We understand that many teachers want to use the latest technologies in schools, but it can be difficult to decide what's best to use. That's why we've pulled all of the best new sites and tools together into one place.
We're keen that education is pulled into the 21st Century, so check out these sites and give them a go today! If you have any more suggestions, let us know!
Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/
This is a fantastic tool which enables learners to tackle subjects at their own level and you to flip the classroom. By regularly testing users on their chosen subject, the program recollaborates the activities to be undertaken to make sure that students are always being challenged, whilst supporting them with explainer videos and top tips. You can easily monitor students in your classroom to track their progress. Best of all… it’s free to use!
Duolingo
https://www.duolingo.com/
Language learning made fun - any language teachers out there should be getting their children on Duolingo, as it’s a really fun, addictive way to learn languages. The range of languages is brilliant and the gamified approach means learners or all ages will love it - we’re hooked!
Mangahigh
https://www.mangahigh.com/en-gb/
This games-based learning platform, allows teachers to engage students in learning through interactive challenges. With a maths focus, this is one way that you can use technology to bring learning to life.
Educreations
Allowing you to record your voice and ipad screen, this tool allows you to create video tutorials and share them with your students, who can reply them at their own leisure. It means that they can catch up at home and take another look at topics they found more tricky. The free initial package is easily enough to get started with.
Socrative
http://www.socrative.com/
Okay, so this is an American platform, but the quiz functionality is just as applicable to UK-based teachers. Simply create your own quizes for students and get real-time feedback on how they are getting on. This is a great tool for the plenary (wrap up) section of your lesson, or even as the intro for a follow-on lesson, to check that students understood the learning you’re about to build on.
Quizlet
https://quizlet.com/
Similar to Socrative, Quizlet allows you to build your own quizes to test students’ knowledge - we really love the layout of the site for each section, which allows you to create flashcards and then play games on the back of the information you’ve created. I can see how this would become pretty addictive and could be a great revision tool.
Synap
Another quiz-based apprach is taken by UK-based Synap. Their algorithms means help users learn more in less time, by pulling out questions which are targeted at the gaps in their knowledge. It’s a clever system and a great cross-over between Khan Academy and Socrative or Quizlet.
Lumici Slate
http://lumici.co.uk/
We featured these guys recently in our EdTech companies to watch series - see (link). This is a great lesson creation, sharing and analytics tool, which can help you shed loads of time in planning! It also lets you work in teams and collaborate with other teachers. Created by a teacher, it’s well organised and another great tool.
Planboard
https://www.planboardapp.com/
A similar product is Planboard, which allows you to map out your week’s timetable and even a whole curriculum. It means that, rather than having tonnes of folders on a memory stick, you can order all of your lessons and resources, before sharing them with other teachers in your department - great stuff!
Edmodo
https://www.edmodo.com/
With intuitive features and unlimited storage, quickly create groups, assign homework, schedule quizzes, manage progress, and more. The Edmodo parent mobile apps make sure whatever you teach during the day gets reinforced at night.
Timetoast
http://www.timetoast.com/
This is a great way for your students to create their own timelines - a history teacher’s dream! Pupils can create their own account for free and then start creating a super-slick timeline, which allows them to get a visual understanding of the chronological events. Perfect!
Prezi
https://prezi.com/
Okay, so I’m a little biased here as I’m sure this got me a job at one point! Prezi adds the ‘Wow!’ to ‘Wow! That was a good presentation.’ Seriously, this really does make presentations look awesome, as new slides appear from zooming into an image or by spinning out of a word. Maybe it’s not one to use for every lesson, but if you’re looking to make a great impression at the start of a new topic, delivering a large assembly, or are just tired of watching fifteen dull Powerpoint presentations, get on it!
Glogster
http://edu.glogster.com/?ref=com
This is another wonderful presentation tool. This time, you can create interactive posters which embed videos, text and links to other websites. With an ipad app to go alongside it, this is an easy way to showcase pupils work and might be a nice one to leave out on parents’ evening.
Piktochart
https://piktochart.com/
This sit lets you or your students create your own infographics. They are another superb way of allowing students to demonstrate their understanding in a more interesting way and developing their ICT skills. You can also use them yourself to create great displays.
https://uk.pinterest.com/
Lots of us use Pinterest, but do you use it in the classroom? This is a great way to bring together a collection of inspiring images and share them with the class. Similarly, children can bring together things that inspire them and work collaboratively by creating boards. As a free site, why not give it a go?
Wordle
http://www.wordle.net/
Okay, so this one looks the most boring, but it is ace! Just paste a text and produce a word cloud - this is really useful for pulling out key themes in a piece, and starting to deconstruct texts with a literature class.
Powtoon
https://www.powtoon.com/home/
Kids will love this! Powtoon lets you or your students create your own videos - these can be explainer videos, or just crazy animations. They have plenty of templates which are really easy to edit and get started with. It’s free to use and another great way to liven up a project - give it a go!
QR Stuff
QR codes are the black and white squares which are popping up all over the place. This site allows you to create your own - when you scan them with a phone or tablet, you’ll then be taken to the website hooked up to that code. This is a great way to make your classroom interactive - you could add a code for Google Maps to a globe, a link to the local library on the bookcase, and basically turn your classroom into an interactive treasure hunt!
You’ll also need something like…
Scan
...which can be downloaded so your devices so they can read the codes. It takes a little setting up, but once you’re done, this can really bring technology into the classroom!
TED Ed
TED talks are awesome. Fact. But TED also allow you to create lessons, by pulling in a great video, matching it with quiz questions and even inviting discussion from your students. It’s a nice tool to be able to make the most of the best video content. Whatever you do, start checking out TED talks for something to inspire your older learners.
