In a variety of ways, this past year has been unprecedented! Educators have embraced urgent distance learning and have seen significant improvements in their Top Useful Tech Tips technological abilities in a relatively short period. For those looking to maintain momentum for technology integration in the new year, we’ve compiled a list of our top 10 tech tips to help you take your educational software to the next level in the coming months.
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Table of Contents
10 Best Tech Useful Tips for 2021
All schools and universities around the world have been quarantined to keep COVID-19 from spreading, and students are being forced to enroll in distance learning programs. Several people are likely experiencing difficulties because they are encountering them for the first time.
Ad-Free YouTube Hack
When ads that appear in and around the frame become a distraction for students, sharing YouTube videos can be a hassle. To get rid of these pesky ads on your YouTube video page, try this little-known trick: In the YouTube URL, place a pop-up after the word watch. When students click on the link, the ads fade away, leaving only the video player visible.
Mote Extension for Time saving Audio Feedback
With the Mote extension for Google Chrome, you can provide students with quick and easy audio feedback. Mote integrates with Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Classroom apps to help you save time and increase learner engagement.
Annotate PDFs with Kami
For online educators, Kami has quickly become a go-to resource. A variety of tools are available for students to used to mark up and annotate PDF documents. Installation is simple, and you can also access the extension through a web page to turn your existing documents into engaging learning opportunities.
Monitors for Easier Distance Teaching
Using two monitors to deliver online learning has proven to be a lifesaver for many teachers. At the same time, you can see all of your students in grid or gallery view and present from slides or a document camera. Take a look at this simple method for establishing your virtual teaching facility.
Get the Most Out of the Chrome Bookmarks Bar
One member of our teacher community shared a tip that was described as “absolutely game-changing!” Consider putting frequently visited websites in a folder on your bookmark bar so that you can access them more quickly during the course of your teaching day.
Reopen recently closed tabs in Chrome
Have you ever made the mistake of closing a tab by mistake and immediately regretted it? Yeah, that’s what I thought. There is a simple keyboard shortcut that allows you to reopen tabs that have been previously closed. Simply press the keys Control + Shift + T (or Command + Shift + T on a Mac) and the tab you were looking for will appear! You’ll wonder how you ever got along without knowing this trick.
Blooket | Game based learning, Formative Assessment tools
Blooket is a fun review game that feels fresh and exciting to play. Consider trying it out if you’re looking for something different! You can create a quiz-style game with your own set of questions, just like Kahoot and Quizziz, using a variety of online tools (or borrow from their library of choices). Blooket takes it a step further by allowing you to select the game mode that best suits your needs, such as Tower of Doom, Cafe, Factory, or Battle Royale, among others. In addition to earning tokens to unlock new Blooks (or avatars), students enjoy participating in friendly competition with their classmates.
Remove Video Backgrounds 100% Automatically
Using this simple tool, you can create your own animated GIFs and personalised stickers. Simply upload a short video clip, and Unscreen will remove the background from the video. With this feature, you can either colourize your video with bright colours, images, and graphics, or leave it transparent. Consider the countless possibilities!