Key points:
- Teachers can leverage technology to work smarter–not harder
- Reach out to digital learning specialists to implement instructional technology
- See related article: With greater access to devices, teachers are folding more tech into instruction
Back-to-school and the first weeks of the new year are definitely busy for teachers as they are diligently preparing lesson plans and getting to know their students–all while building a sense of community in their classrooms. Teachers must meet the challenge of creating engaging instructional resources to support personalized learning, develop lessons to spark student curiosity, and facilitate opportunities for collaboration.
As an educator for more than 26 years, I understand the importance of leveraging technology to “work smarter, not harder” when planning and implementing lessons. As a digital learning specialist, I support instructional technology implementation in my district as well as provide training for teachers on edtech tools.
I am often asked for my favorite edtech tools to save time. When sharing with educators, I always focus on the task, not the tool. Here are five edtech tools to save time in the new school year:
Build a classroom community with Microsoft Flip’s Discovery Library
Flip is a powerful video tool that allows you to be creative and share your voice. Teachers and students can use Flip to create introductory videos, highlighting interests, goals for the year, and expectations as well. With more than 40,000 topics available in the Discovery Library, teachers can quickly assign a topic to one or all classes.
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