Educational technology, or EdTech, is changing the way classrooms are structured. Classes are becoming more student-centered and collaborative through the use of technology, but many tools are too costly to implement. Here are five free EdTech tools for Physics that I have used with success. These tools are not necessarily just for Physics, but have worked well for my Physics classroom!

1. Nearpod

I like to think about how technology can enrich an experience, rather than how it can replace something. It’s easy to add tech – it takes practice and reflection to make it enrich the curriculum. Nearpod is one of those tools that can truly enrich an otherwise lackluster lesson.

Nearpod is nearly limitless in its classroom possibilities. I discussed it a bit already in my 5 Ways to Make Instruction More Student Driven. It truly is the most powerful tool I use in the classroom. It can transform a lesson from static an uninspiring to whole class participation and collaboration.

Sample Draw It featuring student-drawn motion graphs in Nearpod
Here is a real sample of some student drawings using the Draw It feature. The teacher receives all the drawings and can share them out to the class. We spent several minutes in this class going through each drawing and discussing what type of motion it showed.

Some of my favorite features within Nearpod are:

  • Collaboration boards
  • Importing existing PowerPoints and adding activities easily
  • Integration with PhET
  • 3D models and virtual field trips
  • Adding a slideshow for structured browsing time
Sample Collaborate Tool in Nearpod - one of my favorite edtech tools for physics!
Possibly my favorite feature of Nearpod in action! These collaboration boards are a great way to have students ask questions, share thoughts, and gauge prior knowledge. I love giving students the opportunity to put things into their own words for each other.

2. PhET

I would bet that if you are reading this website about Physics, you are already familiar with PhET Interactive Simulations. It is one of the most popular and widely used EdTech tools for Physics. Thousands of science teachers use these simulations for virtual lab experiences.

Using the PhET spring simulation as a virtual lab
One of the guided inquiry labs I do using PhET is finding out the mystery mass for this oscillating spring.

One of the reasons I love PhET is the flexibility in the style of investigations you can do. Even if you currently use PhET, I challenge you to kick your activities to the next level by including guided inquiry opportunities. These simulations are perfect for inquiry you can’t physically do in the classroom.

If you are a teacher, PhET does have some teacher created lessons you can access and use. I find that many teachers don’t know about this feature! You sign up for an account using your school email address, and the tools are located under each simulation.

Resources available to teachers for every PhET simulation
Example of some of the teacher resources available. These were all created by other teachers. If you like PhET, maybe submit some of your own resources to share with others!

PhET is also slowly making its simulations HTML5. If you don’t use it because of compatibility issues, check if your favorites sims are updated!

3. Quizizz

I am a newer user of Quizizz, but this school year I began incorporating it frequently in my classroom.

I like Kahoot. Students love Kahoot. Kahoot just doesn’t work for me. I find that students like it TOO much, which can lead to chaos and students not really reading the questions carefully. I also find that it just doesn’t have the flexibility and customization tools I want.

Enter Quizizz. You can utilize Quizizz in many different ways. I tend to use it as a class warm up, or “bell work,” activity. I like the ability to turn off the question timer, add the memes for a good laugh, and assign it as in class or at home. You have the flexibility to make Quizizz as fast-paced or relaxed as you want. There are dozens of Quizizz made by other teachers, and it is super easy to add your own questions.

Quizizz also has really in depth item analysis tools, which I review with my students after each game.

Sample student data from Quizizz
One of the item analysis tools is this student performance matrix (I cut off the students’ names on the left). I like being able to see a snapshot of each question’s score, plus each student’s performance. My students struggled with these questions a lot, so we did some reinforcement after this!

4. Tes Teach

Tes Teach with Blendspace is a platform to make choice boards online. You can make the tiles a wide variety of activities, which makes giving students choices super user-friendly.

Example tic-tac-toe board using Tes Teach - another one of the best edtech tools for physics
Here is a board I made for AP Physics 1. Students had to make tic-tac-toe that went through the middle, ensuring each student completed the exit ticket.

These boards don’t always look super pretty, but they are an effective way to give student’s choices in their learning. It is important to strategically place activities so that all students are working at the same level of rigor. I wouldn’t want one student watching three videos while other does three higher level free response questions.

Setting up your tic-tac-toe board to maximize student learning
I found this super helpful graphic from @wterral on Twitter, using tips from @ShakeUpLearning

5. GoSoapBox

GoSoapBox is a new tool I am testing out. It is a diverse and promising tool. I really think this might be one of the most beneficial EdTech tools for Physics out there right now.

GoSoapBox has a plethora of features. The most intriguing one is a clicker-type interface that can act as a “back channel” for your class. While clickers aren’t anything new, they are expensive and not realistic for many schools. GoSoapBox works on practically any device and does so much more than the clickers I used in college.

Here is the teacher dashboard for a sample lesson I created. GoSoapBox calls their lessons “events.”

On the teacher dashboard, you can create quizzes, polls, and discussions for students to respond to using their device. The Social Q&A feature is my favorite, however. Students can write in questions during a lecture discussion, and other students can see those questions. Students can also “like” other questions to indicate they were thinking the same thing.

Some edtech tools for physics are available within GoSoapBox, such as this live confusion barometer to use during lecture style classes
This is what the students see on their device. There are currently no active quizzes or polls, but students can still ask questions and use the barometer.

The confusion barometer is another feature that could really benefit Physics classes. Sometimes I feel like I completely lose my class mid-discussion, and the confusion barometer can help me be aware of that. At any time, students can toggle the barometer to “I am confused” and the teacher will see how many students are lost.

There are hundreds of EdTech tools out there, and I discussed just five of them today. Do you know of any other EdTech tools for Physics classes? What are you doing to disrupt education in your classroom?