Fresh Tech for Teachers
Apply for Complimentary Registration to the Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp
A couple of weeks ago the folks at Otus approached me about sponsoring the Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp. I wasn’t looking for direct sponsorship
How to Create a Biking or Walking Route Map in Google Maps
On Saturday morning I rode in a charity bike ride in my community. That ride was well mapped and planned thanks in part to Google
How to Be Inspired When Writing – A Student’s Advice
This morning I was reading through an email from Next Vista for Learning when I found a new student-produced video titled How to Be Inspired
Hopscotch – Learn Coding Basics on Your iPad or iPhone
Hopscotch is a free iOS app that introduces students to programming logic. The app originally launched as an iPad-only app. Last week the developers released
The Week in Review – The Overseers
Good evening from Maine where I am home after a couple of days in Pennsylvania for PSLA 2016. It was an honor to give the
Slides From My Presentations at PSLA 2016
One of my favorite things to do professionally is speak at conferences because I get to meet so many passionate educators. This week I had
How to Create Audio Slideshow Videos on Stupeflix (No sign-in required)
In my post yesterday evening I mentioned that at the PSLA conference in Pennsylvania I demonstrated how to create an audio slideshow video with Stupeflix.
How to Create an Interactive Series of Videos
Earlier today people who are subscribed to my YouTube channel may have received a notification of a new video posted. If you watched it (all
Six Alternatives to TechSmith’s Snagit, Knowmia, and ScreenChomp
This morning TechSmith announced that they are closing down Knowmia, ScreenChomp, and Snagit for Chrome. In other words, half of their free products that teachers
TechSmith is Ending Support for Popular Free Products
Eighteen months after acquiring the popular Knowmia Teach platform, TechSmith has announced that they are shutting it down this summer. It was a great iPad
How to Blend Images in Google Slides
Earlier this week I posted the image you see to the left as part of my blog post about CK-12’s summer math program. That image
Add Voice Notes to Pictures in Google Keep
This morning I was frustrated trying to get the new annotations feature in Evernote for Android to work correctly so I went back to using
LitCharts Offers Guides to Popular & Classic Literature
LitCharts is a relatively new service that provides teachers and students with guides and summaries of classic and popular literature. The service currently offers more
MindMup 2.0 Includes Vertical Mind Mapping
MindMup is a nice mind mapping tool that can be integrated into your Google Drive account. MindMup works like most mind mapping tools in that
Learn How to Create CK-12 FlexBooks In a Free Summer Course
Yesterday, I shared the news that CK-12 is once again running a summer math and science program for students. This evening I learned that CK-12
ReadWorks Publishes Summer Reading Packs for K-12
ReadWorks has just released a new set of reading packs designed to help you keep your students reading through the summer. Like all ReadWorks units
How to Add Multimedia Elements to Buncee Slides
Last week I wrote a comparison of adding media to Buncee slides and adding media to Google Slides. Over the weekend a couple of people
CK-12 Brainflex is Back for 2016 – Keep Math Skills Sharp This Summer
Last year the CK-12 Foundation introduced the CK-12 Brainflex Summer Challenge. The challenge is a free program that students can use to keep their math and
How to Create Recordings of Your iPad’s Screen
This week’s Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week was about how to create screencast videos on an Android device. Shortly after posting that tip
Create Multiple Chrome Profiles to Use Multiple Google Accounts
This is a guest post from Ben Sondgeroth (@Mr_Sondgeroth) of EdTechTeacher, an advertiser on this site. As more schools adopt Google Apps For Education (GAFE),
The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever
Two years ago NPR published a database of the best commencement speeches ever given (how they determine “best” is unclear). The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever
Nearly 5,000 People Get Their Ed Tech Tips This Way
About eighteen months ago I started to make a stronger effort to include video tutorials in more of my blog posts. At first I used
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good evening from Maine where Max, Mason, and I are still disappointed with the outcome of last two Red Sox games. But as true Red
4 Google Apps for Education Updates You Might Have Missed This Week
It seems like this spring Google is rolling out three or new Google Apps features every week. Last month they added 11 new features. This
ReadWorks Introduces ReadWorks Digital for Sharing Reading Assignments With Students
ReadWorks is a great service that I’ve featured in at least twenty blog posts since it launched a few years ago. ReadWorks offers free standards-aligned
How to Schedule Assignments & Announcements in Google Classroom
Earlier this week Google added a frequently requested feature to Google Classroom. That feature is scheduling of assignments and announcements to appear in your Classroom
An Overview of PrepFactory – Free SAT & ACT Prep
PrepFactory is a free service that offers excellent SAT and ACT preparation activities. The site offers free guides to SAT and ACT strategy along with
How to Add Custom Avatars to ClassDojo
In my previous post I shared the news about ClassDojo’s new feedback option. In that post I referenced my YouTube channel having some ClassDojo tutorials.
ClassDojo Introduces a New Feedback Option
ClassDojo is a popular tool for giving students feedback on class participation, behavior, and for keeping parents informed about classroom news. The feedback mechanism for
Stackup – Create & Track Reading Goals for You and Your Students
Stackup is a new service that aims to help you give students credit for time spent reading quality articles online. On Stackup you can create
Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp – Only 7 Tickets Left
Leading the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp has been the highlight of my summer for the last three years. This year I am leading two
How to Use the New Q&A and Laser Pointer Features of Google Slides @googledocs
This afternoon Google added two fantastic new features to Google Slides. First, Google Slides now has a Q&A feature that lets your audience submit questions
Buncee v. Google Slides – Which Offers Better Multimedia Options?
Anyone who has read this blog for more than a month or two has probably figured out that I love Google Apps including Google Slides.
A Great Explanation of Primary Sources vs. Secondary Sources
On Monday evening I hosted the first meeting of the spring section of Teaching History With Technology. One of the topics that I covered was
Schedule Assignments in Google Classroom
For quite a while now you have been able to save announcements and assignments as drafts in Google Classroom. But the problem was that you
Soon You Will Be Able to Email Parents from Google Classroom
One of the complaints that I often hear about Google Classroom is that there isn’t a good way for parents to know what has been
BandLab – Collaboratively Create Music Online
BandLab is a free service that enables you to create music in your web browser or through free Android and iOS apps. In BandLab’s you
AZ Screen Recorder – Create Screencasts on Your Android Device
AZ Screen Recorder is a fantastic free app for creating screencasts on your Android phone or tablet. Unlike a lot of Android screencasting apps AZ
How Much Energy is Consuming by Watching a Video?
There are a lot of things that we do every day that consume more energy than we realize. One of those things is watching videos
Tony Vincent Teaches Us How to Make Great Illustrations
Over the weekend my friend Tony Vincent sent me an email about a new video that he made about Adobe Illustrator Draw. Adobe Illustrator Draw
Live AP Exam Review Hangouts on Air
The AP exams for US History, European History, and Government are coming up this month. Teachers and YouTube sensations Keith Hughes and Tom Richey are
Front Row – Adaptive Math & ELA Practice for K-8 Students
Disclosure: Front Row is currently an advertiser on FreeTech4Teachers.com. Front Row is a service that offers teachers a nice way to deliver practice math and
Annotating PDF Files on Chromebooks with Kami
This is a guest post from Avra Robinson (@AvraRachel) of EdTechTeacher, an advertiser on this site. As a teacher, for years, I loathed the PDF
An Animated Tour of the Water Cycle and Water Treatment
The US Environmental Protection Agency offers some nice resources for teaching about the water cycle and water treatment. Thirstin’s Water Cycle takes students on an animated
April’s Most Popular Posts on Free Technology for Teachers
April came and went quickly. In fact, it went so quickly that I didn’t even realize it was over until I looked at the date
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from the temporary Byrne Instructional Media, LLC headquarters at O’Hare International Airport. I’m currently waiting for my flight home after a great afternoon
11 Google Apps Updates You Might Have Missed This Month
It’s the end of the month and it feels like I was writing about Google Apps daily in April. I checked, I wasn’t, but there
Preparing Students to Learn & Work Independently – Slides
On Friday afternoon I gave a presentation to a great group of educators from the greater Chicago area. Twice as many people registered as came
Resources for Reviewing for AP US History Exam
The AP exam for US History is just a week away now. Tom Richey has put together a great page of resources for students who
Explain VR Virtual Zoo – Animals in Virtual Reality
Explain VR Virtual Zoo is a free iPhone app that is designed to work with Google Cardboard. The free app features ten animals in virtual
Four Ways to Explore the News Through Maps
One of the things that I like about CNN Student News is that it almost always includes a map to show students where a story
STEM in 30 – A Smithsonian Webcast for Middle School Students
STEM in 30 is a neat webcast produced by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The series featured 30 minute live webcasts about a
Haiku Deck Releases a New iPhone App for Creating Presentations
This morning Haiku Deck, a popular presentation creation tool, released a new iPhone app. This new app brings the features of the Haiku Deck iPad
New Options for Filtering YouTube in Schools
As I Tweeted earlier today, Google has introduced some new options for filtering YouTube in schools. If your school uses Google Apps for Education you
Google Calendar Now Helps You Find Mutual Meeting Times
Parts of this post originally appeared on my other blog, Android4Schools. A couple of weeks ago Google added a goal setting feature to Google Calendar
How to Enable Google Drive Desktop Notifications
Earlier this week Google launched a new notifications feature for Google Drive users. You can now get an alert on your desktop whenever someone shares
Teaching History With Technology – An Online Course Starting Monday
Next week I’m starting a new version of an online course that I’ve offered a few times in the past. Teaching History With Technology is
PBS LearningMedia Introduces New Curriculum-based iBooks
PBS LearningMedia has released a new series of iBooks for K-8 teachers. The series promises to provide teachers with iBooks on topics in math, English
Nearly 100 TED-Ed Lessons About Nature
In recent weeks I have featured some neat National Geographic videos about cool things in nature like birds that eat dirt and animal migrations in
Start Your Graduate Degree or Certificate This Summer or Fall
Disclosure: The Educational Technology program at Boise State University is an advertiser on this site. This program has recently expanded its 100% online Ed Tech
Telling Stories With Storyboards – Webinar Recording
Last night I hosted a webinar about using storyboards in the classroom. The webinar was sponsored by Storyboard That. Thanks to everyone who joined us
Four Tools for Creating Screencasts on Chromebooks – A Comparison
In response to my latest Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week I received a bunch of requests for comparisons of screencasting tools that work
How to Add Label Clouds to Blogger Blogs
Adding a label cloud or tag cloud to your blog can provide visitors with a convenient way to search for older content within your blog.
How to Add Word Art to Google Slides
Google’s gallery of fonts provides a lot of style flexibility in Google Slides. Even more flexibility is available if you use the word art options
How to Create a Google+ Hangout On Air
Thanks to everyone who joined me last night for the Google+ Hangout on Air about ed tech blogging. I appreciated the questions and comments that
Collaborative Book Publishing with Google Slides & Issuu
EdTechTeacher, an advertiser on this site, has launched a new FREE video series called #ETTchat. Each week, one of their instructors posts a new video
An Informal Chat About Ed Tech Blogging – Recording
Earlier this evening I hosted a Google+ Hangout On Air for people who had questions related to blogging for professional purposes. It was an informal
The Week in Review – The Most Popular Posts
Good morning from sunny Woodstock, Maine where I am about to head out on group bicycle ride. Winter ended early this year so we’re taking
Join Me for a Hangout On Air About Ed Tech Blogging
Every week I get lots of questions from people who want to know how I started FreeTech4Teachers.com, how I maintain it, and, of course, how
Aurasma Studio – Create Augmented Reality In Your Web Browser
Earlier this morning I received an email from someone who is coming to the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp for the third time. She was
How to Create Bookmarks & Reminders With the New Google Keep Extension
Google Keep is a handy tool to taking notes in your web browser, on your Android phone, or on your iPhone. I’ve previously featured ten
Kaizena for iPad – Add Voice Notes to Students’ Printed Documents
Kaizena is a great tool for adding voice comments to your students’ documents and slides. When Kaizena originally launched it was designed for adding comments
Why Do Price Tags End In .99? – A Psychology and Consumer Education Lesson
Take a stroll through any supermarket or browse your favorite online retailer and you’ll see prices ending in .99 more often than not. Why is
Why Do Some Birds Eat Dirt? – National Geographic Explains
National Geographic’s YouTube channel includes a fun playlist of short videos about interesting science facts. The playlist is called Today I Learned or TIL for
CaptureCast – Record Screencasts on Your Chromebook
CaptureCast is a free Chrome extension that enables you to create screencast videos on your Chromebook. With CaptureCast installed you can record everything that you
How to Use VideoNot.es With Google Drive
VideoNot.es is a great tool to connect to your Google Drive account. With VideoNot.es you can take notes on one side of your screen while
Free Webinar – Summarizing the School Year Through Storyboards
This coming Monday evening (April 25) I will be hosting a free webinar sponsored by Storyboard That. The webinar will focus on using storyboards to
Try Watchkin for Distraction-free YouTube Viewing
Watchkin is a free service that allows you to watch and project YouTube videos without seeing the related sidebar content typically seen on YouTube.com. Watchkin
Geopedia – A Map & Wikipedia Mashup
Geopedia is a nice combination of a map and Wikipedia entries. Search for a location on the Geopedia map and you will be shown a
5 Questions to Consider in BYOD Schools
This post originally appeared on one of my other blogs, Android4Schools.com. More schools are allowing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) now than even just a
Now You Can Choose Which Google Drive Files Are Synced for Offline Access
For years now we have been able to sync Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets for offline access on our laptops and Chromebooks (learn how). That
A Lesson on Bears and Punnett Squares
A recent conversation with a friend about black bears in our neighborhood (neighborhood is a relative term as I live on a six acre woodlot)
Scrible Edu Helps Students Organize Research
Scrible is a free service that offers a nice tool to help students organize their online research efforts. Scrible offers a Chrome extension that includes tools for highlighting,
GeoGebra Exam Mode Lets You Choose Which Tools Your Students Can Use During Tests
GeoGebra, a free mathematics modeling tool, seems to be continuously improving and in the process becoming more and more popular with teachers. Thanks to Guillermo
ReadWorks Offers a Nice Set of Poems and Guiding Questions for Poetry Month
ReadWorks is one of my favorite nonprofit services for teachers. ReadWorks offers hundreds of lesson plans and thousands of non-fiction and fiction passages aligned to
Quizlet Live Offers an Easy Way to Turn Vocabulary Lists Into Team Games
Quizlet has long been a great website and app for students to use to create and review flashcards. Teachers can also use it to create
10 Educational Resources About the American Revolution
Today is Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts and Maine. The day commemorates the anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolutionary War, The Battles of Lexington and
Collaborative Audio Creation with SoundTrap
EdTechTeacher, an advertiser on this site, has launched a new FREE video series called #ETTchat. Each week, one of their instructors posts a new video
100 Google Apps Tutorial Videos
Often when I’m stuck on a technical problem all I need to get myself over the hurdle is just a quick tip. That’s why when
16 Educational Resources for Earth Day 2016
Earth Day 2016 is on Friday. As I’ve done in the past, I’ve compiled a list of resources for teaching about Earth Day and environmental
A Nice Little Update to the Plickers iOS App
Plickers is my favorite student response tool for classrooms in which not every student has his or her own tablet or laptop. Plickers makes it
Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp Discounts Available for Two More Weeks
It is a beautiful spring day here in Maine which has me thinking about summer. The highlight of my last three summers has been hosting
The Week in Review – Transitions
Good morning from Maine where the sun is shining and the forecast calls for temperatures above 60f for the first time this year. One of
Three Google Apps Updates You Might Have Missed This Week
This week Google rolled-out updates to Google Calendar, Google Drive for Mac & PC, and Google Drive for Android & iOS. The most exciting of
Expedition Earth Day – An Exploration of Coral Reefs
Next Friday is Earth Day 2016. Discovery Education has a great Earth Day resource for you to use with your elementary and middle school students.
20 Videos and a Poster Explaining Logical Fallacies
Last November I featured a series of videos from PBS Learning Channel that contained eight concise explanations of logical fallacies. This morning, thanks to Larry
Kahoot Adds a Team Mode
This week Kahoot, the wildly popular quiz game platform, released a new team mode. The new team mode is designed to be used with students
How to Make Your Google Sites Mobile Friendly
Google Sites can be a good platform on which to develop your school, library, or classroom website. It’s a flexible platform that you can use
The Hardest Type of Web Search for Students
There are three basic types of searches that students conduct on the Internet. Those types of searches are navigational, transactional, and informational. Navigational searches are