By Sue Almén-Whittaker
At the virtual MIDTESOL 2020 Conference – Community at a Crossroads: The Right to Education, the Educational Technology Interest Section hosted a networking session on Ed Tech Tips & Tricks. We had 29 attendees participate in sharing their favorite software and websites for the classroom and online use. Thanks to MIDTESOL Board members Terry Barakat for helping to moderate and Emily Clark for writing down many of the websites! Thanks also to everyone who contributed or asked questions that kept the tech resources coming at a furious pace!
Below in alphabetical order are many of the technologies we talked about with links to their websites, cost (if known), audience (student/instructor), and a short synopsis of what they do and how they might be used. More links will be added soon!
Please note: MIDTESOL does not support nor endorse any specific technology listed below. This is posted only as a resource for teachers as the topic of online educational technologies is timely.
American English Sounds: https://www.americanenglishsounds.net/
- Audience: Students
- Cost: Free
- Tech: Web
- Use: Students can use the site to improve their American English pronunciation through listening to audio and watching videos that show the sounds being said in isolation and also within words. There are also additional tips for improving and links for more practice.
- Additional Info: Made by one of our own MIDTESOL members!
Blue Canoe: https://www.bluecanoelearning.com/
- Audience: Students
- Cost: Free basic, For cost Premium, Group Option for Institutions. For fall 2020, there is also a free for classrooms version: https://bluecanoelearning.com/free-for-classrooms-program/
- Tech: iOS, Android
- Use: Daily practice with games and AI that analyzes pronunciation. Similar to DuoLingo, but has more variety in activities.
- Additional Info: Based off of the Color Vowel technique (see below)
Boom Cards: https://wow.boomlearning.com/
- Audience: Students (primary), Teachers (secondary)
- Cost: Free for students, Teachers: Free “Starter” level with 5 students & 1 classroom, Three pay-for-levels with more features (https://wow.boomlearning.com/#pricing)
- Tech: Web
- Use: Gamified self-graded activities created by teachers, who can also monitor the student self-practice results
- Additional Info: Allows teachers to make and sell their own “Boom Cards”
Camtasia https://www.techsmith.com/store/camtasia/education
- Audience: Teachers
- Cost: Education Pricing: $169.99, $42.25 annual fee (all upgrades free)
- Tech: Software download to Mac or Windows
- Use: Powerful video editor and creation tool – allows for multi-track audio/video streams, built-in transitions, on screen text overlays, cursor highlighter, and so much more.
- Additional Info: Annual feel guarantees you one complete new version per year. Techsmith, Camtasia’s parent company, continually strives to improve their product
Clideo https://clideo.com/
- Audience: Teachers (primary), Students (secondary)
- Cost: Free to use, but does have $9/month or $72/year option to unlock all features
- Tech: Web
- Use: Online video editing, meme maker, slideshow maker, add subtitles, and more
- Additional Info: Has Facebook and Google login to save content in cloud
Color Vowels for Teachers https://colorvowel.com/
- Audience: Teachers
- Cost: Access to some resources are free, Digital Library access requires a purchase
- Tech: Web
- Use: Resources for teachers who want to use the Color Vowel system
- Additional Info: Has training/certification system for teachers, monthly newsletter related to Blue Canoe
EdPuzzle https://edpuzzle.com/
- Audience: Students (primary), Teachers (secondary)
- Cost: Basic is free, Pro Teacher is $11.50/month, District/Institution plans available
- Tech: Web, iOS, Android
- Use: EdPuzzle creates interactive videos allowing for voice narration and self-paced learning
- Additional Info: Allows teachers to track student progress
GoReact https://get.goreact.com/
- Audience: Students (primary), Teacher (secondary)
- Cost: $29.99/per student/course – free for teacher, or $149/5-year plan per student, institutional licensing available
- Tech: Web, Android, iOS
- Use: Teach can upload or link to a “stimulus” audio/video file or students can upload their own. Student practice and record, then students and/or teacher can evaluate student work using time-stamped comments or teacher created markers. Click on the feedback while reviewing and jump exactly to the place in the file related to feedback.
- Additional Info: Can also be used for listening and has a new group discussion feature.
Lyrics Training https://lyricstraining.com/
- Audience: Students (primary), teachers (secondary)
- Cost: Free, but offers in-app purchases for monthly & annual subscriptions or “premium” services
- Tech: Web, Android, iOS
- Use: Allows students to improve language skills through listening to and seeing lyrics of songs in over 28+ genres, as well as providing cloze games with the videos from beginner to expert levels. Also provides ability to practice in 13 different languages!
One Color Vowel Minute Videos for Students: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40At9EEsnl_zOZqOvkQhpppjHTtFCDwd
- Audience: Students
- Cost: Free (YouTube)
- Tech: Web
- Use: Quick intro to color vowels and basic tips for students
- Additional Info: See also Color Vowels for Teachers and Blue Canoe for related materials
Speech Ling https://speechling.com/
- Audience: Students (primary), teachers (secondary)
- Cost: Free to start, then a cost. Has scholarships for users who cannot afford. Also, schools can pay for access for students.
- Tech: Web
- Use: “…free language coaching on your speaking with 1000s of fun exercises.” Uses a combination of human coaching and technology with dictation, listening comprehension, vocabulary flashcards, quizzes, and fill in the blank exercises.
Any Video Converter YouTube Downloader: https://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/
- Audience: Teachers
- Cost: Free (there is also a paid version, but the free works well enough)
- Tech: Web
- Use: Allows you to download videos from YouTube in multiple formats and file sizes
- Additional Info: As teachers, we need to remember that this tool is very powerful and should be used for educational purposes only. Some YouTube videos generates income for the content creators when viewed, so if it’s not necessary to isolate a clip for teaching or quizzes, linking to the video is the best choice. Please, always cite your original source, regardless.
