How teachers use technology in the classroom

 

We all know there is an app or a tool for just about anything you can think of and that certainly applies for the world of education. Time and time again I have wondered if there was an app for a specific dilemma I was experiencing or a tool to simplify a process, and each time I was able to find one that solved my problems and made my life just a tad bit easier.

Top tech tools for the classroom

What is more exciting than an app or a tool that can make a teacher's day a little bit easier? We have compiled a list of top tech tools that will add value to the classroom.

Interactive parent-teacher conferences

• ClassDojo
  ClassDojo is a great interactive tool that tracks student behavior and performance. It captures and generates data on behavior that teachers can share with parents, offering a personalized experience for students and their families. There are benefits for everyone involved. For teachers, ClassDojo aims to reduce the time they spend in the classrooms managing behavior so that they can focus more on teaching the curriculum at hand. For students, being able to visualize data on their own behavior and being positively reinforced for their actions will help students develop a sense of purpose in the classroom. For parents, they receive real-time data from teachers regarding their child's daily behavior and development. It's a win-win-win for everyone and the best thing about this app is the connection and open communication created between teachers, students, and parents.
• Remind
  Remind's vision is to connect every teacher, student, and parent in the world to improve education by creating a safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents. In addition to text messages, teachers can send photos, documents, presentations and PDFs to help facilitate collaborative communication.
• Snagit
  Snagit by TechSmith provides a free and simple way to start sharing images and videos of your computer screen. Once a screenshot or screencast is taken, teachers can add notes, arrows, colors and more before saving and printing it out to share with students.
• PowerSchool
  This web-based tool allows teachers to track attendance, grades and more for parents and students to see at home.

Innovating in-class instruction

• Socrative
  This educational tool allows teachers to quickly assess student learning and increase classroom engagement through exercises and games. Students provide feedback in real-time so educators can provide individualized instruction. This is a valuable and interactive way to better gauge the class' current level of understanding while encouraging students to be involved in the creation of their curriculum.
• Prezi
  Prezi is a tool that is a great alternative to PowerPoint. This tool allows educators to teach with visually stimulating presentations and gives them the ability to zoom in and out to emphasize important ideas and concepts. This will help with keeping students engaged and focused.
• Discovery Education
  Everyone loves field trips. But not every school and class has the opportunity to arrange travel, coordinate group rates and other logistics. The solution? Virtual field trips! No permission slips required! These virtual events let educators take students to amazing places and give them remarkable experiences, without ever leaving the classroom.

Redefining the term "Homework"

• ShowMe
  This app allows teachers to turn iPads into portable and interactive whiteboards with the capability to record voice-over tutorials and share them online. Students can access the whiteboards after school for increased learning. It's perfect for a flipped classroom model. 
• StudyBlue
  A great studying tool for students to take notes and prepare for exams by making online flashcards. Students can also connect with others through a shared library of user-generated content.
• Evernote
  Evernote is a comprehensive tool to capture, categorize, and remember information using a computer or mobile devices. Students can save thoughts, videos, tutorials, web pages, take notes, and collaborate with others on projects and assignments. This is an easy way for both students and teachers to stay organized and be efficient.

Professional development for educators

As an educator, you're constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve your teaching style and methods. In addition to these helpful tech-tools, you may want to consider advancing your education to boost your earning potential. University of Massachusetts Global offers multiple master's degrees and professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers, administrators and staff. Explore its School of Education programs and check out our free monthly webinars designed to help teachers and educational leaders keep up with the latest industry topics.