Digital Tools
List of digital tools I turn to time and again to engage students ion global perspectives & experiences.
A global media platform operated by the non-profit TED Foundation, dedicated to discovering and spreading ideas across science, technology, business, global issues, design, and the arts.
Key Platform Offerings
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Global Video Library: Free access to over 7,500 expert-led talks delivered by researchers, global leaders, activists, educators, and innovators from around the world.
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Multilingual Accessibility: Transcripts and subtitles available in over 100 languages, making talks accessible to diverse student populations and international classrooms.
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Curated Playlists & Topics: Categorized collections organized by theme, academic discipline, and specific global challenges (e.g., climate action, cultural identity, economic development).
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TEDx & Regional Perspectives: A global network of independently organized local events that highlight regional community voices and localized solutions to global issues.
My favorite talks:
Tayei Selasi: Don't ask where I'm from, as where I'm a local
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichhie: The Danger of a Single Story
Tim Urban: Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator
Angela Lee Duckworth: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Jad Abumrad: How Dolly Parton led me to an epiphany
* Requires a login
* Links to above talks are via YouTube
TED’s youth and education initiative, providing a free, global platform designed to spark curiosity, support educators, and foster knowledge-sharing among students worldwide.
Key Platform Offerings
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TED-Ed Original Animations: A library of short, animated videos produced through collaborations between educators, experts, and animators across a wide range of academic disciplines.
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Interactive Lesson Creator: A customizable framework that lets teachers build an interactive lesson around any TED-Ed video or YouTube link using four core components:
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Watch: The embedded video resource.
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Think: Comprehension checks featuring multiple-choice and open-ended questions.
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Dig Deeper: Curated supplementary readings, links, and context for extended research.
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Discuss: Guided discussion prompts to encourage student reflection and peer collaboration.
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* Requires a login
A digital collaboration tool that functions like an online virtual bulletin board. It allows users— educators, students, teams, and project managers—to post, organize, and share content in real time. Posts on a padlet can include text, images, videos, audio recordings, documents, links, drawings, and location maps. Multiple users can contribute, edit, comment, and react (like, vote, rate) simultaneously from any device without needing to reload the page.
*Requires a login
An AI platform designed specifically for educators, school leaders, and students to streamline administrative tasks, assist with lesson planning, and foster AI literacy in K-12 education.
My students and I have a blast having conversations with the authors we study. I was able to create a chatbot that would answer students' questions about the author, their life, influences & work. But I was able to tell the chatbot not to answer analysis questions about specific pieces we were about to read ~ that's the work of students' critical thinking and analysis skills. :)
* Requires a login
An interactive, web-based platform and mobile app that lets users explore live radio stations across the globe using a 3D digital globe interface.
I love using this before my Literature students begin reading a new novel ~ we study the author's background, life & historical context, and then look at the geography of the novel and the author. I play music from the locations in the novel and the author's birthplace.
A part of Cengage Learning, NatGeo is a leading educational publisher that creates learning materials by integrating National Geographic’s rich media—photography, video, mapmaking, and real-world storytelling—into academic curricula.
Core Focus Areas
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English Language Teaching (ELT/ESL): World-renowned programs for primary, secondary, higher education, and adult learners designed to develop global communication skills.
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K-12 School Education: Textbooks and digital tools across Science, Social Studies, Reading, and AP/Honors subjects.
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Global Citizenship & STEM: Curricula built around real-world issues, environmental stewardship, scientific inquiry, and cultural literacy.
Housed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Project Zero (PZ) is dedicated to understanding and enhancing learning. Its suite of Global Thinking Routines provides practical, low-prep strategies to encourage student discourse and perspective-taking. PZ focuses on making thinking visible, fostering global and intercultural competence, and teaches students to become reflective thinkers and engaged global citizens.
* Also linked in the Learn section, under Additional Resources
A global network providing the resources needed to foster empathy, curiosity, and civic responsibility in students and connecting middle and secondary school educators with worldwide reach.
Opportunities for teacher learning, strategies, and a free resource library; from history to language arts.
* Free resources available & allows for account/login
* Also linked in the Learn section, under Organizations