Tuesday, July 19, 2016


Tools are handy for all teachers, but they are essential in the online learning environment.  They can help personalize learning and add to student engagement. In this blog, I am going to explore several tools and how they can be used in an online learning environment.

Presentation Tools
Presentation tools can be used to present or have the learners create presentations on a topic. All of these tools are nice because they have an interactive features that are more engaging to the learner. The person viewing the tools can watch videos, draw, take quizzes, participate in polls, and respond to questions. Each tool has different features. The most features are in Nearpod and the least in Adobe Spark.


·         Nearpod: Nearpod is a tool for teachers to engage students with interactive lessons. You can create live synchronous or asynchronous lessons. It is free, but extra features are more expensive.

·         Microsoft PowerPoint with Mix: Everyone is familiar with PowerPoint, but the Mix add-in takes it too] a new level. It allows you to easily create and share interactive online videos in PowerPoint. This is a free download with Microsoft 365.

·         Adobe Spark: A beautiful way to layout presentations. You can add photos, video and text. The platform is user friendly and can be created on the web or ios. This is free with an Adobe account.

Video Tools
These tools are great for the visual students. They allow you to create videos to display content. They can be used to share content or to have students create projects.

·         Animoto: This tool turns photos and video clips in video slideshows. Educators can apply for a free Animoto Plus account for use in the classroom, but they offer paid plans as well.

·         Stupeflix : This is just like Animoto. Make unlimited free videos, up to 20 minutes long. You can also apply for an educators’ account.

·         Pixiclip: Allows you to create simple videos in your computer's web browser. You work in a whiteboard and can can draw, upload images to mark‐up, and type. You can also record audio or video. You communicate using a webcam or a microphone. Pixiclip is free,

Community Tools
These tools allow the users to collaborate and share work. They often have other features as well.

·         Edmodo: Social plan where students can share documents and post comments to collaborate. Teachers and parents can monitor content. It is free, but premium services cost $2500 per school per year.

·         Google Docs: Allows users to share in real-time. It is free to use.

·         Office 365: Allows users to access files anywhere and collabore in real time. There are many packages available from $6.00 a month and up. 

No comments:

Post a Comment