myers, a Pro-papers education expert, gamification is one of the most effective learning methods. However, creating learning games from scratch can be quite challenging for already busy teachers.
Socrative removes the challenge from the task. Teachers can make up various quizzes, games, and interactive assignments for visualized learning and more effective student engagement. The app is very easy-in-use and intuitive, allows instant feedback, and can be used on any mobile device. Try to make your lessons more fun with Socrative – your students will appreciate the effort.
Ted-Ed
Have you ever wondered what would happen to the world if everyone became vegetarian? Well, Ted-Ed knows that. But apart from that, there are hundreds of short and longer educative video resources that can be utilized in the classroom to visualize learning and increase student engagement. Here, you will find materials on history, geography, sustainability, production, economics, and much, much more. Watch Ted-Ed’s videos, take their quizzes, and join quests to learn in a fun way and know how to make the world a better place.
Storybird
Storybird is a bright and fun resource to teach students reading and writing skills. Here they can make up their own interactive books, share them with friends on social media, blogs, or via e-mail, and even print them out. Teachers, on the other hand, can assign student projects and assess their performance. The app offers a 7-day free trial.
Animoto
Let’s be honest, video explanations rock! That’s why various “how to…” YouTube content has become so indispensable these days.
With Animoto, teachers can create video content fast and easily and share it with students online. On the other hand, students could use this tool for their projects and presentations too. The app has been already implemented by over a million users, you can become one of them. No previous video-making experience is required.
Kahoot!
Kahoot is another way to gamify the learning process with the help of quizzes, questionaries’, discussions, etc. By using different interactive tasks and assignments, teachers can create a fun and positive learning atmosphere in the class, engage students in competitions or teamwork, as well as have instant feedback on how well they grasp the material. Completely free, Kahoot is an excellent way to liven up any lesson.
ThingLink
ThinkLink is a free app that allows mixing images, videos, texts, and music to create interactive learning materials. From the greatest painters to bird species to engine mechanisms, this tool can be used to make up detailed visual content and this way help students learn in an engaging and effective way. The materials can be shared through social networks or added to the website. Both desktop and mobile versions are available.