The 5 Best Digital Teacher Planners for Goodnotes & Notability [2022]

Planning your lessons can be a huge pain. And that’s without considering the scheduling and organization involved in the rest of your life. The best digital teacher planners can help you keep track of everything on your phone, tablet, or computer.

Our top teacher digital planner is the HappyDownloads Digital Teacher Planner. This bundle has undated pages that can span an entire school year. There are over 1,000 stickers and 100 templates to customize to your heart’s desire.

The 5 Best Digital Teacher Planners

HappyDownloads Digital Teacher Planner

The HappyDownloads planner is packed with content and customization tools, making it our #1 pick among the best digital teacher planners roundup. You can build your own planner from 10,000 different variations. You also get access to custom hyperlinking, note templates, and over 100 organizational templates. There are dedicated sections created for teachers to manage their classrooms and scheduling.

In addition to the undated pages, there are dated planners for 2022 and 2023. You can choose from 5 weekly layouts, 4 daily layouts, patterned paper, and 6 different colors. Also available are minimalist options when you don’t need as much information.

Specs

• Compatibility: Goodnotes, Notability, Penly, Noteshelf
• Dated or Undated: Undated
• Features: Over 10,000 planner variations, hyperlinks, templates, stickers

CCMDigitals Undated Teacher Planner

This digital teacher planner is designed for Goodnotes or other PDF-annotating apps. You can choose between a January through December layout or an August through July layout. Each planner uses a weekly block schedule and includes monthly birdseye view calendars. On top of that, there are 10 blank sections that you can customize to your needs.

There is a monthly page for tracking attendance, a monthly overview page, and five weekly layouts. You also have multiple teaching-related sections like a classroom, student, lessons, and professional section. On top of this, there are note templates for you to keep track of anything else in your life.

This is one of our favorite undated options among our list of the best digital teacher planners. This allows for re-use that a dated planner simply cannot provide.

Specs

• Compatibility: Goodnotes, Notability, PDF annotating apps
• Dated or Undated: Undated
• Features: Sections for teachers, monthly layouts, organization tools

CreateHeartWork Undated Teacher Planner

The CreateHeartWork teacher planner is a customizable bundle that lets you create the planner that’s perfect for you. There are 16 planners to choose from: Sunday or Monday start, January or July start, and two different weekly default view choices. Also included is a dashboard with templates and 30 tabs, so you can customize your entire layout. 

The dashboard allows for monthly reflections and periodic reminders. There are more than 50 widgets, easy tutorial videos, and a digital sticker set. Along with all of this, you get teacher note tools like student observation sheets, parent teacher conference notes, and allergy notes.

This is the most customizable planner among our list of the best digital teacher planners. With templates to choose from and over 30 tabs, you can rest assured that you will find a look and feel that fits you perfectly.

Specs

• Compatibility: Goodnotes, any PDF annotating app
• Dated or Undated: Undated
• Features: 16 planners to choose from, 50 widgets, customizable dashboard

One Stop Teacher Shop Digital Teacher Planner

This digital teacher planner will appeal to any teacher who uses PowerPoint or Google Slides for organization. It is fully editable in Goodnotes, PowerPoint, and Google Drive. Though it does include calendars, the main focus is on various aspects of classroom management. The clickable tabs allow you to easily maneuver through different sections.

Templates for lesson plans are available with anywhere from 2 to 8 subjects. There are pre-dated yearly and monthly calendars, saving you time and hassle. The curriculum maps let you plot out your whole quarter or academic year. There are also digital stickers and plans for small group lessons.

Specs

• Compatibility: Goodnotes, Google Slides, PowerPoint
• Dated or Undated: Dated
• Features: Lesson plan templates, curriculum maps, easily maneuverable tabs

Digital Lesson Planner and Teacher Calendar

This is a relatively simple teacher planner, but it does the job well. If you’re looking for a place to organize your lesson plans, this planner does the job. It doesn’t have all the extra bells and whistles, but it does come with a monthly schedule, two different lesson plan templates, and a video tutorial.

You can choose whether to use the weekly planner with rows or columns for the days of the week. Every week includes a checklist, room for notes, space for birthdays, and customizable tabs. It’s easy to keep track of multiple different subjects and classes. The dates for the planner update every July, allowing you to use it consistently every year.

Specs

• Compatibility: Google Sheets
• Dated or Undated: Dated (but updated every July)
• Features: 2 weekly lesson templates, calendar, tutorial video

Digital Teacher Planners Buying Guide

What should a teacher planner have?

The features that make the best digital teacher planner will vary depending on your needs. Some teachers might only want to create lesson plans, in which case a tool like the Digital Lesson Planner is helpful. Others might want extra organizational sheets like those included in the One Stop Teacher Shop planner.

A good teacher planner will have weekly and monthly schedules, places for notes, and space to keep information about your students. It will be easy to navigate and organize. Many digital planners are highly customizable, so you can choose the exact features you need.

Deciding between a digital planner, online planner, PDF download, or printing

There are a variety of different formats for digital planners. Some are compatible with note apps like Goodnotes. Others are compatible with programs like Google Sheets. You can either edit the pages themselves or write over them with your note-taking tools.

Digital planners can be either downloaded or online. Some might have apps. With an online planner, you need an internet connection to access the tools. But online planners might have more customizable notifications.

PDF planning sheets are ideal because they can be easily customized and notated. That’s why many planners are PDF downloads compatible with Goodnotes. But you can also print out and bind the sheets yourself if you prefer a hands-on tool.

For those who are simply too overwhelmed by the idea of switching over to a digital planner or printing one yourself, you can also have a look at the 13 Best Teacher Planners – Printed and Dated.

Dated or undated planners?

Dated planners already have the dates of the year inscribed. Undated ones don’t, so they can be used during any year. Some people prefer dated planners like the Digital Lesson Planner because they update each year anyway.

How to bind a PDF planner yourself

The easiest way to bind your PDF planner is by printing out the pages and then putting them in a binder (See some of the best printers for teachers). You might also try spiral or glue binding if you want a more creative DIY project.

The appeal of the PDF planner is that you can customize the exact pages you need. You also don’t have to wait for shipping. Bundles like the HappyDownloads planner have over 10,000 different customization options.

Planner Accessories

Whether you print your planner or use it online, there are multiple accessories available. For example, you can get digital planner stickers that are compatible with Goodnotes and Notability. In addition to improving organization, these can make your planner more vibrant and fun.

If you print your planner, it helps to have ways to notate it. A set of iBayam journal planner pens will let you color code with 18 different shades. There are also highlighter sets from Amazon Basics that have six vibrant neon hues. If you need a place to hold those pens and markers, an iSuperb cotton pencil case makes a great organizer.

Best Digital Teacher Planners FAQ

Bottom Line on Digital Teacher Planners

While a free digital teacher planner might give you basic organization tools, the best digital teacher planners often require money. Many of these options integrate with software like Goodnotes to act as the best teacher planner for iPad use.

Our favorite pick is the HappyDownloads Digital Teacher Planner. This is a Goodnotes teacher planner that can be customized to your exact specifications. It comes with over a hundred templates and over a thousand stickers, plus additional organizational tools!