by Imed Bouchrika, Phd
As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, approximately 1.5 billion students across the globe were forced to spend time away from their classrooms (Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, 2020). This expedited the digital transformation that has been occurring in education. Some of the most significant repercussions of COVID-19, which have highlighted the significance and urgency of adopting digital technology in education, are the closure of schools and the implementation of remote education and distance learning. Even before the epidemic, the education sector was well on its way to becoming fully digitized.
Digital transformation in the education sector implies upgrading its learning environment and administrative system by utilizing new technologies. It makes it possible to save on expenses while simultaneously addressing the ever-increasing needs of all the individuals involved in the education process. At the center of meeting these challenges are teachers, who are constantly faced with the ever-changing needs of students, parents, school administration, and their peers. Fortunately, there are numerous apps for teachers to use in the classroom that will also allow them to meet (and even exceed) the needs of modern learners. Below is a curated list of the most popular apps that teachers use in different aspects of their vocation.
In recent years, educators were finally given a chance to take a breather after going through a time of reactive action and a steep learning curve. The outcome? A strategy that is really holistic and emphasizes the positive aspects of educational technology (EdTech), such as individualized instruction, active participation, and interactive learning environments. It is one that is completely supported by classroom-based education and, most importantly, the health and happiness of students.
About 67% of educators and academic staff believe that training should be a priority when it comes to financing, which is a 37% increase from the year 2020 and the highest level seen in the last five years (Promethean, 2021). This includes new methods of teaching, usage of IT infrastructure, and apps used in the classroom.
Source: Promethean, 2021
Over the course of the last several years, the EdTech business has seen consistent development. But the previous years saw an extraordinary increase that cannot be compared to anything that came before it. The total amount of venture capital financing for educational technology throughout the world in 2019 was around $7 billion. By 2020, this amount had more than doubled and reached $16.1 billion (HolonIQ, 2021b). HolonIQ forecasts that the market for educational technology will reach $10 trillion by the year 2030, which is cause for optimism about the sector’s future as well as among educators (HolonIQ, 2021a).
After a struggle with student engagement for more than a year, as well as with hybrid learning and remote teaching, educators have come to the conclusion that social and emotional learning should be the top concern. They are now concentrating on reversing the effects that a year of seclusion and limited interaction has had by isolating staff and students even farther than they were before the outbreak. Therefore, there is a greater focus than ever before on working together, maintaining a safe environment, and providing assistance with the help of smart solutions.
As such, the entire education industry is taking note of technology and how it can transform both the teacher and student experience in the classroom. Up to 22% of schools report that they do not have an IT plan, despite the fact that technology is becoming a strategic priority for slightly more than half of the schools (Promethean, 2021).
Source: Promethean, 2021
A significant number of educational institutions continue to place a strategic emphasis on using technology, but not enough. There is still a two-tiered environment in terms of technology, with half of the schools moving forward by using the best tutoring software, classroom management tools, communication systems, and other forms of EdTech to enhance learning outcomes while the other half runs the danger of halting the progress of contemporary teaching.
It is common knowledge that using technology in the classroom is an excellent approach to increasing both students’ and teachers’ levels of productivity. It is also considered an essential component of one’s day-to-day life, and as such, it needs to be included in educational activities.
Remote teaching and learning software serves instructors and students most effectively at home, but educators are always looking for new ways to innovate with technology wherever they can. Over the last year, there has been an improvement in technological confidence; nonetheless, time and skills continue to be barriers for individuals.
The majority of teachers say that improving communication and working together is the most important goal that can be accomplished via technology (40%). In the preceding five years, at no other point has it been placed such a high priority on the agenda as it is right now. Forty percent of educators feel that technology improves behavior, which is almost 10% more than the percentage who held this belief a year ago. This might be because technology has the capacity to engage students and enable more effective teaching and learning.
According to 71% of educators, technology is an essential component in the decision-making process at the highest levels. 39% also believe that some technologies are significant, while 32% believe that technology is necessary for achieving strategic objectives such as achievement, performance, and outcomes. Despite this, over half of all teachers (46%) admit that they have trouble making the most of their technological resources. Teachers who do not get enough training may have feelings of being overburdened and unsupported.
ClassDojo is an online learning software that facilitates community-based learning by providing a place for educators, students, and parents to work together and develop a network together. Teachers and parents use it to communicate, but it may also be used to foster a great classroom atmosphere, practice good classroom management, and provide students with a digital portfolio where they can display their work. ClassDojo gives educators the ability to communicate with parents in an anonymous or “public” setting (within their classroom) on classroom happenings and announcements.
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HP Classroom Manager enables teachers to easily manage their classrooms, collaborate with their students, and conduct assessments in real-time. It gives teachers the tools they need to redesign the classroom by using technology and embracing flexibility. It allows them to build a collaborative learning environment as well as monitor student activities, assess progress and give supportive feedback. Teachers are able to offer evaluations to determine students’ levels of comprehension as well as analyze their work in real-time.
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Edmodo is a powerful teaching and class management software that integrates instructional content, secure collaboration, and evaluation in one convenient location. Students are also able to speak with one another in a safe setting, thanks to this feature. Learners and their parents are able to get timely replies to concerns, as well as remain up to speed on the newest class assignments and activities when they make use of the student planner and the discussion threads.
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PlanbookEdu is a web-based application that teachers can use to organize their lectures, lessons, and curricular requirements. During the process of setting up their Planbooks, instructors have the ability to identify the number of periods they have in a day as well as the standards they want to implement, such as Common Core, NETS, or State Standards. Planbooks are shown as clickable calendars; to access the planner for a specific week, just choose the week from any given month and click on it. Its user interface is quite similar to that of other web-based calendars, but it has additional features such as the capacity to upload files and connect events to certain criteria.
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Evernote is a software that can be used for a variety of purposes, including archiving, organizing, managing tasks, and taking notes. Teachers can use Evernote to collect and organize material for the preparation of lesson plans, as well as create new notes and sync them across all devices. They are able to manage their to-do lists, optimize their teaching process, and get more done in less time by creating tasks inside of their notes. In addition to searching by names, dates, and keywords, educators may look up text embedded in images as well. It is not difficult to locate the material that is buried deep inside PDFs, handwritten notes, or other sources, regardless of how simple or complicated the search may be.
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Users who have experience with previous whiteboard applications will find that LiveBoard is quite easy to use. It has a toolbar that allows users to draw, make shapes, type text, add equations, and import pictures and PDFs. In addition, there is a helpful undo tool, an eraser, and a pointer for use during live instruction. The instructor has the option to either record presentations or teach live by establishing a whiteboard session that includes voice dialogue and chats. In addition, participants may annotate live or point at the screen to provide feedback.
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IPEVO Annotator is an interactive whiteboard program that allows teachers to annotate and write on images that are projected onto the screen using a variety of sophisticated tools, such as a ruler, scissors, magnifying lens, and protractor, among others. Users have the ability to add, remove, import, and export whiteboards in a variety of formats, including JPEG and PDF. IPEVO Annotator has several useful capabilities, some of which include collaboration, screen recording, a digital canvas, and diagramming.
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Zoom provides capabilities that may make the lives of administrators and educators simpler, assist teachers in improving instruction, and provide a safer and more integrated learning environment for kids. Educators may now conduct instruction via online and hybrid platforms, improve student engagement through more meaningful virtual experiences, and broaden access to educational opportunities. Using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning technologies may also improve learning experiences and boost student engagement.
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Google Meet provides a connection to the educational community via the use of video for a variety of purposes, including classroom instruction, parent-teacher conferences, and professional development. Meet, which is a component of Google Workspace for Education, connects very well with other Google products, including Classroom, Slides, Docs, and Gmail. Simply clicking “meet” without the need for any additional plugins or downloads enables both instructors and students to join calls from any location and use any device. The platform gives teachers the ability to efficiently conduct their lessons in a more secure setting for students to study.
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Lessonspace is an online classroom that allows instructors and students to see and hear each other via video while collaborating in a shared workspace. This workspace includes digital whiteboards, shared document and code editors, and the ability to share digital whiteboards. For visual instruction on an infinite number of whiteboards, educators have access to a choice of multiplayer game tools that are each tailored to a particular topic. They have the option of either directly importing items from the asset library or uploading their own spreadsheets, photos, or documents for annotation purposes.
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In its most basic form, Google Slides is a tool for creating presentations. It gives users the option of starting with a clean slate or using pre-designed templates for creating aesthetically appealing and interesting presentations. It achieves this while making it incredibly straightforward and intuitive to use, even for someone who has never used presentation software before. Once a presentation has been created, it can be immediately sent to students by means of a simple link that may be transmitted on any communication channel, ranging from email to text message. The capability to lock access is a useful security feature that can be put to good use when educators want students to see their work but not make any changes to it.
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Prezi is a feature-rich online presentation suite that seeks to allow anybody, even those without in-depth understanding of design and associated techniques, to make attractive presentations. The platform is accessible to users via a web browser. It comes with a variety of complex features that can assist teachers in doing pretty much whatever they want with their presentation, and it does not take a lot of time to become used to how everything works in the program. Prezi was developed from the ground up with the intention of eliminating as many of the conventional limits imposed by web applications as possible, with the end result being that users would be able to make spectacular, rich presentations with a minimum of work and design expertise.
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Visme is a one-stop-shop that makes it possible for schools and instructors to create high-quality visual assets, such as storyboards, infographics, slideshow presentations, and more. It belongs to a new group of services that mix elements often found in presentation software with programs built for teamwork. Because the platform comes with a large number of templates and access to a large number of stock pictures, it is easy enough for individuals who are not designers to use the app and yet get satisfactory results.
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Curiscope‘s award-winning teaching tools immerse learners in the wonders of science and make them memorable, interesting, and approachable for all students. Students are able to study the human body while actually wearing a human body, thanks to a product called the Virtuali-Tee. This product is a combination of a t-shirt and a free application. On the other hand, Multiverse Posters are a combination of a poster and free software that enables kids to learn about the marvels of the solar system without having to leave the comfort of their classroom.
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Thinglink is a platform for educational technology that has won several accolades, and it makes it simple to add supplementary information and connections to photographs, videos, and virtual tours. It provides a straightforward method for the production of audio-visual educational resources that may be accessed via an integrated reading tool. The platform assists students in becoming proficient in the use of different types of media to express themselves both in and out of the classroom. It is perfect for educational institutions that predominantly employ tablets, as well as for developing interactive projects outside of the classroom.
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Socrative is a web-based interactive student response system (now accessible as an application for iOS, Android, and Chrome) that helps instructors generate dialogue and learning via user-created polls and quizzes. It is also available to students to use on their own. Students are able to access questions by entering a Room code, and their replies are instantly registered on the teacher’s computer as soon as the students submit them on almost any device. After all of the students have replied, the “How did we do?” button will allow the instructors to view the results. Teachers are able to build quizzes, quick questions, and exit slips that allow for multiple-choice, true-or-false, and one-sentence-answer questions. These questions can be scored, and the teachers can provide feedback to each student.
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Kahoot! is a quiz platform that is hosted in the cloud and is perfect for use by both students and instructors. Because the game-based platform enables users to generate new tests from scratch, it is feasible to be inventive and provide students with individualized educational opportunities. Anyone may access the platform’s 40 million pre-made games, making it fast and simple to get started. Ideal for hybrid or remote learning when both time and resources are at a premium.
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ZipGrade is a combined software and service that allows instructors to print bespoke bubble (multiple choice) sheets, scan responses with a phone (or tablet), and download the results. It takes just a few seconds, rather than many minutes, for instructors to scan and evaluate student examinations using this technology. Each device connected to the same account is able to get the assessment findings and extra reporting, and analytics in real-time.
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ThinkWave is a cloud-based gradebook and classroom management application for educators. During the registration process, users will go through a few stages that will let them configure their calendar, grading options, assignment categories, and category rankings. Teachers have the ability to manually add students to courses or to upload them from CSV files and then provide them with a link to a page that contains a login code. When a student registers, he or she is asked for an email address, a username, and a password. Teachers are able to assign material, attach files, check student submissions, manage attendance, send notes, and more from one central location.
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Crowdmark is a cloud-based technology that assists instructors and assessment teams with the logistical issues of large-scale paper-based grading. While teachers can access the papers students have submitted digitally from any device, students can still bring in work written by hand, thanks to the system. Crowdmark assists teachers in making the process of grading more manageable by making the grading process more collaborative. Students are able to examine not only their grades but also any comments or annotations that were made by the teacher while grading the assignment.
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The promise of personalized instruction that can be delivered on a large scale has been a significant contributor to the rise of EdTech. There is no one right method to study, no one right way to engage with students and teachers, and no one right way to feel about the same topics in general because there is no one right approach. Everyone progresses through the learning process at their own speed and in their own unique way. EdTech technologies make it simpler for educators to develop tailored lesson plans and learning experiences that cultivate a feeling of inclusiveness and increase the learning capacity of all students, irrespective of the students’ ages or previous levels of academic achievement.
Many educators see educational technology as a tool that can help them build more effective teaching strategies while also saving them time in classroom management. They put in numerous hours of work in an effort to evaluate pupils’ existing abilities as well as potential growth areas. All of it may be improved by educational technology. There are presently a wide variety of tools, data platforms, and applications that continuously evaluate a student’s abilities and requirements and then communicate this information to the relevant educator. The apps listed above are some of the most popular in the market, and each one is designed to address specific needs in the classroom. With the growing innovations in artificial intelligence, robots, mixed reality, and more, we may be poised to experience education in a whole new way.
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by Imed Bouchrika, Phd
by Imed Bouchrika, Phd
by Imed Bouchrika, Phd
