There are a lot to digital tools people swear are essential to educators. Here’s a list of fourteen put together by the Ask a Tech Teacher team. I use about half of them. How about you?

14 Essential Digital Tools for Educators to Streamline Daily Activities

In 2024’s fast-paced educational environment, teachers and all those in the academe face the daily challenge of managing their school or course’s efficiency. From spanning out schedules and lesson planning to grading, the responsibilities seem a never-ending cycle and quite overwhelming. 

Thankfully, however, today’s advancements brought digital tools to help streamline all these school-related activities. They make educators’ lives a whole lot easier, aside from improving the learning experiences for their students. 

Today, you can count on these tools to make educators’ lives more seamless once you get them working through digital routines.

Top 14 Educators’ Tools in 2024

Google Classroom

One versatile platform that tops the bill is Google Classroom. It allows more educators like you to create, distribute, and grade assignments, albeit paperless, especially in online learning sessions. Its integration and connection with other Google services like Docs, Drive, and Gmail make it a central hub for seamless learning environments like classrooms. 

It’s got a lot of features, too, like:

• Easy assignment distribution and collection features
• Seamlessly integrates with Google apps
• Real-time grading and feedback

Kahoot!

Kahoot! can help transform traditional quizzes or tests into more engaging, game-like experiences. It’s always perfect for formative assessments, making learning fun and interactive, and boasts these features:

• Customizable tests and quizzes
• Real-time feedback
• Fun, competitive learning environment all the time

Canva

One app that could help people with graphic design is Canva. It’s a graphic design tool that can empower course managers to create visually appealing presentations, infographics, and other engaging classroom materials without needing them to be expert platform designers. It also advances some features, like:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Thousands of templates
• More collaboration features

Also, Canva can create professional-looking posts like crafting ads or selling tips for GunBroker and other high-profile endorsements, especially for business people looking to sell items online.

Edmodo

This application can provide a safer platform for teachers, students, and parents to connect anytime. It supports more collaboration and communication beyond the classroom walls and settings with these features:

• Assignment tracking
• Real-time communication
• Parental engagement

Trello

As a project management tool, Trello can help more educators organize their tasks, projects, and resources. Its card system and visual board can simplify task tracking and collaboration with handy uses like:

• Visuals task management
• Collaboration tools
• Seamless integration with other applications 

Zoom

One widely used video conferencing tool today is Zoom, and it has become quite indispensable for more people’s virtual learning. It can offer reliable features for conducting live classes, webinars, and other conferences with some features:

• HD video and audio
• Breakout rooms for class activities
• Screen sharing and recording

Quizlet

Another tool that’s handy to make courses come alive is Quinzlet, boasting study tools like flashcards, quizzes, and games to help students grasp and retain information. It’s quite effective both for live class or take-home activities, especially with features like:

• Customizable flashcards
• Study games and quizzes
• Mobile-friendly

Padlet

Padlet acts like a digital bulletin board that allows teachers and students to post notes, links, images, and other materials. It’s pretty ideal for brainstorming sessions and collaborative projects online featuring:

• Real-time collaboration
• Multimedia support
• Easy to embed and share

Flipgrid

A video discussion tool, Flipgrid encourages students to express their ideas and engage in discussion through short video exchanges. It’s found to be perfect for fostering a more inclusive yet dynamic classroom scenario with the following advantages:

• Support video discussions and responses
• More student engagement means
• Integration with other educational online platforms

Microsoft OneNote

Another helpful app is OneNote, a digital notebook that can allow teachers to organize their lesson or course plans, notes, and resources in one place. It makes it easier for them to share with students and their colleagues with these collaborative features:

• Digital notes-taking
• Collaborative features
• Integration with Microsoft Office applications

Class Dojo

As a classroom management tool, Class Dojo helps teachers build that positive classroom culture, albeit online, through real-time feedback and communication with parents. Particularly, they boast of these capabilities:

• Behavior tracking
• Parent engagement and communication
• Classroom peer and community building

Seesaw

A student-driven digital portfolio management that showcases students’ work and learning progress, Seesaw allows for more creative expression and easier sharing with their parents. It also promotes the use of these advantages:

• Accessible digital portfolios
• Student engagement applications
• Enabled parent communication platforms

Nearpod

As one of the many lesson delivery platforms, Nearpod allows teachers to create more engaging lessons with real-time assessments in their interactive content. This application also puts forward some features, like:

• Engaging and interactive course presentations
• Real-time student interactions and responses
• Can capably integrate with other educational tools or applications

Socrative

One of today’s formative assessment tools is Socrative. It can provide instant feedback through quizzes, polls, and exit tabs. It will help mentors assess student level and understanding so the instruction may be tailored as the need arises. Specifically, this application is built with these advantages:

• Real-time or live assessments
• Instant reports and feedback
• Data-driven results and insights

Conclusion

Harnessing these digital applications into your classroom portals will help you significantly enhance course operations efficiency, student and teacher engagement, and your target learning outcomes for your students. 

Also, with their unique capabilities, these techs can help you resolve challenges and streamline everyday school activities, fostering a more dynamic and enriching overall learning environment for your academe.

–image credit to Deposit Photo

Copyright ©2024 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

“The content presented in this blog are the result of creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.