Top 6 ICT Tools for Teaching and Learning

 

Top 6 ICT Tools for Teaching and Learning

1. BlackBoard

BlackBoard is a popular teaching tool that comes with numerous capabilities. Teachers can easily administer tests, monitor performance, manage syllabi, and even upload grades.

This can save you from the hassle of writing everything on paper, and also from an aching wrist.

Students can equally benefit from this tool because they can access all the information, including grades, assignments, and attendance, that you upload on the platform.

The best part is that all this comes in one platform. So, you won’t need multiple applications to manage it all.

2. Google Classroom

Google Classroom, as the name suggests, is a virtual classroom that makes learning easy and fun. Teachers can integrate educational apps or websites and create interactive assignments.

You can include a slideshow, a small game, or an entertaining YouTube video full of information. This way, kids learn better and enjoy their learning experience.

Also, Google Classroom allows you to go paperless. You can easily create paperless assignments and grade students within a few minutes. This way, you can save time and focus more on improving the learning experience.

Furthermore, you can create a separate drive folder for assignments, grade sheets, attendance sheets, etc. And you can access all this on the go, even from your mobile or laptop.

What’s more, Google Classroom allows virtual meetings. You can host parent-teacher meeting sessions online from your home. It’s beneficial both for you and the parents, especially during the lockdowns.

All in all, Google Classroom offers a complete solution for online teaching.

3. Trello

Trello is a collaborative tool that is used widely in IT companies with large teams. Fortunately, it has several applications for you educators as well.

If you prefer project-based learning for students, Trello is for you. Trello has these digital boards.

You can create different boards for assignments, test papers, etc. And on those boards, you can create cards. Furthermore, you can discuss a particular topic in that card.

You can invite your students to view that card. And the students can put in comments, doubts, or ask questions and even attach images, videos, etc.

Also, students can easily look at their projects, set deadlines, and track progress online. In a nutshell, Trello takes a lot of burden off your shoulder while enriching the learning experience for kids.

4. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is another popular tool for IT professionals. And similar to Trello, it has several applications for teachers and educators.

Microsoft Teams is a Microsoft Office 365 product. It simply means you can host meetings, chat, share files, and use every Microsoft Office app using Teams.

One of the best features Teams comes with is the Class Notebooks from One Note. Class Notebooks resemble individual student notebooks(physical) but come with additional features and ease of use.

Teachers can assign individual notebooks to students and provide them with real-time feedback. You can easily distribute exams, handouts, quizzes, and homework instantly to your students.

Also, the students can use amazing tools within Teams for taking notes and highlighting important things. This helps the students engage more and enjoy learning.

All in all, Teams can reduce manpower and can completely replace the use of paper. It’s yet another amazing tool that ensures effective education online.

5. Online Coding Websites such as DataCamp, HackerRank, Coderbyte

No minimum age exists when it comes to learning how to code.

Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Meta (formerly Facebook), said that his daughter, who’s just three, has started coding already. Now, how can you beat that?

If you want your students/kids to learn how to code, make sure it’s practical. Practicing code on paper is simply a waste of time. And it also kills the creative talent of the students.

This is where the websites such as DataCamp, HackerRank, Coderbyte, etc., come into play. Using such websites, your students can implement what they’ve learned instantly.

Also, such websites feature several tricky problems that your students will enjoy.

The best part is that most websites are free and accessible from any device. It simply means none of your students will need particular hardware(laptop/PC) to code.

A normal PC or a mobile with an internet connection would do.

6. Subject-Specific Tools

All of the above ICT tools for teaching and learning help in generalized learning. However, when it comes to specific subjects, special tools are required. Let’s talk about them below:

ICT Tools for Teaching Geography

• Google Maps: With Google Maps, kids can learn to find the distance between two places and look at 360-degree images of places. This can help your students become familiar with multiple locations across the world.

• Google Earth: This tool shows the entire earth with every location and supports an amazing zoom feature. Kids can learn about different regions, land masses, and water bodies in a fun way.

ICT Tools for Teaching Mathematics

• CanFigureIt Geometry: This tool makes learning geometry pretty easy. You can teach kids about several mathematical proofs and theorems in an engaging way.

• CueThink: You can use this tool to teach kids how to solve math problems in four steps: understand, plan, solve, and review.

ICT Tools for Teaching Biology

When it comes to Biology, you can take the help of:

• Microsoft PowerPoint: You can use HD images and create slides to clear the biological concepts for the kids. Also, you can download templates from Slidesgo and make the job even easier.

• YouTube: What’s better than using videos for explaining complex biological processes via YouTube videos. From digestion to excretion, you can find plenty of child-safe content on YouTube.

ICT Tools for Teaching History

Here again, you can use the above-listed tools but differently:

• YouTube: You can find historical movies related to the chapter you’re teaching for kids to remember.

• Microsoft PowerPoint: You can create slideshows with minimal details such as dates, names, locations, and events, etc. This way, kids can learn facts easily and for longer durations.