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24 TOOLS

Lesson Planning Apps and Websites

Looking to ditch your paper planners and go digital? With these apps and websites, you can bring lesson planning -- and design -- into the 21st century. Not only can you digitize your lessons -- which will save you time in years to come -- but you can also easily share and edit in ways that paper prevents. Short on time (like most educators)? Dive into one of the sites that have tons of ready-made lesson content. And though schools and districts often dictate which learning management system teachers use, you can check out the assortment on this list to see what's out there. Ultimately, you can create custom calendars for each class, track standards across the curriculum, develop differentiated lesson templates, share schedules with parents, and find the best online resources with these top-notch tools.

Want to know what we think are the best interactive presentation tools? Check out The Best Interactive Presentation and Lesson Tools for Classrooms.

Digital Planners

Common Curriculum

Sleek lesson planner replaces bulky binders, promotes collaboration

Bottom Line: Flexible and collaborative lesson planning, calendar design, and classroom site creator save teachers precious time.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free

Planboard

Handy -- and free -- one-stop digital lesson planner saves time

Bottom Line: This platform simplifies lesson planning with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Teachers.io

Organizational tool helps teachers plan, communicate with students

Bottom Line: Scheduling solution for teachers is at its best when used alongside student homework app.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

Lesson-Creation Tools

LessonUp

Flexible interactive presentation tool engages kids at school and home

Bottom Line: It's great for creating customized and differentiated lessons, but it might not be accessible for every student.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free to try

Nearpod

Engage and assess students with media, videos, and interactive slides

Bottom Line: The teacher- or student-paced learning can improve 1-to-1 environments and the learning activities are top notch.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Wizer

Digital worksheet builder lets students show learning in multiple ways

Bottom Line: Students will appreciate this 21st-century take on worksheets, and teachers will love all the different options for creation and assessment.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Blendspace

Create multimedia lessons with simple online interface

Bottom Line: It's a good tool for bringing together lots of multimedia resources, but teachers will need to be mindful of content quality and lesson flow.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

Edpuzzle

Crop, customize, and remix online video content with interactive tool

Bottom Line: This is a valuable tool that teachers can use to flip classrooms or support student-led creation.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free, Paid

ClassFlow

Robust lesson creation and delivery tool aids assessment

Bottom Line: With some creativity, this interactive platform can support instruction and assessment.

Grades: 4–12
Price:
Free

Ready-Made Resources

BetterLesson

Exemplary lessons, strategies, and coaching from master teachers

Bottom Line: Take advantage of the offerings of this professional community to improve the quality of your classroom instruction.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free, Paid

OER Commons

Free, easy access to a wealth of resources

Bottom Line: Impressive resource opens access to quality materials for all educators.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

ReadWriteThink

Free hub for literacy lessons aims to deepen learning, engagement

Bottom Line: This is a trustworthy site that teachers of all grades/subjects could find a way to use weekly for lessons or professional development.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Share My Lesson

A huge database of ready-to-go lesson plans but needs more curation

Bottom Line: Not a quick fix but a solid resource for pre-K through adult ed planning, supplemental resources, and professional development.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free

Tailor-ED

Create differentiated math lessons and assessments in minutes

Bottom Line: Easy differentiation and unique insights that can improve math instruction.

Grades: K–8
Price:
Free

Gooru

Track progress, differentiate instruction with vast content library

Bottom Line: Though it's not perfect, it's a great portal for supplementing classroom instruction and supporting personalized learning.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Free

Standards and Goals

Goalbook Toolkit

Set tailored targets with pricey but worth-it kit of tools, strategies

Bottom Line: You pay for quality with Goalbook Toolkit, including access to clear, well-crafted learning goals and strategies that allow for far easier differentiation.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Common Core Standards

Complete Common Core State Standards in convenient, searchable, free resource

Bottom Line: Love 'em or hate 'em, this resource puts them at your fingertips.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Next Generation Science Standards

Free resource puts Next Generation Science Standards at your fingertips

Bottom Line: Super-handy resource makes science standards easy to access anytime, anywhere.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Learning Management Systems

Additio

Flexible, feature-filled LMS facilitates focus on whole child

Bottom Line: Being able to access lots of customizable data, group students beyond classes, and communicate easily with families gives teachers a clear picture of each student that they can share.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Kiddom

LMS offers tangible options to differentiate learning

Bottom Line: An excellent option for monitoring individual progress toward goals, but teachers will need to be deliberate when selecting and assigning content.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

Otus

Free LMS feels rich in offering data-driven differentiated instruction

Bottom Line: This teacher-created site solves more problems than it causes, but it will take some up-front professional development to take full advantage.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Google Classroom

Exceptional, simple communication, collaboration, and document sharing

Bottom Line: Though it doesn't have it all, it's an incredible tool for managing and organizing learning.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

Schoology

Robust learning management tool comes with challenges

Bottom Line: With patience and creativity, it can evolve into a rich learning management system.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free, Paid

PowerSchool

Full-featured LMS great for instructional design

Bottom Line: With planning for content and design, and some restraint, teachers can create and manage relevant pages ideal for extending and transferring learning.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free, Paid

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