First Things First: The Many Categories of Educational Technology Tools

 

When you hear "Educational Technology Tool," what comes to mind?  This term sounds fairly straightforward (which it is), but not very specific (which it definitely is not).  This is because "Educational Technology Tool" is a far-reaching umbrella term.  

So let's take a look.  Below is a modest attempt at a breakdown, with some great examples, of the many categories of Educational Technology Tools:

• Learning Management Systems (LMS):

            Platforms like Canvas and Moodle organize courses, assignments, and student progress. 

• Interactive Content & Presentations:

            Tools such as Nearpod, Pear Deck, and Prezi allow for dynamic, multimedia-rich presentations with interactive elements and real-time feedback. 

• Assessment & Feedback:

            Kahoot!, Wayground (formerly "Quizizz), and Socrative provide tools for quizzes, games, and real-time feedback to gauge student understanding. 

Collaboration & Communication:

            Platforms like Padlet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack enable students to collaborate on projects, brainstorm ideas, and communicate effectively. 

• Content Creation & Curation:

            Tools like Wakelet and Canva help educators and students curate, organize, and share digital content. 

• Productivity & Writing Assistance:

            Grammarly aids in writing and grammar, while tools like Evernote support note-taking for both students and teachers. 

• Specialized Tools:

            Duolingo is for language learning, while Turnitin is used for plagiarism checking in higher education. 

...and many more options within each of these categories!  What about you?  Do you have any other categories with which you are familiar?  What about your favorite (or least favorite?!) tools?  Let's talk about it in the comments section.