15 Tech Tools that Let You Add a Co-Teacher

15 Tech Tools that Let You Add A Co-Teacher

With online and hybrid teaching comes a need for new technology tools. But while it's great to try out new pieces of technology, it's also important to

1. PearDeck

PearDeck released the shared teacher dashboard in December 2020. This function provides the opportunity for co-teachers to share controls when running a PearDeck session. Both teachers have access to real-time student work and information, which allows for increased opportunities for feedback and support for all learners. All the host teacher has to do is "invite a co-teacher" from the dashboard, which can be added at any time in the session. The fact that you can add as many co-teachers as you want makes it great for other classroom specialists, including paraprofessional staff. Currently, this feature is only available for premium memberships.

2. No Red Ink

Okay, so this one is for all the ELA co-teachers out there. Both teachers have to have No Red Ink accounts (free is fine!) for this to work. Once the co-teacher accepts the invitation, both teachers have equal access to assignments, students, and data. Teachers can switch back and forth between their personal account and their co-teachers account when they're logged into No Red Ink. This task can be accomplished by selecting their name in the top right corner of the dashboard and selecting "Switch to co-teaching." This also means that teachers can be co-teachers with multiple users, as they will be prompted to select which account they want to view.

3. FlipGrid

A few years ago, FlipGrid released the role of "co-pilot." The creator of the FlipGrid group must send the invitation to their co-teachers can create topics, provide student feedback, and moderate videos. Both co-teachers will have access to the same settings within the group, too. The only difference is that the co-teacher who created the FlipGrid group is the only person who can add or remove other co-pilots from the group.

4. SeeSaw

SeeSaw is a platform for student portfolios, curating activities, and assigning different tasks. Students can keep track of everything they’ve learned, and their individual portfolios can be shared with their families. However, teachers can also add their co-teachers to share in the student portfolio experience. Co-teachers can be added either using the “Manage Teachers” feature in the top right corner of the screen or by generating a co-teacher invite link, which can be emailed. The co-teacher will have the same settings and permissions, including the ability to approve and delete posts, edit posts, and send invitations to family members.

5. Padlet

Padlet is a commonly used tool, and it provides an option for teachers looking to collaborate with a shared group of students. When one teacher creates a Padlet, they can click on the “share” icon in the screen’s top right corner. Then, they need to select “Add Members” and enter the name, username, or email address of the person they’d liked to add. From the dropdown menu, they can select “Can administer,” which allows the co-teacher to have the option to view and add posts and serve as a moderator in approving posts, editing posts, and inviting other collaborators.

6. Parlay

Parlay is a discussion tool for teachers that allows students to communicate with each other in either an in-person or virtual format. It allows the teacher to generate a prompt for discussion. Then students write a response, respond to their peers, and prepare to discuss the topic synchronously. By clicking the pink, white, and black waffle icon and accessing the course settings, teachers can add their co-teacher to their Parlay account. Up to four co-teachers can be added for each course. Co-teachers will have equal access to all the data, information, and settings within the platform.

7. EdPuzzle

EdPuzzle is an interactive video tool where teachers can upload their own video or choose one from a video platform (e.g., YouTube). From there, different types of questions can be embedded to increase student engagement with the video. The easiest way to add a co-teacher to an EdPuzzle account is to ensure that they are added to the same Google Classroom. From there, they can select “add new class” within their EdPuzzle account and select their shared Classroom. Once the class is imported, they will have shared access to the student roster on EdPuzzle and share assignments, view grades, and provide feedback.

8. Loop

While I haven't used Loop with my students yet, I've been looking into it lately. It’s a quick way for teachers to survey students. Teachers can choose from a library of effective questions to see how students are doing and then use the students’ feedback to inform their practice and support their learners. Teachers can add their co-teacher to the platform by going to the “members” icon and selecting “invite.” Once the invitation is sent and the co-teacher accepts from their homepage, the co-teachers can release questions to students and review their answers.

9. ClassDojo

While the rationale behind ClassDojo (e.g., removing a child's points, publically ranking students) has been widely debated, it does have the option to add a co-teacher. Co-teachers can assign students points, send messages to families, post to the class story, and maintain many of the same settings as the teacher who created the class. Once in the dashboard, select the gear icon and select “add co-teachers” to invite co-teachers to the class.

10. Newsela

There are various ways to add a co-teacher to a Newsela account based on the district’s chosen learning management system. One possibility is if the co-teacher is already added to a shared Google Classroom. If that’s the case, the co-teacher can import that Classroom to Newsela, which allows them to have shared access to view and distribute assignments and see student annotations, written responses, and quiz results.

11. CommonLit

CommonLit is a free resource for language arts teachers that provides students with access to different text genres in varying grade levels. Teachers often import their Google Classroom rosters onto the platform, so they can assign tasks to students and monitor their quiz grades, written responses, and annotations. Co-teachers can be added by either syncing their shared Google Classroom to the website or accepting an invitation to a co-teacher. One teacher can go to the “Manage Classes” page and find the “Manage Co-Teachers” setting, which allows for the invitation to be sent.

12. Canva

While Canva may be an increasingly popular tool for teachers to use with students to create engaging designs for lessons and activities, the graphic design platform also offers co-teacher collaboration opportunities. Canva Teams is a feature that is available to both premium and free Canva accounts. The Teams feature allows for real-time design collaboration, easy tagging of team members for communication, and easy organization of creations. If a teacher is frequently using Canva to design instructional materials and resources for students, their co-teacher can be added to the team. They can provide feedback about the design or make edits to the resource themselves. To access this feature, select “Create a Team” from the sidebar once logged into a Canva account. Then enter the email address of the co-teacher to be added to them. Specific permissions can be set for each member, giving them access to different settings and permissions within the platform.

13. Wakelet

Wakelet is a curation tool where teachers can gather materials and resources in one location. Links, videos, articles, social media posts, and other resources can be added to a collection and shared with others. Whether they’re using it to share collections of content with students or gather ideas for planning and lessons, teachers can add their co-teachers as collaborators to their Wakelet collections. Once a collection is created, teachers can go to the “Invite” option at the top of the page. The invitation to collaborate can then be sent via code, link, email address, Wakelet handle, or QR code. The co-teacher doesn’t even need to have their own Wakelet account to join the collection. Co-teachers can either be administrators or contributors. Contributors can only add or change the resources they are sharing, whereas an administrator has more options for settings and control. One of the best features of Wakelet is that each collection includes Microsoft’s Immersive Reader to make the text accessible to all learners.

14. Actively Learn

Actively Learn is a website for reading. Teachers can choose from the free content area texts or upload their own (although there is a limit on this for free accounts). Once a text is assigned, students can make annotations and highlight the text. Teachers can also add their own notes to support learners and embed questions throughout the text. To add a co-teacher, first select the class where they teach. Then, select the settings gear located to the right of the class name. Then select “co-teaching” and search for the teacher’s name. If they already have an account, their name will appear. Co-teachers share the same rights to the classroom, including creating and deleting assignments, providing feedback, grading responses, viewing data reports for assignments, adding students, and adjusting the class settings.

15. Google for Education

I'm grouping all the tools into one: Docs, Drive, Slides, Sheets, Jamboard, Sites, Classroom. Anything Google for Education is a great resource for co-teachers because it allows for seamless collaboration, access to student work, and shared instructional materials. The effortlessness of both being a "teacher" in a Google Classroom...the ease of sharing a planning Doc...the ability to share progress monitoring data... it's just so easy with all of the Google applications. From creating a shared Drive to adding teachers as editors to documents, the possibilities are endless for co-teachers.

* I’ll be posting a microcourse series about how to co-teach using each of the Google for Education apps later this month. If you’re interested in being notified about this course’s posting, please fill out the form to be notified or follow Assembling Inclusion on social media.