![]() Let me start by saying that I have resisted using technology in the classroom for a long time. I am one of those “old” teachers who started teaching before the internet was widely available. For listening lessons I used to have to use a cassette tape! I still have nightmares about having a lesson all ready to go that involves playing a video, using a power point or absolutely depends on students being able to access a certain website only to have the internet go down all of a sudden or the speakers refuse to communicate with the computer. The silence is deafening as I stand up there in the front of the room fumbling with connections and turning things on and off while 30 pairs of eyes stare at me, waiting. It makes me sweat just thinking about it so I always make sure I have a plan B if the technology decides it is not my friend. When I choose technology to use, I choose carefully. It absolutely must adhere to the following criteria.
So, with no further ado, here are the tools that have helped me to teach better. Schoology![]() What is it? It is a learning platform that helps you interact with your students outside of the classroom. It organizes and calculates grades and attendance. How I use it:
Quizlet![]() What is it? It is a site where you can create flashcards for your students. They can practice vocabulary with a variety of games and activities. How I use it:
Canva![]() What is it? It is a design site that allows you to create professional-looking documents and handouts. How I use it:
Why I love it:
QR Codes![]() What is it? QR codes enable you to give students a scannable code that will take them directly to any website you wish without having to type in the address. How I use it:
Tagul Word Cloud Creator![]() What is it? It takes texts and turns them into “clouds” or figures made up of the words in the text. The most common words are larger and the less common words are smaller. How I use it:
Google Docs![]() What is it? Google docs is a free application where you can create, store and share documents. How do I use it?
Dropbox![]() What is it? It is an online place to save your documents on the web. That way you can find them no matter where you are, even if you are working on different computers without having to bring a flash drive with you. How I use it:
New things are being developed all the time that are really helpful. I am truly grateful for all of the wonderful things I can do now thanks to technology even though I do sometimes grumble at having to learn all of it. Do you have any online teaching tools that you just can’t do without? Please tell me about them! I would love to update this post with new ideas! You might also enjoy these posts.![]() ![]() ![]()
4 Comments
2/27/2017 11:54:16 pm
Schoology sounds really interesting. Would also like to check out quizlet and the word creator. You're not anti-technological at all!
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Inna Piankovska
3/13/2017 12:51:49 am
Thanks for such a great post, Kia! I love using some of the tools you have mentioned. Could you please give an example of a game you have created using Canva? I use this tool a lot and would like to get more ideas on how to use it for classroom purposes. Thank you )
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Hi Inna, I am so glad you are enjoying using the tools! So far I have created playing cards with prefixes, root words and suffixes on them. Students play different games mixing the different word parts to create new words. You could also use it to create board games and I write a word of the day combining pictures and vocabulary. I was thinking about showing my students how to use canva and asking them to create their own words that we could hang on a vocabulary board. I put my words up on this Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ThinkinEnglishLLC/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
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Hi, I'm Kia.I help ESL / EFL teachers create fun, effective courses that students love.Archives
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