Best Apps for Managing ESL Speaking Activities and Questions

Speaking activities are the best part of ESL class -- and the hardest to manage. Twenty students talking at once. Pairs finishing at different times. That one student who always dominates while three others barely whisper. These apps won't solve every problem, but they'll solve the logistical ones.

For Generating and Displaying Questions

ChalkLab -- Generates speaking questions by level and topic. I generate them before class, then project them one at a time during pair work. Students focus on one question instead of reading ahead and cherry-picking the easiest one.

Wheel of Names: Free random selector. Put your questions on the wheel and spin. Students love it. Sounds gimmicky -- and it is -- but it adds unpredictability that keeps attention high. I use it for my middle school classes in San Antonio.

For Recording and Assessment

Flip (formerly Flipgrid): Students record video responses to speaking prompts. You can review them later, give feedback, and track progress over time. Free with a Microsoft account. The async format gives shy students confidence they don't have in live class.

Vocaroo: Dead simple audio recorder. No signup, no downloads. Students record, get a link, share it with you. I use this for quick speaking homework -- "Record yourself describing your morning routine in 60 seconds."

For Managing Pair and Group Work

ClassDojo: Not just for elementary school. The random grouping feature saves me five minutes every class. Click a button, students see their pairs, they move. I also use the participation tracker to make sure I'm calling on everyone, not just the confident ones.

Padlet -- Create a shared board where students post their discussion summaries after pair work. "What did you and your partner agree on? Disagree on?" It turns speaking into a speaking-plus-writing activity and gives you a record of who participated.

For Timing and Pacing

Classroomscreen.com: Free virtual classroom display with a built-in timer, traffic light, random name picker, and noise meter. Project it during speaking activities. The timer keeps pairs on track. The noise meter provides gentle accountability. It's the one tool I open every single class period.

What I Wish Existed

An app that automatically pairs students by proficiency level, displays a question appropriate for each pair's level, times them, and collects a brief audio recording. We're not there yet. But combining ChalkLab for questions, ClassDojo for pairing, and Classroomscreen for timing gets you close. For more on generating the questions themselves, see my AI question tools guide.