I’ve had a few conversations recently where people have complimented me on the quality of my blog posts about edtech tools when comparing them to others. The feedback I received was lovely and so I thought I’d share some of the things that I always try to do and include in my posts so that others could try my ‘formula’ too.
There are some key elements that I always try to include when sharing a new tool or app and you can see an example of this in this linked post that I have written today too about the VR app, ‘VirtualSpeech’.
The first thing I like to do is to set the scene. Here I will explain how I’ve discovered a new app. I will link to it on the App Store or wherever it can be found.
The second thing I try to do is to then explain how to use it. Sometimes I do this through written explanation or sometimes I will create a little explainer video, such as the one you can see below. All of my videos are hosted on my YouTube channel with most of my videos being public and available for anyone to view and access. Here is an example of a video I made showing how to use Balloon Stickies Plus:
Once I’ve explained how to use the app, I then focus on how the app can support teaching and learning in the classroom. Sometimes the app might be something which is more to do with supporting other aspects of a teachers job, such as a tool which will improve workload or accessibility. Either way, I try to make it clear that the tool being suggested is helpful and can help to have an impact. I try hard to steer clear of gimmickry as tools such as these are often a waste of time and/or money and devalue your role as a teacher in the classroom.
Finally, I then try to suggest a bunch of different ways in which it can be used in the classroom, either to support or enhance learning or to reduce workload. You can see lots of examples of this type of post on my site, such as this post:
5 ways to use Plotaverse Photo Animator for iOS in the classroom
So there you have it. It’s a pretty simple formula:
I hope you find the post useful. It can certainly be applied to most types of blog posts too, regardless of whether or not you’re going to include technology!
