You asked, I answered! :) Read on to see my top 15 technology resources in the classroom (not in order) that I have found to be the most successful and engaging for my students! I couldn't just stop at my top 10. Too many great ones to choose from!
1. QR Codes
QR codes are something that I have implemented recently that I am in love with! I personally use this website to generate my codes. QR Codes are a super fun way to integrate movement with technology at the same time. One of my favorite things to do with QR codes is station work!
2. Plicker
If you haven't used Plicker cards in your classroom yet, I highly encourage it. You can find the website here. This assessment tool allows you to collect on-the-spot formative assessment data without the need to have students use devices or paper and pencil. Teachers scan their plicker card using the plicker app on their phone or iPad and get instant results of how their students are doing!
3. FlipGrid
Have you used FlipGrid in your classroom yet? It is a must! Do you wish you could encourage quiet students to speak their minds without feeling intimidated or shy? I use FlipGrid as an assessment tool in my classroom to ensure that I am able to hear EVERY student speak in the target language. Students are also able to watch other students' videos to learn and grow!
4. GimKit
MY STUDENTS LOVE THIS!! If you use quizlet live in your classroom, GimKit is very similar. Personally I find it a lot better. I use GimKit to have students reinforce and practice their vocabulary. As students answer each question correctly, they earn money. When students answer questions incorrectly, they get money taken away. As they are playing, students can also use their money to buy power ups for themselves, or send sub-tractors to their peers!
5. iMovie
Does your school have iPads? If so, have you integrated iMovie into your classroom? I also let my students use their phones as well. I am CONSTANTLY having my students create Spanish commercials over the topic we are discussing in class. They love it, and it is another way to get them speaking in the target language. iMovie allows the students to videotape and edit their videos in different types of ways!
6. Padlet
Padlet is a great place for gathering ideas and sharing them. It's like a living, breathing website!. Students can add links, YouTube videos, files and images to the Padlet being used They can move and arrange them. I use Padlet when we have discussion questions in class! Students use the Padlet to give their opinion and attach materials to support their answer.
7. Venngage
Venngage is a free infographic maker! Venngage helps students to visualize their ideas and class concepts that you are teaching. The info graphics can be shared and saved online, so they can be used by students in real time and future students can also benefit. Venngage is a lot like Canva, but I think much more user friendly.
8. Glogster
Glogster is a cloud-based platform for creating presentations and interactive learning. Students can combine text, images, video, and audio to create an interactive, Web-based poster called a glog on a virtual canvas. My students love using this to show what they know at an end of a unit.
9. Learn around the World
The goal of Learn Around the World is to use technology to connect students and teachers around the world. They have events and collaborative projects where students can work with people in different countries, and have virtual field trips for exploring foreign lands. LATW also has guest speakers and private events that teachers can take advantage of. My students once spoke with someone who lives in Buenos Aires while learning about Argentina for our culture study! It sometimes can cost money, but so very worth it!
10. Popplet
Popplet is a mind-mapping and brainstorming tool for students. You can use this tool to guide assignments, encouraging students to create mind maps for their projects, or create a classroom-guided brainstorm to explore new ideas.
11. HomeBMe
Are you looking for a way to spice up your Home/House unit? I always have my students create their dream house by using this website. Students get to virtually create, design, and decorate their own home. The site also allows the students to label the rooms of their home in Spanish!
12. SchoolTube
You have heard of YouTube, now check out SchoolTube. An easy way for students to post, view, and share their own videos online, without the risk of inappropriate content.
13. Storybird
Storybirds are "short, art-inspired stories you make to share, read, and print." Using the images provided by artists and illustrators, students can write and design their own online books working alone or collaboratively with classmates—or they can spend time enjoying the published "library" of Storybirds. This tool is great if you use comprehensible input in your classroom!
14. StoryBoardThat
Design your own cartoon characters, write dialogue, and create online comic strips! I love using this website for students to retell our story in their own words!
15. 360Cities
Make your students feel like they are in the country that you are studying! This website makes students feel immersed in the countries and cultures that you are studying in your classroom!
