Fresh Takes 4 Teachers
Three Short Lessons About Labor Day
Next Monday is Labor Day in the U.S. For most of us it is a three day weekend. It is the traditional “end of summer”
Five Ways to Use Comics in Your Classroom This Fall
Disclosure: Make Beliefs Comix is a new advertiser on this site. Creating comics is one of my favorite creativity exercises.When I was a kid I
Three Good Places to Find Current Events Stories for Students
Last week I wrote about using the BBC’s Week in Pictures as a source of current events discussion starters. Following up on that idea, here
Exploring Newspapers Through Maps
When I included current events as a regular part of my social studies classes I would always show a map of where a story takes
Comics, Docs, and Posters – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where we’re getting ready for a weekend of fun. We’re planning to go for a little hike and do a little
A Few Good Places to Find Ideas for Icebreakers
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about using Google Drawings as part of an icebreaker activity. But if you’re looking for something a little
7 Tools for Teaching Programming
This is an excerpt from the 2021-22 version of The Practical Ed Tech Handbook. Two weeks ago a copy was sent to everyone who is
Five Benefits of Conducting Mind Mapping Activities
On Wednesday morning I published a long list of tools that students can use to create mind maps, concept maps, and flowcharts. What I didn’t
Five Ideas for Using Google Drawings This Fall
A couple of weeks ago I shared directions for an icebreaker activity that can be done in Jamboard or Google Drawings. Jamboard and Google Drawings
An Important Update About Flippity
Flippity is one of my go-to resources for making fun things like games and random name pickers with Google Sheets. Recently, some of the Flippity
Fifteen Tools for Creating Mind Maps and Flowcharts
Earlier this year I published some reviews and videos about a few new mind mapping tools. As the new school year begins I think it’s
Five Ideas for Using Google Earth & Maps for More Than Social Studies Lessons
Later this week I’m conducting an online professional development workshop about Google Earth and Maps. One of my goals for the workshop is to help
Five Ideas for Using Comics in Social Studies Lessons
Creating cartoons and comic strips can be a fun way for students to show their understanding of events and concepts. For the student who is
A Good Model for Audio Slideshow Video Projects
This morning I was looking for some short videos about the history of Labor Day. In doing so I came across The History of Labor
An Update to Google Meet Call Quality
One of the most annoying things to start any video call is the process of resolving sound quality issues like a persistent echo. Google recently
In Pictures – A Good Resource for Prompting Current Events Lessons
Over the weekend while browsing some news articles on the BBC News I was reminded of a good resource that I used for many years
How I Created “Vintage” Travel Posters With Canva
In the past I’ve written about using the Library of Congress vintage travel posters collection in Google Earth. Last week I read a new Library
Five Google Docs Activities Besides Just Writing Essays
Over the last fourteen years I’ve used Google Docs and had students use Google Docs for lots of activities besides just writing essays. I’ve used
A Tip for Structuring Group Notes in Google Docs
Fourteen years ago when I first started using Google Docs with students I got the idea to have my whole class take notes on the
Images, Inquiry, and Virtual Backgrounds – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where the sun is rising on what should be a great weekend to celebrate my oldest daughter’s fifth birthday! I’m sure
Coming This Sunday Evening
Last Sunday evening the subscribers to my Practical Ed Tech Newsletter got copies of the 2021-22 version of The Practical Ed Tech Handbook before anyone
Five Things To Make With Google Slides Besides Standard Presentations
Based on the initial view count, yesterday’s post about creating interactive diagrams in Google Slides seems to be fairly popular. That’s inspired me to put
The 2021-22 Practical Ed Tech Handbook
Earlier this week subscribers to my Practical Ed Tech Newsletter received their free copies of the 2021-22 edition of The Practical Ed Tech Handbook. It’s
How to Create Interactive Charts and Diagrams in Google Slides
Google Slides is full of little “hidden” features that are good to know how to use after you’ve covered the basics of using Google Slides.
Birds, Fish, and a Search Tip for Science Students
Some of you may recall from my posts earlier this year that my family and I have a lot of birds that nest around our
Last Chance! Update Your Old Google Sites
Google is finally closing the book on the old “Classic” version of Google Sites on September 1st. They’ve been threatening to do this for almost
Flipgrid Virtual Backgrounds – How and Why
Last week Flipgrid unveiled a list of features for the 2021-22 school year. One of those new features is an updated menu virtual background options
Letters, Numbers, Seasons – Free Classroom Posters
PBS Learning Media‘s newsletter should be on the subscription list of every elementary school teacher in the U.S. I subscribe to it simply because of
Resources to Help Students Recognize Logical Fallacies and Cognitive Biases
Every year as the new school year begins I’m asked for recommendations for helping students improve their ability to discern good information from bad when
An Interactive Map of Historical Sites in Every U.S. State
The Traveling Salesman Problem is a website developed by William Cook at the University of Waterloo. The site features interactive maps that chart the short
Three Audio Slideshow Projects for Students to Try
Tools like Adobe Spark, Typito, Shadow Puppet Edu, and old-standby Animoto make it easy for students to quickly create videos. I often use these tools when introducing video production
12 Good Places to Find Historical Images to Spark Inquiry
Historical photographs, paintings, sketches, and maps can inspire all kinds of history questions. That is why for more than a decade I’ve used and recommended
Five Good Tools for Making Your Own Educational Games and Practice Activities
Making online educational games used to be the domain of those with specialized coding and programming skills. Today, there are free tools that anyone can
Two Ed Tech Guys are Returning This Fall!
Throughout the 2020-21 school year Rushton Hurley from Next Vista for Learning and I hosted a series of webinars titled Two Ed Tech Guys Take
Blogs, Books, and Icebreakers – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where we’re hoping that the forecasted rain showers will bring a respite from the high heat and humidity we’ve experienced all
How to Create a Random Question Generator
Earlier this week I shared directions for an icebreaker activity in which students complete the sentence, “where I’d like to go…” with a picture of
Poetry, Maps, and Templates – Google Jamboard Activities to Try
This is an excerpt from the 2021-22 version of The Practical Ed Tech Handbook which will be released on Sunday evening (Eastern Time). If you’re
Fascinating Folks on Next Vista for Learning
Rushton Hurley, my pal from Next Vista for Learning, is starting a new webinar series called Fascinating Folks: Educators Engaging Entreprenuers. In Rushton’s words, “The
Ideas for Blogging With K-12 Students This Year
This blog post is an excerpt from the updated 2021-22 version of The Practical Ed Tech Handbook which will available this weekend. Subscribe to my
Coming Soon! The 2021-22 Practical Ed Tech Handbook
Seven years ago I published the first version of The Practical Ed Tech Handbook. Every year since then I’ve published an updated version. The new
Where I’d Like to Go – An Icebreaker With Google Drawings
As the new school year starts many you may find yourself looking for some new ideas to break the ice and get to know your
Image Search and Autodraw – My Favorite Book Creator Design Tools
Disclosure: Book Creator is currently an advertiser on FreeTech4Teachers.com. This post was written by me, Richard Byrne. In yesterday’s post about Book Creator’s back-to-school resources
Zoom Tip – Screen Share Zoom Windows
If you have recently updated the desktop version of Zoom you may have noticed a new option in your “in meeting” settings. That option is
How to Set Google Scholar Alerts – Two Options
I’ve published a few posts about Google Scholar lately because I think it’s a valuable research tool that students often overlook or haven’t been introduced
Great Book Creator Resources to Start the New School Year
Disclosure: Book Creator is an advertiser on FreeTech4Teachers.com. This blog post was written by me, Richard Byrne. Book Creator is a versatile digital publishing tool
How to Create Task Reminders in Gmail and Google Keep
As the new school year approaches we’ll all, teachers and students, have goals to do something better this year. If one of those goals is
How to Use Google Drive to Create a B-Roll Gallery for Your Classroom
The best way to have students avoid accidentally using copyrighted images or videos in their own projects is to use media that they’ve created themselves.
Three Time-saving Email Tips for Teachers
Like most people I have a love-hate relationship with my email inbox. Over the years I’ve tried all kinds of tricks and tools to try
Short Lessons on Geothermal Energy and Volcanoes
Iceland is one my favorite places to visit. (I hope to take my daughters there to hike and camp when they’re a bit older). That’s
Nimbus Screenshot – Scrolling Annotated Screen Captures
Nimbus Screenshot is a free Chrome extension that I’ve been using and recommending for the last half-decade. It offers tools for creating screencast videos and
Forms, Books, and Red Leaves – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where the first signs of fall appeared this week. Yesterday, while walking past my neighbor’s house I stopped dead in my
Add Google’s Ngram Viewer to Your List of Research Tools
Google’s Ngram Viewer is a search tool that students can use to explore the use of words and names in books published between 1800 and
How to Find the New Autosave Feature in Google Forms
Earlier this week Google announced the launch of a new autosave feature in Google Forms. As I wrote on Tuesday, teachers and students have been
15 New Primary Source Activities from DocsTeach
DocsTeach has been one of my go-to places for U.S. History lessons since the day that I first discovered it years ago. Not only does
How to Use Google Scholar to Find Federal and State Court Rulings
Earlier this week I wrote about and published a video about how to use Google Scholar to research inventions and their inventors. Case law research
A New Google Forms Feature Teachers Have Requested for Years!
This week Google finally added a feature to Google Forms that teachers and students have requested for years. You can now save your work in
How to Find Sharks and More in VR
The closure of Google Expeditions at the end of June was a real disappointment for many teachers. Google has pushed Google Arts & Culture as
How to Use Google Scholar to Learn About Inventions and Inventors
Last week I published a blog post outlining five things that students should know about using Google Scholar. One of those things is the option
A Game and a Crash Course on Weathering and Erosion
The Crash Course for Kids YouTube channel offers overviews of various topics including weather. Weathering and Erosion is the topic of one of the more recent releases
Five Things Students Should Know About Google Books
Last week I wrote an explanation of why Google Books can be a helpful research tool for history students. In short, it helps students locate
Superhero Science Lessons
Superhero Science is a playlist of science lessons published by TED-Ed. The lessons in the playlist feature explanations of what would happen in various scenarios
What is a Default Gateway? – A Concise Explanation
PowerCert Animated Videos is a great YouTube channel that publishes clear and concise explanations of big concepts in computer hardware and networking. Over the last
July’s Most Popular Posts on Free Technology for Teachers
July has come and gone. It feels like just yesterday the school year was ending and now it seems we’re seeing “back to school” promotions
Patent Search and Five Other Google Scholar Features Students Should Know How to Use
Unlike search results on Google.com, Google Scholar search results isn’t a ranking of websites. Instead, Google Scholar search results are lists of scholarly articles related
Music, Forms, and Elements – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where the sun is rising on what is going to a great day for outdoor play. We’ll be riding bikes, going
Using Google Books in History Classes
As the name implies, Google Books is a search engine for locating books. Through Google Books you’ll find books that you can read in their
My Most Popular Tutorials in July
In July my YouTube my YouTube channel passed the 37,000 subscriber mark. In July I published twenty-three new tutorials including some in-depth guides to getting started with Google
Why You Should Try Refining Searches According to File Type
Much like refining Google search results according to site or domain, refining search results according to file type is a good way to discover information
Join Me On Monday!
The August session of the Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp begins next Monday at 10am ET. If you haven’t registered, you can do so up until
Why You Should Try Refining Search Results According to Domain
Refining Google search results according to site or domain can be a fantastic way for teachers and students to locate websites that they might not
These Geosciences Lessons Rock
K-5 GeoSource is a great resource produced by the American Geosciences Institute. On K-5 GeoSource you will find free lesson plans, science fair project ideas, links to virtual activities,
Other Search Engines for Students to Try
While Google is the default search engine for many students (either mentally or technically because of browser settings), there are other public search engines for
An Itchy Science Lesson
Summer here in northern New England brings us long and sunny days that make us forget about the short and frigid days of winter. Those
How to Give Partial Credit in Google Forms
Google Forms provides an easy way for teachers to create self-grading quizzes. The current version of Google Forms lets you create self-grading quizzes that contain
How to Refine DuckDuckGo Search Results
DuckDuckGo is becoming a popular alternative to conducting searches on Google.com. The reason for that popularity is a reflection of DuckDuckGo’s claim to not track
Why You Should Refine Search Results by Language, Region, and Date
Google’s Advanced Search menu offers more than just tools for refining your search terms. In the Advanced Search menu you’ll find tools for refining search
Free Music for Classroom Projects
Creating multimedia projects like videos, podcasts, and audio slideshows is a great way for students to develop a variety of skills. Some of those skills
Join Me Next Monday!
The August session of the Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp begins next Monday at 10am ET. If you haven’t registered, you can do so up
How Excluding Words Helps Narrow the Scope of a Search
One of the options in Google’s Advanced Search menu is to exclude specific words from search results. At first, excluding words from search results might
What Car Did Harry Lyon Drive? – The Answer to Tuesday’s Search Challenge
On Tuesday I shared a search challenge and wrote that you could email me if you wanted the answers to the questions in the challenge.
Chat, Search, and Puffins – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where the sun is rising and I’m about to head out on an early morning bike ride. Before I do that
A Timeline of Mathematics and Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem
This week TED-Ed published a new video about Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem. This is the latest in a long list of mathematics video lessons produced by
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
A couple of times this week I have written about using primary sources in history lessons and or research lessons. That has reminded me of
World History Commons – Annotated Primary Sources for Students
World History Commons offers a free collection of more than 1700 primary sources covering a wide array of themes and events in world history. The
The Freshwater Access Game
Aquation is a free iOS, Android, and web game offered by the the Smithsonian Science Education Center. The game, designed for students in upper elementary
See the Elements Present in Common Products – The Periodic Table in Pictures and Words
The Periodic Table of Elements, in Pictures and Words is an interactive site that shows students how each element is used or is present in
Three Places to Find Fun and Interesting Math Problems
Giving students some clever math problems that tie-in a “real world” situation or topic can go a long way toward helping them see how math
Changing Search Predictions
Google has a lot of help search tools if you know how to access them and use them. Just opening the advanced search menu often
Short Lessons on the Value of Money
Last week TED-Ed published a new video lesson titled Why Can’t Governments Print an Unlimited Amount of Money? The purpose of the video is to explain
Three Ideas for Encouraging Students to do Research in Digital Archives
Yesterday morning I wrote about the challenge of getting students to use resources like academic databases and digital archives in their research. This morning I
GitMind – A Collaborative Mind Mapping and Outlining Tool
GitMind is a mind mapping tool that offers some excellent features for teachers and students. GitMind offers more than one hundred templates for teachers and
How Rockets Fly – And DIY Model Rockets
This morning Jeff Bezos is blasting into space on a new rocket designed by his company, Blue Origin. The BBC has a succinct overview of
Collect Chat – Turn a Google Form Into a Chatbot
A couple of weeks ago I published a video about how to create your own chatbot with a free tool called Acquainted. This morning I
All About Rubber
Here in Maine we’ve had more rainy days than sunny days lately. That means we’ve been wearing our rainboots a lot. Yesterday, as I was
Challenge – Introduce Students to Academic Search Engines and Databases
In the minds of many students yelling “Hey Siri, tell me about Martin Luther King, Jr.” or “Hey Google, when did the Soviet Union collapse?”
Math Learning Center Apps Now Include Sharing Options
Math Learning Center offers twelve free apps that are designed for teaching elementary school mathematics lessons. All of the apps are available in versions as free iPad
Docs, Slides, and Simulations – The Week in Review
Good evening from Maine where we had a fun day outside despite the clouds and rain. My mother came to visit and my daughters enjoyed
Add PhET Simulations to Your PowerPoint Slides
PhET is a free resource that has been popular with science and math teachers for many years. PhET provides free interactive math and science simulations covering
Getting Started With Google Classroom – Teacher and Student Perspectives
This week I have been publishing a series of videos designed to help teachers who are new to Google Workspace learn what they need to