TOP PICKS | 29 TOOLS
EdTech That Inspires Interest-Driven Learning
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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, Paid Basic, Plus, and Premium plans available. Basic plans are free, and come with 60MB of uploads per month and access on two devices. The Plus plan is $34.99 per year and comes with more features, plus 1GB of uploads per month and access to an unlimited number of devices. The Premium plan is $69.99 per year, and adds even more features, including a presentation mode and the ability to annotate PDFs.
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.
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.
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
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.
Actively Learn
Empowering social ereader keeps kids actively, independently engaged
Bottom line: Far beyond the average ereader, this tool helps students connect and stay engaged while teachers easily measure progress.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free, Paid A free version is offered for teachers which includes access to thousands of books, assignments, the ability to import 3 articles per month, the ability to embed questions, notes and media, and a gradebook.
The Personal Plan is $18 per month for teachers that do not yet have financial support from their school. This allows teachers to share and receive assignments from other teachers, unlimited uploads, differentiation for students, and much more. There's also a Team Plan for a group of individual teachers and their students; this plan is $695 per teacher per year (funded by the school or district).
A School Plan is available and is $10 per student per year for all teachers, students, and administrators in a school or district. This offers administrator accounts, research tools and professional development webinars and in-person sessions.
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.
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
Seesaw: The Learning Journal
Versatile digital portfolio appeals to teachers, students, and parents
Bottom line: Students can showcase their work in text, pictures, videos, and more.
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.
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.
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
Project Foundry
Helpful, yet complex, management tool for project-based learning
Bottom line: A powerful, though sometimes complex, tool for providing inquiry-based, student-centered learning.
Grades: 6–12
