Other EdTech Apps
The tools in this section are not centrally managed or supported by the university. If you need to use a tool that UIC doesn't have an enterprise solution for, LTS staff recommends exploring the pedagogical use of instructor purchase or free tools to help reduce the extra fees that students may experience with a required student purchase/vendor-based system. LTS staff recommends also that instructors test the technologies before using them with their students in order to get comfortable with the type of technical challenges that they may bring.
The list below is not a comprehensive educational technology list, but a list of instructors' most popular and well-rated tools. Our Learning Design Team can help you decide what tool is best for you.
If there is a tool that you'd like to include in this list for other instructors to know about, please email us at LTS@uic.edu.
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Padlet
Padlet is a virtual bulletin board, perfect for collaborative discussions, that allows for creative collaboration using a range of different mixed media sources.
Instructors start by posing an open-ended question. Students respond with words, images, audio, or video. All responses appear on the original “wall” in real-time, and students can comment on one another’s posts, in real-time. Students can comment or reply to the work of another student or add a new strand on the topic that is introduced.
The free version of Padlet allows for a limited number of padlets. There is a trial version available for a week to test a Pro plan.
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Flipgrid
Flipgrid in an online discussion tool that allows an instructor to post a topic for discussion (could be student-generated) to a discussion “grid” which is simply an online space for collaborative thought. Students then respond to the topic by recording their thoughts in short video clips. Then, students can watch the videos of their classmates and respond back to them, generating further discussion.
A free version of Flipgrid is available to all UIC instructors and students using their Microsoft Office 365 account.
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Perusall
Perusall is a collaborative e-book reader where students can complete readings collectively. Perusall allows students to annotate the reading (ask questions in context) outside class and get responses immediately from other students. Before class, instructors can download a Student Confusion Report with the top topics of confusion or engagement, and the best student annotations. Perusall is integrated in Blackboard at UIC for easy access. Instructors simply place web links in their course.
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Kahoot!
Kahoot! is a polling tool that allows to create game-like learning activities. You can create a kahoot from scratch, use their question bank to mix and match existing questions, edit a template, or customize existing kahoots created by other users.
Questions and answers are displayed on a shared screen while students answer on their devices but you can choose to display questions on their devices, too. Challenges, questions and answers can be timed or not, creating a fun and dynamic activity to help students learn concepts.
The free version of Kahoot allows you to create kahoots with quiz questions, host and play kahoots, and assign student-paced challenges to up to 10 players per game.
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Mentimeter
Mentimeter is a polling tool that allows to create interactive presentation using live polls, quizzes, word clouds, Q&As, images, gifs and more to get real-time input – regardless if you students are joining remotely, in a hybrid or face-to-face classroom.
Your students use their smartphones to connect to the presentation where they can answer questions. You can visualize their responses in real-time to create a fun and interactive experience. Once your Mentimeter presentation is over, share and export your results for further analysis and even compare data over time to measure the progress of your audience.
The free version of Mentimeter provides unlimited audience, unlimited presentations, up to 2 question slides and up to 5 quiz slides.
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Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere is a tool to capture student feedback in both in-person and online settings, through live online polling, surveys, Q&As, quizzes, word clouds, and more.
Visualize feedback in real time with a variety of activities. Download the Poll Everywhere app for PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides and add polls to your existing presentation decks in just a few clicks.
The free version of Poll Everywhere allows you to create unlimited questions for up to 25 students at once, support center, FAQ, and Webinar tutorials.
To attend an upcoming webinar or workshop please visit our Events page to register
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Jamboard
Jamboard allows you to sketch your ideas whiteboard-style while benefiting from the access and connectivity of an interactive canvas, on mobile, or right from your web browser. Drop images, add notes, and pull assets directly from the web while collaborating with team members from anywhere.
Jamboard is available to all UIC instructors and students using their Google Workspace account (previously known as UIC G Suite account). Learn more about creating a Google Workspace for a free UIC Jamboard account.
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Miro
Miro is a fast and simple-to-use online whiteboard built to help people collaborate with others any time, anywhere.
Miro’s infinitely zoomable canvas and web whiteboard enables you to unleash your students’ creativity, plan projects from all angles, and create centralized hubs of information to see the big picture and the details. A Miro app for Zoom is also available.
Miro is available to all UIC instructors and students using their Microsoft Office 365 account. The free version of Miro includes 3 editable boards, anonymous board viewers, pre-made templates, core integrations, and basic attention management.
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AVAILABLE TO: Anyone can create a personal account on the company site
FUNDING: Not centrally funded