Producing Learning Resources Using Technology Tools

Editor's Notes

• #1: Technology tools can greatly enhance the production of learning resources. Using these tools, educators can create engaging and effective materials that cater to diverse learning styles and needs.
• #2: Learning resources come in various forms, each offering unique advantages. We can categorize them into human and non-human resources. Human resources, like teachers and mentors, provide personalized guidance, feedback, and support. They offer invaluable insights based on their expertise and experience. Non-human resources, on the other hand, encompass a wide range of materials like textbooks, online courses, videos, and simulations. These resources provide structured knowledge, diverse perspectives, and accessible information. By effectively integrating both human and non-human resources, we can create a comprehensive and enriching learning experience that caters to diverse learning styles and preferences.
• #3: Also known as Teaching/Learning Materials (TLM), these resources encompass a wide range of materials, both animate and inanimate, human and non-human, that educators utilize to support teaching and learning. TLMs are essential tools for achieving desired learning objectives, providing a diverse array of methods to engage learners and facilitate knowledge acquisition. Here are some examples of both animate and inanimate TLMs: Animate TLMs: Teachers: The most fundamental human TLM, teachers act as facilitators, guides, and mentors, directly interacting with students to impart knowledge, foster skills, and stimulate critical thinking. Guest speakers: Experts in specific fields can provide valuable insights and real-world perspectives, enriching the learning experience. Peer tutors: Students can learn from and support each other through peer tutoring, fostering collaboration and peer-to-peer learning. Animals: Live animals, such as pets, farm animals, or zoo animals, offer hands-on experiences for learning about biology, animal behavior, and ecosystems. Inanimate TLMs: Books: Traditional textbooks, reference books, and storybooks remain foundational resources, providing information, stories, and literary experiences. Whiteboards and chalkboards: These classic tools enable visual presentations, brainstorming, and collaborative note-taking. Models and diagrams: Representations of objects, structures, or processes can enhance understanding and facilitate visualization. Technology: Computers, tablets, interactive whiteboards, and online platforms offer a wide range of multimedia learning experiences, simulations, and interactive tools. Manipulatives: Tangible objects like blocks, puzzles, and building materials facilitate hands-on learning, problem-solving, and spatial reasoning.
• #6: Technology tools have revolutionized science education, offering educators powerful means to engage students and foster a deeper understanding of scientific concepts. These tools provide interactive simulations, virtual labs, and immersive experiences that bring abstract ideas to life. By leveraging technology, educators can create dynamic learning environments that encourage exploration, experimentation, and critical thinking, ultimately enhancing student engagement and scientific literacy.
• #12: Socrative is an online tool for teachers to give quizzes and on-the-fly assessments to students. Socrative professes to be “your classroom app for fun, effective classroom engagement”. In a nutshell, it is a cloud-based student response system, allowing teachers to immediately test student understanding by way of mini-quizzes, assigned to them on class laptops or tablets. Quizzes can be multiple choice, graded short answer, true-false, or open-ended short response. Socrative’s strength lies in its “on the fly” assessment method, providing teachers with valuable and timely feedback.
• #14: Scratch is a simple, fun, and engaging introduction to programming, designed specifically for 8 to 16-year-olds. Users can combine music, graphics, and photos to create interactive games, animations, and slideshows. All of their creations are shareable with others in a student’s online community. It’s important to note that Scratch will really only teach programming concepts, not so much real, authentic programming.
• #16: Prezi is a web-based tool for creating interactive presentations that are different from traditional slide-based presentations. According to Prezi, “creating, giving, and tracking beautiful interactive presentations is as easy as 1,2,3” with their cloud-based presentation software. Prezi presentations are nothing like your traditional presentations; zooming in and out and moving side to side across one single, very attractive and modern canvas, focusing in on images and videos inputted by the user. Prezi is very popular and consistently receives excellent reviews.
• #18: It is incredibly easy to use, yet provides an authentic, ‘real world’ 3D design experience. Another notable feature—SelfCAD has teamed up with MyMiniFactory, to provide a database of already completed 3D printable designs, making thousands of 3D objects available for immediate 3D printing. All round, it is a very powerful and effective tool for learning in STEM, and a number of schools are getting on board.
• #20: Quizlet is a web-based tool that allows users to create study tools such as interactive flashcards, tests, and study games. Quizlet provides a platform for students and teachers to create and share their own learning materials, including flashcards and diagrams. Quizlet Live is the free in class quiz game, produced by Quizlet that can then bring these learning materials to life. In this engaging and interactive game, students must all contribute, stay focused and communicate well to win. Quizlet consistently receives excellent reviews and is a great way to bring study notes to into the 21st century.
• #22: Google Classroom is a powerful community based social tool for learning. It allows students to post questions and receive answers from their teachers and fellow students. Furthermore, teachers can post intriguing questions and lesson materials for review at home. It can also be integrated with other Google products such as Google Forms, which can be a great way to get feedback from students.
• #24: Spark Video is part of the Adobe Spark suite. The application enables students to produce short, animated, narrated explainer videos. Students can easily add photos, video clips, icons, and voice, as well as professional-quality soundtracks and cinematic motion to their video creations. Video and vlog making is a great way to engage students creatively, and an ‘out of the box’ approach to class projects or reviewing learning materials.
• #26: With Khan Academy you can literally learn anything; all for free. Lessons are presented by way of videos, interactive activities, and challenges. Learners also earn badges in line with their achievements and can save their progress to their own profile. Khan Academy is a great way to supplement your teaching, provide extra work to your gifted and talented students or help those who are struggling with certain content.
• #28: Work can be made accessible to parents as well. The collective monitoring of learning by students, teachers, and parents is a great way to motivate students, and the tool is incredibly popular with teachers.
• #30: A well-behaved student body is associated with better learning for everyone in the class as it minimizes distractions and improves student focus. Class Dojo enables teachers to not only track behavior and share this with parents, but also assign students tasks which build positive behavioral skills and traits.
• #31: Useful tools such as a timer and group maker help keep classes on track.
• #34: Depending on what you want the students engage in–you, one another, content, an assignment, etc.–they need to be able to focus, and classroom aren’t always the easiest places to do that. Background noise can not only drown out excess noise, but more helpfully as students concentrate, there is less noise because they’re concentrating. Neat trick, huh?
• #36: Create interactive lessons, assess students on the fly, and see data and student responses in real-time. Students that can ask questions and receive feedback at any time are more likely to be engaged. With so much focus being given to data analytics these days, data literacy is a useful skill for students to learn. Whether your students have collected their own data or they’ve collected it from other sources, being able to visualize their data in an infographic is a highly useful skill. Infographics appeal to both visual learners and textual learners. Venngage offers a selection of infographic templates that students can customize.
• #40: Classcraft is a free, online, educational role-playing game (RPG) that uses gamification to help students and teachers interact and collaborate in the classroom. Classcraft uses these same gaming principles to engage students in the educational process and create a more harmonized learning environment. The platform encourages students to work together as they build academic and social skills. Classcraft is free and also has a paid version, which offers teachers a suite of additional features.