Keeping students engaged in this modern age is no easy feat, and teachers often have to contend with technology like tablets and smartphones distracting children while they are trying to learn. However, instead of banning digital devices altogether, it’s a great idea for teachers to incorporate interactive classroom technology tools into their lessons.
In this article, we’ll be taking a look at seven interactive technology tools that can make lessons more engaging and enhance students’ education. We’ll also cover how to use the tools effectively with the help of wireless screen sharing.
Ready? Let’s jump into it.
7 Best Interactive Classroom Technology Tools
1. Prezi
Presentations are an essential tool for teachers, but students often get bored reading through super long PowerPoint presentations that are static and uninspiring. Prezi resolves this issue effectively.
Prezi is a tool to create visually engaging, animated presentations perfect for students of all ages. Prezi gives teachers an open canvas to create interactive and exciting presentations. You can zoom on key information and even add video elements.
Prezi is the perfect interactive classroom technology tool for modern students who love creating visually interesting digital content. Whether you use it to create your own class materials or encourage students to use it to complete class projects, Prezi presentations can be easily shared with a class using screen mirroring.
2. Socrative
Socrative is a useful app that can help teachers create ‘on the fly’ quizzes and assessments. This interactive classroom technology tool is perfect for creating engaging quizzes and revisions materials.
Students can use Socrative to provide immediate and anonymous feedback to teachers and vice versa. The tool is great for all ages of students.
At the K-12 level, you can use Socrative to make interactive quiz content, run countdowns, and more. For older students, it can be used to create focused revision materials and even run mock exams. Overall, it’s the perfect tool for spicing up even the most monotonous of lessons.
3. Kahoot!
Looking for a way to add some energy and excitement to your classes? Kahoot! is the tool for you. Kahoot! is an app for creating educational games for students.
It’s an excellent tool for teachers of all age groups as it can be used to create quizzes and fun games relating to any subject matter. Using screen mirroring technology, you can present games on whiteboards and roam the classroom as students compete and engage.
Not only does Kahoot! allows you to create your own games and quizzes, but it also gives you access to a database of pre-prepared educational games, perfect for those days where your planned activities aren’t cutting the mustard.
4. Class Dojo
ClassDojo is an interactive school communication program that can create engaging lessons and connect with students and parents outside of the classroom. With ClassDojo, teachers can award merit points to students based on their behavior and engagement, and they can also use it to organize group activities.
For students, ClassDojo can be used as a place to share their work and build up ‘portfolios’ of important things they’ve learned both in the classroom and at home. It’s a great tool for building a school community, and within the classroom, teachers can use screen-sharing tools to share crucial ClassDojo work or scoreboards with the whole class.
Related: How Tools for Student Engagement are Closing Learning Gaps
5. TED-ed
TED-Ed is an educational platform that can be used to create engaging and highly visual lessons. The TED-ed platform is pre-loaded with a ton of educational animations, TED talks, and other educational content that can be customized to create the perfect lessons for your students. You can also use TED-Ed to create your own videos from YouTube.
Not only is TED-ed a huge time saver for educators, but it’s also a great way to make lessons more engaging and inspiring for your students.
To make use of TED-Ed lessons, simply share your screen with the class and present the topic with the help of professionally animated videos. Then you can use the think, dig deeper, and response resources to create thought-provoking discussions.
6. Storybird
Storybird is a tool that is perfect for K-12 teachers looking to inspire their students when it comes to reading and writing. Storybird has hundreds of reading and writing challenges for students to participate in and is a useful creative tool.
Teachers or students can use Storybird to create their own interactive digital books. You can then present these books to the class by sharing your screen with students, and you can encourage your students to do the same.
7. Thinglink
Thinglink is an interesting tool that can help teachers create their own interactive images such as virtual walkthroughs, augmented images, and more. Thinglink is the perfect tool for visual learners, as it can help turn regular text-based content into engaging and highly visual lessons. Visual creations can be shared easily with students using screen mirroring software, and you can even encourage students to use Thinglink to create visual projects.
Related: Finding the Most Engaging Technology For the Classroom
How Screen Sharing Can Help You Use Interactive Tools Effectively
When it comes to using interactive tools in an educational setting, lessons work best when all students can properly view and engage with the technology. If students are huddling around a single screen or the teacher is tethered to their desk due to an HDMI cable, the energy of interactive lessons can quickly fall flat.
However, by using a wireless screen sharing solution, teachers can use any interactive classroom technology tools above to the fullest by sharing their screens directly with student devices. Even better, some of the best wireless screen sharing tools have many of the features mentioned already built into their platform.
Students can have front-row seats for the quizzes, presentations, and everything in between. For teachers, wireless screen sharing is a priceless feature, and it can also be an affordable option for schools.
There are several of different screen-sharing solutions to choose from, here’s what you should look out for when choosing a screen sharing product for classrooms:
- Designed with educators in mind – Not all screen-sharing solutions are designed specifically for educators. However, some options are designed to include features that can benefit individual teachers and schools as a whole. Try to choose a solution that is easy to use and doesn’t require too much technical know-how or maintenance.
- Immediate feedback features – When searching for a screen-sharing solution for educational settings, it’s a good idea to choose a product that allows students to share work with their teachers and receive immediate feedback. This can be extremely useful for presenting students’ work and comparing and contrasting different student approaches.
- Affordability – Many schools run a tight ship when it comes to budgeting, so it’s essential to consider your budget when choosing a screen-sharing solution. Although choosing HDMI cables over wireless options can often seem cheaper, it can actually work out a lot more expensive in the long run. Many budget HDMI cables break easily, and each teacher needs at least one, so these costs can often end up amounting to more than a more valuable and engaging wireless solution.
- Splash screen features – Splash screens are images displayed on screen sharing devices when they’re not in use. Screen sharing solutions with splash screen functions are great for schools as they can be used to share essential memos or display the schools’ emblem across all areas of the school.
We Can Help You Find the Perfect Screen Sharing Solution for Your School
Wireless screen sharing is the most affordable and effective option for schools of any size. It can give teachers the freedom and flexibility to make the most of their interactive classroom technology tools and make their lessons more fun and engaging for students.
To learn more about how a screen sharing solution can improve your interactive lessons and make life easier and cheaper for educational professionals, be sure to get in touch with the support team at Vivi. Vivi is the only wireless screen monitoring and sharing solution designed specifically for the education sector, and it can help bring your school’s lessons into the 21st century. Request a demo for your organization to find out more.
