Blackboards are a thing of the past, and so are whiteboards. With the kind of technology we have today, soon projectors too will phase out of use from the digital classroom and be replaced by holograms, or better yet VR. While me may not be there yet, we’ve actually come really far when it comes to tools for learning. Here are five gems that you must check out today, if you haven’t already. We guarantee, life won’t be the same again!
Virtual Blackboard
Meet the modern blackboard. This innovative tool turns your device into a virtual blackboard by wireless casting or direct connection. It opens a whole new world. The simple design and quick and efficient options it includes makes creating tutorials a breeze.
Using their finger or a stylus, educators can make diagrams and notes. They can also add in voice over and turn it into a tutorial the students can look up later. Requiring no camera or editing skills to make, these interactive lessons are easy to make. The best part, you’ll never miss a class and you’ll always have class notes.
Virtual Classroom
While we are on the subject of virtual blackboards, we might as well also discuss the Virtual Classroom app. It allows you to conduct and attend live classes as well as view recordings of the past lessons. It also comes with many cool features like the Raise Hand feature that lets users ask questions.
You can also interact using live audio and video, use multiple whiteboards and tools, view and shares files as well as transfer audio video file along with writing controls to those attending the class. What more could you want?
Edmodo
This great app ensures that learning never ends. Even after the bell rings and students leave for home, you will be connected to the classroom through this app. Teachers and students alike can share content and post and submit assignments. Teachers can easily upload the grades to this app and give their feedback. They can also create quizzes, polls and upload relevant course material.as
If you feel stressed out at the end of the day, Edmodo even has that covered. Check out the new Discover feature which has games you can play to relax.
Evernote
When it comes to digital classrooms, how can we allow note-taking to go on the old fashioned way. It’s time to go paperless. Lugging around a ton of notebooks is back-breaking work and for little kids, it’s often difficult to manage. Given the options Evernote offers there’s no reason why you wouldn’t want to switch.
You can take notes on your device like you would on paper. With the right stylus and device, it’ll feel like you’re writing on your notepad. Want to highlight certain areas or use color coding, it’s a piece of cake with Evernote. What’s more? You can add pictures and links to your notes, research as you write and even add voice notes! The best part, no matter where you are, you’ll have your notes with you. You can also share your notes with friends, so that everyone learns together.
Epic!
The next on our list is the library that goes with you! For $7.99/mo. the online children’s subscription book service offers its users on-demand access to more than 25,000 high quality illustrated books, ideal for children aged 12 and below.
The library keeps on expanding and includes thousands on audio books, Read-to-Me books, educational videos and interactive quizzes. They’ve partnered with leading publishers like HarperCollins and National Geographic, so you know the content offered is good quality and age-appropriate.
DoInk
The children today are working miracles with their phones and cameras.Sharing their experiences, the content they produce on the gois mind boggling. With all the creativity flowing through, why not start them even younger and facilitate their process?
DoInk is a great app for this. It allows you to bring to life a whole other world by using green screen. Just a generation ago you could only find it on TV. That was the reason why everyone thronged to get their Spectrum cable connection. Getting to watch futuristic and fantastical movies and shows was a luxury. However, today, the trick only masters could use in big productions with a ton of resources, can be done in a classroom.All you need is green cloth to drape your background in and you are good to go.
Just think of all the possibilities!
Hologo
We saved the best for last. The 90s kids grew up with educational videos and games like The Magic School Bus where the students were fit into a bus and taken through various places. Want to learn about the heart, you’ll travel to its center. Now, students don’t just get to watch characters take off in a magic bus, they can be part of the adventure.
While Hologo doesn’t take you in a bus, it does take you places using augmented reality. You want to visit the coliseum, open your app. It’ll give you a portal to Rome. Step in and you can explore. You can check the street and watch people there moving about. You can walk towards it, away from it, around it. You want to learn about the animal cell. You can view a 3D lifelike model on your phone. You can zoom in and also break apart objects to learn more. The best part, it’s free! Honestly, even if you’re not a student or a teacher you must check out this app. If you want more in this area, we’d suggest you also checkout Boulevard AR and Assemblr.
Get you app on!
Setting up these apps is easy. Just download them and they’ll guide you along. If confused, you have a ton of tutorials online to guide you. Classrooms and getting more and more interactive, times are changing and these apps are the future! If you know about any other apps that have the ability to revolutionize learning, drop a message and let us know which ones are they.
