7 Tools for Literacy in the Digital Age w/o Google

Teachers have been always dreamed of ways to save their time and energy while staying productive.

Dreams do come true, and I’m happy to live in a time when teachers can effortlessly and effectively work with students. This is because of the variety of online tools that have been developed for educational needs. I’ve tried many of them, and I chose 7 of the best that both my students and I enjoy using in the classroom. Here is my non-Google collection! 

1. Kami

Kami is a perfect tool for collaboration. 

You upload your files and arrange them in a manner you like, and then give your colleagues or students access to the files you’ve uploaded. There’s even an annotation function so you and your colleagues/students can work in the same document simultaneously. 

2. Unplag

This tool is going to help you teach students how to be honest. 

Unplag detects plagiarism percentage in the files that you upload to the system, highlights all text coincidences, and prepares a detailed report you can download and share with students. Since plagiarism is a complex academic issue, all teachers need to explain to their students how serious it is and what they can do to avoid it. 

3. Writinghouse

Writinghouse is an automatic bibliography and citation maker that can also help your students be honest. Presenting citations and references properly is one more way to avoid plagiarism and its unpleasant consequences. You choose the style (MLA, APA, Chicago and Harvard) and document type, fill out the form, and get great results. 

4. LightSail

LightSail users have access to a huge online library to create personal book collections for each student in the class based on their preferences and abilities. Students (as well as their teachers) are able to track individual progress and win achievement badges. A bonus feature: There’s an inbuilt social network teachers and students can use to work on the same task together, discuss the process, leave feedback, and more. 

5. No Red Ink

No Red Ink is pure gold. It saves teachers’ time and encourages students to engage in productive work. No Red Ink has a scope of free assignments that are adapted to students’ interests, hobbies, and tastes. It helps kids be more engaged, focused on what they need, work at their own pace, and learn from their own mistakes. 

6. Write About

And here is one more resource that is going to improve writing skills. 

Write About is created for students to collaborate with others, communicate with their peers from all over the world, and receive help from teachers. For their part, teachers supervise the students’ writing process, comment on it, and find other teachers from across the globe to share their experience with one another. 

7. Kahoot!

Kahoots are learning games (quizzes, surveys, discussions) users can create on their own by adding multiple choice questions. This option is available both for teachers and students. The best way to work with Kahoot is the following: The game is displayed on a shared screen and kids answer questions on their devices. Engagement can be boosted with the addition of videos, images, and diagrams.