The most engaging technology tools take learning to the next level. They give our students the opportunity to be creative and actively participate in their learning. What makes these tools so engaging is that they are interactive, and we all know that when students are in the driver’s seat, they take the wheel. If they are sitting in the backseat, they zone out. We picked the 10 best tech tools for student engagement, keeping these goals in mind.
Goal: I want to make note-taking more exciting and collaborative for my students.
Try: Logitech Pen or Logitech Crayon
If your students complain that taking notes is boring and tedious, the Logitech Pen (for Chromebook) and Logitech Crayon (for iPad) are some of the best tech tools for student engagement. Kids can write, draw, sketch, and annotate digitally without losing the retention benefit that handwritten note-taking provides. They also encourage student collaboration since they pair automatically and can be used with multiple devices at once.
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Goal: I want my students to have fun and move during class.
Try: Go Noodle
Brain breaks and mindfulness are so effective in helping our students take a break and refocus. Go Noodle is hands down the best tool for this. We love using these videos as warm-ups and closers too. Indoor recess? No problem, Go Noodle!
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Goal: I want my students to have fun while I find out what they know.
Try: Kahoot!
It’s been around since 2013, and the reason is that Kahoot! is so much fun and students love it. You create (or choose from existing) games, and students play together on their own devices.
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Goal: I want to create a classroom community for my students and their families.
Try: Class Dojo
When our students feel like they belong, they are engaged in learning. To create a community online, Class Dojo is the best tool. There are so many features we love, like the morning meet app, think/pair/share app, the class storyboard that you can fill with posts and videos and share with parents, and the positive points you can give students.
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Goal: I want to make reviewing for quizzes and tests more engaging.
Try: Factile
I don’t know a student who doesn’t love playing Jeopardy. It’s so much more fun than flipping through flashcards or completing a study guide on paper. This tool is so quick and easy to use. You can create a Jeopardy-style quiz board in just a few minutes.
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Goal: I want my students to get creative in telling their stories.
Try: Storybird
Some of the most magical classroom moments are when students create and tell a story and then celebrate it by sharing it with each other. These publishing parties were some of my favorite teaching memories. If you do the writer’s workshop model and are looking for a tool to help bring your students’ creations to life, this is it. Students select artwork from professional artists and create a book. Plus, there are over 700 creative challenges students all over the world participate in.
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Goal: I want my students to see themselves as writers and get excited about writing.
Try: Kidblog
So often, our students feel like writing is a talent they have or lack. They don’t realize that it is a muscle that they can develop through practice. When we call our students writers, and introduce them to the same practices that professional writers use, it’s engaging. Kidblog is such a great tool because it’s a platform for students to consistently publish their writing. Best part, it’s safe, and there are opportunities for students to share their writing with classmates and students all over the world.
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Goal: I want to make my lessons more interactive and fun.
Try: Nearpod
There’s a reason why Nearpod is so popular; it works. I’ve never met a teacher who didn’t like using it because it takes what you already have (Google Slides, Powerpoint, YouTube Video) and makes it interactive. From polls to game-based quizzes, virtual reality, and simulations, there are so many ways to bring your students from passive recipients to active learners.
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Goal: I want to use gamification and incentives to engage my students.
Try: Gimkit
There’s a reason why games engage students. They choose to play them on their own time. Whenever we can integrate how our kids like to play and have fun with their learning, engagement takes place. We love this tool because high schoolers created it. It’s a classroom game-show platform where students own virtual currency they can “invest” during the game to boost their score.
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Goal: I want to help my students get to know each other and bond.
Try: Goosechase
We love this app for icebreakers and interactive team building. You can use it to set up scavenger hunts where you put students on teams, and they work together to find different objects you assign. They take a photo of the objects and post them on the app. Best part: the app does the hard work for you and keeps track of points, so you can declare a winner at the end.
What are your favorite tech tools for student engagement? Share in the comments below!
Plus, check out The 10 Best Tech Tools For Student Assessment.
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