Back To School: 4 Best Educational Tech Tools for the Classroom

Now that school is back in session, teachers and students are settling in to the daily educational grind. And that means they’re not using their phones, laptops and gadgets to binge-watch TV shows as much. Instead, many are pulling out to their devices to take notes, record lectures, and capture photos of Powerpoint slides.

Thanks to advances in technology, the traditional classroom has been transformed, moving the old paper/pencil model into a digital learning landscape. But with all the educational technology options out there, it can be hard to find the right ones for you and your classroom. Check out our list of some of the best free tools to help teachers and students make the transition into tech.

1. Plickers

Say hello to digital test-taking with Plickers, a simple tool for teachers that gives them assessment data, instantly over a period of time. Basically, students are given a piece of paper that reads like a QR code, with each side representing a letter (A, B, C, D). Depending on which side they hold up, the teacher’s phone camera records the student’s response. Teachers can write questions to project, organize different folders for different learning objectives, and use a range of dates to see student progression. The best part is, the app only requires one device: the teacher’s cell phone.