Teaching is a gratifying profession, but it can also be overwhelmingly stressful. After a long day of engaging with students and managing classroom dynamics, the last thing you want to do is head home to grade assignments, especially if they’re lengthy essays. Not only does this tedious task eat away at your time, but it can also be challenging to tackle, as you must create a rubric, read each paper thoroughly, and take notes to provide meaningful feedback. Thankfully, there are now artificial intelligence tools that can help ease your workload and make grading a more enjoyable task. In this blog, we'll explore apps for teachers that will save you time, reduce stress, and allow you to focus more on teaching rather than administrative tasks. These AI in the classroom tools help you lead a more organized, efficient, and enjoyable workday.
One of the most effective apps for teachers to help achieve these goals is EssayGrader.ai. This grading software for teachers uses artificial intelligence to help educators quickly assess and evaluate student writing while providing personalized feedback.
What Is EdTech, And Why Is It Important?
EdTech, or education technology, is the practice of introducing information and communication technology tools into the classroom to create more:
- Engaging
- Inclusive
- Individualized learning experiences
Today’s classrooms have moved beyond the clunky desktop computers that were once the norm. Classrooms are now tech-infused with tablets, interactive online courses, and even robots that can take notes and record lectures for absent students.
What EdTech Does for Classrooms?
The influx of tech tools is changing classrooms in various ways. EdTech robots, virtual reality lessons, and gamified classroom activities make it easier for students to stay engaged through fun forms of learning. Ed-tech IoT devices are hailed for their ability to create digital classrooms for students, whether they’re physically in school, on the bus, or at home.
Even machine learning and blockchain tools are assisting teachers with grading tests and holding students accountable for homework.
Why Is EdTech Important?
The potential for scalable individualized learning has played an important role in the EdTech industry’s ascendance. The way we learn, interact with classmates and teachers, and enthusiasm for the same subjects is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Everyone learns:
- At their own pace
- In their style
EdTech tools make it easier for teachers to create individualized lesson plans and learning experiences that foster inclusivity and boost the learning capabilities of all students, regardless of their age or learning abilities.
Tech Integration Benefits
Technology in the classroom is here to stay. In a 2018 study, 86 percent of eighth-grade teachers agreed that using technology to teach students is essential. 75 percent of the study’s teachers said technology improved students' academic performance.
For that reason, many would argue that it’s vital to understand the benefits of EdTech, which include increased communication, collaboration, and overall quality of education.
How AI is Transforming the Educational Technology Industry
Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work and learn. In education, AI offers exciting new avenues for learners of all ages. Companies specializing in educational technology now offer courses on artificial intelligence, customizing learning experiences to individual needs.
A study published in 2021 in the journal Educational Researcher discovered that incorporating AI-driven gamified learning experiences could lead to a remarkable increase in:
- Student engagement
- Motivation
AI-Driven Engagement
The study found that students were significantly more engaged and motivated using these AI-powered tools. In 2020, the International Society for Technology in Education conducted a survey revealing the effectiveness of AI-powered language learning tools in personalizing instruction for students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles.
This personalization promotes equity in education by ensuring all students receive customized support to meet their needs. According to a 2023 report by GlobalData, the EdTech market driven by AI advancement is projected to reach a staggering value of $535 billion by 2030. This forecast underscores the substantial role AI is expected to play in shaping the future of education, indicating a significant shift towards AI-driven educational technology.
Digital Learning Landscape
The development of AI-powered educational software has revamped traditional learning techniques, offering:
- Mobile digital courses
- Online resources
- Virtual classrooms
As more EdTech firms embrace AI, discussing the potential applications and advantages of AI-driven educational app development is essential.
Personalization Reigns Supreme: AI and Personalized Learning
With AI, students can enjoy highly personalized learning experiences that cater to their individual:
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
AI achieves this level of customization by analyzing data on student performance in real time to identify specific areas of improvement. Imagine a student named Jason who is learning algebra. As Jason completes his assignments, an AI-enabled program evaluates his performance and quickly determines that he struggles with linear equations.
Personalized Learning
Rather than waiting for the next human instructor to identify his difficulties, which could take days or weeks, the system immediately detects Jason’s issues and starts personalizing his learning path. The program might even create a new module specifically designed to help Jason master linear equations before he moves on to other concepts within algebra.
This kind of immediate feedback and intervention can help students like Jason avoid frustration and prevent him from falling further behind. Instead, he can get the help he needs right away to continue progressing in his learning.
Predictive Analytics: A Proactive Approach to Education
AI’s integration into educational technology has revolutionized how student data is analyzed and utilized. Powered by AI algorithms, predictive analytics allows educators to gain deep insights into students’ learning patterns and behaviors. AI can identify potential areas where students might struggle by examining various data points such as academic performance, attendance records, engagement levels, and social interactions within learning platforms.
Predictive Intervention
Predictive analytics in EdTech enables educators to anticipate challenges before they arise, providing an opportunity for proactive intervention. AI algorithms can detect trends indicating a student’s declining performance in a subject or concept. With this information, teachers can offer personalized support, such as:
- Additional resources
- Targeted interventions
- Adaptive learning pathways tailored to address specific learning needs
Predictive analytics can facilitate early identification of at-risk students, enabling educators to implement timely interventions to prevent academic setbacks. By leveraging AI-driven insights, schools, and educational institutions can:
- Optimize resource allocation
- Allocate support services efficiently
- Improve student outcomes
AI for Students with Disabilities: Creating a More Inclusive Learning Environment
AI-powered tools have significantly enhanced accessibility and inclusivity in education by providing tailored support for students with disabilities. One of the most impactful applications of AI in this regard is through assistive technologies such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text conversion. Text-to-speech (TTS) technology enables students with visual impairments or reading difficulties to access written content more effectively.
AI algorithms can convert text-based educational materials, including textbooks, articles, and digital documents, into the spoken language in real-time. This allows students to listen to the content, overcoming barriers associated with traditional text-based learning materials. Conversely, speech-to-text (STT) technology empowers students with speech impairments or writing challenges to express themselves more easily.
Inclusive Learning
AI-driven speech recognition algorithms transcribe spoken language into text, allowing students to verbally dictate their thoughts, answers, or assignments. This enables students to:
- Participate actively in classroom discussions
- Complete written assignments
- Engage with digital learning platforms more independently
AI-driven adaptive learning platforms can customize the learning experience to accommodate diverse learning styles and preferences, including those of students with disabilities. These platforms use machine learning algorithms to adapt content delivery, pace, and difficulty levels based on individual student performance and feedback. This ensures a personalized and inclusive learning environment for all students.
Inclusive Education
AI-enabled support tools hold tremendous potential to level the playing field for students with disabilities, empowering them to engage in the learning process and achieve academic success. By leveraging AI technology, educational institutions can foster greater inclusivity and ensure all students have equal access to quality education.
What Is AI? Why Is It Important in Education?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest and most innovative technology that allows machines to understand concepts. Like humans, AI is learning and evolving. Unlike traditional algorithms, AI can process data dynamically. AI is being adopted in every sector, and the education sector is no exception. AI in the larger education market will be worth US$2.9 billion by 2022 and is expected to grow by 43.8% between 2023 and 2029.
The integrated EdTech tool works better than the normal one. Many of us think that AI is just a part of today’s robotics, but AI has touched every aspect of our daily lives. AI-powered tools are transforming the EdTech industry, enabling more personalized, adaptive, and efficient student learning experiences while providing valuable tools and insight to teachers and administrators. Here are a few examples of AI-powered tools that most of us use daily:
- Personalized Advertising: AI algorithms understand browsing patterns and tailor user recommendations.
- AI Support: AI-driven auto paper verification.
Types of Descriptive Response Analysis Generative
AI research for student testing With AI being here and an active part of EdTech and learning, we are looking more and more at what AI as EdTech can put into learning and education again. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the education technology (EdTech) industry has ushered in a new era of learning innovation, presenting:
- Significant advantages
- Notable challenges
As AI-powered tools and applications become increasingly prevalent in educational settings, educators, students, and stakeholders face myriad opportunities and considerations. The introduction explores the multifaceted nature of AI in EdTech by examining its:
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
AI Landscape
By investigating AI's potential benefits in facilitating personalized learning experiences, optimizing educational outcomes, and fostering accessibility, we gain insights into how AI is reshaping the academic landscape. It is essential to acknowledge its drawbacks and limitations, including concerns related to:
- Privacy
- Bias
- Humanization of learning experiences
By critically evaluating AI's advantages and disadvantages in EdTech, we can better navigate its complexities in education, harness its transformative potential, and mitigate associated risks.
Related Reading
- Different Grading Systems
- How Do Teachers Grade
- LMS Gradebook
- Evidence Based Grading
- Technology In The Classroom
- Constructive Criticism Examples For Students
- Digital Gradebook
- Education Workflow Automation
- Grading Software For Teachers
8 Types of EdTech Apps Teachers Use to Teach
1. Learning Management Systems: The Classrooms of the Future
Learning Management Systems assist schools in:
- Managing
- Organizing
- Providing online education
LMS Tools
They help instructors:
- Create
- Distribute
- Monitor classroom lessons
- Assignments
- Assessments
There are several popular Learning Management Systems available today.
2. Adaptive Learning Apps: Personalized Learning at Its Best
Adaptive learning apps employ AI and Machine Learning to personalize learning for each learner. Adaptive learning is very effective for English-language learners.
Because these applications adjust information, speed, and difficulty depending on student performance, they let students learn at their own pace.
3. Language Learning Apps: The Digital Language Tutors
Many tools and resources in these programs assist individuals in learning and practicing languages. This category includes:
- Quizzes
- Speech guides
- Live courses
4. Study Aid Apps: Your Digital Study Buddies
Study aid programs may help students study by providing resources and tools. The bundle may include:
- Notes
- Practice exams
- Organizational tools like plans and calendars
5. Skill Development Apps: Master a New Talent
Skill development software for coding, music, and art may teach particular talents. These applications provide learning aids and practice challenges specific to your talent or topic. They are accessible to everyone.
6. Assessment and Testing Apps: A Teacher's Best Friend
Evaluation and testing tools assist teachers in the following:
- Creating
- Administering
- Grading student assessments
They also provide students with facts and comments to help instructors identify their strengths and weaknesses.
7. AR and VR Applications: Learning Beyond the Textbook
AR and VR applications make learning more exciting. They blend digital content with the user's environment, making them better than conventional learning tools. They also provide enjoyable and helpful exercises.
8. Gamified Learning Apps: The Fun Side of Learning
Gamified learning applications employ game design to make learning more entertaining and engaging. They often include:
- Leaderboards
- Badges
- Point systems to keep players competitive and motivated
Fast Grading with EssayGrader
Save 95% of your time grading school work with our tool to get high-quality, specific, and accurate writing feedback for essays in seconds with EssayGrader's grading software for teachers. Get started for free today!
5 Benefits of Apps for Teachers
1. Improved Learning Outcomes: How EdTech Apps Help Students Succeed
Educational technology may improve academic achievement and teach lifetime skills. It offers educational applications and websites for students to:
- Find information for their classes
- Learn new things
- Get better at learning
Enjoyable Learning
These technologies make learning enjoyable for students via:
- Films
- Games
- Examinations
They also give pupils quick feedback on their performance and areas for improvement. Students can understand complex topics and love studying using technology in the classroom.
2. Customizable Teaching Methods: Use EdTech Apps to Personalize Education
Educational technology's ability to meet each student's requirements is appealing. Custom EdTech solutions use:
- Machine Learning
- AI
- Data-driven algorithms
These technologies simplify personalized learning programs by considering each student's:
- Skills
- Limitations
- Interests
- Learning styles
Personalized Learning
With this tailored approach, students will obtain the most relevant and interesting content, which will help them learn and remember more easily.
3. Cost Saving: Reduce Education Costs with EdTech Applications
Schools, instructors, students, and parents may save money using EdTech apps. The primary advantage is that they need less space and resources, lowering maintenance expenses. They use digital resources instead of expensive textbooks to save money over time.
Cost Reduction
These programs' computerized features simplify instructor management and save time, which is another benefit. Instructors and students may check their assignments from home, minimizing their travel and housing expenses.
The last factor in lowering school costs is that these applications may expand with users without spending much. Educational institutions may maximize their resources by hiring an EdTech app development company.
4. Boost Teacher Productivity: Increase Efficiency With Educational Technology
Educational technology gives instructors additional control in their day-to-day. These tools:
- Simplify teaching creation
- Allow more time for everyday activities
- Provide access to student performance data
This lets instructors concentrate on teaching and student growth.
Enhanced Collaboration
Educational apps emphasize:
- Communication
- Collaboration
Teachers may discuss, exchange resources, and share ideas in class. This boosts:
- Productivity
- Career advancement
5. Diversified Content: Access a Wealth of Resources with EdTech Apps
One can’t deny that there is a ton of stuff online. The same goes for the choices that people have when it comes to selecting their preferred platforms. Since there is such a wide variety of content, it is easy for people to access it anytime they want.
They are free to make their own decisions. They can also persuade a sizable population of individuals from around the globe to visit it for various topics or problems.
Stand Out
This is where you can stand out from the crowd because such a wide range of information is available. Your app can be innovative, and your content can be distinctive.
Well, one of the best ways to do this is to use the most recent frameworks and programming language that best suits your educational or learning app and maximizes the appearance of the generated app.
61 Top-Rated Apps for Teachers to Simplify Your Workday
1. EssayGrader
EssayGrader is the most accurate AI grading platform trusted by 60,000+ educators worldwide. On average, it takes a teacher 10 minutes to grade a single essay, but with EssayGrader, that time is cut down to 30 seconds. That's a 95% reduction in the time it takes to grade an essay, with the same results.
With EssayGrader, Teachers can:
- Replicate their grading rubrics (so AI doesn't have to do the guesswork to set the grading criteria)
- Setup fully custom rubrics
- Grade essays by class
- Bulk upload of essays
- Use our AI detector to catch essays written by AI
- Summarize essays with our essay summarizer
Teacher Trust
Our AI tool helps primary school, high school, and college professors grade their students' essays. On our platform, 60,000+ teachers graded over half a million essays. Save 95% of your time grading school work with our tool to get high-quality, specific, and accurate writing feedback for essays in seconds with EssayGrader's grading software for teachers. Get started for free today!
2. Classpoint: A Classy Tool for PowerPoint Presentations
ClassPoint is an interactive all-in-one teaching tool made for educators, integrated seamlessly with Microsoft PowerPoint. ClassPoint elevates PowerPoint presentations through:
- Annotation and presentation features
- Interactive audience quizzes
- Advanced gamification system, all without the need for student devices
You can also get AI-generated questions in PowerPoint in a few clicks!
3. Parlay Genie: Give Discussions a New Life with This Platform
Parlay Genie is an interactive classroom discussion platform that facilitates structured discussions by providing:
- Discussion prompts
- Real-time tracking of student participation
Using this platform, educators can assess student contributions and seamlessly integrate discussions into their curriculum, promoting critical thinking in the classroom.
4. Remind: Improve Communication and Boost Student Success
Remind is a communication app for teachers that simplifies communication by allowing them to send messages, announcements, and reminders to students and parents without sharing personal contact information.
It streamlines communication, enhances engagement, and supports efficient information sharing within educational settings.
5. Class Dojo: Foster a Positive Classroom Environment with This App
ClassDojo is a classroom management and communication app for teachers to help create a positive classroom environment by reinforcing desired behaviors through a point-based reward system.
Teachers can award or deduct points, communicate with parents, and engage students in real time to promote a constructive learning atmosphere.
6. Flip: Flip Is the Perfect Tool for Encouraging Student Voice in the Classroom
Flip (formerly FlipGrid) is a video discussion platform that encourages student voice and collaboration by allowing students to respond to prompts with short video recordings.
You can create discussion topics or questions, and your students respond in video format, fostering:
- Engagement
- Communication
- Reflective learning in both virtual and in-person classrooms
7. SeeSaw: A Digital Portfolio for Young Students
SeeSaw is not your run-of-the-mill teacher app; it is a digital portfolio and parent communication platform for younger students. It provides them with a place to create and share digital work, like:
- Images
- Videos
- Drawings
- Documents, with teachers and parents
8. Prodigy: An Engaging Tool for Learning Math
Prodigy is an educational game platform designed to make learning math more engaging and fun for students. It offers:
- Interactive math games
- Assessments
A personalized learning experience that adapts to each student’s skill level, helping them build math proficiency in a fun and engaging way.
9. Evernote: A Versatile Note-Taking App for Teachers and Students
Evernote is a versatile note-taking and organization app that helps students and teachers:
- Capture
- Organize
- Share information across devices
It allows students and teachers to create digital notebooks, store various types of content, and provides tools for:
- Document scanning
- Handwriting recognition
- Seamless collaboration
10. Canva: Create Eye-Catching Visuals with This Design Tool
Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform that empowers teachers to create visually appealing graphics, presentations, and documents without needing advanced design skills.
It offers a wide range of design templates, intuitive drag-and-drop tools, and an extensive library of visual assets to facilitate the creation of professional-quality visuals.
11. Khan Academy: A Free Online Learning Tool for Students
Khan Academy is an online educational platform that provides a vast library of instructional videos and interactive practice exercises spanning a wide range of:
- Subjects
- Grade levels
Students can access free, high-quality educational content, track their progress, and receive personalized recommendations to enhance their understanding on various topics.
12. Socratic: An AI Tool for Students to Use for Homework Help
Socratic is an AI-powered homework assistance app that helps students with their homework and studies. They can take a photo of a question or type it in, and the app provides visual step-by-step explanations, answers, and additional resources, making it a valuable tool for independent learning.
13. Animoto: Easily Create Videos with This App
Animoto is a video creation platform allowing you to easily produce professional-quality videos and slideshows. It:
- Operates through a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface
- Offers customizable templates and music options
- It is suitable for various purposes, including presentations, marketing, and storytelling for teachers and students.
14. Book Creator: Create Interactive E-Books
Book Creator is a digital book creation platform that enables teachers and students to:
- Design
- Publish interactive e-books
Easily create multimedia-rich books by adding:
- Text
- Images
- Videos
- Audio elements fostering creativity, digital literacy, and collaborative content creation
15. EdSurge: Stay Up-to-Date with Education News
With this teacher app, you can stay up-to-date with education news. EdSurge is an educational technology news and resource website that provides educators with insights into the latest trends, tools, and practices in education technology.
It serves as a valuable platform for staying informed about advancements in educational technology.
16. Google Classroom: A Free Learning Management System
Google Classroom is a free online learning app for teachers and students designed to simplify:
- Communication
- Collaboration
It acts as a central hub for:
- Creating
- Distributing
- Grading assignments, fostering a paperless and organized learning environment
17. ClassCraft: Gamify Your Classroom with ClassCraft
ClassCraft stands out among teacher apps by transforming your classroom into a captivating world where students:
- Embark on quests
- Level up their characters
- Earn points for mastering concepts and demonstrating positive behaviors
This gamified approach taps into students’ natural desire for competition and achievement, fostering a more:
- Engaging
- Productive learning environment
18. iDoceo: The All-in-One App for Teachers
We’ve heard from teachers that they want one app for everything:
- A planner
- Diary
- Schedule
- Grade-book
- Seating plan configurator
Many teachers have started using iDoceo. Offering the ability to keep attendance, plan seating, manage grades, and create reports, the app brands itself as an all-in-one solution for teachers’ everyday needs. From what we’ve seen, this claim is complex to argue with.
19. Kahoot: Make Learning Fun with Games
Gamified Quizzes
Teachers have long used the strategy of making learning into a game to engage students. Kahoot has promised to bring this game-based learning experience to classrooms in an accessible and interactive format. Teachers can quickly create a quiz and test their students in real time.
From our testing, the app performs well with students of all ages, with up to 2000 learners taking part in the quizzes at a time.
20. Groovy Grader: The Best Grading App Around
There are many grading apps out there today, but we think Groovy Grader has them beat. Unlike other apps designed to replace teachers' old paper grading, Groovy Grader allows you to view 50 or more grades on one screen.
You don't have to touch the tablet or scroll to look for the most common grades; everything is right in front of your eyes. We were particularly impressed by the app's responsiveness when used under demanding conditions.
21. Klassly: A Do-It-All App for Teachers
Klassly is one of those do-it-all apps teachers can use for just about anything. You can post polls, videos, pictures, updates, chat privately or in a group even request signatures from parents.
Extra Features
Other great features we liked were the videoconferencing features, the ability to design and share:
- Photobooks and yearbooks
- Instant, on-the-spot translations
The app also features a well-thought-through calendar with an appointment organizer, so you won’t miss a meeting with a parent again.
22. Freckle: A Personalized Learning App for Students
One of the best things about Freckle is its ability to customize students’ level of work. Students get personalized:
- Math
- ELA
- Science
- Social Studies lessons
Our team of testers were impressed with the size of curriculum (over 49,000 math questions and 16,000 ELA questions) and accessible pre-test that means every student starts at the right level. While the app isn’t very accessible for younger users (in the first years in elementary school), we think it's perfect for students in middle and high school.
23. Additio: A Versatile Grade-Tracking App
Nowadays, a lot of lesson planners don’t integrate with other tools that teachers use. Whether it’s syncing your data with Moodle or exporting attendance to Excel – teachers are often left stuck in a bind. This is where Additio comes in. The app doesn’t only:
- Manage student assessment
- Plan lessons
- Communicate with students
Platform Integration
It can import or export things like grades and support materials to whatever platform your school uses, like:
- Microsoft for Education
- Excel
- Google Classroom
You’ll also be able to communicate with parents and families directly from the app. We particularly liked the custom templates that are available, great for planning curriculum units and lessons.
24. Padlet: An Interactive, Visual Collaboration Tool
When the developers of Padlet told us the app was like paper for your screen – we wanted to put their claim to the test. What we found was this might even be an understatement. Not only can you write notes and text posts on the app, but you can:
- Upload videos
- Take photos
- Upload animations and documents right from the internet
Content Sharing
You can then share this unique content on an e-learning platform like Moodle or PowerPoint. Students can even use the platform to create work themselves. Our testing team was particularly impressed with the intuitive user inference and the fast feel of the app – and the content we were able to make was very beautiful.
The app is free to try out, with prices going up to $ 1000 a year for entire school and district-wide deployments.
25. Mentimeter: A Fun Way to Engage Your Class
Mentimeter allows you to take real-time polls, ask questions, get feedback, and connect with your class as students learn. Whether you’d like to quiz students on a history assignment or create an exciting ice breaker to start a lesson, Mentimeter provides a useful solution.
We were particularly impressed with the simple, engaging designs of polls and feedback that were perfect to display to classes.
E-Learning Integration
Teachers told us they found this app useful for e-learning, engaging classes that would otherwise be reluctant to participate. This was due to its easy integration with apps like:
- PowerPoint
- Teams
- Zoom
26. Dropbox: Share Files with Students Easily
The days of printed handouts to students are over. Since Dropbox was released in 2008, it’s taken the teaching world by storm. Rather than wasting lots of paper, teachers can now share information right through students’:
- iPads
- Laptops
File Sharing
All you do is upload the file to your computer, and all students in your classroom will have access to it. The best part is that you can share other multimedia files like photos, videos, or PowerPoints directly with your class without having to worry about them losing materials again.
Prices start at $9.99 for a personal plan with up to 2 terabytes of storage and go up to $20 a user per month for a business plan with 15 terabytes.
27. Apple Classroom: A Teacher App for iPads
While the name Apple Classroom suggests a similar app to Google Classroom, the two are vastly different solutions. Available for iPad and Mac computers, it enables teachers to hold classes in a schoolroom, remotely, or through a combination of nearby and remote locations (called hybrid classes).
This app is fantastic if you have Apple devices in your school or class. It allows you to monitor what students are doing on their devices and what other apps they have open (handy for sneaky game players!). But that’s not all; you can even control their device! – great for behavior management.
Classroom Control
Apple Classroom can be used to:
- Distribute and collect assignments from iPad devices easily
- Monitor student progress in educational iPad apps
- Collaborate one-on-one with students
- Set up and manage collaboration between students
This seems like a simple app to dictate what students do, but it is way more. You can open apps or web pages on all devices and lock them so they can only see what you are controlling, an excellent idea for guided lessons.
28. Vivi: A Wireless Screen Sharing Tool
Vivi is awesome! It is a wireless presentation and screen mirroring tool that allows teachers and students to see the same screen on their devices. It enables teachers to teach without being tethered to the front of the classroom, building a more:
- Interactive
- Collaborative
- Social classroom
It also allows students and teachers to annotate and save content in real-time. Vivi is device agnostic, meaning it will work with any:
- Device
- Media
- Learning type
- Display
- Any number of users and classrooms with no integrations necessary
Vivi Box
The heart of the Vivi solution is the Vivi Box, which connects directly to a Display and handles all of the communication between:
- User machines
- What is shown on the Display
29. Wordwall: Create Custom Learning Activities with This App
Wordwall makes creating your resources and custom activities easy:
- Quizzes
- Match-ups
- Word games
You can:
- Create interactives or printables using templates
- Choose from various visual styles and options
- Embed them on a website
- Assign activities to students
- Share them with other teachers
Enhanced Teaching
I have found that Wordwall:
- Saves preparation time
- Enhances class interactivity
- Reduces paper use
- Allows for more personalized learning
Tracking student performance is easy on its intuitive dashboard.
30. Zoom: A Video Conferencing App for Online Learning
Zoom was relatively unknown until 2000. Its role in enabling remote communication during the pandemic propelled it into the Oxford Dictionary’s Words of the Year. It also won the Forbes Education Award in 2020. Zoom is a powerful cloud video conferencing platform that has a dedicated solution for educational organizations.
Campus Communication
It can be used to communicate with your student body, alumni base, and the entire campus community using a single streamlined platform. Educators can:
- Share lesson plans
- Give instructions
- Swap files
- Communicate directly with the group or individuals via chat, all within the app
It also allows you to record and save video footage (for instance, of a visiting speaker that not all students/teachers can see) and share it later with a broader audience.
31. Trello: A Visual Task Management Tool
Trello is an advanced to-do list app that syncs via the cloud across all devices, so you will always have access to your work schedule. You can:
- Create multiple lists of tasks to be completed
- Upload images
- Assign tasks to students, both individually and in groups (this is particularly useful when students are working on group projects).
Trello can also be used to map out the course syllabus and track student progress. Trello templates help set up boards for specific subjects or projects.
32. BookWidgets: Create Interactive Assignments for Students
BookWidgets is a content creation and evaluation tool for teachers. It allows you to create digital exercises and activities (called widgets), which can be easily shared with your students. The widget toolbox has over 40 widget types to choose from:
- The quiz
- Video quiz
- Worksheet
- Split worksheet widgets pack extra power – they let you create digital assignments with auto-grading
33. Pear Assessment (Edulastic): A Formative Assessment Tool for Teachers
Pear Assessment (formerly Edulastic) is a versatile tool for formative assessment in K-12 teaching and learning. It allows teachers to:
- Check student understanding
- Collect valuable data on student learning
- Modify instruction based on that data
Real-time student feedback, collaborative learning, and differentiated practice are some features I like. It also provides:
- On-demand tutoring
- Enhancing teacher-student interactions
- Supporting student mastery
Personalized Feedback
Like other apps I have mentioned, teachers can share assignments with their students, but as students complete their tasks, they can differentiate follow-up instructions individually.
34. Quizalize: Create Personalized Quizzes for Students
Quizalize is a digital assessment tool that helps provide personalized quizzes for students. The quizzes are standards-tagged, allowing teachers to track mastery data from every question efficiently answered. Teachers can add hints or explanations so students learn as they complete the assessments.
It can be used as a pre-assessment tool and for formative and summative assessments. Like the other apps, Quizalize’s personalized quizzes adapt to student’s learning needs. The platform supports official state standards such as:
- Common Core
- TEKS
Student Quizzes
Students can also design their quizzes to challenge classmates, and teachers can share the results of all quizzes with the class (there is a tool to hide anything that identifies the students when doing this). It contains:
- Multiple-choice mode
- Surveys
- Self-reflection tools
While Quizalize’s basic plan is free for teachers, its paid plans offer more advanced features and resources.
35. Nearpod: A Comprehensive Learning Tool
Nearpod offers a comprehensive platform that integrates interactive activities, such as:
- Polls
- Open-ended questions
- 3D videos
- Games
Teachers can access real-time student feedback, enabling:
- Immediate intervention
- Personalized support
Gamified Learning
The platform facilitates the creation of fun learning moments through gamification, promoting student motivation and active participation in the learning process. Like other apps, Nearpod also helps teachers:
- Differentiate instruction
- Understand student needs
- Identify areas that require additional support
Lesson Creation
Teachers can create entire lessons on Nearpod or use one of many pre-made lessons (some are free, others chargeable).
You can even upload your PowerPoint lessons to Nearpod. The formatting may be a little off this way, but it can easily be rectified in the Nearpod dashboard.
36. Formative: An App for Creating Formative Assessments
With Formative, teachers can create (well!) formative assessments that students can complete at their own pace and submit on their devices. These assessments:
- Enable data-driven decisions
- Provide focused and targeted feedback
- Increase student engagement
As a teacher, you can even transform a PDF or Google Doc into a quiz that marks automatically. It encourages students to become self-regulated learners by providing opportunities to review and correct their work, promoting autonomy and independence.
Google Integration
Formative integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom and can be accessed there without switching between apps. One brilliant feature is allowing file uploads and embedding video and audio into the assessments.
37. Plickers: Real-Time Feedback Without Devices
Plickers helps teachers collect real-time data without requiring students to use technology. It doesn’t require students to have a device at all! Plickers uses a unique system of QR code cards and a mobile app, allowing teachers to quickly gather and analyze student responses to multiple-choice questions.
Each student is assigned a unique card with a QR code, which they hold up with a specific letter (A, B, C, or D) facing up to indicate their answer choice. The teacher then scans the room with their smartphone using the Plickers app, which reads and records responses.
38. Edpuzzle: Create Interactive Video Lessons
Edpuzzle allows teachers to create interactive lessons for students using personal or web-based videos (such as YouTube, TedTalks, or Khan Academy). Teachers can crop videos and add:
- Voiceovers
- Audio commentaries
- Extra resources
The best part of Edpuzzle is that it allows teachers to insert quizzes into the video. This enables teachers to monitor student engagement with video content and collaborate with other classes. It seamlessly integrates with Google Classroom and a lot more educational tools.
39. Classkick: An App for Real-Time Feedback
Classkick is a whiteboard-type app that allows teachers to monitor students’ work in real time, enabling them to provide:
- Individualized feedback
- Grade work
Teachers can create a lesson using any subject area content and add:
- Links
- Recordings
- Videos
- Additional text to support learning
Collaborative Learning
As students work through the lesson on their devices, teachers can:
- See thumbnails of their work
- Provide assistance
Students can also seek help from peers, even anonymously. I have seen that Classkick effectively fosters a supportive learning environment that promotes critical thinking and group-based problem-solving.
40. GimKit: A Game-Based Learning Tool
GimKit is a supercharged version of Kahoot and Quizziz. It allows students to take quizzes similarly to the other two, but unlike Kahoot and Quizizz, students answer questions independently, earning in-game cash by answering correctly.
They must be careful; an incorrect answer will cost! The quizzes are time-based or are based on the amount of cash earned. Students can reinvest their money by purchasing upgrades and powerups. With millions of combinations, students can make purchases that suit their strengths. Teachers can create their kit or use a Quizlet; it is very easy to set up.
Gimkit doesn’t just have to be used in class; you can also assign it as homework. The free version of Gimkit (called Gimkit Basic) is free for teachers. All you need is an educator account. You can play with as many students as you want:
- Set up classes (rostering)
- Collect reports
41. GimKit: A Game-Based Learning Tool
GimKit is a supercharged version of Kahoot and Quizziz. It allows students to take quizzes similarly to the other two, but unlike Kahoot and Quizizz, students answer questions independently, earning in-game cash by answering correctly. And they must be careful; an incorrect answer will cost!
The quizzes are time-based or are based on the amount of cash earned. Students can reinvest their money by purchasing upgrades & powerups. With millions of combinations, students can make purchases that suit their strengths. Teachers can create their own.
Gimkit Basics
(quiz) or use a Quizlet; it is very easy to set up. Gimkit doesn’t just have to be used in class; you can also assign it as homework. The free version of Gimkit (called Gimkit Basic) is free for teachers. All you need is an educator account. You can play with as many students as you want, set up classes (rostering), and collect reports.
42. Photomath: An App for Solving Math Problems
One for all the math teachers out there, Photomath is probably best utilized outside of the classroom when kids may be given homework or extra assignments. Parents often struggle to assist their kids during these times and Photomath can help minimize student frustrations while working in their own time.
The app has been proven to be effective at solving a multitude of different problems from algebra to trigonometry, and can even help with handwritten notes!
43. Jotform Mobile Forms: Organize Your Classroom with Forms
With Jotform’s mobile app, teachers can use cloud-based forms to help:
- Organize their classrooms
- Facilitate surveys
- Take notes
- Administer quizzes, even when there’s no internet access
The forms can collect a variety of data, and responses auto-populate streamlined tables to help you:
- Organize
- Analyze the information
Teacher Collaboration
Jotform Approvals can help teachers collaborate on lesson planning. Jotform is an easy-to-use platform that integrates automation into the classroom. Teachers and educational institutions receive a 50 percent discount on paid plans (excluding Enterprise).
44. Educreations: Create Interactive Video Lessons
Make virtual learning accessible and straightforward with Educreations. Record video lessons on the interactive whiteboard using the voiceover capabilities.
You can share the video instantly and replay it anytime. Students can record their work. Then the teacher can share feedback and suggestions for improvement.
45. TeacherKit: Manage Your Classroom with This App
Master classroom management with TeacherKit. Track:
- Attendance
- Engagement
- Participation
- Grades
- Behavior all in one place
You can see a visual representation of which students participate more than others and decide when to change the seating arrangement. The tool also allows you to communicate with students and share updates with parents.
46. Vico: A Virtual Tutoring App
Teachers can tutor their students by recording whiteboard sessions and sharing them one on one or with a group. Learning can happen anywhere, and there’s an offline mode when Wi-Fi is unavailable.
With Vico, students won’t feel alone in a virtual learning environment. Instead, they can receive as much one-on-one instruction as they would in an in-person classroom.
47. Slack: Communicate with Your Class
Communicate with the whole classroom by sending messages to everyone through a shared platform. Teachers also have the option to send individual reminders and pointers through direct messages, and they can create channels so students can communicate with each other on specific topics. You could add a new channel named #scienceproject to engage the whole classroom on current science lessons and homework.
48. Prezi: A Presentation Tool for Engaging Classrooms
Create a presentation from your phone or tablet with Prezi. Display your visual aids and yourself simultaneously to better engage with the audience.
You can go live or record your presentation to share later. Use Prezi’s tools to create exciting and colorful content that will make your presentation:
- Come alive
- Improve student engagement
49. Duolingo: A Fun Language Learning App
Use Duolingo for supplemental language practice. Duolingo’s repetition of vocabulary words and verb conjugations reinforces the lessons taught in class. Students can also practice their:
- Listening comprehension
- Pronunciation skills
50. Memrise: A Language Learning App with a Twist
Use Memrise to assist with language learning. The app uses an algorithm to determine the best time to test students to:
- Reinforce the lessons
- Improve their memorization skills
It also presents words and phrases that locals use, helping students learn about other cultures simultaneously.
51. Dinolingo: A Fun Language Learning App for Kids
With fun characters that will entertain kids, Dinolingo allows your students to learn a language at their own pace through games and videos.
Courses for more than 50 languages are available. Users can also choose from books, songs, and worksheets to change up the activities. This app targets 2–12-year-olds.
52. Spell Wizards: A Spelling App for Students
Students can get the extra spelling practice they need with Spell Wizards. Teachers can create engaging games to teach:
- Vocabulary
- Spelling
- Typing
- Listening
Introduce this app to a student who needs extra spelling help or use it with the whole class during vocabulary lessons.
53. Mathletics: A Math Learning App
This app provides lessons and games created by teachers, so you can find the practice exercises your students need to support them at any stage of their math education.
You can assign curriculum-aligned games to each student so they can practice specific concepts. Use the app for whole-class learning or individualize the experience without singling anyone out.
54. Bee-Bot: An Intro to Coding App
This beginner coding app helps students map a path for an animated Bee-Bot. Fundamental coding ideas introduce the student to easy-to-understand concepts. As they progress, the student can progress to more complex puzzles and become more familiar with coding.
55. Epic!
This digitized reading library is more than just an online book source. You can personalize book recommendations for each student based on their reading level.
You can track their minutes spent on the app and see what kinds of books interest them the most.
56. News-O-Matic
Use nonfiction books for grades K–8 to teach current events and history. Or show a daily news presentation made for kids with the News-O-Matic app. You can easily integrate the news into social studies or social-emotional learning curricula.
57. Tales2go
Audiobooks increase comprehension, language fluency, and vocabulary. Students can find thousands of stories to listen to with Tales2go. They can even bookmark their favorite stories and find similar books read by professional narrators.
58. Popplet
This chart-making app is simple enough to use with kindergarteners learning shapes and advanced enough for a high school student to use to create a timeline of World War II.
Students can add text or pictures to the bubbles on the charts, which is an excellent tool for visual learning.
59. Comic Life
Help your students make their stories come alive with Comic Life. Using their images, they can create a comic. Bubbles, letter art, fonts, and templates help guide the storyteller in making a comic book to share with family and teachers.
60. Fun With Directions HD
Teach students to follow simple directions and practice listening skills with this app. You can:
- Learn about a child’s comprehension
- Improve communication with your students
61. iSpring QuizMaker
iSpring QuizMaker is an invaluable addition to the best apps for teachers to teach online and one of the best quiz apps for teachers. This desktop tool streamlines the creation of graded online quizzes and surveys, providing detailed progress reports on students' performance.
This tool offers extensive flexibility, featuring 14 question templates covering various assessment formats like:
- Matching
- Drag-and-drop
- Multiple-choice
- Essay
Customizable Settings
Teachers can personalize every aspect, from backgrounds to fonts, and tailor settings such as:
- Attempts
- Time limits
- Passing scores
- Question grouping for thorough evaluation
Ideal for educators seeking top-notch classroom apps or the best Android apps for teachers to enhance their teaching experience.
Why Teachers May Hesitate to Use Technology
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A recent conversation with a teacher illuminated some reasons why educators may be reluctant to use educational technology. I was trying to explain how to log on to one of Teach Magazine’s digital resources, and I realized that this teacher expected the process to be far more complicated.
When I explained it was really relatively simple, she said that teachers are afraid of technology and it was an instinct to assume that technology was complicated and would, inevitably, at some point, screw up.
Teacher Frustration
This raises the question of whether teachers are techno-phobic. Of course, based on a single conversation, it’s impossible to generalize. Still, it confirmed a feeling I’ve had for a while based on the queries we’ve fielded concerning our digital resources focusing on very rudimentary questions about signing up and logging in. The most basic of processes, in other words.
Upon further reflection, I think it’s less a question of fear of technology but largely frustration. Over the years, some schools and districts have, at one time or another, been flooded with technology. What has been lacking is teacher training and professional development.
Teacher Burden
Teachers, who are already heavily tasked with stuff to do during any given day, may see the addition of technological tools as one more area to learn, one more thing to implement, often with poor planning on the administrative end.
Technology must be connected to learning outcomes and the idea that student knowledge, skills, and experience will be enhanced. Without relevant training that links to those concepts and outcomes, the desire to learn may be killed early.
Teacher Fear
Admittedly, for some teachers, there is a potential fear factor. A study in the United States reported that 42% of teachers surveyed felt that students knew more about technology and its uses than they did.
Factor in the lack of relevant professional development and access in certain regions, and it isn’t difficult to understand why some teachers are reluctant to move forward with technology integration in their classrooms.
Vendor Focus
Veteran teachers may have seen this movie before the scenario where some bright spark in administration decides to spend on technology and flood a school or district without considering the implementation side.
An egregious, recent example took place in the Los Angeles area, where a purported $1.3 billion was spent on the purchase of iPads for every student in every school in the district. Yet the basic questions weren’t asked before the purchase and implementation. The district’s conversation began with the vendor rather than the outcomes.
Implementation Failure
Worse, the FBI is investigating the procurement process, and the school district is in a dispute with Apple. This example serves as a lesson of how not to implement technology, where iPads, in this case, were imposed on teachers without their buy-in or any strategizing about how and why they should be used.
So, it is completely understandable that similar initiatives may be met with a rolling of the eyes, particularly for veteran teachers who may have seen any number of these initiatives come and go during their careers. Such events would significantly affect teacher attitudes toward any future initiatives.
Grassroots Adoption
Yet the use of technological tools continues. Again, I suspect that individual teachers or groups of teachers within schools are mainly responsible for taking the lead on their initiatives. Those teachers then work with partners and mentor other school teachers.
In other words, it is the ground-up approach that seems most trustworthy and effective. You have keen and interested teachers who find ways of using technology to drive toward a set of learning outcomes while students are being assessed throughout the process.
BYOD Chaos
With Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) protocols all over the place, students are carrying devices regardless. Without a coherent policy, generally speaking, it presumes chaos. The exception, again, is a disciplined school district with clear policies that may be implemented in a straightforward manner and those teachers who have already figured it out. I sense that this is true in a minority of cases.
So yes, there may be a technology fear factor in play, but more commonly, technology implementation lags due to lack of planning, lack of meaningful professional development, and how these strategies are positioned to teachers and whether they have a say in what is to happen and how these tools are to be used. Getting buy-in doesn’t cost anything.
Key Reasons Behind Resistance to Technology in Education
What does resistance to EdTech look like? The most commonly recognized resistant behaviors are likely considered dramatic, such as arguing and refusing to participate. We may imagine university teachers forming picket lines demanding a return to in-person teaching.
Subtle Resistance
Resistance research includes studying more subtle forms of resistance, such as avoiding change, ignoring it, undermining it, or waiting it out. In our interviews, we found that more subtle forms of resistance were more commonplace, such as investing minimal effort in:
- Engaging with technology
- Discrediting its quality
- Waiting for the pandemic to be over
Interviewees often described underlying disapproval of EdTech, as it was considered inferior to in-person teaching. A university manager working at a large British research university remarked: “There has been a culture shift in favor of doing things with digital technology, but there’s still resistance; a lot of that is primarily about the campus centrism and the privilege of presence. There’s still this perception that online is second best in some way.”
Resistance Origins
Statements such as these led us to question: Where do these negative perceptions come from? What is driving university teachers to resist EdTech?
Personal Ideologies
Often, these subtle forms of resistance were tied to personal ideologies about teaching or institutional values, as illustrated in the quote from a university teacher working at a German research university: “With corona[virus], it was a forced changeover from one day to the next, which is still not easy for us.
Well, not for me ... because it contradicts my idea of the university. The university is about discourse and discussion with individuals and groups. And under digital conditions, that only takes place with great restrictions. So that’s no longer possible.”
Discussion Limitation
This instructor voiced a common concern among our interviewees, namely that online teaching prevented them from fully engaging with their students as it limited space for active and engaging discussion.
For many teachers, especially those working in social sciences, discussion was considered a cornerstone of university education.
Change Triggers Negative Emotions
Resistance can also be the outward manifestation of an individual’s emotional response to change. For some teachers, EdTech evoked fear:
- Some feared appearing incompetent in front of students
- Feared using EdTech would diminish their authority and expertise.
In the quote below, a faculty administrator working at a mid-size German university describes the multifaceted nature of this fear of EdTech: “There is a real fear among teachers [concerning EdTech] of losing their positions.”
Product Perception
When you understand digital teaching as a canned product, which some people still do, that is, a lecture recording can simply be played repeatedly for the next five years.
“If you’re stuck with that concept, then there’s the feeling that you lose control, that you’re just not important ... I think that actually scares a lot of people, they are afraid of losing their positions [and] that others will be able to copy or evaluate what they have done.”
Workload Concern
Many teachers associated fear of using EdTech with increased workload. Teachers explained that teaching online meant redesigning courses, which took considerable time and effort and needed to be understood or recognized by university management.
A faculty administrator from an Estonian university describes this dilemma of extra work without acknowledgment: “Although we all understand the need [to use EdTech], we don’t really want to change.”
Lack of Value
Teachers do not want to change because it’s time-consuming and requires enormous effort. There is no motivation to change. And why? Because our university values research and teaching is not valued.”
Thus, extra work and lack of prioritization from the university contribute to negative associations with EdTech.
Challenges to Autonomy
Change resistance at the university is not new and may be explained by the socialization of professors and the university structure. As highly skilled specialists, professors have been socialized to value academic freedom as well as protect their spheres of influence:
- Teaching
- Research
Thus, top-down change can be perceived as infringing on professorial autonomy to determine course formats and content.
Loose Coupling
Autonomy is also embedded in the university's structure, which organizational theorist Karl E. Weick has referred to as loosely coupled, composed of weakly connected subunits.
This conceptualization also resonates with the notion that universities do not have a singular culture but rather consist of multiple cultures or subcultures, which are drawn along disciplinary, departmental, and/or faculty lines, each equipped with its own practices.
Complex Environment
These structural and social features create an environment that is, at best, complex and, at worst, critical and even suspicious of top-down change. Against this background, the push for EdTech during the pandemic unsurprisingly led to a pushback from university staff.
Understanding Complexity
Resistance to change has traditionally been viewed as a barrier to overcome. Classified as a problem, energy is often invested in finding solutions, such as how to win over or penalize offenders. Such responses only address the surface layer of a more profound sense-making process.
The change brought through EdTech challenges deeply held ideologies and identities surrounding teaching, the classroom experience, and the purpose of the university.
Understanding Resistance
Understanding the complexity of resistance and the different emotions that feed into it is an essential first step. Moving forward, we can rethink our associations with resistance and instead see it as an opportunity to learn more about the individual teacher behind the technology and about the role technology can play in supporting existing social practices.
Will Technology Replace Teachers?
To understand why some think technology will take over teaching, we must first look at the history of education. For decades, schools viewed learners as consumers of facts. The “good teacher” was the one who could best dispense knowledge and lessons to students. In time, the teaching profession evolved.
Educators responded to the unique roles students began to play in their own learning experiences. As a result, teachers worked to differentiate learning and create dynamic classrooms that supported all students' diverse learning processes. While these advances in the modern classroom garnered positive results, they also significantly strained teacher workloads.
Teacher Replacement
Digital technology has played a crucial role in supporting the rising demands of both teachers and students. Today, technology plays a prominent role in almost every aspect of students' lives. Every year we see students using more and more technology in schools.
Because of this continued advancement in technology use, some have gone to the extreme and asked the question, "Will technology replace teachers?"
Can Technology Do Everything Teachers Can Do?
At Cambridge English, we often get asked if digital technology will replace the language teacher, and our answer is always "No." Digital technology can never be the teacher of the future. It will be the teacher's assistant, playing a supportive role that can benefit learning outcomes.
Teacher Role
Technology can handle tasks that a teacher cannot do—whether due to a lack of time or resources—and can add real value to the classroom. Teachers must understand that a positive, proactive relationship with technology can help them and their learners.
To achieve these outcomes, however, teachers need to expand and maintain their knowledge of learning technologies and develop their ability to critically assess digital learning tools to identify those that offer the greatest benefit to their students.
What Can Teachers Do Better Than Tech?
A fundamental role for the teacher is to foster social learning. Social learning features interaction, discussion, and student collaboration, creating a positive, interpersonal learning climate. It involves a flexible and interactive approach that encourages class engagement while retaining a "real-time" sensitivity to individual needs.
As this type of learning is focused on applying knowledge, it also encourages higher-order thinking skills such as analysis and evaluation or—in the case of language learning—the development of communicative competence.
Social Limitation
Current digital technologies cannot enable this type of social and collaborative learning as well as a teacher can since such learning environments are highly dependent on the inter-personal relationship between the teacher and their class.
Technology instead delivers learning content in an "atomistic" way, as educator Philip Kerr notes, where learning is broken down into discrete "atoms" which eventually come together to create "learning." Current technologies cannot handle the complexities and deliver the benefits of "social learning."
How Can Teachers and Tech Work Together?
That’s not to say that technology is irrelevant in a socially collaborative learning environment. Regarding classroom administration, technology can provide enhanced record keeping, greatly improving the teacher’s analysis of student performance, especially identifying skills that could be improved by deliberate practice.
This is where technology can help. Deliberate practice in order to consolidate knowledge is considered essential for learning. Still, it’s challenging to do at class level as it takes time and requires specific focus on individual learners.
Adaptive Practice
Digital tools allow students to practice discrete language skills repeatedly (e.g. specific grammar points or vocabulary) and for as long as they want or need to. Adaptive learning technologies, which adjust tasks according to ongoing student performance, can further extend deliberate practice.
Teachers naturally adapt the content they use based on the ability of specific learners, but that’s difficult for individual learners; technology can provide adaptive learning experiences on a larger scale in an automated manner (but on limited domains of knowledge).
Automated Feedback
Technology can also add value with marking of student work and can provide feedback on student writing and aspects of speaking. An example is Write and Improve, a writing development and feedback tool which is free for learners to use.
By marking students’ work, technology can reduce the administrative burden on teachers and give them more time for classroom teaching (although it cannot offer the depth or nuance a teacher can provide).
What Can Tech Do Better Than Teachers?
On-demand learning combined with instant feedback, delivered quickly and on a large scale, is a major advantage of language learning technology.
Practice is vitally important for the individual, but it’s a real challenge for time-poor teachers who often have to deal with large classes. The ability to access digital tools and feedback at any time, anywhere, represents a significant expansion in learning opportunities and should (theoretically) lead to accelerated progress.
Bias-Free Data
The best digital tools will provide learning without human biases and teacher burn-out while generating invaluable big data on education and progression.
This data is already being used to improve the efficiency and accuracy of digital tools and by teachers who use it to inform their classroom practice.
The Essential Partnership Between Teachers and Technology
It's often the case that students warmly welcome technology but not by teachers, whether because they lack the skills to use it properly, doubt its value, or see it as a threat to their professional status.
I hope I’ve shown how technology can play a highly productive role, at least in the language classroom, provided that it is mediated by a skilled teacher equipped with both language learning expertise and knowledge of digital tools.
Teacher Evaluation
Teachers must learn how to assess and critique technology in order to identify those tools best positioned to make a real contribution to the classroom. By being more proactive and engaged with technology and more responsive to its benefits, teachers will maintain their role at the center of language learning and help shape a digital future that actively benefits everyone.
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5 Best Practices to Implement Apps for Teachers
1. Use Technology as a Supplement, Not a Replacement
When bringing technology into the classroom, it’s critical to remember that it should be used to supplement traditional teaching methods, not replace them. If you’re teaching a lesson on the Civil War, you might have students read a chapter in their textbook before opening an online resource like a virtual museum to enhance their understanding of the topic.
Using technology in this way helps students gain a solid foundation of knowledge before exploring online resources, which can often lead to misinformation. The bottom line? Technology can be a great resource, but it’s also essential to supplement it with other materials.
2. Incorporate Technology Into Your Lesson Plans
When incorporating technology into the classroom, it’s essential to ensure that it is tied into your lesson plans. Technology should be used to support your educational goals and objectives, not as a standalone activity. For example, if you’re teaching a lesson on fractions, you might use an online fraction calculator to help students visualize the concept.
If you’re teaching a history lesson, you might have students use the internet to research a topic. Integrating technology into your lesson plans will create a more meaningful learning experience for your students.
3. Set Ground Rules for Technology Use
Setting ground rules for technology use in the classroom is important before allowing students to use it. Ensure that your students know your expectations for technology use, such as no texting during class or using phones to surf the Internet.
Establishing these guidelines ahead of time will help minimize distractions and keep students focused on the learning activity. Consider involving students in this process by asking them to create a list of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors when using technology in the classroom.
4. Be Selective About the Technology You Use
With so many different types of technology available, it can be tempting to use all of it in the classroom. It’s important to be selective about your technology and ensure that it is appropriate for your students and your lesson.
If you’re teaching a lesson on grammar, using a word processing program like Microsoft Word would be more appropriate than using a video editing program like Adobe Premiere. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that any technology you use is accessible to all students, including those with disabilities.
5. Keep Up With the Latest Technology Trends
It’s important to keep up with the latest technology trends. As new types of technology become available, you’ll want to incorporate them into your classroom. You can keep up with trends by reading education technology blogs or following education technology companies on social media.
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