TOP PICKS | 29 TOOLS

EdTech That Inspires Interest-Driven Learning

When students are passionate about something, it's essential to create an environment of support that helps them dig deeper. One of the best ways to get students invested in learning is to connect what they're doing in the classroom to what interests them beyond the classroom. These picks help students get inspired, research their interests, connect with mentors and collaborate on projects, and create portfolios. There are also some tools for tailoring assessments to each student’s topic.

Interested in seeing tips on how you might use some of these tools to build curiosity in the classroom? Check out our blog series We All Teach SEL: Inspiring Activities for Every Classroom.

Top Picks

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Exploration and Inspiration

Podcasts

Search, access, and organize podcasts from iTunes' free library

Bottom line: This valuable tool helps teachers and students find educational podcasts that can supplement or replace the use of traditional textbooks.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free

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Thrively

Cool assessment targets kids' strengths; sprawling content overwhelms

Bottom line: A great starting point for conversations about students' strengths; skip some of the digital content.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free, Paid Thrively Starter is free. Classroom Pro is $59 per year and includes additional assessments, playlists, courses, analytics, and PD. School Pro is $799 per year and adds SIS integration.

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News-O-Matic: School 2018-2019

Flexible, interactive daily stories for elementary school students

Bottom line: Engaging, high-quality news stories help students learn about the world.

Grades: 2–5 Price: $19.99 Volume educational discounts and licenses available.

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Wizard School

Curated videos and creative challenges ignite active learning

Bottom line: There's plenty of material to inspire kids to embark on learning adventures that get them to explore, create, and share safely on the screen and off.

Grades: 2–8 Price: Free

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Newsela

Absorbing daily news stories offer kids just-right learning content

Bottom line: Up-to-date, high-interest articles meet students right at their level: Use this robust tool to bolster students' nonfiction reading practice.

Grades: 2–12 Price: Free, Paid There's a "Pro" subscription targeted at schools, but pricing information isn't public; interested teachers and districts can contact them for more information.

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Expeditions

Fire up the warp drive to bring VR field trips to your classroom

Bottom line: With stunning scenes and a flexible delivery method, your students will thank you for journeying together through space and time.

Grades: 2–12 Price: Free, Paid Educators can put together their own kits or purchase a recommended kit. Pricing ranges from $3,999 for 10 students to $9,999 for 30 students.

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KidsThinkDesign

Projects inspire creativity; a place for kids' sharing would boost fun

Bottom line: A go-to site for teachers looking for well-presented project ideas; kids will need opportunities to share work locally.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free

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Couragion

Individualized STEM career exploration targets students' values

Bottom line: Students identify career values and use them to evaluate STEM options.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Paid Annual education subscription starts at $15 per user. Volume discounts are available upon request.

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Research and Citation

Citelighter

Substantial all-in-one tool scaffolds the research and writing process

Bottom line: This smart, intuitive system supports students in every step of the writing process.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free, Paid Citelighter Pro allows citations from PDF files and Google Docs, among other features. It's available with different monthly and yearly pricing options.

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Simple English Wikipedia

Adapted resource can help some ELLs, with potential for other students

Bottom line: This empowering research tool for more advanced English learners has the potential for wider, more creative applications.

Grades: 5–12 Price: Free

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findingDulcinea

Aging search tool has curated resources and links to credible sites

Bottom line: It can help kids quickly find credible websites for study and schoolwork, but those resources will be a bit out-of-date.

Grades: 6–10 Price: Free

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SweetSearch

Search engine with filtered results leaves room for critical thinking

Bottom line: SweetSearch supplies valid, reputable websites that can help kids learn about a variety of topics.

Grades: 6–10 Price: Free

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Evernote

Handy storage locker for anything and everything you might create

Bottom line: It's a safe, secure, and always accessible place for students and teachers to store their digital notes and files.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free, Free to try, Paid Basic, Premium, and Business plans available. Basic plans are free, and come with 60MB of uploads per month and access on two devices. The Premium version is $7.99 a month and comes with up to 10GB of uploads, capture features, and syncs across an unlimited number of devices. The Business version is $14.99 a month and comes with 20GB + 2GB per person uploads, unlimited collaboration spaces, and additional features. Student discounts are available as well.

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Imagine Easy Academy

Versatile site helps integrate literacy skills into the curriculum

Bottom line: Detailed lessons make information literacy accessible; it's a great resource for teaching research-based units.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free to try, Paid Imagine Easy doesn't publish specific pricing information. Pricing is based on class and school size.

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NoodleTools

Expansive research tool uniquely melds learning and productivity

Bottom line: While the complex, old-school design isn't ideal, NoodleTools gives students specific assistance where they need it the most -- with citations, paraphrasing, elaboration, and organization.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free to try 30-day free trial. Individual accounts are $15/year, but these lack collaboration features. Contact for school and district plans with full feature set.

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Collaboration

Dreamdo Schools

Sleek project-based learning platform encourages global connections

Bottom line: An excellent tool for project-based learning; plan, create, and share learning around the world.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free

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Edublogs

Customizable classroom blogs get students writing and collaborating

Bottom line: This rich and safe blogging tool makes it easy for teachers and students to extend the classroom into a wider community.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free, Paid Basic free version. $7.95 per month or $39.95 per year for Pro account.

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Actively Learn

Empowering reader keeps kids actively, independently engaged

Bottom line: Far beyond the average e-reader, this tool helps students connect and stay engaged while teachers easily measure progress.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free, Paid The free version has 3,000 texts, Google Classroom integration, and simple custom assignments. The paid Prime version adds more data, reporting, and differentiation. There's also an Unlimited plan with addition school and district supports. Contact for a demo and pricing.

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Edmodo

Manage classes, content, and communication with social LMS platform

Bottom line: This free platform allows for teacher-monitored classroom communication but lacks excitement.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free This website is free to use for all features, but it does contain advertisements on the teacher side.

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Google Hangouts

Communication, learning, and fun converge nicely in Google's slick platform

Bottom line: It runs like a dream, works on all devices, and can be used in so many ways to enhance interactive learning.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free

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Wikispaces

Powerful tool for creating collaborative websites

Bottom line: Wikispaces.com is a rare, collaborative Web tool that's both powerful and accessible.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free, Paid Educators receive free accounts including one wiki, unlimited users, and 2 GB of storage. Upgraded school versions start at $1000 per year for an unlimited amount of wikis, 100 users, 1000 GB of storage, and more robust management features.

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Google Drive

Nifty tool for collaboratively editing and syncing files across devices

Bottom line: Google Drive is a smart choice for budget-conscious schools, with its free productivity tools and file syncing.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free, Paid Free (up to 15GB); $1.99 per month for 100GB and $9.99 per month for 1TB (discounts for annual prepayment).

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WordPress

Inviting, customizable mobile blog platform with easy-to-use interface

Bottom line: Wordpress's app makes it easy to create and edit blog posts, manage comments, and view friends' blogs, and could be an indispensable tool for communication and collaboration if well-implemented.

Grades: 9–12 Price: Free

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Portfolios and Assessment

Goalbook Toolkit

Set tailored targets with pricey but worth-it kit of tools, strategies

Bottom line: You pay for quality with Goalbook Toolkit, including access to clear, well-crafted learning goals and strategies that allow for far easier differentiation.

Grades: Pre-K–12 Price: Free to try, Paid 30-day free trial. There are three paid plans: $995 per year including district/administrator support, $395 per teacher per year with district/administrator support, or $795 per teacher per year with online PD and 1:1 coaching for teachers. The latter two plans require a minimum purchase of 10+ licenses.

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Seesaw: The Learning Journal

Versatile digital portfolio appeals to teachers, students, and parents

Bottom line: A powerful multimedia learning and communication tool that demonstrates student progress over time.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free, Paid Seesaw Plus is $120 per year, and gives teachers more privacy options and other features. Seesaw for Schools, which includes school-wide reporting, is priced per student.

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WeLearnedIt

Digital portfolio and management tool for project-based classrooms

Bottom line: Impressive tool for individualized learning and managing projects is best for 1-to-1 iPad classrooms.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free, Paid Some features require a subscription, with prices ranging from $10 per month for a classroom to $995 per year for a school.

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PlayPosit

Simple design makes it easy to jump into interactive video

Bottom line: With features that are both basic and useful, it's an easy tool to learn; adding interactivity to video is a snap.

Grades: 2–12 Price: Free, Paid Basic accounts are free. Optional premium features are $96/year and include the ability to copy and edit other teachers' content, the ability to crop video, more question types, student-created content, printable worksheets, grade exporting, and advanced student data.

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eBackpack

Easy system to submit, review, and store digital assignments

Bottom line: This is a great way to create a paperless classroom, but its potential for enhancing learning depends completely on how teachers use it.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free, Paid

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