As schools all over the world transition to remote learning, teachers are scrambling to find new, interactive ways for teaching, testing and communicating with students. There are countless apps and software platforms to choose from, but a few stand out for their ability to engage students and enhance learning from home in accessible, creative ways.
- Draw & Tell
Using Draw and Tell, students create stories by drawing and coloring. This app includes the option of recording voices and moving stickers around in the drawings. Students can then share their creations with each other for a new twist on show-and-tell while developing language and open-ended creativity. Teachers can also use the app to model expectations, create short tutorials, and give clear directions. App Store - Explain Everything
This app offers collaborative learning experiences, including interactive white boards and multimedia presentation tools for both teachers and students. They can use it to collaborate with Voice Chat features both through the app and on the web, making it accessible on any device. App Store; Google Play - ClassDojo
The ultimate free resource for facilitating communication between and among teachers, students and parents, ClassDojo serves as a hub of activity and resources. Teachers can create and assign multimedia activities, including photos, videos, voice recordings, drawings, and journal entries and leave feedback for students via voice notes and social media-style likes and comments. Teachers are also able to send individual messages to families and class-wide announcements. They can also schedule reminders for assignment due dates. App Store; Google Play - Remind
Teachers, students and parents can send text, audio or video messages and share links, files and images with other users on this popular communication platform. They can even use it to collect money for fundraisers, supplies or events. Teachers can create reminders about assignments, set office hours, create collaborative groups and schedule messages. App Store; Google Play - Kahoot!
This longtime favorite of educators and students makes learning fun with interactive games. Teachers and students can create their own games or choose from the platform’s offerings to introduce new topics, review and reinforce content mastery, generate in-class discussion and run assessments. App Store; Google Play
What really stands out during the COVID-19 crisis is the platform’s new “Study Mode,” which enables students to create materials like flashcards, practice quizzes and self-tests. Students can study in virtual groups, and teachers can host live virtual study sessions. - Quizlet
This app includes text-based and visual materials designed to make studying fun. The greatest strength of Quizlet is its large library of readymade “sets,” or game-based study and quiz tools that can be used to enhance content mastery, test spelling and practice labeling diagrams. The Quizlet library is not exhaustive, giving teachers and students the option to create their own quiz tools as well. “Quizlet Learn” increases the difficulty of quizzes over time, and teachers can use this feature to track student progress. App Store; Google Play - Photomath
This helpful app offers students one-on-one guidance for solving math problems by themselves. Students and parents can simply use their device’s camera to scan printed or handwritten math problems. Based on the scan, they receive step-by-step animated explanations of how to approach the problem. App Store; Google Play
When society is asked to shelter at home, schools are developing new ways to create e-learning environments that are engaging and beneficial for both parents and students. As teachers become more aware of the possibilities that educational technology offers, they may also feel drawn to enrich their own pedagogical skills. Southeastern Oklahoma State University offers a fully online Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction – Educational Technology degree program that can be completed in as few as 12 months.
Learn more about Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction – Educational Technology online program.