Reflections on Digital Tools

Prezi

Prezi has become one of my favorite tools for presentation. At first, I was hesitant
to use this tool, but it has become my “go to” for presentations in my graduate
courses and for creating online instruction. The most useful feature is creating
videos. I select topics from my live instruction or lessons and include key or
important information that students can view at home or in study groups. This has
been especially useful for students who missed a class, or for those who just didn’t
understand. There is so much creativity in Prezi.

Nearpod and Google Slides

I chose to use Nearpod in conjunction with Google Slides to create a lesson on

factoring polynomials. I have made the slides interactive by adding a video to each
important objective. This will mainly be used in online teaching, especially as a
substitute lesson when I am out or as a backup study tool. The video helps to
reinforce the written examples for factoring.

Padlet

Padlet will be an effective tool to use in a virtual setting. It allows students to

collaborate virtually and take ownership of their contributions to the lesson. They
can see what others are thinking, plus I get to monitor the board. It will be great to
use with discussions in math when students cannot meet via video chat due to time
constraints. They can post their thoughts, and it is there for others to see at any
time. Based on documentation by Meyer (n.d.), students can improve cognition
skills through active participation.