9 Educational Tools to Transform Your Class Into A Paperless Classroom

[tarekma7]

With the proliferation of web technologies and mobile apps, the concept of a paperless digital classroom becomes more relevant than any time before. At the core of this concept is the integration of educational technology in your dialy instruction in such a way that goes beyong the substitutive level (the first level in SAMR model), meaning you only use technology to substitute the tasks you would normally use in a traditional way, to a more transoformative and creative level where you get to tap into new learning/teaching possibilites  and redefine the way you teach. The purpose is not to use technology for the sake of technology but rather to create and open new unchartered educational territories and help students explore learning from different perspectives. To do this you need to be familiar with the theoretical background underlying the paperless classroom concept and also be equipped with the proper tools and apps to assist you in realizing it in your own teaching situation. Today’s post addresses the second requirement. It features some of our favourite web tools and apps teachers can use to tranfsorm their class into a paperless learning space. Some of the things you can do with these resources include:
Create, distribute and receive assignments
Collect and provide timely feedback
Take notes, annotate PDFs and share instructions
Communicate with parents and keep them informed of classroom learning
Create and share digital learning PDFs
Initiate formative assessments through quizzes, polls and exit tickets
Track grades, record attendance, create seating charts
Signing and sharing documents electronically


1. Google Drive:

Google Drive is absolutely one of the indispensable tools in the digital classroom. It provides teachers with a variety of educational tools and features to help them create , store and share different forms of documents, spreadsheets, slides and drawings. It also provides collaborative features that enhance team work and collaboration. Google Drive is also available for different devices  and works seamlessly across various platforms. Alternatives to Drive can be Dropbox, Evernote,

2. Showbie:

‘Showbie is a free educational app for teachers and students that makes creating and completing assignments, providing assessments, and storing grades easy. Some of its features include:
Share work from thousands of compatible iPad apps in a few taps
Use the pen tool and pin text notes directly on any PDF or image
Quickly distribute instructions and materials to your whole class
Chat privately with individual students to provide timely feedback
Record voice notes for verbal feedback or language exercises
Quickly review and assess batches of student work and provide rich, valuable feedback
Add student work to individual digital portfolios, or enable students to curate their own portfolios
Invite parents to view their student’s work and keep them informed of classroom activity
Can be used with any classroom subject
Available in 13 languages.’

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