Top 10 Digital Tools For Classroom Teachers
While most digital technology solutions aim to improve learner performance, many underpinning factors can influence learner outcomes, including a lack of textbooks and resources, poor student attendance, poor teacher attendance, learning disabilities, language competence, and poor classroom practice. The unique combination of factors affecting learner performance in different contexts may require different types of intervention, and depending on the configuration of underlying factors and their significance in a given context, digital technology may be a whole solution and be part of a holistic solution.
Introducing technological frameworks into education has also brought discussions on new problem-solving methodologies. In particular, design thinking and computational thinking are often referenced in the context of digital technology. Both methods can be integrated into educational systems, building on more straightforward problem-solving strategies such as hypothesis testing and trial-and-error already introduced in many school curricula. One implication is that teachers should be trained in a broader range of problem-solving techniques and understand the conditions for applying different problem-solving strategies.
One other consideration is digital technology education programs, which may scale or implement their programs internationally. While teachers and researchers may have an excellent understanding of the educational problems faced by their countries, today’s decision-makers and education interventionists must be careful to avoid repeating past mistakes. When considering integrating a digital technology tool for a system, a school, or a classroom, decision-makers must be able to draw on information related to the creation of the tool, perhaps most importantly, the characteristics of the dataset it was trained on and its parameters.
The learning process is an important consideration, given the skills needed for the new knowledge and information society, which requires far more from students than rote repetition of knowledge and simple literacy and numeracy applications. The roles of technology in education must be carefully evaluated for their strengths and potential contributions and ultimately considered as part of a learning program that builds foundational skills and then emphasizes their use for advanced problem-solving in context. Particularly in contexts where literacy and numeracy outcomes are deficient, digital technology could play a significant role in ‘bridging the gap’ by assisting learners in mastering the basic skills required for more advanced competencies such as communication, critical thinking, and complex problem-solving.
We scrutinize digital technology’s multifaceted role in education, emphasizing the importance of careful evaluation and integration into learning programs and discuss its role in bridging educational gaps and explore the potential contributions of digital technology, particularly in contexts where literacy and numeracy outcomes are low. We attempt to delve into the introduction of problem-solving methodologies like design thinking and computational thinking, highlighting the need for teacher training in various problem-solving strategies.
Digital Technology In Education:
We discuss digital technology’s potential to build foundational skills and facilitate advanced problem-solving. We also emphasize incorporating digital technology into a broader learning program that promotes foundational skills before advancing to complex competencies.
Problem-Solving Methodologies:
Design thinking and computational thinking are examined as problem-solving methodologies integrated into educational systems alongside existing strategies like hypothesis testing and trial-and-error. The article suggests that teachers should be acquainted with diverse problem-solving strategies and understand the conditions of their applications.
Defining Problems And Solutions:
A thorough understanding and definition of the specific academic problems are crucial before presenting digital technology as an educational solution. It highlights that any intervention, including digital technology, should begin with a comprehensive understanding of the problems.
Education-Specific AI Models:
Personalized learning is one of the applications of digital technology. It underscores the involvement of education professionals in developing and testing AI tools, considering the underlying factors influencing learner outcomes in different contexts.
Contextual Adaptation And Cultural Fit:
Emphasis on the need for relevant, feasible, and culturally fitting solutions. It calls for careful attention to contextual factors when integrating AI tools into educational systems.
Revolutionizing education-focused digital technology models and advancing pedagogy involves redefining the concept of ‘personalized learning’ within the classroom context. The applications in this category are guided by a holistic viewpoint that envisions education as a dynamic journey adaptable through various methods. Rather than adhering strictly to a linear approach, the emphasis is on incorporating diverse instructional strategies, steering away from a rigid reliance on direct instruction, and exploring methodologies such as repetition and reward. It’s about embracing a more flexible and multidimensional perspective to enhance the learning experience.
There are several ways in which educators can use digital technology to increase access to education. However, at the national and international level, shifts will still be necessary to ensure that existing digital divides are minimized and, ideally, eliminated. Transparency and personalized learning will take center stage with digital technology in the classrooms.
Here is a list of digital tools to augment learning in classrooms-
Chronicle Cloud: perhaps the only classroom management app that strings planning, management, execution and feedback and empowers teachers and educators with digital technology to plan, monitor and differentiate instruction. Features like ‘Lesson Plan’ and ‘Note-taking’ ‘Rubrics’ are empowered with AI and multimedia. The teachers can use ‘voice to text’ AI to confer notes and share with parents. The Chronicle Cloud parent app lets teachers and educators share assignments and progress with parents. The app’s ‘Formative Assessments’ feature enables teachers to record progress minutely and on the go with a unique traffic lights system, and the ‘Attendance’ feature enables teachers to record the students’ moods and plan lessons accordingly. Check it out!
ClassVR: Incorporating virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into education enhances teaching and learning experiences through immersive and interactive content. While it provides a wide range of educational material, its effectiveness may vary for practical, hands-on subjects. The platform requires VR/AR hardware, which can be costly and may cause discomfort for some users.
Smartcat: addresses language barriers in multilingual classrooms through real-time translation. Widely used in international education settings, it promotes inclusivity and global collaboration. However, translation accuracy may vary, and educators may need help to capture cultural nuances.
TutorAI: Another innovative tool is TutorAI, an Intelligent Tutoring System leveraging artificial intelligence for personalized education. It mimics a human tutor, providing tailored instruction and feedback. TutorAI significantly improves student achievement through customized learning paths, though pricing depends on the desired service level and features.
Grammarly: An AI-assisted tool that improves writing quality by checking for errors and providing suggestions. While effective for enhancing academic integrity, the premium version is necessary for full features, and context understanding may be limited.
Sendsteps.ai: offers versatility for teachers, allowing the generation of interactive presentations and quizzes. Its simplicity and real-time feedback make it an essential resource for adapting teaching to various learning environments.
Yippity: transforms text or webpages into quizzes effortlessly, facilitating interactive learning experiences. Users can easily share the generated questions and answers, making it a convenient tool for educators.
Beautiful.ai: streamlines slide creation with AI-generated smart slides, allowing for visually appealing and efficient presentations. This tool enables effective communication of ideas while minimizing disruptions to workflow.
Vevox: Educators and teachers are integrating AI tools into their teaching methodologies to tailor them to specific needs and preferences. Vevox is a digital tool specializing in interactive meetings, classes, and events. Powered by AI, it enhances engagement and participation in various settings, including corporate meetings and educational environments. The platform’s user-friendly interface facilitates real-time student engagement, offering instant feedback and insights. However, the free version has limited functionality, and optimal usage requires a stable internet connection.
Integrating AI tools in education provides educators diverse options to enhance engagement, tailor learning experiences, and streamline various aspects of teaching.
Miro: Miro provides a virtual canvas for educators and students with essential tools such as pens, highlighters, and text functions. Thanks to its clean interface, this platform facilitates the creation of visual representations of class information without disrupting the learning process.
One of Miro’s strengths lies in its versatile templates. Whether you’re mapping out a mind map or facilitating a brainstorming session, the app offers comprehensive support. However, it also allows users to craft content effortlessly, ensuring flexibility and customization based on specific educational needs.
Ensuring human agency in defining problems and designing solutions, while there are undeniable challenges around teacher availability and teacher performance in some contexts before digital technology is presented as an education solution, the ‘problem’ of education needs to be more fully differentiated, as there are many potential problems that may coexist. It must also be better defined, as the potential issues may manifest differently in different contexts.
The global community mustn’t approach digital technology in classrooms with a poorly defined or profit-driven deficit view of teachers, teaching, and education systems. Any good intervention, including EdTech products, must begin with a thorough understanding of the problems teachers, students, and the administration encounter. Even design thinking, the problem-solving process most deeply connected to digital technology education, begins with an elaborate stage of understanding and defining the problem. Challenges can emerge when digital technology is developed without a clearly defined problem or purpose, without a comprehensive understanding of the educational context, and without involving education professionals in the design and testing process.
