4 Tools To Level Up Student Engagement and Assessment This School Year!

Today’s post will provide you with potential edtech tools to level up student engagement and creative outlets for assessments. While I focus mostly on Social Studies, these tools can be applied to other subject areas as well! We will be examining various educational technology resources today. Some of them may be fit for your classroom, while others may not be - don't feel like you must use all of them! It is up to you to decide what interests you most, what will be simplest for you to use, and, ultimately, what you think will actively engage your students.

1. BrainPOP

BrainPOP is an excellent educational tool that provides a wealth of video content for social studies. The videos are accessible in both English and Spanish, making them ideal for educators who want to provide their students with content in their native language. Not only is BrainPOP great for teaching essential skills, but it is also perfect for use as a mini-lesson, station, or enrichment program.

I'm really enthusiastic about their new "Pause Points" feature this year! "Pause Points" are checks for understanding that are included in every video, and they help students consolidate what they've learned and think critically about the concepts. The "Pause Points" feature also makes it simple to monitor student progress and comprehension levels with the BrainPOP dashboard.

2. Google Sites

Google Sites is a web-based platform that can be used for a variety of purposes in the classroom. It can be used to create a classroom website or digital bulletin board, create student portfolios, design project-based learning resources, or even set up a digital escape room!

Creating a Google Site with specific d guidelines for students to follow is simple and easy to do! Create a Google Site with a template you wish for your students to follow. Go back to the Google Sites main page and click on “Template Gallery.” Then, click “Submit Template.” After that, select the website you just made from your Google Drive. Students will be able to access this template by logging into Google Sites and clicking “Template Gallery.” They will be able to find your template and make their own editable copy of it. Make sure students publish their websites and send the link to you.

3. Pear Deck

Pear Deck is an excellent tool for educators looking to create online courses easily and efficiently. It is simple to use and perfect for creating materials such as lectures, readings, quizzes, and assignments. My TeachersPayTeachers store has a wide selection of Social Studies Pear Decks (FREE and paid!) to help you make the most out of student engagement, without having to create brand new lessons yourself! You can also use the Pear Deck Add-on for Google Slides to make any slides you currently have interactive.

Check out some of my previous blog posts as well for more in-depth teaching strategies that use Pear Deck:

• What is Pear Deck?

• Using Pear Deck to Engage Students in DBQs

• Using Pear Deck for More Than Whole-Group Instruction

4. Blooket

Blooket is a website that allows teachers to create games for formative assessments. It has features similar to Kahoot, but with more game options, like Gold Quest, Crypto Hack, and Battle Royale. Additionally, Blooket can import Quizlet flashcards for use in games, so if you've been using Quizlet, there will be very minimal reinvention of the wheel!

For more fun strategies that use both educational technology and other methods, be sure to take a look at my previous post about Teaching Social Studies in Our Brave, New World!