10 apps that can make life easier for teachers
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Apps For Common Core
Apps For Common Core
Technology is transforming education just like it’s changing the rest of the world. Mobile devices and laptops are common sights in the modern classroom, and as every teacher knows they can be a bane just as much as a boon.
The simple fact is that they aren’t going away, so you may as well start using them to your advantage. Here are 10 apps that are designed for teachers and students that can help you make use of the tech that’s all around you.
First up is Apps For Common Core. It’s a repository of all those Common Core standards you might still be trying to adapt to, and it’s also a collaborative space for teachers to share success stories. You can post tips and lesson ideas for your fellow educators, which can be a great help when a standard is tripping you up.
Apps For Common Core is available on iOS devices.
Edmodo
Edmodo
Edmodo is like a social network for the classroom. You can post assignments, engage students, hold class discussions, and even post a library of resources for your students to use.
You can also add parents using Edmodo’s parent app, allowing them to communicate easily with you and keep tabs on their child’s progress.
Edmodo is available on Android and iOS devices.
Remind: Safe Classroom Communication
Remind: Safe Classroom Communication
Remind is a collaboration tool, but it’s different from Edmodo. It’s designed to be more of a messaging app so that you can reach out to your students and their parents from one easy platform.
You can configure Remind to send messages to smartphones, regular cellphones, through the Remind mobile or web app, and through email. With that many channels of communication you can be sure you’ll find a way to get through to your young learners.
Remind is available on Android and iOS devices.
TeacherKit
TeacherKit
TeacherKit is designed to be your one-stop gradebook, attendance roster, and student tracker. It allows you to create separate areas for each class you teach, as well as making notes about students’ attitudes and any incidents that occur throughout the year.
It’s also able to store contact info for your students’ parents so that you can get in touch with the tap of a screen. Say goodbye to that old paper roster!
TeacherKit is available on Android and iOS devices.
Socrative
Socrative
Getting students to raise their hands in response to questions can be hard, but not with Socrative. Using the teacher app you can create quick quizzes, questions, and other interactions that your students answer on their devices with the student app.
Socrative gives instant feedback and allows you to share stats with your students in real time. You can also share quizzes and lessons you’ve created with other users–you may never have to be stuck coming up with a quiz again!
Socrative is available on Android and iOS devices.
Scholastic Book Wizard
Scholastic Book Wizard
Elementary teachers need to plan reading lists for students at different levels, which presents a unique challenge: are children in your class ready for a certain level of books? Scholastic Book Wizard wants to make it easier.
The app allows you to scan a book’s barcode and get instant info about difficulty level, appropriate grade, lexile level, and more. You can save books into a library and order them directly from Scholastic, or you can simply organize a reading list for the coming year.
Scholastic Book Wizard is available on Android and iOS devices.
Explain Everything Classic
Explain Everything Classic
Tutorials are great. They can explain the basics of using a website or program, give an educational lesson, or save a substitute from having to jump into the middle of a semester and teach a class with no preparation.
Explain Everything Classic is a great way to help make all of those scenarios simple. The app allows you to create animated presentations that you can annotate, record video and audio, import documents and files, and then upload to the cloud so students, parents, and subs can all make use of them.
Explain Everything Classic isn’t free, but it could be worth it. You can get it for $3.99 on Android and $5.99 on iOS.
Seesaw
Seesaw
Seesaw is a digital portfolio app for students. They can upload documents and photos, make text notes and drawings, and even annotate their items with audio recordings. Those portfolios are available for you to look at whenever you need to, and they can also be shared with parents.
Seesaw’s goal is to help students reflect on what they’ve learned, which is a major reason for them to include the audio capture option. You can have students upload reflections on assignments or progress reports and use the app to get good feedback, which every teacher needs to succeed.
Seesaw is available on Android and iOS devices.
Plickers
Plickers
Anyone who’s been through college in the past few years knows all about lecture hall clickers. That same system can be beneficial in the classroom, but let’s be realistic: those clickers are expensive, could get lost or broken, and simply aren’t practical for younger students.
Plickers is the answer to all your anonymous student polling problems. Rather than giving students an electronic device you simply give them a few printed cards. They hold them up, you scan them using the camera and the Plickers app on your mobile device, and boom–instant feedback.
The Plicker cards themselves can be linked to specific students so that you know who’s responding in what way. It’s just as good as lecture hall clickers without all the hassle!
Plickers is available on Android and iOS devices.
