DISTANCE LEARNING
10 Tech Tools For Distance Learning
Last Updated 30 November 2023/ By Zineb DJOUB
In distance learning, it’s so important to connect with our students and keep them engaged. This post aims to help you find your tech tools to make this connection more fruitful and conducive to learning. It suggests 10 Tech Tools for distance learning which you can choose from to provide instructions, promote students’ discussion, and assess and track their learning progress. You will also learn about how you can keep connecting with your school staff in home-based learning.
Live Lectures and discussions with students
To provide instructions, live videos are the best option. Here are some tools that can help.
1. StreamYard
A great tool to connect with your students: going live, interacting with your students, sharing your screen, uploading images, GIFs, and even videos. You can send the stream via Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other platforms by providing a link so that your students can join in. So, you can get students to a place they’re familiar with.
What is also interesting about SreamYard is that as the live chat is recorded, students who miss it can see it later on. Besides, students can ask questions and you can monitor them.
2. Screencastify
You can easily record, edit, and share videos with your students. It’s also possible to create interactive slide presentations, send assignment explanations, and record the solutions. With Screecastify you can get your students’ feedback and make their voices heard. Add it to Chrome (it’s free).
3. OBS
This is free and open software for video recording and live streaming. You can add different scenes, and slides and make your transitions.
4. EdPuzzle
This is another tool for live synchronous videos. You can either record and upload your videos or use videos from YouTube, Khan Academy, Crash Course, and more. Using EdPuzzle you can know whether your students are watching your videos, how many times they’re watching each section, and if they’re understanding the content. So, to learn about this tool, click here.
5. Flipgrid
For more students discussion and engagement, use Flipgrid. You can manage your grids (community of learners) and topics, provide feedback to student responses, replies, and much more. You need to create an account, add your profile, create your community, and then add topics. To learn more about Flipgrid click here.
Students formative assessment
The following tools can help with assessing, and tracking students’ progress and gaining ongoing feedback about how they’re learning while they’re home.
6. Edulastic
An easy tool to monitor and assess students’ learning. After creating your test, go to Google Classroom with a link from Edulastic and assign it to your students with that link.
You can gain feedback about your students’ learning through the reports and tailor your instructions accordingly. Edulastic also helps students gain immediate feedback about their answers and how they need to improve their learning.
7. Formative
Use Formative to assign work, assess, and provide feedback. You can see your students’ answers and how they’re getting along with those questions from their own devices.
8. PearDeck
You can use PearDeck for both interactive presentations and formative assessment. Students can join your live sessions from any device, respond to your questions, and interact more with you. So, you can get your students’ answers in real-time, their answers can be put anonymously and so they can learn from each other more safely.
To learn more, watch these two videos: Video 1 and video 2
Staff meetings
In these difficult times where it’s not possible to meet with your principal, colleagues, and other staff to discuss issues about your school and collaborate to sort them out, you can use these tech tools (you can also use these for students’ and parents’ meetings).
9. Google Meet
This can be effective for chatting from your device (using your speaker and camera) and discussing issues in relation to your school and students’ learning. You can watch this video for more instructions on how to use Google Meet.
10. Zoom
For online meetings, you can also use Zoom, which you can download here. For more information, here is a video tutorial about Zoom
These are the 10 Tech Tools For Distance Learning. Choose the tech tools you need to support your students to learn while they’re home. So, think about your objective, their needs, and whether they can access them and set your expectations.
Yet, don’t forget that technology is just a MEANS. Your students need to feel your presence. Your care, support, and passion for teaching matter in these difficult times.
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