TOP PICKS | 24 TOOLS
Great Tech for Cultivating Compassion
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Four Little Corners - An interactive storybook app about friendship
Simple story about shapes showcases problem-solving and inclusion
Bottom line: This cute little story could be a nice launching pad for big discussions about friendship, tolerance, and acceptance.
Grades: Pre-K–1
Price: Paid $2.99
Calm
Relaxing and serene app helps incorporate peace into daily life
Bottom line: If you're looking for a captivating app to teach relaxation and calming skills to students, Calm is an essential tool to add to your toolbox.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free, Free to try, Paid Free teacher subscriptions are offered through https://www.calm.com/schools. Regular subscriptions run from $9.99 for an additional subscription to $299.99 for a lifetime subscription.
STOP!T
Easy-to-use reporting tool helps kids report bullying, find adult help
Bottom line: With the right context and a strong school culture, this can be a useful and effective tool for monitoring and combating bullying.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free, Paid The app for students is free, but schools and districts must pay a subscription fee to use the program on campus.
Peekapak
Complete social-emotional learning units in a neat and tidy package
Bottom line: These 10 SEL units provide teachers with almost everything they'll need to spark positive character development in their students.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free, Paid
7 Mindsets
Thought-provoking structured program simplifies SEL skills
Bottom line: If teachers take advantage of the extension activities, students can get great in-depth instruction and practice in SEL skills needed for life.
Grades: K–12
Price: Paid A single-use (one-classroom/one-school counselor) license is $1,000 per year. It offers the full curriculum, professional development, the parent zone, an educator support community, an implementation guide, and tech support.
Teaching Tolerance
Thought-provoking classroom resources support diversity education
Bottom line: It's an invaluable teacher tool to help reduce prejudice and encourage tolerance in schools, as well as within society as a whole.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
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.
The Wonderment
Ambitious global community aims for public good through student engagement
Bottom line: A powerful, improving social network for exploring the world and effecting positive change.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Free
The Social Express II
Fabulous multimedia lessons boost social-awareness skills
Bottom line: Compelling webisodes help students learn to cope with real-life situations.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free to try, Paid While the app is free to download and try, the full curriculum requires a subscription that costs $14.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
LearnStorm
Guided lessons focus on the brain, encourage a growth mindset
Bottom line: Wonderful, easy-to-use lessons spur self-reflection and a growth mindset in students.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
People's Pie
Federal budget game's challenge delivers powerful message
Bottom line: Federal budgeting -- and its unique ethical and mathematical balancing act -- fits game-based fiddling and strategizing well, but expect a challenge.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Hall of Heroes
Responsive game helps students prepare for transition to middle school
Bottom line: Wonderful and fun social-interaction game designed to teach cooperation and friendship skills needed for middle school and beyond.
Grades: 5–8
Price: Free to try, Paid Free trial for up to three students. There is a one-time license fee of $7 per student.
Never Alone: Ki Edition
Illuminating native Alaskan folktale supports SEL skills
Bottom line: A beautiful achievement developed in cooperation with indigenous folk that offers players valuable SEL skill building and a respectful window into Inupiat culture, ways of life, traditions, and stories.
Grades: 5–12
Price: 4.99
Stop, Breathe & Think
Appealing app guides meditation, promotes compassion
Bottom line: An accessible, well-designed tool for making meditation a daily practice for both students and teachers.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free, Paid $9.99 to $70.99 for a yearly subscription; educators can qualify for a lifetime license for free.
Character Playbook
Realistic comic book-style stories help build healthy relationships
Bottom line: A valuable series of modules to get kids thinking about how their choices help build strong character.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
NYT VR - New York Times
Immersive 360-degree videos take users inside the headlines
Bottom line: Though there isn't much explicit learning content, there's immense value in the extraordinary opportunity to take a walk in someone else's world.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
StoryCorps
From the everyday to the extraordinary, personal interviews get kids listening
Bottom line: It's a great resource to help demonstrate the value of listening and the importance of storytelling and interviewing skills.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
This I Believe
Long-running radio show, curriculum help students explore core values
Bottom line: These meaningful, personal stories help strengthen kids' writing skills through a close examination of their values and experiences.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free, Paid The curriculum guides are downloadable at a cost of $19.95 each.
Thomas Was Alone
Story-driven puzzle game teaches students to value their differences and help one another
Bottom line: This unexpectedly thoughtful and emotional puzzler could offer valuable lessons about friendship and empathy to kids experiencing trouble socializing.
Grades: 6–12
Price: $12.99
Sit With Us
Teen-created social tool boosts lunchtime inclusion and community
Bottom line: This app has the potential to help students make connections with other students they may not otherwise engage with.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free
The Harry Potter Alliance
Fan site promotes real-world heroics with activism for social justice
Bottom line: A fun, empowering community for Potter fans who want to talk Hogwarts and make the world a better place while they're at it.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free
Bury Me, My Love
Moving portrayal of the dangers and uncertainty of a Syrian refugee
Bottom line: It effectively connects students with the harrowing journey of a Syrian refugee, even though some of the interactive elements are underwhelming.
Grades: 9–12
Price: $2.99
Liyla and the Shadows of War
Stark, arresting game offers emotional perspective on war's human toll
Bottom line: The short length and powerful themes make this an effective way to help students consider the brutal effects of war on families.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free
Papers, Please
Mature immigration game forces tough ethical choices
Bottom line: It's a provocative simulation about ethics and immigration that could spark debate but might be tough to implement.
Grades: 9–12
Price: $9.99
