Technology isn’t going anywhere, even in the classroom. Computers and smartphones have completely revolutionized the way that we run most of our lives, and these devices are just as popular with kids.
While it’s sensible to have some form of technology ban in most lessons - such as not permitting mobile phones - it’s also prudent to incorporate interactive educational technology into your class. This can help you to engage and interest kids, making classes feel less like learning and more like fun.
To do this, you’ll need to incorporate some of the top interactive classroom technology tools into your lessons. Below is a list of interactive education tools you should definitely consider featuring in your classroom.
First up, consider installing an interactive display, like those that we sell at Avocor. You can use these displays as a standalone device to connect to the internet, play games, video call remote students, or as a whiteboard.
It’s also possible to connect your own device to the display, which means that if you’re in a shared classroom you can connect securely and no data is saved when you disconnect.
These displays are a fantastic way to introduce technology into the classroom in a productive and collaborative manner.
If you struggle to get your class’s attention when you are giving them information, Prezi is a must. It’s a dynamic presentation tool that provides animated presentations for students. With so many more features than traditional PowerPoint, Prezi enables you to zoom in on information, and add animated images or video.
Do you enjoy class brainstorming sessions? Make them virtual with Padlet, which is a digital pinboard.
Any contributor can add notes, images, videos, and links to the board (so your students could collaborate from their own devices) and you can move them around accordingly. As the board owner, it’s possible to control accesses and delete or edit contributions.
Another fantastic interactive education tool for students from preschool up to college level, Quizlet is a virtual flashcard app. You simply write the question or prompt on one side and the answer on the other, and can flick through the deck randomly.
Perfect for revising for end-of-year exams, you could go through the virtual cards with your class on your interactive display or send them to all students for their independent perusal.
Ideal for creative writing classes, StoryJumper helps classrooms make their own digital stories.
You can load this program onto your interactive display and give students turns to create their own part of the story, or it’s possible to add multiple students to a storybook and invite them to work on the project together.
Thanks to its colourful interface and the possibility to draw illustrations along with writing, StoryJumper is the ideal platform to encourage creativity.
Want to include some games in your lesson, but stuck for inspiration?
Use Tiny Tap, which boasts over 200,000 games made by teachers, from students to college-age. All of the games are educational and can be played in classroom settings; just log in on your interactive display for high-quality imaging.
Kahoot is one of the best free interactive classroom technology tools. On the platform, you can create fun quizzes with questions and answers on any topic.
You can also make the quizzes your own by adding images and videos. You can either host these quizzes in the classroom or send your students an invite code so they can access them remotely.
This one’s a little different, but interactive classroom design tools are just as important to teachers as collaboration tools!
Ki’s Classroom Design tool enables teachers to try out different classroom layouts without having to go through the hassle of physically moving tables and chairs. You can even sample different types of furniture before buying it!
Learn Around the World is a virtual program that connects students and teachers with others in different areas of the globe. It’s like the 21st century version of a pen pal! With the program, your class can go on a virtual field trip or you can even collaborate with students from the other side of the world.
It’s popular with language learners and geography students but could be used by any class that wants to learn about different cultures and countries and make more international connections.
There are some subjects, like English and Art, that shouldn’t be marked with AI (some would argue never).
However, artificial intelligence is being used more frequently throughout the classroom - and even at tertiary establishments like the University of Birmingham - and it can greatly reduce the pressure on busy teachers. After all, marking is a repetitive, boring task; and it’s these tasks that AI is best-suited to help with.
AI marking tools, such as Gradescope, can greatly reduce marking time. Gradescope groups similar answers, meaning that teachers only need to mark each group once. It’s one of the best interactive teaching tools for saving teacher time and energy!
Grammarly is another AI tool that can help teachers with grading. It discovers grammar errors in a piece of writing; when grading, a teacher can quickly analyze these without having to go through them individually.
Grammarly sometimes doesn’t get tones or word order spot on, so it’s essential to only use it as a guide, but it can certainly save teachers a ton of time.
Today’s educational technology allows and encourages teachers to impart their wisdom to the best of their ability while making their classroom more interactive than ever. Students sitting in their chairs purposelessly for hours and leaving the session blank-minded is a thing of the past.
From classroom organization to spell check to creative games, there are a myriad of interactive educational tools and solutions that can assist you in achieving your goals of hosting an entertaining and engaging lesson.
All you need to do is to find the right classroom technology tools that suit your pupils. Why not try out a few of the best interactive education solutions recommended in this article and gauge how your classroom engagement grows in 2023?
With the help of educational technology, we can make the classroom a place your students will yearn to be!
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