Preparing for Your Future
25 Technologies for Your Teaching Toolbox Beverley Hoerig Senior Instructional Designer, University of Houston-Victoria, Texas
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echnology is ubiquitous in our daily lives—at home, at work, at school. There are literally thousands of technology tools that you could choose from. For teachers, a big challenge is how do you filter through and pick the ones that will be most useful to you and your students. How do you know which ones meet your teaching goals and students’ learning objectives? The best answer I can find is to explore and figure out what other teachers are using and start with those. Share your stories—successes and challenges—with other teachers, and together build shared resources. Below you will find a list of 25 tools that you might find helpful in your teaching. They have bubbled up near the top of my recommended list because they are 1) widely used and established, 2) relevant to teaching, and 3) easy to learn and use. It is important to always remember that technology is just a tool. The pedagogy comes first; the tools support the pedagogy. Note that all the tools below have a free version. Most also have paid premium features. In the information below, I provide a brief description of the technology, the link to its website, and a short list of ideas to use the tool in your classroom.
CREATIVITY and VISUALIZATION
Canva
Graphic design tool. Create amazing presentations, posters, newsletters, flyers, brochures, social media graphics, logos and more. Library of images, icons, shapes, and fonts. Use their design templates or design from scratch. Easy to use.
• Design a visually engaging syllabus or lesson plan
https://www.canva.com/
• Create presentations
• Create lecture slides • Create worksheets • Design classroom posters • Create a learning portfolio • Design infographics • Create a newsletter
Prezi
An alternative to the traditional slide presentation that is presented in a linear format. Prezi is a web-based tool with a dynamic canvas where you can pan and zoom to areas of the presentation, creating a more visual experience. You can also add your video directly onto the presentation canvas. Includes templates to get you started. Import PowerPoint slides.
• Use Prezi as an alternative to PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google slides • Create graphic organizers to help students visualize concepts
https://prezi.com/
Sway
Create and share interactive stories, reports, • Create visually engaging digital stories presentations, etc. The emphasis is on storytelling, rather (presentations) than presenting data. Easy to use. Has templates and tools • Student presentations to help you build an outline based on your selected topic. • Book reports Share via link or embed on a website. https://sway.office.com/
• Reflections • Digital history presentation
Haiku Deck
Another alternative presentation tool. Professionallooking designs and layouts. Beautiful imagery. Relies on less text and more visual. Encourages you to tell a story. Easy and fun to use. https://haikudeck.com/
Popplet
• Create visually engaging digital stories (presentations) • School/classroom/community tours • Digital portfolio (project photos) • Book report
Mind mapping and graphic organizer application to help you think visually. Simple interface is intuitive and easy to use. Add text, images, video, drawings, and links to the canvas and connect the objects. Collaborate with others.
• Brainstorm a research project
https://www.popplet.com/
• Take notes
16 American Association for Employment in Education
• Design a site map • Organize a group project
