Online Apps and Tools for Teaching

Schools these days make use of technology more than ever before. Teachers always find more apps to download on their and their students’ mobile devices, that are created specifically for educational purposes.

In the online stores, there are many free-of-charge apps, each one with its own specific features. In this regard, here is a list of 14 useful apps and websites for teachers.

Interactive lessons

1-  Nearpod

The first app that proves ideal for creating interactive lessons, and was created especially for teachers, is Nearpod. This application allows educators to present multimedia materials that students can upload on their mobile devices during synchronous or asynchronous lessons. Nearpod can be used to integrate slides, quizzes, polls, virtual reality (VR) experiences, formative assessment tools, and platforms like Google Classroom, which makes it suitable for various teaching activities, even watching a video as a group with questions prepared beforehand, without devices.  

2 – Peardeck

This platform will help you create engaging lessons with embedded quizzes, polls, and formative assessment. It integrates seamlessly with Google Slides and PowerPoint, providing teachers with pre-made templates, real-time insights in student understanding, and differentiating instructions through AI-generated content to boost engagement and personalize learning.

3 – Mentimeter

This online tool enables teachers to engage with students using live polls, word clouds, quizzes, multiple-choice questions, and more. So, it’s time to put the old folders and A4 papers aside and get out the smartphones and laptops. There are different memberships available, but it is possible to use Mentimeter for free on the website.

4 – Sli.do

With Slido, students can submit questions through a regular web browser using a unique event code. Questions that appear on the presenter’s screen can be upvoted by other participants, moving the most popular questions to the top. Once a question has been answered, the presenter or teacher can remove it from the queue. Slido also offers audiences polling with multiple-choice and word cloud options.

Creative design and storytelling

5- Canva for education

If you’re looking for a platform focused on content creation, real-time collaborative projects, and visual communication, Canva for education is ideal. It is free for primary and secondary schools, there are thousands of templates, resources, and curriculum-aligned lessons that you can use, and Canva’s Magic Studio is really advanced for rapid content generation and feedback.

Your focus is on interactive lessons and live participation tools? Try Curipod, as we explain in our article “AI tools for teachers“.

6 – Adobe Express

Another option is the all-in-one multimedia creation platform Adobe Express (formerly Spark), that is free for K-12 classrooms. Offering AI-powered generative features for images and videos, it allows students to create engaging, multimedia-rich stories with professional-quality design and video capabilities.

7 – Storybird

Apart from Storyjumper, which is ideal for primary school, you can use Storybird to combine writing with multimedia elements (images, videos, and music). Not only is it a powerful tool for language learning, but it is also great for structured, art-inspired creative writing, and you can use it with students of all ages.

Book publishing apps

8 – Blurb

This site helps teachers create photo books with text that use templates for a variety of book types: cookbooks, children’s books, portfolios, memoirs, magazines, and more. Books can be kept in digital form or purchased as a paperback, a hardcover, a magazine, or an e-book. Printed books are not cheap; save this for something special.

9 – Book Creator

This flexible tool allows students of any age to create e-books. These books can contain photos, text, audio and video, and even hand-drawn images. Finished books can be shared through a link, downloaded as an EPUB, or even sold through iBooks and Google Play, and classmates can give feedback by leaving comments on their peers’ work. Teachers can create classroom libraries, and the site has tons of resources and ideas for classroom use.

10 – WriteReader

This is a great book-making tool for emerging writers. As students type in a text, WriteReader will say either the name of the letter or the sound it makes, allowing students to get auditory confirmation that they are choosing the right letters. To enhance their books, students can add images or voice recordings. Teachers can include the adult-written text below each student’s writing task. Finished books can be printed or downloaded as PDFs.

Apps for quizzes

Apart from the always popular Kahoot and Quizziz, covered in our blog article about online tools for teachers, there are a lot of game-based options for quizzes and assessments.

11 – Plickers

Every student has access to Plickers because it doesn’t require them to have a device at all. The quiz is displayed on the screen in the classroom. Each student receives a pre-printed card (paper clicker… Plicker!) and they will hold their “Plicker”, and the teacher scans the classroom with the app’s camera. This app builds engagement, and students really enjoy the interactive quizzes.

12 – Socrative

This user-friendly, cloud-based platform requires students to have their own devices, but it is very useful to get an immediate overview of the students’ learning process. There are different types of questions – multiple choice, true/false, short answer, competitive team games (Space Race), and teachers can also differentiate the activities to meet every student’s needs.

13 – Quizlet

With this online tool, teachers can easily create (or adapt ready-to-use templates of) flashcards, tests, or study games to make the learning and assessment more engaging. Students can do self-paced study, compete against each other or work collaboratively in teams.

14 – Quizalize

Game-based quizzes, as in the previous platforms, with a library of ready-made materials and strong real-time analytics to track student progress over time. Quizalize has even more options for differentiation, including follow-up activities based on student performance.

Conclusion

The increasing use of technology in schools has opened up a world of opportunities for teachers. With a wide range of apps and tools available, educators now have the opportunity to enhance their teaching methods and engage students in new and exciting ways.

Overall, the use of online apps and tools in teaching can greatly enhance the learning experience for both teachers and students. By embracing technology and exploring the vast array of available resources, educators can unlock new possibilities and create dynamic and engaging educational environments.

What are your thoughts about using online apps and tools in your own teaching? Do you find using them easy or difficult? Which apps have worked for you, and which ones are your favorite?

If you are having difficulties finding apps that fit your didactic purposes, have you considered creating your own app? We recommend you take a look at our course to discover how to build your own digital tools.

Erasmus courses on this topic:

• Digital Storytelling: Apps and Software for Creative Writing
• Digital Tools for Managing Projects in Education
• ICT Tools for a Creative and Collaborative Classroom
• The Fundamental ICT Tools for Education
• There Is an App for That! Exploring the Best Apps for Teaching and Student Learning