Fresh Takes 4 Teachers
The Built-in Google Docs Features Starter Pack
I test and write about a lot of Google Docs Add-ons and built-in features. But you certainly don’t need to use all of them. In
How Birds Learn to Sing
Spring isn’t too far away and soon we’ll start to see and hear the songs of more birds around my home here in Maine. If
Three Tools for Combining Maps With Timelines
Creating timelines whose events are directly connected to a map display is a good way for students to see correlations between locations and events. Here
Loom Adds Options for Grouping and Sharing Videos
Loom is a free tool for creating screencast videos in your web browser. Loom even has an option to create screencasts directly from your inbox
ChronoZoom is Closing Soon
ChronoZoom, a good tool for creating multilayer timelines, is shutting down on March 15th. Roland Saekow, ChronoZoom’s co-founder, announced the closure through an email sent
Free Icons & Images for Google Docs and Slides
The Noun Project is a popular source of free icons and images. The Noun Project collections include thousands of public domain, Creative Commons, and royalty-free
Wikispaces is Closing – Here Are Some Alternatives
Last week the team at Wikispaces announced that the service will be shutting down later this year. Part of that announcement included a link to
Pixabay Now Has an Office Plug-in
Pixabay is one of my go-to sites for public domain images. If you need a picture to use in your slideshow, document, or other multimedia
If You Teach Science, You Need Science Netlinks
Science Netlinks offers dozens of lesson plans and online learning activities. The lessons and activities are cover a wide variety of science topics. All of the
Math, NASA, and Bingo – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where by the time most of you read this I will be on my way further north to Moosehead Lake. As
Comparison and Explanation of Classroom Blog Services
On Friday I shared ideas for managing academic blogs. If you haven’t started a blog yet, choosing the right blogging platform can help you manage your
Managing Classroom and Student Blogs
One of the questions that I am frequently asked about blogging and have included in my webinar on the topic is “do you recommend that
How Computers Work
We use computers every day. But how many of us actually know how they work? Sure we know how to use the software, but I’m
Immersive Reader on iPads
When I was at the BETT Show last month I learned about the planned expansion of Microsoft’s Learning Tools including Immersive Reader. Part of that
Don’t Make This Blogging Mistake
I spent about six hours on Monday and Tuesday trying to fix a formatting problem on PracticalEdTech.com. It was an infuriating little problem that was
Love Your Presidents Sale!
It’s Valentine’s Day today and President’s Day is coming up so I’m having a sale on three Practical Ed Tech courses. I’m calling it a
5 Ways to Record Notes With OneNote for Android
Back in December I decided that I needed to spend some time giving some of Microsoft’s products a good, honest try. I did this to
Nine Ways to Add Notes to Padlet Walls
A few weeks ago Padlet added the option to record audio directly in a note. By my count, that marked the ninth way that students
Blue Whales in Virtual Reality
Blue Whale VR is a free virtual reality app that provides a 360 tour of a blue whale’s anatomy. The app isn’t terribly interactive. The
What is Hotlinking?
This morning I received an email from a reader who had a question about my article on making bingo game boards in Google Sheets. Her
Two Simple Timeline Creation Tools That Are Frequently Overlooked
This morning I answered an email from a reader who was looking for a suggestion for a timeline creation tool. My recommendation was to try
ReClipped Adds New Features for Recording & Sharing Video Notes
ReClipped is a video annotation tool that I first tried back in November. I was impressed by how ReClipped lets you not only clip or
Last-minute Collection of Valentine’s Day Resources
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. If you’re looking for some last minute activities to do in your classroom, take a look at these resources that I
Webinar Recording – Inquiry and the Fire Lab
On Monday I hosted a free webinar sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories Xplorlabs. The webinar focused on the ideas of inquiry-based learning and how they are
Pixorize – Free Image Annotation Tool
Pixorize is a free tool for adding interactive annotations to your images. Using Pixorize is a fairly straight-forward process. To get started just upload any
Free Math – A Free System for Grading Large Batches of Math Assignments
Free Math is an interesting new service that students can use to complete math problems and then submit to their teachers their solutions along with
Advanced Similarity Checker Add-on for Google Docs by Unicheck
Disclosure: This is a sponsored blog post written by the staff of Unicheck. Lately, the educational community has been buzzing with stunning news, reporting that
18 Sets of Free to Use and Reuse Pictures and Videos
The Library of Congress is a great place to find a lot of media that is in the public domain. The only problem with finding
Create Custom Typing Tests With This Google Sheets Template
There are many things that can be done with Google Sheets besides just sorting and analyzing data. One of those things is creating games like
79 Math In “Real Life” Lessons
Math in Real Life is a series of 79 TED-Ed lessons and TED Talks. The “real life” context in these lessons isn’t things like “how
NASA Kids’ Club – Fun Games for Learning About Space
NASA Kids’ Club is a collection games, interactive activities, and images for students in Kindergarten through fourth grade. At the center of the NASA Kids’
Youngzine – Great Current Events Resource
Youngzine is an excellent resource for anyone who needs ideas for current events lessons in an elementary school or middle school classroom. Youngzine articles feature a
Free Webinar – Inquiry-based Learning and the Fire Lab
Join on Monday at 3pm EST for a free webinar about inquiry-based learning. The webinar, sponsored by Xplorlabs by Underwriters Laboratories, will feature strategies for
Olympics, STEM, and Quizzes – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where I’m sitting inside my newly heated barn which is becoming office space, slowly. Getting the heat working was the most
Newspaper Templates for Google Docs & Word
This morning I answered an email from a reader who was looking for suggestions on tools that his students can use to collaboratively create a
Use Google Sheets to Create Online Bingo Boards With Pictures
Flippity is one of my favorite Google Sheets Add-ons because it gives you direct access to sixteen templates that you can use to create games,
Create Valentine’s Day Cards on Canva
Valentine’s Day is five days away. In elementary school it can be fun to make and distribute innocuous little greeting cards. (Middle and high school
Fun, Hands-on Science Lessons
Science Snacks is a resource that I referenced in my list of ten blog post topics for your school blog. Science Snacks is a resource
5 Good Resources for Health Teachers
Yesterday afternoon I ran into one of my old colleagues who asked me for some recommendations for tech tools that she could use in her
10 Blog Post Ideas for Your School Blog
“I don’t know what to write about” is one of reasons that many people cite for not regularly updating their school or classroom blogs. One
The Ed Tech Starter Kit
Throughout the year I host I many professional development webinars on Practical Ed Tech. Recently, I bundled some of the most popular of those webinars
The Chemistry of Gluten
My local grocery store has a whole section of gluten-free bread. I’d wager that your local grocery store has the same. What is gluten? What’s
Common Craft Explains Blockchain
Turn on any of the 24/7 cable news networks today and you’re likely to hear about Bitcoin and or blockchain. Bitcoin is in the news
A Large Collection of Virtual Chemistry Labs and Lessons
I didn’t plan for this to become “science week” on Free Technology for Teachers, it has just worked out that I have a backlog of
How to Create a Multimedia Quiz With Microsoft Forms
Microsoft Forms offers a good way for Office 365 users to create multimedia quizzes. The quizzes that you create in Microsoft Forms can be automatically
Play and Learn Science – An App for Students and Their Parents
Play and Learn Science is a free app (Android and iOS versions available) designed for kids to learn science concepts. Not only that, the app
How Snow Is Made Naturally and by Humans
Every skier knows that natural snow is better than man-made snow. But there will be plenty of both at the Winter Olympics. So what is
10 More Videos About the Science of the Winter Olympics
On Tuesday I shared a playlist of 16 videos about the science of the Winter Olympics. Those videos were created by the National Science Foundation
Making North America – Interactive Map Quiz
Making North America is a NOVA production that chronicles the geological formation of North America. You can watch the series online to learn about the
16 Videos About the Science of Winter Olympics Sports
The Winter Olympics begin this week. I’m looking forward to the skiing events and the bobsled events. The start of the Winter Olympics presents an
Vysor – Mirror Your Android Device to Your Computer’s Screen
Vysor is a program that makes it easy to mirror your Android phone or tablet to your Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chrome OS computer. To
PrepFactory Introduces New PARCC and SBAC Review Content
PrepFactory is a free service that has offered great ACT and SAT prep materials. Last year they started to branch out into guided math and
ClassHook Adds a New Feature for Using Videos in Your Classroom
ClassHook is a free service that helps you locate video clips to use in your classroom. ClassHook’s best feature is being able to search for
Free Hands-on STEM Lesson Plans and Projects
“Hacking STEM” was one of the initiatives that Microsoft was heavily promoting at the BETT Show last month. I asked a few Microsoft employees what
Try the Redesigned Make Beliefs Comix
Make Beliefs Comix has long been one of my favorite tools for creating comics. In fact, I recently featured it in this post about using
FAQs About G Suite for Teachers
In January 36 people completed my Practical Ed Tech course called G Suite for Teachers. A couple more people started this weekend. The course is
These Google Docs Add-ons Make It Easy to Find Public Domain Images
Whenever I talk about copyright I always encourage teachers and students to use their own images when they need to include visuals in a paper
Docs, Games, and Expeditions – The Week in Review
Good morning from the Free Technology for Teachers World Headquarters in Paris, Maine. Those of you who have been following the saga of my office
The Math and Science of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is less than two weeks away. In middle schools and high schools everywhere there will be students who are excited about it, some
7 Ways to Create Screencasts on Chromebooks – Updated for 2018
This week’s news about Screencast-o-matic has prompted me to update my list of tools for creating screencast videos on Chromebooks. All of these tools can
How to Set a New Default Font for All of Your Google Docs
Last weekend I highlighted ten frequently overlooked Google Docs features. Here’s another one that I’m reminded of on a regular basis. The default font for
Five Good Educational Resources to Use Before the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is this coming Sunday. Just like last year, I predict that the Patriots will win. The odds are good that you have
My Favorite Screencasting Tool Now Works on Chromebooks
Screencast-o-Matic has been my favorite screencasting tool for years. I use it on my Windows and Mac computers to create almost all of the videos
Design and Print Valentine’s Day Cards on Storyboard That
If your elementary school was like mine, on Valentine’s Day your teacher would have you fill out little sheets of Valentine’s Day cards to distribute
What is Groundhog Day?
Today is Groundhog Day. Today is the day that, according to legend, a groundhog will predict how much longer winter will last in the northern
Try Quick Key’s Gridded Response Format for Your Next Math Assessment
Quick Key is a free app that I have liked and written about since my friend Mike Morrell showed it to me almost five years
Quizalize Launches New Insights Features
Quizalize is one of my favorite tools for creating and hosting quiz games. One of the aspects of Quizalize that I have liked since it
How to Add Audio, Video, and Picture Notes to Padlet Walls
Padlet has a new audio recording option that allows you to record for up to fifteen minutes at a time. This is a great addition
Ranked Responses – New Microsoft Forms Question Types
Microsoft recently added a couple of new response formats to Microsoft Forms. The new response formats are “ranking” and “Likert.” These new response types can
Three Ways to Add Audio to Google Slides
One of the questions that new Google Slides users often ask me is, “how do I add music to the slides?” In the early days
Math, Rocks, and Overlooked Features – The Month in Review
Good evening from Maine where the sun is setting on the first month of the year. It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in
Add Live Polls and Q&A to Your PowerPoint Slides
Glisser is a live polling and online Q&A platform that offers a free PowerPoint add-in. Glisser’s free PowerPoint add-in will sync your slides to Glisser’s
The History of the State of the Union Address
Tonight, President Trump delivered the State of the Union Address. This post is not about what he said or didn’t say tonight. Instead, it is
How to Add Q&A to Your Google Slides Presentations
From TodaysMeet (a perennial inclusion in Best of the Web) to FlipGrid (included in this year’s Best of the Web) to Padlet there are plenty
New Google Sites Publishing Options
One of my favorite features of the old version of Google Sites was the option to restrict access to individual pages through a function called
How to Use Microsoft Translator
Last week I wrote that Microsoft Translator was the coolest thing that I saw at BETT. If you haven’t tried Microsoft Translator, watch my video
LinguaPracticaVR – Learn English in Virtual Reality
Update August 2019: This app is no longer available. As I walked around the BETT Show last week there seemed to be a vendor selling
Code for Life – Coding Challenges and Lesson Plans
Code for Life is a free program that I learned about while attending the BETT Show last week. Code for Life has a programming interface
Create Your Own Google Expeditions
To coincide with the BETT Show Google announced a new beta program that will enable schools to create their own Google Expeditions. The latest iteration
A Free Teleprompter
Thanks to Beth Holland this weekend I learned about a free teleprompter service called CuePrompter. CuePrompter displays your written script in a clear, large, scrolling
Slides, Mount Rushmore, and Tours – The Week in Review
Good evening from terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport where I’m waiting for a flight home after attending the BETT Show in London. It was a
Gamifying Writing Instruction
Last night at TeachMeet BETT Simon Johnson gave a great little talk about 21 Things Every Teacher Should Try. He didn’t cover all 21 things
Ten Overlooked Google Docs Features
On Monday I featured ten overlooked Google Slides features. Like Google Slides, Google Docs has a lot of features that new users often don’t notice.
A Periodic Table of AR and VR Apps
At the start of the BETT Show Mark Anderson and Steve Bambury announced the release of their new Periodic Table of iOS Apps for AR
Important News About Adobe Spark
Adobe Spark is a great tool for making videos, storytelling websites, and simple graphics. It has been popular since its launch a few years ago.
The Coolest Thing I Saw at BETT Today!
Today at the BETT Show in London I met with Mike Tholfsen to learn about some of the free products that Microsoft is making for
Peter Pig Helps Kids Learn About Money
Peter Pig’s Money Counter is a fun little game designed to help kids learn to recognize U.S. coins, to recognize the values of U.S. coins,
Cold and Flu Season Lessons
As anyone who has been in a webinar with me in the last week can confirm, I’ve been fighting a cold. Like a lot of
WriteReader Launches a New User Interface
WriteReader is one of my favorite writing tools for elementary school students and their teachers. WriteReader is a free service that students can use to
Sutori Offers Another Alternative to Storify
Sutori is a neat tool for creating multimedia timelines. Therefore, it was a somewhat natural move for the Sutori team to develop a tool that
Best of the Web 2018
This morning I had the privilege to give a presentation for the 2018 Wild Wisconsin Web Conference. They asked me last fall to give a
Patches – Create Your Own Virtual Reality Environments
In the past I’ve featured Google’s Cardboard Camera and Street View apps as tools for creating simple virtual reality imagery. Those tools are great if
Polar Bear “Street” View Lesson Plans
Polar Bears International offers a set of extensive lesson plans designed to help students learn about polar bears and their habitat. One of those lesson
Mentimeter Adds a New Q&A Feature
Mentimeter, one of the tools that I often mention for conducting formative assessments, has just released a new Q&A feature. The new feature will let
How to Add Voice Comments to Google Docs
Last night I shared the news of Kaizena’s updated Google Docs Add-on that streamlines the process of adding voice comments to Google Documents. If you
An Updated Version of Google Earth Released
Thanks to the Google Earth Blog I just learned about the release of an updated version of Google Earth Pro. Google Earth Pro (it’s free
Desmos Classroom Activities – Lessons With Online Graphing Calculators
This post originally appeared a few years ago. I’m sharing it again because Desmos was just added as an option in OneNote. Desmos is a free
Microsoft Introduces Page Locking for OneNote Class Notebooks
Today, Microsoft announced a slew of new features for teachers and students who use Office 365 Education. Among those new features is an option that
Ten Overlooked Google Slides Features
Like any robust presentation tool, Google Slides has many features that often go overlooked by new users. Some of these features will let you accomplish