Here, we selected 10 websites and apps that represent the best uses of digital resources for educational practices.
Kahoot!
Competitive, rewarding, interactive, and colourful - Kahoot is one of the top-rated gamification education tools for educators. It requires students to quickly respond to multiple choice questions designed by teachers or their fellow peers to achieve high scores. Assessment and in-class participation are naturally linked together in Kahoot quizzes. Because there is no limit of the topic, this app can be used to cover all kinds of subjects and topics, engaging as many students as possible.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom comes highly recommended by teachers as a tool for classroom communication and organization! It's a free software that can be used as a free Learning Management System. Teachers can invite as many learners as they like to their Google Classroom and learners can sign on from any device. All documents, assignments, etc. will be stored on Google Drive, preventing lost work and wasted paper. Teachers are also able to give feedback and online support to their learners at anytime.
GoNoodle
GoNoodle is designed to bring movement and mindfulness to children’s classrooms. For class use it works best on an interactive whiteboard, but it can also be used on personal mobile devices, computers and smart TVs. There are hundreds of short (5 to 10 minute), interactive and fun videos, games, and activities to choose from to promote physical activity, active learning and improve student engagement. Many of the videos support existing curriculum. Many teachers are raving about this app and use it for subject transitions and “GoNoodle breaks.” GoNoodle can also be used by parents and children outside of school.
Quizlet
Quizlet -- it is more than just the digital version of flashcards. Quizlet allows educators and students to create flashcards with pictures, voice spelling, matching games, tests, and even on a diagram. Teachers are able to create a set of cards and assign them to the classroom so that students can familiarize the key concepts prior to the class and review them afterwards. This app is also a good tool to encourage students to organize their study independently.
Forest
Opposed to our "addiction" to technology and online resources, Forest emphasizes productivity and concentration. When students are constantly distracted by digital gadgets or social media, Forest can motivate students to keep focused by turning virtual trees grown in the app into real trees. By connecting environmental consciousness with learning ability, this app has a high review on all platforms.
Explain Everything
Explain Everything is an interactive whiteboard and screen casting app great for creating presentations. Teachers and students can create all types of presentations, interactive lessons, and activities. They can easily import all types of media (video, images, text, audio) to use in their presentation. There is a very useful recording feature and you can upload your recordings directly to YouTube. Also great for classrooms, there is a collaborative feature that allows students and/or teachers to work on group presentations at the same time. The only downside is there is a monthly or yearly subscription fee.
Instructables
Instructables is full of creative ideas for class activities and projects. Teachers around the world share lesson plans of all kinds of class experiments and connect with each other. Creative and fun projects include: technology, workshop, craft, home, food, play, outdoor activities, and costumes. Videos, discussion boards, written lesson plans are provided on this site, encouraging both teachers and students to use all senses during the project.
Scratch
Scratch is a great free web based application that fosters creative thinking, problem solving, and how to work collaboratively while learning to code. Scratch makes programming fun, through play and experimenting. Students can create their own interactive stories, animations, and games by dragging and dropping blocks that connect like puzzle pieces and create scripts. They can post and share their creations on the Scratch website.
Duolingo
Duolingo is a free website and app designed to help people learn languages through fun, video game like lessons. They offer 68 different languages courses in 28 languages. They also have Duolingo for Schools, which allows teachers to track student progress, while keeping students engaged and having fun learning. Teachers say Duolingo is especially useful for extra practice and assigning homework.
Seesaw: the learning journal
Seesaw: The Learning Journal is a free app that encourages student engagement and student reflection. Seesaw lets students design their own digital portfolios reflecting their work with the ability to add various content and media. They can share their portfolios with teachers, peers, and families. There is also feedback options available that can be controlled by the teacher. This is a great way for families to see their children’s learning experience and post supportive comments. Seesaw can also be used to create a class blog.