What are some examples of digital tools in education?

Perhaps you are currently setting up digital education. Or maybe you are exploring other forms of online learning. If so, you are likely already aware of a major advantage that e-learning brings: the ability to ensure that your students can acquire knowledge in many different ways.

These methods go beyond just reading, watching, and listening. Online, there is the possibility to create lifelike simulations or set up an interactive game. Acquiring knowledge in various ways creates a rich learning experience, which contributes to better learning outcomes. You can create such a rich learning experience with the help of digital tools. In this blog, we provide 4 examples of effective digital tools to use in education or elsewhere.

But what are digital educational tools exactly?

What are digital tools in education?

Digital educational tools are technological aids that you can use to prepare, support, or enrich your lessons. E-learning is one example of a digital tool. But beyond e-learning, there are numerous other tools you can use to provide your students with an optimal learning experience!

Moreover, digital tools are extremely well-suited for achieving long-term behavioral change. Think of teaching a new learning strategy that you want your students to continue applying themselves in the long run.

It is a challenge, but with digital tools, it is possible! Provided, of course, that the e-learning meets certain conditions. In this blog, we provide examples of digital tools that contribute to effective and long-term behavioral change.

4 online tool examples

1. Microlearning

Microlearning also falls under the category of educational tools. It consists of small, bite-sized pieces of information focused on achieving a specific learning objective. These pieces of information are often presented in an engaging media format such as podcasts, GIFs, videos, quizzes, and so on. This makes the information easily and quickly accessible from various devices like laptops, tablets, and phones, allowing learning to take place in just a few minutes.

Microlearning is incredibly well-suited for achieving small steps in behavioral change. Think, for example, of a 3-5 minute video in which you indicate what the student can do every day to make progress. Or, discuss one important message per microlearning that the student really needs to take to heart. The clearer, more focused, and shorter the message, the greater the chance that it will actually stick—provided it is also conveyed in a fun, interesting, and persuasive way, of course.

You might be familiar with the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. In it, Clear discusses how small changes in habits can have a huge impact on long-term behavior.

The book provides a clear example. If a pilot were to adjust their plane's course by 3.5 degrees, do you think much would change? It doesn't seem like much, right? Yet, the plane ends up at a completely different destination. It is the same with habits. A small change in behavior can lead to major changes in the outcome.

Furthermore, the shorter the learning intervention, the greater the chance that someone is willing to learn. In our busy lives, it is simply easier to free up 5 minutes than an hour or more. With a short learning element, such as a video with daily tips, there is a good chance that the learner will also complete the next microlearning.

And so, it is a misconception that these lightning-fast learning moments are ineffective. Especially when we are talking about behavioral change. Daily repetition is simply the key to lasting behavioral change!

2. Start a community‍

You might not expect it, but a community certainly falls under the category of digital tools. A community of people who have the same behavioral change in mind is a powerful tool for achieving that change. Think, for example, of a group of people who all want to lose weight, or a number of entrepreneurs who all want to be visible on social media, or simply a group of enthusiastic people who want to learn a specific skill.

We humans are social creatures, after all, and we value recognition from our peers, whether we want to admit it or not.

That is why starting a community is an ideal way for learners to support, help, and encourage each other during the process toward the desired behavioral change. You can do this by creating a shared group on Facebook. Here, you can spend time weekly, or even daily, celebrating successes. Offering extra challenges or in-depth material is also an effective addition. Furthermore, you should not overlook the opportunity for them to ask questions or share information with one another!

When looking for online teaching tools, the answer is a bit more obvious. A class is a community! It’s a missed opportunity not to leverage that. Benefit from one another by using tools that allow students to ask each other questions about the course material. You’ll kill two birds with one stone: coming up with questions leads to a deeper understanding of the material, and you don’t have to do it yourself!

For example, implement the following digital tools:

• ‍Padlet is a handy tool you can use to take advantage of the class as a community. It’s essentially an online bulletin board for sharing ideas and comments with one another.
• Additionally, you could start a discussion in Pluvo. For instance, have everyone introduce themselves as an assignment, or have everyone submit questions before an online session takes place. Vary your approach and keep your students engaged with this great functionality!

‍3. Gamification & lifelike simulations‍

When we talk about digital tools for education, gamification is perhaps the most striking. For children and young people, there’s nothing like a competitive game.

But don’t underestimate it. Adults are often just as competitive when it comes down to it ;-)

Gamification involves using game elements to make learning activities more challenging and fun. Traditional game mechanics are applied to increase engagement in the learning process. Think of scoring points, competing with others, and following game rules. Additionally, receiving feedback on your learning progress is essential for staying motivated.

If a student sees that another learner has earned more stars, points, or awards that week, it encourages them to put in more effort and climb higher on the digital leaderboard. This game element can form the basis for interesting (or funny) conversations. That’s when learning truly comes to life.

Furthermore, gamification can be effectively used to make students aware of the added value of behavioral change. The first step toward effective behavioral change is realizing that it will actually help them in daily life. For example, realizing that a new learning strategy will actually lead to better grades...

This is because gamification brings the learned material to life, especially when presented in the form of virtual role-plays. If these virtual role-plays are designed so that different answers lead to different outcomes, we call it a lifelike simulation.

Think, for example, of a training session on how to become more assertive. You could confront someone in the game with a rude conversation partner. If the person responds using old patterns (too hesitant or too polite), you can have the other party react increasingly rudely and aggressively. However, if the person responds using newly acquired knowledge about assertiveness, the conversation in the simulation will lead to a better, more constructive outcome.

As you can see, online tools can come very close to physical learning moments.

Some great tips include:

• Escape the classroom. In this scenario, children must find a way to escape the classroom within a digital environment. They do this by answering questions and solving problems.
• Submission assignments in Pluvo. Give your students a creative assignment, such as writing a story or creating a digital design. Then, have them provide feedback on each other's work and vote for the best one! The person with the most nominations wins a nice prize ;-)

4. Analytics

‍Finally, it is always a good idea to use a digital tool that allows you to monitor progress. To encourage new behavior, it helps to analyze existing behavior. How often are your students active in the e-learning? At what times of the day? For how long? What do they interact with?

Collect this data and lay it out for yourself. This will tell you exactly how to make your training even more effective so that you can meet the needs of the student.

Do you perhaps also offer “live” online sessions or “Q&As”? Then this data can tell you exactly when you are most likely to have the largest number of students present, allowing you to reach the greatest number of people.

An effective tool for getting started with analytics is, of course, the learning management system from Pluvo. You can generate reports on your students' data in no time. This allows you to see their percentage of correct answers and how much time they spent on a lesson module within your e-learning. You can integrate an infinite number of digital tools into this online learning environment. Think of Mentimeter, Kahoot, PowerPoint, or a tool for hosting online meetings.

Types of digital learning tools

We have only mentioned a few examples of effective e-learning tools that can be used to drive behavioral change. Digitization, as a supplement to physical education, makes learning not only easier but also more fun and interactive. There are simply more possibilities! As a final tip, we recommend combining synchronous tools with asynchronous tools. By synchronous tools, we mean that your students use the technological learning tool at the same time. With asynchronous tools, your students work at different times, at their own pace.

The mix of synchronous and asynchronous tools is also known as blended learning and contributes to better retention of the material!

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