Interactive Learning | Collaborative Learning | Digital Portfolios | Course Design Tools
Instructional technology can enhance course design, student engagement and learning whether in a hybrid, online, or face-to-face class. Beyond Blackboard and the software provided by CCNY, there are multitudes of free and low-cost educational technologies and tools available. This toolkit is a compilation of resources for different instructional technologies. Please take a look at them below:
Interactive Learning
These tools rely on a hands-on approach to help students become more engaged and retain more material.
- SurveyAnyplace
- SurveyMonkey
- WeBWork (an open-source online homework system for math and sciences courses)
- WeBWork (tutorials)
- Kahoot!
- Padlet
- Quizlet
- Super Teacher Tools
- WebQuest
Collaborative Learning
Collaborative editing technology provides students real-time experiential learning, working in groups to complete projects such as presentations or papers.
- Prezi
- Blackboard Collaborate
- Google Docs
- Google Slides
- CUNY Academic Commons Papers
- Dropbox Papers
- Adobe Spark
- Autodraw
- Notability
- A Web Whiteboard
- A list of web whiteboards
- Mind Meister (online mind mapping)
- Gloomaps
- Notion
- Slack
- Hypothesis.is
- Thinglink
- Explaineverything
Online discussion spaces provide both synchronous and asynchronous social learning environments outside of the classroom.
- Google Meet
- Zoom
- Google Hangouts
- Skype
- Flipgrid
- CUNY Academic Commons Groups
- Blackboard Blogs
- Discord
- Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
Digital Portfolios
Student portfolios are great tools for students to reflect on their learning/growth and instructors to assess student performance across the duration of the course.
- CUNY Academic Commons Sites
- WordPress
- Wix
- Blackboard Portfolios Instructor Information
- Blackboard Portfolios Student Information
- Google Sites
Course Design Tools
There are multiple ways you can present your course/lecture to students in engaging formats.
There are many ways you can record videos for your classes. You can record your screen using video conferencing software like Zoom, or you can use the resources outlined below.
- Recording Your Own Videos
- Recording Videos Using PowerPoint
- More on Videos in PowerPoint
- Screencast-O-Matic
- Animoto
- Adobe Spark Video Maker
- Screencastify
YouTube videos are a great way to edit, save, and share digital course content for hybrid, online, and flipped courses. YouTube is especially helpful in that it creates closed-captions for your videos automatically, making the videos accessible for your students. You can share videos by sharing the URL of the YouTube page.
- Creating a Google Account
- Getting Started with a YouTube Channel
- Uploading to YouTube
- Supported YouTube File Formats
Course webpages are an easy way to digitally share syllabi, schedules, and open educational resources with students.
