Explore our list of apps, platforms and other digital tools that you might find useful for teaching, learning or general productivity.
A-Z of apps
Adobe Express | Book Creator | Box | Buddycheck | Canva | Easel.ly | Evernote | Flipboard | Flip (formerly Flipgrid) | Google Drive | Mendeley | Microsoft Forms | Mindmeister | Miro | Mural | The Noun Project | OneDrive | OneNote | Padlet | Photos for Class | Pinterest | Skype | Socrative | Sway | TED | Translator | Twitter | Twine | Vimeo | Wakelet | WordPress | Yammer | YouTube | Zotero
Most of these apps and tools have free and paid versions.
If you are using one of these in teaching, you should check whether there are any accessibility or data protection issues and make alternative arrangements when necessary. We have indicated below where a tool does not yet meet the accessibility requirements for public sector bodies and there is more guidance on accessibility in our Digital Accessibility Toolkit.
Adobe Express
This platform has evolved from Adobe Spark. It provides tools for creating great looking content for social media posts, flyers, banners etc. without design experience. You can log in with your Sussex account.
Find out more about Adobe Express.
Book Creator
An app that lets you create your own eBook. Add text, images, video, sound and links to create your very own multimedia eBook (available for iPad £2.99 or online). This tool has good accessibility features, and you can learn more about them on their accessibility information pages.
Find out more about Book Creator.
Box
Staff and research students at Sussex can store unlimited files and data by logging on to Box.com with a University account. Box comes with an accompanying app.
ITS has guidance on getting started with Box at Sussex.
Canva
From blog graphics and Facebook covers to posters, presentations and business cards Canva helps you to easily create and share exciting designs. Canva is a great tool to help anyone create professional designs.
Canva does not yet meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 but they are ‘committed to identifying and removing all usability barriers’ and you can check their progress via the Accessibility at Canva webpage.
Easel.ly
Allows you to quickly and easily create your own infographics. Choose from thousands of customisable templates or start from scratch to create an eye- catching design which can be embedded or shared online. Easel.ly has been compatible with the US section 508 standards since 2017. Although these are not the same as the accessibility requirements for public sector bodies in the UK it shows a good level of accessibility, and you can see details on their website.
Evernote
Helps you to remember everything across all the devices you use including mobile phone, laptop, PC, tablet. Allows you to take notes, record voice notes, save bookmarks, capture photos and create to do lists. The accessibility of this tool will vary depending on the device you use, but it was recently included in a list of Top ten apps for visually impaired students.
A newsfeed aggregator that also lets you build your own magazines by curating content from the web. Flipboard relies on accessibility features on your device, so if you are using it in teaching you will want to ensure that all your students are able to access the parts of it you want them to.
Find out more about Flipboard.
Flip (formerly Flipgrid)
A video discussion platform that allows users to post short video responses, either to a prompt or question or as an ‘idea’. By default, videos are a maximum of 90 seconds long, but this can be increased to up to 5 minutes. The intention is to develop a sense of community and social learning. As Flip is now part of Microsoft it has good accessibility features and you can read more about them on Flip and Accessibility.
Google Drive
A service for cloud storage of Google Docs, Sheets, Slides etc. See the ITS guidance on using cloud storage services.
Find out more about Google Drive.
Mendeley
Helps you organise, share and discover. Quickly reference your citations, read and annotate PDF documents, connect with colleagues and share papers, notes and annotations. See the Library's guide to Mendeley. Mendeley is not yet fully accessible, but they are working on making the tool more accessible. You can learn more about the accessibility of Mendeley on their website.
Microsoft Forms
Part of Office 365 which is available to all staff and students at Sussex, Forms lets you create surveys and polls. Responses can be exported to Excel so there are lots of options for handling the data you collect. Information on accessibility in MS Office can be found on the MS Accessibility help & learning website.
Find out about Microsoft Forms.
Mindmeister
A mind mapping app. Mind maps are a great way to organise ideas. Mindmeister complies with US accessibility standards but if you are asking your students to make mind maps you may also want to consider Mindview which is licensed by the University.
Find out more about Mindmeister.
Miro
An online whiteboard for 'visual collaboration'. Miro is not yet fully accessible, but they are making improvements and you can check the latest in their accessibility statement.
Mural
A visual collaboration tool with free options for education and a range of templates to help you get started. Mural is not fully accessible, but they are working on it and you can find the latest info on their Mural accessibility webpage.
The Noun Project
A project that aims to create a language of visual icons that anyone can understand. Search for previously made icons or create your own and add to this growing web project. As this site is accessed via a web browser users can use accessibility features in their browser.
Find out more about The Noun Project.
OneDrive
Microsoft’s cloud storage service. As a member of the university you are provided with 1 TB of storage, Microsoft Office for computers and mobile devices as well as Office Online. This allows you to access and edit your documents across all of your devices. Have a look at the ITS help pages to find out more. Information on accessibility in MS Office can be found on the MS Accessibility help & learning website.
OneNote
A digital notes tool that is part of Microsoft Office 365 and uses OneDrive to store notes. See the ITS guidance on OneNote. Information on accessibility in MS Office can be found on the MS Accessibility help & learning website.
Padlet
An online wall on which you can post text, images, videos, links and files which enables instant collaboration with others. Please see our Padlet guidance for more information. Padlet is working on making their platform fully accessible, but it does not yet meet the international WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard so if you use Padlet in your teaching you should have a 'plan B' for any students who are unable to use the platform. For more information see Padlet's statement on accessibility and you can find more information about designing your teaching resources for accessibility in our Digital Accessibility Toolkit.
Photos for Class
Search and download Creative Commons images with the attribution embedded in the image. As this site is accessed via a web browser users can use accessibility features in their browser.
Find out more about Photos for Class.
This platform lets users ‘pin’ visual bookmarks to themed ‘boards’ and share them with the world, or not. Pinterest is not fully accessible but they have made some changes to make it inclusive for all levels of vision.
Find out more about Pinterest.
Skype
A video calling system that could be used for distance tutorials or meetings. The university has a licence for Skype. Read more about Skype on the ITS Skype webpage. Other options are Zoom and Teams.
Socrative
A mobile-based student response system. The free version is limited to 50 students and does not embed into PowerPoint so you may prefer Poll Everywhere. Socrative is not yet fully accessible but they are working on this and you can see their action plan.
Sway
A tool from Microsoft for creating engaging presentations. Import photos, videos, tweets and a whole host of other media without leaving the Sway app. Easily re-arrange content and choose which elements to emphasise and share by distributing the URL for the presentation. Information on accessibility in MS Office can be found on the MS Accessibility help & learning website.
TED
The TED mobile apps let you watch the TED talks on your mobile device. Although this app is not yet fully accessible the makers are trying to make the iOS app more inclusive.
Translator
Microsoft Translator is a free service which transcribes text to audio and changes the output into a multitude of languages, instantly and accurately. Read our blog post on Using Microsoft Translator. Information on accessibility in MS Office can be found on the MS Accessibility help & learning website.
Find out more about Translator.
A powerful tool for sharing information, finding out news from colleagues and making new connections. Twitter feeds can be embedded in Canvas. You can read about Twitter’s work on accessibility in their help resources.
Twine
A web-based tool for creating narrative driven immersive experiences. See our blog post on Twine.
Vimeo
A video publishing platform The app lets you access your account - but you can’t upload to Vimeo from mobile with a free account. The Vimeo player is accessible but creators may find aspects of the platform inaccessible.
Wakelet
Curate the web with Wakelet's tools to 'save, organise and share content'. You can add weblinks, text, YouTube videos, tweets, images, PDFs, files from Google or OneDrive and videos via Flip. Wakelet also allows collaboration. Although not yet fully accessible this is being addressed. See our blog post on Curating and sharing with Wakelet.
WordPress
Probably the best-known blogging platform. The mobile app lets you post to your blog or monitor comments and stats on the go. WordPress is not fully accessible but the latest editor has some accessibility features.
Find out more about WordPress.
Yammer
A private social network that lets individuals within an organisation collaborate. Stay connected by creating groups, sharing information and ideas and organising projects. The university has its own Yammer network which you can join with your Sussex email.
YouTube
The app makes using YouTube on your mobile device easy. You can upload, share and view videos. YouTube videos can be embedded in Canvas. The YouTube app has lots of accessibility features either built-in or available via devices.
Zotero
A research tool that helps you to collect, cite, organise and share your sources. Collect journal articles, PDFs, images, newspaper articles and books from the Library’s catalogue and add your resources to your own library with one click. There are accessibility issues with the desktop version of Zotero, but it is generally accessible when used via a web browser.