Fresh Takes 4 Teachers
This Creepily Named Site Reminds Us To Check Facebook Privacy Settings
Stalkscan is the creepy name of a website that lets people enter the URL of a Facebook profile and view all of the public information
Presidential Historians Survey Ranks the Presidents of the United States
The Presidential Historians Survey is a ranking of U.S. Presidents based on the responses of dozens of Presidential historians as surveyed by C-SPAN. The survey
Get a Free Presidential Timeline Poster for Your Classroom
C-SPAN Classroom is currently offering a free timeline poster depicting all of the past Presidents of the United States. The poster shows each President’s time
Hexagon Learning Template
Earlier this week I Tweeted Terri Eichholz’s blog posts about hexagonal learning. In those posts she outlined how hexagonal learning worked in her classroom. It’s
Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp FAQ
We’ve had three snowstorms in less than a week here in Maine. In other words, it is the perfect time to think about summer. This
Three Ways for Students to Create Digital Flashcards
Take a look down the hallways of your school before the next big test that you’re giving to your students and you will see students
Quickly Create Bingo Boards In Google Sheets
Flippity provides teachers with easy-to-use Google Sheets templates. A bingo board generator is the latest template added to Flippity’s catalog of offerings. The bingo board
The Art of Storytelling – Pixar in a Box
The Art of Storytelling is part of the Pixar in a Box a project from Pixar and Khan Academy through which students can learn how
Games@NOAA – A Gallery of Educational Games About Oceans and Weather
NOAA’s Games Planet Arcade offers twenty-six educational games for young students. The games are intended to help students learn about oceans, wildlife, and weather. Twenty of
Virtual Reality in Education – A Conversation With Greg Kulowiec
Virtual reality has the potential to provide our students with great learning experiences. It is still in its early stages of adoption in schools and
Tools for Creating, Hosting, and Printing Infographics
About a week ago I was asked if I could write a post about tools for making infographics with students. A well constructed infographic can
Search Strategies Students Need to Know – Last Call
Today 4pm Eastern Time I’m hosting a webinar called Search Strategies Students Need to Know. In Search Strategies Students Need to Know you will learn why informational searches
Lantern – Search Thousands of Media History Documents
The Media History Digital Library is a massive archive of books and magazines about the history film, television, and radio. The Lantern is the name of the
Radio Garden – An Interactive Map of Radio Stations Around the World
Radio Garden is an interactive map that showcases radio stations around the world. Go to Radio Garden and the site will try to locate the
Feedly Limits New Users to 100 Feeds In Free Plan
Feedly has been my favorite RSS reader since Google shuttered for good Google Reader back in 2013. Feedly makes it easy to subscribe to your
How to Make a Terrarium
Build a Tiny Plant World! is the title of a new SciShow Kids video. The video explains how plants stay alive inside of terrariums and
How to Search for Creative Commons Images
screenshot of CC search site Last week, through Larry Ferlazzo, I learned about a new Creative Commons image search engine. The search engine is a
Valentine’s Day Math, Science, and Philosophy Lessons
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Whether you buy into the “holiday” or not, your students probably do. Here are three short video lessons related to Valentine’s
View Animals and Their Ranges Through WWF Apps
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) offers a neat app and corresponding website for learning about animals around the world. The WWF Together app (available for
Practical Ed Tech Handbook – 2017 Edition
In 2015 and 2016 I published a 30 page PDF that I called the Practical Ed Tech Handbook. Those have been accessed more than 100,000
The Snowy Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from snowy Maine where we’re getting ready for the third snowstorm of the week. “Getting ready” for a snowstorm for me means making
Videos With Little (and Not So Little) Kiddos
This is a guest post from Rushton Hurley, the founder of Next Vista for Learning and the author of Making Your School Something Special. For many of us,
Dotstorming Adds New Features and Limits Free Plan
Dotstorming is a good tool for gathering ideas from a group and then having the group members vote on those ideas. I have introduced Dotstorming
5 Great Google Sheets Add-ons for Teachers
Google Sheets Add-ons make it possible for those of us who would otherwise struggle with spreadsheet scripting to get a lot of utility out of
My Five Most Frequently Recommended Google Forms Add-ons
I receive a lot of emails from readers who have questions about Google Forms and G Suite in general. Many of those questions are answered
Searching and Sharing Are Thinking Skills
Searching for information in many ways is easier today than ever before. You can search by typing a query into a search engine, you can
Tutorials to Help You Get Started Creating Apps in Your Classroom
The MIT App Inventor is a fantastic tool for any teacher who would like to have his or her students try their hands at creating
Mailbag – Answers to Questions from Readers
Every week I receive dozens of questions from readers. Some of the questions are quite specific while others are broad enough that many people can
How to Insert Videos Into Google Slides Without Using YouTube
Yesterday, Google finally made it possible to insert videos into Google Slides without the need to host your videos on YouTube. You can now simply
Now You Can Insert Videos from Google Drive Into Google Slides
Today, Google announced that you can now insert videos from Google Drive into your Google Slides. This means that you are no longer limited to
Two Ways to Design and Print Valentine’s Day Cards
One of the elementary school memories that most of us share is writing little Valentine’s Day notes for all of our classmates. Back then we
How to Add Page Tabs to Blogger Headers
Blogger has a bunch of little features and options that are often overlooked by new users. One of those options is adding static page tabs
Winning Words – Fun Word Games for Kids
Parts of this post originally appeared on one of my other blogs, iPadApps4School.com. Winning Words is the developer of seven free word games for students
#ColorOurCollections – Free Coloring Pages from Museums and Libraries
The New York Academy of Medicine is currently hosting the #ColorOurCollections campaign. The campaign makes coloring pages and books available to download for free. The
To Geography and Beyond With Google Maps
When we hear “Google Maps” we often think that it is only useful for social studies lessons. In addition to social studies Google Maps can
How to Include an Image Search Engine in Your Classroom Website
On Sunday afternoon at the CSLA 2017 conference (a great event, by the way) I facilitated a workshop about conducting video projects with students. One
7 Places to Find Free Music & Sound Effects for Multimedia Projects
Creating your own music and or sound effects to use in videos or podcasts is one way to avoid violating someone’s copyright rights. Another option
How to Make Your YouTube Videos Interactive
This afternoon at the CSLA 2017 conference I facilitated a workshop about creating videos with students. One of the most popular aspects of the workshop
5 Google Keep Tutorials for Teachers and Students
This afternoon at the CSLA 2017 conference I was asked about Google Keep. Specifically, I was asked why I preferred using Google Keep to the
21 Tools for Conducting Digital Formative Assessments
Conducting simple formative assessments is one way to measure what your students do or do not understand from the lessons that you have taught. There
4 Audio Editing Tools for Chromebooks – A Comparison Chart
Yesterday’s post about Twisted Wave sparked quite a few comments on Facebook, Twitter, and in my email. People wrote to ask about and or suggest
The Week in Review – California, Here I Come
Good morning from Logan International Airport where I’m waiting for a flight to San Francisco. Tomorrow, I will be giving the closing keynote at the
Twisted Wave – Your Chromebook Alternative to GarageBand
Yesterday, I was asked on Twitter for an alternative to GarageBand that will work on a Chromebook. Twisted Wave was the first tool to come
7 Blogging Tools for Teachers Compared and Ranked – Updated for 2017
One of last year’s most popular posts featured my chart comparing seven popular blogging tools for teachers and students. Given the recent update to Edublogs
Creating and Telling Stories With Maps
For as long as I can remember I have loved to look at maps. I distinctly remember looking at the maps in my third grade
The Superb Owl – A Science Lesson With a Super Bowl Theme
Earlier this week I shared a few Super Bowl-themed lesson ideas. Here’s one more to close out the week before the Super Bowl. The Superb
Know Lounge – Host Online Tutoring Sessions for Free
Know Lounge is a complementary service to the Know Recorder app that I reviewed yesterday. Know Lounge lets you create an online room in which
Know Recorder – Create Whiteboard Videos on iPads and Android Tablets
Know Recorder is a free iPad app and free Android app for creating whiteboard-style instructional videos. With Know Recorder installed on your iPad or Android
Edublogs Now Offers Pro Features for Free!
Edublogs is a blogging service designed for classrooms. For the last four or five years many of the services that they offered were only available
Identity Theft and How to Prevent It – A New Common Craft Video
Not every attempt at identity theft is as obvious as the Nigerian Prince scam. Attempts at identity theft come in the forms of emails that
Articles and Lessons About Weather – From ReadWorks
ReadWorks is a great service that provides lesson plans designed around nonfiction and fiction articles. All of the articles provided by ReadWorks are labeled with
Change the Dialect to Change Your Search Results
One of the points that I always make in my Search Strategies webinar is the importance of thinking about how other people describe the topic
How to Use Hemingway to Analyze Your Writing
This morning I received an email from someone who was requesting a little help getting started with Hemingwayapp.com. Hemingwayapp.com is a free tool for analyzing
Three Super Bowl Themed Educational Activities
The Super Bowl is this coming Sunday (I predict that the Patriots will win). The odds are good that you have some students who are
The Best of Free Technology for Teachers in January
Sunset over Casco Bay. Good evening from Maine where the sun is setting on the first month of 2017. It has been a busy month
Access All Google Drive Templates From One Place
Using Google Documents, Sheets, Slides, and Forms templates can save you time when you need to create something that many other teachers also need. For
How Not To…
This is a guest post from Ruston Hurley, the founder of Next Vista for Learning and the author of Making Your School Something Special. It
WriteReader Presents the Most Popular Topics Amongst Student Authors
WriteReader is a great multimedia writing tool for elementary school students and their teachers. On WriteReader students can create multimedia ebooks independently or with the
Three Themes to Brainstorm About for Your Classroom Blog
Maintaining any kind of regular posting schedule on a blog requires some planning. To that end, one of the things that I do on a
Quick Key + Google Classroom = Great Way to Conduct Formative Assessments
Quick Key is an excellent platform for creating and conducting formative assessments. I often include Quick Key in my presentations about formative assessment because it
Make Your Own Virtual Reality Headset
On Saturday afternoon I saw Hall Davidson give the closing keynote for the Fort Worth ISD Technology Conference. In his presentation he spoke extensively about
Three Reasons to Maintain a Photo Gallery With Your Students
We are all taking so many more pictures today than we did fifteen to twenty years ago. Thanks to cloud storage we can save and
Three Options for Adding Q&A to Your Slide Presentations
Building questions into your slides is a great way to get your audience to think about your message and to interact with your message. You
The Week in Review – The Texas Edition
When it Texas, wear cowboy boots. Good evening from Fort Worth, Texas where I am relaxing after a great day at the Fort Worth ISD
Three Alternatives to Google Classroom
Last week I received an email from a reader who was looking for an alternative to Google Classroom. This is not an uncommon request. A
5 Ways Students Can Earn Money Without Flipping Burgers
One of the talks that I give from time to time is titled Preparing Students to Work and Learn Independently. The focus of the talk
5 Good Elementary School Activities from the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian offers wonderful online resources for students of all ages. The Smithsonian’s Learning Lab lets teachers create collections of resources. But you don’t have
Three Things to Brainstorm Before You Search
One of the things that I ask students to do before they begin any research activity is to take some time to brainstorm. They might
A Great Example of Using Google Maps in Science
At almost every conference that I attend I offer a session about Google Maps and Google Earth. Most of the people that come to those
The Climate Time Machine
Crafting my previous post about 40 years of snow data reminded me of a neat climate change demonstration for kids. NASA’s Climate Time Machine is
Wednesday Webinars Resume Next Week
In December and January I hosted a series of professional development webinars on Wednesday afternoons. A couple of those webinars sold out. After a week
40 Years of Snow Data
The Snow Guardian is an interesting short film featured on National Geographic’s YouTube channel. The film features billy barr (he chooses not to capitalize his
New Google Docs & Sheets Features for Mobile Users
If you frequently use Google Docs and Sheets on your phone or tablet, you may be happy the next time you update the Docs and
Text2VoiceOver – Type to Create Video Voice Over Files
Text2VoiceOver is a service that will let you type the words that you want to hear spoken over a video. You can use Text2VoiceOver to
Use Google Maps to Tell a Story Within a Story
Google’s My Maps platform lets anyone who has a Google Account create their own multimedia maps. One of my favorite features within the My Maps
How to Record Video Notes With MoocNote
MoocNote is a free tool for taking notes while watching a YouTube or Vimeo video. All of your notes are timestamped and all of your
The Fun of Remembering Something Important
This is a guest post from Ruston Hurley. Rushton is the founder of Next Vista for Learning. Can explaining something abstract be interesting and fun?
Six Tools for Collaborative Brainstorming – A Comparison Chart
Sitting down to map out your thoughts can be a great way to get yourself organized before embarking on a big writing project. It’s also
A Short Lesson About the Great Lakes
In the fall of 2012 I crisscrossed my way across Michigan’s upper peninsula. In doing so I was able to experience some of the magnitude
Everything CK-12 – Open Resources and More
The CK-12 Foundation provides teachers and students with some excellent resources including Flexbooks, study guides, interactive math and science simulations, and even an online whiteboard
Slick Write Helps You Analyze Your Writing
Slick Write is a free tool that helps you analyze your writing or that of others. To use Slick Write you can write new text
The Evolution and Disappearance of Languages
Last week I shared an interactive map of languages. That map is crowd-sourced and unfiltered which is why I recommended only using it to find
This Handy Extension Helps You Get Back on Task
It can be easy to say to yourself, “I’ll just take a quick look at Facebook” and then look up at the clock to realize
Use Historical Images to Spark Discussions
One of my favorite ways to spark students’ interest in a history lesson is to have them look for interesting historical images. I’ve found that
Try Lapse It for Creating Timelapse Videos
Lapse It is mobile app (available for iOS and Android) that makes it easy to create short time lapse videos. The app comes in two
CommonLit Added a Guided Reading Mode for Students
CommonLit is a free service that offers a large collection of fiction and nonfiction texts paired to reading questions. You can create a classroom on
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from Maine where the sun is trying to poke through the clouds. As I do every week, I have created a list of
Take a Virtual Tour of Petra In Google Cardboard or In Street View
Last year Google added a virtual tour of Petra to its collection of landmarks that you can see in-depth in Google Maps Street View. This
Three Ways to Create Stop-motion Videos
Creating stop-motion and time-lapse videos can be a good way for students to tell a story that they have developed. Stop-motion and time-lapse videos can
Reading Rockets Provides Students With Daily Reading Tips
Reading Rockets Reading Tip of the Day widget does exactly what its name implies, it provides daily reading tips. The widget can be installed in your
Two New Google Calendar Features Help You Schedule Meetings
Google Calendar’s web interface got a helpful update this week. It now includes the same “smart scheduling” features for rooms and times that the Google
Create Audio Recordings and Save Them In Google Drive
TwistedWave is an audio recording and editing tool that is included in Next Vista’s list of recommended tools. Through TwistedWave you can create and edit
Using Storyboards to Analyze Shakespeare
Creating a storyboard can be a good way to organize a story and plan a video project. As Rebecca Ray shares in the slides below,
Would You Rather? – Quick Math Challenges
Would You Rather? is a website maintained by John Stevens for the purpose of sharing quick and fun math challenges for students. Would You Rather? presents
If You Missed a Wednesday Webinar…
Six Practical Ed Tech Wednesday Webinars were offered in December and January. Many people have asked about accessing the recordings. All of the recordings and
Mentimeter Adds a New Way for Audiences to Respond to Your Slides
Mentimeter is a audience response tool that I’ve been using off and on for a few years now. Mentimeter’s core product lets you create polls
PrepFactory Offers a New Option for Helping Students Prepare for the SAT
The next SAT testing date is a just a few days away. PrepFactory has free tools that can help you help your students review test-taking
Search Strategies and a Webinar FAQ
On Wednesday at 4pm Eastern Time I’m hosting a webinar called Search Strategies Students Need to Know. Over the weekend I had a few people
Chromebooks That Support Android Apps
I’m beginning to regret that I ever wrote anything about Toontastic 3D. Yesterday, I received an email from someone who upset that Toontastic 3D doesn’t