Fresh Tech for Teachers
The Kid’s Guide To How the Internet Works
Our students have never known a world without the Internet. Before they use the Internet, it’s a good idea to teach them what the Internet
Join Me Tomorrow for Practical Ed Tech Live
After taking last week off to deal with an injury and some pressing personal matters, I’m now ready to host another edition of Practical Ed
May’s Most Popular Posts on Free Technology for Teachers
Good evening from Maine where we’re having our first thunderstorm of the year on the eve of June. Earlier today I hosted Teaching History With
Teaching History With Technology Begins Today
Now that summer is here in the northern hemisphere many of us have time for the things that we couldn’t do during the school year.
Classtools Offers a Handy Source Analysis Tool for Students
Classtools.net offers dozens of neat tools for students and teachers. Over the years I have featured many of those tools in blog posts and videos.
Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp Registration Discounts
Every summer for the last five summers teachers from all over the world have come to Maine for the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camps. The
Teaching With Trading Cards
Big Huge Labs and Read Write Think offers trading card templates that can be used by students is to create a set of trading cards
History Project Vignettes
The History Project is a service that I like to describe as StoryCorps With Timelines. When the service launched last summer it was designed to
Screencastify and Nimbus Screenshot Compared
I recently received an email from a reader seeking a comparison of Screencastify and Nimbus Screenshot. Back in March I published a comparison of both
Bitly vs. Goo.gl
I recently received an email from a long-time reader who wanted to know my opinion of using Bitly compared to Goo.gl for shortening and sharing
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
I had to take some time away from the blog this week so the second part of the week featured posts from the archives. New
Saying Goodbye to a Great Friend
Good morning from Maine where I’m mourning the loss of my big buddy Max. Max was a wonderful dog who I adopted from Harvest Hills
27 Ideas for Teaching With & About Topographic Maps – From the Archive
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of the week will be favorites from the archive.
How to Create a Progress Chart in Google Sheets – From the Archive
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of the week will be favorites from the archive.
10 Ways to Use Adobe Spark in School – From the Archive
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of the week will be favorites from the archive.
Practical Ed Tech Handbook 2017 – From the Archive
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of the week will be favorites from the archive.
7 Good Tools for Creating Timelines – From the Archive
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of the week will be favorites from the archive.
The Origin of Memorial Day
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of the week will be favorites from the archive.
5 Ways to Find Free Images – From the Archive
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of the week will be favorites from the archive.
Great Tools for Making Videos on Chromebooks – A Handout from the Archive
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of the week will be favorites from the archive.
7 Lessons About Electricity – From the Archive
Due to an injury and some pressing personal matters requiring my attention, posts for the rest of week will be some favorites from the archives
Online PD Opportunities With Me Starting Next Week
Last summer more than 200 people joined me for online professional development. This summer is shaping up to have even more people earn professional development
Benefits of Using Backchannels In Your Classroom
Over the years I’ve introduced a lot of teachers to using tools like Padlet, TodaysMeet, and Socrative in their classrooms. All three of these tools
DOGO News – Current Events Lessons to Share in Google Classroom
DOGOnews is a student news site that features articles for K-8 students. DOGOnews covers current events stories in the areas of science, sports, entertainment, and
How to quickly show or hide your Chrome bookmarks bar
In a webinar last week I incidentally showed a quick way to show or hide the bookmarks bar in Chrome. The webinar was not about
Adapting by Using Voice Commands in Google Docs
As I mentioned in my post about how medicine works, I injured my right hand on Friday evening. There are stitches in my hand which
How the Human Body Processes Medicine
As some of you may have seen on Instagram, I injured my right hand on Friday evening. After looking at the cuts on my hand,
Dream Seeds – A New eBook of Writing Prompts from Make Beliefs Comix
Plant Your Dream Seeds is a new eBook from Make Beliefs Comix. The book is a fillable PDF in which students can write their responses
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where the sun is shining, the grass is finally green, and pollen is coating any car left outside overnight. I hope
Two Ways to Add Audio to Google Slides
In yesterday’s Practical Ed Tech Live session I answered a question that I seem to be getting asked a lot lately. That question is, “do
Practical Ed Tech Live – Episode 6 Recording
Yesterday afternoon I hosted the sixth episode of Practical Ed Tech Live on YouTube and Facebook. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and to everyone
Mindful Movements With ClassDojo
Since its launch last year ClassDojo’s Big Ideas series has steadily grown in size. This month ClassDojo added to the series with a new collection
Ten Fun Things You Can Add To Your Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp Experience
Today is the first true taste of summer that we are having here in Maine. The sun is shining, the air temperature is 85F, and
How To Use Emojis In Google Keep
Earlier this week I shared that I had stumbled into adding emoticons/ emojis to my lists in Google Keep. A couple of people have asked
Write – A Minimalist Writing Platform
Write is a free writing platform with the simplest design of all of the minimalist writing platforms that have popped-up in the last couple of years.
How to Change Your Google Profile Image
Many of us have multiple Google Accounts. It’s not uncommon at all to have one account for school in G Suite for Education and one
How to Create Gmail Filters
At one time or another we have all stared at our email inboxes and instantly felt like marking everything as read or deleting everything and
Three Alternatives to DropItToMe for File Collection
Yesterday I shared the unfortunate news that DropItToMe is shutting down on July 15th. DropItToMe provided users with an easy way to collect all manner
How to Disable Google Drive Email Notifications
Just a few minutes ago I received an email from someone who was considering using Google Drive folders as a temporary replacement for DropItToMe. She
5 Google Calendar Tips for New Users
My life runs on Google Calendar. From keeping track of the classes I’m teaching to remembering when the babysitter is available, Google Calendar keeps me
Lessons from 12,000 Blog Posts – Video
For the last six weeks on my YouTube channel I’ve been sharing short lessons that I’ve learned from publishing more than 12,000 blog posts over
DropItToMe Is Shutting Down
Thanks to a Tweet from Tony Vincent, this morning I learned that DropItToMe is shutting down on July 15th. DropItToMe provided a seamless way to
Join Me For Practical Ed Tech Live This Thursday
Last Thursday was the most attended edition of Practical Ed Tech Live that I’ve hosted this spring. I’ll be hosting another episode this Thursday at
Clipular – Create Screenshots on Chromebooks
Clipular is a free Chrome extension that can be used to capture a screen image. Clipular lets you capture all of your screen or a
21 Real World Math Lessons for High School Students
Getting to teach economics lessons is one of my favorite things about being a social studies teacher. In economics lessons high school students start to
Make Lists Fun With Emojis In Google Keep
Last week’s most popular post was 7 Ways to Use Google Keep In Your Classroom. This morning I was using Google Keep on my phone
Kids Bowl Free – A Summer Activity for Rainy Days
I had planned an outdoor activity for Mother’s Day (a cruise in Casco Bay) but the pouring rain cancelled that plan. So instead we went
The History of Mother’s Day
Happy 1st Mother’s Day to Jess. Isla’s awesome mom! Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms reading my blog today! Hi Mom! (Yes, my
DocsTeach Adds New Analysis Activities for Students
DocsTeach is a great resource for teachers of U.S. History. DocsTeach, produced by the National Archives Foundation, provides teachers with a free platform on which
7 Good Resources for Learning About Mount Everest
Next week many mountaineers will be making their summit attempts on Mount Everest. As long-time readers of this blog may recall, one of my bucket
The Week in Review – Sunshine!
Good evening from Maine where we finally had a sunny day after what has felt like weeks of clouds and rain. As I shared on
Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality
Yesterday, I was asked about the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality. I made the following video and short slideshow to further explain the
Try YouTube Live for Review Sessions – Breakfast With Tom Richey
This morning I opened YouTube to see a notification from my friend Tom Richey that he was going live with a review session for AP
How to Find Old Maps Online
In yesterday’s Practical Ed Tech Live episode I answered a question about where to find old maps to layer in Google Earth. One of the
How to Grade Vizia Quizzes in Google Sheets
In this afternoon’s Practical Ed Tech Live session I answered a couple of questions about the video quiz platform, Vizia. One of those questions was
Practical Ed Tech Live! Episode 5
Earlier today I hosted the fifth episode of Practical Ed Tech Live. Thank you to all who submitted questions in advance to those who joined
My Two Most Requested Documents
Last night I forgot to silence my phone before bed. Not ten minutes after putting my head on my pillow I heard a Google Drive
Vectr – Free Vector Graphics Design Software
Vectr is a free vector image design and editing tool that you can use online or download to use on your Mac, Windows, or Linux
Shuffle and Sort Padlet Notes in Grid Format
Padlet has made a lot of improvements in the last ten days. In addition to flowcharts and focus mode which I featured earlier this week,
Screencast-o-Matic Now Offers Background Music
Screencast-o-matic has long been my favorite tool for creating screencasts on Windows and Mac computers. This morning I logged into my account and noticed that
Join Me Tomorrow for Practical Ed Tech Live
Join me tomorrow afternoon for another episode of Practical Ed Tech Live. I will answer your ed tech questions live on my YouTube channel and
How the Popsicle Was Invented – A Tasty TED-Ed Lesson
How the Popsicle Was Invented is the title of a recently released TED-Ed video. The short video explains the origin of the tasty treat itself
Try Box for Sharing Collections of Files With Password Protection
Last week I started teaching three online courses. I’ll be teaching four in June and July. All of the courses feature live webinars accompanied by
Padlet’s “Focus Mode” Cuts Down on Confusion
On Monday I published a video about Padlet’s new flowchart option. Today, I want to focus your attention on Padlet’s new “focus” mode. Focus mode
How to Create a Flowchart on Padlet
Late last month Padlet introduced a handful of new features. One of those features is the option to show connections between notes on a Padlet
Cite It In – A Free Tool for Creating Reference Citations
Cite It In is another in a long list of tools that are designed to help students properly format research citations. Cite It In provides
Publish This Email – A Simple Blogging Tool
PublishThis.email is the latest in a string of relatively new services offering a quick and easy way to publish your writing online. PublishThis.email lets you
10 Ways to Use Google Earth in Your Classroom
A couple of weeks ago Google released the new web-based version of Google Earth (take a tour of it here). The older desktop version of
7 Ways to Use Google Keep in Your Classroom
This week’s Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week featured a demonstration of how to use Google Keep to annotate images. That is just one
Phishing Explained by Common Craft
Last week’s viral Google Docs phishing scam provided a good reminder to many that we should always give a critical eye to emails and social
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good evening from Connecticut where we’re visiting my brother and my newest niece. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon attempting to get a
Two Free Apps for Capturing Immersive Imagery
In 5 Good Resources for Teaching and Learning About World War II I mentioned that I captured some photospheres at the WWII Museum in New
Math Pickle – Fun and Challenging Math Puzzles
Math Pickle is a free site that offers dozens of fun and challenging math puzzles for students of all ages. The puzzles are designed to
Learn How Venice Works – And Take a Virtual Tour Through It
The Amazing Race is one of the few television shows that I try to catch when new episodes air. This week the show was in
How to Use Know Lounge to Host Online Tutoring Sessions
Know Lounge is a free service for hosting online tutoring sessions. A bunch of new options were added to Know Lounge this week so I
Practical Ed Tech Live – Recording and Questions
Yesterday, I hosted a new edition of Practical Ed Tech Live. If you missed it, the recording is now available to view as embedded below.
More Than 100 Math Games for Elementary and Middle School Students
XP Math is a good place to find online math games for students in elementary school and middle school. The games section of XP Math offers games for
Practical Ed Tech Chromebook Camp & BYOD Camp Discounts Extended
Every summer for the last five years teachers from all over the world have joined me in Maine for the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camps.
CommonLit Introduces a New Book Pairing Feature
CommonLit is a free service that helps teachers by providing thematic questions for a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction articles. The discussion questions on
Know Lounge Adds New Features for Teaching Online
Know Lounge is a free service for hosting online instructional sessions in the web browser on your computer or on your iPad. I initially reviewed
One Simple Thing That Can Make Your Blog Better
I am frequently asked for advice about blogging. That’s probably the result of blogging for more than ten years and publishing more than 12,000 blog
Bust Writer’s Block With Slick Write
In my previous post I shared an overview of how Slick Write helps users analyze writing. There is more to Slick Write than just document
Slick Write Can Help Students Analyze Writing
Slick Write is a free service that students can use to help them analyze their own writing and or that of other writers. Slick Write
Practical Ed Tech Live – Tomorrow at 3:30pm EDT
Every week I receive a dozen or more emails from folks who have all kinds of questions about educational technology. Those that I think have
A Timeline for Transition from Old Google Sites to New Google Sites
Last November the new version of Google Sites was made available to everyone who wants to use it. For many people that marked the beginning
Kahoot Announces New Windows 10 Apps
In an earlier post I shared some of the news about Microsoft’s new Windows 10 S operating system. In that post I mentioned that all
Microsoft Unveils a Newish OS to Compete With Chromebooks
Microsoft is clearly feeling pressure from Google’s Chrome OS growing popularity in schools. To respond to that pressure Microsoft has launched a new operating system
How to Create a Google Classroom With a Gmail Account
Allowing anyone who has a Gmail address to create a Google Classroom was one of the most popular product updates that Google released last month.
Check123 – A Video Encyclopedia
Check123 is a website that aims to help teachers and students find educational videos. The “123” aspect of the name Check123 refers to the length
How to Use Read Write Think’s Cube Creator to Plan a Story
Read Write Think’s Cube Creator provides students with good templates for writing biographies, mysteries, and short stories. When students complete the required information in one
Like Dogs? Have Kids That Like Dogs? – Watch This Video
If you have followed this blog for long, you’ve probably picked up on my love for dogs. You might have also noticed that I’m passionate
7 Google Product Updates You Might Have Missed in April
Every month Google rolls out updates to the products that teachers know and love. Some of those updates are significant and others are just minor
The Month in Review – April’s Most Popular Posts
Good evening from Maine where it’s nice to be home after a few days on the road. We enjoyed New Orleans, but this northerner is
5 Resources for Learning About Aviation – How Airplanes Fly
Today at the WWII Museum in New Orleans I took a bunch of pictures of My Gal Sal including some 3D images that I’ll use
5 Good Resources for Teaching and Learning About World War II
This morning I went to the World War II museum in New Orleans. It is a fantastic museum. The museum does a masterful job of
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good evening from New Orleans where my daughter and I have been spending time exploring while mom is at a conference here. This is a
Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp Early Bird Discounts Available for One More Day
The Practical Ed Tech Summer Camps have sold out every year that I’ve hosted them. This year promises to not be an exception to that
Two Free Speech-to-Text Tools
This morning on Practical Ed Tech Live I answered a request for a free speech-to-text tool. There were two that I suggested. One was Dictation.io
The History of the Zamboni
The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing. And even though the Bruins are now eliminated and my childhood team, the Whalers, abandoned me like