As classrooms become more and more diversified, technology has become an effective tool in assisting teachers to meet the unique needs of all of their students. When schools were shut down, online learning became a new normal for students everywhere. Now, it's essential that teachers know how to teach students online and make their classrooms a technologically rich environment. Here's an introduction to some of the teacher's favorite technology resources!
Flipgrid is a video discussion platform where students can respond to a topic by taking a video of themselves talking about it! Flipgrid is great for online learning, but also great for early childhood students or English language learner (ELL) students who are still learning to write. Discussion boards take a new meaning when teachers assign Flipgrids! To learn more, check out Flipgrid's website by clicking HERE.
Learning Management System (LMS)
Learning management systems are much more familiar to us because we have used them for ourselves! They are websites or software that a teacher loads content, assignments, and assessments on for students to access on a device. Learning management systems are used in classrooms everywhere as it allows students to access course materials at home, communicate with the teacher, tracks performance for teachers to analyze, automatically grades, and can even differentiate learning for students with the use of modules. Different elementary learning management systems include Canvas, Google Classroom, Seesaw, or Blackboard. Teachers can easily make pages and personalize them to their classes, and parents can also easily access to monitor their student's learning as the LMS keeps a portfolio of student's work.
Nearpod is a website where teachers can make interactive slideshows that students can access and progress through as a class or on their own. Nearpod has become much more popular in classrooms as e-learning is on the rise, and it's user-friendly interface allows teachers to easily make them. Nearpod even has its own library of previously designed lessons for teachers to access and use in their classrooms. Nearpods are engaging for students as you can include drawing, VR, video, polls, collaboration board, and gamification capabilities on slides. Lastly, Nearpod tracks students' progress and organizes it for the teacher to analyze and use to inform future instruction. Learn more about Nearpod by clicking HERE.
Zoom is another familiar resource we have all seen as it became the means by which teachers video-taught classes when COVID closed down schools and universities. Since then, many other companies have made their own virtual meeting platforms including Google and Microsoft. Schools may be meeting in person again, but virtual meetings still allow students who are sick, out of town, or stuck at home due to inclement weather to still go to school.
Epic is a digital reading platform in which students have access to thousands of books with all sorts of genres. Teachers can save books in collections to assign to students, create quizzes and assignments for when the students finish reading a book and monitor and track student's progress. Students can access the books at home on a device, and they even have the option to listen to audiobooks. Learn more by clicking HERE.
Have any other technology that you love for the classroom? Comment below to tell us more about it!