Productivity & Creating
Canva
Canva is amazing for creating creative content. I'm a bit obsessed with Canva for my own work and students can use it to “show what they know” by creating posters, infographics, presentations, magazine articles, flyers, cards, letters, menus, brochures, to name just a few! They even have templates to dress up your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram posts! The free version allows for lots of creativity and flexibility, but teachers or students who want access to more pictures or images, or to easily resize their products will need to upgrade. The free version has been more than enough for me as a teacher and a student, and you can even upload your own photos or images from other sources to use in your designs and products. I love how Canva can be used on different devices and how easy it is to look like you are a great graphic designer. Designs can be downloaded as PDFs, PNGs, or JPGs, as well as shared with others for viewing and/or editing by email or by link. Designs can also be shared via Twitter or Facebook or embedded on any other platform that allows embed code. I have run into issues with the free version in terms of how many pages you can add to a presentation you are creating; however, using apps that merge PDF documents has been an easy workaround without having to upgrade to a paid version. |
Flinga
Another fun collaboration platform for teachers, facilitators, and students is Flinga. Flinga is a Finnish collaboration platform designed for teachers and students to easily interact and produce content together. It can be used to brainstorm and make connections, ask questions and gather feedback, or even produce learning sessions for students to complete. I really like the simplicity of the platform and that students can upvote or show their appreciation for each other's work using the heart button. Students don't need an account to join a session or to start collaborating which is also handy. Easy to use on all devices! |
One Drive
One Drive is by far my preferred way to store documents online and to collaborate and work on documents with others. Teachers can create Microsoft documents (Word, Sway, PowerPoint, Forms, Excel, etc.) and share them with colleagues, parents, and students for viewing, commenting, copying, or collaborating. I like that documents can be made public (anyone has access) or private (specific people have access) depending on the settings you choose. Students working in groups on an assignment or project can use One Drive to collaborate on the same document in real time, making it much easier to track changes and keep up to date on the latest version. You can also access and edit documents on any device. How great is that? School District 47 has One Drive set up for all staff and students. Amazing! |
Padlet
Padlet is an amazing tool for technology rich, blended, or fully online environments. Teachers and students can use it brainstorm, share resources and links, get feedback, collaborate, and more. Each "sticky note" on a Padlet board can contain text, audio, photos, documents, or links, You can add to the Padlet board from any mobile device or computer, making it versatile and easy to communicate and contribute to class activities. In terms of security and control, teachers have a lot of options for making the Padlet private or even password protected. Posts can even be moderated before posting which can come in handy. Students do not need an account to add their ideas to a Padlet board, nor are there any restrictions on how many times you can contribute to an existing Padlet. However, teachers need to upgrade to the paid plan if they create more than three Padlets. Well worth it in my opinion! |
Pomodor
Looking to increase your productivity or organize your work or study time more efficiently? Pomodor is a website timer that allows you to follow the Pomodoro Technique quite easily. The Pomodoro Technique can be used for individuals or for groups (think classroom). Just do the following: Pick a task. Press play on Pomodor for one 25-minute block of time. When the timer finishes this is one Pomodoro. Take a 5-minute break (move around, stretch, etc.) and then repeat. After four Pomodoros you take a longer break. Look how productive you've become!! |
Todoist
Todoist is a fabulous app for any educator looking to be a little more organized. I've been using the free version for about a year now and love that it syncs to all of my devices: laptop, mobile phone, and my Surface. I also love that I can organize by project, date, or just keep a running list of to dos. And for those that love the satisfaction of checking off items from your list, you can still do that, too. Highly recommend this one! |