Updated at: 25-03-2023 - By: Eden Wise

Overview

It can be a bit of a gamble picking the right ones, what with our busy schedules and the fact that some of them can take a while to set up with all of our classes, as there are so many different educational apps for students out there.

This has been my experience as well; I always begin the year with grand plans to implement innovative teaching strategies, but before I know it, I’m knee-deep in the logistics of running my classes and the prospect of devoting time to learning about and implementing new apps seems overwhelming.

I’ve compiled a list of the best and brightest apps for educators right here. There is no particular order to them at all.

So, which ones are you going to use?

Best Teacher Apps

Best teacher apps

Jotform Mobile Forms

Teachers can use Jotform’s mobile app, which is not dependent on an active internet connection, to create and use cloud-based forms for a variety of classroom management and student assessment purposes. You can collect many different types of information with these forms, and as people fill them out, the data is automatically entered into clean tables for easy analysis. Jotform Approvals is also helpful for collaborating with other educators on lesson plans. Jotform is a user-friendly system for bringing digital tools into the classroom. In addition, all paid plans (except Enterprise) are discounted by 50% for educators and educational institutions.

TeacherKit0

TeacherKit

Use TeacherKit to take charge of your classroom. Keep tabs on everyone’s whereabouts, activities, grades, and conduct in one convenient location. You can, for instance, quickly assess which students are more engaged than others and make informed decisions about where to seat them. The software also facilitates two-way communication between teachers and students and between teachers and parents.

Seesaw

Get your students excited about technology by letting them create their own portfolios on Seesaw and record themselves as they work. Not only can the educator monitor their students’ development over time, but so can the student’s parents. Make use of Seesaw for regular assignments as well as more elaborate projects and presentations.

Slack

Send out class-wide announcements and messages using a centralized system. Teachers can also set up channels for students to talk about specific topics with one another, and they can send reminders and pointers to individual students via direct messages. To get students talking about their current science assignments, you might create a new channel called #scienceproject.

Memrise

Memrise can help you learn a new language. The app employs a sophisticated algorithm to determine when to administer tests to students in order to maximize their retention of course material. It teaches students about different cultures while exposing them to words and phrases that are actually used there.

Google Classroom

Google Classroom

I’ve been using it for a few years now, and it’s completely changed the way I instruct.

All of the G-Suite programs (including Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Draw) are consolidated into this one convenient program.

Class-specific tasks and announcements can be made by teachers. They can also set due dates, add deadlines, and attach documents like worksheets, slideshows, and weblinks.

It’s easy to grade the papers and send them back to the students for revision.

Work completed in Google Classroom is automatically saved in student Google Drive folders (which are also created automatically). The data you enter is safely stored. Class comments submitted by students are visible to the teacher and other students in the “Classroom” they are associated with, encouraging teamwork.

If students have questions but don’t want the rest of the class to see them, they can submit them privately as comments to their teachers.

I’ve dedicated an entire review post to the topic, titled “The Ultimate Google Classroom Review,” if you’re interested in learning more. In the 2020 Update, I explain everything Google Classroom is capable of doing and how to use it effectively.

Vivi

Vivi rocks in my book. It’s a wireless presentation and screen-mirroring tool (everyone can see the same screen on their devices), perfect for classroom use.

Content can be annotated and saved in real-time by both students and teachers. It’s compatible with any electronic gadget (so teachers needn’t fret over whether or not their students use Apple, Microsoft, Android, etc. devices).

A blue box plugged into the wall gives you the freedom to roam the classroom as you please. Because of its high price tag (around $300 or £230), I would recommend that your school invest in this option.

I’m confident, however, that you’ll enjoy using them if they become available at your institution.

Classtree

Classtree

Classtree is like Remind but it has some extra features.

It’s a way for educators to stay in touch with their students’ families, but it also has some of the social media features they’re used to (like the ability to “like” and comment on their children’s schoolwork).

Users receive real-time updates (similar to social media) and chat features allow educators and parents to stay in touch.

Classtree’s ability to attach consent forms for field trips and have them signed, returned, and downloaded digitally is a nice bonus.

That one has my enthusiastic approval.

DropBox

Dropbox is a viable alternative to Google Drive, and it has been around for a while.

In contrast to Google Drive, which only supports G Suite files, Dropbox also supports Microsoft Office.

The ability to store and access teaching materials in a central location saves time and eliminates the need to distribute bulky attachments to students via email.

If you want to use it for your classes, you’ll need more space than the 500Mb that comes with the free account, so my recommendation is to invite your students through the referral program. Win!

Prodigy

I have seen entire classes get very competitive and work at such a fast and thorough rate through the quizzes, pitting themselves against other classes, all because they were playing Prodigy, a math game that is very engaging for students. In order to sign up, students will need their parents’ permission and an email address.

It is designed more for supplemental study than for introductory instruction, and it provides detailed explanations of why students got their answers wrong.

It takes place in a fantastical world where young heroes face off against monsters (using their mathematical prowess, of course). Students are rewarded monetarily and magically as they progress through the game by defeating monsters.

The ability for parents to monitor their child’s development is another advantage.

Zoom

With more and more people working remotely or staying at home to study or relax, Zoom has quickly become the app of choice and communication hub. Despite the lockdown, people were able to stay in virtual contact with far-flung loved ones, including parents, friends, family, classmates, and teachers. It might be time to join the crowd if you haven’t already.

Zoom is a robust cloud video conferencing platform that supports “meetings” with hundreds of attendees. Teachers can use the Zoom app to conduct class, distribute materials, exchange files, and have one-on-one conversations with their students. The free app allows for an unlimited number of one-on-one chats but only 40 minutes of group chat time. With the basic paid version, you can host meetings with up to 100 attendees for up to 30 hours for as little as $15 per month.

Kahoot!

Kahoot

To keep their students engaged, many educators have turned to the practice of making otherwise dull lessons into games. The website GetKahoot is great because it allows you to quickly and easily transform your classroom into a game show. Create an instant playable game by simply entering your pre-prepared questions and answers into the site. The Kahoot app can be downloaded by your students and used as a buzzer during games. If you’re a teacher, you can save yourself a lot of time by searching through the millions of premade kahoots available on any subject. You can also monitor your students’ development with personalized reports. Puzzles, polls, open-ended questions, and slides are locked behind in-app purchases; however, the app itself is free to use. To access all of the premium features, the monthly fee per educator ranges from $3 to $9.

Remind

With Remind, educators can easily keep in touch with students and their families even when school is not in session. Through the use of the Remind app, you can send out class announcements, start group chats, and even have one-on-one conversations. You can reach out to parents who don’t speak English by sending them messages that are automatically translated into one of more than 90 languages. The best part is that there are no hidden fees, so you can communicate with the whole class at no extra cost.

Trello

When working on a group project, it can be challenging if everyone has a different schedule. Thankfully, Trello allows students to maintain order by providing them with helpful organizational tools meant to keep them focused on their work. The app provides them with a convenient way to sync content across devices through the cloud, allowing them to do things like create checklists, upload images, and delegate tasks to other users. The information is presented in a card-based interface, which can be easily rearranged to accommodate the user’s specific requirements. Images and links can be uploaded straight into Trello to help you stay organized. When you return to the app, you’ll automatically be taken to the same board or card you were looking at before. The calendar view can also be used by both students and teachers to set and monitor deadlines. For streamlined management, you can include the entire class on a single Trello board at no cost.

Pocket

Since learning occurs both inside and outside of the classroom, Pocket allows you to easily save online articles, videos, and other materials that will be useful for your current or future coursework. Saved articles can be viewed without an internet connection, and the app’s clean design makes it easy to read on any screen. It’s simple to show your students that informative article about the Roanoke colonists. Since the most recent update, Pocket can be listened to offline, making use of your device’s text-to-speech voices even when you don’t have service.

Animoto

Students of all ages prefer to learn from videos posted on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. So, it’s time to update teaching methods and incorporate video to pique students’ interest in their coursework.

With Animoto, educators and students can collaborate on visually engaging presentations using video. Using video-based lessons is a great way to liven up the online classroom and reach students through the most widely used medium today.

Evernote

We no longer need a blackboard or whiteboard to write out our homework. Teachers now have the ability to quickly and easily upload and organize online for their students a variety of resources including notes, assignments, instructions, and reading materials. Students can now easily access all of the resources they need without having to worry about losing track of where they put their notes or assignments.

The Nerdy Teacher’s use of Evernote as his sole means of storing and sharing classroom notes and supplemental materials with his students is illustrative of how useful and functional Evernote can be for distance education. It was fascinating to watch him document his classes and post them online.

Quizlet

Even though Quizlet is most commonly associated with flashcards, this user-friendly app can be used for independent study in any field. The interactive nature of the app can be useful for teachers in terms of getting students to remember and fully grasp crucial concepts.

We really like the downloadable study sets and the fact that they are interactive, as this will allow teachers to draw ideas from the experiences of their students. Memorization is still crucial in many disciplines, and Quizlet offers a fun way to test students on what they’ve learned.

FAQs

Conclusion

It goes without saying that this is not an exhaustive list. There are too many educational apps to count; maybe we need a tool like Photomath to keep track of them all. However, hybrid classrooms of the future will find great use in all of the apps mentioned.

In the future, educators plan to use apps and other forms of educational technology to make hybrid classrooms as flexible as possible. Education, like the workplace of the future, will be a hot topic of discussion, and Mentimeter hopes to make it better for everyone involved.