TOO COOL (PERFECT FOR SCHOOL): We've got our favorite edtech teacher and administrator tools for the week right here, as highlighted in our Instruct newsletter! Our top S'Cool Tools are:
*Free! While a great night’s sleep and trusty vocab flashcards are always key, memorization-aid apps and vocab podcasts are modernizing study habits like never before. Google’s newly launched platform Helpouts by Google lets high school students go one step further, offering one-on-one help via live video chat sessions. Anyone with a gmail account can sign up to speak with an expert. Many of the tutoring sessions come with a price but a few are free, notably: Mikel Graham from HighQ test prep (who guides callers through tricky math concepts) or Success Prep’s Olu Sanya, who helps with vocab, essay writing, and setting up personalized weekly homework assignments.
*Free! Issuu is a digital publishing platform where student creations can create beautiful professional-looking online magazines. Hat tip to Science Leadership Academy's Meenoo Rami, who inspired this share of Issuu with her students' amazing publication created and shared on Issuu. Woo hoo, for Meenoo!
*Free! Making Word Clouds (or graphical representations of word frequency) is complicated for Chromebooks users. But fear not! Abcya Word Cloud Creator, geared to students grades K-5, has you covered with a very simple word cloud creator. Use it to teach vocabulary, or give visual learners a fun way to see word count represented in pictorial form.