Lesson planning: The essential part of teaching that takes up a lot of time and paperwork when it is completed in a way that is beneficial for teachers, administrators, and students.
It seems that every district and every administrator has different requirements for how lesson plans are written, so it is difficult to find apps that work strictly for writing YOUR lesson plans, but I have some ideas for apps that can help through the lesson planning process.
Evernote: A free app that can be used from any device or through the internet by syncing the information entered. It could be used to take notes during your grade level meetings. It can also be a way to upload lesson plans or documents too. One of my previous schools had all teachers upload lesson plans to this, so the administration and special education teachers all had access to the plans. Grade levels can use this to share resources also.
Free (iPhone and iPad)
Common Core Standards by MasteryConnect: An app that contains all the Common Core standards.Free (iPhone and iPad)
Common Core ConceptBANK by Scootpad Corporation: This app provides sample questions for each common core standard. This could help to set you on the right path when planning to meet a certain standard.Free (iPad Only)
Classroom Ideas to Go! by Scholastic: Easily search for activities by grade, subject, and type of activity. This would be a great place to find activities for anticipatory sets or other academic practices. There are many combinations to choose from.
$0.99 (iPhone and iPad 2x)
Pinterest: Pinterest is such a great place to find activities and ideas for lesson plans. Download this free app to your devices and lesson plan on the go. I have even pulled up good anchor charts from Pinterest on my iPad to assist me with making my own anchor charts in my classroom. So many ways to use it and so many ideas to find there.
Free (iPhone and iPad)
Planbook Touch by Hellmansoft: This is a full lesson planning app. You can customize text fields, enter assignments and due dates, and even link to websites. This app may not work for all school's requirements, but it does have good capabilities.
$5.99 (iPad Only)
Pages by Apple: This is a word processing app that lesson plans can easily be typed in and then uploaded. If your school expects you to upload to Google Drive, Evernote, or something else, this could be a good app for you to use.
$9.99 (iPhone and iPad)
Google Drive by Google: Upload your lesson plans to Google Drive or use it to make spreadsheets for your classroom. Students can even have Google Drive accounts online to upload work to it and share with you. It is a great way to save that limited paper supply, especially with the higher grade levels.
Free (iPhone and iPad)
Edmodo: This is used by many teachers now to post assignments, complete classroom discussions safely, and share files. It has a user friendly interface that kids enjoy using and teachers can navigate easily. This can be used through an app or the internet. Good for intermediate elementary grades and up.
Free (iPhone and iPad)
My Big Campus by Lightspeed Systems: This is very similar to Edmodo, but does have some additional resources. This can also be used as an app or on the computer. One of my favorite things on My Big Campus is that you can make Bundles, where you can add videos, websites, and documents into one lesson and then assign to students to complete. The app has had some issues, but the website is great. Also good for intermediate elementary grade levels and up.
Free (iPhone and iPad)
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Heather S. wishes there were more hours in the day to surf Pinterest.
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