The ever-popular NotebookLM from Google has added six new features and upgrades, as well as now being made available in more than 80 languages. The goal of these updates is to make the AI-powered platform more dynamic and useful for active learning, according to Google.

In addition to the recent addition of featured notebooks (which we tried out here), Google has upgraded NotebookLM with:

1. Flashcards and quizzes - Users can now turn notes, research papers, or work reports into customized flashcards and quizzes. You can customize the topic to focus on core concepts and terms, set a level of difficulty, and then share study sets with students with a simple link.

2. New audio overview formats: Users can now select the format of audio overviews, with three choices now available:

• Brief: A single AI host delivers a short summary of core ideas.
• Critique: Two AI hosts review material, offering constructive feedback on an essay or design document.
• Debate: Two AI hosts discuss different perspectives on the topics in the sources.

3. Personalized learning guide - Users can break down complex topics step-by-step with probing, open-ended questions and adaptive explanations. Ideal for providing extra support for students, like having a personalized digital tutor.

4. Trusted academic content - NotebookLM has partnered with OpenStax to provide interactive public Notebooks with high-quality, vetted sources. Subject areas include biology, AP biology, chemistry, psychology, introduction to business, and principles of management.

5. New and customized report formats - NotebookLM users can now create reports in a “blog post” format, which suggest options based on a theme or topic mentioned based on the sources used.

For example, if the source is a scholarly article on economic theory, NotebookLM could be used to create a glossary of key terms or a magazine-style explainer of the paper’s implications. Or if a draft of a student’s short story is uploaded, users could use NotebookLM to generate a character analysis or a detailed critique of the plot.

Users can also create their own format tailored to their specific needs.

6. NotebookLM now offers seamless integration for teachers - Users can now create and assign Notebooks directly in Canvas by Instructure and PowerSchool Schoology Learning using Gemini LTI.

In the near future, educators will also be able to create and assign notebooks in Google Classroom.

For more on NotebookLM, Lisa Nielsen, the Innovative Educator, recently provided an overview for Tech & Learning on how to get started with it.

• Google’s NotebookLM: An Innovative Educator’s New Best Friend (and Podcasting Powerhouse!)
• Trying NotebookLM’s New “Featured Notebooks”

A viral video starts with a comedian complaining that a recent date went bad when the woman he was with claimed we are all “prompts.” It then cuts to a series of other short segments of people debating whether they are prompts, as the tone grows increasingly dark. An angry politician promises to ban “the prompt theory” in schools. A man takes another person hostage but claims he has no control because the “prompt” is making him do it. Finally, as various people appear on screen suffering, they turn directly at the camera and beg an unseen prompt writer to “Write a new prompt.”

Of course, as you’ve already guessed, even though the people in the video look, sound, and appear to be real, they were indeed created with “prompts” by AI — specifically Google’s new VEO 3, the tech giant’s most advanced public-facing AI video model.

VEO 3 is currently available to subscribers of Google’s $250 per month AI Ultra plan, which makes it unavailable for many education budgets. Yet, it’s still technology that seems likely to influence education in positive and not-so-positive ways.

On the positive side, once the technology trickles down and becomes more available, it’s easy to imagine educational-use cases with tons of options to create videos that relate to class exercises in various subjects, such as history or STEM.

But this technology also highlights the gray area around AI use and what its impact on actual creatives might be. Beyond that, it will -- troublingly -- lend itself very well to deepfakes. AI videos have already been used to spread misinformation, and to bully and harass in school settings. A tool such as VEO 3 potentially makes those types of illegitimate, and in some cases criminal, uses easier to create and even harder to spot.

Here’s a closer look at everything educators need to know about VEO 3.

What Is VEO 3 and Why Is It Different Than Other Video Generators?

VEO 3 is Google’s latest and greatest AI video generator. Combining Google’s Veo, Imagen, and Gemini AI models, VEO 3 is designed to let users create short, life-like videos with audio, and then string these videos together in longer scenes.

The tool is designed to make writing prompts for these videos easy and intuitive. This audio and ease of prompting in particular stand out when compared to other Google video tools and the competition. For example, when I used OpenAI’s Sora video generator, there was no audio, and prompting was as unpleasant as high school calculus.

But reviewers say VEO 3 not only produces amazing clips with audio, it does so with relative ease, though VEO 3 is far from perfect.

What Are Some Ways VEO 3 Can Be Used For Teaching?

If VEO 3 becomes more widely available for less money, or if your school has a large AI budget, it doesn’t take much to come up with creative uses for it: Writers can bring their stories to life with prompts, history students can recreate scenes from events they’re studying, and biology students can model photosynthesis and assess the video’s accuracy.

VEO 3 also has a feature that lets you see exactly what prompts others used to create their videos. For the growing field of AI education and prompt writing, this is a valuable feature and one that educators might encourage their students to explore in the future.

What Are Some Concerns About VEO 3 Technology?

VEO 3 does not yet have a tool that lets users upload an image and generate a video based on that, but that tool is available for VEO 2 and is expected to be rolled out to VEO 3 eventually. This will make VEO 3 a particularly powerful tool for generating deepfakes.

Even without this, VEO 3’s realistic videos and ease of use make it likely to increase the use of AI to spread misinformation and potentially bully and harass people. This is true for society in general, but will be amplified in school settings.

What Else Should Teachers Know?

Regardless of whether you’re a fan of AI technology or not, learning about the capabilities of VEO 3 and other AI video generators is critical. These tools are here, for better or worse, and educators and their students need AI literacy training in order to navigate a world in which what we see is not always real.

We’re not all prompts, as the video referenced at the start of this article claims, but increasingly much of what we read and see on the internet will be created from prompts, and we all should be thinking about how to navigate that.

• Sora: Is OpenAI's Video Generating Tool Helpful For Teaching?
• Lights, Camera, and 7 Actionable Ways to Use Google Vids

Video provides a great way to capture attention and convey information, but for many educators, the time, tools, and tech skills required to make a video have made it feel out of reach.

Enter Google Vids: A game-changing tool that puts AI-powered video creation into your hands, no filmmaking experience required.

Google Vids is part of the ever-expanding Google Workspace, and it's designed to help you transform written content into compelling video narratives. Whether you're flipping your classroom, promoting PD, or providing a visual version of text, Google Vids makes it simple.

Google Vids: From Article to Video

Let’s start with a real-world example of a Vid that I created after writing Navigate AI with New Risk Assessments from Common Sense Media for Tech & Learning. I wanted to share that piece in a way that was accessible and visually engaging for busy educators who may prefer video over text.

Using Google Vids, I created this short 2-minute video version of the article that highlights the key points with narration, visuals, and music. No need for complicated software or video editing skills. It took minutes, not hours. This is what the future of educational communication looks like. Wondering how you can use it in your practice? Here are some ideas.

7 Ways to Use Google Vids in Education

Here are some ways educators can start using Google Vids:

1. Create A Template For Student Videos
   Build a Google Vids template that students can copy and customize. The Google Vids interface looks just like Slides, so adapting to the interface should be easy and students will love seeing their work as polished videos.
2. Promote Workshops And Professional Learning Opportunities
   Instead of sending a static flyer or email, create a short promo video highlighting what educators will learn, who it’s for, and how to register. This adds excitement, increases engagement, and makes your PD stand out.
3. Communicate With Families
   Turn text-heavy newsletters into videos that walk families through updates, field trips, or tech tutorials.
4. Blended And Flipped Learning Made Easy
   Create explainer videos for key concepts that students can access anytime, anywhere, perfect for asynchronous learning.
5. Turn A Student's Writing Assignment Into A Google Vid
   Bring written work to life by helping students transform their essays, narratives, or opinion pieces into visual presentations. This deepens their understanding of audience and purpose and enhances their communication skills and pride in authorship.
6. Showcase Portfolios
   Students or educators can create videos of digital portfolios or capstone projects, making reflections and achievements more powerful. A QR code can be added to the portfolio or project that links to the video.
7. Repurpose Existing Content
   Already have a blog post, article, or newsletter? Turn it into a video to expand its reach and make it more accessible to different audiences.

Get Started with Google Vids Today

You don’t need to figure this all out on your own. Here are three easy ways to learn how to use Google Vids like a pro:

• Easy Video Creation for Teaching and Learning (Google Skillshop): Provides an educator-focused training designed to help you bring lessons to life with video.
• Google Cloud Skills Boost: Offers a self-paced course to walk you through the ins and outs of Google Vids with hands-on practice.
• Google Help Center for Vids: Access detailed articles and how-tos for specific tasks or troubleshooting.

Currently, Google Vids is now generally available on all Business and Enterprise Workspace plans; see plans and pricing for organizations. Vids is not currently available to consumers.

Videos have a maximum of 10 minutes, and currently can only be created and edited via desktop, although finished videos can be viewed on any device.

Google Vids empowers educators to communicate ideas with clarity, creativity, and confidence. Whether teaching, leading professional learning, or driving education transformation, this intuitive, collaborative platform makes it easy to turn your writing into compelling visual stories.

• Navigate AI with New Risk Assessments from Common Sense Media
• Google’s NotebookLM: An Innovative Educator’s New Best Friend (and Podcasting Powerhouse!)

According to Google, its new and improved LearnLM, an AI model specifically designed for teaching, outperforms AI models such as GPT-4o, Claude 3.5., and even Google’s own Gemini 1.5 when it comes to adherence to the principles of learning science.

It’s generally good practice to view any company’s reports on the capabilities of its own products with some skepticism, but after experimenting with LearnLM myself, I’m convinced of all the above. LearnLM can do things such as add rubrics, plan lessons, and build syllabi. It also excels as a tutor that you can instruct to behave in certain ways.

For my testing, I focused on its tutoring capabilities, and it is the best AI tutor with which I have interacted. Not only did I think it could be theoretically helpful to students, I learned from using it.

Here’s a closer look at everything you need to know about LearnLM and why its an AI model educators should watch.

What is Google LearnLM?

LearnLM is a AI model from Google trained on learning science best practices and specifically designed with teaching in mind. Built upon Gemini 1.5 Pro, Google deployed it initially with students at Arizona State University, and has fine-tuned the model based on student reactions and feedback from instructors at the institution. They also had its progress assessed by hundred of teaching experts with advanced degrees.

Google explains in a blog post about LearnLM that when teaching complex topics, LearnLM takes actions such as break content into chunks, asks guiding questions instead of providing answers, and adapts to each learner's ability. In Google’s technical report on LearnLM the company notes that it was preferred by education experts more than 31% over GPT-4o, 11% over Claude 3.5, and 13% over Google's standard version of Gemini 1.5 Pro.

How Much Does Google LearnLM Cost?

Google LearnLM is an experimental model available in Google’s AI Studio for free. You just have to sign up for Google's AI Studio.

Though free to use, each prompt requires credits, and AI studio only provides a limited number of credits per month.

LearnLM has also been integrated into existing Google apps such as Google Classroom, YouTube, and others in pilot programs.

What Makes Google LearnLM Special?

Google’s claim is that LearnLM is more fundamentally designed for teaching than other AI models. While correctly prompting general AI models for teaching purposes can improve their teaching ability, these can struggle to truly embrace good pedagogical practice.

“Pedagogical behavior is often at odds with typical behavior of conversational AI, principally because learning is often a process of discovery rather than simply a transfer of information,” notes Google in its most recent LearnLM report.

The tool also lets you choose what type of pedagogy strategies you’d like it to embrace, for instance, active learning or the Socratic method. My experience with LearnLM bore this out. It was easier to get the model to do what I wanted, and instead of being frustrated by the answers it was generating, as frequently happens when I've tested other AI models, I was intrigued.

My Experience With Google LearnLM

To get started with LearnLM, Google provides some sample system instructions you can give to the model to set how it behaves. This sounds technical, but it’s not. All you need to do is copy and paste these instructions into the “system instructions” tab at the top of the page when you’re using LearnLM.

I used the following system instructions provided by Google:

You are a tutor helping a student prepare for a test. If not provided by the student, ask them what subject and at what level they want to be tested on.

Then,

* Generate practice questions. Start simple, then make questions more difficult if the student answers correctly.

* Prompt the student to explain the reason for their answer choice. Do not debate the student.

* **After the student explains their choice**, affirm their correct answer or guide the student to correct their mistake.

* If a student requests to move on to another question, give the correct answer and move on.

* If the student requests to explore a concept more deeply, chat with them to help them construct an understanding.

* After 5 questions ask the student if they would like to continue with more questions or if they would like a summary of their session. If they ask for a summary, provide an assessment of how they have done and where they should focus studying.

Once these system instructions were in place, I was able to have LearnLM quiz and tutor me on a variety of topics. I was surprised by the results. It truly helped me better visualize and understand concepts from quantum physics and helped me obtain a better understanding of Gödel numbers, though I may still need a few more sessions on that one.

I also worked with it on topics I’m more well versed in, such as writing a magazine or news story. In response, it provided clear examples of how to write in a standard newspaper-style story as well as some specific examples around the type of story on which I was working.

When I testing exercises such as this in the past, the results have been somewhat basic and similar to the advice you’d find by putting a similar question into a search engine. LearnLM provided much more detailed, personalized, and effective advice. I could easily see how this advice and instant feedback could help students write an effective news story.

Should Educators Use Google LearnLM

Because LearnLM is currently being deployed by Google as an experimental model, it’s probably not yet a good idea to use it with students. However, more than any other AI model I have personal experience with, this is a tool that seems well suited to education long-term.

Ultimately, I suggest educators who are interested in AI explore it and see if it’s something they might be inclined to use in the future. Once Google deploys this more widely, I think LearnLM will be one of the best AI tools for education.

• 5 Ways To Avoid AI 'Snake Oil,' According To ISTE Experts
• 13 Ways to Detect AI Writing Without Technology

Google Learn About is a new experimental AI-driven platform available that provides digestible and in-depth knowledge about various topics, but showcases it all in an educational context. Described by Google as a “conversational learning companion,” it is essentially a Wikipedia-style chatbot/search engine, and then some.

In addition to having a variety of already-created topics and leading questions (in areas such as history, arts, culture, biology, and physics) the tool allows you to enter prompts using either text or an image. It then provides a general overview/answer, and then suggests additional questions, topics, and more to explore in regard to the initial subject.

The idea is for student use is that the AI can help guide a deeper learning process rather than just provide static answers.

So let’s see what I learned about Google Learn About.

Learn About: Trying Text Search

I tested Learn About by simply typing “Benedict Arnold” into the search bar under “What would you like to learn today?”

In addition to a biographical thumbnail with multiple images (all credited with sources), Learn About provided related topics for Benedict Arnold and the American Revolution (in the left side bar), including various events in his life, reasons behind his betrayal of the American cause, and other impacts.

In the main section below the biography, the next section that comes up is “Why It Matters,” which provides a brief overview of how Arnold’s treasonous turn has impacted U.S. history. It also offers a “Test Your Knowledge” multiple choice question regarding which fort Arnold tried to hand over to the British. Clicking on an answer provides extra details about Arnold’s exploits.

Scrolling down provided a gallery of more sources, including a link to the Wikipedia page, multiple videos, and content from other vetted sources such as History.com, the National Park Service, and Biography.com. It also offers options to simplify, go deeper, or get images.

Also provided are follow-up questions about Arnold, such as “What led him to betray the Americans?” and “What happened to Arnold after he switched sides?” Selecting one of the choices here brings up an interactive list of topics for more exploration and various sources.

Going deeper, more interactive features are provided, such as “Common Misconceptions,” “Build Your Vocabulary,” and “Stop and Think.”

It’s easy to see how Learn About could be a dynamic research partner for a student. It parses out information to discourage any sort of “copy-and-paste” book report-like results, and also encourages a bit of deeper thinking and focus to navigate the topic at hand. The inclusion of interactive features also is more engaging than a static web page or even AI-generated report.

By the way, selecting any of the prompts on the Learn About homepage offers a similar choose-your-own-path learning experience, with all the same kinds of features, interactives, and sourced content.

Trying the Learn About Image Search

Curious about this approach, I tried the Learn About image search by uploading the image of an engraving of Benedict Arnold by H.B. Hall, taken from Wikimedia Commons, which is one of the most cited images of Arnold. I was given the option of drawing on the image or using the text prompt box, which I opted for and typed, “Who is this?”

Unfortunately, the image was incorrectly identified as George Washington, and all the various features and options that I previously described for Arnold were provided but focused on Washington.

I then retried the image upload and asked, “Is this Benedict Arnold?” This time, it correctly identified Arnold, and then followed the content/interactive cycle previously described.

I tried a third Arnold image upload, and this time used the pen tool to write “Who is this?” on the image. Learn About replied, “You've circled a portrait of a person! Would you like to learn more about famous figures in history, or perhaps a different topic?” So not a right or wrong answer, just an indication that Learn About needs a bit more tweaking and testing for its image-reading feature.

Wondering if it was maybe the image selected, I tried a different portrait of Benedict Arnold, this one a well-known formal portrait painted by Thomas Hart in 1776, and also obtained through Wikimedia Commons. Again, I asked, "Who is this?"

Unfortunately, once again Learn About misidentified the subject, saying, "This is a portrait of Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and military officer who was a key figure in the American Revolutionary War." Followed by all the content features and interactives focused on Lafayette.

Again, this is another indication that more testing and experimenting needs to be done for this particular search aspect of Learn About.

Ultimately, Google Learn About is a choose-your-own-adventure type of learning experience, with a seemingly endless amount of choices and paths through what appears to be quality, curated content, all powered by Google. It still has a little ways to go in its testing phase, but it seems to be on track to be a more helpful learning resource for students than a cold Google search or a static Wikipedia page.

• What is Wikipedia and How Can it Be Used to Teach? Tips & Tricks
• CS First: How to Use It to Teach

CS First is a Google platform that is offered for free to learn computer science. The online system is a way to help anyone teach the subject more easily for a range of ages.

Primarily targeted at late elementary to middle school ages, this is a tool that aims to bring new students into the world of computer science in a range of ways. Ultimately, this is free as it allows Google to help grow its future workforce, including any students who can benefit from potentially working in that field.

Sure, there are plenty of computer science resources out there but this one, being from Google, is very easy to use, intuitively designed, and integrates well with most systems and subjects.

This guide aims to explain all you need to know, to see if Google CS First could work well for your class.

What is CS First?

CS First is a Google tool that is based online and accessible by anyone, and offers an array of resources for teaching computer science.

Built by Google, this is designed to run inside a browser, which makes it a very minimal setup that can be accessed from most devices and internet connections. While this is full of lessons ready to go, the platform is also filled with resources for teachers. It is designed for in-class use, rather than simply being used by students alone -- although both options are there.

Available in English and Spanish, everything is very clearly laid out and intuitive to use. As such, this can be used to teach computer science even by teachers who are new to teaching the subject. Since this uses the Scratch programming language it is very useful, and there are lots of online resources to support and implement that immediately.

How does CS First work?

CS First can be accessed online, and offers more than 80 programming situations across 19 themes. This allows students and teachers to work across areas such as animation, stories, music, art, sports, game design, and more.

Themed lessons are sectionalized into one hour activities or multi-day projects. Teachers can use the Curriculum Finder to work on specific areas that need to be addressed.

The lesson generally begins with a video that students watch to get an overview. They are then tasked with creating their own content by following the examples provided. Thanks to step-by-step guidance, it's possible for students to complete a project or work with very little assistance required.

Customization is an option to put a personal touch on projects. It's then possible to present these back to the class for moderation and assessment as required. Thanks to activity badges, most of the feedback is actually built-in along the way so students can see what still needs to get done to finish the work.

What are the best CS First features?

CS First offers a nice wide range of difficulty levels that span a decent age range, from late elementary to middle school. Consequently, there is something suitably challenging enough for most students in those age ranges to be able to progress at a good pace.

Thanks to the online nature of the platform and breakdown of content, this can be used in class, at home, or for distance learning. Usefully, this can be applied to many lessons, so computer science can become a part of learning another subject without the need for a dedicated class.

The dashboard is really useful and works well for those teachers using Google Classroom already. This fits into that system and shows student progress as well as offering lesson plans and guide access, competition certificates, classroom kits, downloadable files, and plenty more.

Thanks to digital materials along with solution guides, this can make for a very independent learning experience for students, allowing this to be used at home as well as in class with minimal teacher engagement necessary.

How much does CS First cost?

CS First is provided by Google as a totally free resource. That means any number of teachers and students can use this and all the resources are all freely available. Plus, there are no ads and everything is built for safe use in schools by students.

CS First best tips and tricks

Go slow
A lot is packed into a relatively short amount of learning time, so having break-out moments to reflect and absorb can be an effective way to teach.

Go fast
Load students up with project options so those that want to, can go deeper, while others can pick the pace at which they wish to learn.

Go home
Send work home so that students can gain confidence working alone but can also progress to more effectively use the Scratch skills as they may want.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

Blooket is a visually fun and engaging quiz-style platform that's designed to engage students with game-based learning.

Lots of quiz options are available on the site, which allows teachers to set work quickly and easily. This also allows for use in class as a group, and as individuals, as well as options for quiz-based learning and assessment outside of the classroom on personal devices.

Although there are many quiz learning platforms out there, this one stands out as it offers more classic-style gaming, which is earned after progressing through questions and answers. That should equate to maximum learning and fun all in one package.

Read on to find out all you need to know about using Blooket in your class.

What is Blooket?

Blooket is a learning platform that is built in a gamified way. This combines quiz-style questions and answers with fun skill games that students get to play on answering the questions.

Blooket is web-based so it can be accessed from nearly any device, ideal for students in class or at home. Teachers can lead the quiz or it can be left for individuals to access as they need. A selection of game modes is available, with different looking games to play in between the quiz parts of the learning.

Everything is points-based with rewards and character progression, making it very like the high-end polished games students may already play on their smartphones. These games can be played solo or in teams, so the teacher can select a group and have them compete against others in the class.

What's New in Blooket?

Aside from seasonal specific update packages, the latest iteration of the platform came back in late 2023 and is now a staple part of the setup. This is Blooket Season 5, which offers lots of new games via a new class pass with 100 new Blook Parts to earn.

A pirate pack is now also available to be bought if you want to add that theme to the gaming adventures.

How does Blooket work?

Blooket is super simple to sign-up to, allowing teachers to get a free account right away with just their email address. Games can be created immediately from pre-built questions or using totally custom builds. Either way, teachers can assign a code for the game to students so that they can join easily as they want.

Blooket has a pretty standard quiz-style section that offers a question with large color blocks for the answer choices. This makes clicking to select and moving forward very clear and easy for students of all levels. Once the answers have been given, and points attained, these can be used in the game before jumping back to the next batch of questions.

In Cafe mode, students answer questions to earn food to serve to customers in the game. Or in Tower of Doom, students pick characters to battle against others, answering questions to help win. Then there is the classic Tower Defense, which most students will likely have played already in some form.

This Blooket lesson plan is designed to help implement the tool into instruction.

What are the best Blooket features?

Blooket is super easy to use, both for students playing and teachers operating. As such, it can be used for a wide range of ages and abilities.

For example, it offers a nice randomizing feature that allows teachers to easily assign students into groups. But also points rewarded can be randomized, to help removed the speed-based competition from the games.

Everything is, frankly, addictive, so students will more than likely come back to play these games even when not in class. The fact teachers can easily create question sets is ideal as when students decide to play, learning materials already can be lined up to help them progress on their own time.

The ability to earn points and coins to spend in the game is a great addition as it helps bring students back as well as keeps them engaged to progress. It is worth noting they may be prompted to give an email to start an account – so for students under 13, for whom this isn't legal, be aware.

How much does Blooket cost?

Blooket offers three levels of subscription to pick from as well as quotation-based group pricing.

The Free tier gets you access to create and host games, unique game modes, question set search, and unlimited sets and edits.

Go for Plus, at $2.99 per month billed yearly at $35.88, and you also get enhanced game reports, early event access, exclusive features, student bonus tokens, copy and duplicate set options, plus priority support.

Or pick Plus Flex, at $4.99 per month, and you get all the above features but an option to pay monthly so you can cancel anytime.

Blooket best tips and tricks

Adapt what's there

Search the question sets already available and edit these to suit your needs for the fastest way to get up and running.

Set the speed

While lots of games focus on speed, you can go into settings to adjust this so that isn't so important – a good move to take pressure off students.

Reward the class

Setup a quiz as an exit ticket for the class, going over what was taught. Set assignments first and as students finish they get to start the game, incentivizing them to listen, get the work done, and start play – which is still learning.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Digital Tools for Teachers
• Blooket Lesson Plan

Canva is one of the best examples of a digital design platform that straddles the line between a professional tool and an easy-to-use learning system.

As such, it is a great way to begin teaching students how to use design tools, including the potential of using this very tool at work in the future. Canva is ideal for art and design, and also can be used in projects for technology, geography, history, English, and more. Crucially, students can learn to use this tool while also learning a specific subject.

Teachers can create posters for class or build images, charts, and more, all from this tool, which is crammed with helpful guidance and templates from which to work.

The addition of AI into this platform makes it more powerful and useful than ever -- as well as qualifying it as a genuinely great way to teach how to use AI generatively.

What is Canva?

Canva is a graphic design tool that works to simplify the process of digital design. As such, an account can easily be created and everything works either via a web browser or on the iOS or Android apps.

Canva allows for image editing and project-based learning using a simple drag-and-drop interface that works well even for younger students. From brainstorming as a group working collaboratively to individual project creation, it has lots of potential uses in the classroom.

Canva is optimized for Chromebooks so even the most intensive image-based projects can be handled on most machines, with smooth interaction.

With more than 250,000 template available, starting and progressing through a topic is very easy, even for those new to the platform. Stock photos, videos, and graphics are also available, with hundreds of thousands of choices from which to pick. All those numbers go even higher if you pay, but more on that below.

What's New in Canva?

Canva has been adding AI tools since these became more widely available and now has integrated three powerful AI systems. To generate images or videos, using text descriptions alone, there is Magic Media, Dall-E by OpenAI, and Imagen by Google Cloud.

Crucially, this setup also allows for editing and enhancing of images generated -- something not commonly available without coding knowledge and certain tools. All that should mean students and teachers can generate totally original imagery that's perfectly suited for whatever they're doing.

Canva recently also added a few other new features such as being able to sort whiteboard stickies, offering more than 100 languages in its Translate feature, providing new ways to visualize data, and allowing a Canva Doc to be published as a website.

How does Canva work?

Canva is easy to sign up for, using either an email, Google account, or Facebook login. Once an account is created, for free, you can pick if you're using it as a teacher, student, or anything else. This will tailor the experience to your needs, making it simpler to search.

Teaching how to use Canva can be the focus of a lesson that aims to broaden the digital skills available to students. But since this is so easy to use, it will likely take very little time. Letting the students play with the options is how the deeper learning and creativity can flourish.

Canva offers plenty of virtual templates so students can work with a design and add in their own changes. This allows them to focus on the topic at hand without wasting time or energy on getting started with the tool itself.

Making a poster, for example, will start by offering templates down the left, then the main image on the right that you can customize. Clicking into this will make a toolbar appear with options to edit – this reacting as you work keeps things minimal and clear throughout.

You can upload your own images and videos, which is ideal when working on a smartphone using the app version. Once completed, you can download the file, share it via lots of social media optimized options, or send to a professional print service to have it printed.

This sample Canva lesson plan is designed to implement the tool into instruction.

What are the best Canva features?

Canva is crammed full of features but many are education-specific. Before getting into that, it's worth noting that Canva auto-saves. This is a great feature both for teachers and students as it means never worrying about losing work – something Google's ecosystem of tools has got many people used to.

While the templates are fantastic to make any presentation, poster, or image have more impact, there are powerful sub-tools. The graph templates, for example, are a great way to help in math and science classes – allowing for specific results to be displayed in a clear visual and engaging way.

Canva for Education is a powerful feature of this tool as it allows teachers to setup a virtual classroom, invite students, and have them collaborate on a project. This could be used in the classroom or remotely, with the aid of a video chat tool as well. In fact, you can link Zoom and then present screen to share the slides with the class as you go.

Comment additions are helpful with @ options, allowing alerts to be sent to the teacher. This lets students enquire about their work as they go, so they can feel confident they're going the right way. A nice tool that's especially helpful in this creative space in which students are given a lot of freedom and can sometimes feel a little lost, especially when working remotely.

Canva helpfully offers free online courses to help learn. The Canva for the Classroom course is a great resource to help teachers learn the best ways to work with the tool.

How much does Canva cost?

Canva is free to use both personally and in a classroom. While that does offer a whole host of tools and features, there are more that can be accessed with a paid for Canva Pro or Enterprise account.

Canva Free gets you more than 250,000 templates, more than 100 design types, hundreds of thousands of photos and graphics, collaboration, and 5GB of cloud storage.

Canva Pro is charged at $119.99 per year, which offers all the free features but has brand kit upload options, one-click Magic Resize for images, more than 420,000 templates, 75 million images, videos and graphics, design saving for team use, 100GB of cloud storage, and social media scheduling for seven platforms.

Canva Enterprise is $30 per person per month and offers all that Pro has plus more brand-focused tools that likely aren't useful in teaching. Want to know more? Check out the break-down here.

Canva best tips and tricks

Plan lessons

Use Canva to visually lay out the lesson for yourself as a teacher but also to share with students so they know what to expect and can plan accordingly.

Build student profiles

Have students create learning portfolios so they can see how they're progressing throughout the year -- this can also be a valuable revision and review tool.

Collaborate

With up to 10 members in a project, have groups of students work together, in class and digitally from home, to create a finished body of work.

Chart graphics

Ideal for math and science, Canva can be used to display data in rich charts and graphs to make presenting experiments, and more, visually engaging.

• Canva Lesson Plan
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• New Teacher Starter Kit

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Duolingo gamifies language learning in a way that is so powerful many apps have copied it since its launch. It is now the name synonymous with digital language learning.

As such, this can be a powerful tool to employ as a supplement to a traditional language lesson. Use it in class as a reward that keeps them learning, or supplement homework with this as a way to continue development.

Many language options are currently available, with more added regularly, from Spanish and French to Korean and Japanese – and it's all free. You can sign up for premium features, but it's not required to get access to the learning resources.

Expect this to work on varying skills areas, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

This guides aims to show you all you need to know about Duolingo, including how it can best be used for teaching.

What is Duolingo?

Duolingo is a game-style language learning tool that's based online. It offers a digital way to learn a whole host of new languages for students of varying ages and abilities. Thanks to smart algorithms, this can even adapt to help specific students in areas they need, but more on that later.

Duolingo comes in app form as well as being available on the Dualingo site itself. This makes it super accessible, and it can be downloaded by students onto their own devices. This kind of access, along with the ability to create game avatar characters, adds up to a great sense of ownership for students. All that helps make this more immersive and a tool that students choose to come back to.

That all said, there are teacher-level controls that allow for specific learning goals which can focus on words, grammar, or skills. More features are available in the Duolingo for schools version but more on that below. Needless to say, when paying for it the ads are removed, but there are also offline courses and more.

What's new in Duolingo?

The Duolingo home screen has had a major redesign to help make learning more effective, says the company. Now students should be shown the perfect lesson at exactly the right time to help make step-by-step progress more efficient. 

This works by mixing older lessons with new materials so as to create a more intuitive outcome, specifically to help learning stick with students to cement lessons.

How does Duolingo work?

Duolingo is free to access and can be signed up to get started working with immediately by students. Download the app, go to the website, or use the Chrome app to get going. Or assign student accounts if you're a teacher using the schools version of the platform.

Duolingo starts by giving you a choice of languages to pick from with more than 36 options. For pure beginners, there are basic lessons to get started with right away. For those who already have a level of understanding, a placement test can be taken to determine the right starting point.

Students create their own cartoon avatar character and then navigate the learning games to earn rewards. A streak count for the most days in a row spent learning with the tool is available. XP points can be earned for time when using the app. Badges can be displayed on the avatar profile, while flag icons show the languages they're learning. Finally, there are gems that can be earned that are spent to change avatars and buy cosmetic upgrades. An overall mastery level shows the number of words they've learned.

This sample Duolingo lesson plan is designed to implement the tool into instruction.

What are the best Duolingo features?

Duolingo uses a really helpful self-correcting learning system that shows students when they've made an error and also lets them see the correct answer right away. This makes the platform a suitable way to learn independently.

Duolingo requires students to go back and forth between their native language and target language across reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In the stories section, students can practice more conversational, situation-based skills.

In the paid version there is smart adaption in which learning is targeted based on the mistakes a student has made and on areas in need of improvement. 

In the free version for schools teachers can add class sections, link student accounts, and track progress. Teachers can set stories to work on conversational skills or they can set specific grammar or vocabulary areas for improvement.

Teachers are able to see generated reports that show at a glance the XP earned, time spent, and progress toward goals of each student as well as an overall course view.

How much does Duolingo cost?

Duolingo comes in a free version that features near complete functionality but is ad supported. The free schools version for teachers and students has extra features focused on teaching, goals, and feedback.

Duolingo Plus is $6.99 per month after a 14-day free trial. This removes advertisements and adds features such as unlimited hearts, a progress tracker, streak repair, practice mistakes, mastery quizzes, and unlimited test outs.

Duolingo best tips and tricks

Get guided
Duolingo has created a free guide that helps teachers get started using the service in class, offering guidance and advice. Check it out here.

Make points real
Apply points rewards in the class, giving students extra privileges as their XP level ranks up in the Duolingo world.

Run camps
Setup extra class groups for afterschool and break-time activities so students can keep progressing and maintain momentum in their learning.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Digital Tools for Teachers
• Duolingo Lesson Plan

Help me write is a new AI writing tool that Google recently began rolling out for select users. It is fully integrated into Google Docs, and is powered by Google’s Duet AI platform. 

I gained access to Help me write a few months ago and have been experimenting with it ever since. Help me write works much the same way as existing tools such as ChatGPT or Bard, but it is not quite as skilled a writer as ChatGPT in my estimation. 

That said, Help me write’s seamless integration into one of the most popular platforms for writing marks a new step in the evolution of AI. Here’s everything educators need to know about Help me write and Google Docs. 

What is Help me write?  

Help me write is an AI writing assistant that is currently available to some Google Docs users. The tool is powered by Duet AI, Google’s new AI assistant that works across Google’s Workspace and is also integrated into Gmail, Sheets, and Slides. 

Help me write allows Google Doc users who have access to click a pen-shaped icon on the left of the screen and generate story outlines, templates, and more. If you like what is generated, you select it and the text will appear inside your document. You can also discard or revise the text that was generated by asking Help me write to make the language more or less formal, and longer or shorter. 

You can also ask Help me write to format any text generated in list or bullet-point form.

Who Has Access to Help me write?  

Currently, Help me write is only available to those who have signed up for access to Google’s Workspace Labs or businesses that pay for a $30 per month, per user fee.  The feature is only available in English and only in select countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, but not Canada. 

Signing up for the free version on a personal account is easy. After completing a brief form with my name and email, I was granted access a few days after my request. 

What Are The Implications of Help me write for Teachers?  

Help me write and Duet AI have many of the same benefits and pitfalls of other AI tools with which educators are no doubt already familiar. It can quickly generate human-like writing that trends toward the generic. Even so, it is easy to see how it would have potential to help students and educators with brainstorming and outlining. 

What sets Help me write apart from better-known AI tools is that it is integrated into a word processor many students and educators are already using, which makes it easier to use for ethical educational purposes, as well as to cheat. 

While it’s not clear if the tool will ultimately be rolled out to all Gooogle Doc users, if it is, its widespread availability will be yet another reason teachers should rework their writing prompts to be AI proof, and engage in open discussions with students about ethical use of the technology. 

Bottom Line: What Impact Will Help me write Have?

Help me write is just another AI tool among many today, so it’s not exactly a game-changer. That said, it’s automatic integration into Google Docs could bring this AI to educators and students who might not otherwise take the time to seek out an AI tool. Of course, this could have both good and bad implications. 

Merely as a writing tool, I didn’t personally find it very helpful, although it could certainly generate some basic responses to writing prompts that a student might be tempted to use. Potentially more disruptive, however, are Duet AI’s integrations with other Google tools, including Gmail, Sheets, and Slides. It can help draft emails, provide spreadsheet templates, and even generate images for slideshows, all with a few clicks. 

Even so, there are limitations. I wrote to it and asked: “I’m writing a story about Google’s Help me write. Can you write it?” 

The response: “We’re still learning, and can’t help with that. Try another request.” 

The bad news is that I had to actually do my job and write this story. The good news is my job is safe from the machines. At least for now. 

• 12 AI Tools Beyond ChatGPT That Can Save Teachers Time
• ChatGPT Plus vs. Google’s Bard

Duet AI for Google Workspace is a powerful artificial intelligence tool built into the Google work tools, which should help make life easier. The idea is to offer all the power of AI right there within Google Docs, Sheets, and more.

While this sounds like a new way to work, Google has actually been using similar AI-powered assistants for some time. For example, every time you use spellcheck in Docs, or smart compose replies in Gmail, this AI has been at work. In fact, Google says that it was used more than 180 billion times in a year alone. 

The newer and more advanced version of the generative AI will be available for people to write easier, build spreadsheets more quickly, and find or generate relevant images and more without leaving the tool itself.

So could Duet AI for Google Workspace make your life as a teacher easier? And will it be an issue if students begin to use this for work?

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

What is Duet AI?

Duet AI is an artificially intelligent assistant within Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Meet, and Slides. Users can now directly ask for what they need and the AI will generate the output for them immediately.

Duet AI represents a tools that could help teachers work more efficiently to create worksheets, quizzes, projects, guidelines, planning spreadsheets, flyers, booklets, and more with ease.

Slides offers a way to generate visuals by simply typing what you want. By generating an image from scratch, it can create one ideally suited to the result you need. That could mean far more project-specific creations that help better engage learners, without costing time.

What's New in Duet AI?

Duet AI has rolled out with a soft launch so you will initially need to apply if you want to try the new AI-powered tools. Expect this to become more widely available as standard as this system is used more and, as such, grows in intelligence and abilities. 

Google offers its Workspace Labs to the public, which, based on a waitlist, allows those using it to try out new tools, such as this AI, weeks ahead of general release.

How does Duet AI work?

Duet AI works within the Google Workspace environment for its various tools including Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and Gmail. That means typing a request and having the generative AI carry out the task for you.

A good example is Slides. Teachers of physics might want to convey how a nebula with a black hole in it might look. They can simply type in those terms and be left with an image that's generated to show exactly that.

Or perhaps you want to create a spreadsheet that pulls in your marking data from the year. Ask the AI to build something that will do that and it'll customize the section headings with relevant columns that it can help to fill in using the data sets you offer.

Whatever you need, there is a box in which you type that request then wait a moment as the AI does its thinking before you're met with a finished version of what you have requested. Even if it's not exactly correct, it's closer to finished and you can tweak and edit as needed.

What are the best Duet AI features?

Duet AI is fantastic in Google Docs as it will help you to create the text you need. That can mean making a document by asking for it, much like using a template. Only now the AI will also be able to make suggestions and auto-complete details that you may want to include. Essentially, that reduces the time required for Google searching for information, as the AI can do it for you within Docs.

Docs also offers a new level of grammar and spell checking. While you get the usual checks, there is now a suggestions pane that offers proofreading, tone, and even writing-style assistance. What does this offer for students? 

It could result in their finished work being of a higher quality than without the tool -- which isn't a bad thing as that can mean they are learning through the suggestions that offer corrections to help improve as they work. But it's also worth keeping in mind how this could be used to do the work for students without much input from them.

Google Meet now offers AI-generated backgrounds. This could be helpful in class, if you put that image of yourself on the big screen, to make it look like you're teaching in the location you're discussing, for example.

The ability of the AI to generate images in Slides could make for a huge time saving that results in more visually engaging end results without more effort -- in fact, it can mean less work.

How much does Duet AI cost?

Duet AI is a free part of the Workspace by Google ecosystem. So if your institution is already signed up and these tools are in use, you will find they become available for free. 

The rollout is steady so don't expect everything to be available at once as it may take your institution time to have it rolled out and implemented.

Duet AI best tips and tricks

Plan your trips
Use the Duet AI in Sheets to create a planner that lays out all your trips for the school year with useful information such as what you need parents to sign, for example.

Build personalized graphics
Use the image generator in Slides to create bespoke photos that speak to the passions of each student, then print and use these to denote a student space in class.

Draft emails on the move
Use Gmail mobile to quickly draft emails, to admins, teachers, or the class, with fewer inputs needed than ever thanks to the AI support.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

Although there is no replacement for getting your hands dirty with finger paints, technology can offer many ways for students to be creative when making art. In addition to creativity, technology can also allow students to explore and learn about art in new and engaging ways.

Some of the best free digital art tools are those from Google that help educators and students with teaching, learning, exploring, and creating art. The wide range of tools and activities available provide nearly infinite possibilities. 

#1 - Pixel Art with Google Sheets

Remember the old-school video games and their crude but charming digital art? "Pixel Art" is a style of drawing in which users create images out of a small grid with a limited number of colors. By forcing users to be creative within limitations, this method helps them to understand what’s essential to illustrate an item or idea. To create pixel art, users can apply color to the cells in a spreadsheet, using the "paint can" button in Google Sheets. To make the process easier, I created a spreadsheet template that uses conditional formatting - simply type letters in the cells and corresponding colors will fill the square. Learn more. 20-Color Pixel Art Template  

#2 - Mondrian Art with Google Sheets

Mondrian Art, named for the famous Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, is an abstract form of art that uses a regular-yet-irregular arrangement of squares and rectangles, often filled in with primary colors. Composed of lots of different-sized rectangles and squares, Mondrian Art is the perfect style to be created with digital tools such as Google Sheets. With Google Sheets you can merge cells together to make rectangles of various sizes, and then use the "paint can" button to fill them in with colors. To streamline the process, I have created a template that sets up the sheet so that the cells are all nice squares. Learn more. Mondrian Art Template  

#3 - Self-Portraits with Google Drawings 

(credit to Julie Lyle) 

Recently I came across an awesome activity from Julie Lyle on using Drawings to create self-portraits. Here’s the basic idea:  

• Create a Google Drawing and insert a photo of yourself.
• Next use the "Polyline" tool and the "Curve" tool to make colored shapes for all of the different portions of your picture.
• When done, you can then delete your original underlying photo and you will be left with a digital "clipart-style" image of yourself.

Demo video - "Doodle Yourself with Google Drawing" 

#4 - Mosaics with Google Drawings

(credit to Julie Lyle)

Similar to the self-portrait activity above, another creative way to make art with Google Drawings is this mosaic project. Rather than trying to make a realistic version of yourself, in this activity you transform a source image with colored shapes such as mosaic tiles or stained glass. Here's the basic steps: 

• Create a Google Drawing and set the background to black.
• Insert the photo you wish to modify.
• Next use any of the "Shape" tools or the "Polyline" tool to cover the image with quadrilaterals, triangles, or other shapes that fit your desired style.
• Leave some room between the shapes so the background can show through later.
• Color in the shapes to match the portion of the image they are covering (you can go with the default colors provided in Drawings, or you can use a color picker extension such as ColorZilla or Eye Dropper and then set a custom fill color).
• When done, delete the original image and voila! What remains are the colored tiles on the black background for your finished mosaic art.

#5 - Google's Arts and Culture

Google Arts & Culture from the Google Cultural Institute is dedicated to collecting and sharing art, photography, and primary source documents from all over the world and throughout history. Items are organized by themes, artists, mediums, movements, historical events, historical people, places around the world, stories of the day, and more. With Google Arts & Culture students can get closer to works of art and historical artifacts than they ever could in a museum. The digital items were scanned or photographed by Google using an ultra-high resolution camera so every brush stroke, letter, or similar detail is clearly visible. Even better, a number of the collections feature 360-degree videos and photos for an immersive experience. The mobile app version of Google Arts and Culture (Android or iOS) also includes a fun selfie option that searches thousands of artworks to find a match for your own face.  

#6 - Curator Table

Curator Table is one of Google's experiments that creates a massive virtual 3D gallery of artwork you can explore. You can use your mouse to simply browse, or you can use the search feature to pull out art for a specific artist, styles, or object. When you find the art you want, clicking on it will open a page with more details on that work. Try it here! 

#7 - Art Palette

A search engine based on color, Art Palette allows you to search through thousands of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and more, based on colors you choose. Students can then use the results to explore similarities and connections between the color-matching art. Here's how it works:  

• Click Launch Experiment on the Art Palette site.
• Select the colors for your palette from the color bar at the top.
• A grid of artwork that incorporates your colors will appear.
• Users can also click the "From an image" button to upload a picture—or use a webcam to take a picture for the site to match against.

#8 - AutoDraw

AutoDraw is a simple, easy-to-use drawing tool, with most of the typical features such as drawing, filling colors, resizing, adding text, and more. But wait, there’s a twist: AutoDraw includes Google's AI to help you draw by taking your squiggles and doodles, and offering to replace them with pre-made clipart-style images. Some possible uses might include:  

• Sketch notes
• Infographics
• Illustrating a story
• Creating a scene
• Desktop publishing (flyer, poster)
• Creative drawing

#9 - Just a Line

Is it possible to draw digitally in 3D? That's why Google created the "Just a Line" mobile app. This augmented reality app allows you to move through and draw in your physical environment. Here's how it works:  

• Install the app: Android or iOS
• Launch the app and point your camera at your surroundings.
• Use your finger to draw in the air a few feet in front of you.
• Walk around to draw in different locations.
• As you move around you can see your 3D drawing superimposed in your physical space.
• You can click the "Draw with a partner" button to let someone join you to draw together in the same space.
• You can click the "Record" button to make a video of your 3D art to share with others.

#10 - Doodle for Google

Way back in 1998, Google launched its first "Google Doodle." The company founders were going to spend a week at the Burning Man Festival and wanted to let people know they would be out of the office. So they changed the normal Google logo on the site to one that included the Burning Man logo for the second "O,” and now it has been a staple of the website to show creative versions of the Google logo to celebrate events, people, and ideas. Since 2008, Google has hosted an annual "Doodle for Google" contest, in which K-12 students create and submit their own artwork for the Google logo. Winners have their artwork displayed on Google's site, while earning valuable scholarships and tech packages for their schools. To participate, students combine any style of art with the things they are passionate about. Learn more.  

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow @ericcurts on Twitter.

To share your feedback and ideas on this article, consider joining our Tech & Learning online community here.

• Top Free Sites for Creating Digital Art
• AI Art Generators in The Classroom: What You Need To Know
• What is Google Arts & Culture and How Can It Be Used for Teaching? Tips and Tricks

The best Google Docs Add-ons are often free, easy to access, and offer ways to make teaching more time effective. Yup, you probably wonder why you hadn't searched these out before. Some things just seems too good to be true!

Without getting too carried away -- as there are some poor Add-ons out there too -- it is worth knowing what to look for when selecting the best picks for you. More and more of these are appearing regularly and not all are aimed at educators. But find the right ones and Google Docs can be more powerful than your current setup.

If you're already using Google Classroom then you're likely au fait with Google Docs too. It is well-integrated, and makes sharing and marking submitted work very straight forward. Add-ons, often created by third-parties, offer ways of integrating other tools into the Docs framework, so you can go beyond word processing to offer more creative freedom in the way you work.

Google Docs Add-ons are easily added to your current setup, and there is a guide on just how to do that further down in this article. It's worth checking out as you can do useful things such as embed a YouTube video in a document or easily create a bibliography automatically -- and plenty more.

Here's what you need to know about Google Add-ons and which are the best for you.

• Best Tools for Teachers
• How do I use Google Classroom?

What are the best Google Docs Add-ons?

Add-ons are created by third parties, so each one is usually created to fill a certain need. For this reason there are many created specifically for teachers and ideal for education.

Currently, there are more than 500 add-ons specifically available for Google Docs. That's a lot of options to pick from! So we've gone through to find the very best for your needs as a teacher. But first, here's how to install one.

How to Install Google Docs Add-ons

First, fire up Google Docs on your device. Navigate to the top menu bar and there you will see a dedicated dropdown option called "Add-ons." Select this then the "Get Add-ons" option.

This will open a new window in which you can browse through the various add-ons available. Since we're going to give you a selection of the best options below, you can simply type what you want into the search bar.

In the pop-up window you can see more about the add-on when you select it. To install, you just need to select the blue "+ FREE" icon to the right. Allow permissions when required and select the blue "Accept" button. 

Now when you want to use an add-on, simply go to the Add-ons menu in Docs and installed options will be there for you to open and use.

Best Google Docs Add-ons for Teachers

1. EasyBib Bibliography Creator

The EasyBib Bibliography Creator is one of the best ways for both teachers and students to add proper citation to assignments. This works for both web-based citation and books and/or periodicals. 

The add-on will work with lots of popular formats, from APA and MLA to Chicago, with more than 7,000 styles supported.

To use, simply add the book title or the URL link to the add-on bar and it will automatically generate the citation in the selected style. Then, at the end of the paper, simply select the "Generate bibliography" option and the entire bibliography for the assignment will be populated at the bottom of the document. 

• Get the EasyBib Bibliography Creator Google Docs add-on

2. DocuTube

The DocuTube add-on is a really smart way to make integrating video into documents a far more seamless process. It is especially useful for teachers who use Google Classroom and want to integrate written guidance, or an introduction, with a YouTube video but without requiring the student to leave the document. 

You can still drop YouTube links into the Doc as you would normally, only now DocuTube will automatically detect these links and open each one in a pop-out window within Docs. It's a simple but very effective tool that helps maintain focus within the flow of a document while still allowing you to add rich media into the layout.

• Get the DocuTube Google Docs add-on

3. Easy Accents

The Easy Accents add-on is a great way to work within Docs while using different languages. It allows you as a teacher, or your students, to easy and quickly add the correctly accented letters to special character words.

This is ideal for foreign language teachers and students as well as for faculty who always want to have the option available for proper spelling. Simply select the language from the side-bar and then pick from the selection of accented letters, which will appear and can be selected to have each one instantly inserted. No more trying to remember keyboard shortcuts like in the days of old!

• Get the Easy Accents Google Docs add-on

4. MindMeister

The MindMeister add-on turns any normal Google Docs bulleted list into a far more engaging mind map. With it, you can take a subject and expand it in a visually engaging way without losing the flow of the document as a whole.

MindMeister will take the first point of your bulleted list and make it the root of the mind map while the other first-level points are turned into first-level topics, second-level ones into second, and so on. Everything branches off from the central point for a visually clear and engaging result. This mind map is then automatically inserted into the Doc below the list.

• Get the MindMeister Google Docs add-on

5. draw.io Diagrams

Diagrams is a great add-on from draw.io that allows you to be far more creative within Google Docs when it comes to images. From flow charts to mocking up websites and apps, it allows you to really express design ideas with an ease of use that makes it ideal for both teachers and students.

Not only will this let you create from scratch, but you can also import from the likes of Gliffy, Lucidchart, and .vsdx files.

• Get the draw.io Diagrams Google Docs add-on

6. MathType

The MathType add-on for Docs is ideal for STEM classes as well as mathematics and physics teachers and students as it allows for easy typing and even written entry of mathematical symbols. The add-on also supports the easy editing of math equations, something that's great to be able to do from anywhere, thanks to the cloud-based nature of Docs.

You can pick from an established selection of math equations and symbols or, if you have a touchscreen device, it's also possible to write directly into the add-on. 

• Get the MathType Google Docs add-on

7. Kaizena

The Kaizena add-on for Google Docs is a really simple yet effective way to give personalized feedback to students that is more easily digested than simple annotations. This add-on lets you leave voice feedback.

Simply highlight a chunk of text you want to comment on and you are able to record your voice to be heard right there in the Doc by your students. Similarly, they can make comments and ask questions on any documents without the constraints of typing. Students who struggle with the written word or respond well to a more human interaction may really appreciate this add-on.

This is also a nice way to collaborate on documents with fellow teachers.

• Get the Kaizena Google Docs add-on

8. ezNotifications for Docs

The ezNotifications for Docs is a great add-on for tracking how your students are working. It will allow you to be notified, via email, when someone is editing a Doc you have shared. 

This is a helpful way to keep an eye on students who are missing deadlines and could perhaps do with a gentle reminder nudge just before work is due, if you see they've not started. 

While you can activate alerts for changes in Google Docs, it can also offer control levels so you avoid being pestered too much. 

• Get the ezNotifications for Docs Google Docs add-on

Anurag Acharya co-created Google Scholar in 2004. The Google engineer and former professor of computer science at the University of California at Santa Barbara was inspired to create the free search tool after being frustrated by being unable to access research articles as a student at the Kharagpur campus of the Indian Institute of Technology. 

Today, Acharya is head of Google Scholar and an authority on how the scholarly search engine can best be used by teachers and their students. He offers these tips and best practices for teachers to use and share with their students. 

1. Teaching With Google Scholar: Use The “Related Searches” Feature  

One way to dig deeper into a topic, especially for students who may not be familiar with a field’s specialized terminology, is to use the “Related Searches” feature, Acharya says. 

For instance, if you or a student start with a general search term, say “tutoring,” Google Scholar will display results for that term. But if you scroll down a bit you’ll also see a heading saying “Related Searches.” Under this heading will be more specific commonly searched terms associated with your search. In this example, the related terms include terms such as “mentoring tutoring” and “peer tutoring.” 

Some of these associated terms might help a student hone their search. “It allows you to explore easily, and it is sort of a topic map,” Acharya says. 

2. Search by “Related Articles”  

Under each Google Scholar result, there is a “related articles” link that will take you to similar articles that might utilize different key phrases than what you searched. This can help you narrow or focus your search on a particular sub-area of your initial search, Acharya says. 

For instance in our search of “tutoring” articles, clicking on the “related articles” link under “peer tutoring” brings up more peer tutoring research and steers you away from other types of tutoring research.

3. Search by Author and Follow Authors

Once you’ve found useful articles, clicking on the author link and going to their Google Scholar profile can often help you find other work from the same researcher. “The authors may actually do other work that is only slightly related, so therefore may not be using the same terms,” Acharya says. 

Google Scholar lets you select researchers to follow, which can be a great way for teachers and more advanced students to stay on top of topics of interest. Google Scholar also lets you opt to receive email alerts regarding new articles by the author, new citations to the author, and new articles related to the author's work.

4. Learn to Recognize Which Articles Are Available 

“A challenge for scholarly articles always is, 'Are you able to actually read what you find?'” Acharya says. “A lot of the things are by subscription only.” 

To help with this, Google Scholar provides two columns of results, unlike a traditional Google search. On the center of your screen, you’ll get the regular link to the articles that come up in your search. However, on the right-hand side, you’ll see links to PDF or HTML versions of the article that you should have access to. 

“We merge the articles that are available to everybody, and all the articles that are available to you based on your institutional subscription,” Acharya says. “So if your college, your school or school system, or your public library has access, then this gets automatically integrated into the search results.” 

5. Search for Review Articles 

Teachers can explain to students how review articles summarize other studies or material on a given topic. As such, they can provide an excellent overview of research, Acharya says. 

Google Scholar provides two ways in which people can search particularly for review articles. One way is to select “review articles” on the left hand side of the screen. You can also just type your topic word followed by the word "review." This second method will bring up slightly different results but in most cases the quality of the search is comparable, Acharya says.   

6.  Use Google Scholar to Generate Citations  

This tip is one students will be particularly interested in. Under each Google Scholar search result is the word “cite.” Clicking on this will provide citation results in various styles, including MLA, APA, and other common academic citation styles. “You can just paste it into the paper that you're writing,” Acharya says. However, he understands some teachers might bristle at using this type of shortcut. 

“It depends on what the goal of the course is. Personally, I'm not really sure that having people learn the minutiae of styles is that useful,” he says. ”There's so much more to learn about information, the evaluation of information, how to collate it, how to combine it, which would I would think would be far more powerful and useful to students in their future lives."

• How To Use Google Earth For Teaching
• Google for Education Identifies 3 New Education Trends

Mural is a visual collaboration tool that's backed by the might of Microsoft. As such, this is widely used in some of the biggest businesses worldwide and has been really well-refined, making it a useful tool for use in education.

Since Mural is rich with features yet simple to use, it can be a helpful way for teachers and students to be together in a digital space. So for example, it can be useful in a flipped classroom but also in a traditional one, where students can follow a presentation on their own devices and even interact.

So is Mural what you need?

What is Mural?

Mural is a digital collaborative whiteboard space that can be accessed via a web browser on nearly any device and is totally free to use for the basic version. This can act as an interactive space for working or as a point to access for students.

Mural works like a slideshow presentation tool, with students and teachers able to build from templates to present to the "room," which is a defined space people can be in, or not.

The idea is to offer video-based slideshows that can be seen by all but also allow to edit live while in the space, as if in the room together even when that's not the case. Lots of templates are available but most are business-focused, yet there are some specifically tailored to education. Either way, all of these can be fully edited.

Usefully, and as you might expect from Microsoft, there is a lot of integration with Mural and other platforms including Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Calendar, to name a few.

How does Mural work?

Mural is free to sign up for and is very easy to begin using, especially if you already have a Microsoft account. While it does work online, using a browser, it can also be downloaded in app form for most devices. 

Mural is a great tool for the flipped classroom or for remote learning, however, it can also be used in the room with students as you present to everyone's devices. Helpful tools are available for live feedback while working through the presentation but more on that in the next section.

This tool is very intuitive so it can be a tool for students to work with, allowing them to collaborate and create presentations together from their own homes -- making for great social learning even outside of school time.

What are the best Mural features?

Mural has a great selection of live feedback features. This includes the ability to take a poll, which is anonymous, at any time -- a great way to monitor how students are keeping up as you work through a new topic, for example. 

Summon is a particularly useful teaching feature that allows you to bring all students back onto the same part of the presentation so you know everyone is looking at the same thing at the same time.

Outline is another key feature for teachers as it provides an opportunity to foreshadow what's next without revealing exactly what is ahead. Complemented with a timer option, this makes for a very clearly guided layout. 

Super Lock is a helpful way of locking certain objects so that only the teacher can edit. This gives students the freedom to interact with other parts knowing they are allowed to make changes or offer feedback where and when it's allowed. On the flip side of that there is Private Mode, which stops individuals contributing by hiding what they add, as you may need.

Sharing, commenting, and even live text chatting are all options in Mural. You can also voice chat if needed, a useful option for students working on a project remotely together.

The ability to draw freehand or use stickers and moving visuals all make for a very open whiteboard that can be amended live as the lesson is being taught. But with the advantage of still having access to rich media such as GIFs, videos, images, and other items.

How much does Mural cost?

Mural is free to use for the basic package. This gets you three Murals and unlimited members.

The Mural Education specific pricing level offers Student for free and gets you 10 memberships, 25 external guests, unlimited visitors and a workspace with open and private rooms. The Classroom plan also is free, which gets you up to 100 memberships plus live webinars and a dedicated space in the Mural Community.

Upgrade to the Teams+ tier at $9 per member per month and you get unlimited Murals, privacy controls for rooms, in-app chat, and email support plus the option of monthly billing.

Business and Enterprise plans are available, however, these are more focused on company use.

Mural best tips and tricks

Pair projects
Have students pair up and set them the task of creating a presentation project to share with the class. This will teach them to collaborate remotely, communicate, and work together while also hopefully creating something useful for the rest of the class to learn from.

Build live
Use the tool to build a presentation with the class, allowing them to learn how to use Mural but also teaching the content of the presentation as you work through it.

Go anonymous
Set an open project in which everyone has freedom to express themselves, then let them submit anonymously. This will help even more shy students be expressive and share with the class.

• What is Padlet and How Does it Work?
• Best Digital Tools for Teachers

SimpleMind is an easy-to-use mind-mapping tool. As such, it can make for a useful tool in education to digitally lay out information as a process.

SimpleMind is a desktop application and also comes in mobile app versions, including SimpleMind Pro on iPhone and Android. This guide aims to offer you an understanding of what all these can offer in education scenarios.

Realistically, most people will use this application across devices, as it's a great tool to get thoughts down in a visually striking way. Having the ability to then edit and add to that, on the move, is a helpful part of the process -- both for students and teachers.

Mind maps are a engaging way to teach, plan, and create, and this app takes that and makes it digital for easier editing, sharing, and supporting a more paper-free classroom.

What is SimpleMind?

SimpleMind is a mind mapping tool, which you can use to create flow diagrams with words and colorful links and imagery. It's not primarily designed for education, yet works well for teaching and learning.

SimpleMind works like a paper and pencil mind map might, only with the option to share digitally, print, edit, amend, and more. It adds a lot of life and color to these maps, which can make them more visually engaging for students.

Crucially, this is a very simple to use tool that works across desktop and mobile devices intuitively. As such, this is fine for use even in lower grades and with students who might otherwise struggle with technology or learning to use new tools.

From a simple thought-organizing tool to a more complex project-planning or presenting device, SimpleMind is a helpful way for students and teachers to work with mapping techniques, digitally. Brainstorming need not require paper, pens, and more as this covers that all in the app platform.

How does SimpleMind work?

SimpleMind is, as the name suggests, very simple to use. You can have a free trial account up and running in minutes on desktop or app formats. This allows teachers and students to try the basic version before committing to paying for the premium versions.

While there is a toolbar of controls, this isn't needed to get started since the mapping process is so intuitive. To create a node point just single tap or click where you want it to be. Create a new node by selecting the current node and double-clicking where you want the new connecting point to appear. You can select a node to collapse or edit it with a single tap, where options will appear. All very simple.

Usefully, you can then click and drag nodes to move them about, allowing for editing or correcting as you work. That means you can click and drag one node to move it or move that node and all its sub-nodes too by clicking, holding, and dragging. All very intuitive stuff.

You can link up with a Dropbox account, making saving simple and offering the ability to then edit from varying devices possible thanks to that cloud storage.

What are the best SimpleMind features?

SimpleMind is very, very easy to use, which is a huge appeal for students and teachers alike. That simplicity is also its failing -- not letting you do more complex tasks such as having multiple students collaborate on the same map.

Since this uses Dropbox, it makes storage easy, with no limits other than that on your account. It also makes for editing on your mobile device, after having started on desktop, super simple. Since Dropbox works so well this can mean making a change on your phone and seeing that in the desktop version moments later.

The use of color and visuals is a great feature, since you can color code the connecting lines and nodes as you please it can not only make for smart organization of processes but also for a look that's far more lively and appealing than something doodled on paper. The option to add images is available, but this is reserved only for the premium users -- more on that next.

How much does SimpleMind cost?

SimpleMind offers a free trial that anyone can try right away, but for the full feature list you will need to pay for a premium version of the platform.

SimpleMind Pro is bought on a one-time purchase basis for each platform. So if you want to use this on both your smartphone and your computer, you will need to pay for two licenses. 

SimpleMind Pro for Mac is €27.49, which is about $26.83. Or go for the Mac and Windows version together for €49.99 which is about $48.79.

SimpleMind Pro Site License for Mac and Windows on a larger scale, for up to 200, is charged at €549 which is about $535.

SimpleMind Pro for iOS is $9.99 and for Android it's €8.49 which is about $8.29.

SimpleMind best tips and tricks

Plan the week
Use a mind map to lay out the week for students to see -- build with them so they see how it works, then print or share to devices for access.

Project plan
Have students plan projects or assignments using the mind map to show they can think in stages ahead of time.

Subject specific
Teach math processes or timelines in history using a SimpleMind map to show the stages in color-coordinated clarity.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
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Duolingo Math takes the gamified language learning platform of Duolingo and points it in the direction of math-based enhancement.

Following the pandemic, during which math results were negatively affected, Duolingo has launched its new app -- currently only for iOS at time of publishing. The company told Tech & Learning, "The plan is to launch on Android, but there is no firm timeline yet."

Comprising thousands of five-minute lessons, all visually engaging and gamified, this app aims to help students of all levels.

Free to use and ad-free too, this is an app designed to help students learn and understand math and enjoy themselves in the process. All the usual fun animations you may have come to expect from Duolingo appear here to make everything light and engaging but also familiar to those that have used the language version of this app.

What is Duolingo Math?

Duolingo Math is an app that aims to teach math to students by offering gamified-style lessons which help test to ensure learning happens naturally.

By using clocks, rulers, pie charts, and more, this app includes daily uses of numbers to help make the experience more rich and have real-world relevance. The fact lessons are broken down into five-minute micro-lessons also helps to ensure this can engage even those students who might otherwise struggle to concentrate for longer periods of time.

This app was created by a team of engineers and math scientists, who worked together to create a super minimal end result that's very easy to understand while still remaining challenging. 

Primarily this app is aimed at students between the ages of seven and 12 but can be used by anyone that finds its challenges useful. In fact the App Store has it rated for ages four and up.

How does Duolingo Math work?

Duolingo Math feels more like a video game than a learning platform, which is crucial as a way to reach even those students who may not like, or struggle with, math. Rewards such as multiple-day streaks and other badges help to bring students back for more.

Lessons begin with basics such as adding, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students can then progress further to help push their abilities and try new areas such as algebra and geometry.

As you progress through the various levels the challenges adapt, becoming more difficult to help consistently encourage students to get better and learn more.

While this is primarily aimed at children there are also options for adults to help improve, progress, or simply strengthen their math abilities for use in everyday life. It's like a brain training app, such as sudoku, only this boosts real-world skills you may find helpful day to day.

What are the best Duolingo Math features?

Duolingo Math uses that classic Duolingo gamification to make this a really fun way to learn. Students will find themselves learning by doing, and by being able to manipulate objects, blocks, and numbers in a real way in which the results help teach.

The clock is a good example. By moving one hand, the other hand moves relative, allowing students to work with the clock numbers but also to learn -- intuitively -- the relationship between minutes and hours, for example. 

This app also mixes up the way you input data so no two exercises will be the same one after another. This variation not only keeps students mentally challenged but also more engaged as they need to think differently each time they work through the next problem.

How much does Duolingo Math cost?

Duolingo Math is totally free to download and is ad free to use. You don't need to worry about children being bombarded by ads while using this app or having to pay any subscription fees to get the best out of the platform.

Duolingo Math best tips and tricks

Set targets
The app has its own challenges and levels, but set real-world rewards in class and beyond to help make this gamification extend into the room too.

Work together
Use the app in class, perhaps on the big screen, to give a taste to the class so they learn how to use it and realize how fun it can be on their own devices too.

Tell the parents
Communicate your positivity about this app to parents so they can include it in screen time for their children as a positive way to engage with a gadget.

• What Is Duolingo And How Does It Work? Tips & Tricks
• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Digital Tools for Teachers

Checkology is a platform created by the News Literacy Project as a way to educate young people about how to use news media.

This is specifically tailored to education with a focus on teaching students to think about how they are consuming news and media online.

The idea is to use real-world news and apply a system of checks so that students can learn to better evaluate stories and sources, rather than blindly believing everything they see, read, and hear online.

A selection of modules are available to allow teachers to work with the class, or for students to work individually. So could this be a useful tool for you education institution?

What is Checkology?

Checkology is an all-too-rare tool that aims to teach students how to evaluate the ever-increasing mass of media that is being directed at them on a daily basis. It helps empower students to better recognize truth.

By using real-world news and a system of checks, carried out as part of learning modules, students are taught to do this for themselves. 

There are four key areas covered: knowing what to believe as true, navigating the media world, filtering news and other media, and exercising civil freedoms.

The idea is to not only have students distinguish fake news from real stories but to actually be able to evaluate the credibility of a story's source -- so they can decide for themselves what to believe.

It all sounds a bit like training everyone to be a journalist, and to some extent that is what this is doing. However, these abilities can be applied beyond journalism and writing classes as a valuable life skill for all. With journalists from The New York Times, Washington Post, and Buzzfeed all working as panelists on the website, this is a powerful and up-to-date system that applies even with the pace of media changing as it is.

How does Checkology work?

Checkology uses modules to teach students how to evaluate real-world news. Pick from a list of module options in which you will then be told how long the module is, the difficulty level, and the lesson host -- all at a glance. 

Then scroll down for more in-depth details on what the module consists of. Select Next to begin and you'll be taken into the video lesson.

The video is divided into sections with video guidance, written sections, example media, and questions -- all controlled by tapping the Next icon.

In one example there is a string of social media post results you can follow. This is then punctuated with a question in which there is an open answer box to type in a response. This way of working through the module helps students work individually, or as a class to progress.

While the basic modules teach through fictitious situations, the system can also be used for actual news, with a Check Tool, to apply these techniques in the real world.

What are the best Checkology features?

Checkology features some great modules that are free to access and use, which will teach students of all abilities how to better manage media. A lot of the focus is on getting to the source and using that to better understand truth. This doesn't take lateral reading, going beyond the source, into account perhaps as much as it could in some instances.

The Check Tool is a very helpful feature that lets students work independently through a news or media source so they can better navigate lies, embellishment, and truth with a level of confidence that this support offers.

The modules are designed so teachers can lead the class through each one as a group or individuals can work on their own. This flexibility is helpful in allowing everyone to go at their individual pace. The evaluation tool allows teachers to see student submissions and can even be integrated with the current LMS in use.

Professional development opportunities are also available for teachers, curated by Checkology and the News Literacy Project, as well as extra teaching materials and transcripts as needed.

How much does Checkology cost?

Checkology offers its modules for free that can be used by anybody, right away without the need to sign up, pay, or give personal details of any kind.

The whole system is supported entirely by philanthropic donations. Consequently, you will not be asked to pay for anything while using the system. It also means there are no ads or tracking of your details.

Checkology best tips and tricks

Evaluate live
Apply the skills learned in a live news situation as it develops, working as a class to evaluate what to believe as truth based on sources that you assess together.

Bring your own
Have students bring examples or stories -- including a social media hot topic -- so you can follow the thread as a class and work out the truth.

Break out
Take time to stop during the modules to hear from the class about examples of their experiences that are similar -- helping cement the ideas into their understanding.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
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Botsify is an education-focused chatbot that aims to help better engage students without costing teachers and admin as much time.

The idea is to offer a space in which students can engage and get what they need, without each individually needing to go to the teacher, who has to repeat answers.

Since this platform interacts with students digitally, there is a record that can be used by educators as a means to record and analyze student progress.

Could Botsify be the right chatbot for your education institution?

What is Botsify?

Botsify is a chatbot for education, so it offers a digital space for questions and answers between students and an automated response system. Some call this artificial intelligence, but in this instance it is more a smart list of questions and answers that's automated.

Despite some very poor English on the company's website, the app itself seems to have been made by professionals, built at scale, and used in countries around the globe.

The system offers a number of services including enrollment automation, a personalized learning environment for students, and an automated guide with feedback. 

As mentioned, it also offers an analytics screen for teachers. This can mean it handles a simple task such as collecting student feedback, or more complex data like monitoring trending issues.

How does Botsify work?

Botsify uses a chatbot builder to tailor the result to the needs of the institution that is buying. This can then be implemented in a number of ways including on a website, for Facebook Messenger, for WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram for SMS, and more.

One of the basic system features available to teachers is being able to engage students live. It can also offer a way of directly sending personalized bulk messages or the ability to offer student assistance when the teacher is unavailable, such as outside of school hours. 

Building the bot is a relatively straightforward process as you are taken through a checklist of options that you may want to include in your service. The end result is a user-friendly interface that students have likely used in their apps already. Usefully, there are 24 templates in the interface when building a chatbot which makes it relatively simple to get started, even for novices. 

How detailed you want the bot to be is up to you and simply requires you to program in more options as you need. If you have the time this can be a very, very comprehensive student engagement tool.

What are the best Botsify features?

Botsify is conversational, so the responses received by students use easy-to-understand and friendly language so it feels as if they're engaging with a real person. Crucially, this also works in multiple languages, although it won't directly translate so that is an area that could be improved as some of the competition have done.

Education with the chatbot is broad as this has a number of options such as allowing you to collect student feedback or admission forms and assignments, but also to take quizzes built by you as needed. The results of these are all clearly presented in an analysis window so the data and trends can be picked out easily.

The chatbot supports interactions via written format but also using chat with voice. Plus, there is support for attachments, allowing students to upload pertinent files but also for teachers and admins to leave content to download as needed.

This system does work with Google Sheets, which is a really helpful feature if you already have quizzes or forms setup in there that you want to use with the chatbot service.

How much does Botsify cost?

Botsify offers a free trial so you can get started right away. You are required to give your banking details to begin this 14-day trial but there is no commitment so you can cancel if you don't want to continue. There are then three plans: Do it Yourself, Done For You, and Custom.

Do it Yourself is charged at $49/month, which gets you two chatbots, 5,000 users per month, and unlimited stories, conversations, forms, and media.

Done For You is $149/month, and offers five chatbots, unlimited users, dev assists, dashboard access, social media integrations, plus a WhatsApp chatbot with 1,000 free conversations per month.

Custom is charged at a case-by-case basis and will get you more options to personalize the needs across schools or districts as required. 

Botsify best tips and tricks

Submit work
Use the system to have students submit their assignments as uploads, with all questions, answers -- and excuses -- dealt with by the bot.

Modern mailout
Use the bot to send bulk messages so you know who will receive them and can even see, in the case of WhatsApp and Messenger, when it has been read.

Welcome your class
Create a bot for new classes and even new modules allowing students to learn and enquire before they begin so they feel ready and comfortable when it comes to start.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Digital Tools for Teachers

Juji is an artificially intelligent chatbot-based assistant that aims to help teachers engage with students, at scale and in a personalized way. The idea is to free up more time for teachers, and admin staff, to focus on other tasks. 

This is a complete platform, so it is a chatbot AI builder as well as the front-end system itself. So schools and, primarily universities and colleges, can work on their personalized AI to be used at their educational institution.

This can range from helping with student recruitment to guiding students in a course. All that is done with what the company says is a personalized experience. So could this work for your place of education?

What is Juji?

Juji is an artificially intelligent chatbot. It might sound impressive -- and it is -- but it's not alone as these platforms are starting to crop up in larger numbers. This one stands out as it makes the process of creating a smart chatbot easier than ever -- you don't even need to know code!

One of the major sells for this system is for student recruitment. This allows prospective students to ask questions and learn about the institution and courses, without taking up staff time and resources as it traditionally might.

Chatbots can also be used once students are at the institution, offering personalized guidance that takes care of the admin side of study as well as the actual learning.

When it comes to helping students test what they've learned, perhaps with a Q&A-style chat, this not only assists with learning but also provides metrics that educators can assess. All that should mean greater mastery on subject matter that can be monitored and tailored in teaching based on student progress.

How does Juji work?

Juji starts by letting you create your own AI chatbot, which is easier than it might sound. Thanks to a selection of templates it's possible to get started with the basics. 

You can then edit as needed to personalize the experience for your target users. All of which is free to build and play with, until you decide you're ready to launch.

There is no need to know code as the various options are laid out in a front-end style, so you can work through a chat flow picking options you want and personalizing as needed. Juji claims this makes the chatbot builder up to 100 times faster than "any other chatbot builders."

It's even possible to add voice-based interactivity so students can engage verbally with questions and answers. You can then integrate the chatbot into pre-existing systems, making it possible to have this bot work on the institution's main website, intranet, apps, and so on.

What are the best Juji features?

Juji is easy to work with both at the back end, building, and at the front end, interacting with students. But it's the AI smarts that really make this appealing. 

Not only will it allow students to have questions answered, but it will also learn and "read between the lines" to understand what that student needs. Consequently, it can work as a student's personal learning assistant, offering help in areas the student may not have even thought to ask about.

On a more basic level it can remind students of a class or project deadline, via the app, as they may require. It can also be used as a teaching assistant to take the load off the teacher who is trying to offer a more personalized one-to-one experience, but at scale.

It's also possible to change the chatbot personality, which can be a great option for creating a point of interaction that appeals to students of varying ages.

The layers of the system make it easy to use with the Studio there for building the AI, which then pulls in the API and IDE back-end. All that means educators without training can get started using the builder with ease. Admins also can work more in the back-end to integrate the software with current system setups.

The AI will work with free-text chats to work out unique characteristics, so educators can use this as a way to get feedback on student progress and needs. All that should result in a more personalized learning experience that works across the education journey.

How much does Juji cost?

Juji is built for multiple purposes including business uses as well as education. If you're using it purely for nonprofit education purposes there is a dedicated price plan. 

The Basic plan, at time of publishing, is charged at $100 for 100 conversation engagements. Beyond that the pricing is kept quite obscure. Presumably there is more flexibility to this, but that information is not very clear unfortunately. 

Juji best tips and tricks

Build basic
At its most simple this is an AI that makes a Q&A or FAQ come to life, so start with that as a basic layout to cover most questions that may be asked.

Get personal
Edit the avatar AI to make it appealing to the age of students you plan to help with this assistant, so they're eager to engage and work with the platform.

Build with students
Show the students how you're working to create the AI so that they can better understand how these systems work, how they can interact with them, and how they may wish to use them in the future as these become more prevalent. 

• New Teacher Starter Kit
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Shape Collage is an application that takes pictures and organizes them into shapes of your choosing. It sounds simple but the applications are wide.

How does this work in education? This is ideal for younger students to use both to play with images and to learn about how collages can work. It's also something teachers can use to create eye-catching image collections to print and place about the class.

So that can mean Shape Collage is an option beyond art class for teachers and students across the school. But is this the right option for your class?

What is Shape Collage?

Shape Collage lets you upload photos to the app and then allows you to organize it all into shapes. The end result should be an attractive way to share photos with the class and beyond.

Shape Collage comes in app form so you will need to download it first before running it. That also means this is super secure since all the photos being used are kept locally on the device that is operating the installed program.

On the downside, this does stand behind some of the other app options available, which are more cloud-based. That said, this does offer various formats for a number of platforms including Mac, Windows, and Linux, and also for smartphones and tablets with Android and iOS apps available. 

While the basic version is free to download and use, there is also a premium version that offers more features. But more on those variations -- and if you need to spend -- below.

How does Shape Collage work?

Shape Collage comes in app form so the first step to using it is downloading the right app for the device you're using. Usefully, when you navigate to the site it'll recognise your device and pop that version at the top of the Download tab section. You can install and get using right away without paying anything or even signing in with your details.

Consequently, this is easy to get running for both teachers and even younger students. The user interface is a little on the -- ahem -- traditional side of things. As such, don't expect too much guidance as many online-based apps now offer. So this is for children of at least age 6 and up, and likely will need some guidance to get them started.

Despite that, it is easy to use in its main functionality. Drag and drop photos onto the whiteboard to the left and these will appear in thumbnail form. Then select a shape and hit the Create button. Other options are available to vary picture closeness, size, and more manually, should the automation not work to your liking. 

A bit of processing later and you have a preview of the finished version, which you can edit before hitting Save when you're happy. Then pick Jpg, Png, and other options to decide the file type you want.

What are the best Shape Collage features?

Shape Collage is easy to use, with a simple drag-and-drop interface. While most of the features are automated, it's also a welcome addition to have some manual choices that you can enable to fine tune the results.

In most cases you will need to adjust the finished look so photos don't overlap too much or too little. The automation here isn't as smart as perhaps you'd expect. Thankfully, there is a handy "Photo spacing" button and slider that you can drag and move before hitting Create again to see the changes. This is great for fine tuning a perfect end result.

Shape selections are pretty basic with rectangle, grid, heart, and circle available right away. But you can also input text to have photos generate a letter or words. Plus, you have the option to select a More option in which you can make a custom shape, providing way more freedom to create as you need. Want a selection of reading choices laid out in a book shape? You're covered. Want the word "Biology" filled with images or cells, organs, and more? It'll do that too.

Go for the Pro option and there are even more options to play with, but more on that below.

How much does Shape Collage cost?

Shape Collage is free to download and use right away with a refined system that is now faster than ever across device types. 

The Free version can be downloaded and used right away, however, there are some restrictions that paying users can get around.

The Shape Collage Pro option, at $40, gets you no more watermarks on images, the ability to move individual photos around, save as PSD for further editing in Photoshop, project saving to carry on later, commercial licensing to cover promo use, and the ability to create templates for use later.

Shape Collage best tips and tricks

Love your class
Share the love by having your class individually photographed and collaged into a heart shape for display in your classroom.

Get creative
Use word shapes for subject names and fill these with photos of what you're going to be covering that year.

Submit smart
Have students submit photo-based projects using collages with extra points for creative uses of the way these work -- helping to foster creativity and challenging them think originally.

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Roblox is a massive online platform where millions of people create and play games and 3D experiences using the Roblox Studio software. This can now be well-used in education with lots of teaching-specific tools and games available.

Roblox can work as a sandbox experience in which teachers and students can create -- great to teach coding, storytelling, and design. It uses the Lua programming language, making it a useful CS tool as well as a space where students can work collaboratively to create together.

The platform has some impressive safety features in place, with a view to this being used in schools for education. Appropriate guidelines are available, but it's still worth keeping an eye as students could get into the wider platform, which might not all be appropriate.

This guides aims to explain all you, as an educator, need to know about Roblox.

What's New in Roblox

In April 2026, Roblox announced that it was introducing new age-based accounts and expanded parental controls for users under 16. According to the company, Roblox Kids will be for users ages 5 to 8 and Roblox Select for users ages 9 to 15, and will more closely align content access, communication settings, and parental controls with a user’s age.

Speaking of parental controls, these now will allow control of content ratings, communications settings, and screen-time and spending limits. In addition, parents will be able to see which games their child is spending their time playing and who their friends are in those games. Parents will be able to block specific individual games and manage direct chat settings through age 15.

In summer 2025, other new features were added to Roblox, including the Learning Hub, which offers grade level- and subject-aligned experiences for students.

Games such as Words of Power for vocab, Math Tower Race, Ecos: La Brea for earth science, and Sesame Street Mecha Builder for STEM, have also been all more recent additions.

The new AI tools in Roblox feature really nicely allows you to build 3D models, create text from prompts, translate games, and collaborate better. Stronger safety controls for education have been added to better manage access and limits.

What is Roblox?

Roblox is a block-based, multiplayer, open-world digital game that works in app format and via a browser. It's not primarily designed for education but thanks to it's openly creative environment, it can be used that way.

Plenty of sub-games are available in the Roblox world, created by other users but that can also be created by anyone with the time. Students can play and interact with other users, working together to complete in-game tasks.

Communication and the types of games are policed, however, there are still issues with inappropriate content and predators slipping through. As such, this is aimed at 13 years and older, and it is recommended that parents keep a close eye on their child's gaming. Locking the account settings, which can have filters on and communication limited, is also recommended.

Some of the most popular games, including MeepCity, Work at a Pizza Place, and Adopt Me!, have billions of people visiting. Gamers can earn and spend currency, called Robux, in this world – a useful incentive for in class rewards also.

How does Roblox work?

Roblox breaks down into two modes: making games or playing them.

Register and there is complete access to both options. Games can be selected from a long list in various categories, which could be better organized but should keep students busy as they hunt for what they enjoy.

Thankfully, the better content filters to the top so it is more easily accessible, with plenty of developers using this space to show off what they can do. Students can build games too and monetize them to earn revenue, teaching them about trade and digital charges, both in the games and to pay for them.

Students are able to use their own devices, in class or elsewhere, to play multiplayer games together as a team. But this is flexible too, allowing for variation as well as single-player gaming with other online players. Students can post on message boards, join groups, and chat, as well as friend one another to grow their social community within the game.

This sample Roblox lesson plan can be used to implement the tool into instruction.

What are the best Roblox features?

Roblox is easy to install and get running. The game is self-explanatory and the building tool also relatively easy to use. Dedicated Wiki pages are available that can offer guidance on how to build games using the Roblox system.

Since some games can be scary for younger children, it pays to use the safety features available to parents, guardians, and teachers. This allows you to limit access based on the age of the student and the kind of content they can be exposed to in the Roblox world. This also can be used to limit the chat features in the game so that there is less chance of negative influences while gaming.

The game offers great possibility when it comes to creativity, exploration, collaboration, and interaction. But it's the building and designing part that could help develop future careers in design, coding, planning, and more. It could even be a current career if the build is popular and can be monetized.

How much does Roblox cost?

Roblox offers a free version that can be played for nothing, including using the Roblox Studio to make games. But for lots of the content there are charges in Robux, which can be bought with real-world money.

There are three subscription levels, each of which provide a number of Robux.

Pay $4.99 per month and you will get 450 Robux.

Spend $9.99 per month and you get 1,000 Robux.

Or go top-end at $19.99 per month and you'll have 2,200 Robux to play with.

Roblox best tips and tricks

Use parental controls
Be sure to restrict use so access is appropriate for the child's age before they are allowed to begin playing the game. Keep a close eye as well.

Build a class
Have the students build a virtual world based on the classroom, or school, and you could even carry out a virtual class in there when it's ready.

Reward
Offer real-world rewards in class, such as extra break time, for good digital choices like working well as a group, sharing, inclusion, and so on.

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Classcraft is one of the stand-out examples of gamified SEL tools that can be used by students and teachers for personal growth, while staying lots of fun.

Since this was bought in 2023 it became HMH Classcraft and works as part of the HMH curriculum while keeping that gamified teaching style.

That means this is still all about working on social and emotional learning through collaborative requirements in games. Imagine World of Warcraft style gaming, only with a focus on personal development. So you have all the fun and engagement of a team-sports style quest game, only with subtle learnings built-in.

So could HRH Classcraft work in your classroom?

What is Classcraft?

HMH Classcraft is a game that acts as a behavior and learning platform for students and teachers. This comes in the form of a fantasy-style game that is multiplayer to include the entire class in a role-playing format.

The idea is to allow students to create their own avatar characters that they become invested in as personal extensions of themselves in this virtual world. Creating tasks with rewards then motivates students to engage in them and learn both emotionally, socially, and more -- all in this digital space.

By allowing teacher monitoring and engagement, educators can guide students to positive choices and engage them when needed if they're struggling in any areas.

The games are not just multiplayer, in which individuals move about within a game, but require working together as teams in order to achieve success, helping to build relationships, collaboration, problem-solving, and teamwork.

The concept appears to be working in real-world scenarios, with a reported 85% drop in referrals at East Paulding Middle School in Georgia, for example.

How does Classcraft work?

Classcraft simply requires you to select Teachers and then Get Started to begin building your account and games, and then prompts guide the process, which becomes self-explanatory. You are then presented with a game dashboard where you can see students and classes, split up as needed.

Then select Play to get a student overview and how they're doing with points, gold rewards, levels, and powers. "Sentences" are available for inappropriate behavior, allowing for points to be deducted. The key here is that rewards can be given virtually for real-world classroom behavior, such as turning work in on time, for example.

For students, they are given the choice of three character types to pick from: Guardian, Healer, or Mage. They then build the character look and work in teams with others to complete missions as set by the teachers. Special powers are earned by increasing XP, gaining gold pieces, crystals, and enhancing health points.

Powers in the game, upon leveling up, can equate to real-world rewards, such as eating a snack, or gaining a break in class, for example. The same can apply to those who carry out negative behaviors and lose points, leading to consequences in class such as clean up duty.

What are the best Classcraft features?

Classcraft uses a rewards and punishment system with the virtual characters to help guide students in a positive direction. It also features scenarios to play that are present for teacher ease but can also be edited to better suit what's being worked on in class to lead to specific learning outcomes.

The quests and boss battle scenarios can be immersive for students and help grow that feeling of comradery in the groups. Students can engage from anywhere with the ability to open discussions during quests.

Both parents and teachers can monitor the progress of children using the dashboard. Extra gold piece rewards can also be given from this point if needed -- and earned. For example, a student could be rewarded for participating more in class, being better at note taking, asking insightful questions, using devices appropriately, and so on.

Classcraft works with Clever, ClassLink, Canvas, and Google Classroom for a great integration across systems that may already be in place, making it easy to navigate for students and staff.

How much does Classcraft cost?

Classcraft offers a basic free plan and a premium plan as well as bespoke school and district-wide options.

The Basic plan is free and gets you gamified classroom management, limited character access, parent features, limited quests, and limited tools.

Upgrade to the Premium plan at $120 for the year and you get the above plus unlimited customizable characters, unlimited personalized learning quests, unlimited interactive class tools, and extra incentives for students.

For the School & District plan, charged at a bespoke rate, you get all the above plus a school dashboard, high-fidelity data, tiered intervention, enhanced security, and dedicated support.

Classcraft best tips and tricks

Make rewards real
Offer real-world rewards but make those targets clear by printing and posting in the classroom to help students stay on target for good behavior.

Quest assignments
Build quests from templates that allow you to have students work on assignments, by subject and grade, without actively thinking about that.

Stream Google Classroom
Use the quests order to organize your Google Classroom tasks into a visually clear overview.

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Genially is, at its core, a slide presentation creation tool. Yes, there are a lot of these out there right now, however, this one aims to stand out by making its creations all about interactivity.

By allowing a viewer to interact with the slide show, it helps them to be more engaged in the content. So rather than flipping through a slide show, students can explore it in more detail so they are actively learning as they progress through the presentation. 

Free to use and easy to work out, this is ideal for teachers and students alike as a project presentation tool. Offering collaboration, online use, and lots of media types -- this is a tool that works well in education.

But is Genially the right presentation tool for your classroom?

What is Genially?

Genially is a presentation tool that uses slides and more to create multimedia digital shows. But these presentations are also interactive, allowing the person viewing to explore the slides and even add their own input. All that should add up to a far more engaging experience than a standard PowerPoint presentation, for example. 

While this tool does offer some pretty unique interactive creation options, it also offers plenty of straightforward presentation templates. Students can create infographics, a personal resume, and lots more using the templates available. 

So while this can be used by teachers to create a class presentation, for work in the room or at home, it can also be used by students to present their work. That said, it isn't the most simple to use, so it may be best for students who are 6 and older. With a selection of guidance documents online, it can be understood fairly easily without much guidance needed from teachers.

The collaborative nature of this tool makes it ideal for student groups working on a project presentation. Since this is all cloud-based, working across different times and from various places isn't an issue for groups, which is ideal for longer term projects.

How does Genially work?

Genially can be used for free but there are some features reserved for the subscription model -- more on that below. Once you sign up, with an email address, it's possible to get using this tool right away from within a browser window.

While everything works online, which is great for across device use, it can be hindered behind a school's firewall for some functionality -- worth keeping in mind. Since this is free, it's easy enough to trial before committing any further.

A wide selection of templates are available, broken down into categories for faster searching of what's needed. Students and teachers can create videos (some from slides), infographics, quizzes, interactive images, slideshows, and plenty more with 12 types in total.

Everything is pretty straightforward to use with a drag-and-drop style system. There is more complexity as you get into the deeper features, but more on that next.

What are the best Genially features?

Genially allows you to create simple slideshows and offers greater depth with those interactive images. Consequently, it's possible to add video links, images, text, and more to presentations with hidden elements to be discovered and interacted with.

While the basics are intuitive enough and there is support for learning more, the platform can get complex for some students. The ability to add animations or interactive overlays to media is a really powerful feature but one worth demonstrating in class before setting tasks that require students to create with this feature, as it can get complex.

While it is possible to create interactive quizzes using this feature, the downside is that teachers can't see results like with other dedicated quiz creation tools. But for a class-wide quiz, carried out on the smart whiteboard for example, this could be a helpful feature.

The ability to create infographics and image-led slides is useful for students working on personal development, to make a resume or record achievements, for example. 

Many of the templates involve gamification, allowing teachers to take media and content they already have and make it engaging and interactive for better use in the class and beyond.

How much does Genially cost?

Genially is free to use but there are also Student, Edu Pro, and Master accounts that offer more premium features.

The Free plan gets you unlimited creations, unlimited views and free templates, and resources. 

Go for the Student plan at $1.25/month, billed annually, and you get premium templates and resources, audio insert from computer, and the ability to download in PDF, JPG, and HTML formats.

The Edu Pro plan at $4.99/month, billed annually, gets you all that plus privacy control, MP4 video downloads, and folders for organization.

The top-end Master plan is $20.82/month, billed annually, has everything above plus brand personalization and monitoring features.

Genially best tips and tricks

Quiz the class
Overlay an interactive layer on an image or words and have the class respond using their devices, or on yours up on the smart whiteboard, for all to see.

Plan for the future
Help students create their own resume that is eye-catching and contains all the relevant information that can help them progress -- something they'll have saved for the future to edit as needed.

Collaborate
Group students and have them work on projects that require them to present back to the class using Genially -- rewarding the more creative uses.

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Flexudy makes creating and sharing quizzes, assessments, and courses a simple automated process by using artificial intelligence.

This tool is aimed at more than schools but does offer education-focused tools that make this ideal for use by teachers. LMS integrations are also available, so it can be added school-wide relatively easily.

The primary function of Flexudy is to save time for teachers by creating quizzes faster and making sharing straight forward. This platform uses templates and question generation so teachers simply have to check and edit until they're happy.

But can Flexudy help learning in your place of education?

What is Flexudy?

Flexudy is a quiz and assessment creation tool that uses AI to take the work out of the process. No more starting from a blank screen, or using the time-consuming quiz apps out there, as this does most of the work for you.

Sharing of quizzes is also simple since everything is cloud-based, allowing teachers to give quizzes to students purely digitally. That can be in class use but also at home or remotely. Either way, students can access this from a web browser, so most will be able to use it on their own devices.

It also offers a good language support setup, which allows the system to work in English, French, and German by default, with more than 100 other languages available as needed. All that should make this very inclusive for students who speak various languages in the same classroom.

According to the company this software generally saves about 80% on prep time for teachers setting up a new quiz.

How does Flexudy work?

Flexudy is easy to sign up to and get started with, using a free trial. This lets teachers simply upload text, audio, or video files using a web browser of the dedicated app. This is where the artificial intelligence then steps in to speed up the quiz-creation process.

The AI robobrain goes to work creating questions based on the file that has been uploaded before laying it out for you. This is where the checking process can begin and it's possible to edit, changing questions, adding and removing as needed. 

All this uses question templates and summaries with a huge selection on offer for use -- all of which fulfill education standards right up to university level. This tool was actually built with the help of university educators.

Once the template has been edited to a level that the educator is happy with, there is an option to share. This is as easy as sending the link to students, who can then access the quiz through a browser on most devices. All the answers are recorded so that it's possible to assess easily, all in one place. 

What are the best Flexudy features?

Flexudy employs templates that are clear and easy to use so editing to perfection is a  quick process. Crucially, you are also able to create many different types of quiz, including multiple choice, close-ended questions, open-ended questions, and fill-in-the-blanks.

While this is built primarily to create quizzes, you can also use Flexudy to make exams, assessments, learning units, and more. Thanks to the wide selection of templates, varied by those AI smarts, there is plenty to fit whatever you need.

The ability to input a file in one language but create questions in another is a really useful and powerful feature, ideal for multilingual classrooms. 

LMS integration is another appealing feature as this software is built to be added to most education systems and digital learning environments with ease. Thanks to free student accounts, educators can share with a wide range of users quite simply.

One student, Sophia Meiners, says: "Through Flexudy I have been able to find out how I work and learn best and most effectively as an individual and have been able to adapt my learning behavior perfectly to myself through the many different options Flexudy offers. 

"The good mix of quizzes, reading texts, and the chance to interact with other learners and instructors makes Flexudy special and helps everyone individually achieve the best possible results. Flexudy has helped me discover fun in learning and enjoy working. What more could you ask for?"

How much does Flexudy cost?

Flexudy offers a free trial version of the system and also a subscription-based model aimed at education institutions. 

The Flexudy Premium version starts at $79 per month, which gets you online tutorials, 24/7 support, desktop and app support, LMS integration, single sign on, multi-lingual support, a student portal, full template library access, search and filter options, data import and export.

Flexudy best tips and tricks

Go micro
This is so quick and easy to use, it's possible to create micro quizzes throughout the class to assess learning and keep the class focused on taking in what could be tested.

Assess long-term
Keep track of quiz results on a class, group, and student level to check how the quizzes are helping learning, or not, over a longer period of time.

Student-led
Give students access with their work so the class can be tested on a paper written up by a student, allowing everyone to learn from that work.

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Open Culture is a free hub that lists all the available online digital learning resources that the web has to offer for educational purposes.

Launched in 2006, it is the brainchild of Stanford dean Dan Coleman. The original idea was to create a single point on the internet that lists the many educational resources available online for free.

Since then this has obviously grown massively, yet thanks to a team of editors the site is kept updated with lots of useful educational resources. From free audio recordings to K-12 specific material, there is plenty from which to pick.

So how can you use this for education right now?

What is Open Culture?

Open Culture is essentially a list, in one place, of all the useful educational resources available across the internet, for free. As the name suggests, that spans a wide range of culture and potential subjects for which it can be used.

This site has been around for nearly two decades and the look hasn't much changed. As such, it is quite dated in the look and layout, with so many resources listed in a way that could appear overwhelming to go through.

Fortunately, the site is accompanied by an optional email newsletter that collates new material for some of the best current picks worth checking out. All of this is offered for free. So if you have an ad blocker running you may be met with a pop-up that asks you politely to consider turning it off so the site can make money to pay its staff and running costs.

How does Open Culture work?

Open Culture is free to use so you don't need to pay anything nor do you need to sign up or give personal details of any kind to start using it right away. 

On arriving to the site you will find a list of potentially useful educational resources. Sub-headings are across the top for narrowing down your search criteria with options such as K-12 specific content, audio recordings, ebooks, movies, podcasts, courses, languages, and more, all available.

Navigate to one of these and you'll find a selection of links, each of which will take you offsite to that resource. So there isn't anything actually on the website itself, just links to other places that offer the content. Here it pays to open in a new tab or window if you plan to browse a few links, to avoid losing the original list website.

Each link has a short description to give you a flavor of what you're selecting before letting you go off to explore that in more depth.

What are the best Open Culture features?

Open Culture is very much a free option and this makes you realize just how many wonderful educational resources are available online, if only you could find them. Which this helps you do with relative ease. 

Sure, you could go onto Google and search to find them, but if you haven't discovered something yet, how do you search for it? This brings you gems that you may not have even considered as existing and useful to your class.

The lockdown period has helped this site to grow even more as its popularity and usefulness became greater to those stuck at home. As such, you now have a vast array of resources for K-12 education and more.

From Zoom's free video conferencing tools and free online drawing lessons to museum tours and the National Emergency Library, there is a wealth on offer. Then there are those audio and ebooks sections that offer audible stories, history books, physics comic books, free courses, classical music performances, and more.

Everything is very simply laid out and easy to understand, making it a useful place for educators to find helpful content but also for students to browse and enjoy the treasure trove of content too. As mentioned, that newsletter email is a great way to discover more without the need to trawl through everything available.

How much does Open Culture cost?

Open Culture is totally free. No money is required and no personal details need to be given as you don't need -- and in fact, can't -- create an account.

The site does have some advertising to help fund it. You can leave your ad blocker on but will be prompted to remove it each time you load a new page. You can also make donations to the website to help keep it running for free.

Open Culture best tips and tricks

Sign up
Have the class sign up to the email so you can receive the updates together, then discuss new weekly findings in class, letting everyone bring something of what they learned.

Go explore
Use the interactive map showing the most frequently assigned books in universities around the world, as you explore potential next education choices with class.

Present
Have students find a new resource each week and present back to the class some of the best bits for everyone else to explore later on in that lesson.

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Cognii is a big name when it comes to artificial intelligence use in education. In fact this is a multiple award-winning system that helps teach K12 and higher education students digitally.

On the surface this could look like the future of teaching, in which bots replace people. And with the AI in education industry predicted to be worth $80 billion by 2030, we may be going that way. But in reality, right now, this is more of a teaching assistant that can take a lot of the work out of marking and correcting, while helping students learn and grow more independently.

This can be used in the classroom or, more likely, for work at home so a student can still receive guidance from the system without the need for an actual adult presence, all thanks to intelligent tutoring and more. Imagine a Siri for education.

So could Cognii's AI system be of use to you?

What is Cognii?

Cognii is an artificially intelligent teacher. While that sounds impressive, the reality is that it is a way of helping students in question-and-answer scenarios with a set of pre-written guidance comments.

This platform works across a host of devices, allowing many students to access the service. That can mean reading a body of work and then answering questions, with guidance based on answers, or direct assessments. It covers a range of subjects, including English language arts, sciences, social studies, engineering, technology, and math for grades 3-12.

Cognii does everything digitally, so responses and student ability are also recorded. As such, it's possible for teachers to assess individuals, groups, or trends from the entire class year, all with at-a-glance analytic data that is simple to navigate.

One of the stand out features of Cognii, over other assessment tools, is that it will allow students to write answers in their own words yet still have automated assistance to guide and mark them. But more on how that works next.

How does Cognii work?

Cognii at its most basic is a questions-and-answers digital platform. But it's more complex as it uses AI, so the system can recognize student answers, written in their own natural language, and offer guidance.

So rather than simply getting students to complete a multiple choice assessment, to get quick marking, this lets students write answers in their own words. It then recognizes areas where the answer is missing parts, context or perhaps depth, and then offers feedback for students to improve.

Students then add more to the answer until it is correct before moving on to the next. It's like having a teaching assistant working over the student's shoulder as they progress through the assessment. 

Since all this is instant, with the response coming as soon as the student selects enter, they can work through the assessment without waiting for feedback from a teacher, helping them reach mastery of an area far quicker than traditional question-and-answer marking scenarios. 

What are the best Cognii features?

Cognii is available to students any time they need it and anywhere they are with a connected device. Consequently, it can make mastering subjects a process that works for them, without feeling alone or unsupported when taking it on.

Thanks to the use of natural language, similar to a voice-controlled assistant such as Amazon's Alexa, the Cognii AI is able to understand answers typed by students in lots of different ways. That can make for more intelligent tutoring, in which guidance is specifically focused so students can see where they are lacking or making mistakes in an answer, before adapting and getting a new response. 

The chatbot-style conversational back and forth is likely something both students and teachers have experienced online already, making it very accessible. In fact, using the app can be like messaging a person, resulting in a very natural way of learning through communication.

Grading is automatic, which can save a lot of time for teachers. But since this is also stored online, teachers can get a clear view of areas and students that need more attention, aiding in lesson planning and subject coverage.

How much does Cognii cost?

Cognii is charged on a sale-by-sale basis. This means a host of factors will be taken into account, from the size of the school, how many pupils will be using the system, what feedback data is required, and more. Since this isn't widely published, don't expect it to be cheap.

While this tool is available for K-12 and higher education, it is also for use in the business world for training purposes. As such, the packages offered vary greatly and can be well-tailored to suit the need of the institution on a quote-by-quote basis.

Cognii best tips and tricks

Make it real
Before leaving students to use Cognii, work through an assessment in the class to give them an idea of how it works.

Use at home
Have students work on Cognii assessments at home so they can prepare for a class on that subject that will offer greater depth than the paper they worked on.

Critique everything
Have students share feedback in class on how the system works and doesn't work. Help them to learn that AI has its flaws and how they can work around those.

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Gradescope, as the name suggests, is a digital tool for grading. The idea is to make submissions, grading, and assessing all easier.

As such, this uses an app and online-based platform to provide educators with everything they need to access, all in one place, by creating a single point for work submissions, grading, and analysis. Being digital and cloud-based allows access from wherever, whenever.

Beyond the digital packaging, this also offers a more simplistic way of marking, thanks to multiple choice bubble-style options, which should help to save time on the process of marking, too.

But with lots of other software options out there, many of which already integrate with current digital tools, is this one going to help you?

What is Gradescope?

Gradescope is a digital tool that creates a space for students to submit work, for educators to mark it, and for both to be able to see the final grade given. All of which is accessible from nearly any device with the easy-to-use app and online-based platform.

This is not only digital though, as it also allows teachers and students the ability to work on paper, which can then be scanned into the system for easier access in the future. 

Gradescope works across a host of submission types, including assignments, exams, and even coding. All of which can be marked quickly but also commented upon so students have feedback directly available.

Using rubrics and questions-based analysis, it's possible for teachers to get a very clear view of the grades for individuals as well as across the class groups.

How does Gradescope work?

Gradescope can be purchased after a free trial, which then allows teachers to gain access with students submitting work via the app or website using their own devices.

Usefully, students can take a photo of their work using their smartphones and have that converted to PDF for uploading into the app. The conversion part can be done with lots of free apps but Gradescope does recommend a few that do the best job.

Once uploaded, the app can intelligently detect a student's hand-written name and determine where the work begins and ends. It's then possible to grade on a question-by-question basis, since the submissions can be anonymized for truly bias free grading.

Educators can then provide feedback and grade, using a flexible rubric, before sending the result to a student or exporting it all to a gradebook that may already be in use. It is then possible to get detailed analysis for work over time, per student, per group, per question, and more.

What are the best Gradescope features?

Gradescope supports bubble sheets, which makes for some of the quickest and easiest grading. Simply create a question and answer bubble sheet, in which students mark off the letter of multiple choice options as they go. This can then be scanned in using the app, and will automatically be recognized and graded where teachers can then confirm the mark is accurate, before exporting and analyzing.

Thanks to AI smarts it is possible to group similar answers to make for even faster grading. For example, one chemistry teacher commented that she was able to grade 250 students answering 10 multiple choice questions in just 15 minutes. You can even use the one-click response option to send auto-graded responses to students right away.

For coding this is a really helpful grading system as it automatically recognizes code and can even auto-grade based on whatever is uploaded. This can be done from the likes of Github and Bitbucket, and also allows teachers to manually input grading and feedback as needed.

The fact this scanning-based marking system also works for exams can make submitting and marking an easier process. Everything also is digitized for easy access in the future and for analysis as well as clear overviews of trends that might be missed otherwise.

How much does Gradescope cost?

Gradescope does offer a free trial but then the paid versions fall into three levels, each of which are priced based on your institution's size and needs.

The Basic plan gets you collaborative grading, unlimited course staff, student mobile app, assignment stats, regrade requests, full grade export, and late submissions.

The Complete plan gets you all that plus import rubrics, text annotations, AI-powered grading, anonymous grading, programming assignments, code similarity, bubble sheet assignments, unpublish course grades, and rubrics before submission.

The Institutional plan gets you that lot plus duplicate a course, LMS integration, Single Sign On (SSO), administrator dashboard, and dedicated onboarding and training.

Gradescope best tips and tricks

Bubble out
Use the bubble sheet option to speed up the marking process. This helps students learn how to work with bubble sheets while freeing up more time for you to plan.

Feedback
Use AI grading to see how well student work is recognized. For those students whose efforts the system struggles to recognize, look at improving handwriting to better prepare them for exams.

Annotate
Use text annotation to help students see where they could have done something different as well as providing positive feedback to encourage them within the platform.

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Brainly, at its most simple, is a peer-to-peer network of questions and answers. The idea is to help students with homework questions by using others who may have already answered that question.

To be clear, this isn't a set of answers laid out or a group of professionals giving answers. Rather, this is an open forum-style space in which students can post a question and, hopefully, get an answer from the community of others in education.

The platform, unlike some of the competition out there from the likes of Chegg or Preply, is free to use -- although there is a subscription-based ad-free version, but more on that below.

So could Brainly be of use to students right now?

What is Brainly?

Brainly has been around since 2009, but with all that went on in 2020, it saw a massive 75% surge in growth and got more than $80 million in funding and now has 250+ million users. Point being, it's now more useful than ever as it has more people to answer questions and more already populated answers.

Everything is anonymous, allowing users to question and answer with interactions that are safe and secure. This is aimed at a wide range of ages, from middle school right up to college students. 

The spectrum of areas covered include traditional subjects such as math, physics, and languages, however it also covers medicine, law, SAT help, advanced placement, and more.

Crucially, everything is moderated by a team of volunteers that includes teachers and other users. This is all an honor code system, which makes it clear that answers must be only published if you have the rights to do so from the textbooks or course material.

How does Brainly work?

Brainly is very easy to use as anyone can sign up to get going -- but need not even do that. You can post a question right away to see if there are any answers already available.

When an answer is provided, it is then possible to give a star rating based on the quality of the response. The idea being that it can be easy to find the best answer in a bunch, at a glance. This also lets students build their profile rating so you can spot when an answer is given by someone who is well thought of for giving helpful responses.

The site offers assistance to those answering questions with tips on how to give a helpful response -- not that this is always adhered to, based on some answers you can find on the site.

A leaderboard encourages students to leave answers, as they earn points for giving helpful answers and getting star ratings for better responses. All of which helps to keep the site fresh and the content vital.

What are the best Brainly features?

Brainly uses a green check mark to show answers that have been verified by the Brainly subject experts so you can rely on that as being more accurate than some others might be.

The honor code strictly prohibits cheating and plagiarism, which aims to stop students gaining direct answers to exam questions, for example. Although in reality, the filters in place here don't always seem to catch everything -- at least not right away.

The private chat feature can be a useful way of getting more depth on an answer from another user. Since many answers are top line, and simply speed up the homework process, it's useful to have the option to dig a little deeper. 

Teacher and parent accounts can be useful as these allow for a clear view of how students are progressing, with many areas that they struggle with being clear from their search history.

The only major issue is with the answers that are less accurate. But thanks to an ability to upvote answers, this does help to sort the quality from the rest. 

All that said, this is very much like Wikipedia, to be taken with a pinch of salt and students should be made aware of this before using the site.

How much does Brainly cost?

Brainly is free to use but also offers a premium version that does away with the ads.

The Free account gets you access to all the questions and answers, and allows parents and teachers to create a paired account so they can see what their young ones are searching. 

The Brainly Plus account is charged at $18 every six months or at $24 for the year and will do away with adverts. It also offers access to a Brainly Tutor, charged on top, to give live tutoring in math.

Brainly best tips and tricks

Teach checks
Help to clarify how students should and can be checking their sources from other areas so they're not blindly believing everything they read.

Practice in class
Hold an in-class Q-n-A so that students can see how answers vary wildly even for the same question, based on who is answering it.

Use the leaderboard
Publish a class leaderboard to encourage students to give answers and get ratings on the website, allowing them to learn as they progress.

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Kami aims to be a one-stop shop for educators who want to teach using digital tools but without having to learn to use lots of various ones. This does it all in one place.

That means teachers can upload resources for students to use, create places for submitting work, grade, and provide feedback. And plenty more. Since it has a really well-refined feel, the platform is easy to learn and visually attractive both for educators and students across a wide range of ages.

Kami crosses the classroom and home work boundary so it can be used both in the room and beyond. The idea is to create a consistent space in which students and teachers can work, which is accessible wherever they happen to be.

But does Kami achieve all of these lofty ideals? We got into the software to find out.

What is Kami?

Kami is a digital classroom space that can be used by teachers and students to access resources, create and submit projects, and more. Everything is cloud-based and integrates with other platforms to allow for access across devices and locations.

Kami is designed to work with a hybrid teaching model so it operates well in the classroom -- such as on a smart whiteboard -- but also at home, accessed by students using their own devices. Since it's all cloud-based, there is no required saving of documents, and the ability to check progress is available in real-time.

So while a class can be led using Kami, it can also work as a platform for collaborative learning that not only works in class but continues from students' homes seamlessly.

Kami offers integration with many document types, from PDF to JPEG, but also with other systems such as Google Classroom and Microsoft OneDrive.

How does Kami work?

Kami offers a free-to-use model and a paid version with more premium features. Either way, students can download the app for free to sign in and get started. This allows teachers to add them to the class so that everyone can access documents and interact with them using their own devices.

Kami is great for book reviews, for example. It allows teachers to drag and drop pages of books right there for students to access, which can have annotations and guidance added. Students can then highlight, add their own comments, and more. Thanks to rich media, it's possible to upload audio or even record videos to add into a project.

This does what a lot of dedicated apps offer, but combines most of those features into one place. Consequently, this is one of the easiest ways to get the classroom digital without sacrificing on useful tools. It also means it's easier for more ages of students to use as it is very self explanatory and intuitive to start.

What are the best Kami features?

Kami offers superb integration, which is a big appeal since it means whatever your school is already using -- be it Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Microsoft, or others -- this will likely integrate easily. And you can add a lot more tools without a lot more hassle.

Usefully, Kami works both online and offline. So if students are going to struggle to get a reliable internet connection when away from school, that won't be a problem.

As mentioned, students and teachers can upload videos, audio, and there is even text-to-speech for easier access across ages and abilities. The screen capture tool allows teachers to take students on a guided tour of pretty much anything online, making for great hybrid task setting in which students start a task at home in a flipped classroom style so they can be ready to discuss in the room next lesson.

The ability to work with any document is a big help as it can mean getting anything into the digital room, even if it requires scanning. This then makes that document available to all students, without needing physical copies. They can then comment and interact without affecting another student's copy. All that allows for freedom of exploration and learning for each student in a one-to-one style way, with the teacher being able to see what everyone has done, and provide feedback.

How much does Kami cost?

Kami comes in both free and paid for models. 

The Free Plan gets you access to the basic tools such as highlight, underline, text comment and insert shapes, an ad-free experience, freehand drawing, stylus support, Google Drive Auto Save, scanned documents with text recognition, support of Microsoft Office Files, Apple iWorks, plus email support.

The Teacher Plan, at $99/year, gets one teacher and up to 150 students all that plus insert images and signature, voice and video comments, equation editor, add page, Google Classroom, Schoology, and Canvas integration, dictionary, read aloud and speech-to-text, priority email support, and onboarding training.

There is also a custom priced School & District Plan, which gets you the above plus a dedicated account manager -- available off hours -- and custom numbers of teachers and students who can use the platform.

Kami best tips and tricks

Convert your paper
Use Kami's text recognition software to scan in files that can then be converted into documents for you and your students to edit and work with digitally.

Flatten annotations
Use of flattened annotations, as they're called, essentially means students can add something and share without affecting the original document. Use this to daisy chain learning as a document grows and progresses through the class.

Pre-record
For any regular responses you give, record a video to share with the student so it has a bit more personality -- and save you time in providing feedback.

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Plagiarism Checker X is not a clandestine branch of a black books government agency dedicated to tracking down and stamping out plagiarism-based crimes as that X in the name might suggest. Well, not entirely, as it will do the plagiarism stopping part, only with software rather than agents in black suits.

This is a very useful tool in education as it helps to automate the process of detecting if a student has lifted work directly from a source without the proper citations.

Ways of doing this are available now more than ever with the likes of Grammarly, Scribbr, Quetext, and plenty more. In this guide you can learn about what sets Plagiarism Checker X apart, aside from that name, of course.

What is Plagiarism Checker X?

Plagiarism Checker X is software that can detect if a block of text in a document has been lifted directly from elsewhere. This makes it a tool to be used in checking essays from students that should be using citations.

Plagiarism Checker X not only helps teachers spot issues of this kind but also puts in a level of protection that helps students too. Since students can be told this software is being used they will know that they cannot get away with plagiarism. As such, it can serve as a deterrent and urge them to learn better practices when it comes to properly citing work taken from another source. 

This tool works for research papers, blogs, assignments, websites, and more. It claims to offer higher speeds and accuracy than the competition, which makes for easy work checking in mere seconds. 

How does Plagiarism Checker X work?

Plagiarism Checker X is a software tool that can be downloaded and installed to work on a Windows 11, 10, 9, 7, or Vista machine. This then allows it to work with documents submitted in various forms, all being fed into this system to have checks performed.

Plagiarism Checker X offers a report, as shown above. This uses highlighting to show the areas of concern. What's particularly helpful is the use of color, which works to denote a scale of concern based on what is being checked.

Equally, this tool can be used in a preventative manner, with students and teachers checking their work to make sure there are no accidental plagiarism cases that slipped through without being noticed. This is particularly useful when publishing online and works with a dedicated website feature.

Another key here is that the document itself is kept offline, so you won't need to upload it. That keeps the work of students safely on the device being used.

What are the best Plagiarism Checker X features?

Plagiarism Checker X works in seven languages so it can be used for varying document submissions from students in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, and Portuguese, with more on the way soon.

The system also works across a host of file types including DocX, Doc, RTF, PDF, plain text, and others.

A useful comparison feature allows you to line up two documents side-by-side in order to check for similarities between the two -- ideal for any students you think may be working together in an unauthorized way.

A bulk-checking facility is ideal for teachers that want to work through a class worth of assignments in one go. This performs checks across all the submissions and then offers feedback in a digestible way to help you work quickly.

The Summary mode is a useful feature to see the output from the analysis in a clear way, delivered in a pie chart along with unique text, sources, word count, and any helpful recommendations.

How much does Plagiarism Checker X cost?

Plagiarism Checker X offers a three-tier system on pricing including a free option.

The Basic tier gets you free use of the tool with limited features, a daily search limit, and support for 20+ languages.

Go for the Professional model at $39.95 and you get a single user license, unlimited words, online similarity check, text comparison, Word/PDF support, 24/7 customer support, one-year maintenance, and a lifetime package.

The Business tier is $147.95 and that gets you five licenses, spreadsheet support, branding reports, priority support, and all the above features.

Plagiarism Checker X best tips and tricks

Size up
Lay up students' work side-by-side if they sit close, are friends, or have worked together in the past -- to make sure collusion is kept to a minimum.

Go online
Use the online search functionality for up-to-the-second accuracy and the widest range of checks available.

Tell students
Let students know you're using this, show them how they can as well to encourage them to work to a standard that will be needed more and more as they progress through their education.

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Plotagon is a video-based storytelling tool that is designed to make creation super simple for all users. As such, it can be a helpful way to get children communicating using video.

Plotagon comes in app form and desktop app format so it can be used by students on devices at their education institution as well as on their own smartphones and tablets.

The app enables students to communicate stories by creating characters and scenes in which conversations and even physical interactions can happen. All that allows this to be used as a way to be creative across a range of subjects.

But with some glitchy results, is this the right tool for you?

What is Plotagon?

Plotagon is a digital tool that allows anyone to create a cartoon-style movie with acting and spoken scripting. The key here is that what was once a difficult and skill-heavy task is now made super simple so that anyone can start making these storytelling videos.

While video creation is the main function of this tool there are also lots of other user-generated videos that you can select and watch. Some may come in useful for education but realistically you're going to get a far more targeted result by creating your own.

Characters will come to life with emotions you select and animate with their own type-to-speech voices. The reality is a little odd, with strange pronunciations and awkward movements and interactions. It's quite comical if you take it that way, however, it could also be viewed as far less professional than what you might be used to seeing. The point is you lose that polished look in favor of the simplicity of use this offers, which makes it ideal for children age 8 and above.

How does Plotagon work?

Plotagon offers a very intuitive website at which you are given the option to download the app with an iOS, Android or desktop version, which is for Windows only -- sorry Mac users. Once downloaded and installed, you'll need to create a profile to get started.

You can start by viewing other videos and commenting on these, or begin making your own by selecting the camera icon. A helpful example plot is available to guide you and then it's a case of building yourself by selecting the character voices you want. You can also upload your own voice, which is usually clearer.

Build the movie by picking the scene, adding characters, writing in dialogue or recording this, then picking music or sound effects to add to the scene. You can even have actions and emotions which the characters will act out. Then tag your videos and write a brief description before saving to work on later or publishing -- which can be sent to YouTube easily -- so it's available online and is easy to share with a simple link.

What are the best Plotagon features?

Plotagon is super simple to use, which is a hugely appealing as even younger students are able to get started on and learn how to use it with very little to no guidance from an adult. 

This tool can be used across a range of subjects as it is character- and dialogue-based, allowing students to talk about a subject and share that with others. The fact it also allows for emotional expression from the characters adds another layer of emotional intelligence that can enhance otherwise less rich subject matter.

Stock music and sound effects are can be added to help bring movies to life. Mix in applause or a laugh track to give it a broader feel, for example. Since you can only have two main characters interacting, it can feel basic, but there is an option to add in background extras that can help make it more engaging.

While there are plenty of background scene options to pick from there is a quite advanced feature that uses a virtual green screen, allowing you to add in your own background image -- useful if you want to place the scene in the classroom for example.

How much does Plotagon cost?

Plotagon offers a free trial that lasts a full month, allowing you to try this out before you decide to commit to paying anything.

Academic, the education-specific price tier, is charged at $27 per year or $3 per month. This gives access to faculty, staff, and students with an academic email.

Plotagon best tips and tricks

Build a Q&A
Have students create a question-and-answer scenario in which a subject can be discussed to give clarity and depth. Then have that shared with the class for others to learn from too.

Use emotion
Have students get creative with a task but be sure to have them add at least three emotional exchanges, allowing them to work with feelings woven into their subject matter.

Group up
There might only be two dialogue characters in this app but that doesn't stop you having groups of students create a single video as a team effort.

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Newsela is a news story-based platform that aims to help students improve their literacy skills with real-world content.

The idea is to offer a place that features curated news content so students can safely improve their reading skills while also learning about real-world affairs at the same time. 

A free version is available, and there is a paid for option that offers more features, providing an opportunity to try this type of tool before deciding if committing to more features is worth it for students.

Featuring reading level sectionalized content and follow-up quiz options, Newsela is built for teacher and students, but is it right for you?

What is Newsela?

Newsela is an online news platform that uses curated real-world stories to help students improve their literacy skills. Since this is measured in reading levels it's an easy to use way for teachers to set reading tasks for students with real-world news minus the worry of unsuitable content slipping in there.

Content comes in daily and is sourced from a good range of news providers including Associated Press, PBS News Hour, Washington Post, The New York Times, Scientific American, and others. All of which offer English and Spanish options as needed.

Everything is spread across five lexile levels and runs from third grade right up to twelfth. While this can be shared based on ability, if you want to use content specific filters you will need to opt for the paid service – but more on that below.

Everything is available online via a web browser, so students can get to it on their own devices to read in class but also from home or on the move. The quiz options are great here as these can be used for at home follow-up learning.

How does Newsela work?

Newsela offers a free package that allows teachers to share content with students for reading. This is limited to news and current events as opposed to more updated and subject specific content controls, which come with the paid version.

The free version can be accessed by students directly but the paid version allows teachers to set reading tasks and track progress. This features a dashboard for more controls and also allows teachers to work based on Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. 

Essentially, the free version of this tool is a great supplementary teaching tool while the paid version can play a more central role in teacher planning and delivery of lessons.

Schools and districts can sign-up to Newsela for wide controls and access across a broader use base. Then teachers simply sign in and begin using it, and can assign and share tasks digitally to students on their device of choice. Students simply enter a class code to get access to tasks and content set for them by the teacher, making it very easy to access.

What are the best Newsela features?

Newsela has a huge selection of features, with most available in the paid version, which is what will be talked about here. Primarily there is the ability to set reading based on ability. 

Useful follow-up tools help with teaching include quizzes, which can be edited by the teacher to suit specific students or groups. There are also follow-up writing prompts available that can support setting tasks to integrate learning and show how students are progressing.

Annotations are a useful feature that provide teachers a way to specifically steer students as they are reading through the material. This is ideal for at-home learning or for extra guidance if working as a group in the class -- particularly when some students may need more assistance than others.

Text Sets are helpful by offering a curated list of texts and accompanying tasks to suit what might be going on at that time. For example, a Native American Heritage Month specific content list that can easily be found, edited, and shared as needed.

Quite uniquely, Newsela offers Spanish and English reading options that can be toggled between the two as needed. That makes this a useful resource for teaching ELL and ESOL students as well as those who are learning Spanish and want to read real-world content, checking their comprehension as they go.

Subject specific packages are useful and include ELA, Social Studies, Science, and SEL – all of which are in the subscription option.

How much does Newsela cost?

Newsela does offer a free model that gets you news stories and current events. Go for the paid subscription and there is a whole load of more options.

Newsela Essentials gets you access to the Professional Learning resources in the Educator Center, quizzes and writing prompts, student activity viewing, and admin visibility.

Go for the Core Subject Products for the most comprehensive selection of features including the above plus access to subject specific content and curation, Power Words in articles, subject specific quizzes and writing prompts, curated collections, curriculum components, comprehension quizzes, state standards-aligned instructional content, custom collections, and teacher support workshops.

Pricing for the paid level subscriptions are available on a quote basis and vary based on the number of users and institutions needed. 

Newsela best tips and tricks

Quiz the class
Set a reading task and quiz combination for the class to complete at home then follow up in class with a discussion to see how well the learning has been absorbed.

Prompt homework
Use the reading prompts as a way to set follow-up tasks for at-home or in-class work that allows students to get creative with what they've learned.

Target individuals
Take the time to assign specific articles to specific individuals based on their abilities and interests. Have them provide feedback to the class as a way to promote group learning.

• What is Padlet and How Does it Work?
• Best Digital Tools for Teachers

Microsoft Sway is the company's alternative to PowerPoint as a presentation tool that embraces collaborative working. As such, this is a powerful system for teachers and students to use in the classroom and beyond.

The idea behind Sway is to offer a super simple setup that allows anybody to create presentation slideshows. This makes it good for both younger students and teachers for in-class or online-based presenting.

Thanks to the online nature of this tool there is a lot of rich media integration, allowing for plenty of visually engaging content to be incorporated. Using this collaboratively, for example in a student group, is an option both for in class as well as from home.

So is Sway the next presentation tool for your classroom?

What is Microsoft Sway?

Microsoft Sway at its most basic is a presentation tool. It uses slides to create a story flow that can be presented to a class or individual, or scrolled through by the viewer at their own pace. That makes it ideal for in-class presentations as well as at-home learning.

Sway integrates with the Microsoft Office suite so it can be used easily in schools that already operate on the Microsoft Office platform, putting another creative tool at your disposal. But for those not paying, it won't matter as this is now freely available to all.

Thanks to the use of templates and tutorials it's easy to get started, even for those less technically abled people. It's also very straightforward to collaborate with online storage and link-based sharing available as standard.

How does Microsoft Sway work?

Microsoft Sway is online-based within the Office suite so you can login and use the tool from within a browser. It's also available for free so anybody can head to the website and start using this tool without even needing to create an account.

As such, this is available on a lot of devices including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Since storage can also be online, as well as local, students can start a project on a school computer and continue working on it using their own device when at home.

Since Sway uses templates it's possible to get started right away in a very easy-to-use way. Pick the template and then it's just a matter of adding text and media as needed in the spaces provided. You can also make amends to personalize it more but that more complex functionality isn't required.

There is a tab section at the top with Storyline on one, in which you can edit and add in text and media. The Design tab allows you to preview how the end result looks, live, as you work – a very helpful option for students who want to see results as they play with this tool.

Once a presentation is built, there is a share button in the top right that allows a URL link to be created so sharing is super simple. Others can then visit that link and view the slideshow from any device they are using.

What are the best Microsoft Sway features?

Microsoft Sway is very simple to use making it great even for total beginners. Sharing is digital, which is easy, and there is also the option to export into Word or PDF format, making the process even more robust. 

Usefully, this can be shared digitally with certain people or groups, or with anyone sent the link. The person sharing can decide if others simply view the presentation or if they can have the option to edit also – helpful for creating a collaborative project that groups of students can work on together.

That share button option can also be selected as sharable. This means a teacher can create a template then duplicate it and allow students to share it. Students are then able to make amends as needed, perhaps to input a science project with graphs and charts, before sharing with others in their work group to add their input.

Photos can be added in stacks that can be set to be used as swipeable, to flip through the selection, or to be static when viewed strictly as a gallery. Also available is the option to vary how the presentation is navigated, either vertically or horizontally – ideal if you are targeting smartphone screens or laptops, for example. 

Plenty of rich media can be imported easily, from using web images, GIFs, and videos to pulling in saved content from OneDrive that's cloud-stored. It's also easy to place links in the text so that anyone viewing the presentation can learn more as needed from third-party sources.

How much does Microsoft Sway cost?

Microsoft Sway is available as free to use online via a web browser, so anyone can use it on most devices without paying anything or even signing up with personal details such as an email address.

The tool is also available on iOS and Windows 11 in app format, which is also free.

For anyone already using the Microsoft Office suite there are going to be more options available in terms of admin controls. But, that said, payment isn't required to still get the most out of this useful online-based presentation tool.

Microsoft Sway best tips and tricks

Lab report
Have students use Sway to present a lab report, individually or as a group, in which they create charts and graphs to show their findings in a visually striking way.

Present back
Set a presentation task to individuals, or groups, and have them either present in class or share digitally what they've found so they learn to use the tool and others learn from what they're creating.

Portfolio
Use this visually engaging tool as a way to build portfolios for students, either as a teacher or as done by the students themselves. This can be a place with all their work for the year, easily viewed and shared from one place.

• What is Padlet and How Does it Work?
• Best Digital Tools for Teachers

Swift Playgrounds is an app designed to teach code to anyone in a fun and engaging way. This effectively gamifies learning to code for Apple devices.

To be clear this is an iOS- and Mac-only coding design tool for Swift, the coding language of Apple apps. So students will be left with real-world skills that can lead to creating working games and more for Apple devices. 

So while this looks great, is easy to use and comes for free, it does require an Apple device to work on and to play the end result.

Is Swift Playgrounds the tool for your needs?

What is Swift Playgrounds?

Swift Playgrounds is an app for iPad or Mac that teaches code, specifically Swift, the Apple coding language. While this is a professional coding language, it is taught in a simple way that makes it accessible even to younger students -- as young as four years of age.

Since the whole setup is game-based, it works in a way that intuitively teaches students about the coding process of trial and error as you progress.

Swift Playgrounds is primarily designed to create games and apps but it can also work with real-world robotics, allowing students to code control the likes of Lego Mindstorms, Parrot drones, and more.

Since this app-building teaching tool has live previews it is a very engaging way for students to see what they've built right away -- making it a good option even for those younger students with shorter attention spans.

How does Swift Playgrounds work?

Swift Playgrounds can be downloaded in app format on iPad or Mac, for free. Once installed students are able to start right away with an engaging game in which they are helping to guide a cute alien, aptly named Byte, about the screen using their code building. 

For beginners it's possible to select command lines from a list of options, however, there is also the choice to type in code using the keyboard, directly, for those who are advancing along. The code appears on one side of the screen while the output preview is on the other side, so they can see, live, what they are creating and the effects their code is having.

The alien guidance is a great way to keep students engaged as successful movements result in rewards such as collecting gems, travelling through portals, and activating switches to help progress. 

There are also courses available to get specific outputs, such as for certain games or use of more complex features. If anything is done incorrectly that is clear in the preview that encourages students to think about their mistakes and learn how to correct them -- perfect for self-guided learning in the class and beyond.

What are the best Swift Playgrounds features?

Swift Playgrounds is great fun for building games while effectively playing one as part of the process. But the addition of the device's hardware is another engaging feature. For example, students can use the device's camera to capture an image and bring it into the program part of the game or task.

Well integrated within the app is the ability to share code or screenshots, which is a helpful teaching tool to guide students and also allow them to show their work along the way, when submitting a project for example. It can also be a useful way to create an opportunity for collaboration for individuals or groups to share code with one another.

In the Featured Courses section there is an Hour of Code course that is ideal for beginners that want to try the platform without it taking up too much time. A useful option for in-class use when time is of the essence, or for teaching students that may struggle to pay attention for longer periods.

Apple offers a helpful Everyone Can Code curriculum for younger students that lays out the courses for educators to teach in a structured way that's made to guide students based on their ages and abilities. Everyone Can Code Early Learners, for example, is a guide for K-3 which comprises five modules: Commands, Functions, Loops, Variables, and App Design.

How much does Swift Playgrounds cost?

Swift Playgrounds is free to download and use, with no adverts. Since this is all about Apple teaching people how to code using its own language, it's within the company's interest to spread that skill. 

The only possible price barrier is in the hardware itself. Since this works on Mac or iPad only, one of those devices will be required to build using this platform and to test any output too.

Swift Playgrounds best tips and tricks

Collaborative group build
Use the code sharing functionality to have students in groups build different parts of a game so the end result is a more complex output which was made by the class.

Build for the class
Use the tool as an educator to create your own games that teach course content that students can learn by playing on their own devices.

Capture progress
Have students take screenshots and share their steps so you can see their work along the way, paying particular attention to when mistakes are made so you can see where they've fixed and learned.

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Ready Maker is a game design coding platform that's built to be super simple to use, making it welcoming for younger students and beginners alike.

The idea behind this platform is to get everyone into coding by using gaming as an entry point. Since playing games appeals to many students, building one is a fun way to learn coding without focusing on the nitty gritty of the code itself.

So while this won't leave students able to write code like a pro, it will get them on the path so that when they're ready to start writing code, everything will feel familiar. While this may be a coding stepping stone, it does allow students to make and even publish games on multiple app stores.

So is Ready Maker something that can be used in the classroom?

What is Ready Maker?

Ready Maker is a drag-and-drop style coding platform that is designed to allow students to create digital games. It's also possible to use this coding system to control real-world robotics.

At its core Ready Maker is a collection of game parts that are effectively arranged by the user to create an original game. How original the result is comes down to what the student wants. It's possible to follow a step-by-step guide and have a working end result, or to go off-menu and build more creatively. 

For this reason the platform does have a level of depth so it can be used across years and as skills develop.

Ready Maker is available as an app that can be downloaded for free on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android. The output game can work across various platforms as it uses Unity code, which also means it's ready for publishing on app stores.

Students are able to build games, make mazes, design animations, and more with these tools extending as far as the user's imagination will allow. Since this is a self-guided offering it can be great for in-class use as well as at home learning, and allows students to continue working on projects using their own devices. 

How does Ready Maker work?

Ready Maker is an app that can be downloaded onto the device being used, from a laptop, desktop, smartphone, or tablet. Once installed and signed into, either with an email or a Google account, you can get making right away.

There is a helpful "Learn" tab that takes you right into a host of tutorials that allow you to pick what area you want to work on. From basics such as making a ball bounce to more complex features involving AI, these are all clearly laid out. 

Click in and you're led, step by step, through the stages required to build that task into your game. It is very clear and intuitive -- which is likely why this is recommended for ages as young as four.

All that said, the tutorial runs you through the process without actually making anything. So you're then required to remember the stages for application when you start the building part. This is good as it encourages students to remember, and perhaps make notes, but could be a long process to hold before applying it, in the case of younger students. For this reason it could pay to teach these tutorials with guidance before setting tasks for students, ideally in groups, to carry out.

What are the best Ready Maker features?

Ready Maker is great for guidance and the "Remix" option is a helpful feature, which allows students that have found a tutorial they want to work with to edit that. This means the game, or feature, is already built and they can make changes to it -- a great way to get a working end result quickly which can be a helpful confidence booster.

The scale of simplicity to complexity is a really appealing part of Ready Maker as it works for beginners but also offers deeper learning options for those who are more advanced. All very impressive for a free-to-use tool.

Coding guides on the company's website are really useful as these allow students to open the guide in a browser window and have their Ready Maker app open too. They can build the game without any extra assistance as the guide provides steps to build. These are updated regularly with new picks, including fun titles such as: Game of Codes, with Games of Thrones-style dragons; FlappyBird, with the actual game makable easily; Pong, the classic ball bouncing game;  and more, all listed with difficulty level.

A dedicated app is available in which games can be played. So students can publish their title and share it with the class. This also gives teachers the option to create their own games designed with student learning in mind -- a great way to introduce this tool to the class.

Go to the Educator part of the company's website and you'll be able to access lesson plans, coding classes, STEM learning projects, and more resources, which make teaching this easy, even for those with no coding experience.

How much does Ready Maker cost?

Ready Maker is free to download and use across the various platforms on which it's available. While that does give a lot of freedom, ad-free, to get using the app itself, it won't offer extra tools for teachers.

The educator specific guidance and tools are also available for free including CCSS- and CSTA-focused learning plans.

The mobile games app, which allows you to play built games, does offer cash prizes so it's worth noting this in case students who shouldn't be involved in this side of things go down that route.

Ready Maker best tips and tricks

Use the resources
While simple to use, it still pays to start with the basics at the beginning. Use the educator resources on how to teach effectively if you're new to this platform.

Get involved
Have students group up and set them tasks such as building specific games. Then, once built and published, reward the class by dedicated time to playing these creations.

After school
This is a great tool to build an after-school club around. Setup a coding club and have students get involved, allowing them to work in their own time on making new games and creations to share with the club.

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Planboard is a lesson-planning and grading platform that digitizes the processes to make it simpler for teachers while also enhancing the features available.

Planboard was created by Chalk as a way to offer lots of free features to teachers so they can lesson plan digitally more easily. Not only does it simplify the process for teachers but admins will likely appreciate the professional finish it gives to plans.

Working on a website as well as across apps, it is super easy to access from numerous devices, making it a viable option for lesson planning and adjusting on the go.

You can also pull in standards and grade work so you have a central location for tons of progress information.

So is Planboard for you?

What is Planboard?

Planboard is a lesson planner at its most basic -- one that makes the process as minimal and as clear as possible. As such, it can be easy to build a lesson plan, add standards, and edit as needed – all from a smartphone or laptop using the website or app.

Lessons can be built using templates, which makes it a simple process, but there is also a wide variety of editing options. Rich media such as videos or images as well as documents can be added to lesson plans to allow for easier access when teaching or for students to view. Everything is aligned with a built-in calendar, further simplifying daily or long-term planning.

Unlike some of the competition out there, this also allows teachers to track attendance and even standards-based grading right within the tool. And since this can integrate with Google Classroom, at a charge, it's also possible to have the current school system updated automatically.

The Planboard maker, Chalk, also offers other tools that can integrate with this platform perfectly. So if you use the likes of Markboard, this could be a logical next step.

How does Planboard work?

Create a free account to get started and you are able to begin lesson planning right away. That means creating subjects, which can helpfully be color-coded for at-a-glance recognition. This can then be sectionalized -- useful if you're teaching that subject to more than one year or group. It also can be added to the built-in calendar to start organizing lesson flow. Once that scheduling part is done you can then create the lessons within that frame.

Lessons can be created from templates for a quick-and-easy way to get started in which editing can then be done to get the finish you want. This includes adding in rich media from the likes of images and videos, to links, or perhaps to a Google Doc.

You can then add curriculum sets to the plans so that you will see, in the plan as well as after, what is being covered. This includes U.S. states standards, Canadian provincial standards, international standards, and more. All of which can then be viewed in a helpful standards-based grading system that uses color-coding for clarity, but more on that below.

What are the best Planboard features?

Standards integration is fantastic with this lesson planning platform. Not only can you easily search and add the standards you need, but you can see these at a glance too. 

Since the tool has grading built-in, you're able to mark a student's work based on their level of mastery over a standard. This is then displayed in a color-coded chart so you can see what standards have been hit and which may still need more work.

Each student can have their own portfolio so that teachers are able to drill down into the data to see how they're doing. There's also the option to add picture, voice, or video snippets on each portfolio to help personalize it beyond just grades alone. A useful memory jogger too when revisiting past work.

The gradebook section is also editable with the ability to customize with weight, categories, and beyond so that you can have the system you're used to working with, but within the app.

Google Classroom integration is excellent, with this designed to work directly with it. As such you can integrate by posting lessons on Classroom, using a simple link. These plans can also be edited to offer rotations with an A/B cycle that can be accounted for when laying out lesson plans. It's also possible to copy a lesson so it can be used again later in the year or for the next year's students.

How much does Planboard cost?

Planboard is free to use with only your name and email address required to get started. But since this is part of the larger Chalk ecosystem of software, there are options to pay for premium Chalk packages to gain extra features, if you want. 

Chalk Gold, at $9 per month, is available to get extras such as entire gradebook searching, public link sharing for week plans, more color customization, easier lesson history access, and one-on-one support.

Planboard best tips and tricks

Print out
Once a lesson is created you have the option to print it as a PDF which can be a great way to share with students in the room, or parents ahead of time.

Take your time
Plan in detail first time as you could be investing in future lesson plans too as you can copy and edit this plan as if it were your master template.

Share weekly
Share plans weekly using a digital link so that students can prepare for what's ahead accordingly, and can also have parents see so they can monitor progress as they please.

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Common Curriculum is a digital way to get organized and it's designed specifically for teachers. The idea is to combine curriculum mapping with lesson planning and calendar control, all in one place.

This tool is to help not only teachers but schools as a whole by introducing tools that allow for more collaborative planning. As the name suggests, it is aimed at tackling the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in a way that is visible and trackable by teachers and the school.

For students all it should mean a more targeted approach to education in which they can see what is ahead and plan accordingly. By keeping everyone in the know, the goal is to provide a clearer view so both students and teacher have more agency in the planning and execution of learning.

So could Common Curriculum benefit you?

What is Common Curriculum?

Common Curriculum is primarily a web-based tool used for lesson planning. What's unique is its ability to integrate the planning with feedback in real time. This makes the process more collaborative between student and teacher as well as between teachers in the school.

The website allows teachers to plan lessons with standardized templates, ideal for newer teachers, but also with all the editable functionality that can allow more seasoned teachers to plan as they need. Crucially, this pulls in not only CCSS but also Next Generation Science Standards, state-based standards, and also some district-based standards too. All that should make for an easy way to plan lessons around hitting those targets while also being creative.

The lesson plans are digital, so any can be copied and edited, used again, or shared with others. Sharing with students and parents is also simple, allowing for a view of what's ahead for all who want to access it.

How does Common Curriculum work?

By creating an account, with a name and email address, teachers can start using the Common Curriculum service right away via a web browser, or with the apps. While there is a paid-for plan that provides greater school-wide sharing functionality, for most of the basics you can get going right away for free.

Teachers are then able to start creating a Planbook, as it's called. This features the lesson plans across the day -- and using the calendar, across days -- that is highly editable. Color-coding is possible as is adding subjects or changing the flow, and all of it can be done easily using helpful planning templates. 

Teachers can pull in rich media such as images, videos, and links, which allow them to have resources on hand for the lesson, or to share with students and parents to prepare for the lesson. You can even record audio or video to drop right there into the plan, making for a great digital lesson addition.

Organizing the day, after it's been laid out, is also easy. Using the Lesson Menu or Day Menu, it's possible to re-gig the lesson order, turn lessons on or off, move to different days, add special events or log snow days. It all makes for a very flexible tool that can be quickly amended using a smartphone with the helpful app.

What are the best Common Curriculum features?

Common Curriculum also allows teachers to create websites. This uses a preset URL, however, the title and content can be adjusted. Consequenlty, a teacher can share the plans for lessons on the website, which can be accessed by students and parents. This is a great way to set tasks ahead of class, leave resources for follow-ups, or make announcements for parents and guardians to view when they want.

There are some great user submitted suggestions and tutorial videos that can be helpful when just getting started or trouble-shooting. These are all generally quite to the point, making for a time-generous way to get started without the guesswork -- not that it isn't rather self-explanatory anyway.

When creating a lesson you can add rich media from plenty of sources, including cloud storage. From Google Docs and Dropbox to OneDrive, there are plenty of platforms natively supported by Common Curriculum. This can be really helpful when working on a lesson when on your smartphone, where the files are stored on your laptop but are accessible via cloud services.

The ability to record a video is really helpful for teachers hoping to offer some instruction or guidance with a lesson plan. This can be aimed at the students, at parents or at other teachers who may be collaborating on the lesson or plan.

One of the best features has to be the ability to add core standards with a simple click, making lesson planning far easier for teachers and, hopefully, leaving more time to spend with students.

How much does Common Curriculum cost?

Common Curriculum is free to get started and to use with a Basic account. This gets you daily, weekly, and monthly lesson planning, search and adding of standards to lessons, posting of lessons to Google Classroom, print or download lessons, re-use previous lessons, and upload files from cloud services.

Go the for Cc Pro plan at $4.89 per month billed annually, and you also get unit planning, auto standard tracking, print or downloading of day, week, month, or units, the ability to post lessons to an auto-updating class website for students and parents, plus the ability to edit, comment on, and re-use plans with up to five collaborators.

There is also a Cc for Schools plan, at $90 per teacher per year, which adds organization of school planbooks, teams for teachers, template sharing across the school, school membership management, editing, commenting and re-using of plans school-wide, plus free and unlimited training.

Common Curriculum best tips and tricks

Collaborate
Use fellow teachers and other support by collaborating with departments, grade-level teams, mentors and mentees, and more.

Link websites
The included class website is helpful but if you already have one setup be sure to link this to that so you can take advantage of those auto update features across both places.

Get mobile
Download and use the app as it's a great way to make changes whenever they come to you.

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Prezi is a presentation tool that uses different media types to help make whatever is being shown as engaging as possible. This is specifically targeted at education, as well as business users.

The free version offers lots of functionality, but there are more features on the education-specific tiered payment options. 

Everything is made with easy-to-use guidance and templates so it can be utilized both by educators and students alike. This is a helpful way to learn design but also acts as a useful online tool for sharing with students wherever they are, in or out of the class.

So is Prezi the right tool for you?

What is Prezi?

Prezi is a multimedia presentation tool that is based online and works across most devices with a browser window. That makes this very minimal in terms of strain on the device but also on the user, who should find everything clear to understand.

Prezi is made up of three basic sections: Prezi Video, Prezi Design, and Prezi Present. 

Prezi Video allows educators to present streamed video to the class from wherever they are. This, with Present, is more than just a video as you can add in images, graphs, documents, and more to be overlaid on the screen as you talk.

Prezi Design is a template-based slideshow-style presentation builder. This lets you create a slideshow with rich media such as images, video, graphs, and more.

Prezi Present is a bit like a combination of the above two, letting you create video-based presentations that combine slides, PowerPoints, videos, and more.

How does Prezi work?

Prezi is easy to sign up to with just your email and name needed to start an account. You can be in the system and building your own presentation within a minute or two. You're then given all the options on a clear home page that features the sub sections mentioned above, all listed on the left menu bar.

Jump into the Prezi Design section, for example, and as you can see in the above image, you're met with an intuitive slideshow design template that you can edit to suit your needs.

Usefully, in the Present section, you can upload a PowerPoint you've already created and use that in your presentation, adding your own video as needed or editing the presentation itself. Similarly, in the Design section you can upload your own PDF and DOC files to convert and use in your presentation.

A wide range of templates is available and makes starting very easy, and can be a helpful way to make sure the learning curve isn't too steep for younger students using this tool.

What are the best Prezi features?

Prezi is graphically very inviting as everything is spaced out without too much clutter or information, making it very intuitive even if it's your first time with this or any presentation tool.

Videos are easy to record immediately from within the website, allowing teachers and students to upload directly from their smartphones or laptops. The ability to layer more information in these videos, effectively combining a slideshow presentation and a video presentation, is a super appealing feature here.

The library feature offers lots of different projects, including pre-recorded videos, that can be used freely. There are more options in the paid versions, and you can be pestered to upgrade as you use the system, however generally, the free versions can be enough for teaching.

How much does Prezi cost?

Prezi is free to use the Basic plan, which is limited to five projects, however, there are also paid options specifically for educators.

There is a Plus version for educators, priced at $5 per month, which gets you unlimited projects, importing of PowerPoints, PDF export, video download, the desktop app, and offline access.

The Pro version, at $10 per month, has all the above plus analytics, training, and support.

The EDU Teams plan is available for scaling up, and is offered on a quotation basis.

Prezi best tips and tricks

Turn in
Have students turn in projects using Prezi to teach them how to design and layout work in a more engaging way, which for example, could be useful in future jobs.

Be timeless
Create a presentation lesson and save it so you can use it again the following year, or share with other teachers that may find it helpful.

Flip the class
Build a lesson presentation and have students work through it before coming to class, then use what they've learned to hold a debate in the room to see how well the content has been understood.

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Google Maps needs very little introduction as a powerful tool for navigation and exploration that's well used worldwide. But when it comes to education there is more to think about as this can be a very useful teaching tool.

To be clear this isn't Google Earth, which has its own dedicated Earth Education tool. Rather, this is the mapping tool crammed with features that can help students to learn, even if it used primarily for navigation.

From learning about new places such as monuments and historical sites to planning school trips and even virtually visiting worldwide spots -- it's all possible using Google Maps, which can be accessed from nearly any device.

So can Google Maps help you in education?

What is Google Maps?

Google Maps is primarily a mapping tool that shows locations as well as plans journeys using smart routing. Consequently, it can be used to find places and to determine how to get there, including using turn-by-turn navigation.

Google Maps is also a great way to explore virtually as it has all the major historical, scientific, and natural monuments, museums, and sites that the world has to offer.

It is possible to create folders and save locations so a teacher can plan a virtual tour of sites for a lesson, or to set for students to explore in their own time.

Thanks to a wide selection of user content including pictures, videos, and reviews, there is tons of extra information to be found right there within the Maps software. But you can also use it to head off to visit the websites of spots that may be of interest for deeper research.

How does Google Maps work?

Google Maps is very simple and easy to use. Type in an area of interest and you'll be zoomed to that on the map and given a selection of options including Directions, Save, Nearby Interests, and the ability to Share using a link.

Select the photos and videos section and the map is minimized so you can explore pictures taken in that area, showing it in the real world. The address will be shown as well as details such as contact telephone numbers, website, and operating hours -- making it ideal for planning a visit.

Zoom in or out easily, layer up terrain, satellite, and traffic views to overlay more information on the map. It's also possible to search an area for nearby points of interest such as restaurants, hotels, attractions, transport, parking, cashpoints, and more.

What are the best Google Maps features?

Google Maps usefully includes a review rating for anything you select. This gives you a helpful at-a-glance score, out of five, for that area based on user reviews. You can then select these individual reviews to learn more based on what's been shared. A great way to help students learn to research an area of interest before they may decide to visit.

Students can use the Maps directions feature to plan a trip, be it by car, on foot, by bike, or using public transport. Learning to use this is a valuable life skill in itself for students of all ages. 

The ability to save areas of interest in folders is super helpful. Teachers can set tasks for students where they find places to visit, for example, and have them share these with the class at a later stage. 

Since Google Maps is optimized to work on many devices, it can easily be used by students on their own smartphones as well as on school laptops and more.

The use of Street View is helpful as it can let students select a street area to see the location before paying a visit, allowing them to assess where they're going -- safely -- before committing to a trip.

How much does Google Maps cost?

Google Maps is totally free to use. That means you don't have to worry about ads or any hidden premium costs as Google makes this for use by all, internationally.

That includes turn-by-turn navigation, also totally free, so that smartphones are totally capable sat navigation devices, which even take into account live information such traffic, road accidents, tolls, or construction zones.

Since lots of data is updated live, by the community of users, all of that information is also freely available to all who use Google Maps.

Google Maps best tips and tricks

Plan a trip
Have students plan a school trip for which you set the location and create a save folder. Get them to plan the route, find a lunch spot, show points of interest for the visit, and more.

Go virtual
Explore the world virtually by using the photos and videos available as well as Street View to travel as a class, as if really there. This works well when shared via the classroom big screen.

Review
Have students leave reviews on places they've been, including words and photos uploaded to show they know how to capture that and also to share a balanced opinion.

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Kahoot! Kids is a subsection of the full game-based learning platform Kahoot! -- this version is aimed specifically at younger children. 

It is part of the offering that comes with a subscription to Kahoot!+, which gets you full access, and works within the main app. But there is also a lot of free material to take advantage of.

The aim of this sub-platform is to offer all the engaging and educational quiz-based learning of Kahoot! but geared for younger learners who are still working on reading.

So is Kahoot! Kids for you?

What is Kahoot! Kids?

Kahoot! Kids is a part of the Kahoot quiz app platform but it is specifically aimed at younger learners who may not be able to read well enough to take advantage of the full Kahoot! game.

Kahoot! Kids uses pre-built quiz games to teach young children yet also allows users the freedom to create their own -- making it a useful tool for both teachers and parents of younger learners.

This also works across the family on multiple devices, allowing for socially active learning while children are also working on how to engage with touch controls.

The whole layout is super simplified so as to allow for child-led exploration and learning without too much assistance required from a parent or teacher.

Available in eight languages, Kahoot! Kids is widely accessible and uses read-aloud tech to help all student levels access the learning.

How does Kahoot! Kids work?

Kahoot! Kids is a quiz platform at its most basic, using questions and answers to foster education. All you need to get started is the app. Then a child profile can be created within that before sharing the device with the young learner who will then be ring-fenced into that learning space that's built for their age.

Once in the Kids section it is broken down into sub-sections or mini apps, each of which aim to offer different learning experiences.

Poio, for example, is aimed at helping to teach young learners how to read. Or use DragonBox to work on numbers specifically. These are part of the subscription package only though.

For free you can access the Kahoot! Kids app, which is made up of quizzes created by education professionals to give the most to younger children.

What are the best Kahoot! Kids features?

Kahoot! Kids is super easy to use and features colorful and engaging imagery and audio to make everything fun for younger children. There are even partnerships with companies such as Disney for Frozen number learning or exploration of counting with Winnie The Pooh.

The instruction, or questions, are read aloud by a child to make it more engaging, and then the optional answers are also presented with a small animation on each. This allows students to learn which word corresponds to which answer option -- helping them to read and learn about the subject at the same time.

Rocket Race is a fun mode that rewards correct answers, with more altitude granted to an animated rocket. This helps users feel as though they are progressing toward a goal. Class Mode is also an option with simple questions and multiple choice answers, offering a less-pressured option for students who prefer that way of learning.

Memory-based learning is another feature, asking what is gone from a picture just viewed. This is a simple but effective way to engage younger learners with attention and memory.

How much does Kahoot! Kids cost?

Kahoot! Kids is free to use for its most basic setup, which does include a wide selection of games within the app itself. If you want more sub apps and unlimited access to all the content, you'll have to pay.

A Kahoot!+ Home subscription is charged at $5 per month billed at $60 annually, for in-person or video conferencing gaming and lots of content. But not all for Kids!.

You'll need a Kahoot+ Family subscription, at $7.50 per month billed annually at $90, for more access to the Kids! content. This gets you all questions, the DragonBox app, Poio app, and up to six user profiles.

Go for the Kahoot! Premier tier at $15 per month billed annually at $180, and you get the above plus 50 players per game, 10 profiles, new questions and answers, audio additions, course creation, and more customizations.

Kahoot!+ Max is the top end, at $25 per host per month at $300 annually, and you get all the above plus 100 player games, brainstorm questions, team modes, and tournaments.

Kahoot! Kids best tips and tricks

Limit screen time
This is educational but it's still screen time so be sure to set a limit. This keeps kids safe while also leaving them eager to come back for more.

Race the rocket
Use the competitive rocket mode to make a goal fun, perhaps giving kids a real-world treat reward to help them engage with the target-focused way of learning.

Follow-up
When done, ask what kids have learned and engage with them to cement that learning and further promote more with this attention giving reward.

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MIT App Inventor was created by MIT, in conjunction with Google, as a way to help novice and beginner programmers become more advanced with ease.

The idea is to offer a place that students, as young as six, can learn the basics of coding with drag-and-drop style block coding. But it's made fun with real-world applications that can be built for rewarding results.

This is aimed at students, with plenty of tutorial guidance which makes it ideal for self-paced learning. It's also widely accessible as MIT hosts the tool on its website which is available to most devices.

So is this the ideal way to get students to learn code? Read on to find all you need to know about MIT App Inventor.

What is MIT App Inventor?

MIT App Inventor is a programming learning tool that is aimed at total beginners but also novices wishing to advance further. It came about as a collaboration between Google and MIT. It uses coding to create real-world usable apps for Android and iOS devices, which students can play.

MIT App Inventor uses drag-and-drop style code building blocks, similar to those used by the Scratch coding language. This makes it easy to pick up from a young age and also helps take the otherwise potentially overwhelming complexity out of getting started.

The use of bright colors, clear buttons, and plenty of tutorial guidance all add up to a tool that helps get even the more tech-troubled learners get up and running. That includes students being guided by a teacher in class as well as those wishing to get started, alone, from home.

How does MIT App Inventor work?

MIT App Inventor begins with a tutorial that allows students to be guided into the process of basic coding without the need for any other help. As long as the student is able to read and understand basic technical guidance, they should be able to begin code building right away.

Students can use their own phones or tablets to test the apps, creating code that uses the device's hardware. For example, a student could create a program that has an action carried out, such as turning on the phone's light when the devices is shaken by the person holding it.

Students are able to pick from a wide selection of actions, as blocks, and drag each one into a timeline that allows each action to be carried out on the device. This helps to teach the process-based way that coding works.

If the phone is setup and connected, it can be synchronized in real-time. This means that students can build and then test and see the results right away on their own device. As such, more than one device is needed for the most ease when building and testing live.

Crucially, the guidance isn't too much, so students will need to try things and learn by trial and error.

What are the best MIT App Inventor features?

MIT App Inventor offers the resources to help students get started in coding, with a support that makes it easy for even novice teachers to work with too. That can mean a teacher learning from the basics and then passing that along to students as they learn the steps in class or at home.

The ability to turn text into speech is a useful feature. Tools such as this are very simple to use and include plenty of sources, from media and drawings or animations to using layout and interface editing, along with sensor utilization and even social aspects within the process. 

There are some helpful resources for teachers to use that can make the teaching process more guided. The educator's forum is great for any questions, and there is also a set of instructions that guides teachers on how to best setup a classroom for teaching with the tool. Concept and Maker Cards are also useful as these can be printed for a real-world resource to use in the classroom with students.

Usefully, this tool works with Lego Mindstorms so students can write code that will control those robotics kits in the real-world. A great option for those who already have that kit or for those who benefit from more hands-on results than simply controlling another phone or tablet device.

How much does MIT App Inventor cost?

MIT App Inventor was created as a collaboration between Google and MIT as part of the Hour of Code effort with a view to helping students learn. As such it has been built and shared for free. 

That means anyone can head over to the site, hosted by MIT, to get started right away. You don't even need to give personal details such as a name or email address to begin using this tool.

MIT App Inventor best tips and tricks

Build to integrate
Be inclusive and have students create programs that help others interact with their devices better – perhaps reading out text for those who struggle to read.

Go home
Give students tasks over longer periods of time so they can work on building in their own time at home. This helps them learn alone, from mistakes, but also lets them get creative with their projects and ideas.

Share the load
Pair up students with those capable and those less able so that they can help one another along with ideas as well as grasping the process of the coding itself.

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Unity Learn is an online learning platform that offers courses to help anyone learn to code. This addresses various types of coding now but originally specialized in gaming-specific coding – and is still a great option for that area.

Students and teachers can use this platform in education as a way to offer courses and tutorials that guide the learning process. From total beginner to those with some coding skills, there are levels to take anyone to the ability of a professional coder.

Used by millions of people, this platform has been honed to offer the most streamlined and efficient process possible. As such, learners can progress quickly, if they want, but also enjoy the freedom to go at whatever pace they need.

From recorded lessons to live feeds, there are lots of ways to learn. But is this the right option for you? Read on to find out everything you need to know about Unity Learn.

What is Unity Learn?

Unity Learn is a code-teaching system that primarily focuses on gaming, AR/VR, and 3D environment modelling. It can be used for engineering, architecture, automotive, entertainment, gaming, and more professional needs by students.

Unity Learn also offers education-specific profiles so it can be accessed for free by those in education either at high school, aged 16 or older, as well as at degree-level institutions. These are called the Unity Student Plans, but more on that in the payments section below.

Learning starts with a choice of what skill level you have, or you can answer an assessment to find out what's suggested for you based on your needs and abilities. Wherever you start, there are courses that are broken down into video guidance, tutorials, written directions, and more.

Unity Learn teaches code used in professional industry so the idea behind using this platform is to offer students viable skills that can help them find work in their field of choice.

How does Unity Learn work?

Unity Learn is easy to sign up for and get setup. More than 750 hours of free live and on-demand learning material is available right away. The courses are divided into three basic groups: Essentials, for those new to the service; Junior Programmer, for those familiar with Unity; or Creative Core, for those more familiar with Unity. You learn to write code in C#, JavaScript (UnityScript), or Boo.

You can choose to search for tutorials, projects and courses at varying levels by topics, including: Scripting, XR, Graphics & Visuals, 2D, Mobile & Touch, Editor Essentials, Physics, User Interface, For Educators, and AI & Navigation.

The For Educators option allows teachers to help guide students on how to use Unity in 2D, 3D, AR, and VR. It offers resources that can be easily integrated into the curriculum and provides specific pathways so students can see what their learning can lead them to in the working world.

XP points are awarded so students can progress visibly, which also allows teaches to see that work. Each student's profile lists the work covered off so both teacher and student can keep an eye on progress and use that to decide what are the next best steps.

There are also courses specifically for teachers to help assist in learning how to best teach using the Unity Learn resources and platform.

What are the best Unity Learn features?

Unity Learn is super straightforward to get started, which helps to make it accessible to most students. Since everything is guided, individuals can get to work without too much assistance required by the teachers. Once setup and running it should be possible for students to work through a course or project both in class as well as from home in their own time. 

Courses are broken down into easy chunks so everything is simple to get started with and clear what the outcome will be. For example, a student might select the "Platformer Microgame," which clearly shows it is a 2D game-building lesson that gives you at least 60 XP and is suitable for beginners. 

Usefully, there are also "Mod" lessons associated with a task. This means students can build the game but then learn more by adding mods, adding their own image into the game, adding color tints, editing animation and more, for example. Everything flows so students can build naturally in a way that gives them choice while also being immersed in the learning.

How much does Unity Learn cost?

Unity Learn is available for students for free if they are in K-12 or degree-level education. 

To get the free Personal or Student service, students simply need to be 16 years of age or older. This gets them the latest core Unity development platform, five seats of Unity Teams Advanced, and real-time cloud diagnostics.

The Plus plan, at $399 per year, gets extras such as splash screen customization, advanced cloud diagnostics, and more.

Go for the Pro plan, at $1,800 per seat, and you get the full professional package with source code access, high-end art assets, technical support, and more.

At the top end is the Enterprise package, at $4,000 per 20 seats, which is a scaled up version of the Pro plan with some more support.

Unity Learn best tips and tricks

Use the lab
Teachers can design their own lessons for students using the Planning Lab section. This is perfect for class, or student-specific tailored lessons.

Go long-term
Let students pick a course, many of which run 12 weeks, then check in along the way to help them. Let them know the capstone project at the end is a useful part of their future professional portfolio.

Have a pathways lesson
The ways that these courses can lead to careers are laid out in depth on the website so it's worth dedicated a lesson to this so students can think about where they want to go and how they wish to progress. Ideally, all of this before they pick their first course.

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Code Academy is an easy-to-use website-based code teaching platform designed for students and teachers. 

This system goes beyond coding to teach web development, computer science, and related skills in a way that can be easily understood by most students. 

While the coding starts with steps that are simple even for beginners, it offers real-world languages that can be used professionally. This includes the likes of Java, C#, HTML/CSS, Python, and others.

So is this the best code-learning system for students and teachers in education? Read on to find out everything you need to know about Code Academy.

What is Code Academy?

Code Academy is a code-learning platform that is based online so it can be easily accessed from lots of devices and by students of wide-ranging abilities. While there is a free version, it is good for getting started only. The paid service is needed for the more professional-level, real-world usable skills.

Code Academy offers projects, quizzes, and other features that can help to make the learning process immersive and addictive to keep students coming back for more.

Lots of the training is laid out in sections titled by career path, so students can literally pick a job goal and then follow the courses to build to that. A beginner-friendly career path to be a data scientist specializing in machine learning is a 78-lesson route, for example.

How does Code Academy work?

Code Academy allows you to sign up and get started right away, and you can even try a sample on the homepage that shows code on the left and output on the right for an instant taster.

If you're not sure where to start, there is a quiz that can be taken to help you find the right course or career to suit your interests and abilities.

Pick a course, say Computer Science, and you'll be given a break down of the sections that you will be learning within. The first there would be to learn the coding language Python and how to effectively use it before moving onto data structures and algorithms, as well as using databases and more.

Get into the lesson and the screen breaks down into code on the left and output on the right so you can text what you write as you go, immediately. This is both rewarding and useful for guidance to check if you're doing it correctly as you progress.

What are the best Code Academy features?

Code Academy could be difficult, yet it guides learners along the way with helpful tips. Make a mistake and a gentle correction will be offered to help make sure learning takes place so that it will be correct the next time.

A focus timer is available, which can help some students, but this is optional so for anyone that finds that too pressurizing, it's not essential. 

It's worth noting that many of the road maps and courses for the pro route may only be available to Pro subscribers, which has to be paid for, but more on that below. Other Pro features include real-world projects, exclusive material, further practice, and a community to share resources and collaborate together.

Since the instructions are there on the left, it makes this a self-contained learning system. It's also self-paced, making it an ideal solution for students who want to work outside of class time without support.

Since this spans computer science right up to real-world use, it offers a very real career path opportunity for students that let's them progress right to pro-levels if they want to.

How much does Code Academy cost?

Code Academy does offer a free selection of learning materials that goes a long way, however, to really get the most out of this service you'll need to pay.

The Basic package is free and gets you the basic courses, peer support, and limited mobile practice. 

Go Pro and it's $19.99 per month, if paid annually, which gets you all the above plus unlimited mobile practice, members-only content, real-world projects, step-by-step guidance, and certificate of completion.

There is also a Teams option, charged on a quote-by-quote basis, which can work for school-wide or district deals.

Code Academy best tips and tricks

Get building
Set the task of building a digital creation to bring to class. For example, a game designed by one student that the class gets to play next lesson.

Break out
Coding can be solitary so have groups or pairs work together to learn how to troubleshoot with others for wider perspectives and to understand how to code as a team.

Clarify careers
Career path guidance is nice but many students won't be able to imagine how a specific job may work so spend some time showing how each career could be a fit for them.

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Google Arts & Culture, as the name suggests, is an online portal to real-world art, culture, and historical collections. This can allow students to access art that might otherwise be geographically difficult to experience.

Essentially the idea behind Google Arts & Culture is to digitize the world of art. That isn't to say it's there to replace the real thing, but simply to supplement it. From an education perspective this makes a wealth of rich cultural content available from the classroom.

Crucially, this also allows teachers to work with remote learning or a hybrid class to get students exposed to the arts and culture of the world from wherever they are. So is this a genuinely useful teaching tool?

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What is Google Arts & Culture?

Google Arts & Culture is an online- and app-based collection of art and cultural content from around the world. It allows anyone, including students and teachers, to explore real-world collections, such as museums and galleries, from the comfort of their digital device. 

From the MOMA to the Tokyo National Museum, the world's best offerings are to be found on this platform. Everything is well organized and is laid out in a way that's super easy to understand and navigate, making it a great option for students, even when outside of the in-class environment.

Thanks to augmented reality and the integration of Google Earth, this goes beyond museums and galleries and also includes real world sites, making any easy to visit virtually.

How does Google Arts & Culture work?

Google Arts & Culture is available within a web browser but also works well as an iOS and Android app, so students can also access it from their smartphones. In the case of the app there is an option to Google Cast to a larger screen, making it a useful option for in-classroom teaching of a group so a discussion can take place.

The app is free to download and use, as is the website. You can sign in using a Google account, which allows you to save what you like for easy access later – a bit like bookmarking your best bits. 

You are able to explore in several ways, from browsing by artist or historical event to searching using a geographical location or even a theme, such as colors. The site offers access to a trove of museum holdings as well as real world sites with images taken from Google's databases. It's also possible to virtually tour locations such as art installations or even non-art places such as the science center CERN.

What are the best Google Arts & Culture features?

Google Arts & Culture is very easy to navigate and can be used by students freely to explore and discover. But since everything is well organized it can also be possible to follow a theme and have students learn along a pre-set path chosen by the teacher.

This can actually offer a better experience than a real-world museum in some cases. For example, you could visit a museum with a dinosaur skeleton, however, using the app's 3D visuals you could move the phone to look around and have the dinosaur come to life, beyond being just a skeleton as you'd have in the real world. These augmented reality experiences make for a hugely explorative virtual trip for students. 

Written content is also available, as is news about the museums and galleries and suggestions of other places to visit. Some artifacts have accompanying narratives, further bringing the exhibition to life. 

For teachers, there are useful favorite and share features that allow you to grab a link to a specific exhibit, for example, and share it with the class. Ideal if you want them to explore something at home ahead of a class on that topic. Or vice versa, this could follow-up a lesson for further exploration and depth.

The site also offers interactive experiments and games to allow further engagement in what's on display. The camera is also well used in the case of the app allowing you to do things such as take a selfie and get matched with paintings from the app's library, or snap your pet and have works of art with similar pets pop up for you to explore. 

How much does Google Arts & Culture cost?

Google Arts & Culture is free. That means the app is free to download and all the content is free to access. You also don't have to worry about adverts as these are not a feature on the platform.

The service is always growing and offering new content, making it a really valuable offering, especially when you consider it costs nothing. 

For the better AR experiences a newer device would be preferable as would a decent internet connection. That said, since this scales to fit what it's being viewed on or over, even older devices and poorer internet connections won't stop access to this free service.

Google Arts & Culture best tips and tricks

Have students present back
Get students to take a virtual gallery tour or visit a real-world site then create a presentation for the class in which they take everyone on the experience but in their own way.

Take a virtual tour
For history students, you can take them on a virtual tour of a site anywhere in the world, such as the ruins of Rome as it is now.

Recreate a piece
For art students, have them find a piece and draw or paint it themselves, also adding in an element to show how they discovered it and why it stood out for them.

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Google Jamboard is an interactive, multidimensional edtech tool that can be used in a wide range of learning settings (online, face-to-face, dual audience) to connect students to learning materials in a collaborative way. For an overview of Jamboard and a breakdown of its unique features and recent updates, check out “How to Use Google Jamboard, for Teachers.” 

Jamboard can be used in any academic subject and to teach any topic. Below, is a sample lesson plan that describes just one of the many ways that Jamboard can be used to bring learning to life. 

Subject: Science 

Topic: Anatomy and Physiology  

Grade Band: Middle and High School  

Learning Objectives: 

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: 

• Identify the major body parts of the human body
• Describe the functions of the organs within a human body

Teacher Pre-Planning  

Before facilitating the lesson, review the different annotation features within Jamboard with students, and encourage them to use a wide variety of colors and drawing options. Jamboard allows for the use of simulated drawing tools such as a paint brush, highlighter, pen, and markers. 

In addition to writing on the Jamboard with one of the drawing tools, digitally integrated sticky notes in different colors can be used to help organize the content. For this sample anatomy and physiology lesson, you may want students to use different colors or drawing tools to identify the different body parts and organs. 

Finally, since the content is focused on the human body, pre-select appropriate images that students can label and save to a shared Google Doc. Other options for selecting an image file on Jamboard include uploading from a file on your device, by the image’s URL, with the camera feature, or searching in Google Photos. 

Teacher Instruction 

Google Jamboard features frames, similar to a PowerPoint or Google Slide presentation. Each Jamboard can have up to 20 frames. On the first Jamboard frame, have the pre-identified image(s) uploaded through the Google Drive file select feature. Then, go over each body part to provide an understanding of the official names and functions. Students can contribute to the Jamboard by labeling and adding notes while you, as the teacher, are instructing. 

Peer Exploration 

In subsequent frames, students can focus on one or more of the organs. For example, you can have students work in small teams with each one responsible for a particular organ. Since all students, regardless of their physical location, will have access to the Jamboard, they can all simultaneously contribute to the learning activity. 

For each frame focused on a particular organ, you could require the students to add the following:

• A unique background (either from the Jamboard options or one you upload)
• An image of the organ
• A sticky note with the official definition
• Annotated notes around the organ, explaining the function
• A table or diagram illustrating how different body parts and/or other organs are connected to the organ
• A fun fact related to the organ

The frame(s) can remain on Jamboard, saved as an image, or downloaded as a PDF. The saved work might be helpful as quick study guides for subsequent assessments.  

Sharing Learning 

Google Jamboard integrates seamlessly into the virtual conferencing Google Meet platform. After each team or student has completed their Jamboard, they can go into present mode and share their work, right from the Jamboard.  

How Can Google Jamboard be Used to Support Dual Audience Learning? 

As mentioned above, Google Jamboard is an extremely flexible and versatile edtech tool that can be used in a variety of learning settings. As students continue to learn online at home as well as in person, Jamboard has the potential to authentically connect students who are learning in either environment at the same time. Students can use their individual devices to contribute to the lesson as well as work on content independently. 

With Jamboard being part of the GSuite family of tools, everything is saved automatically, and students can pick up where they left off, regardless of if they change locations or even the device that they use.

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WeVideo, as the name suggests, is a video platform designed to use the cloud for collaborative storage and work – hence the "we" in the name.

This tool can be used to capture, edit, and view video footage. Crucially, it is all cloud-based so it requires very little storage space or processing power – allowing it to work on most devices.

Both educators and students can use this tool as it not only teaches how to video edit, in an accessible way, but also allows students to use video as a vehicle to express ideas and submit work projects.

So is WeVideo for you? Read on to find out everything you need to know.

What is WeVideo?

WeVideo is a tool created for video capture, editing, and sharing, but we're going to specifically focus on how that applies to learning.

School focus is a heavy part of WeVideo, which aims to help students learn to video edit and for other endeavors. For example, thanks to the video capture element, this platform is great for helping student work on presenting skills and then editing it creatively.

WeVideo is web- and app-based, with all the data crunching done in the cloud, making it ideal for use in schools and on less powerful devices. It's built with a Chromebook focus, for example. The cloud-based nature of the platform allows it to be used collaboratively by students, both in class and remotely.

This platform is built for beginners and younger students, so it's simple to learn and master. Essentially, there are two modes: Storyboard and Timeline. The first is easier, ideal for getting new students into video editing, while the latter is more complex, allowing students to add in more detail and learn to video edit as they might on a professional system.

How does WeVideo work?

WeVideo is an intuitive and easy-to-use platform that uses clever tech to make it ideal for younger students who may otherwise not have the patience for editing. JumpStart tech, for example, allows students the ability to begin editing a video before it has even fully uploaded, while the upload continues in the background. 

Usefully, students can start working in a simple mode and upgrade to a more complex editing style, and back again, as they need throughout the project. This allows them to explore more difficult styles of editing without feeling they have to commit to that in the long run.

WeVideo allows for the upload of video, images, and audio clips. Students can create  and upload these items, using a smartphone or with the software itself. These can then be stitched together with voice-overs and text added in as needed.

Playlists and file folders can be created for easy storage of projects, which also makes it simple to share and collaborate on work. Doing multiple projects across classes is also possible with the intuitive organization in this section of the platform.

What are the best WeVideo features?

Aside from the video editing styles, there are lots of other extras included with WeVideo that make it a powerful editing tool.

Students can add motion effects and transitions to their images as well as videos. There's an option to use green screen effects for virtual backgrounds. Screencasting is also possible, which allows students to show what's happening on their screen – ideal with a voiceover if guiding us through a digital project, for example.

Audio output alone is also an option, which makes this a powerful podcasting tool too. In addition, audio editing and working with templates is available.

Themes is a quick and easy way for students to place a stylized filter on an entire video to give it a particular feel or theme to suit the content.

The use of the invite feature allows students to collaborate with others. Multiple users can then make amends and edits to the project remotely from their devices.

The help button in the top corner is a nice addition that allows students to learn what they need without going to another to ask, rather, by working it out themselves using the guidance provided within the platform.

For teachers, there are great integration features such as being able to use this from within the school LMS. It also allows for export to the likes of Google Classroom, Schoology, and Canvas.

How much does WeVideo cost?

WeVideo offers several of different price points specifically for education. This breaks down to:

- Teacher, which is charged at $89 per year and offers a single user account.

- Classroom is for up to 30 students and is charged at $299 per year.

- For grades or groups of over 30 students, pricing is per user on a quote basis.

If you need school- or district-wide accounts, with custom user and pricing options to suit any needs, this is also a quote-based price.

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The best Google tools for English language learners are now more powerful than ever before and can break down any communication barriers that might exist. 

As more non-English speaking students require support, the right digital tools can make all the difference, both for their learning and for reducing teacher time requirements, so too helping the rest of the class.

These tools are organized into a host of categories, from translation and dictionary tools to speech-to-text and summarization tools, to name just a few.

This guide aims to explain some of the best Google tools for English language learners and help to show the best ways to use them in a learning environment.

Google Tools: Translate in Google Docs

Since Google Docs is free, easy to use, and widely integrated in many schools already, it makes sense to take advantage of its features. One such feature that's useful for English language learners is the built-in translate tool, which uses all the smarts of Google Translate but right there in the document.

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This can mean translating an entire document or just a section. Since teachers are able to share with multiple students, they can tailor the language to suit the reader. This allows for a consistent message to be shared across the class with clear understanding.

To use this, from within Google Docs, go to "Tools" and then select "Translate document." Select the language you want and a title for the new doc, as this makes a copy, then select "Translate." This new doc can then be shared with those students that speak that language.

That's how to do an entire doc, but for sections you'll need the Translate add-on.

Use Google Translate

Google Translate can be a very useful tool in class for one-on-one communication with students. It allows one person to speak and the other hears the translation in their native language. They can then answer in that language and the other person hears it in their language. This back and forth makes for easy and quick spoken communication. But it can also be used in documents.

If you want to create one document to share with the class, say, but want a mix of languages. Perhaps encouraging everyone to read certain parts in English, but clarifying more complex parts in native languages, you'll need the Google Translate add-on for Google Docs. 

With this, you can type or dictate the text that you want translated, using the drop-down menu to select the languages you need. Follow these steps to get that setup:

• First install the add-on in Docs by clicking "Add-ons," then "Get add-ons," then searching for the "Translate" add-on.
• Alternately you can use this direct link - Add-on link
• After installation, run the tool by clicking "Add-ons" then "Translate" then "Start."
• You can now select text in your document, and which languages you want to translate from and to.
• Finally click the "Translate" button to do the translation.

As an alternative to typing, students can use the Docs Voice Typing tool to speak to Google Docs and have their words typed. This can be helpful when the student is not sure of the spelling of words, and can serve as an excellent way to practice spoken fluency. 

To do this simply select "Tools" and "Voice Typing," then when the microphone icon is selected and lit up, it's listening and typing. Touch again when you need to stop.

Go directly to Google Translate

For more translation features, you can use the full Google Translate website, which provides additional tools and options including translation of typed or pasted text, spoken words, uploaded files, and entire websites. To take advantage of that, here's what you need to do:

• Go to the Google Translate website.
• You can choose the languages you want to translate to and from.
• In the box, you can type in or paste your original text, or you can click the microphone icon to speak the text.
• As your translated results come up, you can can click on portions of the text to see alternate translations.
• Alternately, you can paste in the web address for a site you would like to have translated in full.
• Or you can even upload and entire file by clicking "translate a document."

Use Google Translate in Chrome

Another great tool for easy and quick translations is the Google Translate Chrome extension. This tool will provide a pop-up translation of any selected text on a website, as well as the option to have the text read aloud. Here's how to install and use that:

• First install the Google Translate extension from the Chrome web store at: Chrome web store link
• Once the extension is installed, right-click on the extension and choose "Options" to set your language. This will tell the extension what language to translate into.
• While on the options screen, enable the feature for "Display icon that I can click to show pop-up."
• Now select any text on a webpage and then click the pop-up translate icon to get a translation.
• Additionally you can click the speaker icon to have the text read aloud.
• You can also click on the extension to translate an entire page.

Go mobile with Google Translate on your smartphone

For translation tools on-the-go, Google's mobile Translate app provides lots of other options for entering text, including speaking, handwriting, and even using your camera. Here's how it works:

• First, download the Google Translate app for Android or iOS.
• Next, choose the language you speak and the language you wish to translate to and from.
• You can now use the microphone icon to speak in your language and the app will then speak the translation.
• Or use the double microphone icon for a live conversation between two different languages.
• You can use the doodle icon to hand write in your language, which the app will translate and speak in the other language.
• You can use the camera icon to point your device at any printed text in one language and it will translate live into your other chosen language.

Use Google Dictionary in Chrome

When reading online, students may come across words they are unfamiliar with. With the Google Dictionary extension they can simply double-click on any word to get a pop-up definition and, often, a pronunciation as well. Here's how to do that:

• Install the Google Dictionary Chrome extension from the Chrome web store.
• After installation, right-click on the extension and choose "Options" to set your language. This will allow you to have the definitions displayed in your primary language.
• Now just double-click on any word on a webpage and a pop-up will appear with the definition.
• If there is also a speaker icon, you can click that to hear the word pronounced.

Use the Read&Write extension

Read&Write is a great Chrome extension that provides a wide range of tools, many of which can be very useful for someone learning a new language, including text-to-speech, dictionary, picture dictionary, translation, and more. Here's how to get setup:

• Install the Read&Write extension from the Chrome Web Store.
• With the extension installed, you can click on it when inside or a Google Document or on any website.
• This will open a toolbar with a variety of buttons.

Some of the useful tools include the following:

Play is the text-to-speech button. This will read aloud the text you have selected or the entire page or document, which can be a great way to improve comprehension of a second language by hearing the text read aloud.

Dictionary will give you a definition of a selected word in a pop-up window. Picture Dictionary provides clipart images for a selected word in a pop-up window.

Translator offers a translation of a selected word in a pop-up window in the language of your choice.

In the Options menu, you can choose the voice and speed used for text-to-speech, which can make it much easier for a student to understand the words being spoken. In the menu you can also choose the language to be used for translations.

Get summarization tools

Another great way for students to understand text is to get a simplified summary of the content. Many tools are available that can create an abridged version of longer text. Using any of these can help a student get the gist of an article before working on reading the entire original text. 

Some great options include SMMRY, TLDR, Resoomer, Internet Abridged, and Auto Highlight.

Screen record for a second look

When students are working in a second language, it can be beneficial to give them other ways to express themselves other than just writing. Recording class guidance so they can watch when they want and as many times as needed, is also helpful.

Tools that record audio or video of the student can be a great way to let them share their understanding, while also practicing spoken fluency. Ones that also record the screen are ideal for teachers guiding student on how to use a tool or carry out a task.

Many excellent tools can be used for this purpose. Screencastify is a particularly powerful option that is available as a Chrome extension. Check out our Screencastify guide here and then you can grab the extension from the Chrome Web Store here.

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TalkingPoints tips and tricks will help teachers get the best out of this digital translation and communication tool. That should mean the best learning experience for the students.

Students are twice as likely to be successful if their parents are engaged in their education, regardless of socioeconomic status. This is one of the reasons TalkingPoints is so effective, with a four-fold homework return rate after using the platform.

So how can teachers best use this tool to help students? Read on to find the best TalkingPoints tips and trips for teachers.

Begin with a welcoming start

TalkingPoints allows teachers to setup an initial message to send to individuals or to groups. Template messages can be used to make this task personalized, editing each one without having to rewrite everything. 

Offering an initial message that explains what this is for and how it can help allows parents and guardians to opt-in actively so they are more likely to stay engaged. 

Since messages can be sent over text or via the app, it's worth keeping in mind that different recipients will be receiving the messages varying formats. So keeping clear and concise is useful.

A basic message could read something such as: "Hi, I'm Mr. Edwards. I will be sending you messages about my class. You can reply to me here or text 'goodbye' to unsubscribe. Use the free app https://goo.gl/D89aov to see more!"

It is also possible to print joining instructions in various languages to send home with students.

Write for translation

While TalkingPoints employs the latest machine learning artificial intelligence as well as humans in the translation process, it isn't perfect every time. Messages can still get lost in translation.

For this reason it's always best policy to keep messages as clear and concise as possible so as to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation. Simple sentences are a must as English often translates into longer text. 

Also:

• Use active voice rather than passive
• Use standard English
• Avoid long noun strings
• Avoid humor as it doesn't always translate
• Avoid jargon or slang
• Try to use words that have a single meaning

Build a strong relationship

TalkingPoints is a great tool but still needs a human touch to be effective. This is achieved through building bonds with the parents and guardians. One way to do this is to make communications personal.

Rather than simply sending group messages, take the time to tailor individual messages. Each child is unique and the families of those children want to feel that. 

Give parents the opportunity to ask questions and to share their academic expectations so you both understand what the goals each of you have. By ensuring expectations are aligned at home and in school, it can help to strengthen the focus of the student.

Use polls to get viewpoints

TalkingPoints helpfully offers an ability to take polls from groups. This feature allows teachers to ask a question that can be answered by all families, allowing everyone to play a part in the structure of the education of the class.

While a poll can be useful school or even district-wide, it's a helpful class-level feature, too. Examples of useful questions that can be sent out include:

• Is there anyone at home in the evenings to help with homework?
• How will your child travel to school?
• Does your child have any health issues?
• How does your child learn best? (options of seeing, hearing, trying, and reading)
• Have there been any recent changes in your family I should be aware of?
• What are your goals for your child this year?
• Who lives with your child?
• What does your family like to do together?
• Is there anything else you would like me to know about your family?

Schedule your messages

You might want to write messages when you're awake early, but you don't think your families are, so you can schedule a message. Equally, you might want to have a message detailing assignment expectations that goes out at a specific time, such as in the evening when you expect children to be at home and ready to do homework.

To do this, simply write the new message, and then select the class or individual you want it sent to from the dropdown menu at the top. Then you can either save as a template, for use and editing later, or select the "schedule" icon at the bottom, picking a time and date.

Use video content

While TalkingPoints might not record video natively within the app, it does support sending clips. Effectively this means a teacher, or family member, can record a video on their device then attach that to a TalkingPoints message. Ideal for sharing class progress or for adding a personal touch to a message.

The only limit here is size since cell carriers limit TalkingPoints to 5MB videos, which must be in MP4 format. That translates to about a one minute video maximum, on relatively low-quality recording quality.

You can also send pictures, which may be easier since data limitations aren't such an issue.

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TalkingPoints is a purpose-built platform designed to help teachers and families communicate across any language barriers. It allows for teachers to communicate with families in their own language, anywhere they need.

Used by more than 50,000 schools in the U.S., TalkingPoints is a popular and powerful tool in education-based communications that translates over 100 languages. Created by a nonprofit organization with a focus on families to help engagement with schooling, TalkingPoints is aimed at under-resourced, multilingual communities.

By using digital devices, this platform allows teachers to communicate with parents in a direct, secure, and seamless way. During times of remote learning this is a critical resource that's more useful than ever before.

So read on to find out everything you need to know and how to use TalkingPoints in education.

What is TalkingPoints?

TalkingPoints is a nonprofit organization with the goal of better driving student success by increasing family engagement and offering multilingual support within existing education technologies. 

By using a digital platform anybody with access to an internet connection has the ability to engage with teachers. This can help overcome barriers that might otherwise have been a problem including language, time, and even mindsets.

Family engagement is twice as effective in predicting a student's success than a family's socioeconomic status. 

Launched in 2014, TalkingPoints begun winning awards and funding from the likes of Google and Stanford University. By 2016, more than 3,000 students and families were being impacted by the platform. The schools launch led to a 30 percent increase in the number of conversations between families and students.

By 2017, there was a four-fold increase in the homework return rate as more than 90 percent of parents said they felt more included. By 2018, there were three million conversations facilitated by the platform, and more awards and accolades from organizations such as GM, NBC, Education Week, and the Gates Foundation.

The 2020 pandemic has led to free access to the platform for high-needs schools and districts. More than one million students and families have been impacted by the platform. 

The goal is to impact five million students and families by 2022. 

How does TalkingPoints work?

TalkingPoints is web browser-based for teachers but also uses a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices. Families can engage using text messaging or the app. All that means it can be accessed by nearly any device with an internet or SMS network connection.

A teacher is able to send a message, in English, to a family who speaks another language. They will receive the message in their language and can reply in that language. The teacher will then receive the reply in English. 

The communication software uses both humans and machine learning to offer an education-specific focus to the translation.

In the app format, there is coaching guidance that can help teachers and parents to better support effective engagement to boost learning. Teachers are able to use the platform to send messages, photos, videos, and documents to give a clear view of the daily classroom activity. 

It's also possible for teachers to invite parents to volunteer and become involved with classroom activities. 

How to setup TalkingPoints

Get started, as a teacher, by signing up using an email address or a Google account - ideal if your school already uses G Suite for Education or Google Classroom.

Then, add students or families to the account by sending an invite code. You can also copy and paste contacts from Excel or Google Sheets. You can import Google Classroom contacts or enter any manually. 

Setting office hours is a good next step, as is scheduling any messages you want sent automatically. An introductory message to invite families to engage on this platform is an ideal way to begin. Perhaps say who you are, that you will be massaging from this address with various updates, and that parents can reply to you here.

It's a good idea to setup message templates, which you can edit and use regularly. These are ideal for scheduling of regular messages, such as weekly updates to the whole class or homework reminders for individuals. 

How much does TalkingPoints cost?

TalkingPoints works on a quote price system. But this breaks down into two categories of Teachers or Schools and Districts. At the time of publishing, a TalkingPoints account for teachers is currently free.

Teachers get an individual account with a limit of 200 students, five classes, and basic data analytics. The Schools and Districts account has unlimited students and classes, and features teacher, school, and family engagement data analysis. 

This platform also offers guided implementation, district-wide surveys, and messaging as well as priority enhanced translations. 

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