29 TOOLS

Best Apps and Websites for the Flipped Classroom

Be more facilitator than teacher by turning traditional lecture-based instruction on its head. These great flipped-classroom apps and websites help students gain new knowledge at home so that they can come to class ready to put it to use. The resources in this list -- everything from interactive lesson apps and instructional videos to whiteboard apps -- help teachers create, curate, and deliver content that students can experience at their own pace, freeing up classroom time for clarification, exploration, and creation. Using these tools, students can explore and learn from solid content, and then come into class with knowledge to share. Plus, you can use platforms that will help you organize, facilitate, and give feedback so that kids can get the most out of the flipped-classroom experience.

Instruction, Classroom Management, and Communication Tools

Loom

Create, present, and assess with effortless interactive screencasts

Bottom Line: This intuitive tool is excellent for recording and responding to screencasts of any length.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

Remind

Messaging platform offers tight focus on school-to-home connection

Bottom Line: Well-designed, highly effective messaging tool delivers on its promise to connect home and school.

Grades: Pre-K–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Kiddom

LMS offers tangible options to differentiate learning

Bottom Line: An excellent option for monitoring individual progress toward goals, but teachers will need to be deliberate when selecting and assigning content.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free

LessonUp

Flexible interactive presentation tool engages kids at school and home

Bottom Line: It's great for creating customized and differentiated lessons, but it might not be accessible for every student.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free to try

Nearpod

Engage and assess students with media, videos, and interactive slides

Bottom Line: The teacher- or student-paced learning can improve 1-to-1 environments and the learning activities are top notch.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Kahoot!

Game-like student-response tool can spark competitive fun

Bottom Line: This is an effortlessly fun tool, but it shines best with creative implementation that tests its boundaries.

Grades: 1–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Blendspace

Create multimedia lessons with simple online interface

Bottom Line: It's a good tool for bringing together lots of multimedia resources, but teachers will need to be mindful of content quality and lesson flow.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

Edpuzzle

Crop, customize, and remix online video content with interactive tool

Bottom Line: This is a valuable tool that teachers can use to flip classrooms or support student-led creation.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Google Classroom

Exceptional, simple communication, collaboration, and document sharing

Bottom Line: Though it doesn't have it all, it's an incredible tool for managing and organizing learning.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

Hypersay

Live presentation tool adds interactivity to stale slide decks

Bottom Line: This easy-to-use tool gets students more involved in presentations, but a lot of teachers might use similar tools already.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Screencastify

Easy screen-recording tool facilitates outside-the-box instruction

Bottom Line: This is an instructional tool that could reinvent classroom workflow, especially for classrooms in the Google ecosystem.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free, Paid

VEED

Create and edit high-quality screencasts and videos in record time

Bottom Line: This platform is full of features that blend video creation and screencasting, helping teachers expand and differentiate their lessons.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free, Free to try

Actively Learn

Empowering reader invites students to read with purpose

Bottom Line: Far beyond the average e-reader, this tool helps students connect with texts and each other while giving teachers useful insight into student thinking.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free, Paid

ClassFlow

Robust lesson creation and delivery tool aids assessment

Bottom Line: With some creativity, this interactive platform can support instruction and assessment.

Grades: 4–12
Price:
Free

Verso

Flip the classroom, gather student feedback with easy-to-use tool

Bottom Line: Promote better discourse, participation, and accountability -- across devices -- with this thoughtfully designed platform.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Free to try

Kialo Edu

A terrific, troll-free zone for structuring student discussion and debate

Bottom Line: A valuable platform for students to learn about social and political issues while practicing digital citizenship and argumentation.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

WordPress.com

Solid blogging tool and content management system offers DIY blogs

Bottom Line: This is a great tool to get kids blogging and creating online content.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Discord

Social hub offers a novel but tricky spin on classroom communication

Bottom Line: With some creativity and moderation, this student-loved messaging alternative to Google and Microsoft could be a key extension of your classroom.

Grades: 10–12
Price:
Free

Instructional Content for At-Home Learning

PBS Kids

One-stop shop for a wealth of fantastic PBS Kids educational content

Bottom Line: Robust collection of learning resources covers an impressive array of topics.

Grades: Pre-K–4
Price:
Free

Redbird Mathematics

Excellent adaptive math for flipped or blended classrooms

Bottom Line: If you're looking for courseware for your classroom, this is based on solid research and proven technology.

Grades: K–7
Price:
Paid

Khan Academy

Flexible learning environment offers a personalized journey to mastery

Bottom Line: A robust resource for targeted individualized instruction in most subject areas.

Grades: 2–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Newsela

Great stories, just-right leveled reading; now mostly by subscription

Bottom Line: While pricey, Newsela has ascended into an all-in-one destination for leveled, non-fiction reading.

Grades: 2–12
Price:
Free, Paid

TED-Ed

Support kids' sense of wonder with outstanding short video lessons

Bottom Line: TED-Ed includes excellent, engaging videos and support for flipped-class lessons with an incredible community of thinkers and doers.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

BrainPOP

Clever animated hosts Tim and Moby masterfully tackle complex topics

Bottom Line: This extensive collection's videos and games break down ideas in a straightforward and thoughtful way.

Grades: 3–8
Price:
Free to try

Gooru

Track progress, differentiate instruction with vast content library

Bottom Line: Though it's not perfect, it's a great portal for supplementing classroom instruction and supporting personalized learning.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Free

NOVA

Compelling science videos have high-quality classroom applications

Bottom Line: Unparalleled science documentaries offer a window into real-world scientific topics in a high-interest way.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Brightstorm

Brief video lessons for kids who need a homework boost

Bottom Line: Short, digestible lessons on all the major subjects are helpful for mastery but not substantial enough for kids who need more help.

Grades: 8–12
Price:
Free to try, Paid

BioInteractive

High-quality multimedia brings biological research to life

Bottom Line: Superb multimedia tools and lesson plans help kids explore biology through real-world examples.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

HippoCampus

Multimedia lectures and simulations good for supplemental instruction

Bottom Line: This one-stop shop for free distance learning resources is a reliable place for enrichment or remediation.

Grades: 9–12
Price:
Free

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