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13 Best Classroom Technology Tools for the Modern Teacher

Written by Victoria Hegwood

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What is educational technology?

Learning game tech tools, assessment tech tools, presentation tech tools, lesson plan and class material tech tools.

Education has changed a lot in the last 20 years. And not just what we’re teaching, but how we’re teaching. 

In the 21st century, and especially since the COVID pandemic, hybrid schedules of virtual and in-person learning are more common than ever. And it’s definitely no easy task to take on. Teachers have had to adapt and learn how to teach effective lessons across multiple platforms. 

This is where classroom technology tools can come in handy. There are some great tools out there that help teachers create interactive learning environments that keep students engaged regardless of how they’re attending the lesson. 

Now, we know that you don’t have time to download, test and weed out all of the tools that are available to you. So we’ve put together a list of 13 of our favorite classroom technology tools. With the help of these tools, you’ll be creating lessons that are the talk of the school. 

Educational technology is a pretty broad term that covers anything digital that is used to facilitate learning. It can be everything from apps to grading systems to teaching platforms. 

If you’re not quite sure where to begin or don’t feel confident enough to use technology in your classroom, you’re not alone! But there is a solution. 

Many individuals have set out to create a rich library of professional development resources online. These resources help teachers become more confident in their use of technology in the classrooms, answering whatever questions you have about how to use a certain tool or type of technology.

13 Must-have tech tools for your classroom

We’ve talked to a lot of teachers to find out what really works in their classroom (and what really doesn’t!) These 13 tools are must-haves for creating interactive, engaging lessons that students are excited to participate in. 

This list is broken down into learning game tech tools, assessment tech tools, presentation tech tools and lesson plan and classroom material tech tools. Feel free to skip ahead if there’s a specific type of tool that you’re looking for.

Prodigy allows students to practice math and English skills in an immersive, game-based environment. As students play Prodigy Math and Prodigy English, they'll answer teacher-made, curriculum-aligned questions tailored to their level. Its adaptive algorithm tweaks the skill practice based on their understanding of the content, so they are able to build on struggle areas while they enjoy.

Prodigy naturally supplements many teaching strategies and techniques. You can use Prodigy to:

• Easily provide differentiated skill practice
• Gain feedback from entry and exit tickets
• Give students homework that engages them
• Prepare and deliver formative and summative assessments
• Connect parents to classroom learning and students' progress

The teacher dashboard offers one convenient place to gauge student progress, monitor who is mastering each concept and evaluate who needs more support. Best of all, it’s all available at no cost to teachers and schools.

See what other teachers think about Prodigy below!

Our world has very quickly shifted to many jobs, services and experiences being offered totally online. Because of this, the skills our students need to learn to be successful have changed. Introducing STEM programs like coding and computer science early will set up students for success in the later stages of education and in the workforce. 

Tynker provides a great first exposure to coding with approachable tutorials. It covers skills from the most basic to more advanced.

Best for: Helping students engage in technical skill practice.

Cost: $29 USD per month for standard account, with upgrades available.

NearPod is a more accessible and affordable virtual reality option for teachers to bring into their classrooms. Virtual reality can be an immersive experience that allows students to explore concepts in 3D and deepen their understanding. 

NearPod offers over 450 VR experiences ranging from the exploration of volcanoes to a trip to the American revolution battlefields. There are lessons for students of any grade level and every subject. 

Best for: Helping students engage in content using technology.

Cost: Free plan available, with paid plans starting at $159 USD per year.

Kahoot is a teacher favorite for in-class questionnaires and quizzes. The best part of this tool is how adaptable it is. It is compatible with many devices, and assessments can be joined remotely or in person. 

Kahoot can turn a dreaded quiz into an experience that feels like a game show. This element of fun has been shown in studies to not only increase student attendance but also their engagement.

Best for: Helping students engage in quiz-based assessments.

Quizlet allows teachers to create study sets, review materials, flashcards and learning games for their whole class for any subject. It’s easy to access templates that you can use to make the process even faster and easier.  There are also premade study sets from other teachers and even students on a variety of topics.

Best for: Helping students review content in subjects like foreign languages, history or sciences.

Cost: Free for basic features, extra features require a teacher account at $35.99 USD per year.

6. Socrative

Socrative provides formative assessment tools to connect teachers with students in real-time as learning is happening. This quiz-based app helps teachers create engaging and fun assessments catered to match different learning styles.

This tool can also be used to gauge each student’s understanding and offers multiple feedback options. With all this extra information, you can create targeted lesson plans to encourage student success.

Best for: Teachers looking to assess students through quizzes.

Cost: Free with limited features. Paid plans start at $89.99 USD per year.

Parlay Ideas is designed for assessments that spur deeper discussions about the learning material. Teachers can see students' responses, provide feedback and give out a grade all in one place. It simplifies how you collect response data so you have more time to review student work and can understand better where each student is at.

Best for: Teachers looking to assess and get student feedback.

Cost: $160 USD per year, with free teacher trial available.

Previously known as Flipgrid, Flip offers a way for teachers to bridge the classroom experience and what a student is working on at home. On the platform, you can prepare discussion topics and record a video of yourself presenting the topic. Students will then respond in a discussion forum with a video of their own. Making this an at-home assignment gives students time to brainstorm their answers and feel more comfortable in front of the camera. 

This edtech tool resembles the popular social media app Snapchat, where one video is replied to with another video. The fun and novelty of this way of learning can increase student engagement and excitement about academic topics. 

Best for: Helping middle and high school students discuss learning material and share feedback.

Prezi is commonly used as a presentation tool by students, but it can also be used by teachers. This virtual presentation software allows presenters to be on the same screen as the graphics, creating a more engaging presentation that doesn’t just have a voiceover. 

While Powerpoint has been an extremely useful tool for many years, Prezi has more capabilities to create visually appealing presentations with personal touches.

Best for: Making presentations more interactive and engaging for students to follow.

Cost: $3 to $5 USD per month for student and educator accounts.

10. Storybird

Storybird is a digital platform that encourages students to become better writers by adding images to their stories. It can pair up an entered word with an image or vice versa when a picture is added first. 

This tool can be especially handy for visual learners or when learning concepts like the different parts of plant cells. Each vocabulary word can be followed by a picture of that part of the plant. 

Additionally, Storybird can be a great collaboration tool where one student picks the words for a story and another selects the pictures.

Best for: Encouraging students to visualize their learning.

11. Venngage

Venngage is a fun and easy-to-use design software that students love to use. It can be used to create infographics to visualize data and clearly present ideas. The graphics are saved online and can easily be shared with current and future students, making them a good replacement for traditional posters.

Best for: Helping students turn learning insights into visually engaging graphics and study aids.

Cost: Free for limited features, plans start at $19 USD per month.

12. Google Classroom

Google Classroom has become a popular learning management system in recent years since it’s free to use for everyone with a google email account. Students enjoy the flexibility of being able to log in from a laptop or mobile device. 

In Google Classroom, students can see all of their assignments, documents and discussion in one place. It can also be used for video conferencing with remote learners or messaging teachers with homework questions.

Best for: Managing multiple subjects or classes in one classroom admin platform.

Cost: Free, with a paid Enterprise for Education also suite available.

P.S. Check out these tips and tricks for using Google Classroom below!

Canvas is another learning management system, though it does have a cost to use it. This platform connects teachers and students for lessons as well as monitor grades and check attendance. It provides a singular place to share course documents and class rubrics. The messaging feature is also useful for communication between teachers and students.

Cost: Limited teacher tools are free, paid plan needed for full features.

Technology tools to engage your classroom

Classroom technology can make your life a lot easier as a teacher. And, just as importantly, it can help your students be more engaged and successful in the classroom. If there’s a part of your classroom that isn’t running smoothly, don't be afraid to try out a technology tool out there that can help you. 

Prodigy is a fantastic classroom resource that both frees up some of your time and can help your students stay engaged, master skills and enjoy learning.

Are you ready to see how your students can excel with Prodigy Math and English? Bring the benefits of game-based learning into your classroom, sign up for your teacher account today!

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75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

There is no shortage of  formative assessment strategies, techniques, and tools  available to teachers who use formative instructional practice in their classrooms. Here is an extensive list of 75 digital tools, apps, and platforms that can help you and your students use formative assessment to elicit evidence of learning. We didn’t just add any old tool to this list. Here are the criteria we used for those that made the cut:

• Supports formative instructional strategies and ways to activate learners to be resources for themselves and peers
• Is free or awful close to it (under $10 per year, where possible)
• Allows both students and teachers to take the activator role when possible (sometimes teachers need to get things started)

Before you dig into the tools, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about exactly what you want to accomplish with your students.  “How to pick the right digital tool: Start with your learning goal” by Erin Beard can help you wrap your head around goals and guide you in choosing the best tool for the task. “27 easy formative assessment strategies for gathering evidence of student learning” can help you decide what strategies work best for you and your students.

Record audio and video

• Animoto  Gives students the ability to make a 30-second video of what they learned in a lesson.
• AudioNote  A combination of a voice recorder and notepad, it captures both audio and notes for student collaboration.
• Edpuzzle  Helps you use video (your own, or one from Khan Academy, YouTube, and more) to track student understanding.
• Flip  Lets students use 15-second to 5-minute videos to respond to prompts. Teachers and peers can provide feedback.
• QuickVoice Recorder  Allows you to record classes, discussions, or audio for projects. Sync your recordings to your computer easily for use in presentations.
• Vocaroo  Creates audio recordings without the need for software. Embed the recording into slideshows, presentations, or websites.
• WeVideo Lets you use video creatively to engage students in learning. Teachers and students alike can make videos.

Create quizzes, polls, and surveys

• Crowdsignal  Lets you create online polls, quizzes, and questions. Students can use smartphones, tablets, and computers to provide their answers, and information can be culled for reports.
• Edulastic  Allows you to make standards-aligned assessments and get instant feedback.
• FreeOnlineSurveys  Helps you create surveys, quizzes, forms, and polls.
• Gimkit  Lets you write real-time quizzes. And it was designed by a high school student!
• Kahoot!  A game-based classroom response system that lets you create quizzes using internet content.
• MicroPoll  Helps you create polls, embed them into websites, and analyze responses.
• Naiku  Lets you write quizzes students can answer using their mobile devices.
• Obsurvey  Designed to make surveys, polls, and questionnaires.
• Poll Everywhere  Lets you create a feedback poll or ask questions and see results in real time. Allows students to respond in various ways. With open-ended questions, you can capture data and spin up tag clouds to aggregate responses.
• Poll Maker  Offers unique features, like allowing multiple answers to one question.
• ProProfs  Helps you make quizzes, polls, and surveys.
• Quia  Lets you create games, quizzes, surveys, and more. Access a database of existing quizzes from other educators.
• Quizalize  Helps you create quizzes and homework.
• Quizizz  Guides you through designing quizzes and lets you include students in the quiz-writing process.
• Quizlet  Lets you make flashcards, tests, quizzes, and study games that are mobile friendly.
• Survey Hero  Designed to build questionnaires and surveys.
• SurveyMonkey  Helpful for online polls and surveys.
• SurveyPlanet  Also helpful for online polls and surveys.
• Triventy  Lets you create quizzes students take in real time using individual devices.
• Yacapaca  Helps you write and assign quizzes.
• Zoho Survey  Allows you to make mobile-friendly surveys and see results in real time.

Brainstorm, mind map, and collaborate

• AnswerGarden  A tool for online brainstorming and collaboration.
• Coggle  A mind-mapping tool designed to help you understand student thinking.
• Conceptboard  Software that facilitates team collaboration in a visual format, similar to mind mapping but using visual and text inputs.
• Dotstorming  A whiteboard app that allows digital sticky notes to be posted and voted on. This tool is best for generating class discussion and brainstorming on different topics and questions.
• Educreations Whiteboard  A whiteboard app that lets students share what they know.
• iBrainstorm  Lets students collaborate on projects using a stylus or their finger.
• Miro  Allows whole-class collaboration in real time.
• Padlet  Provides a blank canvas for students to create and design collaborative projects.
• ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard  Another whiteboard tool to check understanding.
• XMind  Mind-mapping software for use on desktop computers and laptops.

Present, engage, and inspire

• BrainPOP Lets you use prerecorded videos on countless topics to shape your lesson plan, then use quizzes to see what stuck.
• Buncee  Helps students and teachers visualize, communicate, and engage with classroom concepts.
• Five Card Flickr  Uses the tag feature from photos in Flickr to foster visual thinking.
• PlayPosit  Allows you to add formative assessment features to a video from a library or popular sites, such as YouTube and Vimeo, to survey what students know about a topic.
• RabbleBrowser  Allows a leader to facilitate a collaborative browsing experience.
• Random Name/Word Picker  Facilitates random name picking. You can also add a list of keywords and use the tool to prompt students to guess words by providing definitions.
• Socrative  Uses exercises and games to engage students with a topic.
• Adobe Express  Lets you add graphics and visuals to exit tickets.
• Typeform  Helps you add graphical elements to polls.

Generate word or tag clouds

• EdWordle Generates word clouds from any entered text to help aggregate responses and facilitate discussion. Word clouds are pictures composed of a cloud of smaller words that form a clue to the topic.
• Tagxedo Allows you to examine student consensus and facilitate dialogues.
• Wordables Helps you elicit evidence of learning or determine background knowledge about a topic.
• WordArt Includes a feature that allows the user to make each word an active link to connect to websites, including YouTube.

Get real-time feedback

• Formative Lets you assign activities, receive results in real time, and provide immediate feedback.
• GoSoapBox Works with the bring-your-own-device model and includes an especially intriguing feature: a confusion meter.
• IXL Breaks down options by grade level and content area.
• Kaizena Gives students real-time feedback on work they upload. You can use a highlighter or give verbal feedback. You can also attach resources.
• Mentimeter Allows you to use mobile phones or tablets to vote on any question a teacher asks, increasing student engagement.
• Pear Deck Lets you plan and build interactive presentations that students can participate in via their smart device. It also offers unique question types.
• Plickers Allows you to collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices.
• Quick Key Helps you with accurate marking, instant grading, and immediate feedback.

Foster family communication  

• Remind Lets you text students and stay in touch with families.
• Seesaw Helps you improve family communication and makes formative assessment easy, while students can use the platform to document their learning.
• Voxer Lets you send recordings so families can hear how their students are doing, students can chat about their work, and you can provide feedback.

Strengthen teacher-to-student or student-to-student communication

• Biblionasium Lets you view books students have read, create reading challenges, and track progress. Students can also review and recommend books to their peers.
• Classkick Helps you post assignments for students, and both you and your students’ peers can provide feedback. Students can also monitor their progress and work.
• ForAllRubrics Lets you import, create, and score rubrics on your tablet or smartphone. Collect data offline, compute scores automatically, and print or save the rubrics as a PDF or spreadsheet.
• Lino A virtual cork board of sticky notes, it lets students ask questions or make comments on their learning.
• Online Stopwatch Provides dozens of themed digital classroom timers to use during small- and whole-group discussions.
• Peergrade Helps you create assignments and upload rubrics. You can also anonymously assign peer review work. Students can upload and review work using the corresponding rubric.
• Spiral Gives you access to formative assessment feedback.
• Verso Lets you set up learning using a URL. Space is provided for directions. Students can add their assignment, post comments, and respond to comments. You can group responses and check engagement levels.
• VoiceThread Allows you to create and share conversations on documents, diagrams, videos, pictures, and more.

Keep the conversation going with live chats

• Yo Teach A backchannel site great for keeping the conversation going with students.
• Chatzy Supports live, online chats in a private setting.

Create and store documents or assignments

• Google Forms A Google Drive app that allows you to create documents students can collaborate on in real time using smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
• Piazza Lets you upload lectures, assignments, and homework; pose and respond to student questions; and poll students about class content. This tool is better suited for older students as it mimics post-secondary class instructional formats.

There are several resources for learning more about formative assessment and responsive instruction strategies. Consider our  formative practices workshops , where school and district teams can gain a better understanding of the role formative practice plays in instruction and the four foundational practices to use in the classroom. Or for a quick start, download our eBook  “Making it work: How formative assessment can supercharge your practice.”

Jump in, try new tools and methods, and have fun!

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Making it work: How formative assessment can supercharge your practice

Formative assessment isn’t new. But as our education system changes, our approaches to any instructional strategy must evolve. Learn how to put formative assessment to work in your classroom.

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