Fresh Tech for Teachers
Free Webinar – A Framework for Using Educational Technology
Whenever I’m a guest on a podcast I always asked some variation on the question, “how do you decide what to write about?” The answer
Quickly Create Online Whiteboards for Your Students
In this week’s Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week I mentioned a new service called Whiteboard.fi. A few weeks ago I learned about it
ICYMI – Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions and Share Cool Stuff
Every Friday afternoon Rushton Hurley and I get together to host a free webinar called Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions and Share Cool Stuff.
Three Search Refinement Tools Every Student Should Know How to Use
Search is something that everyone knows how to do as an act of typing or speaking a query. Unfortunately, too many students never get beyond
Three Tools for Collecting Stories from Students and Parents
Earlier this week I hosted a webinar about using online tools to build communities. One of the topics within that webinar was collecting and publishing
The Week in Review – Green Screens, Parks, and Virtual Meetings
Good morning from Maine where the wind is howling but the sun is shining. Despite the wind it’s relatively warm and should be nice for
The Practical Ed Tech Virtual Summer Camp
Every summer teachers from all over the world join me here in Vacationland for the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp. This year I’ve had to
How to Restore Files in Google Drive
Twice this afternoon I had people ask me about restoring files that were deleted from either Google Classroom or from Google Drive. If you’ve accidentally
Ofee – Host Online Experiences to Teach and Share
Ofee is a new service that lets anyone who has a lesson to teach, share it with the world in a live online setting. Ofee
The Month in Review – The Most Popular Posts
It’s the last day of April. In some ways this month seemed to fly by and in others it seemed to drag along. The part
5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos
Many of us are making more videos than ever before as a way to deliver instruction and or to simply keep our students updated about
How to Create a Green Screen Video Without a Green Screen
If you have ever wanted to make a green video but didn’t have access to iMovie and couldn’t make the investment in other video editing
Take a Virtual Field Trip to Maine’s Wildlife Park
The Maine Wildlife Park is on my list of must-visit places for anyone visiting Maine with kids between ages two and twelve. It’s a place
National Parks Games and Challenges – Try Virtual National Parks Bingo
I love the National Parks service that we have here in the U.S. One of the things I’m looking forward to doing with my kids
USGS Find a Feature Challenges – Outdoor Learning Opportunities
Last week I wrote about the Learning from Home resources available from the USGS. While it’s not specifically a part of the Learning from Home
How to Create & Manage Multiple Gmail Signatures – And Why You Might Want To
About six weeks ago Google introduced a new multiple signatures option in Gmail. The feature has been rolling-out to G Suite for Edu domains over
What’s Inside Your Computer – Three Introductory Lessons from TED-Ed
Much like cars, many of us use computers without knowing what really makes them go. And much like cars you don’t have to know what
ICYMI – Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions & Share Cool Stuff – Webinar Recording
Every Friday afternoon I join Rushton Hurley from Next Vista for Learning for Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions & Share Cool Stuff. If you
5 Things You Should Never Do In a Virtual Staff Meeting
At this point we’ve all had our fill of virtual staff meetings. Hopefully, all of yours are going as well as possible. But even the
The Week in Review – Could This Be Spring?
Good morning from Maine where the birds are chirping as the sun begins to rise. The forecast calls for temperatures in the 50’s (F) for
How to Collect Voicemail Through Your Website with SpeakPipe
In a couple episodes of Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions and Share Cool Stuff Rushton and I have mentioned using SpeakPipe. SpeakPipe is a tool
How to Reverse the Mirroring Effect in Zoom
In my recent article titled What’s On My Desktop I mentioned using a small physical whiteboard during live lessons delivered via Zoom or Google Meet. Since
USGS Offers Online and Hands-on Learning from Home Resources
Since I was in elementary school I have enjoyed looking at maps and day dreaming about the places those maps depict. I like maps so
Google Sites Templates & Banners
Years ago Google Sites had a gallery of templates that you could pick from when you were starting to build a website. When the new
Two Free Webinars Today and Tomorrow
Rushton Hurley, founder of Next Vista for Learning, has been hosting some great webinars over the last couple of months. One of those is every
Google Meet Gets a Grid View and Higher Quality Video Sharing
One of the things that many people like about Zoom is the ability to see all participants in a call in a grid on your
By Request – How to Create a Timed Quiz in Google Classroom
I’m taking a digital portfolio approach to assessment in our remote learning environment and using EDpuzzle for little comprehension checks. But my approach to assessment
Google Classroom Assignments from Teacher and Student Perspectives – Nine Lessons
A frequent occurrence in my inbox these days is requests for help understanding how students see assignments and feedback in Google Classroom. Additionally, I’ve had
Join Me for a Live Podcast Q&A Tomorrow at 3pm ET
Tomorrow afternoon at 3pm ET I’ll be a guest on Jeff Mao’s new podcast Edmoxie TL4Ed Live! Jeff, in his own words, is a recovering government
Explore the Library of Congress on Your iPad
The Library of Congress Collections app is a free iPad app that offers a nice way for students and teachers to explore collections of artifacts housed
Gallery AR – Augmented Reality Art on Your Walls
Gallery AR is a free iPad app and free iPhone app that anyone can use to view classic works of art in augmented reality. The
A Few Overlooked Ways to Customize Google Sites
In a recent article about using digital portfolios for assessment I mentioned using Google Sites and Blogger. Neither of those tools are known for being
How to Enable Google Sites Collaboration Through Google Classroom
After watching my video about Google Sites in my recent Practical Ed Tech newsletter a reader emailed to ask me for ideas for the best
Five Elementary Lessons You Can Do With Pixton EDU
Disclosure: Pixton is currently an advertiser on this blog. For many years I’ve promoted the idea of using comics as a way to get students
How to Add Answer Feedback to Quizzes in Google Forms & How Students See It
Over the weekend I received an email from a reader who wanted to know what his students saw when feedback was added to quizzes created
World Wildlife Fund Livestreams, Apps, and Games for Students
For years the World Wildlife Fund has offered educational games and apps for students. Now they’re also offering live educational broadcasts for students. On the
Resources for Teaching & Learning About the American Revolution
Today is Patriots’ Day here in Maine as well as Massachusetts and Connecticut. It’s a day commemorate the start of the American Revolutionary War with
Webinar Recording – Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions and Share Cool Stuff
On Friday afternoon I joined Rushton Hurley for our weekly webinar Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions and Share Cool Stuff. It was a fun
The Week in Review – Might as Well Eat Cake
Good morning from Maine where the sun is soon to be shining and the snow is gone. At this time last week we were still
EZCheck.me – A Convenient Way to Take Attendance for Large Classes
EZCheck.me is a new service that could be helpful whenever we return to having classes in-person instead of virtually. EZCheck.me is a system that lets
Put Scrap Cardboard to Use With One of These Hands-on Learning Projects
Instructables is one of my favorite places to find ideas for all kinds of hands-on projects from complex Raspberry Pi and Arduino projects to simple
Kids Can Learn About National Parks on a Virtual Road Trip With Nature Cat
PBS Kids Nature Cat collection offers a bunch of great activities that elementary school students can do at home with or without direct involvement of parents.
Fact Fragment Frenzy – An App to Practice Identifying Facts
Yesterday, I shared Common Craft’s new video about facts and opinions. In looking for some related resources I came across a blog post that I
Create Self-selected Review Guides With Google Forms
Last week I published a video about using Google Forms to create a tech help site. The concepts featured in that video can also be
Facts v. Opinions – A New Common Craft Lesson
Now more than ever our students are getting bombarded with information and opinions in all forms of media. Therefore, it’s more important than ever that
How to Share Your Videos in Google Classroom – With and Without YouTube
A lot of teachers are making their own instructional videos for the first time. Whether you make them using screencasting tools, by converting slides into
Lessons About Income Taxes
In most years today would be the deadline for Americans to file their income tax returns. This year that deadline has been extended to July
The Student View of Comments on Google Classroom Assignments
One of the things that I’ve always recommended doing when using a new-to-you web tool in your classroom is to look at the students’ perspective
How to Quickly Create a Narrated Video from PowerPoint or Google Slides
Last week I published a short post about a neat new service called Video Puppet. Video Puppet will take your PowerPoint slides and convert them
Three Ways to Use Audio With Google Slides
“How can I use audio in Google Slides?” is one of the perennial FAQs that I receive. In fact, just yesterday I had two people
How to Use Google Hangouts Meet in Google Classroom
Last week Google introduced a new way to incorporate Google Meet (AKA Google Hangouts Meet) into Google Classroom. The old method still works as well.
How to Post Videos in Google Sites so Everyone Can See Them
Last week someone emailed me asking why her students couldn’t see the videos that she was posting on Google Sites. This isn’t an uncommon problem.
When Two Ed Tech Guys Become Three Ed Tech Folks
Last Friday I was supposed to be on a webinar with Rushton Hurley to talk about some cool ed tech tools and answer questions from
Screencastify Submit Looks Promising – Easy Way for Students to Make Videos
Thanks to John Padula this morning I learned about a new Screencastify feature called Screencastify Submit. This feature is currently in beta and you have
If You’re Inclined To Do So…
This little blog of mine that I started back in 2007 has seen a resurgence in traffic lately. In fact, visits are up nearly 300%
The Week in Review – It Was a Rough One
Good morning from Maine where the ground is once again blanketed with six inches of heavy, wet snow. We had a big storm on Thursday
How to Quickly Incorporate Google Meet Into Google Classroom
Thanks to a Tweet from Chris Pirkl yesterday evening I learned that Google has now made it easier to post Google Meet links in Google
Webinar Recording – Strategies for Remote Instructional Technology Support
Yesterday afternoon I hosted a webinar titled Three Strategies for Remote Instructional Technology Support. If you missed it, the recording is now available to view
How to Create a Tech Help Site With Google Forms
This afternoon I hosted a free webinar titled Strategies for Remote Instructional Technology Support (the recording will be available later this evening). One of the
Save Time With This Google Calendar Scheduling Tip
Here’s a little tip that I passed along to a colleague yesterday morning that might help some of you too. When you’re scheduling meetings that
Create Online Art Galleries With Wakelet, Padlet, and Google Sites
In last week’s episode of The Practical Ed Tech Podcast I answered a question from a reader who was looking for a way for students
Free Webinar Tomorrow – Strategies for Remote Instructional Technology Support – Take 2!
Yesterday afternoon I hosted a webinar titled Three Strategies for Remote Instructional Technology Support. The software that I used to host the webinar did not
Sometimes It Pays to Pay – Or When a Webinar Crashes to a Halt
Much of my online reputation is built on free technology for teachers. That said, there are services I do pay to use because I’ve not
Video Puppet Turns Your PowerPoint Presentations Into Narrated Videos
Video Puppet is a new tool that you can use to quickly turn your PowerPoint presentations into narrated videos. If you have less than twenty
How to Use Google Forms With Students Who Don’t Have Email Addresses
This afternoon someone Tweeted at me at to ask how elementary school students who don’t have active email addresses can view the results of quizzes
Three Ways to Make Whiteboard Videos on Your Chromebook
Last week I published a video on how to make a simple video on a Chromebook without installing any extensions or apps. That video was
Five Search Tools Students Often Overlook
In our new remote teaching and learning environments students may find themselves having to look things up online more than ever before. Even if you’re
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where the April showers and wind arrived in earnest on Thursday and didn’t stop until late last night. Thankfully, it looks
Webinar Recording – Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions & Share Cool Stuff
On Friday afternoon Rushton Hurley and I hosted the second episode of Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions & Share Cool Stuff. It’s a half-hour
A Random Name and Image Picker
Wheel of Names is a free random name picker website that I learned about from Tony Vincent in one of his Tweets earlier this week.
The Practical Ed Tech Podcast – Episode 40 – For Real This Time
In this episode share some new and neat things from the world of ed tech, share a new way to support my work (if you
How to Use PDFs in Google Classroom
On Thursday afternoon a reader asked me about using PDFs in Google Classroom. She was having a little trouble with students not being able to
How to Create Simple Videos on a Chromebook – No Apps or Extensions Needed
One of my colleagues asked me if I could provide directions on how to create a video on our school-issued Chromebooks. I was happy to
A Few Short Lessons and Reminders About Email
Earlier this week I Tweeted a plea to try to remember to use basic niceties when sending emails seeking help from me or anyone else
The Arduino Design Project I’m Doing With Students Who Don’t Have Materials at Home
Like a lot of other schools, mine closed without much more than a few hours notice. We went home on a Friday afternoon and Sunday
Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions & Share Cool Stuff – Free Webinar Tomorrow
Last Friday Rushton Hurley from Next Vista for Learning and I hosted a free webinar that we not-so-creatively titled Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions
Now You Can Use Flipgrid to Make Screencast Videos
On Wednesday afternoon Flipgrid announced the launch of a new recording feature for teachers and students. You can now create screencast videos within Flipgrid. The
Use Read Receipts to Make Sure Students Know They Have Google Classroom Assignments
Last week I published a post in which I explained that you can use read receipts in your G Suite for Education email to make
Schedule Individual Online Office Hours Meetings via Google Classroom
A lot of us are hosting online office hours for our students these days. Based on what I’ve seen from my colleagues as well as
The Month in Review – What a March It Was!
Good morning from Maine where I’m sitting in my home office waiting for students to join into a Google Hangouts Meet for virtual office hours.
A Map Coloring Challenge
Last week Maps Mania shared a collection of online and printable map activities for kids and adults. At the bottom of that collection was a
C-SPAN Classroom Offers New Lessons on the Economic Impact of COVID-19
C-SPAN Classroom is a free resource that anyone who teaches U.S. History or civics should have bookmarked. I’ve written about many of their great resources
Create Video-based Lessons a Little Faster With This Chrome Extension
A couple of weeks ago when I got the notice that my school would be closing I made a video about how to use EDpuzzle
Webinar Recording – Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions
Last Friday Rushton Hurley from Next Vista for Learning and I held the first episode of Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions (if you have
A Student View of Joining a Zoom Meeting on an Android Phone
A few days ago I got an email from a reader asking me what it looks like when a student tries to join a Zoom
The Practical Ed Tech Podcast – Episode 39B – I’m Tired and Can’t Count
On Friday I recorded the 39th episode of The Practical Ed Tech Podcast. You might be saying, “but Richard, last week wasn’t last week the
The Week in Review – Online Meetings, Baseball Cards, and Forts
Good morning from Maine where the birds are chirping and it feels like spring as I sip my coffee. We’re going to spend the day
How to Share Your Computer’s Audio in Microsoft Teams
Whether it’s the basics of how the technology works or “features” right now we’re all learning a lot about hosting online meetings. For example, this
Free Course – A Teacher’s Guide to Creating Common Craft Style Videos
For more than a dozen years Common Craft videos have been used by teachers to help students understand topics including digital citizenship, personal finance, and
Anchor Offers a New Way to Remotely Record Podcasts With a Group
Anchor is the service that I have been using since last August to produce my weekly Practical Ed Tech Podcast. I use Anchor because Anchor
How to Quickly Turn Any Document or Webpage Into a Practice Quiz
On Tuesday I wrote about the new version of Knowt that will let you import any of your Google Docs, Word docs, or any public
A Great Series for Introducing or Reviewing Arduino Programming Concepts
Arduino programming was one of the things that we were really starting to get rolling on just before school closed. Now that my school is
Quick Tip – Apply Custom Colors to Google Slides
Regular users of Google Slides are probably familiar with the process of adding images to the backgrounds of their slides and changing the background color.
Free Webinar Tomorrow – Two Ed Tech Guys Take Questions
For the last few weeks Rushton Hurley, founder of Next Vista for Learning and a former virtual school principal, has been hosting free webinars all
An Option for Making Sure Students Know They Have Google Classroom Assignments
Yesterday afternoon a friend texted me to ask if there was a way to check to see if students have looked at announcements or assignments
Two Ways to Find Free Ebooks to Download
Every day I’m hearing from teachers who can’t get back into their classrooms because their school buildings are completely closed. My own school building has
An Overview of How Students View and Return Assignments in Google Classroom
Over the last week I’ve spent a lot of time helping some of my colleagues get up and running with Google Classroom. One of the
Free Webinar – Making Multimedia Social Studies Lessons
Tomorrow at 11am ET I’m partnering with my friend Greg Kulowiec from EdTechTeacher.org to host a free webinar titled Making Multimedia Social Studies Lessons: Audio,
Knowt Will Turn Your Notes and Favorite Webpages Into Quizzes for You
Knowt is a great service for turning notes and documents into practice quizzes. When I wrote about last summer you could only use notes that