Top Educational Toys Under $50 Here are my top 10 picks for STEM/educational toys under $50 for 2018. I opted for only 10 picks this year, ranging from a simple, but much needed, magnet kit to some of my favorite augmented reality products. With so many great options under $50, I was able to keep the price… Read more
Note:Google Expeditions was shut down on June 30, 2021 and has been relocated to the EdTech Graveyard. Check out these alternatives to Google Expeditions. The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Leading Virtual Field Trips with Google Expeditions Google Expeditions – Beyond Virtual Field Trips From the bottom of the sea to the moon and beyond: virtual… Read more
Everyone Loves Review Games You can never have too many options for review games. Mixing things up keeps things fresh. I’m happy to add another tool to my Kahoot, Quizizz, Quizlet Live, Flippity rotation. Gimkit Gimkit (Gimkit.com) was made by a group of high school students from Seattle, My first impression is that they combined the… Read more
Bitmoji – Emoji Generator Brings Personalized Fun to the Classroom Teachers love using Bitmojis for everything from personalizing posters and drawing attention to key concepts, to providing student feedback. They’ve been increasingly popular for student work too. Emoji generators have been a great way to increase engagement while students demonstrate understanding in creative ways like… Read more
Free Presentation Templates Every teacher needs access to free presentation templates. They’re great for so much more than presentations; I use them for posters, social media graphics, quotes, and more. I recently asked a colleague in a meeting if she had sketched the icons in her presentation. She casually replied “No, it’s from Slides Carnival,”… Read more
Calm – Meditation and Mindfulness Made Easy Previously named App of the Year by Apple, Calm is the most popular app for meditation and mindfulness. Their guided meditations are the perfect introduction to mindfulness. Their Nature Melodies, Soundscapes, and Focus music tracks provide great background sound in many classroom settings. It’s available on iOS, Android,… Read more
Reading Should Be Enjoyable, Not a Chore Ask nearly any parent or student what they think of reading logs, and I’m certain you won’t hear words like “inspiring, motivating.” The Atlantic did a great job addressing this outdated and ineffective approach to building lifelong learners in “Can Reading Logs Ruin Reading for Kids?“. Engaging Alternatives… Read more
Engage Your Students Through the Movies and TV Shows They Watch Video clips from popular shows and movies provide a great way to capture the attention of students. ClassHook is a site that allows teachers to search for clips from popular TV shows and movies that are related to their curriculum. Connecting your teaching to… Read more
Enhance Learning Through Creative Engagement with Stop Motion Video Few approaches to digital storytelling have been as popular among students as stop motion video. Students can make a high-quality stop-motion animation, or stop-motion video with very simple tools, including Keynote, PowerPoint, Google Slides, iMovie, etc. The basic idea is to take a series of photos… Read more
P.D. on the Potty – Professional Development as You Find Relief I’m always looking for new professional development strategies that respect teachers’ busy schedules and provide tools, tips, tricks, and strategies that teachers can implement right away Anyone who has spent any time in a school knows that on most days teachers barely have time… Read more
