8 Must-Have Windows Apps for Teachers

Explore our curated selection of Windows Apps for teachers, classroom management and student engagement.

Teaching is demanding, requiring educators to juggle lesson planning, grading, and student engagement – all while navigating modern educational challenges. Thankfully, technology offers tools that simplify teaching and enrich learning experiences.

AI-powered tools now help teachers streamline daily tasks, freeing them to focus more on student growth. This article highlights eight essential Windows apps for teachers in 2024. Let’s dive in!

1. Microsoft Copilot is always on teachers’ corner

Integrating AI into Microsoft 365, Microsoft Copilot is a game-changer for teachers, designed to enhance productivity in education and featured at major educational tech events like BETT and ISTE.

How does Copilot work? Teachers can instruct Copilot to develop materials aligned with educational standards, such as lesson plans, assignments, and quizzes tailored to specific grade levels, saving time on repetitive tasks. Moreover, Copilot assists teachers with grading and feedback, using AI to help them evaluate student work and provide personalized feedback.

At the same time, Copilot enhances the student experience as a personalized learning assistant: students can interact with the AI to explore topics, ask questions, and even create flashcards for study, making learning more interactive and tailored to their needs.

2. Level up communication with Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams seamlessly streamlines classroom management by providing a centralized platform for organization and communication. Thus, teachers can easily create dedicated channels for each class, share lesson plans, post announcements, and assign homework – all in one place.

Moreover, its integration with other Microsoft apps like Word, OneNote, and PowerPoint further enhances collaboration, enabling teachers to create and share resources without switching between tools.

Additionally, Teams’ video conferencing allows live lessons, group discussions, and assignment tracking, boosting student engagement and letting teachers monitor progress in real-time.

3. Experience quality virtual meetings with Zoom

Our next Windows app for teachers is Zoom: a powerful tool, ideal for educators who need a straightforward platform for managing large or complex virtual sessions.

While Microsoft Teams offers robust video chat features, Zoom excels in ease of use and quality, particularly for larger classrooms and virtual meetings. Zoom’s breakout rooms allow teachers to divide students into smaller groups for discussions or collaborative activities.

Zoom’s video and audio quality are also optimized for large meetings, making it a preferred choice for hosting virtual classes, webinars, or parent meetings. Additionally, features like waiting rooms and enhanced host controls provide more security options, ensuring a safer environment for virtual classrooms.

4. Meet OneNote: your smart digital notebook

Regarding Windows apps for teachers, OneNote is excellent for those looking for a versatile, organized digital platform. It allows educators to store everything they need – lesson plans, lecture notes, and multimedia resources – in one digital notebook, with the option to create separate notebooks for different classes or subjects.

OneNote’s support for dynamic content, like embedded images, videos, and links, helps make lessons interactive and engaging, accessible both in class and remotely. It also fosters collaboration, allowing shared notebooks where students can participate in group projects and exercises.

With cross-device syncing, OneNote ensures that both teachers and students can access their notes anytime, from any device, enhancing accessibility and convenience.

5. Playing is the way to learn with Kahoot!

Kahoot! is a Windows app for teachers who want to make learning more interactive and fun. It allows educators to create engaging quizzes, polls, and learning games that students can play on their own devices, motivating them to engage actively with the material.

Kahoot! works seamlessly in in-person and remote learning environments, as students can join games from anywhere by entering a game code. What makes Kahoot! stand out is how it combines learning with instant feedback and friendly competition, helping teachers gauge student comprehension in real-time while keeping students focused and motivated.

6. Let Microsoft Math Solver take care of your problems

Microsoft Math Solver is a valuable tool for quickly solving math problems. Students and teachers can input problems by typing, handwriting, or taking photos, and the app provides step-by-step solutions instantly.

Covering a wide range of topics, from basic arithmetic to advanced calculus, it helps break down complex problems into understandable steps. The app also offers graphs and interactive examples, enhancing learning and comprehension.

For classroom instruction or homework support, Microsoft Math Solver simplifies problem-solving and makes it easier to tackle challenging math concepts.

7. Scratch is your students’ first approach to coding

Scratch is an excellent tool for introducing students to coding and computational thinking, as it uses a simple drag-and-drop interface that allows students to create interactive stories, animations, and games. This approach teaches foundational coding concepts without the complexity of traditional programming languages.

Additionally, Scratch fosters creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving as students build projects. Teachers can also easily integrate it into the classroom with ready-made lesson plans available on the Scratch website. Furthermore, the collaborative Scratch community lets students share their projects and explore others’ work globally, encouraging both connection and collaboration.

8. Minecraft Education: from fun to STEM

Minecraft Education helps teachers by gamifying the learning process, turning complex subjects like coding, math, and science into interactive, hands-on experiences. All while enhancing students’ understanding of STEM subjects.

What’s best, the platform offers a range of ready-to-use lesson plans, saving teachers time in preparation. Whether it’s math lessons like Algebra Architecture or science projects, Minecraft integrates coding across multiple subjects, allowing teachers to present abstract concepts in a more accessible format.

Supporting up to 30 students in multiplayer mode, Minecraft fosters collaboration, making it easier for teachers to promote teamwork and problem-solving skills. Additionally, the built-in assessment tools help teachers track student progress and provide timely feedback.

As technology transforms education, the right tools are essential to enhance teaching and learning. The featured Windows apps for teachers provide resources to engage students, streamline classroom management, and incorporate innovative technologies like AI.

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This article was written by Patrick Yu, Senior Project Manager at Level Interactive. He has with 8 years of experience writing business, legal, lifestyle, gaming, and technology articles. He is a significant contributor to Acer Corner and is currently based in Taipei, Taiwan.