Each year, we share our 10 most-read stories. Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on student engagement and online or hybrid learning strategies related to pandemic teaching. This year’s 5th most-read story focuses on under-the-radar digital learning tools.
During pandemic learning, educators have seen a plethora of digital learning tools and resources, and they’re figuring out what does and doesn’t work for their instructional methods.
There are some well-known and much-loved digital learning tools that are part of every educator’s must-try list, but why not throw some new resources into the mix?
Here’s a small collection of digital learning tools and resources you may not know about. Give them a look during a much-deserved summer break and see if one, two, or more of them fit into your teaching strategy and academic goals for your students.
1. AllSides helps students, well, get all sides of a story or issue to sort fact from fiction and identify bias and misinformation. It offers perspectives from center-, left-, and right-leaning publications to help students compare and contrast.
2. Floop is a web app that saves teachers time and helps students see the value in feedback. Feedback is a huge driver of student learning. Teachers can collect images, PDFs, and Google Docs from students and leave text and audio comments that lead to conversations. Students engage with their feedback while it’s still relevant. Teachers can help students act on feedback through conversations and resubmissions.
3. Parlay is a discussion-based learning tool and global community of educators who are reimagining class discussions for the 21st century.
4. Get Lit provides support for implementing a comprehensive curriculum that has the power to enrich the lives of students through engaging and accessible coursework. Programs include professional training for educators and access to Get Lit resources throughout the school year.
5. Kialo Edu is a custom version of Kialo (kialo.com), the world’s largest argument mapping and debate site, specifically designed for classroom use. Its clear, visually compelling format makes it easy to follow the logical structure of a discussion and facilitates thoughtful collaboration. Kialo’s mission is to promote well-reasoned discussion online, and to that end, Kialo is free for educators to use.
6. Google Lens allows users to point their camera at something and identify it. Students can identify plants and animals, scan math problems to check for accuracy or get help, translate text, and more.
7. Dotstorming is a collection of tools that enable collaborative brainstorming, planning and decision making. Voting boards help users prioritize a list of options to create a sense of engagement and allow participants to see the decision process in action. Walls are digital whiteboards that allow the capture, organization and prioritization of ideas through virtual stickies. Collages enable a group of participants to draw together on either the same or individual canvases in real time.
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