In this edition of our Teacher Tuesday and Back-To-School series, we are going to tackle the best apps for teachers this year. Heading into a new school year, we imagine you want to have all your ducks in a row. Whether that’s lesson planning, attendance sheets, general organization tasks – it all ends up being a pretty hefty task. Luckily, there are so many apps that can help simplify the process. So grab your tablet, iPhone, or laptop because these five educational apps will make the new school year prep seem like a breeze.
ClassDojo
Source: Coruscate Solutions
95% of US schools are using ClassDojo – and it’s completely free for teachers! This app specializes in creating a close-knit communities among teachers, students, and families by sharing what’s being taught in the classroom through photos, videos, and messages. Students can add to their own portfolio, while teachers have access to a “ToolKit”. With features like displaying directions to prevent repeating yourself, to playing soundtracks to help students focus – this award winning app can also translate into 35 languages automatically enabling teachers to translate 270,000 messages every week.
Additio
Source: Additio
This incredible app is a planner, grade book, and attendance tracker all in one! With rubric graphs, calendars, and timetables, staying organized and managing your class day to day has never been easier.
Khan Academy
Source: Khan Academy 
Established in 2006, Khan Academy strives to provide free videos for students, teachers, or anyone who is willing to learn math, physics, chemistry, biology, history, and more! This app can help teachers identify gaps in students’ understanding and tailor instructions to help better suit the needs of every child, through creating assignments, quizzes, homework, in-class, and more.
Epic! Unlimited Books for Kids
Source: Epic! for Educators
With more than 20,000 kids books, this app really is epic. A perfect alternative for teachers who don’t always have the means to create their own library, this data base helps make books more accessible and encourages students to read. From “National Geographic Kids” to the Fancy Nancy series, this online book collection has something for every student.
TED
Source: TED Conferences
With hundreds of insightful videos by experts in a variety of fields, TED talks are a great way to spark discussions in the classroom. Whether you use them as inspiration for your next lesson plan or as a way to jump start a debate, these fascinating lectures encourage learning and curiosity.
Edmodo
Source: Edmodo 
Designed by teachers, for teachers – this useful app enables teachers to have a virtual classroom, where students can post discussions or tun in assignments. Teachers are able to message students and parents privately on their progress, and help students stay organized with tasks and due dates. This app is great for keeping parent updated while building a classroom community.
