Let me start by saying that I do not think that technology can replace the learning experience that takes place in a classroom. What technology does really well, however, is supplement learning. Technology enables students to approach material that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
Looking for good digital tools to support learning is difficult. With the list below, my hope is to speed that search up a little bit for you. This list will continue to grow as I find new resources. Being based in Toronto, Ontario, these resources may reflect that bias. Please be sure to provide any feedback or suggest any tools that you think might be a good addition.
General
G Suite for Education
G Suite for Education is not just a collection of Google’s productivity tools. It also includes a number of teaching resources. There is a lot going on within this suite, so be sure to look around if you’re looking for a digital solution.
Blogs
Matthew R. Morris
I used to work with Mr. Morris. If you’re looking for relevant conversation around the state of education, specifically how it relates to the experience of black students, this is a great blog to follow. He throws in a few gems with each post.
Language Arts
Grammarly
Grammarly is a great tool that highlights any writing mistakes that it finds. For most purposes, the free version is enough. It has plugins for popular applications like Google Chrome.
Mathematics
The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing
The University of Waterloo has put together a great resource for math. My favourite parts of the site are the Math Circles and Problem of the Week resources. They recently released CEMC at Home to support student learning at home in response to social distancing measures imposed during COVID-19.
NRICH
This site shares a number of challenging math problems. I find it a bit difficult to navigate and it’s not always clear to me where the solutions to the problems are. It is UK based, so it’s important to make sure that the problems you choose are in line with the curriculum that you’re working with. Still, these are good problems that are often challenging.
Media
Anchor
Anchor is an easy to use platform for creating and distributing a podcast. Through the mobile app, there are a number of options for creating a polished show. Remember, podcasts produced with Anchor are available publicly and can’t be made private.
Flipgrid
Flipgrid allows you to take a video of yourself and post it on a thread. Think of it as a Twitter full of video responses instead of tweets. You can lock down access to just those who you invite. There is almost automatic buy-in when people get to see themselves on screen.
Physical Education
ThePhysicalEducator.com
ThePhysicalEducator.com has saved me a number of times when I needed an engaging activity to run with my students. The videos and clear instructions make the activities shared here easy to implement.
Created on March 28, 2020
Last updated on March 31, 2020
