App Ed Review
Better Video Lessons, Curriculum Management, Classroom Management, and Review with These Awesome Free Web Apps
With the school year in full swing and students settling into their routines, October is the perfect time to tryout some new instructional technologies for the classroom. With teachers in mind, we here at App Ed Review have searched our database for just the right recommendations, and we have four great tools! Check them out below and remember to click the links in order to learn more.
And, as always, all the resources we offer have gone through a rigorous evaluation and are accompanied with ideas for teachers to use them in the classroom immediately! If you would like to access more website reviews or learn more about our work at App Ed Review, just click this link!
- Looking for a way to add engagement and accountability to videos? If so, the Play Posit website might be just what you’re looking for! With a format similar to EDpuzzle, Play Posit is for the more advanced technology-using teacher. In addition to questions, teachers can insert text, images, and hyperlinks into videos imported from YouTube, TeacherTube, and other websites. Play Posit also includes a variety of analytical tools that allow teachers to monitor both student performance and the time students spent viewing the content. Though Play Posit might be a bit more sophisticated than other similar tools, its benefits can potentially pay off in the long run. Click the link to learn more about Play Posit.
- Chalk.com – All-In-One Curriculum Management Platform is a great tool for maintaining a gradebook or quickly creating, editing, and sharing lesson plans. Teachers can first insert classes and then start creating lesson plans. Teachers enter the lesson name, unit topic, and lesson activities and procedures by clicking the “Planboard” option. Teachers can then link standards and even upload different documents to their lesson plan. After teachers save their lesson plans, they can use the “Share” function to send the lesson plan via email or copy a hyperlink for sharing on Edmodo, social media, and more. When teachers select the “Markboard” option and the “+” button, teachers can add assignments and grades to their class sections. With a 10/10 in Efficiency and an 8.4 overall score, Chalk.com makes planning and grading a breeze.
- Sometimes the classroom can be a rowdy place, and that’s great! However, students need to know when “loud” becomes too loud, and that’s where Bouncy Balls comes in. To use it, teachers simply need to launch the website and adjust the setting’s sensitivity level. That way, as the decibel level in a room rises, the balls on the website start to bounce. As the decibel level drops, the balls begin to settle. With its easy-to-use functionality and simple design, teachers will definitely be able to use it as a classroom management tool. To learn more about Bouncy Balls, click here.
- Looking for a fun class review? My Free Bingo Cards helps teachers create classroom-specific bingo cards for their review games. First, teachers add a title and select a theme (e.g., vintage, notepad, holidays, etc.), grid size (e.g., 3×3, 4×4, 5×5), and other options (e.g., free space, randomization, etc.). Teachers then add different words/answers related to their review topic to the bingo cards. When the cards are loaded with the desired content and format, teachers select the “Next Steps” button to preview and “Make Your Bingo Card” to print a PDF version of the bingo card. The “Play Online Option” allows students to play bingo on their laptop or tablet without printing out cards. Scoring an impressive 9.8 in Design, My Free Bingo Cards is a go-to web tool for your classroom review.
