A Teacher's Curated Resource Guide to Digital Tools for Online Tutoring

Teaching online is not simply teaching in front of a camera. It requires a different set of digital skills and a working knowledge of the tools that make remote learning feel structured, engaging, and professional. For tutors who are new to online delivery, or who want to sharpen how they use the tools they already have, this guide is a practical starting point.

Below is a curated list of the core digital tools every online tutor should be comfortable with, along with links to the official tutorials for each one. No unnecessary complexity, just the tools that actually matter for running effective sessions with children.

1. Google Classroom: Your Session Hub

Google Classroom is the central organiser for any online tutor working with more than one student. It is where you post assignments, share worksheets, collect completed work, leave written feedback, and keep a record of each student's progress, all in one place. Setting it up properly at the start of a tutoring relationship saves considerable back-and-forth later.

Key uses for tutors:

• Create a separate class for each student or subject group
• Post assignments before the session so students can arrive prepared
• Attach Google Docs templates and distribute individual copies automatically
• Leave private feedback on submitted work that only the student sees
• Use the Stream to share links, announcements, and session reminders

2. Google Docs: Collaborative Writing and Feedback

Google Docs is where the writing work happens. Whether a student is drafting an essay, completing a comprehension exercise, or working through a structured worksheet, Docs gives the tutor full visibility in real time and the ability to leave precise, actionable feedback without overwriting the student's own work.

Key features for tutors:

• Use Suggesting mode so your edits appear as tracked changes the student can accept or discuss
• Add comments on specific sentences to explain why something needs to change, not just that it does
• Share a document with parents on view-only access so they can follow progress without editing
• Check version history to see exactly what the student changed between sessions

3. Google Drive: Organising Your Teaching Materials

A well-organised Drive is what separates a tutor who feels in control of their sessions from one who is searching for files mid-lesson. Create a clear folder structure from the start, one folder per student, with subfolders for each term or subject, and keep all worksheets, lesson plans, and completed work in the same place. Shared folders also make it straightforward to give students and parents access to relevant materials without email attachments.

4. Google Slides: Visual Lesson Delivery

A well-prepared Slides deck is one of the most effective ways to structure an online tutoring session. Rather than talking over a blank screen, you can share your presentation during a Google Meet call and walk a student through a lesson visually, one slide at a time. Slides are particularly useful for vocabulary lists, worked examples, diagrams, and step-by-step problem solving, anything that benefits from being broken into clear, visual steps.

5. Google Forms: Quick Checks and End-of-Session Quizzes

Google Forms is underused by most online tutors. A short Form sent at the end of a session, three to five quick questions on what was just covered, gives you an immediate read on what the student understood and what needs revisiting next time. It also builds good habits: students learn to expect a brief check-in and come to sessions knowing they will be asked to recall what they learned.

Practical uses during tutoring:

• End-of-session comprehension check: 3 to 5 short questions sent in the chat
• Pre-session warm-up: recap questions on the previous lesson emailed in advance
• Parent feedback form: a short check-in at the end of each month to see how sessions are landing at home

6. YouTube: Bringing Lessons to Life with Educational Video

YouTube is one of the most powerful but least structured tools in a tutor's kit. Used well, a short, well-chosen video can explain a concept in a way that clicks for a student when the tutor's own explanation has not quite landed. It also breaks the rhythm of a session and keeps younger learners engaged across a screen.

The key is curation, not volume. Find two or three reliable channels for your subject and age group, bookmark the videos that align with your curriculum, and share your screen in Google Meet to play them together rather than just sending a link for students to watch alone. Watching and discussing a short video together, pausing to ask questions, is a far more effective use of three minutes than any amount of passive watching.

7. Whiteboard: Interactive and Visual Problem Solving

A digital whiteboard changes the feel of an online session. Instead of a tutor speaking at a student, both parties are contributing to the same shared space, drawing diagrams, working through a Maths problem step by step, mapping out a story structure, or simply sketching ideas. For younger learners especially, the ability to draw and annotate together makes abstract concepts far more tangible.

A note on Google Jamboard: Jamboard was shut down on 31 December 2024. The two best replacements are below.

Coming Up in This Series

This is the first in our Teacher Resources series. In the guides ahead, we will be looking at how to structure a productive 60-minute online tutoring session, strategies for keeping younger learners focused across a screen, and how to communicate progress to parents in a way that builds trust and keeps families engaged. Follow us on Instagram @thinkviva_ng so you do not miss the next one.

If you are a tutor interested in joining the ThinkViva team, keep an eye on our applications page for when we next open to new tutors.