The traditional approach to teaching is already going through a transformation to adjust to the needs of 21st-century students. When we say digital future, we mean it has already begun.

But digital education, is it transformational or not?

Nowadays, as we all know, online education is in great demand. Many aspects are related to this mode of education and grabbing the attention of the students. Digital education is quite effective and if delivered in an interactive way, is transformational also.

Digital or e-learning tools: how are they important

Online learning can be fun and educative also with the help of a few add-ons. These add-ons are in the form of various tools which are useful for both the educators as well as students. In this article, we’ll be discussing a few of these tools, their advantages as well. Some of the digital tools which are used by many teachers and students include:

1. Google Classroom: It is the best digital tool that can be used by teachers because it is very flexible. It has many features to help the teacher organize their class. These features are:

• Grading work can be done easily
• Interaction with students
• Quizzes, essays etc. tests can be created
• Teachers can even create a calendar to mark important dates and to keep students updated
• How does it work: This open virtual classroom is very easy to access. Teachers just need to create a class and invite students to join it by sending them an invitation via email.

2. Animoto: Animation is the most engaging and attractive way using which difficult concepts too can be easily explained. Animoto is one of these platforms which is used to create various types of videos some of which include:

• Animated videos
• Photo slideshows
• Attach videos together
• Add text and various other inputs etc.
• How does it work: After opening an account on this platform, the user must add the required files (images, videos, texts etc.), select the theme and boom! The work is done. Now, these videos can be easily shared or uploaded anywhere.

3. Kahoot: You must have heard people saying that games are a waste of time and can’t be educational at all but this is not the case with Kahoot. It is a learning tool that enables teachers and students to design games with the help of photos, videos, text, graphics etc. Such games are very beneficial because students develop a competitive spirit as well as teamwork. Teachers can also include those students on this platform who are unable to attend class but are willing to play the game. Moreover, homework can also be assigned to students using this tool.

4. ClassMarker: This digital tool can be used to create online tests which are instantly graded and hence, can save a lot of time. Teachers can add multimedia content making this platform user-friendly and very interactive. An additional advantage of this platform is that different groups can be created and separate tests can be assigned to them which reduces the chance of cheating among students and which helps teachers to evaluate answers easily.

5. Google forms: This is a very famous digital tool using which quizzes, surveys, documents, poles etc. can be created by admin and the users need to fill this form in a real-time environment. Using various add-ons in Google forms auto emails can also be generated, auto certificates can be generated etc.

Apart from above mentioned digital tools, there are various other tools as well which are stated below:

• Edmodo: This is an educational tool that consists of a social network. Here teachers can create collaborative groups and measure student performance
• Storybird: It is a platform that promotes learning through storytelling. Here, artistic books can be created.
• Kahoot: Here teaching is done through a process of questionnaires, discussions, or surveys. This can be sometimes very effective in order to avoid regular boredom classes.
• eduClipper: Here, users can collect information present on the internet and this information can be shared in various student groups.

Digital tools merits

Such tools are helpful in maintaining centralized and definitive data i.e., records of all students can be accumulated in one place. When user’s login to such Digital tools they get a collaborative space that is such tools provide users with teamwork solutions.

Flexibility is another pro associated with digital tools. Users can access these tools 24/7 at any place. Consistency and transparency are ensured such as curriculum review, outcomes assessment etc. Digital literacy increases with the use of such e-tools for both teachers as well as students. Evaluation of assessments is very convenient and easy with the use of such digital tools

Key Takeaways 

Use of such digital tools should be implemented so that the interest of children in studies can be uplifted and they can learn in an environment supported by videos, pictures, games etc.

Also published on Medium.