Whew! This last week has been such a whirlwind, and we can’t wait to tell you about it. We were lucky enough to exhibit at ISTELive 24 in Denver, the biggest educational technology conference in the United States. We had so much fun meeting so many of you, handing out posters, tote bags, and T-shirts, and even getting down on the dance floor at the Vivacity ’90s party! But the best part was definitely scoping out all of the amazing new tools headed to classrooms this fall. Here are a few favorites you need to know about.
zSpace
1. zSpace AR/VR Learning Experiences
zSpace offers a tabletop virtual reality program that truly blew our minds. Using a zSpace computer and stylus, students can manipulate 3D objects right in front of them, including planets, shapes, and parts of the human body. It’s hard to describe how amazing this technology is in person, so we recommend watching this short video for an overview.
zSpace has software for many different grade levels and curriculum areas, including STEM and Career and Technical Education (CTE).
As teachers, we know how important student reflection is to the learning process. But we also know how time-consuming it can be to read written reflections or meet one-on-one with students. So we were definitely intrigued by Mirror, a new reflection station product that uses AI to measure and analyze student understanding.
Students take turns recording a verbal reflection using the Mirror device, and then the AI goes to work, analyzing individual understanding as well as that of the class overall. The AI technology uses word choice to determine student mindset and whether kids are working in their Zone of Proximal Development.
Teachers can also download the free MirrorTalk app to try the AI technology using their own devices.
Mourning the loss of Jamboard? Us too! That’s why we were excited to see that Padlet has released Sandbox, a collaborative whiteboard option similar to Jamboard. You can even import your boards from Jamboard to Padlet. Sign up for the beta test here.
Similarly, with the popular tool Flip going away, Padlet has added video discussions to its already robust library of tools. And you can import your Flip video discussions right to Padlet.
We Are Teachers
4. Beanstack Reading Challenges
If you’re looking for a fun, motivating way to get students to read more (who isn’t?), we love Beanstack, a platform that gamifies reading by awarding fun badges and other prizes as students log what they’ve read.
Plus, Beanstack analyzes students’ reading trends to let teachers know overall reading levels. And teachers and schools can design custom reading challenges and lists to grow reading culture (e.g., a list of books recommended by the principal or a school-wide list for Black History Month).
You might be familiar with Viewsonic’s interactive displays, projectors, and monitors, but did you know they also offer an AI-powered student engagement tool that makes it easy to create push-and-respond material from any content you have?
With ClassSwift, you can easily turn a PowerPoint slide, Canva template, or any other image into an interactive activity to push to student devices. You can then get insights into student understanding with the tool’s comprehensive student reports. Finally, you can create quizzes and other material in minutes thanks to the ClassSwift’s generative AI capabilities.
This all-in-one AI platform for schools is pretty impressive. Built for teachers by teachers, the platform is built on safe AI chat “Spaces” that can help students learn and practice new material, and do the heavy lifting on a number of teacher tasks too. There are thousands of existing Spaces, plus you can create your own based on your grade level and state standards.
It’s also easy to generate your own worksheets, jokes, word problems, IEP plans, and more!
It can be challenging to find online filtering systems that allow students to access what they need and keep them safe online. Educators we spoke to like Blocksi because it combines web filtering with screen monitoring and threat detection tools, making it an all-in-one solution for classrooms. Teachers can also easily send “heads up” messages to students who need redirection.
If you teach in a classroom with multiple home languages, Pocketalk is a game changer. It’s a pocket translator that supports more than 80 languages with instant translation features, including a text-to-translate camera and ASL capabilities.
Very few learning management systems have been created for K–12 teachers by K-12 teachers. That’s why we’re so impressed with Otus, which was founded by a 7th grade social studies teacher who knew there had to be a better way to view and analyze student data. Otus is also different from many LMS platforms in that it includes classroom management and assessment tools. We also love that it focuses on providing a picture of the whole child, tracking student interests in addition to grades and long-term data.
If you use Google Classroom, this new option from LG is a game changer. It comes with the Google Play store preinstalled, and by adding the Chrome OPS, you can automatically connect to Google Classroom, Google Workspace, and other tools using a single sign-on, making it one of the most intuitive displays out there.
OK, this all-in-one kit for CTE and STEM programs is so cool—students actually build a full-size, road-worthy electric vehicle by themselves! The kit includes textbooks, curriculum, and more.
