10 Useful Online Tools for ESL Teaching Tasks

The best tool is often the one you can use without interrupting the lesson to explain the tool. Before adding another app, decide which teaching job it needs to do.

Here are ten useful parts of an online teaching toolkit. You may already have several inside your existing classroom platform, and you certainly don’t need to use all ten in one lesson.

1. A dependable video classroom

Test audio, screen sharing, and the student’s joining process. Try it on the device your learner uses. Our platform comparison explains what to check before choosing.

2. A simple writing space

Use an approved whiteboard or shared slide for examples and corrections. Keep the text large and leave room for student responses. Google Jamboard is no longer an option: Google ended the application on December 31, 2024.

3. A small vocabulary review system

Keep words from recent lessons with a meaning and a useful example. Ask students to recall the word before revealing it, then use it in a new question. A slide deck or paper cards can work.

4. Short listening clips

Choose a brief, age-appropriate recording and preview the whole clip. Give one clear listening purpose. Replay the relevant part rather than asking beginners to remember a long video.

5. Picture prompts

A clear picture can support descriptions, questions, comparisons, and stories. Use materials you have permission to show. Keep a few familiar task formats so the picture changes without a new set of rules.

6. Quick response checks

A poll, form, chat response, or paper answer can show who needs more help. Ask a question that reveals understanding rather than only asking whether students enjoyed the class.

7. A reading and spelling workspace

Use large print and movable letters or paper cards. The UFLI toolbox includes resources for its phonics sequence. Choose practice that matches what the learner has been taught.

8. A feedback template

Save three prompts: what the student can do, what to practice, and what comes next. Specific feedback is easier to act on than a paragraph of general praise.

9. A planning calendar and lesson log

Keep the next lesson link and a short review note together. Avoid putting unnecessary student details into a new service. Use the systems approved for your teaching setting.

10. An organized lesson sequence

A curriculum can provide the materials and progression behind your teaching. Preview a sample, check the surrounding lessons, and decide how much adaptation it needs.

If you use AI to draft prompts, check the language, factual accuracy, and suitability yourself. Keep identifiable student information out of tools your school or organization has not approved.

Product update: Google’s Jamboard retirement notice. Tool references checked October 1, 2026.