When I created my DepEd Me account last August, I spent 20 minutes clicking through features and closed the tab, slightly overwhelmed. I bookmarked the site and told myself I would "explore it properly" when I had time. Teachers do not have time. We steal it from sleep and weekends. So let me tell you what I eventually discovered, in the order I discovered it mattered most.

1. The AI Lesson Planner — Start Here

Open it on a Sunday. Enter your MELC code, your grade level, and one note about your class. Click Generate. Read the output. Edit for 15 minutes. Done. This tool alone changes the Sunday afternoon ritual that drains most teachers before the week even begins.

2. The E-Class Record System — The One That Protects You

Your class record is a legal document. Errors have consequences. The digital system automatically computes weighted averages using MATATAG's 25-50-25 formula, flags inconsistencies, and exports directly to SF9 format at trimester end. Encode grades throughout the trimester — five minutes after each major assessment — instead of in one frantic session the night before submission.

3. The AI Exam Generator — For Tests Due Tomorrow

This happens more than curriculum purists admit. The generator takes your MELC, produces a complete test with answer key in under two minutes. You review, adjust, print. No blank page staring at you at 11 PM.

4. The OMR Answer Scanner — For After the Test

Print bubble sheets, have students answer, scan with your phone. Scores appear automatically. Item analysis shows which questions the class struggled with — data that directly informs your next lesson plan.

5. The Interactive Whiteboard — For Class

A shared digital canvas that works on your phone, tablet, or laptop. Students write on it. You organize ideas. You save and share it. No erasing the best brainstorm your class ever produced because the next class needs the board.

6. The QR Tool — For Resources

Generate QR codes linking to resources or worksheets. Students scan and access immediately. No "Sir, what was the website again?" One QR. Everyone has it.

7. The Resource Library — For Templates

DLL templates, SF1 and SF9 automation files, inventory sheets, certificate templates. Things teachers rebuild from scratch every year when shared, standardized versions would serve everyone better. Free and DepEd-aligned. Start with the Lesson Planner for your next Monday's lesson. Add one tool per month. By year's end, your workflow will be unrecognizable — in the best possible way.