AN INVESTIGATION: EDUCATIONAL TOOLS

We all know that the more sensory organs we appeal to, the more permanent the information becomes. Vidcast provides visual and auditory context. Especially for asynchronous lectures, preparing a vidcast instead of distributing notes may be the best option. Check my vidcast: https://youtu.be/OoyGdV2tX3M 

People may listen to a podcast to learn more about a topic, to stay up to date on current events, or simply to chuckle. A podcast can also be a very effective marketing tool. Podcasting can be used to advertise your company, increase your reach, or market to your current audience. As a teacher or student, you can create and listen educational podcasts. Do you want to see an example? Let's listen my podcast. It introduces a drama game which is very useful to learn foreign language. Check it: https://open.spotify.com/episode/55VzVPHS0g7LCJJHd0bTfd?si=3qzSRQnPSue8lUjX4bP99g&nd=1

 What are TPACK and SAMR? Check these images:

  Augmented reality (AR) employs the camera of a smartphone to superimpose digital elements onto a live scene, as demonstrated by experiences like Snapchat glasses and the game Pokemon Go. On the other hand, virtual reality (VR) denotes a fully immersive encounter that secludes the user from the external environment. Through the utilization of VR devices like the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, or Google Cardboard, individuals can be transported to a diverse range of real-world or imaginative scenarios, such as finding themselves in the midst of a lively penguin colony or riding on the back of a dragon.  

Second Life is a digital platform where individuals can craft a personalized virtual character, known as an avatar, and engage with fellow users and user-generated content in a dynamic online virtual universe. This platform offers a rich multimedia experience and the opportunity for multiplayer interactions within a virtual world. There is no doubt that a teacher who provides a free and fun environment for students will have more creative and productive lessons than others. Create your own classroom now and try it!

  MindMeister is a versatile platform that caters to both adults and students, offering the ability to create mind maps for effective planning and educational purposes.  MindMeister serves as both a mobile app and an online tool, providing convenient access to various mind map templates for brainstorming, creating plans, conducting SWOT analysis, and more. With MindMeister, generating presentations based on the mind maps created becomes effortless, making it an excellent tool not just for personal planning but also for collaborative projects within the classroom setting.  

  Canva simplifies the process of creating visually appealing and artistic content for everyone. It offers a wide range of design options, including social media visuals, videos, gifs, posters, websites, booklets, multimedia presentations, and much more. Canva is an invaluable resource that assists you in improving your design abilities, even if you're a beginner. Basically, it is very useful to teaching.

Voki is a valuable educational resource designed to enrich instruction, promote engagement, and improve understanding of lessons for both teachers and students. It serves multiple purposes, such as enhancing student work within the classroom, acting as an animated presentation tool, facilitating student assignments, and providing a virtual platform for supervised discussions

Flipgrid is an online platform that enables teachers to establish "grids" for conducting video-based discussions. Each grid functions as a message board, where teachers can present questions known as "topics," and students can respond by posting video replies that are showcased in a tiled grid format. Through Flipgrid, students have the opportunity to foster and enhance social learning communities by engaging in discussions where they share their ideas and experiences with their peers. Flipgrid not only amplifies student voice but also nurtures the growth of global empathy as students immerse themselves in each other's learning journeys and gain exposure to diverse perspectives.  Let's watch this tutorial:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJOoloQ7k5Q 

Nearpod helps educators make any lesson interactive, whether in the classroom or virtual. The concept is simple. A teacher can create interactive presentations that can contain Quizzes, Polls, Videos, Collaborate Boards, and more.  Nearpod allows for active student engagement and ensures that all students remain focused and actively participate. It provides a comfortable environment for students to respond to questions digitally, while the teacher promotes class discussion. Students have the flexibility to submit their responses by typing, choosing images, or even providing voice recordings as options.

Edpuzzle is a program for altering web videos and including interactive elements to focus on particular educational goals. Teachers can search the built-in content collection, add URLs, or submit their own films. In contrast to a conventional video editor, this tool focuses on converting clips into a format that enables teachers to directly interact with students regarding a specific topic. Additionally, it has the ability to provide assessments based on the content and provides numerous controls that enable video usage even in stricter school environments.

- Students love games and competition. A game-based learning platform called Kahoot makes it simple to quickly develop, share, and play learning games or trivia quizzes. Fun should be let loose in living rooms, offices, and classrooms. Students will not even realise that they are learning while having fun. Kahoot is even a method for students with test anxiety to be successful. Try it now!

Pixton is a website where teachers and students may both create and share comics for use in the classroom. There is a free 7-day trial with full access. A subscription is then required for teachers, either for themselves or for themselves and a group of pupils. To learn more:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfCPdyrIU8Y 

Flashcards have always been the students' best friend. Flashcards, one of the most efficient ways to learn vocabulary, can be done easily thanks to Quizlet. It is also very easy to use. Just register an account and create the cards.  Look at my flash cards: https://quizlet.com/tr/804077077/verbs-flash-cards/?new  

ARize allows you to take a video of an object and replicate it in 3D in a virtual environment. As a teacher, you can have a nice and productive experience by showing the vocab equivalent directly with this application instead of translating while giving vocab to your students.

ThingLink enables users to produce interactive photos, movies, and virtual tours. By including links, tags, and other interactive components, you can enhance static media. Text, photos, music, video, and embedded online content can all be interactive elements. You can design captivating visual experiences using ThingLink that provide your audience more details, context, and interactivity. For instance, you can tag particular portions of an image or video and add further content, such descriptions, relevant links, or multimedia components. Viewers can access the additional data or media you've attached by clicking on the tags when they interact with the image or video.

 You can write and read picture books, longform stories, comics, flash fictions and poetries in Storybird. The goal of the distinctive storytelling platform Storybird is to encourage students' creative writing and the production of professionally edited storybooks. As a teacher, you can also prepare a reading material for your students. https://storybird.com/picture-book/i-will-never-use-math- Let's check this example and do your own picture book! 

  You and your students can use the free and straightforward animation maker Animatron to produce quick videos that can be seen on any device. The program works well for children in upper elementary through high school and is a fantastic alternative to doing static presentations.  It's an intuitive software with a ton of versatility and opportunities.

Just choose a template, edit and share it! With Pawtoon, it's that easy to make creative and fun slides for your class or projects. Powtoon was created for educational purposes, therefore it enables students to create projects that may be sent to the teacher's account for review. For teachers, looking to get their students more involved with technology, this is an excellent tool. However, it's also a tremendously effective approach for pupils to communicate their ideas more creatively. The fact that they are picking up a new skill in the process is merely a bonus. Look at my pawtoon character.: If you want, you can create characters like that for your slides.

 Young learners enjoy animation. What about adult learners? They love it as well! Use Toontastic and create your own animations. You can edit scenes and do voice-overs. You can be sure that doing it is as much fun and enjoyable as watching it. Check out this video and give it a try! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVg8HrDi3b8   Also, you can see a scene from my toontastic video:

  Nowadays, making impressive slides is an important skill. Not only in education but also in business, but in this post we will focus on education. I will give you a tip to grab the attention of the student or to win the appreciation of the teacher or classmates: Animoto! Give animoto a chance to create impressive videos/slides. Don't forget that: If we want effective teaching, we use materials that can appeal to more than one of our senses. 

 Do you want to access more blogs about technology and education? Check them:  1. https://fromthebluesides.blogspot.com/ 2. elt-related.blogspot.com 3. https://adellenicexpswithz.blogspot.com   4. https://elifandthelanguages.blogspot.com/  5. webdusttdilan.blogspot.com 

A digital app-based platform called Seesaw for Schools enables teachers, parents, and guardians to complete and share student assignments. Seesaw, as the business describes it, is a platform for student involvement. Students can demonstrate their knowledge using a variety of media, including photos, videos, drawings, text, links, and pdfs, by utilizing the Seesaw app. All of this is accessible to instructors for review and evaluation on the Seesaw platform, as well as for sharing with parents and guardians. The teacher can maintain their student portfolio throughout their academic career as it expands over time. This is a fantastic way for other teachers to see the student's growth throughout time, even outlining the process they used to get at the end outcome.  Here is an example: 

Animaker allows you to make creative and fun videos. It is easy to use. You can add and change elements using a straightforward drag-and-drop interface, and there are several templates available to help you get started if you're not sure how you want your video to look. A library of images, characters, sounds, and other materials is also provided for you to utilize in your video.  Animaker is a fantastic option if you're looking for an online animation movie maker that can create animated videos without taking a lot of time. It is a freemium piece of software with a subscription-based business structure. Last year, I made videos by using Animaker for young English learners. As a teacher, you also can create amazing videos. If you want to check some of them, look at these links:  https://youtu.be/BLUW-TLlisM   https://youtu.be/4l_CuVogcHA

  Steve.ai uses artificial intelligence (AI) to let anyone make animation and movies. In essence, it offers a free plan that everyone can use. Additionally, it offers basic, starter, and pro programs that include the majority of features for both people and teams. You just have to write your own script and it creates your video. You can edit the video/animation. It saves your time and as we know, if you are a teacher you need time. To understand better, please watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_J1d7yUnjc  You can also check my steve.ai video! https://app.steve.ai/steveai/publish/R3Jr2IQBO0ZK5ap8Yqb7

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Create, share and reuse interactive html5 content in your browser! Setting out with this motto, H5P offers a unique experience for students and teachers. Teachers can use their creativity and create their own language activities, while students can access these activities prepared for them. There are many different contents on the site. You can choose one of them and mould it. Basically, we can say that teachers can make applications thanks to H5P without coding knowladge.  Take a look at the examples: