JETS’ List of EdTech Tools for 2018
Source: JETS Israel
For the new year, JETS Israel has compiled a list of “EdTech Tools for 2018” that we feel are very effective in the Jewish classroom. From assessments to presentations, timelines to games, these tools can transform your curriculum.
• WIZER - If you are looking for one online tool that can best enhance your instruction, Wizer is a good choice. It is an amazing tool for building varied, multi-sensory, interactive worksheets for students.
• HATANAKH MAPS - Hantanakh is a website made by Herzog College of Gush Etzion, Israel. The site, available in both English and Hebrew, is an invaluable resource for the Jewish classroom. The website includes Torah texts, articles from today’s Jewish leaders, an online concordance, recorded Torah classes, a “Mila Mancha” word finder and a Biblical mapping tool. The “Maps” tool, is a special highlight of Hatanakh, which allows users to view division of the map of Israel throughout many generations.
• THINGLINK - Thinglink is a great presentation tool, which can be used to enhance any lesson. Images are uploaded as a background and then can be tagged to add content, such as text, videos, links, audio and more. When a student clicks on each customized tag, they can listen to or view any uploaded content to learn more about the chosen subject. Thinglinks are very simple to make but offer even more educational benefit when made into a “Thinglink tour,” taking the students from tag to tag, learning along the way. Tours can add even more interactive content when an external element, such as a Google form, is linked into a Thinglink tag.
• POWTOONS - Powtoons is a video creation tool which allows anyone to become an animator. Animated videos can be simply created through using set templates or can be specially crafted slide by slide. Powtoons has a variety of characters, objects, backgrounds and more to add to your video presentations. Each character has a variety of animated poses to choose from and every item added to each slide can be customized with some level of animation. Powtoons also allows you to upload any media content from your computer to add to your videos. Powtoons offers background music choices to choose from, or you can upload your own custom music or voice over track.
• VOICETHREAD - Voicethread is a sophisticated, versatile recording tool that creates lessons that includes video, images and sound.
• EDPUZZLE - Edpuzzle is a great way to make YouTube videos more engaging for your students, by inserting audio notes and questions into your videos. As students are watching the video, the video will stop and the question will pop up. Only after students answer the question will the video continue playing.
• JI TAP - JI Tap is an excellent resource for Jewish games for children. JI Tap utilizes the TinyTap platform, customized with Jewish themes, backgrounds, characters and Hebrew language. JI Tap games can currently only be created on an iPad but can be played on all electronic devices. In addition, teachers can use games created by others, categorized by both topic and age level, to share with their students as well.
• PADLET - A Padlet is a collaborative, interactive bulletin board which can be modified in countless ways. A Padlet board can be set up by a teacher and then, once saved and shared, can be added to by students with comments, uploaded images, videos and more. There are a number of ways to arrange a Padlet board, which can change the look and organizational structure of the discussion.
• SUTORI - Sutori is an excellent tool for creating interactive, educational timelines. You must first create an account or sign in through a Facebook, Google or Office 365 account. Sutori offers users a free 30 day trial account, in which all features are available for use. After the trial period, users can access a basic version of the site for free or can pay for the use of the premium features.
• QUIZLET - Quizlet is a fantastic, simple tool which creates review games, incorporating images, text and recordings. By creating matching pairs, a “study set” is made which can be used as flashcards or in different versions of matching games. Quizlets are very simple to prepare so they can easily be created by students as well as teachers. Matching sets can easily be created in foreign languages as well, making this an excellent tool for teaching Hebrew. There are countless ways to use Quizlet in the Jewish classroom, including Hebrew language vocabulary review or matching of Tanach characters to psukim. A short tutorial on using Quizlet for the Jewish classroom can be found here.
See the JETS Israel website to read more.