“fpx0528111-a-z” flickr photo by fontplaydotcom shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

Have you seen the Technology Enhanced Learning A-Z of apps recently? We now have nearly 100 entries on our list!

If you’ve not yet had a chance to look through our selection of teaching and learning tools, head over now to see the updated list which now includes:

> Anchor FM
> Box
> Cogi
> Photos for Class
> Slack and Wix.

See below for a review of the latest additions.

Anchor FM: Radio for the People

You can use Anchor FM to create mini-recordings that act like a conversation. You first start by downloading the Anchor FM app onto your phone. Then create your first question or ‘Wave’. Anyone who downloads the app can then respond to your audio question with their own 60 second response.

Anchor FM could be a great tool to use to collect a variety of responses on a topic or theme. See our blog post Mini-broadcasting with Anchor FM: Radio by the people for more ideas. Visit our Anchor FM page too to listen to the Waves we created with staff, students and professional staff during Digital Innovation Week. 

Box

Staff and research students at Sussex can use Box.com to store an unlimited amount of files and data. When your files are stored in Box you have a quick, easy and secure way to review version history and share your files internally or externally. All you need to get started is sign in at the  ITS Box webpage with your ITS username and password.

If you need more help with Box, see the handy and short introductory video (3 mins) on the ITS Box webpage. You will also find a Box FAQ that will answer all your data and file storage-related questions.

Cogi – beyond notes

Cogi is an audio recorder with ‘Back to the Future’ features. You can use Cogi to help you to remember meeting notes, revise for an exam or even record your own thoughts and ‘to do’ lists. For example, download Cogi on to your phone, sit down at a conference, meeting or lecture and start a new ‘session’ in your Cogi app. Cogi then begins to ‘listen’ but not yet record. As soon as you are ready to record, tap your finger and Cogi will rewind and audio capture up to the last 60 seconds and continue to record from that moment. See the TEL post featuring Cogi in action.

Photos for Class

If you’ve ever wished for an easy way to find attributed images, look no further than Photos for Class. Search the database for images for any occasion and download with the attribution already embedded. Don’t be put off by ‘for class’ in the title. The images use the Flickr Creative Commons database and there are enough appropriate images for all sectors of education, from school to university. See the balloon picture below to see how the attribution downloads as part of the picture.

Slack: Where work happens

Slack is a new way to communicate for teams. If you are finding that your email inbox is overwhelming, try using a Slack channel with your team rather than traditional emails. Slack brings all of your communication to one place, it is easily searchable and you can access it wherever you go. Slack is a more informal place to communicate, so you can spend less time crafting salutations and more time exchanging important information on team projects with your colleagues. Create separate channels for different teams, post messages easily with @handles, find discussions, add attachments and respond quickly with emojis.  Start here to create your communication channel in Slack. If you’d like to watch a short introductory video, see this video tutorial (8 minutes) –

Wix

Do you need a website tool to use with your students? You could use Wix to make a free and easily customizable website. Wix is a free website builder with ‘drag and drop’ features and a host of templates for you to choose from.

You can choose from standard websites to social forums and portfolios and CVs. Laura Hadwin (SCLS) shared how she had used Wix at the Autumn 2016 Show and TEL.

Do you use any apps that you would like to recommend? Please suggest them to us for inclusion in the list by emailing the TEL team or tweeting us @SussexTel.

If you would like any help in using the tools listed for teaching and learning, please contact tel@sussex.ac.uk for support.