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Best 19 Apps to Use in the Classroom

Keeping up with the latest technology can be overwhelming, much less figuring out what app to use in your classroom. Whether your classroom is in a traditional setting or online there is an educational app that can help support your teaching style. 

Scanner Apps

Teaching online? Have a sick student?  Having a way for students to submit written work as a PDF rather than taking a picture makes managing work submissions much easier.  These apps allow users to scan a document to a sharable PDF.

  • Abby FineScanner – This scanning app recognizes 44 languages and outputs documents as JPEG or PDF files.
  • Adobe Scan - Scans any document into a PDF, the scan can be slightly modified before saving or sending.
  • Scanbot - Basic image to pdf scanner, has save and share capability.

Whiteboard/Sharing Apps

Not every classroom has the perfect set up. Sometimes you need multiple whiteboards or even the ability to write over your slide presentation. The following apps all function as interactive whiteboards and include presentation features to allow on the fly discussion.

  • Doceri – More than just a whiteboard, Doceri allows the user to create voice-over videos, and screencast presentations.
  • Educreations – Whiteboard, video capture, and share features allow users to easily create custom content.
  • BaiBoard 3 – Currently only available for the iPad – BaiBaord is a collaborative whiteboard tool that also includes voice conferencing and presentation sharing.

Presentation Apps

Want to expand beyond PowerPoint or Google Slides? These apps take things beyond the standard slide show presentation.  

  • Keynote – (Apple only product) Presentation app that gives users the ability to create easily animated slide shows, include charts and graphs, and share across iCloud devices.
  • AIO remote – (Android only product) Allows you to turn your smartphone into a remote controller. Users can create custom remotes for most applications.
  • FlowVella – Create interactive presentations that incorporate videos, documents, and links.

Quizzing

On the fly assessment of student understanding can boost engagement and help instructors tailor class time to student needs. If you want to try real-time quizzing these apps can help. All have a basic free service as well as education pricing plans.

  • Kahoot – An online quizzing system that can be used for learning games and quizzes in class. No app is needed, and the basic version is free, with educational pricing plans available.
  • Socrative – An online quizzing system created for the classroom, both instructors and students will need to download an app.
  • Poll everywhere – An interactive polling app that allows users to engage in real-time open format responses.

Videos

Whether you make your own videos or just want to dabble in video production, the following apps are designed to make video production pain free.

  • Screencastify  - A Chrome extension that records voice over videos for whatever is showing on your screen. A simple way to begin making short videos.
  • Edpuzzle - App that allows you to create your own edited mix of videos, add music, and interactivity.
  • Vidyard Go Video – Another Chrome extension that allows for webcam recording, screen capture and notifies you when your video is viewed.

Other

Want to try something completely different? Here are a few apps that might be useful in the classroom, ranging from video making to lockdown calculators.

  • Graphlock – Scientific calculator and lockdown app for smartphones that gives instructors the ability to lock users’ phones during tests or other assessments.
  • MyStudyLife – Time management app for students that gives students the ability to set a schedule, create reminders and set tasks.
  • AccuClass – Attendance tracker app, that allows to you take attendance, track tardy and excused students as well as print reports on student attendance.
  • Pocket – An easy way to store articles, videos or anything you find online for your class in one location. Can be accessed via mobile device and computer.

About the Author

Suzanne Galayda has taught mathematics for over fifteen years with a focus on developmental and first year mathematics courses.   Her areas of interest are ED-Tech, technology in the classroom, and AR/VR in education.  She has been using McGraw-Hill’s CONNECT and ALEKS platforms in hybrid mathematics classrooms for the past several years.  Most recently, she worked on ASU’s OLC award winning redesign of College Algebra using ALEKS.   She also contributes to the McGraw-Hill Math-Tips Newsletter.

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