The Best Productivity Tools for Tech Savvy Teachers

Technology is often most valuable when it makes us more efficient, more productive, and saves us  time. As educators, these are the things we always look for. After all, who doesn't need more hours in the day to get everything done that we need to do. So, In this post, I am going to round up some of the best productivity tools for teachers. Each is focused on making your life just that little bit easier so that you can concentrate on the one thing you do best - teaching!

Note Taking: OneNote

A great note-taking tool can be invaluable whether you are at a conference, a professional development day, planning lessons or getting ready for parent-teacher conferences. There are lots to choose from, but a personal favorite of mine is Microsoft's OneNote. This free, multi-platform tool is available for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, Kindle Fire, and the web, so you can quickly add or view your synced notes on almost any device. You can tag, sort, organize and search through everything you have ever written. You can write with digital ink, record audio and video, share and collaborate on notes with others, and even work offline. Still not convinced? Read This is why OneNote is Awesome by Thomas Maurer for the full scoop.

Alternatives: Evernote, Google Keep

To-Do Lists: Wunderlist

As a teacher, my desk used to be covered in Post-it notes. They were on my laptop, in my textbooks, and stuck to the wall. When I ran out of Post-its, I would resort to writing on my hand. Then I discovered Wunderlist, and I gave up Post-its for good. Wunderlist is a task list manager that you can trust to organize your life and store all your best ideas. It is simple, effective, and works every time. You can have multiple lists to help you at work and at home. Tasks can be broken down into sub-tasks, browser extensions let you save things from the web, reminders can be set for any of your tasks, and lists can be shared with others. Wunderlist is also available for all your devices and everything syncs seamlessly to keep you up to date. Oh, and it's free!

Alternatives: Todoist, Google Keep, OneNote

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Calendars: Sunrise

Google Calendar is great, but let's face it, a makeover is somewhat overdue. It works on all platforms, but it can look a little different from device to device and there is no dedicated app for iOS. Enter Sunrise. It's cleaner, easier on the eye, and looks great on the web, your Mac, iPhone, iPad or Android device. It can be used with, or without, a Google account so it can be a great replacement for the Apple iCal app or just about anything else you were using in the past. Facebook events and birthdays are automatically added if you authenticate with your Facebook credentials, and there are multiple views for your events. Sunrise if free on all the platforms it is available for.

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Content Curation: Pocket

It is an oft quoted expression, but searching the web for information is like drinking water from a fire hose. There is just so much out there, so you need a way to sort, categorize and curate your favorite articles, lesson ideas, and other random sources of inspiration. Pocket is ideal for just this purpose. With just a couple of clicks (or taps) you can save your favorite websites, blog posts and articles to your Pocket account and access them on any device, even when offline. Anything you save can be tagged to help you search for it again in the future, and there are over 500 apps like Zite, Twitter and  Flipboard that let you send things straight to Pocket from that app. It's simple, easy to use, and free.

Alternatives: Diigo, Pinterest, Symbaloo

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Lesson Planners: PlanbookEdu or Planbook.com

This one was too close to call so I am going to recommend both PlanbookEdu and Planbook.com as great options for teachers looking to create lesson plans aligned with state and Common Core Standards. Both services let you share plans with others (e.g. principals, substitutes, grade level partners), attach files, and access your lessons on multiple devices. They also support custom schedules like A/B days or 4, 5 and even 6 day rotations. Neither are free, but both are very inexpensive for what they offer, and discounts are available for multiple teachers who sign up together. They are great tools for teachers at any grade level and can be a great way to go paperless with your lesson planning.

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Did I miss any of your favorites? Feel free to add them in the comments below!

~Jonathan Wylie, Technology Consultant