Technology tools in lesson planning. (Answering questions)

Hello everyone, 

I hope you are doing well and enjoying the beautiful weather nowadays!!!  

This week i am asked to answer some questions and specifically two. The first question is: "What technology tools are important for your students to know how to use?" 

I made a lot of research and i came up with different technology tools that students need to know how to use them. The first tool that i would like to mention is, Buncee. It understands how much more kids learn if they’re engaged, so their platform makes it easy to engage students from anywhere. Teachers have the flexibility to create activities that their class will enjoy with over 1000 templates, and students earn badges as they complete their work. Buncee also makes it easy for students to collaborate with sharing and discussion functionality. 

Another one that i would like to introduce to you is SeeSaw.Rather than limit students to one method for demonstrating their knowledge, SeeSaw allows students to show what they know with tools like draw+record, collage, video, and more. Educators report that SeeSaw is intuitive for students to use, so minimal support is required to use this tool!

The third technology tools is called "Learn Around The World". The goal of of this tool is to use technology to connect students and educators globally. They have events and collaborative projects where students can work with people in different countries, and virtual field trips for exploring foreign lands. LATW also has guest speakers and private events that teachers can take advantage of. Imagine speaking with someone who lives in Buenos Aires while learning about Argentina. Your students can ask questions and use their curiosity to spur discussion.

Flip Grids, do you wish classroom discussion could continue after the bell rings? Do you wish you could encourage quiet students to speak their minds without feeling intimidated? Then this is the right technology tool for you. teachers create discussion topics and students can respond with video recordings. Their peers can respond to keep the discussion going. This tool helps students formulate their ideas in a pre-recorded setting, which means no one gets talked over or ignored by louder voices.

These are some of the technology tools that not only students but also teachers must know how to use them! But let's pass to the next question that is: "What technology tools will best enhance your students project work and presentation of the results?" 

Here i would like to mention Padlet. Padlet is a great tool to encourage student communication and collaboration, and is used in my classroom at least on a weekly basis. Teachers can use a collaborative tool like Padlet as a bellringer activity, a backchannel for class discussions, a review or research activity, or to introduce themselves to students from around the world!

Google Classroom as well is a very good tool for students project works. Google really hit a home run when they unveiled Classroom in 2014. Since then, teachers have been able to share resources, send assignments, and provide feedback using one great site. Google also frequently updates Classroom based on user feedback, and actually asks and listens to teachers who use Classroom when they make updates! Teachers can use Google Classroom as a “landing page” for their class, where all course resources and information are housed.

Many students and teachers may see Quizlet only as a place to access vocabulary information and create flashcards for studying purposes. While Quizlet is a great tool for this activity, it offers a fantastic resource that teachers can use to encourage their students to collaborate with their peers while reviewing/pre-viewing/learning course concepts. What is this, you ask? Quizlet Live, of course! Quizlet Live is a great collaborative formative assessment tool that not only requires students to work together to achieve success, but also promotes mastery learning. While participating in a Quizlet Live game, students are randomly placed into teams and are given an animal mascot, sometimes a real animal, and other times a mythical creature.

Hope you enjoy reading this post. Feel free to leave your comments!!!