TeachersFirst Edge
New web 2.0 tools appear each day. Many of these tools were not originally intended for classroom use, but they can be powerful learning tools for today's techno-savvy students and their more adventurous teachers. These sites appear (and frequently disappear) very quickly, launched by creative techno-geeks out there in the world.
Many of these tools require a higher-than-average set of teacher tech skills or some extra monitoring to assure student "safety." TeachersFirst Edge reviews these "tools on the Edge" carefully, and with specific ideas for using them safely and effectively in teaching and learning. Reviews point out any safety or policy concerns for the tool and offer links to management tips for each concern.
Especially popular is this subset of the Edge: BYOD Dream Tools: Free tools that work on any device. Look for the device agnostic tool tag in any review.
This is the world your students already know. Try teaching in their vernacular. A little adventurousness makes for powerful learning.
See General Tips for using Edge Tools - a must for first-time users
Browse the full listing of detailed safety/school policy tips or save time by reading them as needed from each tool review.
Learn about school web filtering, a critical issue with many "Edge" tools
If you try one of these tools and find it especially useful, be sure to leave a comment on it to share your students' successes with other teachers. If you know of another tool that teachers would find beneficial, please suggest it via our webmaster account, as a "suggested resource."
Here's the Edge:
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Gamma - Gamma Tech, Inc.
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use Gamma to create engaging presentations to introduce and review content quickly. For example, ask Gamma to create a presentation introducing a new novel to students, including background information and vocabulary. Instead of creating a presentation, use Gamma to create an interactive website as a flipped learning activity and include links to online resources and assessments created with Microsoft Forms, reviewed here or embedded quizzes made with Blooket, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Teachable Machine - Google
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Share Teachable Machines with students who enjoy working with computers and ask them to develop models for different learning activities. For example, ask students to use the image model to create examples of categories of animals for young students and provide them with a picture bank of animals. Use the picture bank to see if animals are categorized correctly as a learning activity. For older students, use this site to build learning games. Find more ideas at Github's Awesome Teachable Machine List, found here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Poe - Poe.com
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Using AI generators helps save time and increase productivity; Poe saves even more time by making it easy to compare output from several AI generators in one place. Use this resource to create quizzes, rubrics, lesson plans, and more. Many of the included resources offer the option to add files and increase productivity further by attaching a worksheet and asking it to modify the content to differentiate learning or to suggest ideas for presenting the content in a different format. Be sure to ask for information as precisely as possible by including grade-level information, the subject you teach, content standards and teaching objectives, and options for differentiating instruction. Math teachers can ask chatbots to explain the content differently or ask for ideas on applying math topics to everyday life. In social studies or science, ask to generate a vocabulary list or create a story based on your lessons incorporating essential vocabulary terms. ELA teachers might use these tools to get suggestions for interventions to support struggling readers or to find additional resources to support current lessons. Use the image generators to produce images for creative writing activities, to develop descriptive writing skills, or to include in multimedia presentations. Always verify any information provided by any AI tool before using it. These tools constantly evolve, and many features regularly change (or upgrade).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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AhaSlides - AhaSlides Pte Ltd
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this handy site for many different classroom uses. Engage students when introducing a new topic by creating a poll to assess learning quickly or find students' interest in a subject. Use a poll as an exit ticket or as a formative assessment. Enhance learning by adding a link to a poll as part of a blended or flipped learning activity. For example, when delivering a flipped learning lesson using Microsoft Forms, reviewed here, include a link to a poll that asks students to reflect upon their understanding of the content learned.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iorad - iorad Inc.
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
The number of classroom uses for this tool is countless! Use iorad to create guides for students to log in to software, games, and computer programs. Create step-by-step guides for students on adding or editing images in tools such as Google Slides, reviewed here or Genially, reviewed here. Ask students to include iorad tutorials within multimedia presentations to demonstrate information, such as how to search Google for Creative Commons Images or narrow searches to fit into a custom time frame. Create tutorials to share with parents for use at home as a guide for accessing online tools needed for homework or practice. If you need a guide for completing any online activities, iorad is the perfect answer!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Prodia - Prodia
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use Prodia to generate images for many different classroom uses quickly. Generate pictures to use as creative writing prompts, as artwork for newsletters and slide presentations, and create images to teach vocabulary in foreign language classes. Use image creation tools to help students explore how to write descriptive and effective prompts that generate their desired outcome. Ask students to create images to include with any writing project, and share student writing in digital books using Book Creator, reviewed here. Use Book Creator's many features, including images, student writing, audio recordings, and more, to create interactive books to share with peers and family members.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MirrorTalk - Swivl
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
MirrorTalk can be used in many ways to support student learning and reflection. Begin the school year with a prompt that encourages students to reflect on the previous school year and set goals for the new year. Create prompts as exit tickets for students to reflect on the day's lesson and as a formative assessment for you to modify upcoming lessons as needed. Use this tool as part of a retrieval practice strategy to encourage students to recall facts about new concepts learned in class. Learn more about retrieval practice by watching the archived OK2Ask: 3 Cool Tools for Retrieval Practice, reviewed here and by visiting this blog post, Using Retrieval Practice to Boost Student Learning, found here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Blogger - Google
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use Blogger to create and share your class blog with students and parents. Include updates on classroom lessons and upcoming events, and share pictures of students at work (with appropriate permissions). Add this site to your list of website creation tools for students to use for many projects. For example, ask students to share poems, lab reports, or quick journal entries and add an image or links to additional information. If students create pages, check with your district's policy on publishing student work. Have students take turns writing weekly blog posts that share information about what they learned at school or ask them to share writing or research projects with family and friends. Use images you and your students take, or find free image resources on TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Free Image Resources, reviewed here.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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ClassQuestion - Adam Blalock
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Use ClassQuestion to receive instant feedback for many different classroom purposes. For example, use this tool to create exit tickets to help determine students' understanding of content and guide further lessons. Use this tool as a debate and discussion starter by asking students to take a stance on a topic, then divide students into groups to develop their position further. Gamify learning by turning review sessions into opportunities for students or groups to earn points for correct responses. Input data collections from students to quickly create graphs; for example, create a poll of students' favorite foods and share the results with students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Otter.ai - Otter.ai
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use Otter.ai to record and review web-based meetings, such as parent/teacher conferences and staff presentations. After conferences, use the summarizing tool to share and confirm discussions of meeting goals and verify individual responses for the follow-up action steps. Use this tool with students who miss essential classroom presentations or are absent for an extended period to record lessons and share information to keep them up to date with classwork.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Stylar - Stylar
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Stylar is perfect for many classroom uses and an excellent resource for you and your students. Use the image tools to remove unwanted objects from classroom photos, create profile images of students for student projects, or create AI images for creative writing projects. Include images when creating websites using free tools such as Site123, reviewed here or to add interest with slide presentations designed using Google Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wick Editor - Wicklets, LLC
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Wick Editor offers beginners and advanced participants opportunities to create animations and games. Share this site with some of your more "techy" students and allow them to explore and develop, then ask them to become experts and share their ideas with new participants. Use the examples to find ideas for incorporating animation into many different lessons. For example, ask students to create animated timelines, animate the growth of a plant from a seed, or use the popup activity to share interesting facts about famous people in history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Khanmigo - Khan Academy
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of these AI-powered resources to save time and increase productivity. For example, use the Exit Ticket creator to design end-of-lesson assessments to determine student understanding or the Make it Relevant! generator to design lessons that engage learners based on their interests. Differentiate learning by adjusting text levels to match students' abilities or increase comprehension by chunking text into manageable sections.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gravity - Gravity
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Use Gravity to create collaborative discussions on virtually any classroom topic. Challenge students to reflect on their learning at the end of a unit, research project, or literature circle. Here are just a few example questions to ask: What are some things you did well on this assignment? What mistakes did you make on your last assignment that you did not make on today's assignment? What would you do differently? What would you like to learn more about? Create a community folder for student questions; for example, ask students to create a screen-share video to demonstrate questions they have when solving math problems. Since the free version allows for only a one-minute prompt time and a one-minute reply per student, this is a good tool to teach students to be concise when responding, sharing only the important points.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Napkin AI - Napkin AI
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Add this handy resource to your teacher toolbox for many classroom uses for you and your students. Paste instructions for lab activities into Napkin AI and add a timeline to accompany step-by-step instructions, create visuals to accompany problem-solving tasks, or add infographics to social studies reports. Share the link to the project built with Napkin AI or save the images to include with slide presentations or other multimedia presentations.Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be shared by URL
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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TeachingLab.ai - Teaching Lab Coherence Innovation Studio
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use TeachingLab.ai to increase productivity and creativity with classroom content. Use the provided tools to generate lesson plans, modify activities to differentiate learning, and create quick formative assessments. Be sure to include prompts as specific as possible to receive the best results, then use the chat bar to provide additional input to for the desired results. Use TeachingLab.ai to generate ideas for introducing new vocabulary to students or as a tool to support multilingual learners in your classroom. After generating vocabulary lists and content ideas, use the information to create interactive games and activities using Wordwall, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Assemblr EDU - Assemblr
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Share 3D models found on Assemblr EDU with students to visualize complex concepts like anatomy, physics, or geography. Share Assemblr EDU with tech-savvy students and ask them to use the editor to create 3D objects to share with the classroom or to create tutorials on how to use the editor to create models. Use Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here to record and share tutorials.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TriviaMaker - Redwood Pro Media, LLC
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Create and play trivia games in a variety of ways. Introduce a new unit by playing a game as a schema activator and as an informal assessment tool to assess students' prior knowledge. Use the single-player activity as a tool for personalized learning. Begin using games from TriviaMaker's Teacher's Channel, then create games to fit the individual needs of your students. If devices are unavailable, use the print option to print the quiz questions, then use this option for students to play individually or compete in teams. Enhance learning by asking students to select a question they got wrong or one they would like to research further, then share additional facts and information by creating a short animated video using Animate from Audio, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vnote - Nick Koshnick
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use Vnote to create documents quickly for many classroom purposes. For example, develop outlines to share with students as study guides for upcoming lessons. This tool is beneficial when working with multilingual learners and students who need additional classroom support. Ask Vnote to create an outline with basic parts of speech and examples for multilingual students to keep handy in a notebook or create a document for the entire class with important information about your Civil War unit, then use the AI editing features to convert the document to a different language to make it accessible to all students. Create a Vnote document at the end of a lesson that includes highlights of information taught, then post the document on your class learning management system for students to access and review. Share Vnote with students to create study guides highlighting essential details and information to prepare for upcoming assessments. Ask students to collaborate by sharing information exported to Google Docs to add additional information and context as they prepare for tests.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Humy - Humy.ai
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free account provided by Humy to generate conversations on your interactive whiteboard with historical figures to introduce new lessons and units and engage students in upcoming activities. For example, before reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, select her name from the Humies to have a conversation to learn about her inspiration for writing the book and allow students to ask questions about her writing style and how she developed her storytelling skills. Use the chat conversations as a starting point for research projects on historical figures or periods. Ask students to share their projects by creating websites with Google Sites, reviewed here or by using Google My Maps, reviewed here to create an interactive story based on locations on the map.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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