21st Gen EdTech Tools

Introduction: Turning Down the Noise Have you ever tried to buckle down on homework only to have your thoughts wander off? In today’s world of constant notifications and endless tabs, staying focused is like hunting for a unicorn. Brain.fm, an EdTech tool rooted in functional music and neural entrainment, promises to quiet the mental chatter and guide your brain into zones of focus, relaxation, or creativity (Brain.fm Science Page, 2025). But can it really transform a classroom? Let’s dive in. (Brain.fm Science Page, 2025) What Is Brain.fm? Brain.fm is a science-driven audio app that merges AI-generated soundscapes with human composition. Each track undergoes placebo-controlled testing to ensure that it doesn’t just sound good—it actually steers your brainwaves toward the state you need, whether that’s deep concentration or calm reflection (Brain.fm Science Page, 2025).

Remember when the coolest thing you built in class was a lopsided clay pot or a macaroni necklace? Fast forward to today, and kids are building entire digital worlds before the lunch bell even rings. In a world where knowing your way around code is becoming just as crucial as reading and writing, educational technology (EdTech) tools like Tynker are leading the charge, promising to make coding accessible, creative, and—dare we say it—fun.

Introduction: The Cost of an Empty Shelf In a small rural school in Northern Samar, Maria, a Grade 4 teacher, holds up a tattered science textbook—one of only five copies for a class of 38 students. She asks her pupils to share in groups, hoping they can piece together knowledge from worn-out pages and scribbled margins. Meanwhile, in a private school in Metro Manila, students tap on tablets loaded with interactive lessons, videos, and AI-powered tutors. This stark contrast underscores a growing issue in the Philippine education system and beyond: the unequal access to learning resources. The lack of learning materials isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a systemic barrier that suppresses student potential and widens the learning gap between socio-economic groups.

Rethinking Research: A Modern Academic Dilemma Let’s face it—doing research in today’s digital world can feel overwhelming. Students often find themselves swimming in sources, forgetting where quotes came from, and getting stuck on formatting citations instead of focusing on their ideas. The process, instead of being enlightening, becomes exhausting. That’s where Zotero steps in. It’s not flashy, not overhyped—but it is effective. As a research tool, Zotero helps bring structure to chaos by making it easier to collect, organize, and cite sources. And it does it all without a price tag.

Kahoot!: Beyond the Buzz – How Gamification Is Rewiring Classroom Engagement Introduction Picture this: a classroom buzzing with excitement. Students are hunched over their devices, racing to answer questions while a leaderboard fuels the competition. Cheers erupt, groans follow, and all the while, learning happens. This isn’t game night—it’s a regular day in class powered by Kahoot! , the gamified learning tool transforming student engagement in 2025. But is it truly advancing learning, or is it just another classroom gimmick? Let's explore what the research and real-world examples say.

In a quiet barangay school in South Mindanao, a Grade 5 teacher stood before her class of 40 students—and was struck by silence. Only 12 could read at grade level. The rest were still decoding syllables or struggling to form full sentences. It had been three years since the pandemic began. Schools had reopened. But learning? Learning hadn't returned for many. Across the Philippines and beyond, this is no isolated case. It is part of a broader and deeply concerning crisis: pandemic-induced learning loss. Even though classrooms are full again, learning gaps remain vast—especially in foundational literacy and numeracy. And while the bell may ring once more, far too many students remain academically unprepared to answer it. Background & Context: The Silent Slide The learning loss stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic is profound, widespread, and persistent. According to the World Bank, students globally may lose up to $17 trillion in lifetime earnings due to education disruptions...

Introduction: Clicking Into the Conversation Imagine turning solitary reading assignments into collaborative conversations. Picture students leaving behind the passive scroll through PDF articles and instead engaging in live, thoughtful discussions—without stepping into the classroom. That’s the vision behind Perusall , a social annotation tool increasingly used in higher education. But as with any educational technology, hype and hesitation often go hand-in-hand. Is Perusall truly a catalyst for deeper learning, or just another digital layer with mixed results? This article offers a grounded, research-backed exploration of Perusall—not as a promotional pitch, but as an honest review. Drawing on recent studies and practical classroom insights, we evaluate its strengths, limitations, and real-world impact on teaching and learning.

In a world brimming with productivity tools, the simple act of taking notes—whether in a classroom or a corporate meeting—remains fundamental. Yet, the digital evolution of this seemingly ordinary task is anything but simple. Amid this transformation stands Nebo , a handwriting-powered note-taking app that dares to challenge the divide between analog and digital, offering a hybrid solution that fits naturally into modern workflows. But does it live up to the needs of educators, learners, and professionals alike? Let’s explore what makes Nebo a contender in the ever-expanding EdTech landscape.

The promise of Artificial Intelligence in education often feels like a distant hum of servers and complex algorithms. But what happens when that promise lands directly on a teacher's desktop in the form of a simple, accessible tool? This is the reality presented by a new wave of AI video creation platforms like Storyshorts.ai , Autoshort.a i , and Faceless.video . These tools, designed to churn out short, engaging videos from simple text prompts, are rapidly moving from the realm of social media marketers into the hands of educators. The pressing question, however, is whether they are truly a revolutionary aid for teaching and learning or just another tech novelty in an already crowded space.  The core function of these platforms is remarkably similar: they leverage AI to automate the video production process. A user inputs a script or a topic, and the AI scours stock footage libraries, generates voiceovers, adds captions, and pieces it all together into a polished video. For educ...

Let’s face it—drawing from scratch can be intimidating. Whether you’re a student staring at a blank sheet or a teacher trying to spark creativity in a classroom, the journey from doodle to design often needs a little guidance. That’s where SketchAR comes in. Blending the magic of augmented reality (AR) with hands-on learning, this app doesn’t just help people draw—it helps them believe they can. But is it truly the future of art education or just a cool tech gimmick? Let’s dive in.

Introduction Schools are supposed to be places of growth, friendship, and discovery. They should be sanctuaries where children learn about the world and themselves without fear. But for too many communities, that sense of safety has been shattered by the sound of gunfire. School shootings are more than just statistics or news reports; they are deeply human tragedies that leave lasting scars on students, teachers, and entire communities. To truly address this crisis, we have to look beyond the headlines and understand the real-world impact, the complex causes, and the meaningful steps we can take to protect our children.

The Midnight Math Rescue, Filipino Style Picture this: It’s 11 p.m., and a Grade 11 student in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, is staring at a crumpled pre-calculus worksheet. The family’s only smartphone buzzes with a notification—“Your DepEd TV class replay is ready.” But the student opens Photomath instead, snaps a photo of the problem, and boom: step-by-step solutions appear like magic. Relief washes over. They’re not alone. In a country where only 2% of Filipino students perform at or above the national average in mathematics (Capinding, 2023) and where the Philippines ranked 76th out of 81 countries in the 2022 PISA math assessment with a score of 355 (far below the OECD average of 472) , tools like Photomath are sparking both hope and debate. Is this AI-powered app a lifeline for struggling learners—or a shortcut that undermines real learning? Let’s dive into the Philippine context.

A New Chapter in the Classroom Walk into a classroom today, and you might see something that would have been unimaginable just a generation ago. Instead of the familiar rustle of turning pages, you'll find students with headphones on, their eyes glued to screens, completely lost in a story. This is happening in over 92,000 schools across the globe, thanks to Sora, a digital reading app that’s quietly changing the game (OverDrive, 2025). It’s more than just an app; it’s a shift in how we think about the school library, moving it beyond the physical shelves and into the hands of every student.

A Journey Through Time, One Letter at a Time Imagine waking up one morning to find an email from someone who knows you inside and out—your past self. It’s not just any message. It’s a letter filled with your own words, dreams, and reminders of who you once hoped to become. That’s the quiet magic of FutureMe.org : a digital time capsule that connects today’s thoughts with tomorrow’s realities. But this isn’t just a sentimental novelty—it’s a powerful tool for personal growth and a surprisingly effective ally in education. Reinventing an Old Tradition with Modern Tech For centuries, people have written letters to their future selves—jotting down thoughts in journals, hiding notes in books, or tucking away paper dreams in boxes. FutureMe.org brings this age-old practice into the digital age. With just a few clicks, students and individuals can write letters, schedule them for delivery years down the line, and reflect on how far they’ve come when those messages resurface. This isn’t just a...

Despite laws meant to protect them, too many students still face bullying every day. In the Philippines, over a third of students say they’ve been bullied in some form—online, in the halls, even right in front of teachers (Sansait et al., 2023). For kids like Ana, the constant teasing and insults about her grades weren’t just hurtful. They made her afraid to go to school at all. Over time, her grades dropped by 20%, and she felt completely alone. Understanding the Problem Bullying isn’t just playground fights. It’s repeated, targeted behavior that creates fear and isolation—and it leaves real scars. Research shows bullied kids are more than twice as likely to think about harming themselves (Rettew & Pawlowski, 2016). Often, they stop paying attention in class, skip school to avoid their tormentors, and see their grades drop dramatically (Al-Raqqad et al., 2017). In Turkey, nearly every student surveyed said they’d experienced bullying—physical, emotional, or verbal (TÜRKMEN et al.,...

You know that feeling, right? You're diving headfirst into a new language, and suddenly, you're hit with a tidal wave of vocabulary. It’s like trying to memorize a phone book, but way less exciting. Traditional methods, while totally foundational, sometimes just can’t keep pace with how we learn today. But then, there’s this incredible playground of educational technology, just brimming with tools designed to tackle that very challenge. And among them, Quizlet Live has really popped up as something special. It's not just your grandma's flashcards; it’s a whole different ballgame, pushing past static study to create something truly interactive and, dare I say, genuinely fun. But does it really make a difference? Let’s pull back the curtain and see what this EdTech tool is all about and the real impact it’s having in classrooms.

Where Words Meet the Digital Age There’s something timeless about poetry. It’s one of the oldest ways humans have tried to make sense of the world—through rhythm, metaphor, and raw emotion. But for many students, especially those learning English as a second or foreign language (EFL), poetry often feels like an unsolvable riddle. They want to say something deep and beautiful, but they get stuck on rhyme, rhythm, or just the right word. Enter Poet Assistant , a simple app that doesn’t try to write poems for students—but instead helps them untangle the technical knots so they can focus on what really matters: finding their voice.