Top Ten Tech Tools

Kahoot is an online quizzing game for students of all ages. Teachers and students can make quizzes for free on any topic they choose. They can also choose to play pre-made quizzes from the site. Kahoot is good for reviews, quizzes, and progress checks. Plus it's fun for everyone!

Google Expeditions is an augmented reality tool that takes students on field trips to anywhere they choose. This is a great tool for children that are visual learners and like to see things first-hand. With Google Expeditions, teachers can take their students to outer space, under the sea, and so much more without ever leaving their classroom. There are thousands of locations to choose from, and many of them even allow the students to interact with the environment. This will be useful in my future classroom because we will not be able to afford field trips to all the locations we learn about, but with Google Expeditions, we can take a virtual trip anytime we want.

Class Dojo is essentially a virtual classroom. Teachers add each of their students into the online class and are able to track their progress, give rewards, assign tasks, and keep in touch with parents. This tool builds a community between the class and parents and teaches students to be responsible and exhibit good behavior. Class Dojo will be great in my elementary classroom because the students will like to interact online and be able to show their parents how well they are doing by just going to the site.

Flipgrid is an online tool that allows teachers to pose questions to students and gives the students an opportunity to communicate their responses through videos. This can be very beneficial to students that cannot write well yet or are too shy to speak in front of the whole class. With Flipgrid, students can privately record their responses and share them with the class. This tool also allows the students to respond to each other, which can save the teacher time and allow the students to see more examples/strategies involved in solving a problem.

Hp Reveal attaches an augmented reality experience to the identity of a printed object. It uses a photo to trigger some sort of engagement once scanned, whether it be another photo, a video, or revealing an answer to a question. This is a fun and interactive tool that can be used for all grade levels. An Aura (the image that comes up after scanning) can be used on anything from coloring worksheets to complex math problems. Students and teachers can create auras and use them for just about any occasion: just for fun, class projects, and everything in between.

Spelling City is an online gaming site (and app) that allows students to learn in a fun and interactive way. There are a variety of games on spelling and vocabulary that encourage students to learn and have fun while doing it. Teachers can track their students' progress through the site as well. This tool would be great in an early elementary classroom where students are often motivated by gaming and enjoy a more "fun" approach to learning.

Book Creator is an online library for your class. Teachers and students can create their own books to add to the library and share with the class. There is an option to read the books aloud to the students as well as an option for them to narrate their own books. This is very helpful for lower level grades because their reading abilities may not be well developed yet and this can help them learn quicker. The library can also be shared with parents so they can track their child's progress as well. With a premium membership, students can collaborate with their classmates which is great for group projects.

Sketchboard is an online whiteboard. Students can work in teams or individually to create content on the board and share it with the class. There and many different formats to choose from depending on the assignment. There is also an option for students and teachers to comment on each other's work. Sketchboard s great for presentations since you can present straight from the site.

Brain Pop is a website that allows students to learn about a variety of subjects through games, videos, and quizzes. There are many different topics within each subject area, and they cover all the grade levels. There is also an option for students or teachers to create their own lesson within the site to teach the class. There is also a Jr. version for lower grade levels.

Nearpod is a powerpoint/slideshow program that allows the teacher to control what the students are seeing and when. The teacher is connected to the devices of all the students and displays the same thing on each of their screens. This also allows the teacher to ask questions and get answers in real time to see if anyone is struggling. This program is helpful in keeping students on track that are easily distracted and making sure no one falls behind.