Your guide to Self-Directed Learning

Learn Faster and Smarter

Innovative Tools
for
Educators and Learners

Compiled by
Mr. Ebrahim Aldesouqi
The Most Popular Digital Education Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1-ClassDojo is a tool to improve

student behavior: teachers provide
their students with instant
feedback so that good disposition
in class is 'rewarded' with points
and students have a more receptive
attitude towards the learning
process.
2-Kahoot is an educational
platform that is based on games
and questions. Through this tool,
teachers can create questionnaires,
discussions, or surveys that
complement academic lessons.
3-TED-Ed is an educational platform
that allows creating educational
lessons with the collaboration of
teachers, students, animators-
generally people who want to expand
knowledge and good ideas.
4-Animoto is a digital tool that allows
you to create high-quality videos in a
short time and from any mobile
device, inspiring students and helping
improve academic lessons.
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

5-Edmodo is an educational tool

that connects teachers and
students, and is assimilated into a
social network. In this one,
teachers can create online
collaborative groups, administer
and provide educational materials,
measure student performance, and
communicate with parents, among
other functions.
6-Thinglink allows educators to
create interactive images with
music, sounds, texts, and
photographs. These can be shared
on other websites or on social
networks, such as Twitter and
Facebook.
7-Storybird aims to promote writing
and reading skills in students through
storytelling. In this tool, teachers can
create interactive and artistic books
online through a simple and easy to
use interface. The stories created can
be embedded in blogs, sent by email,
and printed, among other options.
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

8-cK-12 is a website that seeks to

reduce the cost of academic books
for the K12 market in the United
States and the world. To achieve its
objective, this platform has an open
source interface that allows creating
and distributing educational
material through the internet, which
can be modified and contain videos,
audios, and interactive exercises.
9-Socrative is a system that allows
teachers to create exercises or
educational games which students
can solve using mobile devices,
whether smartphones, laptops, or
tablets. Teachers can see the results
of the activities and, depending on
these, modify the subsequent
lessons in order to make them more
personalized.
10-Edpuzzle is a platform that allows
you to share videos with students
and also embed pop-in questions
while keeping track of your students’
progress through some metrics.
Free Photo and Image Editing Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1- Cacoo is a user friendly online

drawing tool that allows you to
create a variety of diagrams such as
site maps, wire frames, UML and
network charts. Cacoo can be used
free of charge.
2- With PhotoPeach you can create
a rich slideshow in seconds to
engage your friends or family. We
also support background music,
captions, and comments so you can
elaborate on your story further.
3-Here you can resize images
maintaining quality, edges and
texture. This means Reshade
reduces or eliminates most of the
usual side-effects of photo
enlargement.
4-Make Free Photo Slideshow. It's
so easy that just about anyone can
tell an engaging, one-of-a-kind
PhotoShow story in just minutes!
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

5-Voki is a FREE service that lets you

create customized avatars. Add voice
to your Voki avatars. Post your Voki to
any blog, website, or profile. Take
advantage of Voki's learning
resources.

6-Create for free enjoyable and

captivating Flash Charts from your
web browser.

7-Pixlr is the most popular online

photo editor in the world.

8-Make Amazing Animated Videos!

Use our Video Maker to create
videos for free.
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

9-Looking for a new way to express

yourself? Mash up music, photos,
videos, & more to express what
you care about. Your ideas, your
emotions, your Glogster.That’s it!
Everything on Glogster is free &
always will be.
10-Instantly create Animated GIF
online, free, right now! Just upload
pictures or grab them from your
Flickr.

11-This is an online full paint

application. Draw online with paint
tool. Save on your disk your
drawings and send your drawing to
the public gallery.
12-With DoppelMe you can create
a cool graphical likeness of
yourself, your friends, family or any
group of people for use as an
avatar in forums, instant
messenger, blogs and almost
anywhere else on the web.
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

13-CoSketch is a multi-user online

whiteboard designed to give you
the ability to quickly visualize and
share your ideas as images.

14-Draw Diagrams Online, free.

draw.io is an online diagramming
application and github project. It
features the full range of visual
configuration you expect, as well
as web application features such
as a full range of export options , a
large collection of icons, real-time
collaboration and embedded
widget sharing.

15-Intuitive and fun to use. Re-

imagine your living space. Model
buildings for Google Earth. Use
SketchUp for free.
Free Sticky Notes Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1- Padlet gives you a blank page

(a wall) and you put anything you
want on it, anywhere.

2-It's a simple, easy-to-use,

absolutely free, fast and efficient
note taking software.

3- Scrumblr is a web-based simulation

of a physical agile sprint board that
supports real-time collaboration.

4- Free sticky notes reminders for

your desktop. A simple, easy-to-use
sticky notes software for Windows.
Free Video Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1-Screencast-O-Matic is a
screencast tool which has both
web-based and desktop versions.
It’s very easy to use and will run so
long as you have Java installed on
your computer. It has free video
hosting and allows you to record
your screen or both your screen
and webcam.
2-Rylstim is a very simple and easy
to use Screen Recorder which,
aside from capturing your screen,
also allows you to record events
happening on the monitor including
right and left clicks.
3- With PowToon, you can create
animated presentations and videos.
Using animated presentations in
the classroom allows teachers and
students to engage, explain and tell
a story with impact.
4- Apowersoft is a free web-based
application which is capable of
creating a video in multiple modes.
Just download a launcher on your
PC and you will be able to use it
freely.
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

5-Jing is a simple program

developed by Techsmith
Company and now is widely used
for creating a basic video as well
as taking a screenshot.

6-CamStudio is a downloadable
software that lets you record your
screen along with the audio.
Videos created with CamStudio
produce AVI or SWF format
outputs.
7-Hippo Video is an all-in-one online
video tool for education. It takes
care of the entire life cycle of video,
from creating, editing, hosting,
sharing to tracking.

8-This is more of a video

community than a creation tool.
You can use it to host and upload
your videos to share with others.
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

9-Magisto is a video editing web tool

that you can use to turn plain videos
into beautifully produced movies.

10-Overstream makes it easy to for

you to add subtitles for online
videos. Watch the tutorial it
featured on its homepage to learn
how to add subtitles to videos.
Free Testing and Quizzing Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1-EasyTestMaker is a free online

test generator to help you create
your tests. You can create multiple-
choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching,
short answer and true and false
questions all on the same test. You
can also insert instructions and
divide your test into multiple
sections.
2- With ClassTools, you can create
free games, quizzes, activities and
diagrams in seconds! Host them on
your own blog, website or intranet!
No signup, no passwords, no
charge!

3-Make Free Facebook Quizzes and

Free Online Quizzes. Interactive
Multimedia Quizzes That Can Be
Embedded On Any Site.
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

4-What2Learn is a site offering

lots of review games on topics in
math, science, social studies, and
language arts. Most of the games
are of the question and answer
variety. Students can play the
games without registering on the
site.

5-If you are a teacher you can use

15,000 quizzes in every subject or
you can create quizzes, surveys,
tests, eportfolios and more.

6-With ProProfs Quiz School, you can

Create Online Tests & Quizzes Easily.
Over 100,000 quizzes created. Over 1
million quiz takers.

7-QuizSlides is the easy way to

create stylish, interactive online
test!
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

8-You can choose from the following

six types of questions to create your
interactive quiz: crossword,
multiple-choice, short-answer, gap-
fill, matching/ordering and jumbled-
sentence.

9-Use games to enhance your

classroom teaching! On this site you
will find more than just one or two
games, we have categories of games
for all types of classrooms.

10-JeopardyLabs allows you to

create a customized jeopardy
template without PowerPoint. The
games you make can be played
online from anywhere in the world.
Building your own jeopardy
template is a piece of cake.
Survey and Polls Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1-Google Forms, you can run a survey,

or quickly create a team roster with a
simple online form. Then check out
the results, neatly organized in a
spreadsheet.

2-The easiest way to create polls,

surveys and html forms... on the web

3-Vizzualforms is a web based service

that will let you create forms and
surveys, publish them online and see
the results!

4-SurveyMonkey is the world's most

popular online survey tool. It's easier
than ever to send free surveys, polls,
questionnaires, customer feedback
and market research.

5-Professional online surveys. Fastest

online survey tool on the market.
Beautiful yet simple color themes.
Web Conferencing Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1- With Google+ Hangouts you can

have a video group chat for up to 10
people for free! It is a powerful tool
much better than a Web Chat.

2-Skype allows for group video

calling where users from anywhere
in the world can get together and
share, celebrate and collaborate.

3-WebEx web conferencing

combines file and presentation
sharing with voice, HD video and
new Meeting Spaces.

4-GoToMeeing offers easy

conferencing and online meeting
tools that lets you work with
anyone, anywhere.

5-BigBlueButton enables universities

and colleges to deliver a high-quality
learning experience to remote
students.
Content, File Sharing & Collaboration
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1- Columns — Checklists
arranged into columns for
planning and organization.

2-Communicate better,
transform your e-learning.

3-Save time capturing your

handwritten notes. Digitize
faster. Work smarter.

4-MakePad – Manage all your

projects in one place.

5-Slite:
The note app for teams to share
knowledge.
Free PDF Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1-Adobe Reader is a trusted high

quality tool that allows you to
view and print your PDF files. It
also lets you interact with PDF
content, including multimedia.
2-Every tool you need to use
PDFs, at your fingertips. All are
100% FREE and easy to use!
Merge, split, compress, convert,
rotate, unlock and watermark
PDFs with just a few clicks.
3-Online PDF editor. Edit PDF files
for free. Fill & sign PDF

4-This is probably one of the

most user-friendly free PDF tools
that offer you so many features.

5-Small pdf is considered on of

the best online tools to edit PDF
documents.
Slides and Presentations Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1- iSlide – Make PowerPoint

Design Easy so every
Presentation Can be Wonderful!

2- Datawrapper : Enrich your

stories with charts, maps and
tables.

3- Preszentit is another
PowerPoint look alike, it allows
you to create impressive
presentations and you'll be able
to share, work remotely and use
your slides, wherever you are.

4-P rezi’s presentation software is

one of the best PowerPoint
alternatives.

5- Clearslide is an online
presentation platform that lets
users create, manage, share and
measure presentations.
Creating Infographics Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1- Create infographics and

interactive online charts. It's free
and super-easy!

2- Piktochart- Make Information

Beautiful. Create infographics.
Engaging presentation app.

3- Venngage is built for people

who work with data.

4- Wordle is a toy for generating

“word clouds” from text that you
provide.

5- Visual.ly is the world's largest

community of infographics and
data visualization
Free Podcast Tools
 Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

1- Ardour is a free, fully-featured

digital audio workstation.

2-Record video and audio

podcasts. Receive in-line calls
from listeners.

3- Create your own podcast. Find

links to audio files on the Web.
Huffduff the links—add them to
your podcast.

4-StudioRack is a modular live

audio and video production
system.

5- Share Your Sounds. Capture a

voice, moment or music in
seconds or upload audio you’ve
already created.
Whether you choose to support your existing
education or learn a new skill, it's never too late
to become a life-long learner. These online
education websites can help you gain valuable
knowledge, earn a certificate, complete a degree
or simply expand your horizon.

ELT, Expert in E-Learning and Professional Development

Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

Top Sites for Online Education

Compiled by
Mr. Ebrahim Aldesouqi
1- Udemy

Global marketplace for

learning and teaching online.
You can find both free and
paid content in the website. If
you prefer, you can also build
tailored courses from its
lessons.
Udemy has become a giant in
online learning and now
offers courses on almost
every topic. Though most of
the courses are paid but they
are offered at relatively low
prices.
2- Coursera

Coursera has partnered with

leading universities in the U.S. and
around the world to provide online
courses covering dozens of
different subjects.

Coursera has a wide diversity of

subjects available to choose from;
everything from data science to
musical theory. As Coursera prides
itself on being accessible to
everyone, many of the courses are
either free or very cheap to to take,
with only the official certification
at the end having a higher cost
involved.
3- Udacity

Udacity is a platform with a strong

focus on technology, with a small
but well-crafted selection of
courses.

Udacity’s pricing structure allows

you to pay monthly for your
courses; if you decide to drop a
program before completing it, you
pay for the course up to that point,
rather than the whole thing.
4- Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a non-profit online

platform providing a completely free
library of educational “micro-
lectures.” Focusing on more
traditional academic subjects, Khan
Academy provides a mix of video and
text-based materials in math,
science, economics, humanities, and
a bit of computer programming.
Since Khan Academy is free for
anyone to use, it’s a great to way to
get a taste for a subject before
moving onto a more advanced course
elsewhere.
5- Open Culture Online Courses

If you are struggling to find exactly

the material you are looking for,
try Open Culture’s listing of free
online education courses. The page
highlights 1000 lectures, videos
and podcasts from universities
around the world. The site features
a lot of material found only on
universities private sites, all in easy
to browse categories. This means
you can find hundreds of university
courses, without having to visit
and search each university’s own
site. A very helpful resource for
finding many courses in one area
of study.
6- Skillshare

Skillshare is a community marketplace

for new skills. With a broad range of
different subjects to choose from,
Skillshare offers an online catalog of
video-based courses, as well as in-
person workshops in cities like San
Francisco and New York.

Many classes are available to take

without a membership at a cost of
around $20-$30 each, but top classes-
taught by industry leaders-are only
available with a Skillshare
membership. Membership costs $9.95
per month and, while it doesn’t get
you any free content, it does provide
20 percent off of all classes.
7- Alison

Alison is a good education

site offering certification in
some areas. Alison offers
courses mainly in business,
technology, and health, but
also includes language
learning courses.

It’s a great option if users

need certification for their
learning as Alison also offers
school curriculum courses.
8- Lynda

LYNDA offers a subscription-

based video tutorial library. Think
of it as an education-based
Netflix. A great option for people
who are visual learners, and at a
reasonable cost of $25 per
month, a LYNDA membership
provides unlimited access to
more than 80,000 videos on a
broad range of different subjects.
9- Wikiversity

Are you best when learning

textbook style?

Well then I have just the right

resource for you. You can be a
pre-schooler or a graduate
looking for more information
and you could probably find
something of value on this
site. Covering a wide variety of
topics that could only add
value to a self-learner’s life.
10- LessonPaths

I recommend this website for all

self-learners because it provides
free education to learners all over
the world. If you are studying a
subject on your own, you could
probably do with some money in
your pocket. They offer a vast
selection of subjects and you
could find information that might
give you the same knowledge as
someone with a Bachelor’s
Degree.
11- General Assembly

Focusing on education in design,

business and technology, New York
City-based General Assembly has
campuses in nearly a dozen different
cities around the world. Although the
majority of General Assembly classes
are in-person, they also offer a
compact selection of online-only or
mixed courses.

General Assembly even livestreams

popular lectures, providing real-time
interaction with the lecturer and other
students. Their online courses range in
price, from one-off lectures to multi-
part workshops.
12- Saylor

I recommend this website for all

self-learners because it provides
free education to learners all over
the world. If you are studying a
subject on your own, you could
probably do with some money in
your pocket. They offer a vast
selection of subjects and you
could find information that might
give you the same knowledge as
someone with a Bachelor’s
Degree.
13- edX

Founded by Harvard and MIT, edX

is a global non-profit that seeks to
remove three barriers of
traditional education: cost,
location and access. edX has more
than 20 million learners and 2,400
courses from a majority of the
top-ranked universities in the
world. Open edX is the open
source platform behind edX, and
it's open to educators and
technologists who want to
develop new educational tools.
14 - Stanford Online

Stanford Online, an education

initiative at Stanford University,
offers free online courses as well
as professional certificates,
advanced degrees and executive
education. Stanford Online offers
courses from Stanford's
undergraduate and graduate
schools, including Stanford Law
School, Stanford Business School
and Stanford Medical School,
among others.
15- Shaw Academy

Shaw Academy is a global online

education institution which provides
interactive classes, designed to allow
students to learn at their own pace.
The courses offered by the Shaw
Academy cover topics including
finance, photography, health and
fitness, marketing, technology, design,
beauty, music, business and the English
language. The company’s mission is to
empower students with the skills they
need to follow any career path in a
flexible and affordable manner. Shaw
Academy achieves this by leveraging
the potential of online learning and
automation to match education with
the pace of students lives.
Best Educational Sites
for
Young Learners
1- Discovery MindBlown

Discovery MindBlown offers a

collection of educational
resources kids and young
learners can use to explore
and learn about the world.
These include games, puzzles,
videos, books, activities and
many more.
2- Nat Geo Kids

‘Nat Geo Kids inspires young

adventurers to explore the world
through award-winning magazines,
books, apps, games, toys, videos,
events, and a website, and is the
only kids brand with a world-class
scientific organization at its core’.
3- PBS KIDS

‘PBS KIDS is committed to making a

positive impact on the lives of children
through curriculum-based
entertainment. With a 360-degree
approach towards learning and
reaching children, PBS KIDS leverages
the full spectrum of media and
technology to build knowledge, critical
thinking, imagination and curiosity. By
involving parents, teachers, caregivers
and communities as learning partners,
PBS KIDS helps to empower children
for success in school and in life’.
4- Kodable

Kodable helps kids develop coding

skills and learn computer science. It
offers over ’70 lessons with both on-
screen and off-screen components.
Every lesson includes instruction
guidance, vocabulary words, and
student materials. You can teach K-5
computer science as it’s own content
area or integrate into math, ELA,
digital citizenship, robotics, or other
subject area’.
5- ABCYa

ABCYa features a wide

collection educational games
and apps designed specifically
for kids. Games are arranged
into different levels and
content areas.
6- Funbrain

‘Funbrain offers hundreds of

games, books, comics, and videos
that develop skills in math,
reading, problem-solving and
literacy’.
7- DOGOnews

‘With over 3,000 articles on

topics ranging from Science
and Social Studies to
International current events,
DOGOnews exposes kids to
the world around them and
helps develop vocabulary and
reading skills’.
8- BrainPOP

BrainPOP offers engaging

educational content in the
form of animated videos
covering a wide vareity of
content areas including Math,
social studies, science,
engineering, health, arts, music
and many more.
9- Smithsonian Education

Smithsonian Education offers

tons of educational materials
and resources that kids can
use to learn about different
topics including science,
history, art, nature and many
more.
10 - Scratch

‘With Scratch, you can program your

own interactive stories, games, and
animations - and share your creations
with others in the online
community.Scratch helps young
people learn to think creatively,
reason systematically, and work
collaboratively - essential skills for life
in the 21st century’.
Whether you choose to support your existing
education or learn a new skill, it's never too late to
become a life-long learner. These online education
websites can help you gain valuable knowledge, earn
a certificate, complete a degree or simply expand
your horizon.

ELT, Expert in E-Learning and Professional Development

Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

Best Educational Apps

for
Android and iOS

Compiled by
Mr. Ebrahim Aldesouqi
1- The Great Courses

The Great Courses offers lectures

from expert professors, covering a
wide variety of subjects including
literature, history, business, math,
music, and even cooking. The
Great Courses app lets you
download or stream courses, and
is compatible with Chromecast.
The lectures are professionally
made and presented clearly, with
visual aids when necessary. While
the app itself is free, you’ll have to
pay for individual courses. There is
a free trial, though, and courses go
on sale from time to time. Plus,
your smartphone probably weighs
a lot less than a textbook.
2- Brainscape

Brainscape claims you can double your

learning speed by using flashcards.
Brainscape paces the repetition of
each concept perfectly, so you retain
knowledge more effectively. Rate how
well you know each concept and
Brainscape will determine the right
time to give you another quiz. It’s free
to create, share, and find user-
generated flashcards. Pro subscription
is billed at $10 per month, $42 every
six months, or $60 per year.
Subscriptions give you access to
unlimited premium content, features
like bookmarks, browse mode, card
reversibility, and allow you to create
flashcards without ads.
3- Photomath

For high-school students who just

need a bit more guidance on how to
isolate “x” in their algebra
homework, Photomath is essentially
your math buddy that can instantly
solve and explain every answer.
Simply snap a photo of the question
(you can also write or type), and the
app will break down the solution into
separate steps with helpful play-by-
play so that you can apply the same
principles to the rest of your
homework. It’s completely free, and
works without Wi-Fi.
4-Periodic Table

More than just another interactive

periodic table, this Periodic Table app
from the Royal Society of Chemistry
incorporates everything from
podcasts to videos to help you learn
about the elements. Don’t worry
about being overwhelmed by all the
information though, as the app
showcases different levels of data to
satisfy everyone, from a novice to an
AP Chemistry student.
5- SoloLearn

SoloLearn is essentially a paradise for

coding enthusiasts. Whether you are a
beginner or a pro, soloLearn can get
your coding juices flowing with its
immense collection of free coding
tutorials across languages like java,
python, c++, swift, PHP, JavaScript,
HTML, CSS, and so on.

App development is one such area

where there is a constant demand for
coders. These languages are the
foundation of several mobile app
development frameworks. So if you
manage to learn them, job
opportunities will be pouring in from
all directions.
Learning Languages Apps
1- Duolingo

Duolingo is one of the best English

language apps today and highly
recommended for English beginners. The
gamified learning system of the app
helps you learn English quickly by
spending twenty minutes a day.
Duolingo structures your lessons that
teach you about seven new words based
on a topic and skill points being awarded
for completing the lessons.

Duolingo is the most comprehensive

online language learning platform. The
most popular languages include Spanish,
Dutch, Danish, French, German, Italian
and Irish. You can learn languages for
free using Duolingo app.
2- Mindsnacks

Each out of seven languages they

teach comes with eight or nine tiny
games are designed to help you learn
vocabulary, grammar, practice your
listening. There are short simple
lessons outlining concepts that then
get practiced or tested in the games
before they achieve the status of being
mastered. Mindsnacks monitors your
progress so you can clearly see how
much more learning you need to
achieve proficiency in every skill. It’s
such a fun app though, that even if
you do master a skill it is still fun to go
back and play more games to practice
it!
3- Babbel

A paid cousin of Duolingo with more

free material than busuu? The free
version comes with 40 classes, so even
without investing money the app
allows you to learn a fair amount of
phrases in one of the 13 languages it
teaches.

Each class starts from step-by-step

teaching of vocabulary with the aid of
pictures. Then the words are being
used in related phrases and short
dialogues adjusted to the student’s
level to help quickly build conversation
skills.
4- HelloTalk

HelloTalk is simply the app version of a

language exchange. Find someone
who wants to learn your language. If
they speak the language you want to
learn, it’s a match! You can start
talking, texting and communicating to
improve, both as a student and
teacher.While the concept is simple,
HelloTalk is packed with smart (often
paid) features that make it more than
a Whatsapp for foreign language
speakers. For instance, you can
practice with a chatbot if you don’t
find a match. You can also comment
publicly on posts, Facebook-style, to
start conversations with strangers.
5- MosaLingua

MosaLingua is a fully rounded

resource for a number of languages
including French, Spanish and Italian.
You can choose to go through the
standard lesson program starting from
simple phrases and numerals, or you
can opt to go for one of the specific
topical packs, for example people,
time or tourism.

This means that if you already went

through the basics and are looking to
fill in specific gaps in your knowledge
you can do it instantly. You can
support your learning with dialogues
illustrating real life situations.
Best Educational Apps
for
Young Learners
1- Kids Academy

Kids Academy app is one of the most

innovative and engaging program for
young learners. Their unique learn-
through-play program combines the most
advanced in adaptive technology,
artificial intelligence, personalized
learning, and gamification to help kids
put their best foot forward and get the
education they deserve.

Kids Academy has now over 5000

learning activities that includes
educational games and videos, interactive
and printable worksheets, songs, puzzles
and flashcards. They cover the key
subject areas of Math, Reading, Language
Arts, Science and Social Studies.
2- ABCmouse.com

ABCmouse.com Early Learning

Academy’s preschool curriculum focuses
on important basics in the four main
curriculum subjects of Reading, Math,
World Around Us (beginning science and
social studies), as well as Art & Colors,
establishing a foundation of knowledge
for young children that they can build
upon with confidence and
success.ABCmouse.com features
hundreds of interactive and fun games,
each designed to teach a specific
concept. games.

All of the games include voiced

instructions, so even very young children
will find it easy to learn and play.
3-News-O-Matic EDU

News-O-Matic is the first daily

newspaper just for students. It
provides an exciting and engaging
nonfiction experience for students,
complete with valuable literacy tools
for the classroom. Thanks to its unique
combination of editorial and
technology, News-O-Matic creates
innovative solutions to help children
become tomorrow’s responsible
citizens. It gives young readers a
window into the world — and a reason
to love reading news.

More than 1,000 schools use News-O-

Matic for nonfiction reading, social
studies, geography, science, and more!
4-K-5 Science for Kids

K-5 Science Apps for Kids is an

educational app for iPad and iPhone.
The app is so engaging while teaching
kids a variety of science topics. Tappity
teaches 100+ science topics with fun
experiments, stories, and games. The
narration and interactive features
make it ideal for a wide range of ages.

Parents are frequently involved with

the app as Haley urges children to get
their parents to share in the marking
of their accomplishments. Teachers
could make good use of the app in
lessons either by getting Haley to
explain a topic or by letting individuals
work through a topic on their own.
5-Khan Academy Kids

Khan Academy Kids, targeting two- to

five-year-old children is adaptive to
children’s development and lets the
child navigate through the platform at
their own pace. Kids improve skills
through a customized series of
interactive activities, books, videos,
and creative lessons. Khan Academy
Kids’ holistic approach engages
students in subjects ranging from
literacy to math while encouraging
creativity and building social-
emotional skills.
Whether you choose to support your existing
education or learn a new skill, it's never too late
to become a life-long learner. These online
education websites can help you gain valuable
knowledge, earn a certificate, complete a degree
or simply expand your horizon.

ELT, Expert in E-Learning and Professional Development

Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

Learning Languages Platforms

Compiled by
Mr. Ebrahim Aldesouqi
1- Duolingo

Duolingo is a fairly new platform that

has won several awards including
iPhone App of the Year 2013 and
Google’s Best of the Best 2014.
Currently, it offers lessons on 19
different languages. The platform will
take users through a unique
experience with a game-like interface
where you can earn points, track your
days, and get tips on how to improve.
The app is available on iPhone,
Android and Windows phone, so if you
own a Blackberry or Linux-based
device, you’ll have to resort to the
computer.
2- Busuu

Busuu is also a lot like DuoLingo,

except it offer only 12 languages,
but some very unique ones. Arabic,
Chinese, and Japanese can be hard
to learn and few platforms offer
these languages, but Busuu does.

Busuu also has a very large

community of over 50 million
speakers. The great part is that you
can easily sign in through your
Facebook and Google account.
However, the app is only available
for Android and Apple devices.
3- Live Mocha

Live Mocha was one of the first

online platforms to offer language
learning for free since its launch in
2007. One of the coolest things
about Live Mocha is that it gives you
access to natives speakers, teachers,
language enthusiasts, and language
experts around the world from over
190 countries.

The community encourages

language learning through
interaction, which is excellent! So,
you get to practice your
conversation with people around
the globe through comments on
practice exercises, lessons with
4- Lang-8

What this platform offers is pretty

simple: a community of native
speakers who connect with you
and correct what you write. So,
clearly, this is a platform for those
speakers who are already
proficient in writing and reading a
foreign language.

For example, masters dissertation

will help you write in your native
language and you can translate it
to a foreign language and get it
checked on Lang 8.
5- Papora

Papora will allow you to register

for free and learn English,
Spanish, French, or German.

Rather than focusing purely on

vocabulary, Papora will also
incorporate grammar so that you
can form proper sentences. The
“bite-sized” lessons are very easy
with excellent audio.

The mobile app takes users

through 60 real life situations has
over 2,000 keywords and phrases
with audio content. This app is
great for busy learners!
6- Memrise

Memrise uses three simple ingredients

to make it one an effective language
learning tool: science, fun, and
community. When it comes to science,
the team addresses the fact that the
brain learns faster with the help of
mnemonic flashcards. These flashcards
are called “mems” and they help aid
retention. With the help of games and
videos, learning is also made fun.
Memrise has over 300,000 courses
which is pretty extensive and has a
large range of languages to choose
from. The coolest part is that language
is not the only thing you can learn on
this website.
7- Lingualia

Lingualia is a pretty cool platform that

is largely focused on “social
networking” for learning a language.

One of the best features of Lingualia is

the artificially intelligent bot called
“Lingu” who will treat you like a
student. Lingu will make sure that you
improve on areas that are challenging
for you and stay motivated to learning
your language.

For those of you who need consistent

motivation, this is a great feature.
Even though this platform sadly serves
only two languages: English and
Spanish, you should just give it a try!
8- Digital Dialects

This is fantastic platform where

language leaning is made fun and
easy.

Digital Dialect focuses on providing

users with games to learn a new
language with the help of phrases,
vocabulary, numbers, spelling, verb
conjugations, and alphabets.
9- Rosetta Stone

This web gives you the

opportunity to study a new
language flexibly. You can learn it
according to your own schedule
with any device, from anywhere in
the world. Since 1992, Rosetta
Stone’s language division has been
helping all types of learners to
read, write, and speak more than
30 languages through cloud-based
solutions.
10 - Omniglot

Omniglot is a great go-to for a scholarly

look at languages and writing systems.
It’s not set up to function as a language-
learning platform, but it’s a great
authoritative resource for language
learning. You can dive into the target
language of your choice, learning its
history and other unique characteristics
about it. Or you can focus on categories
like numbers, silly phrases, tongue
twisters, and other neat groupings.
Even better, the site offers a range of
useful phrases in over 300+ languages,
making it a dynamic resource.
11- Living Language

For the beginning language learner

looking to get their hands on 1000s
of phrases and words they can
review, Living Language is a great
tool to help you kickstart your way
to fluency. There’s a range of
resources you can use from
flashcards and games to grammar
notes and dialogues. Choose what
works best for you. And learn at
your own pace.
12- FluentU

FluentU is for the visual learner.

They have a vast collection of
visual resources to help you learn
a language: movies, TV, and
videos. The platform prides itself
on a range of available content
(cartoons, music videos, news,
documentaries, movies, even
funny YouTube videos). The
videos range in difficulty and use
a selection of tools to help
learners understand the material.
You can get access to a 14-day
free trial to test it out.
13- LingQ

You learn best when you’re interested.

And with LingQ, you’ll have access to a
range of interesting materials. Choose
from topics around Travel, Politics,
Food, Culture, Books, and so many
more. You can create a lesson from
anything on LingQ: YouTube videos,
blog posts, Netflix shows, news articles,
whatever interests you.

The platform offers vocabulary review

tools as part of a Spaced Repetition
System and an effective organization
system to track and manage your
content. Lessons are bite-sized to keep
you from feeling overwhelmed, and you
can create your own learning path as
well.
14- Live Lingu

With Live Lingua, you sign up and

get paired with a live tutor who
will evaluate your language
learning abilities. After your free
1-hour test, your tutor will
customize a lesson for you.
Outside of the course itself, you
can access their blog that has a
ton of great posts about various
languages.
15- Thought Co.

You can find a lot about the

language you’re trying to learn by
going to Thought Co. There are
various resources and blogs that
lay out the intricacies of various
languages. For instance, if you
wanted to learn an alphabet or
something very specific about the
grammar in one of the languages
it covers, you’ll probably find it
there. There are also videos you
can watch as well and tips to
discover general language
learning strategies.
Whether you choose to support your existing
education or learn a new skill, it's never too late
to become a life-long learner. These online
education websites can help you gain valuable
knowledge, earn a certificate, complete a degree
or simply expand your horizon.

ELT, Expert in E-Learning and Professional Development

Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

Technology Platforms

Compiled by
Mr. Ebrahim Aldesouqi
1- Codecademy

Codecademy is dedicated to
teaching people how to code—and
it’s available for free. While other
online coding courses are a “learn at
your own pace” environment,
Codecademy motivates learners to
keep a fast pace using supportive
groups and a gamified points
system.

The school offers courses on a

number of languages—including
PHP, Phython and Ruby—and
students are often already building
and deploying projects by the time
they finish their course.
2- Microsoft Learn

Microsoft Learn offers several learning

paths and certifications that cover
various Microsoft products and
services. Learning paths contain several
modules that are relevant to the course
topic and certifications are more
focused, with one or two exams
required to earn the certification. Self-
paced courses and exams are free
through Microsoft, but if you want to
take an instructor-led course you can
do so through Microsoft Certified
Trainers. However, it’s not guaranteed
that the certified trainers will offer
courses for free, so that is something to
consider if you want entirely free
courses.
3- MIT OpenCourseWare

In 2001, MIT University launched

its initiative to publish all
undergraduate- and graduate-
level course material for free
online through MIT
OpenCourseWare. It was the first
major university to make its
coursework available for free to
the public — 250 other colleges
and universities have since
followed in MIT’s footsteps. In
2018, MIT added complete video
lectures to more than 100
courses that users can stream or
download for offline viewing.
4- GCF Learn Free

GCF Learn Free is a platform that

helps to learn essential computer
and life skills, it is a free online
educational website focusing on
technology, job training, reading,
and math skills. The site is a
program of Goodwill Industries of
Eastern NC Inc. (GIENC) and the
Goodwill Community Foundation
Inc. (GCF).
5- Envato TutsPlus

Envato TutsPlus, also referred to as

Envato Tuts+, is a popular online suite
of tutorials for self-directed users to
develop their creative and technical
skills. TutsPlus was founded in 2008 as
a division of Envato, a digital
marketplace for creative assets based
in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Through Envato, TutsPlus supports
flexible work options with
telecommuting, freelance, part-time,
and full-time positions. The parent
company offers progressive perks,
including wellness benefits, mentoring
programs, paid parental leave, and
extra time off for work-life balance.
6- HTML Dog

This platform is full ofcourses in

order to learn the most common
languages used in making web
pages. You can learn JavaScript,
CSS, and HTML skills from the site.
Moreover, this is a very
comprehensive source on learning
the basics of web programming
and designing and covers a large
variety of topics on these issues.
7- Big Data University

Cognitive Class is formerly known as

Big Data University. It is a data science
and cognitive computing learning
platform. It primarily provides courses
in English but does have some courses
in Japanese, Spanish and Russian.

Free and paid courses for data science

are accessible on the site, specifically
prepared by professionals and
professors.
8- Hack Design

Hack Design is a platform that is full

of easy-to-follow design courses.

Designers supplied 50-unit lesson

plan for the site, covering mobile
apps, web design, and multimedia
application. An easy to follow design
course for people who do amazing
things.

You can receive a design lesson in

your inbox each week, hand crafted
by a design pro. Learn at your own
pace, and apply it to your real life
work.
9- Skillcrush

Skillcrush is an interactive online

digital skill learning community.
Skillcrush is an online bootcamp that
offers 12-week web design and web
development courses called
Skillcrush Blueprints. Wanting to
teach students digital skills to
kickstart their career, Skillcrush
provides their "Blueprint," which is a
step-by-step guide preparing
students for the career they desire.
Students engage in learning concrete
technical skills while also creating a
portfolio of real projects.
10 - Stack Exchange

The World’s largest programming

community

This resource is more of a question

and answer lecture source,
particularly on programming and
technology. Stack exchange is a
collaborative site wherein
programmers and developers share
their code and get tips and advice
from other programmers.
11-PLURALSIGHT

Technologists need the latest skills

to do their jobs effectively. And
technology leaders need visibility
into how their teams work to put
the right people on the right
projects. Pluralsight gives you
both-the skills and data you need
to succeed.
12- Code

Code is a nonprofit dedicated to

expanding access to computer science
in schools and increasing participation
by women and underrepresented
youth. Our vision is that every student
in every school has the opportunity to
learn computer science, just like
biology, chemistry or algebra. Code.org
provides the leading curriculum for K-12
computer science in the largest school
districts in the United States and
Code.org also organizes the annual Hour
of Code campaign which has engaged
more than 15% of all students in the
world
13- ONLINESTUDIES

ONLINESTUDIES is the best place to find

digital higher education providers from
around the world. As the online flagship
of the Keystone Academic Solutions
family of multi-lingual, student-
centered websites, ONLINESTUDIES
makes it easy for students to connect
with online university programs, digital
schools, blended learning platforms,
and remote course providers. The
future of higher education is online and
international and domestic students
.trust ONLINESTUDIES
14- Treehouse

This platform emphasizes coding.

It offers over 300 courses and a
supportive online community of
thousands of students.
Coursework includes multiple
projects that help develop real-
world skills.
15- Sitepoint

This site is best for web

developers looking to expand
their skillset. Users pay a monthly
membership fee to access video
tutorials, online books, courses,
and community discussions..
Whether you choose to support your existing
education or learn a new skill, it's never too late
to become a life-long learner. These online
education websites can help you gain valuable
knowledge, earn a certificate, complete a degree
or simply expand your horizon.

ELT, Expert in E-Learning and Professional Development

Your guide to Self-Directed Learning
Learn Faster and Smarter

Digital learning
Management Systems

Compiled by
Mr. Ebrahim Aldesouqi
1- Google Classroom

Classroom is a tool in Google

Apps for Education that helps
teachers create and organize
assignments quickly, provide
feedback efficiently, and easily
communicate with their classes.
2-Canvas

Canvas enables easy integration of the

content, tools, and services that teachers
need and students want. Not surprisingly,
listening to users about their needs and
wants—then rolling out the most usable,
customizable, adaptable, and reliable
learning platform (think 99.9% uptime)-
makes all the difference when it comes to
campus-wide LMS adoption. That’s why
Canvas is adopted faster and deeper (or,
is used in more ways by more users) than
any other LMS. So, in the end, investing
in 21st century education technology
actually makes teaching and learning
easier.
3- Blackboard Learn

Blackboard Learn is a scalable,

reliable foundation for a world-class
learning experience. It enables you
to extend online learning, increase
employee engagement and optimize
learning outcomes, preserve
institutional knowledge, retain top
employees and drive business results
with a better, more engaging
learning environment.
4- Schoology

For over a decade, Schoology Learning

has supported all instructional models,
including 100% online courses and
blended learning environments. As part
of PowerSchool Unified Classroom™
solution, Schoology continues to ensure
that all students have access to the same
quality of teaching and learning,
regardless of their socio-economic status,
special education needs, or any other
circumstances. Schoology, as part of
PowerSchool, creates the most
comprehensive unified classroom
solution to equip teachers with
personalized learning functionality to
improve education outcomes for all
students.
5- SAP Litmos

The SAP Litmos learning platform

enables thousands of global companies
to deliver training in the now. The
solution is comprised of a powerful LMS,
a commerce platform, and a content-rich
course catalog that make it easy to
manage the entire learning program
from system implementation and
integration to ongoing administration.
SAP Litmos empowers organizations to
align corporate training with the
company’s most important strategic
goals, while developing highly up-skilled
workers who are more engaged,
satisfied, and equipped to deliver the
best customer experience possible.
6- Docebo

The Docebo Learning Platform is

trusted by global brands to create
beautiful learning experiences.
Complete with a robust content
library at your fingertips with Docebo
Content, the solution makes formal
learning more engaging and opens
new possibilities for social learning
with Discover, Coach & Share. Docebo
eliminates the need for multiple
systems to deliver internal, cross-
departmental and extended
enterprise learning programs, all
ready to scale alongside the growth of
any business.
7- Edmodo

Edmodo helps connect all learners

with the people and resources
needed to reach their full potential.
Also, it offers tools for schools to
foster relationships, help teachers
collaborate, and build educator
capacity. It helps learners stay
updated and organized.

For parents, Get the info you need

to support your child’s learning at
home along with the resources they
need to succeed at school.
8- Moodle

Moodle platform empowers

educators to develop and manage
courses online. Moodle is a
modular system based on plugins,
which are like lego blocks that you
put together to build whatever you
want.

There are plugins for different

kinds of content, and plugins for all
kinds of collaborative activities,
which is where Moodle really
shines.
9- Absorb LMS

Absorb LMS inspires learning and

fuels business productivity.

This cloud-based learning

management system (LMS)
empowers companies around the
world to effectively deliver
training. Built to facilitate
engaging learning experiences,
tap Absorb LMS to train internal
employees, customers, partners
and more.
10 - iSpring Learn

iSpring Learn is an award-winning

learning management system with a
built-in editor. With the new longread
feature, you can easily create e-
courses from scratch with images,
videos, knowledge check questions,
and quotes right in the LMS. iSpring
Learn has a straightforward and
intuitive design, so it is easy to launch
eLearning within one day. All you need
to do is upload your existing content,
invite employees, and keep track of
their results.
11- Skilljar

Skilljar is the leading customer

training platform for companies to
accelerate product adoption and
increase customer retention.
Skilljar’s award-winning solution
empowers companies to deliver
beautiful customer training
experiences backed by data.

The product is more than just a

learning management system
(LMS) - it’s purpose-built for
customer and partner
enablement..
12- eThink Education

eThink Education provides a fully-

managed eLearning solution including
cloud hosting, implementation,
integration, consultation, and
management services for open-source
Moodle and Totara. Managed by
experts, eThink’s total solution
provides a dynamic and customizable
platform to meet specific institutional
and organizational needs for clients in
various industries including
Healthcare, Education, Nonprofit,
Government, and Corporate.
13- Kannu

Kannu is a learning management

system designed by educators,
for educators. Our goal is to
activate online learning with
pedagogical flexibility and peer
interaction, on a thoughtfully
designed platform. With Kannu,
courses are engaging,
interactive, and customizable.
14 - NEO

NEO is a world-class, award-winning

learning management system (LMS) for
schools and universities. The platform
is known for delivering a great user
experience while incorporating all the
essential tools schools need to support
effective teaching and learning.

NEO helps schools manage all

classroom activities, such as creating
and delivering educational content,
assessing students, tracking student
achievement, and promoting
communication and collaboration
between students and faculty.
15- Kiddom

The Education Technology ecosystem

is crowded with variations of LMS,
CMS, SIS, and many other systems
that are fragmented, and do not
make educators' lives easier. For the
first time, the Kiddom Education
Platform bridges the curriculum,
instruction, and assessment cycle.
We uniquely integrate multiple tools
into a single solution to save
teachers time, improve student
outcomes through personalized
learning, and offer significant cost
savings.
Whether you choose to support your existing
education or learn a new skill, it's never too late
to become a life-long learner. These online
education websites can help you gain valuable
knowledge, earn a certificate, complete a degree
or simply expand your horizon.

ELT, Expert in E-Learning and Professional Development