Technology Toolbox

Page overview

To find a simple list with all of the core supported tools at UAS, visit our page on core ed tech tools.

For more information about the tools or for help choosing the right tool, contact us!

To see videos on how some of these tools work, visit CELT's Tech Tools playlist.

Video Creation and Editing Tools

• Zoom - Not only can you record a meeting in Zoom, you can start a meeting with yourself as the only attendee and record it. You can record your webcam, audio, your screen or all of the above. You can also use the annotation tools as part of your presentation. Zoom will also auto-generate captions that you can correct and use to caption your videos.
• VoiceThread- VoiceThread is not a way of making traditional videos, but it still belongs on this list. It creates a series of videos or audio recordings that function as "slides". Each slide can be deleted or re-recorded as needed which means you can update materials without redoing the entire project. The biggest bonus is that VoiceThread projects are interactive.
• Screenpal - This is a versatile tool that allows you to record audio, webcam, and any part of your screen you wish to record. All UAS faculty can access the pro version of Screenpal. 
  • You can also upload directly to Youtube from Screenpal if you are using the Screenpal app (not from the browser). 

File formats

• Cloud Convert – Convert files.
• Ally File Transformer: convert documents to BeeLine format
  • works the same as the (Blackboard) Ally alt format within the LMS, but can be used with documents the student has downloaded separate from the course page
  • completely free, unlimited use

Student Collaboration Tools

• Perusall – annotate any PDF or EPUB that is original to you or to which you have the rights through your textbook or an open resource. Perusall also integrates with Blackboard. When you grade in Perusall, it uploads to grade center in Blackboard once you link your course to Perusall. You can have students buy their textbooks through Perusall (if available) and then they can annotate their textbook. Use through the website platform.
• Hypothes.is – annotate web pages and online PDFs or EPUBs. Install a chrome extension to use. 
• Google Tools
  • Docs, Slides, Sheets, Sites, Jamboard
• Padlet 
  • Easy-to-use digital bulletin board where users can post and organize content like text, images, videos, links, and files. It's commonly used in education for brainstorming, collaboration, portfolios, and resource sharing. Posts appear visually on a customizable board that can be organized in formats like grids, timelines, or freeform walls.
• Blackboard Tools
  • Groups
  • Peer review
  • Discussions
  • AI conversations

Assessment Tools

Traditional Assessments

• Respondus
• Blackboard Tests

Alternative Assessments

• ePortfolio or Google Sites for portfolio building
• VoiceThread or Screenpal for video presentations and demonstrations
• Canva for infographics

Formative Assessments

• Google Forms
• Polling Tools
  • Slido - works with Google slides or with PowerPoint. Very convenient for students to join by QR code. The free version allows 3 questions per slideshow.
  • Poll Everywhere – free unlimited questions and a large variety of very cool question types. Not as convenient for students to join.
• Competition
  • Kahoot - multiple choice quiz competition
  • Quizlet Live – Uses a prepared flashcard deck to create a game similar to Kahoot, but with a collaborative option. Group members must work together to answer the questions. (This would not work well for a hybrid class.)

Creativity Tools

Photo Editing

• Gimp - free, open resource; a good replacement for Adobe Photoshop

Graphics

• Canva - the free version has templates for posters, images, flyers, newsletters. The PDF exports are not accessible, so don't use in your course for informational purposes
• Greenshot - a free, open source software for taking screen shots. This tool is so good I can't believe it's free. If you use screenshots, you need this tool.
• Photos and graphics for presentations - a list of links to image repositories.
• Cloud Convert – Convert video into GIF format. Limited editing functions.

Audio/Podcasting

• Podbean or Buzzsprout - platforms for podcasting with publication capabilities.
• Audacity - Free and open source audio editor and recorder for Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux and other operating systems.

A little bit of everything

• Adobe Creative Cloud Express – this used to be Adobe Spark. It doesn’t have as many options and it isn’t quite as user friendly as the options above. But, you can make a lot of types of projects. The free plan gives you 2 GB of storage.