What is an online tool?
Online tools are beneficial resources for students, parents, and teachers to use through technology! In our class, we will be integrating multiple websites into our lesson that are user-friendly.
Here is a list of some online tools we may use in class:
Veed is an online photo-video maker that is user-friendly and easy for students. I chose Veed because it was easy to use and I feel like my middle school students would have a good time with it. If a website is difficult to start with or does not interest them, I can not expect my students to excel when I put no effort into my own. There are guides for students to easily follow if they need that extra help.
How I would use it in my classroom:
I would use this for group projects with them creating a story in pictures and turning it into a video. They can add stickers, animations, and text to make the video more interactive.
I could make a video for the class to watch before a lesson to engage background knowledge and have more of a personal feel.
Kahoot is a competition website for students and teachers to see if they are grasping a topic or what they need to go over again. It is highly used in every level of education and is a great study tool. I picked Kahoot because it has had a major impact on the generation of future teachers. Starting from a young age, students learn how to use it. Students who need accommodations or need a challenge can use Kahoot because it is truly helpful. Especially in middle school, students love competitions, so this is easily accessible to make reviewing and learning fun.
How I would use it in my classroom:
I would use this for review days and for students to have a fun competition for prizes!
I would print off questions from our Kahoot and use them on study guides. That way students KNOW what to expect.
Mind Meister is a good brainstorming and connecting tool for students and teachers to use by making mind maps. I picked Mind Meister because this could be really helpful to see how a topic can have a bunch of subtopics. It is a great way to mind map technology and is easy to use. You can also decorate it to make it more visually appealing.
How I would use it in my classroom:
I would use this as a project for students to see how certain topics can connect to one another
I would use this as a brainstorming activity individually or as a class.
Quick, Draw! Is such a fun, easy brain break for students. It gives them a topic to draw and then the computer AI guesses.I picked this game because it is such a good way to keep students engaged in the middle of class. During a water break, as bellwork, or as an after-test break, students can focus on the little things that can make being on computers fun!
How I would use it in my classroom:
Brain breaks
Competitions between students
Knoword is a good online tools game for students to learn vocabulary at home or for fun I am able to make the games how I want to make them. I chose this game because it is interactive and makes learning English so much fun. I enjoy being able to make my own games.
How I would use it in my classroom:
After school work for parents to see the process, their kids are making.
An activity for kids to do after a lesson to make learning fun.
Minecraft Education actually has a bunch of good history resources for students to learn with a lot of engagement. It is based and seen on artifacts from a time period. I chose it because Minecraft is super engaging and students love to play it.
How I would use it in my classroom:
Small groups to explore artifacts and agriculture.
Finding time periods through games.