Teachers are always looking for resources that actually make the day easier. Not another tool to figure out, not another tab to keep open, and definitely not something that adds more prep to your plate.
The right resource should help you move faster, keep students engaged, or make a lesson feel easier to pull together. Sometimes that means a better way to plan. Sometimes it’s a quick activity for early finishers, a ready-to-use video, or a creative tool students can use right away.
We asked a few members of the Trafera team to share tools and classroom tips they think are worth passing along. Here are a few of their favorites.
Create Personalized Classroom Materials Faster
Free or paid: Free, but best used with a Canva for Education account, which is free for K-12 teachers and provides access to premium templates and elements.
Personalized classroom materials can add a thoughtful touch, but they can also take a lot of time to create. Student awards, desk name tags, certificates, activity slides, and classroom content often require the same information to be updated over and over again.
That’s why Kristin Dupuy, Teaching and Learning Consultant at Trafera, recommends Canva Bulk Create with the help of Gemini. Instead of manually typing student names, dates, content, or other unique details into multiple designs, teachers can upload a CSV file or paste in a list and let Canva generate the full batch.
Kristin explained that this tool helps eliminate the tedious task of “30 ‘Copy, Paste, Rename’ actions for certificates,” allowing Canva to generate the batch after one action.
For teachers already using Canva, this can be a simple way to save time without needing to learn a brand-new platform. Many teachers are also becoming more familiar with Google Gemini, making the combination of the two tools feel even more approachable.
As Kristin put it, “Teachers appreciate regaining prep time!”
Plan Ahead for Extra Class Time
Free or paid: Free
Every teacher has those moments when a lesson wraps up earlier than expected, students complete an activity at different times, or the class needs a quick reset. Having something ready ahead of time can help keep students engaged without turning that extra time into busy work.
Kristin recommends keeping flexible extension activities and brain breaks ready to go as a solution, including a Finished Your Lesson Gem, Quiz Blitz, and GoNoodle. These resources can be used for extension work, exit tickets, checks for understanding, or quick brain breaks when students seem disengaged.
Kristin described the value of these activities as “the difference between 'time-filler' and 'brain-stretcher’.”
The best part is that these resources can be posted directly in Google Classroom or another LMS, giving students quick access when they need it. Kristin shared that she created a section in Google Classroom for extra learning activities, so students knew when and how to use those resources with little extra direction.
As Kristin put it, “Real talk. Always a plus to have these resources ready to go, even if they are only used occasionally.”
Find Classroom Videos Faster
Finding the right classroom video can take longer than it should. You need something high-quality, age-appropriate, connected to the lesson, and easy to use without spending half your prep time sorting through search results.
That’s why Anna Hanrahan, Instructional AI Strategist at Trafera, recommends Teachflix, a free resource that gives teachers a curated library of educational videos organized by grade level and subject. It also includes lesson plans and worksheets, making it helpful for classroom instruction, sub plans, or moments when you need a solid resource quickly.
Anna noted that Teachflix helps solve the problem of “K-12 teachers spending too much time searching for high-quality, classroom-ready videos and resources.”
Since the videos are already organized for classroom use, teachers can spend less time searching and more time choosing the resource that fits the lesson. Teachflix can be especially helpful when building lessons or sub plans across different subjects and grade levels.
Anna also pointed out that Teachflix stands out because it curates content “specifically for classroom use instead of leaving teachers to sort through general content platforms.”
Add a Calm, Creative Activity
Free or paid: Free.
A quick creative reset can go a long way during a busy school day. During a transition, after a heavy lesson, or when students need a quieter activity, Art Coloring Book by Google Arts & Culture gives students something calm and engaging to work on without requiring extra prep.
Lindsey Keely, Teaching and Learning Consultant at Trafera, recommended the tool because it brings art appreciation into a more hands-on format. Students can color famous works of art and Street View landmarks, then compare their version to the original.
Lindsey mentioned that it promotes art appreciation by turning “‘do not touch’ museum masterpieces into interactive, hands-on experiences.”
It can work well as a “Mindful Minute,” transition activity, or creative reset. Students can color digitally or print the images to work off of a device. It also gives teachers an easy way to spark a quick conversation about color choices, composition, mood, and artistic style.
Lindsey also noted that the tool stands out because it uses “‘intelligent layers’ that preserve the depth and perspective of the original artwork.”
Make Canva Easier to Navigate
Free or paid: Free, but best used with a Canva for Education account, which is free for K-12 teachers and provides access to premium templates and elements.
Canva has a lot of classroom possibilities, which is great until you know you want to create something but aren’t sure where to start. A newsletter? A storyboard? A lesson planner? A graphic organizer? The options can add up quickly.
Lindsey also recommended the Canva Teacher Cheat Sheet, a template portal that gives teachers a more organized way to find education-specific designs. Instead of searching through Canva one template at a time, teachers can use the cheat sheet as a starting point for categories like storyboards, newsletters, lesson planners, presentations, and graphic organizers.
Lindsey described it as “a centralized dashboard that links directly to curated categories like storyboards, newsletters, and lesson planners.”
This can be especially helpful when prepping for a new unit and wanting materials to feel consistent. A teacher could move from a storyboard to a presentation to a graphic organizer without starting each search from scratch.
Lindsey also called it “a pedagogical shortcut” because it does more than show teachers how to design. It also gives them ideas for what they can create, including student activities like comic strips or mind maps.
Featured Resource: TRAILS AI Powered by Google Gemini
Now, you may think we’re being a little biased here, but TRAILS AI really is a great tool, AND it was built by our very own experts with real K-12 experience.
Powered by Google Gemini, TRAILS helps teachers create sophisticated, tech-infused lesson plans in seconds. It’s designed to help educators build lessons around the technology they already have in their classrooms, so those tools are used with more purpose during instruction.
TRAILS also incorporates the SAMR model, helping educators create lesson plans that use technology in ways that support deeper, more meaningful learning. Instead of starting with a blank page, teachers can type in what they want to teach, adjust the lesson settings, and generate a structured plan they can save, tweak, and use.
With TRAILS, teachers can customize things like:
- Standards and EDU frameworks
- Grade level
- Accommodations
- Technology tools available in the classroom
- Lesson topic or learning goal
- Resources, tools, and supplies
- Lesson steps, directions, and activities
Each TRAILS lesson plan includes a Snapshot of the lesson, a Destination with aligned standards, Gear for needed tools and supplies, and a Trail Map with the steps and activities. Once the lesson is created, teachers can download it as a PDF or DOC, making it easy to save, adjust, and come back to later.
TRAILS AI is free for all Trafera customers. If you don’t partner with us yet, no worries, you can still try it out with a 7-day free trial!
