Top Ten Tech Tools

This free application (iOS, Android) connects teachers with parents and/or students. Communication can be done in multiple ways: teachers can directly text a parent or student or do a mass text for important events/reminders; parents and students can text a teacher if they have questions or concerns about their child, events, homework, etc. (Image courtesy of Remind101)

Sometimes it's better to experience lessons in real time or to hear it directly from someone who's lived it. Skype in the Classroom allows students to connect with any professional in the world. It's easy for teachers to set up and parents need not worry about their kids leaving school grounds for a field trip. (Image courtesy of Microsoft Education)

Tired of hearing excuses about forgetting homework or crashed computers resulting in unsaved documents? With cloud computing, teachers and students won't have to worry about either. Apps like Google Docs and Dropbox prevent disasters by storing anything from research papers to photos to videos. (Image courtesy of Inspira)

Anything is possible with 3D printing and it can add variety to any classroom. Instead of a 2D skeleton on a textbook, why not build the human skeleton from 3D printed bones? (Image courtesy of PCmag)

Tablets are fast becoming the alternative to laptops. It's more lightweight and is capable of handling the same amount of work. Maybe someday large and heavy textbooks will be a thing of the past? (Image courtesy of Apple)

Augmented and virtual reality technology is not a new concept but the tools that allow us to experience it are. These days there are a few to choose from: Microsoft's HoloLens to Samsung's Gear VR which uses a Samsung phone. Students will be able to "experience" what they are learning. (Image courtesy of CreativeCommons)

Learn to code with video tutorials and programming challenges. Let's face it. The things we use in our every day lives only function because of the lines of instructions (codes) programmed into it. The phones and apps, computers, websites, and even down to the cars we drive all have codes and have been programmed to do what they do. I believe we should offer coding classes to our students in much the same way that we offer foreign language studies. Code School is impressive in that it offers multiple languages used in programming depending on the interests of the learner. You want to make an app that runs on Apple products, they offer iOS. Do you want to learn how to build your own website and make it uniquely yours? They have HTML/CSS classes.

Nearpod takes class participation and interaction to another level. Instead of using one large screen to project your lesson, Nearpod syncs to each student's tablet. They are able to view what you are teaching (already great for those who are near-sighted but refuse to wear glasses or have forgotten their contacts) but it also offers more features such as polling, pop up quizzes and editing capabilities. Students create their own account which teachers can use to track learning progress and class participation. Impressive.

Scholarly Google is where all students should go for trusted sources. It is where you can find theses, published research, books and opinions from credentialed professionals.

Aurasma is an app that allows you to take an ordinary object and turn it into an animation. A teacher can turn his or her classroom into an animated and interactive place of learning.