Effective technology integration in education requires an evidence-based teaching pedagogy where technology practices are informed by a strong theory-backed teaching philosophy (the why part).
The goal is not to use technology at the substitution level of the SAMR model, that is to merely replace 'traditional' ways of teaching with more technology-focused ones, but rather use technology at the redefinition level, that is, to transform our teaching practice and to create optimal learning experiences that won't be possible otherwise
Besides knowing the 'why' part behind effective technology integration in education, we also need to address the 'what' part, that is, knowing and having access to the digital resources we need to incorporate into our instructional practice.
The what part is not as straightforward as the why part because the web is teeming with all kinds of web technologies.
However, not all educational technology websites are equal. Some have much more pedagogical potential than others. Searching for and accessing quality educational technology websites can be a challenging and time consuming task for teachers hence the importance of lists such as the one below.
They offer teachers and educators readily-available educational technology resources curated, in this case, by a fellow teacher and an Edtech blogger with more than 10 years of experience reviewing educational technology websites.
In this collection, I share some of the best educational technology resources that can help you leverage the potential of technology to grow professionally and to create optimal learning experiences for your students in and out of class.
1. ClassDojo
ClassDojo is a classroom management system that enables teachers to manage and keep track of students behaviour. Teachers can create their own classes and invite students to join. Teachers can share resources and track students learning. Parents can also join classes and take part in the discussions taking part online.
2. Canva for Education
Looking for a good platform where you can create a wide variety of interactive media materials, Canva is a great option to consider. You can use it to design educational posters, infographics, presentations, comic strips, newsletters, book reports, cards, worksheets and many more.
You can build your visual from scratch or you can start with a pre-made template. There are tons of pre-designed professional templates that are fully customizable that you can start with. Canva for Education offers all the pro features included in Canva for free for teachers, students, and school districts.
3. Khan Academy
Khan Academy provides free educational content in the form of instructional videos and practice exercises covering different subjects including math, chemistry, physics, science, arts, humanities and many more.
4. Tools to Create Video-based Lessons and Activities
Some of the best tools for creating video-based lessons and activities include Edpuzzle, Flipgrid, and Playposit. Depending on which one you choose, these tools are especially ideal for creating and sharing annotated video-based activities and lessons. You can either use YouTube videos or upload your own , add annotations (e.g., questions, notes, and voiceovers), and share with your students.
Students watch the video assignments and provide their audio and/or textual responses. Using integrated assessment features, you will be able to grade students submissions, share feedback with students, and collect assessment data to help with planning future video lessons.
5. Free Printable Kindergarten Worksheets
This is a collection of websites and platforms where you can access a wide range of downloadable printable kindergarten worksheets that you can use with your kids in class. These worksheets cover various topics and subject areas including reading, writing, spelling, numeracy and more.
6. Tools to Create Interactive Presentations
Some of the best tools teachers can use to design interactive presentations include Pear Deck, Google Slides, PowerPoint and Keynote. You can also use sites such as Slidesgo and Slidesmania to search for and access professionally designed templates to use on your PowerPoint or Slides presentations. These templates are customizable allowing you to adapt them to your own teaching needs.
7. Tools to Create Game-based Quizzes
Some of the best tools teachers can use to create interactive game-based quizzes include Quizizz, Quizalize, Blooket, Quizlet, and Kahoot. Quizzes can embed different types of questions (e.g., multiple choice, open ended, polls, fill in the blanks, etc) and media (e.g., images, audio recordings, voice clips, and videos).
You can either create your quizzes from scratch or use the integrated libraries to search for ready-made quizzes that you can adapt to your own teaching needs.
8. Web Conferencing Tools for Teachers
This collection features a meticulously curated list of some of the best video conferencing and webinar hosting tools for teachers and educators. These are platforms that are simple and easy to use and can be incorporated into any instructional setting.
You can use them to host virtual conferences, hold virtual meetings, run remote instructional classes, organize online trainings and workshops, and more.
9. Scheduling and Planning Tools for Teachers
This is a collection of tools I curated specifically for teachers and educators to help them with their planning and scheduling. The goal is to enhance teacher productivity by providing them with the required tools to do all their planning with the minimum time possible.
Whether to host an online conference, organize a virtual event, host an online webinar or training workshop, these tools will definitely help teachers take their planning and scheduling to the next level.
10. Digital Curation Tools
Some of the best digital curation tools I have been recommending to teachers over the years are Padlet , Wakelet, and Symbaloo for Education. Teachers can use them to save, organize, and share digital resources. These tools also offer collaborative features that encourage team work collaboration.
Students can take part in the digital curation process by adding their own resources and interacting with (e.g., sharing comments and reactions) shared resources. Classroomscreen is another good web platform that be can used to curate and share resources with students.
11. Bibliography and Citation Tools
Looking for some reliable bibliography and citation tools to use with your students? This collection of tools has you covered. It features some of the best web tools you can use to generate citations in different style formats. Some of the featured tools provide other equally helpful features including proofreading, plagiarism checking, grammar correction, and many more.
12. Tools to Create and Share Audio Feedback with Students
Kaizena and Mote are two excellent tools you can use to record and share audio feedback with students. Besides audio feedback sharing, Kaizena offers Lessons, Skills, and Rubrics, while Mote offers translation and transcription features.
13. Tools to Create Interactive Media-rich Lessons
Interactive lessons have the power to engage students, hold their focus, and motivate them to become actively involved in their learning. Adding interactive layers to your lessons helps makes learning more accessible and student-centred. In this collection I share some of the best tools you can use to add interactivity to your lessons.
15. Discovery Education
Discovery Education provides tons of standards-aligned resources, tools to enhance students thinking skills, and opportunities for collaborative learning experiences to help teachers grow their professional practice.
16. Math Worksheets Resources
In this math collection you will find a wide range of educational technology websites where you can access downloadable free math worksheets. These worksheets are organized into numerous categories and are searchable by grade or topic. The sites also feature other math resources such as math exercises, lessons, activities, puzzles, games, and more.
