Sara knows some things about marketing, has 3 cats, loves to go for hikes and organize things by color!

 in the online interactive learning tools market which is great. But it can also become overwhelming. With so many options, you never know what to choose and what would suit your classroom the best. So we decided to ask a few educators what they have been using and get their thoughts on the best tools out there.

What are online interactive learning tools?

There are so many categories of tools that fall into the category of “educational.” They can range from helpful programs to repositories, to didactic and interactive games, to personal management tools, and to online learning software. For example, it can be a virtual meeting platform (like 

, or a tool for note-taking and personal management like 

What they all have in common is that their ultimate goal is to make learning fun, efficient and enjoyable for both students and teachers, no matter the circumstances.

How do interactive virtual tools contribute to community-building in the classroom?

Games and online learning classroom tools allow students to have fun while learning various 

 interest and motivation, which are essential for student comprehension and academic achievement.

The right online interactive tool for learning can turn “boring” lessons into moments of creativity and epiphany. And the best thing is, you can try them yourself - it will transform passive learning into 

 is a useful online design tool that educators use to create presentations, infographics, and concept maps for the classroom. It has tons of features (like free images and graphics) and customization options. What makes Visme special is that, contrary to other tools in the market, it is neither directed exclusively to the educator nor the student. It is an online interactive tool that benefits both teachers and pupils.

Overall, it is a good tool because it is easy to use, versatile, and it allows you to be creative and experiment - but it also has some templates to help you get started. It has both a free and 

 are not an online learning tool, they are more like a resource or repository. But the learning opportunities are endless. Their official website has thousands of speeches on a huge variety of topics. And there are even some TED Talks given by kids, which can be even more inspiring and interesting for younger students. And the best part? They’re free, and they’re guaranteed to catch your classroom’s attention.


By now you must be convinced that creating a sense of community through fun interactive activities helps students grasp new knowledge faster. One way to encourage participation and creativity is by having students split into groups, where they can discuss certain topics or work together on tough problems. Toucan allows students (and teachers)  to move from group to group, as they would in person. You can create labeled Meeting Spots so that students know where to go to talk about specific subjects. They can also raise their virtual hands to catch the teacher’s attention. Not to mention, the different Themes make for a more fun learning environment that doesn’t feel so rigid!

. It is great for students, teachers, businesses, colleges, social moments - you name it. What makes it great for the classroom setting is that kids can access lots of games from its library, or they can make their own. It is a game-based learning tool that allows educators to create fun, interactive, and unique learning experiences. From our CEO, Antonia, “Whenever I walked into a classroom and heard the Kahoot music playing, I knew that it was going to be a good day.”

 to try Kahoot! with your classroom. See the pricing options 

 allows educators to ask their students questions. It’s simple to use, students answer polls using any web-enabled device. Outside of a strict classroom setting, it can also help students feel comfortable communicating with their teachers about more sensitive or personal topics. And it helps keep students engaged throughout the entire class.

For more ideas on how you can use Poll Everywhere in your classroom read 

 is an alternative to Poll Everywhere. It also allows you to create interactive games and activities for your class, whether it’s for an asynchronous classroom lesson or for community building in the virtual classroom. Quizlet lets you use images, text, and audio. One thing we would have to point out is that the platform itself may not be 

 fun and vibrant as some of the other competitors. Still, it is 

, and students love it for its more gamified style. Teachers love it because it helps students learn and memorize facts.

 is a digital pinboard. With Padlet, classes are more fun, interactive, and interesting. The app looks good - there are fun patterns and colors and different backgrounds, which catch students’ attention. It is super easy to use, both for students and teachers. And it is the best way for kids to share ideas (even anonymously!), brainstorm, and start conversations.

It will definitely help students break out of their shells and participate more in class. If you need some inspiration, check 

 is a web-based tool for editing online videos and adding interactive content. In other words, it allows you to customize any kind of video. The videos can have voice-over comments, embedded questions, links, and more. Students can watch videos solo or via "live mode," where teachers can show a video for a group activity. One of its best features is the analytics report: it enables you to track how students are watching your videos and if they understand the content.

Say no more to classes where students passively watch videos. And hello to engaging sessions where students can work on their critical thinking skills. See the pricing options 

 is a classroom game show where students answer questions on their electronic devices. The twist is that instead of earning points they earn virtual currency, which they can "invest" during the game to boost their score. They can compete against each other or collaborate in teams. What makes it great for teaching is that it allows you to view and download reports after every game. It is a mashup of Kahoot! and Quizlet, with some extra spice!

Overall it’s has a minimal setup, and it gives students agency, which increases engagement, participation, and interaction in the classroom. See the pricing options 

In the past 2 years, there has been a growth in the  online interactive learning tools market which is great. But it can also become overwhelming. With so many options, you never know what to choose and what would suit your classroom the best. 

Online tools for community building in the classroom

Interactive online tools for community building in the classroom

Back in November, we hosted Mike Silberg as our third “How to build a community” speaker series guest. We invited him because he literally eats, sleeps and breathes community. He’s worked in various community-building roles, at companies such as Redbull and WeWork, and most recently, he founded the IS-CL Network. To him community was never a profession - it was more of a mindset. This “pure” vision of connecting with others is what makes him so good at what he does.

The event itself centered around how community managers can tap into existing community ecosystems to strengthen their own. Especially in the digital age, there are available resources all around us. It’s important to know how to take advantage of them. Here are a few tips.

Before you can be a good leader, you have to be a good member.

Most people tend to be more focused on learning how to be leaders and influence others, rather than how to be a good member of an existing community. To be an effective leader, you have to first be an effective team player.

As a community manager, you shouldn’t constantly be feeling like you’re Sisyphus rolling the boulder uphill. You should be making it easier for others to do what they love. If you spread the word about your community organically, invite people to events, target the right folks, you come to understand that you, as the organizer, see the best results when you behave how a good member of your community should.


All communities have certain rules for how members should behave. These rules vary in complexity and restrictiveness depending on the group; however, a good member follows community guidelines out of respect for others. In virtual communities, this could take the form of not outwardly promoting products or only doing certain things on certain days.

The main goal shouldn’t be to overpower other members of the community, rather it should be to empower yourself and 

that power to lift others up. The community manager should have designed the community guidelines with this objective in mind.

I think we all learn this in kindergarten, but we often forget that it extends to adulthood, too. Giving someone something that they need brings you closer to them and establishes trust. This is important to keep in mind whether you’re a new member of a community or a community manager.

Keep an eye out for moments where you can offer to help. “You are reaching for something like marketing on steroids,” Mike said, where helping the group is greater than helping individuals one by one.  Marketing is like fossil fuel. With a few liters of gas, you can ride your car for x miles. But this is not what you should be aiming for. You are looking for a nuclear explosion of energy: community energy, in a sense that it feeds and grows from inside. This comes from the relationships and activity constantly bubbling within the community. If your community has the right energy, you only need to create conversation around it.


Depending on the stage of your community, subcommunities might be an interesting path to pursue.

The job of a community manager is never over. Even if it exceeds your expectations, and the community takes on a life of its own, the work required to keep it up and running never really stops. As in life, in community management, without the proper care, everything fades. But there are ways to prevent this.

Once the community is strong as a whole, a next step could be to break it down into layers or subcommunities. Let’s look at the example of Facebook. Facebook is like a cosmos: the bigger community consists of billions of people. Then, there are little communities: the groups and pages. Every community’s needs are different; however, for really massive communities, the more layers you have, the greater the chances of your members being satisfied.

Layers can be as simple as events, topics of interest, or whatever makes sense to your community medium. The ultimate goal is that your group meets people’s needs.


Our third "How to build a community" speaker series event featured community pro, Mike Silberg. Here are a few lessons we learned from him.

Mike Silberg x Toucan event speaker series 

Toucan Event Series x Mike Silberg

A good icebreaker can save any occasion from a dreadful awkward silence at the start. Especially online, these awkward moments might be extra hard to get through. Virtual icebreaker games will help you get everyone loosened up and the conversations flowing.

We have put together a list of 10 virtual icebreaker games (plus some additional useful 

) that your community might enjoy. These were tested and are deeply enjoyed by our team - even by the most 

! These are great for virtual meetings, virtual classroom activities, virtual college classes, virtual workshops, webinars, virtual 

, etc. You guessed it - if it’s virtual, these are the icebreakers for your event.

 Start with easy questions so you can let people get comfortable. If you are in a larger group of people, try to split into smaller groups. Ask lots of random and funny ones. We have a blog post with a selection of our team’s 

favorite virtual icebreaker questions for team-building

 - but they are a great fit for other occasions too! Or check 

 Everyone needs a little push to get the socializing fluids going. Virtual icebreaker questions usually help everyone form valuable bonds. And people that feel more comfortable around each other will naturally cooperate better.

Live-action games from The Adventure is Real

Have an open mind and a positive attitude. That’s it! 

 has several games that they have built themselves, where you work alongside your colleagues and friends to solve puzzles, piece together clues, and/or uncover mysteries.

The Adventure is Real truly cares about you having a fantastic time. Their team of trained actors is completely dedicated to each of their roles, making the experience immersive. It’s so hard not to smile while participating in one of their activities.

 about themselves. Have everyone get up one by one and share them. Then, ask everyone to vote on which statement they think is the lie. Once everyone has voted, reveal the correct answer and give team members the chance to ask any follow-up questions!

This is a great virtual icebreaker game for people who don’t know each other, but it’s also a fun way for good friends to learn even more about each other. This means that it is great for onboarding a new team member or for your classroom at the beginning of the school year. And it’s a great opportunity for more introverted folks to share a bit more about themselves in a safe environment.

Collect interesting (and fun!) facts about each team member and let other colleagues guess who the fun fact is about. Try using an online tool like 

, as it makes the experience more visual and interactive.

First of all, it’s incredible the number of fun facts you can find out about the people that you work closest with. This is perfect for a holiday activity for your community!

Use a random image generator or word generator (we recommend 

 one). On each turn, one player must act out what they see in the image and the teammates need to guess to earn points. Repeat for as many rounds as you have time for.

 It’s a game that everyone has played growing up, which makes it super familiar and fun. Everyone loves a good throwback and nostalgic moment.

Tell everyone that they need to get ready to stand up from their chairs. Give everyone a task like “You have 30 seconds to fetch something fluffy!” (Get ready to see some people grabbing their pets!) And then everyone shares what they grabbed.

It makes people get up and move! Which is great as we tend to spend most of our days sitting. Plus, it brings people closer since they will end up sharing personal items and the stories behind them. Laughs are 100% guaranteed.

 Full disclosure, you do need to buy these games and download them to your computer. But once you’ve downloaded the game, everyone can play online with their phone. It’s that simple!

 have plenty of good choices. And all the games have unexpected and creative dynamics. It requires a bit of an investment, but we definitely recommend it!

Get ready to solve challenges, work through riddles, find codes, complete puzzles, and make connections. Do whatever it takes to “get out of the room.” There are plenty of choices online, such as 

It is an experience for all ages, everyone loves a good game, and it is great for bonding. Plus, there is a themed virtual escape room for every occasion!

Everything you need to do is ask everyone thought-provoking questions. The type of “this or that” decisions. The idea is to make everyone say what they would prefer and explain why. Some examples of questions: “Would you rather be always overdressed or underdressed?”, “Would you rather have 6-foot-long legs or 6-foot-long arms?”, “Would you rather travel back in time or forward?”. If you are lacking inspiration or want to spice things up a bit, we recommend 

 because it’s an amazing interactive tool. And have a look at 

 blog post with “101 would you rather questions” that their team put together.

A round of “would you rather” questions will spark conversations at any virtual event you host or plan.

 Choose an organizer for this game. Everyone needs to submit a photo of the inside of their refrigerator to that person. The organizer will then post those on a group chat or even broadcast them on a video call. Players will speak their minds and guess which fridge belongs to whom. You 

keep score, or you could just play for the laughs!

 A refrigerator is something very personal… It’s almost like looking into other people’s souls. What better game to play to get to know each other better? Vulnerability usually helps people bond.

There are a few websites that have premade Jeopardy games, like 

. But we’ve had a great time making our own. Download the Jeopardy slide deck from 

. It’s programmed such that, when you click on any of the $ amounts in the Jeopardy grid, the slideshow immediately jumps to that question. Split all the players up into a few teams (on Toucan, you could have up to 4 teams, with a gamemaster/moderator. Have a representative from each team get up in Presenter Mode to share what their team discusses on stage. You can read more about how we play Jeopardy 

 Who doesn’t like Jeopardy? Plus, it gives you an opportunity to frame the questions around common knowledge among members of your community.

Toucan is designed so that you and your community have more fun.

Your virtual icebreaker games will only be as fun as you allow them to be. Choosing the right platform might be key to ensuring that everyone has the most memorable experience, especially on those days where 

 is real. Also, you want to encourage as much participation as possible.

Toucan is built for this sort of thing. The flexibility, the agency, the ability to decide who you talk to and what you talk about make for a much more comfortable environment for socializing -  especially icebreakers!

We have plenty of features that will help you create the best dynamic possible. You can send emoticon reactions, choose your background, broadcast and share your screen, divide into groups, lock groups to make them more private, and check out each other’s Toucan profiles for some extra fun and flair. Plus, in a group, everyone is in the same order on everyone’s screens. So feel free to go around the circle when you share.

We hope you have a great time with our favorite games! We sure do so.

A good icebreaker can save any occasion from a dreadful awkward silence at the start. Especially online, these awkward moments might be extra hard to get through. This list of virtual icebreaker games will help you get everyone loosened up and the conversations flowing.

11 Virtual icebreaker games that your community will LOVE

, you may be living under a rock. Companies, organizations, nonprofits - you name it - are investing more time, energy, and money into developing strong communities. And a community manager is the key to that effort. But what exactly does a community manager do? 🤹

We couldn’t think of a better group of people to answer the question than 

 (an experienced community consultant), and 

If you ever wondered how you can build a brand that is funny, unique, and original, your answer might be…  a community manager! Or several! They mostly spend their time flying around the 

… And never give up, no matter the challenge.

They know their audience like the back of their hands.

A really good community manager knows exactly who they’re talking to and who will listen.

They are the BEST life coaches and are always good for a nugget of wisdom.

Can you believe that the first time the job “community manager” was listed was back in 1996? Facebook was only born in 2004 - eight years later!

Their job is more than just retweeting, replying to messages, or engaging in the comments. And when everything goes wrong on social media, community managers are your lifeboats.

It just makes sense. If you’re trying to get people buzzing about something new, what’s better than having an entire 

Social media marketing ≠ Community management.

Repeat after us. A 👏 Community 👏 Manager 👏 is 👏 not 👏 a 👏 Social 👏 Media 👏 Specialist👏. Read 

 written by Mac Reddin to understand better what a community manager does (and doesn’t!) do.

If you haven’t heard the word community manager, you may be living under a rock. Companies, organizations, nonprofits - you name it - are investing more time, energy, and money into developing strong communities. And a community manager is the key to that effort. But what exactly does a community manager do? Keep reading to find out! 

What does a community manager do?

Antonia Hellman is co-founder and CEO of Toucan.

She is a recent graduate of Stanford University, having studied political science and economics.

She enjoys long walks to explore new cities, listening to audiobooks on 1.2x speed, a cup of hot water, and re-watching mediocre movies.

Last week, we hosted our second “How to build a community” speaker series event with community expert Brian Oblinger. Brian is a community consultant, who has worked with several massive companies, such as Acer, The Home Depot, Comcast, HP, PlayStation, and more to develop their community strategies. Toucan CEO, Antonia Hellman, sat down with him and moderated a Q&A session on what brought him to community as a career, what he has learned along the way, and any advice he has for community managers today.


That’s the core of community strategy. It is vitally important to be in touch with the problem your community is solving and what your members actually 

When it comes to building a community around an individual company, it can be easy to get caught up in what the company wants. But that is not the way you get a collective excited or keep them committed. You need to understand, first and foremost, why people joined in the first place and how the community can best serve their needs. This isn’t to say that the community’s wants and needs shouldn’t be aligned with the company’s - they most certainly should -, but it’s important to keep in mind that different stakeholders may have different objectives.

Internal and external communities go hand-in-hand.

Companies that prioritize building a strong community internally tend to have the strongest external communities of supporters. If a company establishes a culture that employees buy into and actively participate in, it will, effectively, have a head start when it comes to creating a following of devoted product supporters.

Brian suggested that internal communities be housed on the same platforms as their companies’ external communities. That way, employees can engage with the external folks more, and engagement isn’t dependent only on work done by community managers. Also, the ability to connect with internal team members could be a massive selling point for customers. Knowing that they’ll have access to the people on the inside whenever they have a problem or a question conveys to them that your company cares about them.

Don’t just think in weeks or months. Think years. Building a community is something that takes time. Creating one that’s long lasting takes effort, at least one unwavering champion within an organization, and a long-term strategy. And don’t be afraid to let the strategy evolve - just don’t lose sight of the overall 

For example, the decades prior to the pandemic, companies tended to hold their events and get-togethers in-person; however, they came to realize that the internet provided them with highly valuable resources that they could use to their advantage. That’s when many companies started baking both in-person and online community components into their engagement efforts. After the past year and a half, nobody is disputing the importance of virtual communities. But there is no one-size-fits-all model for community building, so it’s always important to meet people where they are and listen to what resonates with them the most.

Brian Oblinger recently hosted Toucan's second Event Series. Read to find out about forming an effective community strategy.

Forming an Effective Community Strategy

Have you heard?? At Toucan, we’ve recently launched our first ever speaker series. For our four-part event, we invited community experts from around the world to co-host an event with our CEO, Antonia. Yes, these are really awesome events and we really hope you

Two weeks ago, we hosted the first one with Marjorie Anderson. She is a community expert with a background in community management for nonprofit organizations. On top of this, she’s the founder of 

. Basically, when it comes to community, Marjorie knows what she’s talking about.

She and Antonia discussed her experiences starting a community from scratch and how leaders can foster meaningful connections and relationships between members. Starting with a fireside chat and followed by an audience Q & A, we learned a ton from her. If you missed it, we wanted to share three key takeaways from this event.

Before starting a community you need to stop and ask yourself, does anyone want this? I know it sounds harsh, but this advice could save hours of your time trying to build a community.

Once you decide what main topic and audience you want to build around, do some research. This can come in many different forms. One way to find out if there’s any interest is to reach out directly to people who would be your ideal members directly and find out if they would be interested. If they are, go even further. Find out what it is they would like to gain from the community.

Imagine this: you’ve got the ball rolling. Your community is set up and the first members have joined. Now what?

You have to ask yourself these key questions. What is the purpose of my community? What are members looking to gain from this community? How do I deliver what they want?

The best way to get the right answers to these questions is to go directly to the source. Reach out to your members and find out! To grow a community, you need to have a collective aim or purpose. The best way to reach that aim is to get in touch with the people right in front of you.

: this is also a great way to get the conversation started and connect with new members.

This question came from one of the event's attendees. They asked Marjorie, ‘How do I reward active community members?’.

The answer is simple, reward them in any way you can! Active, engaged, and helpful community members are hard to come by. So if you have one or a few, congrats! To show your appreciation send them a personal message, give them a public shoutout, or if you have the resources, send them some swag. They probably won’t expect it, and it may even encourage other community members to get involved.

Marjorie’s event was only the start. We’d love for you to join us on October 13th for our second event with Brian Oblinger. He’ll be discussing how to form an effective community strategy once you’ve already gotten the basics of your group nailed down. Brian’s worked with hundreds of companies like Acer, Autodesk, Comcast, eBay, The Home Depot, HP, Playstation, and more.


What are you waiting for? Sign up to learn from the best:

https://www.toucan.events/events/brian-oblinger

Did you miss our event series with Marjorie Anderson? Well luckily we put together three key takeaways for you.

Marjorie Anderson x Toucan event speaker series 

Toucan Event Series x Marjorie Anderson

We ended 2021 with a bang, by hosting Erik Martin as our fourth and final guest in our “How to build a community” speaker series. Erik was the first community manager at Reddit and later became general manager. After community and/or marketing roles at Depop, WeWork, Airtime, Nike and Teal, he is now VP of Services at Commsor. It’s safe to say that he knows a thing or two about community building.

Our event with him was centered around what you can do once you have an established community. For instance, once your community is large enough to sustain itself, what can you as a community manager do to continue supporting it? Here are four quick takeaways from our discussion with him.

A self-sustaining community is one where members are inspired and invested enough to introduce their own ideas.

Erik understands a “self-sustaining community” to be one where the individuals in the group are moved to use the space or medium to express their creativity. Members of the community come forward and use the tools given to them 

the community in a completely different way than it was previously. That indicates that they themselves feel ownership over the space and care enough to help it evolve.

To get to that point, it takes community-wide engagement. Something that community managers can do to promote such engagement is involve members in activities and promotional materials (newsletters, interviews, social media campaigns, etc.). Even though you as the community manager may be doing most of the work, it’s important to give the members that participate most of the credit. This will boost morale, and it’ll also show other members that, if they have great ideas, you’ll support them in pursuing it.

Once you have a community, its purpose becomes more of a conversation.

You may have started your community with a specific purpose in mind; however, once it’s grown to a certain size, it’s not all up to you anymore. Yes, you have accountability for your community’s space, but everyone now has their own emotional connection to what you’ve built. Your community means something to everyone that continues to be a part of it, so it’s incredibly important that you include them in discussions about its direction.


Get input from folks that aren’t the loudest voices in the room with a random number audit.

It can be challenging to understand what people want and need out of your community when you’re hearing the same people speaking up. Sometimes, there are some quieter members that would like to participate actively, but they’re not sure how. And sometimes there are people who 

talk if the community were different in just a few small ways.

One way to get these people talking directly to you is to go to them. With a massive community, that’s hard because you simply don’t have enough time to speak with that many people. Erik suggests running random number audits, where you assign each of your community members a number and then run a random number generator. Whichever number gets picked, you reach out to that person and have a conversation with them. If you do one a day, the numbers really start adding up!


With every genre, there is an understanding of what it 

. But there’s tons of room for interpretation. Communities are the same way. Everyone comes with some idea of what a certain community is or isn’t, but there is always room for creativity, growth, and positive change. Keep an open mind.

Did you miss our event series with Erik Martin? Well, luckily we put together four key takeaways for you.

"You have a community...now what?" with Erik Martin

Erik Martin x Toucan event speaker series 

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