what tool header

What Tool do I Use? – Match a Tech Tool with Your Teaching Goal

You might have a goal of what you want to do for students but how do you choose which tool to use?

We’ve broken our supported tools up into groups by usage goal.  In the chart below, you can see which tools will help in each of these areas.

Scroll through the chart for each of these sections.

  • Engage with students
  • Communicate with students
  • Content delivery
  • Assessments
  • Student collaboration
  • Evaluate & monitor student progress
  • Personalize learning
  • Accessibility

(BSP) denotes a tool built into Brightspace

(I) denotes a tool that integrates directly into Brightspace

Access or print a Google Docs version of this table with your Meredith Google account.

**Last updated 6/24/22

What do you want to do?Tool you needLearn more about it
Engage with studentsDiscussion (BSP)
Text based discussion threads
Create & manage discussion forums

Create a forum (video)
Flipgrid
Video discussion platform.  Students can respond with their own audio, video, or text.
IDAT blog posts

Infobase Learning Cloud training module

Getting started with flipgrid (video)
Kahoot!
Game-based quiz platform.  You can use it for informal quizzing, review, attendance…
IDAT blog posts

How to create a Kahoot! (video)

Take a tour of the new Kahoot! (video)
MindMup
Mind mapping/ visual mapping software integrated with Google Drive
IDAT blog posts

YouTube tutorials from MindMup (videos)
VoiceThread (I)
Multi-media discussions.  Students can comment on a VoiceThread presentation or create their own
IDAT blog posts

Infobase Learning Cloud training module

Tutorials from VoiceThread (videos)
Communicate with studentsAnnouncements (BSP)
Post announcements to your Brightspace course homepage
Make regular announcements (video)
Calendar (BSP)
Add start,end, & due dates assignments, assessments, etc.  Students can import into other calendar apps
Using Brightspace calendar and dates (IDAT blog)

Create an event (video)
Email (BSP)
Directly email students/class from the Brightspace Classlist
Email learners in Brightspace
Gmail
Every student has a Meredith Gmail account that you should use for any email communication
Infobase Learning Cloud training module

Gmail training & help (resource page from Google)
Pulse (BSP)
This app version of Brightspace puts the platform right on students phones to easily get alerts & communication
Download for Apple

Download for Android

Stay Productive while on-the-go with the Brightspace Pulse App (video)
Survey (BSP)
Setup quick surveys.  They can be anonymous and have rating style questions
Set up a survey
Content DeliveryContent (BSP)
Set up modules and sub-modules to link and organize your course content in one place
Create course content with the Content tool (training list from Brightspace)
Flipgrid
Video discussion platform.  Present content in text and video form for students to watch and interact with
IDAT blog posts

Infobase Learning Cloud training module

Getting started with Flipgrid (video)
Google Workspace (formerly GSuite)
Use Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Forms to create content.  Link in Brightspace or share through Gmail
IDAT blog posts

Infobase Learning Cloud training modules

Google Workplace learning center (choose training by tool)
Kaltura (I)
Allows for screen recording and video hosting.  All videos machine captioned. Zoom cloud recordings automatically sent to Kaltura.
Taming Zoom video with Kaltura (IDAT blog)

Kaltura training page (IDAT blog)
VoiceThread (I)
Multi-media discussions.  Present content with slides, video, and/or audio
IDAT blog posts

Infobase Learning Cloud training module

YouTube tutorials from VoiceThread (videos)
WeVideo
Video editing software.  Add image, text, callouts, audio, and more to your videos
IDAT blog posts

WeVideo academy (tutorial videos)
Zoom
Video conferencing software.  Present your live lectures, screen share, or administer polls
IDAT blog posts

Infobase Learning Cloud training module

Zoom video tutorials
AssessmentsAssignments (BSP)
Students can upload and submit assignments directly in Brightspace.  Included annotation to markup assignments online
IDAT blog posts

Create assignments and assess submissions (training list from Brightspace)
Discussion (BSP)
Text based discussion threads.  Set up to be graded and added to Brightspace Gradebook
Create & manage discussion forums

Create a forum (video)
Lockdown Browser (I)
Remote proctoring.  Lock browser functions for students during quizzes
IDAT blog posts

Infobase Learning Cloud training module

LockDown Browser resources

Portfolio (BSP)
Provides an online space to collect learning evidence for students
Collect Learning Evidence with Brightspace Portfolio (training list from Brightspace)
Quizzes (BSP)
Assessment tool with multiple question types, some automatically graded.  Shuffle questions or add proctoring for cheating deterrence
IDAT blog posts

How To’s for Quizzes

Creating and Managing Quizzes (training list from Brightspace)
Self-assessment (BSP)
An ungraded formative assessment tool for students to assess their learning
Allow learners to reflect on their learning (training list from Brightspace)

Deciding Between Using Quizzes, Surveys or Self Assessments
Turnitin (I)
Checks originality and deters plagiarism for student submitted work
IDAT blog posts

Assignments and Turnitin
VoiceThread (I)
Multi-media discussions.  Set up Comment, Create, or Watch assignments to automatically link to Brightspace Gradebook
New VoiceThread assignment builder in  Brightspace (IDAT blog)

Infobase Learning Cloud training module

YouTube tutorials from VoiceThread (videos)
Student Collaboration
Discussion (BSP)
Text based discussion threads.  Can use this with the Groups feature to create private discussion boards for group projects
Create & manage discussion forums

Create a forum (video)

How Do I Create Group Discussion Topics?
Google Workspace (formerly GSuite)
Use the sharing feature in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, or Drive to share and real-time collaborate
IDAT blog posts

Infobase Learning Cloud training modules

Share and collaborate with files (Google Workplace learning center)
Groups (BSP)
Use groups to organize students for projects and assignments.  Groups can even submit a single group assignment
Create group work areas for learners (training list from Brightspace)
MindMup
Mind mapping/ visual mapping software integrated with Google Drive.  Sharing follows Google Drive sharing permissions
IDAT blog posts

YouTube tutorials from MindMup (videos)
VoiceThread (I)
Multi-media discussions.  Collaborate with other commenters and even let others add new slides to the presentation
Collaborating with commenters (video)
WeVideo
Video editing software.  Now allows for real-time collaboration on video
IDAT blog posts

WeVideo academy (tutorial videos)

New feature: Collaborate & edit videos in real time (post w/video)
Evaluate & Monitor Student ProgressAnnotation Tool (BSP)
Directly annotate assignments submitted to Brightspace.  Add text, highlights, and notes
Using the annotation tool
Class Progress (BSP)
View, track, and compare learner progress
Class progress tool for instructors (3 video playlist)
Gradebook (BSP)
Links directly to course content to record associated grades from content
IDAT blog posts

Create a grading system

Grades tool for instructors (13 videos playlist)
Portfolio (BSP)
Provides an online space to collect learning evidence for students
Collect learning evidence with Brightspace Portfolio (training list from Brightspace)
Quick Eval (BSP)
Gives a quick view of all ungraded submissions in one place
About Quick Eval

Grade submissions using quick eval (video)
Quizzes (BSP)
Build quizzes with multiple different question types.  Some can be automatically graded and added to the gradebook
IDAT blog posts

Creating and managing quizzes (training list from Brightspace)

Quizzes (16 video playlist)
Rubrics (BSP)
Helps lay out a set of criteria for fair and consistent grading.
Also allows for quick grading when attached to an activity
IDAT blog posts

Rubric basics

Rubric tools (4 video playlist)
Tool Statistics (BSP)
View statistics on how students are accessing and engaging with your course components
Learn about statistical tools in D2L Brightspace
Personalize LearningAwards, Badges, and Certificates (BSP)
Grant merit based awards in the form of badges or certificates.  Can be automatically or manually awarded
Issue awards to recognize learner accomplishments (training list from Brightspace)

Awards tool (5 video playlist)
Portfolio (BSP)
Provides an online space to collect learning evidence for students.  The style and content is personalized to the student
Collect learning evidence with Brightspace Portfolio (training list from Brightspace)
Release Conditions (BSP)
Attach conditions to content that must be met before the content is displayed
Create a custom learning path in a course (training list from Brightspace)
Special Access (BSP)
Add special access for students who need different access for content or quizzes such as extended time for meeting learning accommodations
Set up Brightspace accommodations by student for all quizzes (IDAT blog)

Set release conditions and special access in Assignments

Grant special access to users for a quiz (video)

Add restrictions to an assignment (video)
AccessibilityALLY (I)
Accessibility tool for Brightspace.  Gives an score on the accessibility of content and allows you to generate alternative format versions of that content
Library of Accessibility Resources (ALLY module)

Infobase Learning Cloud training module
Flipgrid
Video discussion platform.  Although focused on video, Flipgrid also has video and audio plus an immersive reader and captions
Empower learners with immersive reader in flipgrid

Closed Captions: editing, changing the language, generating and disabling
Google Meet
Video conferencing software.  Live captions are available during meetings
Google Meet training and help (Google Workplace learning center)

Use captions in a video call
ReadSpeaker (I)
Text-to-speech program that will read text to you, highlight as you read, export as audio file, and more.

Use it with text and docs in and outside of Brightspace.
Infobase Learning Cloud training module
Kaltura (I)
All videos machine captioned with tool for manually editing. Captions create a searchable transcript. Can order captions for videos in Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, German.
Editing captions – go to section 3. video options, editing, & captions (IDAT blog)

Kaltura training page (IDAT blog)
VoiceThread (I)
Multi-media discussions.  VoiceThread has an HTML site called VoiceThread Universal that is built for full screen readers
VoiceThread Universal (for screen readers)
Zoom
Video conferencing software.  Now has live transcription.  Also has a full transcription download if video is recorded.
Zoom Live Transcriptions (IDAT blog)

Brightspace pieces modified from Mapping Brightspace Functionality (Higher Education)

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