9 Technological Tools To Increase Student Engagement

By cooladmin on Monday, December 9th, 2019 in No Comments

How would you feel if your teacher only used verbal examples and instructions as a means to teach in class? Would you rather be interested in taking a class in which the teacher employs creative methods of delivering information like videos and technologically advanced tools or a teacher who speaks in the same deadpan tone for over one hour? The former, right? It makes complete sense.

The latter is an extremely backward and trivial approach to teaching. The generation today has a comparatively shorter attention span and to grab that efficiently, teachers need to up their game and apply more inquisitive measures in their teaching. A generally perceived viewpoint is that millennials and generation Z is easily distracted by technology. Due to this very reason, some teachers believe in adamantly banning cellphones and laptops in classrooms. However, this mindset needs to be challenged. Instead, to draw the attention of the students, teachers should benefit from technology.

To make this happen, even the teachers have to make amends with technology. The solution is to increase engagement in the classroom setting with the help of online tools. Assign homework to students through tech-savvy measures. It doesn’t matter if the homework is related to research, writing, or making presentations; there are abundant tools available online to cater to that need. Some of the technological tools are mentioned below.

• Nearpod:

  Nearpod is a brilliant app for students who don’t have time to meet teachers during office hours to get information. Through this app, they can clarify misinterpretations and solve other course-related issues at any time they want. It makes the lessons more interactive and generates engagement within students. When information is easily available, learning becomes convenient and not an effort. This way, students wouldn’t have to acquire the “pay someone to write my essay UK” facility available online. They can get all the help they need directly from their teachers.

• White Noise:

  As ironic as it may sound, classrooms are not always the best place to find a comfortable and noise-proof environment. They might induce a sense of hyperawareness and increased consciousness that can adversely affect a student’s ability to concentrate fully. Furthermore, every individual has a different purpose for supporting the environment. Therefore, teachers can use White Horse as an essential tool for students where they can assign different assignments and course material to read or view. All formats of content can be uploaded on this tool, increasing the value it brings in the student’s life.

• Cold Turkey:

  Cold Turkey has nothing to do with Thanksgiving – just so we’re clear. This is primarily an educational tool that helps students in enhancing their concentration level. Hence, if you switch it on, you can easily block out certain social media platforms or the internet in general. So, if you have pending deadlines and very limited time, you can block out the excessive noise and distraction and strictly focus on what’s important. Although students aren’t particularly fans of this tool, they can benefit tremendously by increasing their productivity.

• Kahoot:

  Kahoot is an extremely interesting application, and students might actually enjoy using it. Through this online tool, they can easily create quizzes and questionnaires. Moreover, they can collect data for research purposes, graphing assignments, plotting down ideas for academic essays, and even to attain feedback from peers and classmates. The best feature is its game-like feel that comes from its layout and design. It should definitely be used in secondary and primary school level.

• Venngage:

  Venngage is an exceptional online tool that specifically caters to visual and textual learners. In addition to this, due to the emphasis and immense amount of attention given to infographics these days, it makes absolute sense to make students data literate. What this essentially means is that students should learn how not only to collect data but also organise, understand, and interpret it. This is where this app comes into play. It offers several different infographic templates that students can later customise according to their needs and requirements.

• Plickers:

  This application primarily helps teachers. During the lectures, to ensure that every student is following and is on the same page, teachers can use this app to assess their understanding. So, the teachers can project questions on the screen and set a time limit for it. Students can then individually send answers. Once the time limit is over, teachers can verify who got it right and who didn’t. It can establish clarity and articulation without help or assistance from friends. Moreover, teachers can later modify their own lessons accordingly.

• Trello:

  We’re in the 21st century where the concept of doing one task at a time is redundant. Students will always be dealing with multiple tasks and deadlines at a time. Therefore, Trello ensures that they remain organised throughout and streamline the assignments efficiently. What makes it fundamentally helpful is that it is completely free and easy to use. Moreover, multiple students can create a board where they can collaborate and generate ideas for group tasks.

• Prezi:

  Presentations are anxiety-provoking and stress-inducing. However, it is still a crucial part of the academic curriculum so students can’t really get rid of them. However, what many would agree to is the fact that PowerPoint Presentations do not always fulfil the purpose of engagement. Therefore, Prezi has become an alternative means of designing and developing presentations. The ones created with the help of Prezi are far more creative and attractive. Want to know what its best feature is? You can upload the presentations on your student’s profile, and your classmates can later access it to take notes.

• Class Dojo:

  Class Dojo is particularly effective in installing soft skills within students. From taking attendance to keeping academic records of students, this app caters to a wide variety of needs. For example, teachers can design a board on which students can be marked on their class behaviour. This will motivate them to participate in different activities while maintaining class decorum. Furthermore, teachers can use this tool to breakdown important instructions and lecture notes for students to ensure no misinformation is spread.