Fresh Tech for Teachers
How to Make a Whiteboard Video in Flipgrid
Last week Flipgrid introduced a bunch of updates and changes. If you haven’t logged into your Flipgrid account since the end of the last school
Three Ways to Explore the News Through Maps
One of the things that I liked about the old version of CNN Student News is that it almost always included a map to show
Get Organized With Google Classroom, Meet, and Calendar
Like a lot of you, I’ll be using Google Classroom, Google Meet and Google Calendar more than ever before this fall. I’ve been using these
SciShow Kids Returns Next Week!
A little over a year ago SciShow Kids, one of my favorite YouTube channels, announced a hiatus. I thought that was going to be then
A Few Short Lessons About Sharks for Shark Week
This week is Discovery’s annual Shark Week. All week long the Discovery Channel and it’s affiliated channels will broadcast all kinds of shows about sharks.
Webinar Recording – Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions & Share Cool Stuff
Last week Rushton Hurley and I resumed our weekly webinar series called Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions & Share Cool Stuff. It was clear
All About Zoom Breakout Rooms
Breakout rooms is one of the best features of Zoom. If you’re anticipating using Zoom this fall and you haven’t tried the breakout rooms function,
Zoom from Teacher and Student Perspectives
As the new school year gets closer I’m getting a lot of requests for help with Zoom. I have published a few video tutorials about
Intro to Simple Electronics in Makerspaces
Yesterday morning I gave a short virtual presentation for the New Jersey TeachMeet. The topic of my presentation was an introduction to using simple electronics
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where the sun is yet to come up and the air feels cool. I hate to say it, but those are
A Handy Tool for Picking Accessible Color Schemes
Earlier today I hosted a webinar about tools that teachers can use to improve the accessibility of the slides, documents, and videos that they create
What You Need to Know About the Latest Version of Flipgrid
Earlier this week Flipgrid published a slew of updates and had a big online event to hype it up showcase those new features. A lot
An Easy Way to Loop Videos in Google Slides
There are so many little “hidden” features in tools like Google Slides that even after more than a decade of using it I am still
A Timeline for Transitioning to the “New” Version of Google Sites
The new version of Google Sites has been out since 2016 and since 2016 Google has continually told users that the “new version” would become
A New Way to Make Sure People Can View Your Videos in Google Slides
One of the common mistakes that people make when inserting their own videos into a Google Slides presentation is forgetting to change the permissions on
Watch Out for This Sneaky Email Scam – And a Super-techy Lesson on Email
On Monday I wrote about an email scam that tries to trick people into thinking they have violated a photographer’s copyright and need to add
How to Improve Reverse Image Search Results
Reverse image search can be a good way to find more information about an object, animal, or person in a photograph. I use reverse image
Stream Multiple Sources at Once With OBS Studio
Last week I got an email from a reader who was looking for a means to stream or broadcast from multiple sources. Zoom, Google Meet,
Don’t Fall for This Image Attribution Scam
Anyone who has followed my blog for a year or more knows that I am nothing if not vigilant in promoting the use of public
Lessons on Map Projections
The maps pages and education pages of the USGS should be bookmarked by anyone who teaches geography. One of my go-to pages within the USGS
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good evening from Maine where the sun has set on a beautiful summer day. I hope that you are having a great weekend! Unlike last
What Did You Watch in July?
Nearly 27,000 people are now subscribed to my YouTube channel. On my channel I publish screencast videos about all kinds of things including how to
The Month in Review – The Most Popular Posts in July
It’s hard for me to believe that it’s the last day of July. It feels like just last week I was hosting end-of-year Google Meet
Finding Primary Sources in the World Digital Library
The World Digital Library is a resource that I started using back in 2009. At that time it was just a small collection of about
How to Check the Accessibility of Your Google Slides
Yesterday afternoon I saw someone on Twitter ask if there is a way to evaluate the accessibility of a slide presentation. My answer was to
Alternatives to Google Forms
Earlier this week I answered an email from a reader who was looking for a way to collect “check-in” information from students but didn’t want
Using DocsTeach to Create Online Lessons – Free Webinar Next Week
DocsTeach is a favorite resource of mine for U.S. History teachers and students. I used it and it’s predecessor fairly regularly when I was teaching
Five Things I’m Excited About for the New School Year
Yesterday morning I wrote about how I’m preparing for the worst for the new school year and my nervousness about the start of the school
Phidgets – A Fun, Free, Hands-on Way to Learn Python, Java, and More
Disclosure: Phidgets is an advertiser on this blog. As the new school year approaches Phidgets is one new thing that I’m excited to use with
How to Clear Your Chrome Browser History and Stored Passwords
On a fairly regular basis I get emails from teachers who are disappointed that a website I demonstrated in a video or wrote about in
Preparing for the Worst With Zoom, Dual Monitors, Microphones, and More
In the last couple of weeks I’ve received a bunch of emails and Tweets from people who are panicking about going back to school and
How to Make a Digital Bookshelf in Google Slides
This summer I’ve had more requests for book recommendations than I ever have in the nearly thirteen year history of this blog. I’ve also had
Historical Scene Investigations – A Great Way to Get Students to Use Primary Sources
Historical Scene Investigation is one of my favorite resources for U.S. History teachers and students. I’ve used it and referred people to it for years.
Two Ed Tech Guys Return to Answer Questions – Free Webinar Next Week
This past spring Rushton Hurley and I hosted a weekly webinar series called Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions and Share Cool Stuff. We went
The Week in Review – So Many Webinars
Good morning from Maine where I’m sitting on my back porch drinking coffee and watching the fog clear out of the valley below me. The
A Challenging Battles and Heritage Map Game
Geoquiz History Edition is a fun and challenging history game for history buffs. The game works like similar geography games in which you’re given the
Searching the National Register of Historic Places
This morning I went down an Internet rabbit hole of looking for lesser-known historic places in Maine. That process started because I was looking for
Scribble Maps – Create Multimedia Maps – No Account Required
Earlier this week I presented a webinar about using Google Maps and Earth for more than just social studies lessons. A follow-up email that I
Three Time-saving G Suite Features for Teachers
This afternoon I hosted a webinar in which I shared some time-saving tips for teachers using G Suite for Education. I shared them in the
5 Alternatives to Traditional Book Report Projects
I’ve been revisiting some of my favorite books this summer. Doing that has reminded me of some ideas that I’ve shared in the past and
Dave Grohl Comes to the Defense of Teachers
On the surface Dave Grohl, the drummer for Nirvana and front man of Foo Fighters, doesn’t seem like the celebrity who would come to the
How to Use Canva for Online Brainstorming Activities
Last week I wrote a post about the real-time collaboration option that Canva has started to roll out. This morning I got a question from
Convert Handwritten Notes Into Google Documents
This week my Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week newsletter was about tools for digitizing physical notes. There are tools like CamScanner and Office
Create Talking Pictures of Famous People
This morning the power was out at my house so I sat on my porch drinking coffee (brewed before the power went out) and brainstormed
How OneNote Can Help Students Solve Math Problems
As I mentioned last week, I’m trying to make more videos about the excellent products that Microsoft offers to teachers and students for free. One
How to Create Labeling Activities With Google Drawings and Classroom
Last week I hosted a webinar for a group that I’m working this summer. One part of that webinar included making online activities for students.
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where the temperature only reached 62F yesterday, but today is supposed to reach 90! These wild fluctuations in summer weather is
Got Toddlers? Bookmark This Website
If you have toddlers at home like I do, Stain Solutions is a website that need to bookmark today. Stain Solutions is a handy website
An Update to an Old Web Quest Assignment
I’ve been doing a lot of reading this summer. Some of the books that I’ve been reading this summer are books that I’ve read in
Three Lessons on the Chemistry of Coffee
One of the things that I’ve missed the most over the last few months is going to my local coffee shop (Cafe Nomad) and having
500+ Icebreaker Questions
Believe it or not we’re closer to the start of the new school year than we are to the end of the last one. Whether
5 Ways to Make Whiteboard Instructional Videos in Your Web Browser
Over the last few months I’ve written a bunch of blog posts and made a handful of videos on simple ways to make whiteboard instructional
Book Creator Adds New Options for Copying and Re-using Pages
Book Creator is one of my go-to tools for making ebooks and digital portfolios. In fact, I like it so much that it’s one of
Doozy – Create and Play Fun and Educational Quiz Games
Doozy is a neat service for creating online quiz games that you can share with anyone and they can play without having to register for
Join Me Next Week for the Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp!
Next week I’m hosting the third session of the Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp. The first two sessions were full of enthusiastic teachers who
Anonymous Users Blocked from Google Meet in G Suite EDU
A couple of weeks ago Google announced that seven new features would be added to Google Meet over the coming months. According to an announcement
Canva Introduces Real-time Collaboration Options
This year Canva has become my preferred tool for designing audio slideshow presentations. Now, thanks to a tip from Larry Ferlazzo, it’s now one of
Updated and Easier Way to Schedule Events in Google Calendar
This morning Google announced a small but helpful change to Google Calendar. The web browser version of Google Calendar will now present you with more
How to Collaborate on Word Documents Online
Earlier this week I received an email from a reader who wanted to know how her students could see and comment on Google Docs if
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where it is pouring rain. It was a busy week here as I hosted the second session of the Practical Ed
How to Annotate PDFs in OneNote
This past spring I published a video about using PDFs in Google Classroom and a video about converting PDFs into Google Docs. One of the
How to Embed Padlet Walls Into Google Sites
This morning I responded to a Tweet from a follower who was having a little trouble embedding Padlet walls into her Google Site. To help
A Dozen Lessons About Inventions That “Changed the World”
It was a hot and humid afternoon here in Maine. In fact, the weather app on my phone said that it was “oppressively humid.” I’d
How to Selectively Copy Google Slides
I’m fortunate to get lots of emails from readers who ask all kinds of questions. One of the questions that I recently answered came from
Three Interesting Resources for Students to Learn About Career Fields
One of the benefits of working and living in a small community is that I get to see what many of my former students do
Three New Flippity Templates to Try
Flippity is one of my go-to recommendations for anyone looking to make interesting things with Google Sheets. A couple of days ago I published a
Three Alternatives to Smore
Over the weekend I answered an email from a reader who was looking for an alternative to using Smore to create online posters and newsletters
How to Create Your Own Online Board Game
Those of you who have followed my blog for a while probably know that Flippity is one of my go-to recommendations for anyone looking to
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where it is a cool and overcast start to the Fourth of July. It has rained almost all week and that’s
How to Use Kahoot With Google Classroom
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
How to Encourage the Use of Complete Sentences in Google Forms Responses
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
How to Create a Timed Quiz in Google Classroom
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
5 Things You Should Never Do In Virtual Staff Meetings
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
How to Turn PowerPoint and Google Slides Into Narrated Videos
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
How to Use Zoom and Adobe Spark to Make Green Screen Videos
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
The Basics of Creating a Quiz in Google Forms
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
How to Record a Screencast With Flipgrid
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
10 Fun & Challenging Geography Games for Students of All Ages
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
What Google Classroom Looks Like to Students
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
5 Google Classroom Features You Might Have Overlooked or Forgotten
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
Cincinnati Zoo Offers Daily Virtual Zoo Visits
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
How to Work With PDFs in Google Classroom
We’re halfway through 2020. This week I’m taking some time off from the blog to work on some other projects. The rest of this week
An Easy Way to Overlay Historical Maps on Google Earth
Last fall I published a video about how to find historical maps and overlay them on Google Earth. That method works for any historical map
50 National Geographic 360 Videos
Watching 360 degree videos is probably my favorite thing to do with my Google Cardboard viewer. A lot of people don’t realize that a Cardboard
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where the sun is shining and burning off the last of the overnight fog. It’s going to be a great day
7 New Google Meet Features for Teachers
In a move that clearly is an attempt to match the functionality of Zoom and Microsoft Teams, Google has announced some new features that will
How to Use Loom to Make a Whiteboard Video
This week I published a couple of videos about making whiteboard-style instructional videos with Screencastify (you can see those videos on my YouTube channel). Of course,
Make a Whiteboard Video With Google Slides and Screencastify
Earlier this week I published a video demonstration of how to create a whiteboard-style instructional video with Google’s Jamboard and Screencastify. At the end of
July PD Opportunities With Me
Last week I hosted the first Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp. I realize that the middle of June isn’t the ideal time for everyone
TechSmith Capture Replaces Jing
TechSmith’s Jing was the first tool that I used to make screencast videos more than a decade ago. It was amazing to be able to
TED-Ed Has Released Episode 9 of Think Like a Coder
Think Like a Coder is a TED-Ed series of videos that my freshmen loved this this past year. The latest installment in the series was
Google Adds Spanish Grammar Suggestions to Google Docs – But Not for Schools
Grammar suggestions has been one of the best improvements to Google Docs in the last year. So far those suggestions have only been available in
Tips & Tricks for Using Zoom and Google Meet – Free Webinar Tomorrow
Tomorrow at 5pm ET/ 2pm PT Rushton Hurley from Next Vista for Learning is hosting the next installment of his Activities Across Grade Levels series.
Jamboard + Screencastify = Whiteboard Video
Yesterday morning someone on Twitter asked me for a recommendation for making a whiteboard video in a web browser without using Seesaw. (By the way,
How to Use Pictures in Google Forms
After last week’s post on five overlooked features of Google Forms quizzes I received a few questions about using pictures in quizzes. Specifically, folks were having
Video: The Solar System to Scale
I guess I’ve been a bit of a space kick lately as over the weekend I shared an augmented reality app about spacecraft and yesterday
Expedition Everest – 360 Video from National Geographic
National Geographic has one of my favorite YouTube channels. I’ve been fascinated with Mount Everest for as long as I can remember That’s why I
Updated – How to Create Virtual Class Pictures With Pixton EDU
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about using Pixton EDU to create a virtual class photograph for the end of the school year. When