3 Fun Tech Apps to Bring the Joy Factor to your Class Before the Winter Break

The 2020 school year has been full of many rapid shifts, continuous changes, and challenges for so many educators. Although the end of semester Holiday celebrations may a look a little different this year, there are still some cool ways to have some virtual fun and bring the the joy factor to your classroom. We all deserve it! So, have a bit fun with your students, colleagues and/or staff before you leave for the winter break. Here are 3 fun Tech applications to end the 2020 school semester with your students despite their mode of learning!

PhotoFunia

Have a holly jolly time with PhotoFunia, a quick and easy application that will easily insert your images into interactive templates. You and your students can enjoy creating fun, virtual keepsakes that can be displayed and shared with family. Simply select a template, snap or upload a picture, and download to save. These keepsakes are a great way to bring the joy factor to your classroom. Create a gallery on a Google Site, setup a virtual display in your classroom via a PowerPoint or Google Slides, or even save photos for students to present to their parents.

Snow Globe with Personal Message

Create Nice List Certificates

Make a Santa Snow Angel

Create a Christmas Present Image

Elf Yourself

Surprise your students with your stylish Holiday dance moves as an Elf! This a great way to virtually celebrate the Holiday Season before the winter break. Check out me and my fellow Ed Tech colleague as dancing Elves. This fun video took less than 1 minute to create and allows you to add up to 5 dancing elves. Elf Yourself is a currently a free tool on the web, but the shared link to the video is temporary and will expire with an option to purchase a downloaded copy. However, the mobile application is set up a bit different than the web version but it does have a free downloadable template available.

FlipGrid for Holiday Fun

Flipgrid is a great instructional tool to empower your student’s voice through video or audio. Many teachers use it with their students for various instructional reasons from lesson reflections to explaining an idea or concept. It’s also a great tool to have some Holiday Fun. Check out some of these Holiday Topics created by different teachers that can be found on the Discovery tab of the FlipGrid site:

Published by Dr. Jocelyn McDonald

Dr. Jocelyn McDonald is an educational technologist, podcaster, blogger, and founder of #TechItUp, LLC. #TechItUp, LLC is a professional learning and technology solutions company dedicated to supporting educators and educational leaders with the implementation of technology to create meaningful student learning experiences. She has trained and developed thousands of teachers, school administrators, instructional specialists and various educators on effective practices to integrate technology, instructional design, efficient and sustainable systems, as well as change management and strategic planning. She is a proud advocate for social change in education and is dedicated to making a positive impact. She was featured, as a contributing author, in the book Women Who Lead in Technology and continues to create meaningful learning experiences for students in underrepresented communities through hosting Digital Skills Camps and STEM events. She holds a Bachelors in Chemistry, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in Instructional Technology, and a Ph.D. in Educational Technology. With 16+ years in education, she is passionate about supporting the transformation of education through technology for equitable access to 21st-century education while also serving as a Program Director for Technology Applications, Computer Science, and STEM for an urban school district in Houston, Texas. She makes strong efforts to use her influence to impact achievement in schools by building relationships with various stakeholders and looks forward to closing equity and diversity gaps in education. View all posts by Dr. Jocelyn McDonald