Students are now growing up in a digital world, and it is natural for them to use technology. Educators therefore need to adapt traditional methods for the 21st century by using the very best interactive teacher tools.

The use of interactive teaching tools allows us to elicit curiosity and increase student engagement for a better education. Our latest guide takes a detailed look at the most powerful tools for teaching and learning.

Why you should use digital, online and virtual teaching tools

The needs of students are forever changing, and it’s important that educators and leaders adapt to the evolving classroom. There are many easy teaching tools that can help to:

  • Improve your teaching methods
  • Enhance student collaboration and participation
  • Create new lesson plans
  • Increase efficiency and save time
  • Aid your own professional development
  • Inspire, excite and motivate students

Technology plays a pivotal role in modern education. Embrace the new era of learning, or risk falling behind!

Our top 7 digital tools

Ready to embrace the digital revolution in your classroom? Here are the very best ways to create interactive experiences for teachers and students. 

This is not an exhaustive list, far from it. It is the seven tools that we, and most of our teachers, use for a digital classroom.

Prezi

Prezi is the best presentation digital software out there. Make your lessons more engaging, interactive and effective with this tool, which allows you to create online and offline presentations for enhanced learning experiences.

Suitable for both students and teachers, Prezi enables you to create beautiful presentations that will maintain the attention of kids. Their research shows that it has positive effects on:

  • Organization
  • Engagement
  • Effectiveness
  • Persuasion

Whether you’re explaining assignments, delivering lessons, creating online classes or preparing for tests, Prezi brings your teaching to life. 

Take a look at Prezi for Education and try it for free today.

Scratch

Your students might need some instruction on how to use this, but once you have it down, it’s a great tool that’s loved by teachers, students and parents.

Scratch is aimed at kids aged 8-16. It “helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century.” 

For ideas on how to use Scratch as one of your teacher tools online, check out their resources for educators. 

Animoto

One of the best ways to capture attention today is through video. In a world where online videos are more accessible than ever – thanks to YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo and more – it makes perfect sense to use them in the classroom.

Many teachers use Animoto in their lessons, as well as for setting revision and at-home assignments. This is because videos are accessible anywhere at the student’s convenience. 

Animoto is a free online teaching tool that gives teachers the opportunity to create videos using its stock library of photos, clips and music.

Whether you want to make animated videos or slideshows, Animoto lets you create engaging content without any prior video editing experience.

Socrative

Socrative describes itself as: “Your classroom app for fun, effective engagement and on-the-fly assessments.” Used by nearly 3 million users all over the world, it’s available in 14 languages.

As one of the most advanced learning management systems, Socrative users can monitor and evaluate their pupil’s work extremely quickly. You can even design, edit and share your own personal library of assessments, specifically made for your students.

From kindergarten to grade 12 and higher education, Socrative works across the board. You can get a free plan for up to 50 students per session. It’s one of our favorites and offers timely and valuable feedback.

Class Dojo

A staple for 95% of US schools, Class Dojo is used to “engage kids and connect with families”. The people behind Class Dojo have vowed to keep it free for teachers to use forever.

Science has confirmed that well-behaved students produce better results. This is why Class Dojo is one of the best tools for online teaching. It allows you to track behavior, set tasks, and share everything with parents for total transparency.

If you’re looking for more ways in which you can build a self-managing, motivated classroom, we recommend exploring the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program, provided as part of Teachworthy.

Quizlet

Quizlet is an online teaching tool with free learning cards and tools for students. 

90% of Quizlet users say they get higher marks after utilising one of the online tool’s 64 subject areas. Quizlet offers real time learning at home, school or on the go, using study sets devised by teachers, lecturers and fellow students. Teachers are able to create their own study sets, too.

 

Khan Academy

Khan Academy’s mission is to “provide a free, world‑class education for anyone, anywhere.” Available for children of all ages, it is a personalized learning resource that teachers can use to challenge students with practice exercises, instructional videos and much more.

Websites to improve student engagement

Looking for more online teaching tools for schools? Explore our blog: Top Websites For Student Engagement.