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3 Cool Tech Tools to Consider for the Digital Classroom
Technology integration in the classroom used to be a fun bonus that helped students develop 21st-century abilities. Educational technology has become crucial to classroom instruction as more schools resort to online learning. However, many teachers are scrambling to discover ways to interact with and assist their students in the online classroom as a result of this unexpected shift.
In order to keep contemporary, instructors must develop innovative methods to incorporate technology. This can be accomplished by thinking of tools and applications that will not only improve a student’s educational experience but also help teachers and students.
Teachers were forced to sink or swim while attempting to sort things out when the major shift to online schooling occurred. Many teachers who had no intention of teaching online were worried and overwhelmed by the digital classroom’s new demands. This is where some simple tools can come in handy.
Tools For Digital Classroom
Learning software and applications have been developed by businesses to assist students in the classroom. Students can actively participate in and explore educational information through the use of digital learning platforms. These platforms are utilized to provide students with an immersive atmosphere as well as individualized lessons.
Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark is a web and mobile app that lets users create visual content such as posts, videos, and web pages. Adobe Spark is made up of three parts: a post, a video, and a page. Spark post produces a visual storyboard that depicts the message the user wants to send.
The user can use images, video clips, and symbols to build a one-of-a-kind learning tool with spark Video. Finally, and most importantly, there is the spark page. Not a programmer? No issue; a person may utilize a spark page to create content that expresses their unique perspective by inserting photographs, videos, and writing. This entire Adobe Spark toolkit isn’t only for kids. Educators can also utilize them to make their own materials.
To get started, go to https://spark.adobe.com/ and create a free account, or go to the iOS app store and download the mobile app. Not only does Adobe provide an instructional video on how to build these visual stories, but it also includes previously created designs to spark creativity. Viewing all of the Spark designs can help you come up with fresh learning tools.
Every tool also has a selection of themes and layouts to pick from. You can upload the movie to YouTube, embed the page into a learning management system like Blackboard, or give out a URL to interact with the content depending on whatever platform you choose. You might want to consider upgrading to a premium account to take advantage of the additional branding options. It allows you to choose several delivery choices once you’ve started preparing the presentation and seen it come to life.
In the Digital Classroom, Quizlet
Quizlet is a test-taking application that is simple to set up and use for students. It is completely free to join. After you’ve created an account, go to the dashboard and click Create to create a quiz, which you can then submit to a course in your LMS. The student can choose from five different options for the quiz: Learn, Flashcards, Write, Match, and Test.
Quizlet’s greatest feature is that it encourages retrieval practice. When a student is required to recall knowledge for an exam or quiz, this is known as retrieval practice. The Retrieval technique, popularized by Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel (2014)’s book Make it Stick, boosts student retention more than the same amount of time spent studying.
Quizlet is also accessible on smartphones, so students aren’t restricted to using computers to study (Rowe, 2018). The site’s Help feature has instructions, and downloading the app is simple. Students can utilize their smartphones to practice retrieval, enhance their grades, and succeed in class. This can be done at school, at home, while shopping, or at any other time they choose.
Go to http://quizlet.com to get started. You can immediately begin generating quizzes after activating your account.
Remind
A 2018 study looked at the impact of texting on students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programmes at community colleges in Ohio and West Virginia (Kelly, 2018). Students who received text message nudges from their professors performed better than students who did not receive text message nudges, according to the findings (Kelly, 2018). Remind is a tool/application that allows teachers to communicate with students via text (formerly Remind 101). Students can join up for a course and send and receive messages by SMS, app, web, and e-mail once the teacher has created it (Remind, 2019). One of the best aspects of this free and simple chat application is that it keeps the personal information (including phone numbers) of the instructor and students confidential (Remind, 2019).
Here are a few reasons why utilizing Remind or any other text messaging tool to interact with kids is a good idea.
- Even with a Learning Management System (LMS) like Blackboard, Canvas, or Desire2Learn, it’s a great way to keep students on target.
- It gives the instructor a way to communicate with students in case of an emergency, such as being late, having to cancel class, or needing to follow up.
- It also gives you and the pupils a way to communicate when things go wrong (death, sickness, car accidents, etc.,).
- This tool, in addition to the LMS (for example, Blackboard, Canvas, or Desire2Learn), is a fantastic way to send polite reminders about assignments (i.e., homework, quizzes, final exams, etc.)
- It establishes a healthy student-teacher connection, regardless of whether the course is entirely online or a typical face-to-face course. 2016 (McCoy).
Also read: Awakening to All Aspects of Teaching
FAQs:
Q1. How tech tools can help in digital classrooms?
Answer. Digital tools enable an open environment in which inquiry and response can be asynchronous, giving students time to prepare replies and encouraging the exchange of different points of view and collaboration. To make the evaluation process easier for teachers, they deploy digital classroom technology.
Q2. How can Adobe Spark be considered as a cool tech for digital classrooms?
Answer. Adobe Spark is a web and mobile app that lets users create visual content such as posts, videos, and web pages. Adobe Spark is made up of three parts: a post, a video, and a page. Spark post produces a visual storyboard that depicts the message the user wants to send.
Q3.What is Quizlet and how to use it?
Answer. Quizlet is a test-taking application that is simple to set up and use for students. It is completely free to join. After you’ve created an account, go to the dashboard and click Create to create a quiz, which you can then submit to a course in your LMS.
