Fresh Tech for Teachers
10 Google Earth and Maps Activities for Math Lessons
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
10 Ways to Use Adobe Express in School
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
71 Google Slides Tutorials
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
These Are the Effects of Talking to Yourself
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
Microsoft Forms Tutorials for Teachers
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
100+ Math in “Real Life” Lessons
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
How to Add Q&A to Your Live Google Slides Presentations
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
Hello History – Have a Chat With Hundreds of Historical Figures
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
How to Quickly Turn Your Writing Into Videos
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
Three Good Tools for Recording Brainstorming Sessions
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
Ten Tools for Gathering Real-time Feedback From Students
I’m taking the week off to do a bunch of fun things with my kids. While I’m away the most popular posts of the year
Cars, Cards, and LEGOs – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where I’m up early (I’m always up early) and getting ready for my neighborhood’s annual Founders Day events to support our
How to Use Live Presentation Mode in Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms has a lot of features that make it better than Google Forms for classroom use. Those include a built-in timer and embedded use
Google Introduces a New Notebook
Fourteen years after shuttering Google Notebook, Google is getting back into the online notebook business with a new tool called NotebookLM. NotebookLM is a new
Two New Google Bard Features to Try
This week Google added a handful of new features to Google Bard including support for many more languages. Two of the new features that jumped
Need LEGO Ideas? Take a Look at This!
Making things with LEGOs is one of my favorite indoor activities to do with my daughters. We’ve spent many rainy days building all kinds of
Math, Science, History, and Search Lessons Based on Baseball
Baseball is my favorite professional sport to watch. The Red Sox have been my favorite team for as long as I can remember which is
A Good Tool for Mapping Census Data
Earlier today I was looking for a dataset that I could use in a new data visualization tool that I’m testing out. That quest took
An eBook for History Teachers and Their Students
Earlier this year I listed the educational technology topics that I’m still passionate about after all these years. One of those topics is search strategies
The Economics of Lemonade Stands
A few weeks ago my daughters and one of their friends had a lemonade stand as part of our neighborhood-wide yard sale. The day before
OPEN Phys Ed Expands With an Updated Website
OPEN Phys Ed is a resource that I’ve highlighted a bunch of times over the years. It’s the website I’d be visiting every week if
Engageable Helps You Learn to Recharge and Focus
Last Friday I shared three more notes from ISTE Live. The third of those was that I Engageable was the only tech tool that I
Student-led Conversations in Flip
Flip by Microsoft recently unveiled a slew of new features. Some of the new features are purely decorative things like new stickers and editing effects.
Notes, Magic, and Wings – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where humidity seems to be the order of the day. It felt like I was walking in a rainforest while taking
Three More Reflections from ISTE Live
In response to this week’s Practical Ed Tech newsletter a reader named Brian asked me for my top three things from ISTE Live that I
Create Interactive Video Lessons With ClickView
ClickView was one of the first fifteen things that caught my eye during last week’s ISTE Live conference. It’s a tool that you can use
Three Reflections on a Fun Workshop During ISTE Live
As I’ve mentioned a couple of times in the last week, last week I went to a micro:bit workshop hosted by Gary Stager and Sylvia
Amusement Park Physics Lessons
We’re going to Story Land today! It’s a fairy tale themed amusement park for little kids. It’s perfect for my daughters and their cousins who
Three Self-paced Courses You Can Complete This Summer
If you’re interested in a professional development course that you can do while sitting outside this summer, take a look at the courses I offer
Why Wet Dogs Are Smelly – Another Lesson Inspired by My Daughters
Spring and summer so far have been exceptionally wet here in Maine. It’s starting to make us all a little nutty. Regardless of the weather,
A Good Guide to Graphic Design in Educational Technology
In this week’s Practical Ed Tech newsletter I mentioned that I recently went on a bit of a quest to find research about the value
Fact Check Explorer Expands to Image Checking
Around this time last year Google launched Fact Check Explorer. Fact Check Explorer is a tool that anyone can use to check the accuracy and
How to Use Canva’s AI Image Generator
There is no shortage of AI tools available to teachers today. Some are stand-alone and some are being built into the tools we’re already using.
Create Custom Animation Paths in Canva Slides
Adding a little transition animation to your slideshow presentations can make things pop a little bit. But at this point we’re all conditioned to the
Can You Spot an AI-generated Image?
Google Arts & Culture has a lot of fun, interesting, and educational games for students. A couple of weeks ago I shared Return of the
How Fireworks Work
It’s Fourth of July weekend and despite what feels like never-ending rain in Maine we heard some fireworks being shot off last night. Our dogs
Short Lessons About the 4th of July
Everywhere I look this weekend I see signs and mentions of 4th of July weekend. My daughters (ages 5 and 6) have noticed them as
Canva, Food, and Philly – The Week in Review
It’s Saturday morning! As I do every Saturday morning, I’ve made a list of the week’s most popular posts. This week I spent a few
The Most Popular Posts of the Month
Good evening from New Hampshire where I’m having a little R&R with my family after a very busy week and a busy month. The sun
A Brief Introduction to micro:bit and MakeCode
On Tuesday morning I went to micro:bit workshop hosted by Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez. It was a ton of fun. My only complaint, I
25 Search Strategies You Need to Know – New Course Starting Soon
One of the most popular webinars and courses that I’ve hosted over the years have been about search strategies and how to teach them to
Five of My Favorite Take-aways from #ISTELive
ISTE Live in Philadelphia was a whirlwind 72 hours. I’ve been home for about 18 hours now and have had some time to reflect a
The Coolest Canva Use I’ve Seen
Yesterday morning at ISTE Live I met Lauren Enders. Lauren is a well-known presenter in the field of AAC (augmentative and alternative communication). We chatted
Resources for Learning About the Tour de France
This year’s Tour de France starts on July 1st. (By the way, my search strategies course starts the same day). For the next three weeks
How to Publish Google Slides Presentations
Around this time every year I field a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into new jobs at schools that use Google Workspace
Notes from a Micro:bit Workshop
Today, I attended a workshop hosted by Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez. It was a great workshop about using Micro:bit. Gary gave some introductory directions
How to Collaborate on Google Slides
Around this time every year I field a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into new jobs at schools that use Google Workspace
15 Things That Caught My Eye at ISTE Live Today
This morning I got up at 2:30, drove to the Portland Jetport (PWM), and flew to Philadelphia to attend ISTE Live. My lack of sleep
How to Magically Make a Presentation in Minutes
There are some people who love and enjoy the process of making slideshow presentations. Then there are people like me who enjoy presenting, but don’t
How to Use Audio and Video in Google Slides
Around this time every year I field a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into new jobs at schools that use Google Workspace
Food Science Lesson – What Makes Wings Spicy
Last week my post about the science of barbecue got some good traction on social media. To start this week I’ll continue the food science
How to Create Your First Google Slides Presentation
Around this time every year I field a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into new jobs at schools that use Google Workspace
Novels, Search, Street Views – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where summer weather arrived exactly on the summer solstice this year. After one of the rainiest Junes on record, it was
Advanced Google Forms Features for Teachers
Like I do at this time every year, in the last few weeks I’ve fielded a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into
Three Fun Science Lessons to Try This Summer
As of yesterday afternoon both of my daughters are now on summer break. We have lots of plans for doing fun things this summer. We’ll
How to Use Pictures and Videos in Google Forms Quizzes
Like I do at this time every year, in the last few weeks I’ve fielded a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into
The Science of Barbecue
A couple of evenings ago I finished watching the second season of Barbecue Showdown on Netflix. While watching it I picked up some good tips
How to Customize Google Forms Themes
Like I do at this time every year, in the last few weeks I’ve fielded a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into
5 FAQs About 25 Search Strategies You Need to Know
Last Saturday I announced the launch of a new course titled 25 Search Strategies You Need to Know. In the five days since then a
Return of the Cat Mummy – A New Google Arts and Culture Game
Return of the Cat Mummy is a new game from Google Arts and Culture. The game is set in the animated backdrop of ancient Egypt.
The Solution to a Frustrating Google Slides Problem
When Google finally added a built-in audio option for Google Slides, we were all happy because we no longer needed to use unreliable third-party add-ons
678 Free Art History Books
A couple of weeks ago I shared 60,000+ images of art and artifacts to download. Those images may be useful in art history lessons. What
How to Create Your First Quiz in Google Forms
Like I do at this time every year, in the last few weeks I’ve fielded a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into
160 Free Lesson Plans on Teaching With Historic Places
I’m going to Philadelphia next week. I’m going to attend the ISTE Conference, but while I’m there I’m also going to visit a few historic
How to Create Your First Google Form
Like I do at this time every year, in the last few weeks I’ve fielded a bunch of questions from readers who are moving into
Kindergarten and the Summer Solstice
Tomorrow is my oldest daughter’s last day of Kindergarten. We’re going to celebrate with ice cream! We might also stay up and play outside a
How to Share Google Street View Imagery Including Building Interiors
It’s no secret to those of you who have followed my blog for long, I love exploring in Google Maps, Earth, and Street View. I
ISTE 2023 Questions
I shared this in my newsletter about a week ago. This year I’m going back to the ISTE conference for the first time in six
25 Search Strategies You Need to Know – A New Course Starting July 1st
One of the most popular webinars and courses that I’ve hosted over the years have been about search strategies and how to teach them to
Milk, Images, and Logo – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where we’re having another overcast morning. For the last month we’ve been stuck in a pattern of having rain for at
Why We Have to Wear Sunscreen – Another Lesson Inspired by My Daughters
A couple of days ago I shared 22 lessons that have been inspired by my daughters’ questions. Here’s another one that popped-up yesterday, “why do
How to Use the New Adobe Express Video Editor
There is a new version of Adobe Express. The new version is still in a beta phase, but you can try it out right now
TypeStudio is Now Streamlabs Podcast Editor
TypeStudio was one of my favorite new tools to emerge in the last couple of years. Unfortunately, this morning I learned that it has pivoted
How to Install Google Earth Pro on a Mac
A few weeks ago I shared directions for adding Google Drive videos to Google Earth tours. The demonstration that I gave was done with Google
22 Lessons and Posts Inspired by My Daughters
Those of you who have followed my blog over the last few years may have noticed my occasional series of posts inspired by questions from
Online Spelling Games
About once a week I get a spammy email from someone trying to sell me domain names related to online spelling games and spelling apps.
New Microsoft Teams Features to Note
A couple of weeks ago Mike Tholfsen published a video highlighting new Microsoft Word features for teachers to note. This week he published a video
Fahrenheit vs. Celsius – Another Lesson Inspired by My Daughters
On the way to school this morning my older daughter pointed out that it was 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Her younger sister responded by asking, “what’s
When Bard is Better Than Google
Yesterday I was in charge of making dinner for my family. My plan was to make fish tacos. I’ve made them before so I knew
60,000+ Images of Art and Artifacts to Download and Re-use for Free
The Museum of New Zealand offers more than 60,000 images of art and artifacts to download and re-use for free. The images are a mix
Skim vs. Whole Milk – Another Lesson Prompted by My Daughters
On Friday afternoon when I picked up my youngest daughter from preschool she promptly informed me that she now only likes 2% milk and not
Maps, Novels, and AI Assessments – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where the rain keeps coming down. It feels like it has been more than a week since we’ve seen the sun.
Three Good Ways to Map Spreadsheet Data
In my previous post about how to create a story map I featured a tool called StoryMap JS. That tool is great for making story
How to Create a Story Map
A couple of days ago I published a post about a story map titled 1,001 Novels: A Library of America. That post is already one
Gary Stager’s Logo Resources on The Daily Papert
This morning on LinkedIn I saw a post by Gary Stager (embedded below) in which he linked to a collection of Logo resources that he’s compiled
Designing a Mars Rover
A couple of weeks ago I published an all about Mars post that included a video from SciShowKids titled Meet the Mars Rovers! SciShow Kids
How to Use AI to Create Formative Assessments
A day ago I published a big list of AI tools and resources for teachers. This morning I tried another AI tool that is worth
1,001 American Novels Mapped
1,001 Novels: A Library of America is an ESRI story map developed by Susan Straight. The story map features short reviews of 1,000 American novels.
My Two Most Popular Courses This Year
Summer break is here or nearly here for many of us. With that break comes time to drink our coffee out of our favorite mugs
Swords, Airplanes, and Cartoons – A Big Collection of Free Sound Effects
The Internet Archive’s USC Optical Sound Effects Library is a collection of hundreds of sound effect recordings created for Hollywood studios in the beginning in
Three New Padlet Slideshow Features
Back in February Padlet introduced a new feature that enables you to quickly turn a collection of notes on a Padlet wall into a slideshow.
How to Move Your Gmail in Bulk
A few weeks ago I published directions on how to use Google Takeout to move your most important Google Workspaces assets out of one account
Turn Pictures Into Digital Map Pins
Felt.com is a digital mapping tool that launched late last year and has since impressed me with both its ease of use and its plentiful
Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos
With time and practice you might become adept at using the editing functions in your favorite video software. You can also improve your videos
An Acoustic Atlas of the Wild West
Acoustic Atlas is a Montana State University Library project that features an ArcGIS Storymap. The Acoustic Atlas storymap is an audio and visual tour of Montana’s
Rebound – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where it feels more like late April than early June. After a few days of temperatures in the 80’s (Fahrenheit) I
Five Ways You Can Edit Images in Google Slides
When I started using Google Slides fifteen+ years ago it was a rather bare bones alternative to PowerPoint. That is no longer the case. Today,
Three Tools for Making Short Audio Recordings – No Accounts Required
There are three tools that I typically recommend to those who are looking to just record short spoken audio tracks and don’t require additional editing
Searching for Images in Google Bard
Last month Google introduced a new Bard feature that makes it easy to copy the text of a chat to a Google Document. To start