4 Game-changing tech tools for better student engagement

We all remember the surge of excitement we felt when we walked into class one day and saw a battered, old TV strapped onto a wheelie cart at the front of the classroom – this sight meant today's lesson was going to be 'fun'. However, modern-day students no longer get this thrill when they see a TV in a classroom; it's the norm and takes much more to engage them electronically.

Since today's learners are growing up in a world that requires them to be tech-savvy, alongside remote and hybrid learning trends, the need for better student engagement tools has been accelerated. Even in traditional learning settings, tech tools like online learning platforms, interactive whiteboards, digital textbooks, mobile applications etc., can create a more engaging and interactive learning experience to revolutionise how everyone learns.

But with so many student engagement tools, which should you pay attention to? To help you, we delve into some of the best tech tools for better student engagement and how to use each to create a more engaging/interactive learning experience. So, if you're ready to take your teaching to the next level, continue reading to discover several game-changing tech tools to help you achieve this.

Survey Administration Software

One of the biggest challenges in a traditional classroom environment is ensuring that every student's voice is heard. However, this can be challenging when classrooms are full of different personality types. While one student might raise their hand after every question, another might be too shy to contribute; therefore, teachers must work exceptionally hard to create an environment where students are comfortable sharing their thoughts.

Thankfully, survey administration software is one of the game-changing tech tools that can help you achieve this. Survey administration software makes it easier for students to ask questions, share their opinions, receive criticism, or get their teacher's attention anonymously.

From allowing you to create real-time polls to revealing student insights with word cloud polls, Vevox has many features to coax participation from students who might be too shy to contribute via normal means. Consider visiting their website for more information about the Vevox app and see how it could help you create a more interactive and engaging learning environment for your students today.

Gamification

Whether in a lecture theatre or a primary-school classroom, a vital aspect of student engagement is ensuring your lessons are as enjoyable as possible. You can achieve this in many ways, from allowing students to collaborate in small groups more often, letting them pick a relevant classroom activity, breaking up your lessons into digestible chunks, etc. Still, one method that has proved to be a game-changer is gamification.

In short, gamification aims to apply common aspects of video game playing in non-game contexts (like the classroom) to drive better student engagement. This has proven successful, especially among students between twelve and fifteen, since 83% of this demographic was reported to play online games such as Minecraft and Fortnite.

Some popular gamification techniques include narration, progress indicators, social interaction, etc. Not only do they help students enjoy lessons, but they can also help teachers present their teachings in more creative and explorative ways, simultaneously increasing the educational value for both parties.

Digital Stationery

Another game-changing tech tool that can help boost student engagement is digital stationery like pencils, reusable notepads, etc. One of the most common complaints you'll hear as an educator is about notetaking; whether your students have written too much, their hand is aching, or they feel there's too much information to take in on each slide – almost every student will have a bone to pick with notetaking at some point.

One way to prevent all these common complaints (and boost engagement) is by allowing your students to use digital stationery, which enables them to write, draw, and annotate digitally without suffering from the disengagement that traditional notetaking provides.

Depending on which ones your education facility provides, the best digital stationery, like pencils/crayons, can sync together for more effective student collaboration and can be used across multiple devices at once. Not to mention, as well as facilitating more productive/engaging notetaking using digital stationery enables your institute to reduce paper wastage and improve your carbon footprint, improving two important areas simultaneously!

Classroom Management Platforms

Mainly if you teach in hybrid or remote classroom settings, it is more important than ever to make students feel engaged and like they belong. Yet, it can be challenging to foster a sense of community among your students when they're spread out all over the UK, where game-changing tech such as classroom management platforms come in.

Using classroom management platforms, teachers can easily track learning aspects evident in a traditional learning setting, such as student behaviour, completion of set work/assignments, scheduling parent/teacher or student/teacher conversations, and much more, which fosters a sense of togetherness even when you and your students aren't able to be face-to-face.