Fresh Tech for Teachers
Dozens of Constitution Day Activities and Resources
Next Tuesday is Constitution Day in the United States. According to federal law all schools that receive federal funding have to teach some type of
How to Use the Mindful Internet Use Chrome Extension
On Friday morning I wrote about a Chrome extension called Mindful Internet Use that I recently added to my browser. The extension displays motivation quotes
2019 Fall Foliage Map – And Why Leaves Change Color
The 2019 Fall Foliage Prediction Map is a feature of the SmokyMountains.com website. The map displays a week-by-week prediction of when leaves in the continental
Practical Ed Tech Podcast – Episode #6 Featuring Dr. Scott McLeod
In the last episode of the Practical Ed Tech Podcast I mentioned that I had recently spoken with Dr. Scott McLeod about his new book,
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where it is a little overcast so I thought I’d cheer things up by sharing this picture of a bright flower
Email 101 – And Some Time-saving Tips
We’re all busy. And the new school year can feel exceptionally busy. That’s not an excuse to ignore basic email etiquette like addressing a person
Ten Sites & Apps to Help Students Learn New Vocabulary Words – Updated for 2019-20
There was a time when I regularly published longer lists of helpful sites and apps. Over the last few years I got away from doing
Workshops I Can Run for Your Next PD Day
Over the last ten years I’ve had the good fortune to run workshops and give presentations at hundreds of schools and conferences. I’m frequently asked
Mindful Internet Use – A Chrome Extension to Make You Think About Your Habits
On Thursday morning I shared a TED Talk given by Dr. Judson Brewer. The talk was about using mindfulness practices to break a bad habit.
The Practical Ed Tech Podcast – Episode #5
Yesterday afternoon I hosted the latest broadcast of Practical Ed Tech Live. If you missed it, you can now watch the video or listen to
A Quick Way to Transfer Pages from Your Phone to Desktop
A couple of weeks ago I showed you how you can quickly send a webpage from your desktop to your phone without using a bookmarking
Using Mindfulness to Break a Bad Habit
In this week’s Ed Tech Fitness Challenge newsletter I included the video of a TED Talk given by Dr. Judson Brewer. His talk is titled A
A Self-paced Course for Learning How to Use G Suite in Your Practice
One of the ways that I have been able to keep Free Technology for Teachers running for the last twelve years is through offering professional
One Code to Share It All at Open House Night
September is a popular month for schools to have open house nights or back-to-school nights for parents. Those are great opportunities for parents to see
How to Avoid the Google Calendar Scheduling Mistake I Keep Making
Google Calendar is a great tool for scheduling appointments with students, friends, and colleagues. I use it all the time. Despite my regular use of
Knoword Offers Fun Vocabulary and Spelling Games
Knoword is a site that I first reviewed more than eight years ago. Over the years the it has evolved but one thing has remained
How to Use Stop Motion Studio
Last week I featured a couple of videos about making stop motion movies. One was about the big concepts of making a stop motion movie.
Join Me Tomorrow for a Live Q&A
Tomorrow afternoon at 3pm ET I’m recording the next episode of my Practical Ed Tech Live series in which I answer batches of questions that
The Ten Most Popular Posts on Free Technology for Teachers – In August
At the end of every month I like to take a look back at the most popular posts of the previous thirty days. I’m a
Fossils 101 – And How Scientists Know What Color Dinosaurs Were
National Geographic’s YouTube channel has a great series called 101 Videos. The series contains 115 videos that provide five minute introductions to a wide variety
ClassHook Adds Live Discussions for Video Lessons
Last Friday on the Practical Ed Tech Podcast I mentioned that ClassHook has a new feature for facilitating discussions about the videos that you show
A Few Short Lessons About Labor Day
Today is Labor Day in the U.S. This is the traditional “end of summer” in the minds of many of us. After this weekend nearly
The Week in Review – Icebreakers, Cool Cats, and Pictures
Good morning from Maine where it is a beautiful start to Labor Day weekend. We have family visiting for the weekend so I’m going to
How to Create and Distribute Google Docs Templates
At the beginning of the school year you might find yourself reviewing or introducing to your students the best way to take notes. You might
Ten Google Product Updates for Teachers to Note
Every month Google rolls-out updates to many of the products that teachers and students use through G Suite for Education. Some of those updates happen
Practical Ed Tech Podcast Episode #4
This morning I hosted a new episode of Practical Ed Tech Live on my YouTube channel. For those who missed it, it is now available
These Cool Cats Will Teach You About Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verbs Friends is a fun YouTube channel that features cats explaining phrasal verbs. The videos use pictures of cats in green-screen settings to show
Wonderopolis Now Includes Immersive Reader
Wonderopolis is a great site for finding interesting articles to spark your students’ imaginations. I’ve been a fan of the site since I first discovered
Gmail Will Now Automatically Notify Senders When You’re Out of Office
This weekend is a Labor Day weekend here in the U.S. For many of us it is the symbolic end of the summer. And for
You’ve Got Questions, I’ve Got Answers (Some of Them)
Tomorrow I’m recording the next episode of my Practical Ed Tech Live series in which I answer batches of questions that readers like you send
International Podcast Day Stickers – How to Make a Podcast
International Podcast Day (I didn’t know that was a thing until today, either) is September 30th. Synth is one of the sponsors of International Podcast
How to Make Stop Motion Movies – And The Apps You Need
It’s funny what you remember about students that you had ten or more years ago. Earlier this week I ran into an old student of
It’s That Time Again – Why Leaves Change Color in the Fall
There are some trees in my neighborhood whose leaves always start to change color earlier than the rest. I noticed them this morning as I
Two Handy New Features Added to Google Slides
Google Slides users are about to get two features that many people have wanted for a long time. Yesterday, Google announced that you’ll now be
Ten Tools for Telling Stories With Pictures – Updated for 2019-20
Four years ago I published a PDF that outlined ten tools and how students can use them to tell stories with pictures. On Monday I
Camera and Locomotive – A Mapped Story About the Transcontinental Railroad
Camera and Locomotive is the title of a fantastic mapped story published by the Library of Congress. Camera and Locomotive tells the story of the
Intro to Using AR & VR in Your Classroom – Webinar This Thursday
More than 100 people have participated in a Practical Ed Tech webinar this month. Thank you for your support! This Thursday I’m hosting the last
A Chrome Extension to Help With a Facebook Fast
I’m going on a bit of a Facebook fast. Like many people I say that I’m going “just check Facebook for a minute” and then
A Time-saving Tip for Testing iPad and Android Apps
As you might expect, I test tons of apps every year. Some of those apps are brand new ones and others are older ones that
A Couple of Good Places to Find Icebreaker Activities
Every year at about this time I get a handful of requests for ideas for icebreaker activities. In fact, I found of one of those
ICYMI – Practical Ed Tech Podcast #3
Last weekend I announced that I’ve started a podcast that I’m simply calling the Practical Ed Tech Podcast. The podcast consists of the audio from
Four Good Places to Find Audio Files for Multimedia Projects
Whenever I talk to students or teachers about using music in multimedia projects I emphasize that just because a song is available to stream or
The Week in Review – Bad News and New Fonts
Good morning from Maine where the 50F air and the appearance of red leaves makes it feels like the end of summer is near. This
A Modification to Book Trailer Projects
Over the years I’ve written plenty about book trailer videos and the tools that students need for making book trailer videos. For the most part,
A Quick Way to Check if a Website is Working Correctly or Not
On Thursday afternoon I was having trouble loading a couple of websites that I planned to use in a presentation. To make check if the
Practical Ed Tech Live – Episode #2 Now Available in Six Places
Earlier today I recorded the second episode of Practical Ed Tech Live for the new school year. As I mentioned last week, this year I’m
A Good Source of Free Music for Multimedia Projects
Last fall the Free Music Archive, one of my go-to sources of free music for multimedia projects, nearly closed. Fortunately, it was taken over by
Ten Workshops Ideas for Your Next PD Day
Over the last ten years I’ve had the good fortune to run workshops and give presentations at hundreds of schools and conferences. I’m frequently asked
Fill-in PDF Forms in the Google Drive Mobile Apps
Earlier today Google released a convenient update to the Google Drive iOS and Android apps. The update enables users to fill out PDF forms on
Bad News – Interactive Simulation Shows Students How Misinformation is Spread
Bad News is a website that offers simulations that show visitors how misinformation is spread through social media. Bad News is available in two versions.
When the Shine is Gone
Yesterday, Quizizz made an announcement about some new features that they have added to their quiz game service. As I was writing about those features
An On-demand PD Opportunity Starting September 3rd
Getting Going With G Suite has been my most popular Practical Ed Tech course over the last six years. It has gone through many iterations
Enjoy a National Park for Free This Weekend
Portions of this post originally appeared on one of my other blogs, Ed Tech Fitness. The U.S. National Parks Service is turning 103 years old
Quizizz Adds Three New Features Including Tools for Making Math Problems
This morning Quizizz, a popular classroom quiz game service, announced the launch of three new features that many teachers have wanted. Those features are polling,
50 Years of Migration Waves
This morning while reading a National Geographic article about animal migrations in national parks I stumbled onto a related feature titled Migration Waves. Migration Waves
EDpuzzle Live Mode – Turn Video Lessons Into Group Activities
EDpuzzle has been my go-to tool for making video-based lessons and quizzes for many years. Just in time for the new school year EDpuzzle has
Join Me This Friday for Practical Ed Tech Live
This Friday at 9am ET I’m bringing back my Practical Ed Tech Live series in which I answer batches of questions that readers like you
PrepFactory Offers Free, Personalized ACT & SAT Prep
SAT prep was one of the things that I used to do in my homeroom when I had junior year students. Many of the activities
MacBook Setup Essentials for Students
Randy Krum, the author of Cool Infographics, has published a new infographic that is a great resource for any student who has a new MacBook
Search Strategies Students Need to Know Now – Webinar This Thursday
The beginning of the new school year is a great time to introduce students to some new search strategies and to give them refreshers on
An Easy Way to Send Links From Your Computer to Your Phone or Tablet
If you’re like me, you probably have a smartphone and a laptop and perhaps a tablet that you use throughout the course of your day.
StudentCam 2020 – Student Documentary Contest
Every year C-SPAN hosts the StudentCam video contest for middle school and high school students in the United States. This annual event invites students to
How to Add New Fonts to Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets
Last week Google announced the addition of a new series of fonts that you can add to Google Docs, Slides, Sheets. The new fonts are
Truth or Lie Comics – A Lesson Plan
Pixton is a service that teachers and students can use to create comic strips by selecting customizable drawings and adding them into comic frames. This
64 Years of Presidential Campaign Commercials – A Lesson Plan
In a little more than one year from now we’ll be casting ballots for President of the United States. That means for the next year
Book Creator’s Autodraw Feature Now Works on iPads
Back in June Book Creator added an autodraw feature to the Chrome version of their popular multimedia ebook creation service. Autodraw enables you to attempt
ImageCodr Makes it Easy to Give Image Attribution
Properly citing Creative Commons licensed works can sometimes be a confusing, multi-step process. ImageCodr makes that process easier. ImageCodr generates properly formatted Creative Commons attributions for images that
How to Use Socratic by Google
Last week Google announced the release of an updated version of the Socratic app. Socratic is now owned by Google and is therefore called Socratic
8 Epic Tools to Try This School Year – A Podcast With Vicki Davis
A few weeks ago I Vicki Davis invited me to be a guest on her fantastic 10 Minute Teacher Podcast. As the title implies, in
The Week in Review – Originality, Audio, and Clocks
Good afternoon from rainy South Paris, Maine. Even though the weather was less than ideal for a bike ride I went out for ride to
New! The Practical Ed Tech Podcast
Last spring a reader named Tiffany asked me if I would ever consider publishing my Practical Ed Tech Live episodes as podcasts instead of just
An Easy-to-Search Index of Teachers on Twitter
Twitter can be a good place to connect with other educators to exchange ideas and resources. The trouble is that it is not always easy
How to Extract Audio from a Video
One of the questions that I answered during today’s Practical Ed Tech Live episode was, “is there a way that I can just take the
ICYMI – Practical Ed Tech Live Recording
This morning I hosted a new episode of Practical Ed Tech Live on my YouTube channel. I hadn’t held one of these sessions since the
Post-it App for Android – Turn Physical Stickies Into Digital Ones
For many years Post-it has offered a free iPhone and iPad app that you can use to turn a collection of physical sticky notes into
Three Ways to Create Shortened URLs People Can Actually Spell
Whenever I have a webpage that I want a group of students or colleagues to go to at the same time, I use a URL
How to Add an Animated Clock to PowerPoint Slides
This afternoon I received an email from a reader who had watched my video about adding timers to PowerPoint slides. My video features a timer
How to Annotate Webpages With Seesaw’s Chrome Extension
Seesaw recently released an updated Chrome extension that makes it easy for students to save and annotate articles in their digital portfolios. With SeeSaw’s free
Google is Adding an Originality Checker to Google Classroom
Today, in what they’re spinning as a feature to “help students turn in their best work,” Google announced the addition of an originality checker to
DocsTeach Adds New Documents and Lessons About Suffrage
Earlier this week the Library of Congress launched a new crowdsourcing campaign to transcribe more than 20,000 primary source documents related to the women’s suffrage
Sharing Videos Through Google Drive
One of the things that people sometimes forget about Google Drive is that you can use to share just about any kind of file that
Join Me on Friday for Practical Ed Tech Live!
This Friday at 9am ET I’m bringing back my Practical Ed Tech Live series in which I answer batches of questions that readers like you
How to Add and Edit Alt Text in PowerPoint Presentations
A few weeks ago I published a video about how to add alt text to pictures in Google Slides. That video was prompted by a
Unsplash for Education – Free Photos for Your Lessons
Unsplash is one of my go-to recommendations for finding public domain pictures for classroom projects. Thanks to Rushton Hurley’s latest Next Vista for Education newsletter
A New Crowdsourcing Project from the Library of Congress
Last year the Library of Congress introduced a new online project called Crowd. The project invites teachers, students, and anyone interested in history to contribute
How to Add Video and Audio Comments to Google Docs
The comment bank feature in Google Classroom is nice for quickly adding text comments to your students’ Google Documents. But there are times when hearing
Certify’em Now Has a BCC Option for Distributing Certificates
Certify’em is one of my favorite Google Forms add-ons. It lets you automatically distribute personalized certificates to students when they pass a quiz in Google
Intro to Animation and Green Screen Videos
Every Thursday afternoon in August I’m hosting a different Practical Ed Tech professional development webinar. Last week’s was all about Google Classroom, Calendar, and Keep.
Rubrics, Whiteboards, and Phys Ed – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where it is a beautiful morning for a bike ride. That’s what I’m going to do as soon as I finish
Try This! – A Series of Hands-on Science Lessons for Kids
Try This! is a series of videos produced by National Geographic Kids. Each of the videos in the series presents a hands-on science lesson or
Add Video Comments to Google Documents
e-Comments is a Google Chrome extension that offers three great ways to add comments to Google Documents. You can use e-Comments to add canned text
NASA Artifacts for Schools
Thanks to my friend Steve Dembo this morning I learned about a U.S. General Services Administration program that lets schools acquire artifacts from NASA’s space program.
27 Birds, 27 States – A Good Nat Geo Series for Kids
A few years ago National Geographic Kids started publishing a series of videos called 50 Birds, 50 States. For some reason they never got beyond
Three Ideas for Green Screen Video Projects
Making green screen videos can be a good way to engage students in researching and planning. That research and planning is fundamental to making a
How to Use Kahoot’s New Question Bank to Create a Game
Earlier this summer Kahoot gave a preview of some new features including a question bank for making quiz games. Today, Kahoot made that question bank
Two Important Changes Coming to Google Classroom
Google seems to always be working on changes to the products that teachers and students use most. One of those products is Google Classroom. Two
Google Drive Priority Page Now Available for All G Suite Accounts
Earlier this year Google began rolling-out a “priority page” in Google Drive for some G Suite accounts that were on the “rapid release” program. Today,
How to Digitally Sign Documents
Whether it’s a form for your HR department, permission slips for athletics, or an acceptable use agreement for a school-issued laptop, back-to-school season often involves