Innovative Digital Tools for Online Learning

Abstract

Professional development (PD) is crucial in creating a successful and effective teaching and learning environment. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many teachers had to learn and master technology quickly. Therefore, PD programs became highly important to support teachers’ needs while exploring and learning online tech tools and implementing them in their educational environment. During Spring 2021, 14 educators participated in PD sessions related to mathematics and making activities and focused on introducing new virtual tech tools (CoSpaces Edu, iRobot, Tinkercad, Scratch, Ozobot). The primary goal of this paper was to gain insight into teachers’ user experiences regarding the tech tools and to understand their experiences and challenges using these tools in online settings. The study results showed that some teachers found it challenging to access technological tools and allocate time to design and create learning environments with them, especially during the pandemic. However, they were aware of the potential and advantages of these tech tools, such as increasing student motivation and engagement, supporting hands-on learning, and exploring curriculum connections.