5 EdTech Tools That Are Transforming Classroom Engagement in 2024

Introduction: The Evolution of Engagement in the Digital Classroom

For years, the term "EdTech" often conjured images of static PowerPoint presentations replaced by PDFs, or the occasional educational video. Engagement was frequently measured by who clicked a button fastest in a quiz game. In 2024, this paradigm has fundamentally changed. True classroom engagement is now understood as cognitive, emotional, and behavioral investment in the learning process. It's about fostering curiosity, promoting collaboration, and providing personalized pathways that make every student feel seen and challenged appropriately. The latest EdTech tools are engineered with this nuanced understanding at their core. They are not merely digitizing old methods but are creating entirely new pedagogical possibilities. As an educator and technology integrator, I've witnessed firsthand the shift from tools that manage classrooms to those that actively inspire them. This article highlights five platforms that exemplify this shift, chosen for their unique approach, proven efficacy, and their ability to put powerful, student-centered learning directly into the hands of teachers and learners.

1. Squirrel AI: Hyper-Personalized Adaptive Learning Pathways

While adaptive learning is not a new concept, Squirrel AI represents a significant leap forward in its sophistication and application. Moving beyond simple right/wrong branching, this platform utilizes advanced machine learning algorithms to diagnose a student's knowledge state with remarkable granularity.

How It Creates a Unique Learning DNA for Each Student

Squirrel AI begins by deconstructing subject matter—say, 8th-grade mathematics—into tens of thousands of micro-concepts and skill points. When a student interacts with the system, it doesn't just assess if they got a question on "linear equations" wrong. It analyzes how they got it wrong, identifying specific misconceptions (e.g., misapplying the distributive property versus misunderstanding slope-intercept form). It then builds a dynamic, constantly updating "knowledge map" for that student. In my experience piloting similar adaptive systems, the true power lies in this diagnostic precision. A teacher might see a student struggling with "fractions," but the platform can pinpoint that the issue is specifically with finding common denominators for unlike fractions, while the student has mastered equivalent fractions. This allows for surgical intervention.

Transforming Teacher Roles from Lecturer to Learning Coach

The impact on classroom engagement is twofold. First, for the student, it eliminates the frustration of reviewing mastered material and the anxiety of being pushed ahead without foundational skills. The learning path feels tailor-made, which increases intrinsic motivation. Second, and crucially, it liberates the teacher. Instead of delivering one-size-fits-all instruction, the teacher receives a dashboard highlighting class-wide and individual knowledge gaps. This enables targeted, small-group instruction or one-on-one tutoring. The teacher's role evolves into that of a learning coach, facilitating deeper discussions and project-based work while the platform handles differentiated skill practice. The engagement comes from students working within their optimal challenge zone and teachers having the data to provide meaningful, timely support.

2. Classcraft: Game-Based Learning with a Pedagogical Engine

Many tools attempt to "gamify" education by slapping points and badges onto traditional tasks. Classcraft, however, is built from the ground up as a Role-Playing Game (RPG) framework that intrinsically motivates positive student behavior and collaboration. It transforms the entire classroom ecosystem into a shared adventure.

Building a Collaborative Classroom Culture Through Shared Quests

Students create characters (Healers, Mages, or Warriors) and form teams. They earn Experience Points (XP) for positive academic and social behaviors—submitting quality work, helping a teammate, demonstrating perseverance. They can also lose Hit Points (HP) for negative actions. What makes Classcraft uniquely engaging in 2024 is its depth. Teachers can create "Quests," which are visual, interactive learning modules that map directly onto their curriculum. A quest on the American Revolution might involve watching a video (a "cinematic"), completing a collaborative document (a "team challenge"), and then taking a quiz (a "boss battle"). The narrative thread ties discrete activities into a coherent, motivating story. I've seen typically disengaged students become the most strategic team players, invested not only in their own success but in the survival and success of their entire party.

Real-World Consequences and Powers That Foster Responsibility

The game mechanics have real, teacher-designed consequences and rewards. If a team loses all HP, they might face a "random event" chosen by the teacher, which could be a fun penalty or a new challenge. As students level up, they unlock special "Powers" that can be used in class. A power might allow a student to hand in an assignment one day late, convert a quiz question into a team discussion, or even let the class listen to music during independent work. These powers give students agency and teach responsible decision-making. The engagement stems from the deep social interdependence, the narrative context for learning, and the authentic student agency it promotes, moving far beyond superficial reward systems.

3. FigJam by Figma: The Dynamic Hub for Collaborative Thinking

The shift to hybrid and flexible learning models has exposed a critical need for tools that facilitate seamless, creative collaboration in real-time, regardless of physical location. While Google Jamboard served a purpose, its impending sunset has pushed educators toward more robust solutions. FigJam, an online whiteboard built by the design powerhouse Figma, has emerged as a premier tool for visual, interactive collaboration in 2024.

Moving Beyond Static Whiteboards to Living Documents

FigJam is more than a blank canvas. It comes stocked with templated activities specifically useful for education: brainstorming diagrams, retro boards, Venn diagrams, project planning timelines, and KWL charts. Its intuitive stickies, shapes, and drawing tools are just the start. The magic for engagement lies in its interactivity. Students can use emoji reactions (like a "?" on a sticky they don't understand), vote on ideas using dot voting, and even create interactive wireframes or simple prototypes. During a literature circle discussion, for instance, students can be on the same board, mapping character relationships in real-time, adding textual evidence as sticky notes, and using the cursor chat (a fun, casual chat function tied to your cursor) to ask quick questions without formalizing a chat message.

Facilitating Visible Thinking and Inclusive Participation

This tool makes thinking visible and democratizes participation. The quiet student who hesitates to speak up in a live discussion can articulate complex ideas through text and visuals on the board. The kinesthetic learner can organize and move elements around spatially. In a project-based learning scenario, groups can use FigJam as their central hub for research, ideation, and planning, with the teacher able to pop into any board to provide feedback via comments or live cursors. The engagement comes from the low-barrier, high-ceiling creativity it allows, the sense of co-creation it fosters, and its ability to bridge the gap between in-person and remote learners in a truly unified workspace.

4. Curipod: AI-Powered, Interactive Lesson Creation in Minutes

Lesson planning is one of the most time-intensive aspects of teaching, often leaving little room for crafting the engaging "hook" or the perfect discussion prompt. Curipod enters the scene as an AI-assisted platform that helps teachers generate complete, interactive lesson presentations focused on sparking curiosity and dialogue.

Generating Curiosity with "Wonder Questions" and Polls

A teacher simply inputs their topic—"Photosynthesis," "The Treaty of Versailles," "Poetic Metaphors"—and Curipod's AI generates a slide deck. But this isn't a bland Wikipedia summary. It strategically builds in interactive elements like open-ended "wonder questions" (e.g., "What if plants could communicate what they 'see' through photosynthesis?"), polls, word clouds, and drawing prompts. For example, in a lesson on climate zones, it might ask students to draw what they think a desert landscape looks like before the instruction, instantly creating a gallery of prior knowledge for the class to discuss. This front-loads engagement by making students active participants from slide one, not passive recipients of information.

Creating Personalized Feedback and Reflection Loops

Where Curipod shines for sustained engagement is in its handling of student responses. When students submit answers to an open-ended prompt, the AI can provide personalized, immediate feedback. More powerfully, it can anonymize and curate student responses to create new slides for discussion. Imagine asking, "What is courage?" The AI can group similar answers, highlight unique perspectives, and present them back to the class, creating a rich, student-generated text for analysis. This creates a powerful feedback loop where students see their own thinking contributing directly to the lesson's direction. It empowers teachers to facilitate Socratic seminars with prepared, student-derived content, increasing buy-in and making the learning experience feel collaborative and responsive.

5. Nearpod with AI-Powered Insights: Real-Time Formative Assessment Evolved

Nearpod has been a staple for interactive presentations for years, but its 2024 iteration, supercharged with AI analytics, transforms it from a presentation tool into a comprehensive engagement and assessment ecosystem. It allows teachers to seamlessly embed quizzes, polls, collaborative boards, VR field trips, and simulations directly into their instructional flow.

The Power of Live Participation and Immersive Experiences

The core engagement mechanic remains strong: students join a live lesson on any device, and the teacher controls the pace. As the teacher advances a slide, it advances on every student's screen. Embedded activities ensure constant, low-stakes check-ins. The "Draw It" activity, for instance, lets students annotate a diagram or map directly, and the teacher can showcase selected responses anonymously. The integration of immersive media, like a 360-degree virtual tour of the Colosseum during a history lesson, creates "wow" moments that are impossible with a textbook. This variety of interaction types—from multiple choice to open-ended text to drawing—caters to different learning preferences and keeps the cognitive energy high throughout a lesson.

From Data Collection to Actionable Intelligence with AI Insights

The transformative 2024 feature is Nearpod's AI-powered post-session reports. Previously, a teacher would get a report showing that 60% of students missed question #5. Now, the AI can analyze the open-ended responses, identify common themes in misunderstandings, and even suggest targeted follow-up activities or mini-lessons for specific student groups. After a lesson on thematic analysis in a novel, the AI might cluster student responses, indicating that one group is struggling with identifying themes versus subjects, while another is proficient but needs help with textual evidence. This moves engagement from a momentary event to a continuous cycle. The teacher can use these insights to form dynamic groups for the next day's activity, ensuring every student's ongoing needs are met, thereby preventing disengagement that stems from confusion or lack of challenge.

Synthesis: Integrating Tools for a Holistic Engagement Strategy

The most effective classrooms in 2024 are not those that use one tool exclusively, but those that strategically weave these technologies into a coherent pedagogical tapestry. The key is to match the tool to the learning objective. Use Squirrel AI for differentiated skill mastery and foundational knowledge. Launch a new unit with an engaging Curipod lesson to spark inquiry. Use FigJam for collaborative brainstorming and project planning. Run a core instructional lesson with embedded checks for understanding via Nearpod. And use Classcraft as the overarching layer to motivate positive behavior and teamwork throughout it all. In my consulting work, I advise teachers to start with one tool that solves their most pressing pain point—perhaps student participation in discussions (FigJam) or differentiating math practice (Squirrel AI). Mastery of one, with a clear focus on pedagogy over technology, always yields better engagement than superficial use of five.

Addressing Challenges: Equity, Training, and Digital Wellness

No discussion of transformative EdTech is complete without addressing the very real challenges. The digital divide remains a critical equity issue; transformative tools are useless if students lack reliable devices or internet at home. Schools must invest not only in technology but in robust hotspot loan programs and device equity. Furthermore, teacher training is paramount. A tool like FigJam or Nearpod can be used in very traditional, teacher-centered ways if not implemented with a shift in mindset. Professional development must focus on the pedagogical *why*, not just the technical *how*. Finally, digital wellness must be considered. These tools are engaging by design, which walks a fine line with overstimulation. Teachers must build in intentional offline moments, discussions, and hands-on activities to create a balanced learning environment. The goal of these tools is to enhance human connection and deep thinking, not to replace them.

Conclusion: The Future of Engagement is Human-Centered Design

The EdTech tools transforming classrooms in 2024 share a common philosophy: they are designed with deep respect for the complexities of how students learn and the challenges teachers face. They leverage AI not to replace educators but to amplify their most human qualities—their ability to mentor, inspire, and connect. They prioritize collaboration, personalization, and authentic feedback. The transformation in classroom engagement is not about more screen time; it's about more meaningful, connected, and empowered learning time. As these tools continue to evolve, the most successful educational environments will be those where technology serves as a bridge—bridging gaps in understanding, bridging distances between learners, and bridging the gap between student potential and student achievement. The ultimate engagement tool remains a skilled, caring teacher, and these platforms are finally becoming the powerful allies they deserve.