12 Apps of Christmas – Week 3

Welcome to the 12 apps of Christmas from the LTSU team. In this final post, we are sharing 4 more of our favourite apps and online tools for learning and teaching. Below we share the ideas, the benefits, any challenges and an example so you can try it out.

Why not give them a try, and remember; an app is not just for Christmas 🙂

Trello

Trello is a digital project board that could really help students to keep organised – either individually or for group work. Projects can be broken down into smaller tasks and thoughts, files, images etc can be added to each task along with a due date and  team lead (if working collaboratively). Tasks are archived as they are completed and this archive could easily be used as evidence of group participation in an assessment.
This example of a project based learning Trello board shows how the group and tasks can be structured.

Recommended by Rachel C

Memrise

Learn or teach a language on the go with Memrise. Memrise is a very popular free tool for learning over 200 different languages with content rich courses created by expert linguists and native speakers. Its award-winning Android and Apple apps make it easy to learn on the go, anywhere and anytime. Chantal Cointot in Arts & Humanities has been using Memrise with University Language Programme (ULP) students and created a Stage 1 ULP Memrise course. Chantal says: “With Memrise, I can guide my students’ learning, control the content and pace and see their progress – just as they can see theirs and measure it up with their peers’. With the help of our knowledgeable support staff, it was quick and fun to create, and I am already thinking about creating another Memrise course.” Look out for a longer blog post on Memrise coming in the new year.

Recommended by Rachel B

Office Mix

Do you want to produce video content for your students, with the minimum of time and in a tool you already use regularly? Office Mix could be for you. It is a free extension for PowerPoint, that allows you to combine text, graphics, audio, video and screen recordings, with PowerPoint’s animations and effects to produce engaging content.
Mix videos can be published to sites such as YouTube and Vimeo, and embedded in webpages within NOW learning rooms.

Recommended by Phil

VisualCV

VisualCV is an online service that allows staff & students to create a visually impressive CV for sharing online and printing, using graphically polished templates as a starting point. Text and styling/layout are separated, so you can easily try out different versions. You can enter your own content, create interactive charts, reorganise and add new sections and upload your own photos and images. Use VisualCV with students for either personal and reflective development, or more creatively in a variety of subjects, displaying research of contemporary or historical figures using informational biographies.

Recommended by David