Learning is no longer just for school. Now anyone, anywhere, can learn and collaborate with others online. The educational technology market is exploding, with new learning tools available almost every day. Many of these tools stand alone and can be used in classrooms and businesses, and by individuals. Since several learning management systems support third-party integration, these amazing tools can also be incorporated directly into a blended or online learning environment. Give them a try in your classroom, training program, or just for fun.
1Desmos
Remember that huge, expensive graphing calculator that you had to buy for high school math, but never really knew how to use? Desmos has created a browser-based online graphing calculator that everyone can learn, for graphing functions, plotting data, evaluating equations, and even creating works of art. Help your students learn math or brush the dust off your own math skills.
2Padlet
Although many people are now attending classes via their computers and mobile devices, there are still some things, like group brainstorming, that seem to work better in person. Padlet is changing that, with a new group collaboration tool that lets you paper a virtual wall with sticky notes, which can contain text, hyperlinks, or multimedia files. No more scrolling through a constantly changing collaborative document or waiting for someone else to stop talking before you get your turn. This application is great for group work, such as class projects, and as a way for students to provide input and feedback on one another’s ideas.
3ProProfs
ProProfs is an education company best known for its cloud-based elearning authoring tool and learning management system software Training Maker, but it offers many other free and low-cost learning tools as well. In addition to taking and creating courses using Training Maker, you can build quizzes; create flashcards, surveys, and polls; and play brain games and do puzzles to keep your mental muscle healthy. ProProfs also has a large collection of practice exams to help students prepare for a variety of standardized tests, like the SAT.
4Scrible
The Internet is great for research, but it has been much more difficult to take notes on web pages than on paper, until now. No more copying and pasting text into Word files for later—Scrible makes it possible for you to work with, not just read, information on the Internet. It lets you annotate web pages with highlighters and text tools, just like you would annotate a textbook or course reading. You can save articles and web pages and even email them to others.
5Tagul
If you have visited almost any website lately, you have probably seen a word cloud. Tagul lets you create your own word clouds in standard or custom shapes with hyperlinked, embedded content. The word clouds can be put on websites for others to access. Use Tagul to create a word cloud of course topics or concepts, and then export the cloud to the course dashboard or home page in your learning management system.
6TED Talks
Looking for content for an online class, motivational videos for a training program, or just want to learn something new on your commute? TED talks showcase the most innovative current ideas by the world’s greatest thinkers, and they are excellent tools for jumpstarting class discussions and projects. TED talks are copyrighted, but licensed for educational use under a Creative Commons license.
7Zotero
Zotero is another great tool for conducting research online. It automatically collects all of your references (journal articles, news stories, books, etc.), indexes them, saves the information you need for the citation, and then formats the citation for you. Some extra help with organization is especially helpful now, as references can take such diverse forms.
These are just some of the numerous learning tools available. As educational technology evolves, and more learning moves online and goes mobile, many more tools will become available so that students everywhere can have fun (and save time and money) while concentrating on the most important thing: learning.