Teachers have a lot of tech tools at their disposal to make the classroom fun and productive. Microsoft has even made it its mission to support education, and the solutions it constantly adds to the industry certainly go a long way.

Here are eight tools you can use on Windows PCs and compatible mobile devices to help with different tasks, from communicating with your students to working on projects. Find out what they do and think about how they could fit your classroom.

Beyond Classic MS Office Apps

The first few options that come to mind are Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. They’re handy and essential in almost every career, so it’s a good idea to get to know them, especially as a student.

You can create all kinds of documents, design impressive presentations, and manage complex tables. Explore Excel’s functions for organized spreadsheets, and the true scope of its capabilities will become clear.

There's only so much teachers can do with just these three programs for Windows, but there are many others to choose from. The more you get to know, the more your students will enjoy and benefit from your classes.

1. Teams

Microsoft’s contribution to education comes in the form of free and discounted high-tech tools, including software and devices, for students, teachers, and whole schools. Teams stands out from the crowd, thanks to its basic but efficient purpose: collaboration.

It’s one of the best platforms for the job. Apart from smooth video conferencing for classes and school meetings, it lets you share files and screens, use a digital whiteboard, integrate most other Microsoft apps, and even analyze each student’s engagement.

If you only want a few apps to work with, Teams should be one of them. Its versatility can make the challenges of remote teaching easier to tackle.

2. OneNote

Taking notes is a big part of the school. The problem is in organizing them and then tracking down the materials you need. Microsoft’s OneNote is great for keeping everything in order, as well as customizing how they look, what they contain, and who can see them.

This means that you can quickly search for specific notes you saved, edit their font, add images, create diagrams, and more. The Class Notebook feature gives teachers extra tools for planning lessons, collecting and marking schoolwork, and interacting with others.

Students and school administrators can enjoy special features, too. OneNote offers a simple service, but it can become invaluable to different users.

3. Flipgrid

A fun and mainly free app to consider is Flipgrid. Basically, it lets you respond to a topic or question by recording short videos, a perfect way to let students voice their opinions and be a part of a discussion.

As an educator, just create an account, group, and your topic. Then, invite your students to join and share their videos as per your instructions. They can add text, emojis, clips, and more to bring their recordings to life.

You can customize each discussion, including its moderation, comment settings, and how long the videos should be. From there, it’s up to your students to make their cases, but you could prepare them with some PowerPoint tips for school presentations.

4. Sway

If creating presentations or sending newsletters and emails is taking over your life, consider Sway. It lets you design clean and striking documents for any purpose using text, images, videos, and other features.

You can keep parents informed about interesting events for their kids. You can send students a presentation introducing them to a book or topic you’ll be discussing. With the help of Microsoft Forms, you can even design quizzes on Sway.

Whatever your purpose, the right combination of elements can make an impact. This software just brings everything you need onto one professional and multifunctional platform.

5. Stream

Visual aids are a great way to teach but also communicate with others. Whether your class relies heavily on videos or your institution likes using them to collaborate better, Microsoft Stream is another app to keep in mind.

It’s a more professional system than Flipgrid, directed at businesses as well as classrooms. You can record, save, and share videos with your team. With enough notice and good planning, Stream can support live events, too, of up to 100,000 attendees.

6. OneDrive

Don’t underestimate the value of a good filing system. Instead of carrying flash drives around, you can store all your documents in the cloud. This frees up space on your devices while giving each one access to the same digital files from anywhere.

Related: Every Shortcut You Need for the Microsoft OneDrive Windows 10 App

Essays, reports, presentations, and videos can all go into OneDrive. Then, you can work on them on the go without stressing about forgetting or losing anything. For extra security, use your Personal Vault to keep sensitive files safe behind authentication measures.

7. School Data Sync

This is a tool specifically designed for the education sector. School Data Sync (SDS) uses your institution’s Student Information System (SIS) to create groups for your Office 365 system.

Using the school’s API, you sync with SDS and let it sort through the roster’s data. Ideally, you’ll end up with your students in their correct classes and groups for Teams, OneNote, and any other software you enabled.

It’s worth double-checking the results, but SDS is a reliable app for making tech-friendly classrooms easier to manage. It takes part of the admin off your shoulders, so you can focus on teaching.

8. Microsoft Imagine Academy

Microsoft doesn’t just help you manage classrooms and workloads. It can provide learning materials and certificates to prepare students and interested staff for the modern workplace. Microsoft Imagine Academy can teach you everything from scratch or supplement existing skills.

The system covers a range of fields, like popular software, admin practices, coding, cloud computing, and data sciences. Teachers get a ready-made curriculum for each subject, which they can follow to the letter or adapt to students’ needs.

Related: The Best Apps That Teach Kids How to Read and Write

With Microsoft backing the Academy, its courses are high in quality and real-world value, from their objectives and tools to their exercises and exams. This is the kind of experience and certificate that can make a difference to your confidence and prospects.

Broaden Your Search for Teaching Tools

Schools have a powerful ally in Microsoft as it brings several high-end solutions to the table. They boost the learning experience for students while empowering teachers and reducing the stress of the job. Both sides benefit.