Nine (9) Essential Digital Skills to Shape and Boost Teaching and Pedagogical Practices
1. Record and Edit Audio Clips
Being able to record and edit audio allows teachers to create personalized and accessible learning
materials.
• How teachers can use it: Record lectures, pronunciation guides, dictation activities, or oral
instructions. Students can also submit audio reflections or oral reports.
• Why it matters: Audio helps auditory learners, supports language learning, and gives teachers a
flexible tool for feedback and storytelling.
• Tools: Soundcloud, Audioboo, Vocaroo, Clyp
o SoundCloud – An online platform for uploading, sharing, and streaming audio recordings such
as podcasts and music.
o Audioboo (now Audioboom) – A podcasting platform for recording, hosting, and distributing
audio stories.
o Vocaroo – A simple web-based voice recording tool that allows teachers and students to record
and share audio instantly with links.
o Clyp – An audio sharing tool for quick recording and easy embedding into presentations or class
sites.
2. Create Annotated, Interactive, and Engaging Video Content
Videos combined with questions, annotations, or interactive pauses enhance student engagement and
accountability.
• How teachers can use it: Turn a YouTube video into a lesson with embedded questions, create
flipped classroom content, or record demonstrations.
• Why it matters: Students learn at their own pace, while teachers can track understanding through
built-in quizzes.
• Tools: TED Ed, Edpuzzle, WeVideo, Magisto
o TED-Ed – A platform where educators can create video-based lessons with questions and
discussions attached to TED talks or YouTube videos.
o Edpuzzle – Lets teachers take any video (from YouTube, Khan Academy, etc.), embed quizzes,
add notes, and track student responses.
o WeVideo – A cloud-based video editor for creating professional-looking videos, suitable for
class projects and teacher content.
o Magisto – An AI-powered video editing app that automatically creates polished videos from raw
clips and photos.
3. Create Visually Engaging Content
Infographics, posters, and visual maps transform complex topics into easily digestible visuals.
• How teachers can use it: Create infographics for summaries, design classroom posters, or let
students create visual projects instead of traditional essays.
• Why it matters: Visual learning improves memory retention and motivates students to engage with
content creatively.
• Tools: Piktochart, Canva, Google Draw, Glogster, Thinglink
o Piktochart – A tool for making infographics, reports, and posters with templates.
o Canva – A versatile graphic design platform for presentations, posters, social media graphics,
and infographics.
o Google Draw – A free drawing tool within Google Workspace to create diagrams, charts, and
concept maps collaboratively.
o Glogster – An interactive poster creator where students can add text, images, videos, and links.
o Thinglink – A tool for making interactive images with clickable hotspots that include videos,
texts, or links.
4. Use Social Networking Websites to Build Professional Learning Networks (PLNs)
Social networking is not just for personal use—it is powerful for professional growth.
• How teachers can use it: Join educator communities, share lesson plans, attend live webinars, and
connect with global experts.
• Why it matters: Teachers gain ongoing professional development beyond workshops, staying
updated on trends and resources.
• Tools: Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn
o Twitter – A microblogging site where teachers can follow education hashtags (#EdChat,
#TeachTips) and connect globally.
o Facebook – A social media platform with groups and pages for professional communities of
educators.
o Google Plus (discontinued but once popular) – Previously used for communities and educator
networks.
o LinkedIn – A professional networking site for connecting with peers, sharing research, and
career development.
5. Use Blogs and Wikis to Create Participatory Spaces
Blogs and wikis provide collaborative platforms where students and teachers interact outside classroom
walls.
• How teachers can use it: Create a class blog for reflections, use a wiki for group projects, or publish
student essays online.
• Why it matters: Encourages critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration while giving students an
authentic audience for their work.
• Tools: Blogger, WordPress, Edublog, Kidblog, Wikispaces, Weebly
o Blogger – A Google-owned blogging platform for creating classroom blogs.
o WordPress – A widely used content management system for blogs and websites.
o Edublogs – A blogging service designed for teachers and students with classroom-friendly
features.
o Kidblog – A safe blogging space for students to publish posts and share reflections.
o Wikispaces (discontinued) – A former wiki platform where teachers and students collaborated
on documents.
o Weebly – A website and blog builder with drag-and-drop features, easy for class portfolios or
project sites.
6. Use Social Bookmarking Websites to Curate and Share Resources
Teachers need to manage a flood of digital resources effectively. Bookmarking tools allow them to collect,
organize, and share.
• How teachers can use it: Curate articles, videos, and activities into a single hub for students.
Collaborate with colleagues to share useful teaching materials.
• Why it matters: Saves time, improves organization, and ensures students always access reliable, pre-
selected resources.
• Tools: Diigo, Scoop.it, Pinterest, Edshelf, Participate, Symbaloo
o Diigo – A bookmarking tool that lets teachers highlight, annotate, and organize online resources.
o Scoop.it – A curation tool that gathers articles and resources into an online magazine-like
format.
o Pinterest – A visual discovery tool for collecting and organizing ideas, lesson plans, and
classroom resources.
o Edshelf – An educator-focused platform for discovering, reviewing, and curating teaching tools.
o Participate – A tool that helps educators share collections of teaching resources and
participate in professional learning.
o Symbaloo – A bookmarking dashboard that organizes links into clickable tiles for easy
classroom access.
7. Create Engaging Presentations
Presentations are no longer static slides—they can be interactive, animated, and collaborative.
• How teachers can use it: Replace traditional lectures with dynamic slides, let students create group
presentations, or integrate multimedia.
• Why it matters: Improves engagement and helps explain abstract concepts through visuals, videos,
and animations.
• Tools: Google Slides, Haiku Deck, Prezi, Zoho Presentation
o Google Slides – A cloud-based presentation tool for collaborative slide creation.
o Haiku Deck – A presentation tool that emphasizes simplicity and strong visuals.
o Prezi – A zooming presentation tool that uses motion and paths instead of static slides.
o Zoho Presentation – Part of Zoho Office Suite, an online tool for creating professional
presentations.
8. Create Digital Portfolios
Digital portfolios showcase student growth and achievement in one place.
• How teachers can use it: Encourage students to collect their essays, projects, reflections, and
multimedia outputs in a portfolio. Teachers can also create their own teaching portfolios.
• Why it matters: Promotes student ownership, supports authentic assessment, and provides
documentation for progress reports.
• Tools: SeeSaw, Pathbrite, Google Sites, Silk, Weebly
o SeeSaw – A student-driven digital portfolio that allows learners to upload work, photos, and
reflections.
o Pathbrite – A portfolio builder where students can showcase projects, certificates, and
achievements.
o Google Sites – A free website builder where teachers or students can create online portfolios.
o Silk (discontinued) – A former web publishing tool for creating visual and data-rich portfolios.
o Weebly – A site builder that can be adapted for student portfolios and class showcases.
9. Create Non-Traditional Quizzes
Quizzes don’t have to be boring. Gamified and interactive quizzes turn assessment into an engaging activity.
• How teachers can use it: Use quizzes as warm-up activities, review games, or formative assessment.
Students can also create their own quizzes to test peers.
• Why it matters: Increases motivation, provides instant feedback, and supports formative assessment
strategies.
• Tools: Testmoz, Quizalize, Factile, Riddle, QuizBean
o Testmoz – A simple online test generator with automatic grading.
o Quizalize – A gamified quiz platform with instant feedback and progress tracking.
o Factile – An online Jeopardy-style quiz game for classroom review.
o Riddle – A tool for creating interactive quizzes, polls, and surveys.
o QuizBean – An online quiz maker designed for student practice and assessment.
