TOO COOL (PERFECT FOR SCHOOL): We've got our favorite edtech teacher and administrator tools for the week right here, as highlighted in our Instruct newsletter. By the way--got a favorite S’Cool Tool you like to use? We would love to hear and share your recommendations! If you’ve got a tool that makes you or your students sing from the proverbial mountaintops, fill out this form to let us know. It might just get featured!
Free! Cell phones in the classroom are great for BYOD, but when you’ve asked students not to use them, it’s like you become the cell-phone police. So, get some help and try out Pocket Points. This app gives students rewards when they don’t use their phone in class—all they have to do is open the application, lock their phone, and wrack up points (redeemable for discounts at local stores) for every hour they don’t touch it. Three points for this app!
Free! Minnesota educator Angela Gadtke loves the Seesaw app. Just check out her Twitter—it’s full of Seesaw references because, according to her, this student-driven digital portfolios app allows her to hear “the voices of all my students and get a peek into their thoughts.” Plus, she writes: “they just launched a 2.0 version with all sorts of new features,” including a Google sign-in feature and feedback options so that students can engage in peer reviews.
Free! Tired of using Quizlet? Quizalize might be another fun option for you to test out with your students this coming year. You can generate your own quizzes or pick one from the Quizalize Marketplace, and then track student progress with instant assessments for personalized learning on a laptop, tablet or smartphone. One caveat—the tool is only browser-based at the moment.
