🛠️ The tech tools I’m REALLY using in my class

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💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

The tech tools I’m REALLY using in class (and how)

Here at Ditch That Textbook, we’re all about great teaching and how technology can amplify it.

We talk about a LOT of different tech tools.

But, of course, no one teacher can use all of them. And neither can I.

As I’ve been planning lessons and teaching, I’ve been leaning on a small handful of tech tools a lot.

It’s not because the ones I’m using are the best.

It could be because they’re best for what I’m trying to accomplish.

It could be because I’m familiar with them and I can implement them faster than a tool I don’t know.

Your toolbox of tools might be very different than mine.

That said, here’s what I’ve been using:

1. Pear Deck (peardeck.com)

Lots of people use Pear Deck to turn their presentation slides interactive. For me, it’s a way to get my students lots of repetitions with new Spanish concepts — and to give them instant feedback. I’ve asked students to write lots of quick Spanish sentences with short answer text questions. Then, I instantly display their responses on the screen and address any concerns (or praise their great sentences!).

2. Canva (canva.com)

I really believe that Canva and Adobe Express stand out as two of the best creative suites out there. They’re both the top of the class in my opinion. But my school district has Canva accounts for all of my students, and that’s a HUGE advantage for me. We’re already tinkering with Canva’s Magic Media (text to image) tool. More about that to come.

3. Canvas LMS (instructure.com/canvas)

I’ve used Google Classroom for years. Trained other educators on it. Written and spoken about it for years. And, again … my school district doesn’t use it. I’ve pivoted to Canvas, and I have good news. It is intuitive (i.e. it makes sense … at least to me). So I’ve picked the basics up quickly. (It helps that my wife has used it for years and is a pro, so she’s helping me out!)

4. Edpuzzle (edpuzzle.com)

The winter weather caused my school to close twice last week. When possible, we do elearning during those closures, assigning activities digitally so we keep learning going and don’t have to make up that school day later. Last week, I became reacquainted with Edpuzzle Originals. They’re polished, well designed videos and questions created by educators for Edpuzzle. I assigned one and it was easy and effective.

5. eGlass (eglass.io)

I’m fortunate for this one! I own eGlass, a clear glass board (like a whiteboard) with a webcam for recording videos and images for instruction. I had to write sub plans for this week while I’m at the FETC Conference, and I wanted to record instructional videos for my students. The eGlass itself is a solid product with dedicated record/pause buttons and video editing software. I love how the videos look in the end!

6. Google Bard (bard.google.com)

This has been my lesson planning assistant. I don’t pay for premium ChatGPT. Of all of the free AI assistants I’ve used for educational purposes, I’ve been most impressed so far with Bard. That’s not because I’m a “Google guy.” And I wasn’t always this way. Since Google upgraded to their Gemini AI model, the results have been significantly better. I also love that Bard has a YouTube extension to directly interface with YouTube videos.

As I use more and more, I’ll keep you posted here!

🗄 Template

🎵Go beyond music curation with this Spotify template

Music can express a lot of things.

The lyrics, the song titles, and the album names all convey a message.

What if students could create their own playlists based on what they learned in your class? And what if they could reflect on their choices and explain their reasoning?

That’s the idea behind the Spotify playlist template. It’s a simple Google Slides template that lets students design their own playlists and add songs that relate to the content. They can also write a short description of why they chose each song and what criteria they used.

This template can be used for any subject and any grade level. It can also be adapted to fit your learning goals and your students’ interests. It’s more than just a music curation tool. It’s a creative way to showcase learning and spark discussion.

🤔How can I use this template in class?

• Sam Burton had her 7th/8th grade music class create mock Spotify playlists for their Soundtrack of My Life assignment.

• Colette Grant shared that her students completed French Revolution Spotify Playlists.

• Dr. McLean’s students used the template as a course reflection and curated an Animal Science Spotify Playlist.

• Jac Richardson used the templates as a Canterbury Tales review. Students created Spotify playlists choosing songs for each character.

🎼Template link, resources, and more

🔗Get the Spotify Playlist template here

🎵See our Spotify Playlist template in Action Wakelet collection (and please email us if you have any ideas to add!)

📱Visit our post 14 social media-inspired templates for even more ideas for creating an app-like experience

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!