Tools for Student-Paced Learning

#EduDuctTape Question

What tools can I use to create a student-paced learning environment?

This infographic is titled #EduDuctTape Question, Chapter 9: What tools can I use to create a student-paced learning environment? It includes a picture of the Educational Duct Tape book along with the logos for the apps and sites that are included. The text of the body reads "Schoology - Organize assignments, materials, links, and resources into folders, then kick it up a notch with the use of their robust assessments tools, gradebook, and Student Completion Rules that’ll manage the entire process! Eduflow (formerly Peergrade) - Students complete sequential tasks including watching videos, submitting files, peer or self-review, and reflecting on feedback in this streamlined, freemium tool. You can even differentiate learning paths and see your students’ progress. Seesaw - Post a series of activities and assignments in this learning management system, digital portfolio, and teacher-parent-student communication hybrid. You can even include video and voice instructions, drawing activities, and more. Docs, Word, Slides, PowerPoint, Sheets, Excel. Google Sites - Use your existing Google account to create a free website and link (or even embed) all of your resources. Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams - Organize assignments sequentially in your LMS. You can even assign things only to the students who are ready for them. Wakelet - Easily add any content and rearrange it by dragging and dropping. Use images and text to break up units or assignments. Easily add video with Flipgrid Shorts."
We know from Daniel Pink’s work showcased in his book Drive that human beings are motivated by 3 principles: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. A student-paced learning environment leverages two of those–autonomy and purpose–to motivate students and, in the process, grow their responsibility, reduce behavior problems, and free you up to guide the learning and provide feedback.

This infographic showcases multiple tools that can be used to manage a student-paced learning environment.

Check out the infographic to see which one is the best fit for you!

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

In the infographic, I give a basic overview of each. To learn more about them, check out Chapter 9 of Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset.

Click on the image to sign up for my newsletter and grab the PDF to learn a bit about how you can use Schoology, Eduflow, Seesaw, Google Sites, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Wakelet, and others. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This infographic is titled #EduDuctTape Question, Chapter 9: What tools can I use to create a student-paced learning environment? It includes a picture of the Educational Duct Tape book along with the logos for the apps and sites that are included. The text of the body reads "Schoology - Organize assignments, materials, links, and resources into folders, then kick it up a notch with the use of their robust assessments tools, gradebook, and Student Completion Rules that’ll manage the entire process! Eduflow (formerly Peergrade) - Students complete sequential tasks including watching videos, submitting files, peer or self-review, and reflecting on feedback in this streamlined, freemium tool. You can even differentiate learning paths and see your students’ progress. Seesaw - Post a series of activities and assignments in this learning management system, digital portfolio, and teacher-parent-student communication hybrid. You can even include video and voice instructions, drawing activities, and more. Docs, Word, Slides, PowerPoint, Sheets, Excel. Google Sites - Use your existing Google account to create a free website and link (or even embed) all of your resources. Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams - Organize assignments sequentially in your LMS. You can even assign things only to the students who are ready for them. Wakelet - Easily add any content and rearrange it by dragging and dropping. Use images and text to break up units or assignments. Easily add video with Flipgrid Shorts."

 

 

7 Swiss Army Knife Multi-Tools for Visuals, Animations, Audio, Video, and more!

#EduDuctTape Question

What tools allow for creation with video, animation, audio, and visuals?

The Swiss Army Knife Multi-Tools!

This infographic features the #EduDuctTape Question "What tools allow for creation with video, animation, audio, and visuals? The Swiss Army Knife Multi-Tools!" In the response, which is shown on a tablet screen, is the following text "Book Creator - Add images, videos, audio, Google maps, web content, drawings, and more. Plus, in paid accounts, collaboration! Padlet - Add images, videos, GIFs, audio, screencasts, drawings, and more. Collaboration is free, but you have a limited number of “walls.” Seesaw - This LMS and digital portfolio hybrid tool lets students draw, annotate, record videos or audio, take pictures, and more! Genially - Create presentations, infographics, gamifications, and more with images, GIFs, videos, audio, maps, Forms, and more! Microsoft Sway - Add photos, videos, files, some web content, and more into this cool, animated slideshow and website hybrid. Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint - Add text, drawings, images, videos, audio, charts, and diagrams in one of these familiar tools!" The rest of the image shows the logos for the apps and sites that were mentioned as well as some books, and a student standing up with his hand raised.
Video, animations, audio, and visuals are all great options for getting an accurate depiction of your students’ comprehension, but what if you want to empower your students with the choice of how to demonstrate their learning? You could say “Use this or this or this,” but what if you want them all to use the same tool, yet have some choice in what kind of representation to make?

This infographic showcases 7 tools that do just that: multiple options for creation within 1 tool. Allow me to introduce: the Swiss Army Knife Multi-Tools!

Check out the infographic to see which one is the best fit for you!

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

In the infographic, I give a basic overview of each. To learn more about them, check out Chapter 8 of Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset.

Click on the image to sign up for my newsletter and grab the PDF to learn a bit about what your students can create with Book Creator, Padlet, Seesaw, Genially, Microsoft Sway, Google Slides, and Microsoft PowerPoint. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This infographic features the #EduDuctTape Question "What tools allow for creation with video, animation, audio, and visuals? The Swiss Army Knife Multi-Tools!" In the response, which is shown on a tablet screen, is the following text "Book Creator - Add images, videos, audio, Google maps, web content, drawings, and more. Plus, in paid accounts, collaboration! Padlet - Add images, videos, GIFs, audio, screencasts, drawings, and more. Collaboration is free, but you have a limited number of “walls.” Seesaw - This LMS and digital portfolio hybrid tool lets students draw, annotate, record videos or audio, take pictures, and more! Genially - Create presentations, infographics, gamifications, and more with images, GIFs, videos, audio, maps, Forms, and more! Microsoft Sway - Add photos, videos, files, some web content, and more into this cool, animated slideshow and website hybrid. Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint - Add text, drawings, images, videos, audio, charts, and diagrams in one of these familiar tools!" The rest of the image shows the logos for the apps and sites that were mentioned as well as some books, and a student standing up with his hand raised.

 

 

7 Tools for Creating Visuals and Infographics

#EduDuctTape Question

What tools can my students use to create visuals and infographics?

This infographic features the #EduDuctTape Question "What tools can my students use to create visuals?" In the response, which is shown on a tablet screen, is the following text "Canva - A great teacher interface and unlimited templates, fonts, photos, videos, graphics, and icons are all in the free education version, along with collaboration and the ability to add graphs or pull in content from other apps. Adobe Spark - Adobe doesn’t offer collaboration or classroom management features, but their free education plans do offer plenty of templates, music, photos, and fonts in their easy-to-use Post and Page tools. Piktochart - This option is great for creating charts from dynamic or imported data and for turning graphics into presentations, but it’s free plan is limited. Venngage - This tool is great for data visualization and infographics, but doesn’t offer a free education plan. Google Slides, Google Drawings, or Microsoft PowerPoint - Easy-to-use, free, and familiar!" The rest of the image shows the logos for the apps and sites that were mentioned as well as some books a cup with 2 paint brushes in it, and a Black girl laying on her stomach and using a stylus to draw on a tablet.
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” This quote, typically credited to Albert Einstein (though likely erroneously), perfectly sums up why creating simple visual representations of understanding may be a perfect assessment tool. If a student can demonstrate comprehension of a concept in a simple, visually-appealing graphic, they likely have a firm grasp of it (and also have a knack for a skill that is valuable in our society).

This infographic showcases 7 tools that I think are great for creating visuals!

Check out the infographic to see which one is the best fit for you!

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

In the infographic, I give a basic overview of each. To learn more about them, check out Chapter 8 of Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset.

Click on the image to sign up for my newsletter and grab the PDF to learn a bit about creating visuals with Canva, Adobe Spark, Piktochart, Venngage, Google Slides, Google Drawings, and Microsoft PowerPoint. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This infographic features the #EduDuctTape Question "What tools can my students use to create visuals?" In the response, which is shown on a tablet screen, is the following text "Canva - A great teacher interface and unlimited templates, fonts, photos, videos, graphics, and icons are all in the free education version, along with collaboration and the ability to add graphs or pull in content from other apps. Adobe Spark - Adobe doesn’t offer collaboration or classroom management features, but their free education plans do offer plenty of templates, music, photos, and fonts in their easy-to-use Post and Page tools. Piktochart - This option is great for creating charts from dynamic or imported data and for turning graphics into presentations, but it’s free plan is limited. Venngage - This tool is great for data visualization and infographics, but doesn’t offer a free education plan. Google Slides, Google Drawings, or Microsoft PowerPoint - Easy-to-use, free, and familiar!" The rest of the image shows the logos for the apps and sites that were mentioned as well as some books a cup with 2 paint brushes in it, and a Black girl laying on her stomach and using a stylus to draw on a tablet.

 

 

4 Animation Creation Tools for Students

#EduDuctTape Question

What tools can my students use to animate?


This infographic features the #EduDuctTape Question "What tools can my students use to create animations?" In the response, which is shown on a tablet screen, is the following text "Animation and Drawing by Do Ink - If you have an iPad, check out this inexpensive app’s pathing tool that automatically animates your text, photos, props, or drawings. It can even change objects’ size and shape. Scratch - This free web-based program from MIT lets you program animations that include images, audio, text, speech bubbles, characters, and their own drawings. Working with littles? Check out the Scratch Jr. iOS app! #StopMotionSlides - Use Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Keynote to create flipbook-like animations by making a series of slides with incremental changes. Using these ubiquitous and familiar app means the learning curve is low. Flipgrid - Drag stickers or images around the screen to record animations. You can even narrate the animation, utilize backdrops, and edit the video. Plus, you can create a stop motion experience by recording and pausing strategically." The rest of the image shows the logos for the apps and sites that were mentioned as well as some books and a blonde girl with a backpack and one leg up in the air as if she's walking.
Want to see if your students understand the life cycle of a butterfly, the way a quadratic equation is graphed, or the westward expansion of American settlers? Animations are a great way for them to show their comprehension of complex processes. showcases 4 tools that I think are great for creating animations!

Check out the infographic to see which one is the best fit for you!

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

In the infographic, I give a basic overview of each. To learn more about them, check out Chapter 8 of Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset.

Click on the image to sign up for my newsletter and grab the PDF to learn a bit about creating animations with Animation and Drawing by Do Ink, Scratch, #StopMotionSlides, and Flipgrid. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This infographic features the #EduDuctTape Question "What tools can my students use to create animations?" In the response, which is shown on a tablet screen, is the following text "Animation and Drawing by Do Ink - If you have an iPad, check out this inexpensive app’s pathing tool that automatically animates your text, photos, props, or drawings. It can even change objects’ size and shape. Scratch - This free web-based program from MIT lets you program animations that include images, audio, text, speech bubbles, characters, and their own drawings. Working with littles? Check out the Scratch Jr. iOS app! #StopMotionSlides - Use Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Keynote to create flipbook-like animations by making a series of slides with incremental changes. Using these ubiquitous and familiar app means the learning curve is low. Flipgrid - Drag stickers or images around the screen to record animations. You can even narrate the animation, utilize backdrops, and edit the video. Plus, you can create a stop motion experience by recording and pausing strategically." The rest of the image shows the logos for the apps and sites that were mentioned as well as some books and a blonde girl with a backpack and one leg up in the air as if she's walking.

 

 

7 Video Creation Tools for Students

#EduDuctTape Question

What video creation tools can my students use to demonstrate their understanding?

This infographic is titled #EduDuctTape Question, Chapter 8: What video creation tools can my students use to demonstrate their understanding? It includes a picture of the Educational Duct Tape along with the logos for the apps and sites that are included. The text of the body reads "Flipgrid - Easy teacher management and easy student creation including backdrops, lenses, filters, music, pen tools, screencasting, text addition, images, stickers, and easy editing. Adobe Spark Video - Try this tool’s slides-based editor to create slick, easy, visually appealing videos that include pictures, video, text, icons, narration, and music along with transitions, effects, and collaboration! Screencastify Submit - If you’re willing to forego fancy editing options, this tool makes assigning, recording, and collecting these video assignments quick and easy! Green Screen by Do Ink - The inexpensive Do Ink app offers quality kid-friendly video recording, editing, green screening, and masking on iPads and iPhones. WeVideo - WeVideo is probably the best web-based video editor out there. Perform basic edits for free or green screen, record podcasts, utilize a classroom dashboard, and more in the paid version. Kapwing - Students can add subtitles, text, animations, images, and audio to their videos and even edit, green screen, and collaborate in the free version of this web-based freemium tool! Prezi Video - This fresh take on recording webcam videos adds in visually-appealing overlays, animations, text, images, and more without the vertigo style of their original presentation tool."📹Videos can be awesome assessment tools because they give us the ability to see representations of our students’ thinking and hear their explanations of it simultaneously. It also lets our students tap into their creativity. This infographic showcases a few video creation tools your students could use for this.

Check out the infographic to see which one is the best fit for you!

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

In the infographic, I give a basic overview of each. To learn more about them, check out Chapter 8 of Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset.

Click on the image to sign up for my newsletter and grab the PDF to learn a bit about creating videos with Flipgrid, Adobe Spark, Screencastify Submit, Green Screen by Do Ink, WeVideo, Kapwing, and Prezi VideoAnd, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This infographic is titled #EduDuctTape Question, Chapter 8: What video creation tools can my students use to demonstrate their understanding? It includes a picture of the Educational Duct Tape along with the logos for the apps and sites that are included. The text of the body reads "Flipgrid - Easy teacher management and easy student creation including backdrops, lenses, filters, music, pen tools, screencasting, text addition, images, stickers, and easy editing. Adobe Spark Video - Try this tool’s slides-based editor to create slick, easy, visually appealing videos that include pictures, video, text, icons, narration, and music along with transitions, effects, and collaboration! Screencastify Submit - If you’re willing to forego fancy editing options, this tool makes assigning, recording, and collecting these video assignments quick and easy! Green Screen by Do Ink - The inexpensive Do Ink app offers quality kid-friendly video recording, editing, green screening, and masking on iPads and iPhones. WeVideo - WeVideo is probably the best web-based video editor out there. Perform basic edits for free or green screen, record podcasts, utilize a classroom dashboard, and more in the paid version. Kapwing - Students can add subtitles, text, animations, images, and audio to their videos and even edit, green screen, and collaborate in the free version of this web-based freemium tool! Prezi Video - This fresh take on recording webcam videos adds in visually-appealing overlays, animations, text, images, and more without the vertigo style of their original presentation tool."

 

 

7 Simple Audio Recorders

#EduDuctTape Question

What tools can my students use to record audio?

This is an #EduDuctTape Question Infographic featuring a question from Chapter 8 of the book Educational Duct Tape. The infographic shows a picture of the book, icons for the apps and sites included, some textbooks, and a visually impaired student with black glasses and a cane. The text reads "What tools can my students use to record and edit audio? (Simple audio recorders!) Screencastify - Record, edit, and export mp3s with the popular screencasting tool. Vocaroo - Record and share audio directly from the website or download them for use elsewhere. Mote - Google-centric tool for audio comments, Slides audio, and audio notes linked to websites. Flipgrid - Record audio-only responses in the popular video response tool. AudioVoiceRecorder.com - quickly record from any browser and download your audio as an MP3 file. Cloud Audio Recorder - Ad-heavy site lets you export MP3 or WAV files to Google Drive or a download. Padlet - Record audio files that are up to 15 minutes and post them to your wall!🎙 Recently, I shared a set of tools that I think are great if you want your students to record and edit audio. In this post and infographic, I’d like to dial that back with a set of tools that I think are great for simply recording audio.

Each of these 7 tools has 2 basic steps:
☝️Record.
✌️Share.
That’s pretty much it.

🎤 A few of them have some basic editing abilities but for the most part, they all shine because they make it easy to simply record and share audio! Check out the infographic to see which one is the best fit for you!

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

💡 In Chapter 8 of Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset, I discuss the 7 tools in greater detail, but you can learn the basics about them in this PDF version of the infographic!

📖  More details about each tool (and a few others) are in the book!

Click on the image to sign up for my newsletter and grab the PDF to learn a bit about recording audio with Screencastify, Vocaroo, Mote, Flipgrid, AudioVoiceRecorder.com, Cloud Audio Recorder, and Padlet. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This is an #EduDuctTape Question Infographic featuring a question from Chapter 8 of the book Educational Duct Tape. The infographic shows a picture of the book, icons for the apps and sites included, some textbooks, and a visually impaired student with black glasses and a cane. The text reads "What tools can my students use to record and edit audio? (Simple audio recorders!) Screencastify - Record, edit, and export mp3s with the popular screencasting tool. Vocaroo - Record and share audio directly from the website or download them for use elsewhere. Mote - Google-centric tool for audio comments, Slides audio, and audio notes linked to websites. Flipgrid - Record audio-only responses in the popular video response tool. AudioVoiceRecorder.com - quickly record from any browser and download your audio as an MP3 file. Cloud Audio Recorder - Ad-heavy site lets you export MP3 or WAV files to Google Drive or a download. Padlet - Record audio files that are up to 15 minutes and post them to your wall!

 

 

6 Multitrack Audio Editors

#EduDuctTape Question

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

🎙 Want to use Audio to measure students’ understanding, not just their knowledge of the right or wrong answer? Check out these tools!

🎛️ This selection of tools includes only Multitrack Audio Recording and Editing Options. In other words, you can have multiple audio files playing at the same time or overlapping one another, such as your voice in one track and music in another. These tools might be a little challenging for younger learners, but once get the hang of it, just imagine what they could create!

💡 In Chapter 8 of Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset, I discuss the 6 tools that I think that you should consider. The infographic below provides a simple breakdown of them. Grab it as a PDF here! In that same chapter, I also discuss a selection of other audio tools, some of which are single-track editors, while others are just audio recorders. I’ll also share those in future infographics!

📖  More details about each tool (and a few others) are in the book!

What tools can my students use to record and edit audio?

Click on the image to sign up for my newsletter and grab the PDF to learn a bit about Soundtrap for Education, GarageBand, Audacity, WeVideo, Twisted Wave, and Beautiful Audio Editor. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This infographic includes a picture of a girl with noise-cancelling headphones sitting "criss-cross applesauce" and using a laptop. It also shows a phone screen, books, and the logos of the apps that are discussed along with the cover of the Educational Duct Tape book. The text says. "#EduDuctTape Question, Chapter 8: What tools can my students use to record and edit audio? (Multitrack audio editors!) Soundtrap for Edu - Offers a transcript-based editor and great teacher tools including LMS integration. GarageBand - This Mac or iOS tool offers a pile of features and capabilities that are surprisingly easy to learn. Audacity - The most common audio recording and editing program for podcasters is free and works on both Mac and Windows. WeVideo - If you use WeVideo for video, try it for audio, too! It even provides commercially licensed, royalty-free stock audio! Twisted Wave - The free version limits you to five-minute audio files, but at least it’s browser-based! Beautiful Audio Editor - Access and save projects within Google Drive!"

 

 

6 Tools for Screencasting

#EduDuctTape Question

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

🎥  Want to bring screencasting into your classroom, but are overwhelmed by the idea of selecting a tool to use?

💡 In Chapter 7 of Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset, I discuss a set of tools that I think that you should consider. The infographic below provides a simple breakdown of the 6 options that I think are best for most teachers. Grab it as a PDF here!

📖  More details about each tool (and a few others) are in the book!

There’s a 7th tool that I mention in the book–Camtasia, it’s my favorite–which I leave out here because it’s a little pricier than most educators are able to go.  There are also a handful of other ones that are honorable mentions in the book (there are a LOT out there!). These, though, are the 6 that I consider the best choices for most educators and cover in greater detail within the book.

How can my students and I record screencasts for flipped lessons or blended learning?

Click on the image to grab the PDF and learn a bit about Screencastify, Screencast-O-Matic, Loom, Flipgrid, WeVideo, and RecordCast. Or sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send you a copy of this PDF. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This infographic includes the title "#EduDuctTape Question, Chapter 7" along with a picture of the Educational Duct Tape book, a roll of duct tape, and a student with crutches. It also includes the logos for the 6 tools that are included. The text says "How can my students and I record screencasts for flipped lessons or blended learning? Screencastify - This Google Drive- connected tool has great recording and editing functions for free as long as your videos are under 5 minutes long. Screencast-O-Matic - Record 15 minute videos with captions and music for free, and edit them on Chromebooks. The paid version adds in extensive editing options. Loom - Record for 45 minutes, do minor editing, and post videos to pages that enable viewer commenting and emoji reactions with free educator accounts. Flipgrid - Screencast for 10 minutes in this student response tool and add in other video styles including whiteboard, backdrops, and more! Captions are automatically added! WeVideo - Record and edit short videos in a free plan or get creative with the most extensive online video editing platform in the paid version! RecordCast - This newer tool rivals many of WeVideo features including a multitrack editor, transitions, and more, all for free!"

 

 

6 Tools for Self-Assessment

#EduDuctTape Question

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

This is another in a series of posts based on content from my new book Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset. Within the book, most chapters feature a question that a teacher might ask along with a few educational technology tools that I believe might be the right answer.

This question – How can my students self-assess their learning? – comes from Chapter 6 of the book.

It’s important to note that there are varying levels of self-assessment. In the book, I discuss the three stages of the self-assessment cycle that James McMillan and Jessica Hearn identified in their article “Student Self-Assessment: The Key to Stronger Student Motivation and Higher Achievement.” They are: self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and identifying learning targets and instructional corrective. In the book, as well as in this resource, I focus mostly on the self-evaluation stage.

The infographic below features the 6 tools that fared the best in my research. There are a handful of other tools that I mention as alternatives within the chapter, but these are the 6 that I consider the best choices for most educators and cover in greater detail within the book.

How can my students blog about their learning and growth?

Check out the image to learn a bit about 6 of my favorite tech tools for this – Quizizz, Quizlet, Kahoot, Flippity.net, Spreadsheet Conditional Formatting, and Checklists in Spreadsheet or Docs.. Plus, grab your free PDF version of this infographic by signing up for my newsletter. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!

This infographic features the text: "#EduDuctTape Question, Chapter 6. How can my students self-assess their learning? Quizizz - Students are prompted to slow down, can improve with redemption questions, can play repeatedly, and can use flashcards. Quizizz - Students are prompted to slow down, can improve with redemption questions, can play repeatedly, and can use flashcards. Kahoot - The classic classroom game tool also features flashcards, practice mode, and gamified test yourself mode. Flippity.net - The custom flashcard creator includes read-aloud option plus video and audio on cards, along with other games. Spreadsheet Conditional Formatting - Set your sheets to color in cells when the correct answer is entered! Checklists in Spreadsheets or Docs - Checking off learned skills or remembered facts taps into the power of self-monitoring."

 

 

6 Tools for Student Blogging

#EduDuctTape Question

This image shows the Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset book cover as well as a 2nd book open to a page inside of the book

This is another in a series of posts based on content from my book Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset. Within the book, most chapters feature a question that a teacher might ask along with a few educational technology tools that I believe might be the right answer.

This question – How can my students blog about their learning and growth? – comes from Chapter 5 of the book. Having never done blogging in my classroom, this one required extensive research on my part.

After putting in that time to research it, the best next step that I can think of is to share my findings with you! The infographic below features the 6 tools that fared the best in my research. There are a handful of other tools that I mention as alternatives within the chapter, but these are the 6 that I consider the best choices for most educators and cover in greater detail within the book.

How can my students blog about their learning and growth?

This image features the #EduDuctTape Question from Chapter 5 of my book. It shows a picture of the Educational Duct Tape book cover, a boy typing on a laptop, and a collection of books, along with logos for the apps that are included. The text states "How can my students blog about their learning and growth? Blogger - This tool has less “teacher features,” but using a Google Workspace for Edu tool is a plus. Edublogs - Teachers get lots of control and an efficient interface with this WordPress-based tool. Write About - This paid-only tool lets you assign prompts and provide audio or text feedback. Fanschool (Kidblog) - Paid-only tool adds Google Drive embeds & connections with other classes. Weebly - This tool enables blogging and webpage-creation, offering twice the potential. Gimkit Ink - New option offers lots of creative freedom and multiple publishing options."
Fill out the form below to get a FREE PDF of this infographic!

John Dewey told us that “We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” If we want our students to reflect on their experiences, blogging might be the best way to encourage it. In Chapter 5 of the book Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset I cover these 6 blogging tools in detail. This infographic provides an overview of those tools.

Check out the image to learn a bit about 6 of my favorite tech tools for this – Blogger, Edublogs, Write About, Fanschool, Weebly, and Gimkit Ink. Plus, grab your free PDF version of this infographic by signing up for my newsletter. And, bonus, if I change my recommendations or add tools to the infographic later, you’ll get an update in your inbox!