Not all colleges and professors are trying to find effective resources that would make today’s students more engaged in the learning process. There is a high percentage of college students that are “actively disengaged” simply because they cannot get inspired by the teaching methods they are subjected to.
Luckily, every student has access to cost-effective technology tools that can increase their interest, engagement, and productivity. Instead of waiting for their teachers to find the right tools that would motivate them, college students can take action on their own. The following tools will help you discover a fresh approach towards your studies.
Padlet
You are clearly familiar with the joys of maintaining a Pinterest profile. Why not use the same concept for organizing studying materials? You can use your virtual wall to attach files, videos, text, or images. When you start arranging the materials for a certain project, you will become more motivated, conduct better research, and come to a deeper understanding of the matter. After that, writing the actual project won’t be so difficult.
Padlet is also an awesome tool to use for team projects, since it enables you to collaborate with other users in real time. Displaying your e-portfolio is another way to use this platform.
LessonIndex.com
Don’t let the lack of aesthetics of this website throw you away. It provides you with access to thousands of lessons plans and teaching units focused on novels and plans. Since these materials have been submitted by real teachers, you can use them to understand what exactly professors are looking for when they assign a book review, essay, or another academic project.
These resources are full of information that’s hard to find elsewhere.
Screencast-O-Matic
If you have never used a screen recorder to collaborate on team projects, then you’ll love Screencast-O-Matic—a tool that will help you stay focused and connected with the team at any time. This screen recorder enables you to capture the action happening on your screen and accompany it with video and voice for up to 15 minutes.
You can use it to create video tutorials or explain to other team members how you came to a particular solution step-by-step.
SlideShare
This online tool lets you create and share a presentation, video, webinar, document, or PDF materials. As soon as you start going through the beautiful presentations that can be associated to your courses, you will become motivated to create your own masterpiece based on in-depth research, constructive thinking, and creative design.
Some of the most popular topics include education, art & photos, sports, devices & hardware, healthcare, engineering, small business entrepreneurship, and many others. The materials at SlideShare can also serve as an inspiration for your academic projects.
HippoCampus
This website is a great source of educational resources for students of different ages. As a college student, you can use it to build a solid foundation of knowledge on a particular matter from the subjects of sociology, economics, chemistry, biology, calculus & advanced math, arithmetic, humanities, and other categories. You can access a great base of free multimedia content that will make your college courses much more fun.
When college professors don’t make an attempt to boost student engagement, you have to make a greater effort to motivate yourself. Fortunately, technology is always on your side! Start exploring the 6 tools listed above and you’ll soon recover the motivated student you once were.
This article was written by Robert Morris, a continuing-education junkie from NYC. Writing is his hobby, education is his passion. Circle Robert on Google+!