Cool Teaching Tools for the Classroom

It’s understood that the use of modern technology in classroom teaching can make learning seem more interesting. The use of videos, audio recordings, and other similar tools can generate interest among students (and especially children) who are always on the lookout for more interactive learning methods in and out of school.

Given this, what are some of the cool tools that can help teachers build a more student-friendly learning environment where everyone is actively engaged? Read on and find out.

Tablets

This kind of gadget, when used in the educational setting and in its most basic sense, can allow teachers to write notes before classes start (serving as cue cards) and can allow students to take down notes during lectures. Using these devices also allows them to have classes outdoors without bringing bulky equipment and other heavy school stuff. Suggested devices include the iPad, models from the Samsung Galaxy line of tabs, and Nexus 7.

Laptops

Like what people would usually see in movies and television shows, a lot of students nowadays are into using laptops (especially those who are in college) instead of taking down notes during lectures or reading books in between classes. The newer laptops are easier to lug around and they’re fairly powerful for most of their needs, like word processing, authoring, making presentations, videos, web browsing and so much more. Brands like Sony (Vaio), HP, Dell, and Compaq carry the most widely used laptop models out there.

Wireless microphones

Teachers could benefit greatly from these devices that can be used to amplify voices so even classes with a 200 headcount could get a fair share of the words spoken during the lecture. Additionally, these can double as PA systems or work as full-blown audio recorders so that teachers won’t need to strain their voices to engage their students. Shure and Atlas Sound are the popular brands from this category.

Laser presenter pointers

Functioning as sleek and efficient tools used to highlight important things, laser pointers are very ideal for schools. The cordless technology that these devices offer can be helpful in the classroom environment, especially in low light conditions. For those who want to stress out points in projected presentations, this gadget is highly recommended. Kensington and Targus carry some of the most reliable laser presenters, and some of them even come with advanced multimedia functions for better efficiency.

Online conferencing tools

In this day and age where gadgets can be used for distance learning, one of the most awesome technologies utilized by many is internet conferencing. With this technology, people can communicate using audio-visual exchanges. For example, if you’re an English teacher working in Manhattan, you can easily talk to a student in real-time in Japan. You only need a web camera, a microphone, a working internet communication and a personal or business VoIP subscription to be able to do so. Webcams and microphones are a dime a dozen, but when it comes to grassroots VoIP services, only Skype, Google Voice, and RingCentral are to be trusted.

You see, it’s so easy to use these tools to make teaching and learning cooler and more interactive. You just need to have the right tools in order to get started.