Edtech Tools for Remote Learning
If you have been doing remote learning classes for a while now, you are probably very familiar with edtech tools and how they can help you engage with the students easily and properly. But you may not be aware that there are numerous studies to support the perceived benefits of using edtech tools in remote learning. These studies suggest that when used properly and in conjunction with traditional method edtech tools can significantly improve a student’s outcome.
The main reason why is because edtech tools can make it easy and sometimes even fun for students to work on and submit their assignments, facilitate self-learning and even allow for the easy flow or feedback. The following are 8 of the best edtech tools to utilize for remote learning;
Google Classroom
You may already be familiar with this one, but most people don’t realize the benefits of using Google Classroom. This completely free tool from Google allows users to access and join more than one class with the same account. As the teacher, all you have to do is create an account, create a classroom and share the class link with your students. You can then very easily post all the material in the classroom where the students can easily access it.
One of the major advantages of using Google Classroom is that it can make lesson planning very easy. You can easily post a slide presentation for the day’s lesson along with all the other content resources such as videos and articles as well as the assignment.
The students will then go through the content and then submit the material in the virtual classroom. Once the work is submitted, you can review, add comments and provide corrections before assigning a grade. Google Classroom is therefore a great tool to facilitate group or individual learning outside and inside the classroom.
Slide Presentations
You may already be familiar with PowerPoint, which works great to produce slide presentations that may be ideal for learning. But there are numerous other presentation tools in the market and using a different format may do wonders for your student’s engagement.
Whatever presentation tool you use to create slides, you can include text and images to make the slides more engaging while covering the course content. And when used in combination with Google Classroom and some of the other tools on this list, you will quickly discover that Slide presentations can be invaluable to both remote and in-classroom learning.
A Screen Recorder
Nothing works better for remote learning than a screen recorder. It allows you to create video presentations of the course work that you can share with the students using various other tools including Google Classroom. The importance of video as a learning tool especially in remote learning cannot be overstated and the perfect screen recorder, allows you take your videos to a whole new level.
With the right screen recorder, you can easily turn those beautiful slides of the coursework into screen-flow videos that your students can easily relate with. A tool like Wondershare DemoCreator, one of the best screen recorders in the business, allows you to take your videos to the next level.
Secure DownloadSecure DownloadWith DemoCreator, you have a variety of options including the following;
- You can use it to record the whole screen or a pre-selected section of the screen
- It allows you to record webcam footage and microphone audio at the same time
- It comes with a fully functional editing suite that is very easy to access and even easier to use, allowing you to cut, paste, trim and even delete sections of the video.
- You can import videos and audio to the program in numerous formats
- It comes with powerful annotation tools that can aid you in explaining a complex idea to your students.
A Video Editor
The first video you record is probably not the ideal one to share with your students. You will need to make edits that will bring the course material together in a way that is understandable to your students. Perhaps the section that clearly explains the course material is missing and you need to add it to a specific section of the video. To do this, you need a video editor that is both effective and easy to use.
Secure DownloadSecure DownloadThe good news is, DemoCreator is both a screen recorder and video editor. With this tool, you can easily remove sections of the video that you don’t want to include in the video. You also have the option to edit a variety of other sections and content in the video including the following;
- You can add and remove audio like music and voice recordings
- You can add and remove still images to the overall project
- You can cut away a section of the video that you don’t want to include
- Annotations like arrows, circles and even text can be added after the video is complete
DemoCreator also allow you to add effects into the video including;
- Changing the colors on the video
- Zooming in and out of the video content
- Creating transitions
- Blurring and highlighting sections of the video
Make a Video into an Assignment
Videos have many applications in remote-learning, but perhaps one of the most engaging is the customization of videos using tools like EdPuzzle to turn them into interactive assignment. This video assignment can then be incorporated to the classroom tool that you are using as kind of homework.
One of the best ways to use this kind of customization is to create a video that poses questions about the coursework, designed to see if the students understood the work. The video is paused until the student provides the answer and then continues to play. This is an easy way to monitor the progress of the students in your class especially because you can reset the video at any time.
Practice Quizzes using Games
There are also a lot of tools that are designed to make big tests both manageable and easily accessible to the students. With game tools like Quizizz and Kahoot, you can easily create multiple-choice quizzes that can be useful for tests.
They are often very easy to use, allowing you to choose from a variety of premade tests that you can customize to make your own or create your own from scratch. Once the student has answered all the questions, the tool will show you the percentage of students that chose each answer. This makes it very easy to carry out revision, where you can call on a student to explain why they thought a certain answer was correct.
Use Edtech apps to Get a Response from Each Student
In a classroom setting, it is very possible to ask each student for their answer, but this can be very difficult in a remote-learning setting. Yet, once again there are edtech tools that are designed for this purpose. One such tool is Plickers, app that allows you to get different responses on the same question from different students. Here’s how it works;
Step 1: You begin by printing and distributing a 3D or 2D QR code that is unique to each student
Step 2: Then you give the class the same multiple-choice test or about 4 or fewer questions
Step 3: Students then hold up the QR code with the side A, B, C or D to indicate the answer. Each student will then use their phone camera to quickly scan their answer that is then registered on their online account.
The results are available immediately and you can then determine which student has a grasp on the course material and which student may need a little help.
Edtech Tools to Grade More Easily
If there are tools to simplify the process of assigning work to the students, there are tools designed to make it easier for you to grade the work. One of the best is Zipgrade, a simple app that you can download to your smartphone and use to grade your students more easily.
This tool works by allowing to scan the answer sheet in class where the students can give their feedback immediately. The results are then automatically stored in your account where you can log in to asses. The tool does everything for you including providing automatic analysis for the answers provided.
Technology that is aimed at simplifying the way we learn can revolutionize your classroom, allowing you to teach your students wherever they may be by bringing the classroom to them. Most are designed to remove some of the technological distractions that could interfere with the students learning process. But these eight tools are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to useful edtech tools. It is up to you to find the right combination of tools for your classroom’s needs.
