Written by Jordan Galerkin

Technology has never been more ever-present in our lives, and has never been more essential, especially to today’s youth. This generation has grown up with touch screens at their fingertips and supercomputers in their pockets, and digital literacy is second nature to most of them. Keep students engaged in the classroom by speaking their language - technology!

Now more than ever, there are thousands of technological and digital resources available to teachers in the classroom. But which ones are the most useful? We’re here to help answer that question!

If your school uses Clever, then you’ve already got access to and are likely using some great apps in the classroom. The Clever Library is a seemingly endless parade of apps, but we are here to help narrow down some of the most useful and popular Clever apps that you can use in your classroom to keep students engaged and interested in learning, while reducing your own workload. Take a look at these Clever apps that offer high-tech ways to engage your students in the classroom!

5 Clever Ways to Incorporate Technology in the Classroom

1. Zinc Learning Labs
   Zinc is a Clever app that aims to improve reading comprehension and literacy skills. They curate a variety of interesting online news articles at different reading levels, accompanied by vocabulary and comprehension quizzes as well as video-based close reading lessons. Their four-step process is designed to assess student skills, teach comprehension, promote an interest in reading, and monitor growth and progress.
   
   Grade Levels: 6-12
   What teachers are saying: "I got to use Zinc Learning Labs for supplementary vocabulary practice. My students love Zinc and all it has to offer."
   
   
2. Woot Math
   If you’re looking for a more technologically focused way to teach math, look no further than Woot Math. Woot Math is a Clever app that makes it easier on the teacher and the student! Students can take quizzes and follow lessons designed to assess and identify potential gaps in understanding. It is also data-driven and provides insights for teachers to view progress and identify any students who may be struggling. With customizable lesson content, classroom reports, and the ability for students to show their work on the app, teaching math has never been easier!
   
   Grade Levels:
   What teachers are saying: "Woot Math was useful for review lessons and warm-ups. It provided a change of pace from the usual direct instruction routine. My students enjoyed it."
   
   
3. iCivics
   If you’re teaching social studies, you won’t want to be without the iCivics Clever app! This app combines great visuals with games and lesson plans to teach students about American Civics and encourage future democratic participation. There’s a variety of activities, worksheets, and readings to choose from that provide a fun and educational experience.
   
   Grade Levels: 6-12
   What teachers are saying: "I absolutely love the way the games engage students with material that is not only important to the school curriculum, but vital to their role as active members of their government."
   
   
4. Book Creator
   If you want to inspire creativity in the classroom across a variety of subjects, try Book Creator! This creative Clever app allows students to create customizable, interactive e-books on any topic they choose, and you can showcase them in a digital library. Students can include images, audio, and video as well as G-Suite documents. The e-books can be used as presentations, learning journals, portfolios, reports and more!
   
   Grade Levels: K-12
   What teachers are saying: "My students are excited to write and publish their own books on Book Creator. They gain excellent graphic design skills in the process."
   
   
5. Track it Forward
   Track it Forward is a volunteer time tracking app that allows for students to log and track volunteer hours both in and outside of the classroom! Track it Forward is the first student volunteer time tracking app for Clever. Student volunteers can fulfill community service hours easier than ever before with our web and mobile app. Students, teachers, and administrators alike can view progress toward milestones and track hours according to different categories. Supervisors can require advanced verifications for off-site volunteering, approve and comment on hour logs, and run custom reports. Track it Forward can be used for student volunteer requirements and to track hours across different projects.
   
   Grade Levels: 6-12
   What teachers are saying: "[Track it Forward] is VERY easy to use with students getting volunteer hours, and customer support is super helpful with fast response time."

Track it Forward + Clever

You are most likely already using technology in your classroom, especially if your school uses Clever! Clever apps provide an engaging supplement to students’ educational experience. No matter what subject you’re teaching or club you’re supervising, there’s something in the Clever library for everyone. The benefits of logging into these educational apps with Clever include ease of access as well as improved security for students and staff.

If your students need to track community service hours for school, then Track it Forward is the perfect Clever app to use. In addition to easy, on-the-go hours logging, students can submit advanced verifications such as selfies, signatures, or GPS coordinates to verify community service hours no matter where they’re completed.