When it comes to the world of digital learning and a great scaffolding or remediation tool, I would like to recommend Quizziz.com. It is free to high school educators and is very beneficial to all students, regardless of age. Very similar to Kahoot with the opportunity to choose answers multiple choice, this application can help to boost student achievement, engagement, and teamwork as well as problem-solving. Although this is a very good learning tool, there are some pros and cons to this app. When it comes to the pros, it is free to everyone. All learners and teachers are welcome to create a free account. However, you will only get the basics. In addition, it is more than just a game platform. Teachers can use it daily to gauge the outcome of a specific task or assigned item. It also contains a report feature that allows the instructor to pull reports to measure student outcomes. Students can use this app to study on their own or engage in multiple groups/player quizzes. The great thing about this app is that it can be used remotely or in person. Moreover, the teacher can assign items to the whole class, or just one person, or just a group. All in all, Quizziz allows the student to have autonomy over their learning and helps them to develop and master new skills.
According to Gang Yang, when provided a qualitative analysis of the interview data indicated that micro-game strategy on role-playing could promote classroom learning and meet the needs of the course knowledge system (Yang 104). So, playing digital and video games can help students bond and build relationships. Quizziz is also a game platform that allows the learner to establish community and rapport with their peers in person or virtually. Furthermore, this app contains videos and tutorials designed to help the learner with specific needs. Moreover, this app is also designed for the asynchronous learner as well as those who choose to learn in a brick-and-mortar building. Subsequently, it contains an audio feature for those who would rather use headphones or focus on their auditory needs. The con is that there are specialized plans for school districts that choose to implement this program as an educational tool. Overall, this app is a safe platform for learners and encourages students to be accountable for their own learning with the help of a student profile.
The second app/learning tool that the writer would recommend is the Khan Academy website. Khan Academy is known for its variety of subject matter and learning strategies. It covers almost all subject areas and even offers test preparation for those taking the SAT or AP courses. It contains videos and tutorials designed to help students search the site correctly as well as offering tutoring and help with homework. The con for this site is that there have been claims of false information being reported on the site; however, the good claims outweigh the bad claims. Research has shown that students who use the test prep feature at Khan Academy show a great increase in growth and achievement as compared to students who do not use any digital tools or stimulation to help engage them or boost their level of learning. Khan Academy features learning resources for grades up to college and post-secondary education such as praxis. Overall, Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization that seeks to help improve the lives of learners by supporting their academic capabilities. Founded in 2006 by Sal Khan, this educational platform was designed to help teach and educate students. All resources are available for use for free. Originally this site focused solely on mathematics and science; however, it now focuses on a vast assortment of subjects and testing materials.
Thirdly, a digital learning apparatus that is very beneficial in helping students achieve academic success is Flocabulary. Flocabulary is known to blend hip-hop with grammar and vocabulary to help students retain information with catchy tunes. The videos featured contain diverse representations of characters from all backgrounds and students of all ages can benefit from this website. In addition, this website incorporates learning standards from Common Core and other state standards that students are currently being taught. On the other hand, when rap lyrics are being sung, there may be some vulgarities or inappropriateness of some language being used, so the teachers should use their discretion to play certain videos. Moreover, the site Flocabulary uses rhyming as a technique to help students retain information and achieve academic acquisition. Subsequently, the site Flocabulary also uses vocabulary words that are pulled from former standardized state tests.
In addition, this site uses Tier 2 learning information to help students obtain vocabulary skill sets while integrating a variety of comprehension, textual evidence features, and mini-writing compositions. It blends the use of narrative, opinion, and informative writing sets to familiarize the learner with different writing styles. Research has shown that the utilization of previous Tier 1 and Tier 2 can help students achieve higher scores on future assessments (McNeil 101). Therefore, Flocabulary is great for recalling prior skills and knowledge. On the contrary, Flocabulary can be expensive if you are trying to access it daily. It does offer a free thirty-day trial, but after that, if your school does not purchase one of the plans, you may have limited access to videos and tutorials that students could find useful. Flocabulary originated in Brooklyn, New York. Its owner is Nearpod, and the entity has been around since 2004 and is curriculum-based. Created by Blake Harrison and Alex Rappaport, the site takes an unorthodox approach to teaching various subjects. The site contains and features a plethora of videos, lesson plans, practice activities, and assessments that can be played with or without music. One of the main goals of this business is to reach those students who are considered underprivileged by offering its product in the classroom. Overall, educators have received this educational tool with open arms because of the vast material that it provides.
Speaking from a personal perspective, educational technological use can be a great tool to engage one’s students with the world of learning. The students get to navigate learning at their own pace as well as cultivate new technological experiences and endeavors. However, there are some students that the teacher will have to be a little clearer with as well as micromanage due to behavior or inability to follow procedures with online learning. If that should happen, the writer recommends reaching out to a parent and administrator concerning consequences and next steps, as every school may have different learning expectations when it comes to technology and computer use.
When it comes to connectivity, these three sites should work just fine via Wi-Fi or with an ethernet cable. Check with your internet provider for details regarding your connection speed. As far as integration is concerned, the search engine that the writer would recommend would be Google or Chrome. Cost is an issue for both Flocabulary and quizziz because the user will be limited to only the basics with just a free account. If you want access to more stuff after the free trial, then the school or district, or teacher would have to pay for it. As far as support goes, yes all of the apps/tools are user-friendly. That means, the user can pretty much access the site with the help and ease of tutorials.
In conclusion, technology should not be the enforcer or teacher in the classroom. After all, these are only man-made products that can break down at any time. As educators, it is our job to ensure that learning is taking place in our classrooms and that we are good stewards of our students and with our time. In closing, although I would recommend these to be used as a form of instruction, or intervention, I would not use them or suggest them as a replacement for teaching from a human teacher who may be virtual or in person.
References:
McNeil, L. (2020). Implementing digital game-enhanced pedagogy: Supportive and impending
language awareness and discourse participation phenomena. Recall: The Journal of EuroCall, 32(1), 106-124. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095834401900017X
Gang Yang, Dan Zheng, Ji-Huan chen, Qun-Fang Zeng, Yung-Fang Tu, Xiao-Li Zheng. (2023)
The effects of a role-play-based micro-game strategy on students’ computational thinking, learning engagement and learning motivation. Interactive Learning Environments 0:0, pages 1-21.