Lesson planning is an essential item on a teacher’s long list of things to do. It is the backbone of all the other classroom activities and the student experience. Educators can easily be assessed based on how closely their lesson plans correspond with the standards in their district. However, lesson planning is often a fairly time-consuming endeavor that doesn’t allow teachers to easily modify their plans. Edtech could be changing all of that.

What are early childhood, K-12, and higher education institution’s most pressing needs?

Taking the time to create original lesson plans requires hours out of a teacher’s schedule each week. Most educators would argue that this time could be spent in other areas that offer more benefit to the students. They need to find creative ways to incorporate easy activities, lessons, and worksheets that correspond with their standards. If they could access these materials in one convenient location instead of browsing the internet, teachers would be able to spend their hours more productively.

It would also be beneficial for teachers to have a platform where they can share their lesson plans with others. This could minimize the amount of time each individual spends working on lesson plans by allowing entire departments to work together.

How can edtech companies meet these needs?

Edtech companies need to come up with a solution to offer activities and lesson plans in one place. Lessons should be compiled according to the standards. When organized this way, teachers can easily find what they are looking for. The lessons should include the basic theme, a short activity, and additional resources that the teacher can use with students.

Ideally, most educators would want to access lesson plans for all of their subjects in one location. However, higher education teachers and high school teachers might only need to access plans for one subject area. There should be options for both highly specialized lesson plans and databases for all subjects combined.

What are the 3 major companies that operate in this space?

Some edtech companies are already entering this space and changing the game for long-time teachers. They have started to compile lesson plans that match up with Common Core standards and include resources to supplement the lessons. Teachers who want to start minimizing their lesson planning time might want to start with one of these three companies.

• BetterLesson: This edtech company compiles thousands of lesson plans and resources into one convenient location. Each of the plans has been crafted by a teacher so you can be certain that they will work in your classroom. BetterLesson offers plans for math, ELA, science, and blended learning.
• Common Curriculum: Common Curriculum aligns very closely with Common Core standards. It allows you to rearrange lessons, drag and drop items, and reschedule them for later dates. One of the unique benefits of Common Curriculum is that it allows you to collaborate on documents together. You can see and track changes that other teachers in your department are making in real-time.
• LearnZillion: Edtech companies like LearnZillion are taking online lesson planning to a new level. The lessons here include teacher and student materials, teaching guides, and even assessments to go along with the curriculum. Educators can use LearnZillion’s instructional videos, easy assignment options, and more.