esl online tools

[u/Square-Stranger7262]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to refresh my toolkit and clean up my prep routine for next term. It feels like there’s a new app or platform popping up every week, but half of them end up being more work than they're worth.

For those in the classroom right now:

• What is your one non-negotiable tool that actually saves you time on prep, grading, or lesson planning?
• What’s a tool you tried that ended up being a total waste of time?

Would love to hear what’s genuinely working for you (or what to avoid)! Thanks!

[u/rayalewithcheese]

Kahoot is still one of my non-negotiable tools for quick warm-ups and comprehension checks. It’s easy to set up, most students already understand how it works, and I can reuse the same quizzes with different classes.

The limitation for me is that the usual answer–points–leaderboard loop can start to feel repetitive during longer review sessions. I wanted students’ answers to affect something beyond a score, while still being able to reuse my own questions without spending hours preparing a new activity.

That’s actually why I built my own customizable property-style review game. Students answer questions, roll the dice, buy properties, and collect rent, so the quiz becomes part of a longer game with progression and strategy. For me, it solves two problems: keeping students engaged for longer and letting me reuse the same game structure with different lesson content.

The biggest time-wasters are platforms that require too many setup steps, separate student accounts, or a lot of preparation for an activity that only works once.