It’s no secret that students are preoccupied with the Internet. They are inseparable from their smartphones and tablets, so teachers have hard time making them understand that classes are for learning, not browsing, Tweeting and texting.
So how about using a slightly different approach that can make everyone happy? Instead of forbidding your students to use their tech devices, you can find a way to use them on behalf of your lectures. Here are my top 19 tools and resources to innovate your classroom.
1. LearnBoost
LearnBoost will help you record, sort and organize each student’s progress. This is the best way to share grades with your students and their parents.
2. Schoolbinder
Schoolbinder is a free online student organizer that enables you to create a class page and add, organize and edit assignments for your students.
3. My Big Campus
My Big Campus provides all the resources you and your students need to bring some innovation into the classroom. Your students can access the platform through their tablets and smartphones for the purpose of learning, so everyone will end up happy.
4. The Together Teacher
The Together Teacher provides many resources that will help you maintain an organized classroom, including project ideas, to-do lists, plan templates for your lessons, sub plans, and many more resources.
5. MyHistro
MyHistro enables your students to combine Google maps, media and blogging to create interactive timelines and tell personal stories, which will greatly increase the collaboration in your classroom.
6. Dipity
Dipity will enable your students to create timelines for class purposes. Presenting creative timelines in a fun slideshow will convince them that learning is fun.
7. SonicPics
SonicPics enables users to add recorded narration to pictures and create a threaded story. This feature can find multiple uses in the classroom, including custom presentations, curriculum reviewing, and personal narratives.
8. MindMeister
MindMeister is a mind-mapping tool that will enable your students to develop and organize their ideas for class projects by encouraging collaborative brainstorming.
9. Glogster EDU
Glogster EDU will enable you and your students to create interactive online posters that combine graphics, videos, photos, sounds, text, and much more.
10. ClassDojo
ClassDojo will help you improve the classroom behavior by awarding points to students who behave well.
11. Remind101
Remind101 is a safe and simple way to send group text messages to your students and their parents, so you can send notifications and reminders without invading their privacy.
12. Socrative
Socrative will help you engage your students beyond the classroom by sending quizzes and other educational exercises that will make the process of learning and testing fun.
13. Edmondo
Edmodo is a social platform, similar to Facebook, which you can use to continue the class discussion after your students leave the classroom.
14. CollaborizeClassroom
CollaborizeClassroom will allow you to create a personalized learning site that will leave your students prepared for the activities in class by collaborating and helping each other.
15. Prezi
Prezi will change the way you and your students make presentations in class, by incorporating a visually stimulating canvas that’s much more appealing than the usual slide-by-slide presentation.
16. Projeqt
Projeqt is one of the best ways to inspire your students to express their creativity and learn through an intuitive platform for creating dynamic presentations.
17. Gnowledge
Gnowledge will enable you to create and share tests with your students and fellow educators. The website provides various test resources that will make that process easier.
18. Mentimeter
Mentimeter allows you to share questions with your students and enables them to send instant feedback through their tablets or smartphones.
19. ClassMarker
ClassMarker is a great way to create secure online exams and quizzes with multiple types of questions. The tests will be automatically graded, saving you a lot of time and effort.
Conclusion
Today’s teachers have to roll with the educational innovations if they want to stay connected with their students. The times of “ex cathedra” teaching are long gone, so now every teacher has to reinvent their approach in the classroom in order to motivate students to get involved and interested in learning.
Your students’ gadgets don’t have to be a distraction now that you know how to use them with the purpose of creating a more inspiring learning environment.
Featured photo credit: Richard Lee via flickr.com
