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Richard Byrne
The purpose of this site is to share information about free resources that teachers can use in their classrooms.

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Contact me via email at richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com

About the blog:
The purpose of this site is to share information about free resources that teachers can use in their classrooms.
In 2008 Free Technology for Teachers was awarded the Edublogs Award for "Best Resource Sharing Blog."
In 2009 Free Technology for Teachers was again awarded the Edublogs Award for "Best Resource Sharing Blog" and was awarded the Edublogs Award for "Best Individual Blog."
In 2010 Free Technology for Teachers was awarded the Edublogs Awards for "Best Resource Sharing Blog," "Best Ed Tech Support," and "Best Individual Blog."
In 2011 Free Technology for Teachers received the Edublogs Award for Best Ed Tech Blog.
In 2012 Free Technology for Teachers received the Edublogs Award for Best Ed Tech Blog
Free Technology for Teachers is read by an audience of more than 500,000 educators worldwide.

About Me (Richard Byrne):
Currently, I am a high school computer science teacher in Maine. Previously, I spent eight years as a consultant helping teachers all over the world develop interesting ways to use technology in their classrooms. And prior to that I taught high school social studies for nearly a decade.

I have been invited to speak at events all over North America, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. My work is focused on sharing free web-based resources that educators can use to enhance their students' learning experiences.

I am a five time winner of the Edublogs Award for Best Resource Sharing Blog. I became a Google Certified Teacher in 2009. In 2012 and 2019 I received a Merlot Classics award from chancellor's office of California State University. In 2010 I was a finalist for ACTEM's (Association of Computer Teachers and Educators in Maine) educator of the year award. Tech & Learning Magazine named me one of their "people to watch" in their 100@30 30th Anniversary celebration (http://techlearning.com/article/26660).

On a daily basis Free Technology for Teachers reaches a subscriber base of more than 60,000 educators. In addition to writing Free Technology for Teachers, I also maintain PracticalEdTech.com where I offer online professional development courses for teachers.

My printed work includes a monthly column for School Library Journal, contributing author to What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media, and contributions to Teacher Librarian.

I believe that when used correctly, technology has the power to improve student engagement and student achievement. I also believe that technology gives teachers the ability to form powerful, global, professional learning communities.

I am available for professional development workshops. I can offer workshops on the use of video creation tools in all subject areas as well as workshops about classroom uses for Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Books, Google Search, and developing an online personal learning community. I can also customize a workshop specifically for your group. If you are interested in having me conduct a workshop for your school or conference, please contact me via email at richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com

Please see mywork with me page for a list of my popular presentation topics and a list of some places where I've presented in past.

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Contact me via email at richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com About the blog: The purpose of this site is to share information about free resources that teachers can use in their classrooms. In 2008 Free Technology for Teachers was awarded the Edublogs Award for "Best Resource Sharing Blog."

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@tech4learning
Tech4Learning is an innovative educational technology company that develops award-winning software tools and professional development for K-12 classrooms.

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"Teaching kids real math with computers" by Conrad Wolfram
He presents the idea of simply teaching math calculations is boring to students and how teaching math through computer programming show the relevancy of math in the real world.

(You can search for different topics in TedTalks as well.)

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Conrad Wolfram: Teaching kids real math with computers

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From rockets to stock markets, many of humanity's most thrilling creations are powered by math. So why do kids lose interest in it? Conrad Wolfram says the part of math we teach -- calculation by hand -- isn't just tedious, it's mostly irrelevant to real mathematics and the real world.

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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Med Kharbach
This site is a resource of web tools and apps for education for teachers/educators.

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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Free resource of educational web tools, 21st century skills, tips and tutorials on how teachers and students integrate technology into education

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This site provides numerous articles and videos by varying authors pertaining to education. Users are able to search for articles/videos on technology integration in the search tab.

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Charles is a Senior Instructional Technology Coordinator at Arlington Public Schools. Charles is consumed by all things technological and offers insights on county level technology as well as current events of technology in the world. He has a positive attitude on new technology and offers insight to problems, if and when they arise. He can be a direct contact when I have to maintain or troubleshoot in my labs at school.

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Shawn is the CEO of Good Think Inc. He is a researcher and teacher about Positive psychology. In my class or any class happiness should be a required presence. Shawn explains that happiness should not be over the cognitive horizon as a benchmark to reach. We need to scan the world/environment of positives first, instead of the opposite. Positive in the present equals success. This mindset could influence many students positively in a hands on problem solving class where problem failures can occur, as long as the positives of the failure are realized and taught.

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We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about things backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.

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Judy is an education consultant, lecturer, physician, former teacher and author. A specific tweet - "I hate Math"-Ways to instill a Love of Math in Kids, caught my attention. The post linked to an article where I found 5 tips; how children can achieve success if they believe their perseverance can make them better. The post relates to math, although once again can be applied to any problem solving environment where success and failures are present and how those situations can be harnessed to positively influence the students.

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“Helping prepare students to create the future. The best of Google, for education. Follow for product announcements, updates & news”

This blog gives updates on what is new with Google and fun tips and tricks for how you can use it in the classroom.

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“An EdTech Playground is a mobile space that can be set up in small or large areas. The playground areas consists of educational technology that is interactive, engaging, and is entirely hands-on learning. The resources that are featured in our EdTech Playgrounds come directly from our classrooms and libraries. The resources range from coding, drawing, dancing, virtual trips, and digital citizenship.”

This blog gives teachers information and professional development opportunities to learn more about technology use in the classroom and building student agency with technology.

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“Inspire students to create with code! Tynker is the easiest way to teach programming in class.”

This blog has provides teachers with information and resources to learning more about coding (for kids) and how to incorporate coding into the classroom.

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Tynker Blog | Tynker makes it fun and easy to learn computer programming. Get started today with Tynker's easy-to-learn, visual programming courses designed for young learners in grades K-12.

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Thirteen-year-old Antonin aspires to create video games, but he's also thinking about becoming a hip-hop dancer!

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"FLTeach an integrated service for FL teachers, dedicated to encouraging communication, sharing, and collaboration at all levels. Our broad discussion topic is foreign language teaching methods for any level of instruction in all languages. Specific areas of discussion include school/college articulation, training of student teachers, classroom activities, curriculum, and syllabus design. Students in teacher training programs, teachers both new and experienced, administrators, and other professionals interested in any aspect of foreign language teaching are invited to participate in our discussions."
They have an online discussion board where you can post topics and questions as well as search the archives for any topic. There is also a Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/199714046821100/  and a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FLTEACHlist/ that teachers can follow and join.
I have found numerous technological resources for use in my foreign language classroom embedded in other topics within the discussions.

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FLTEACH - Foreign Language Teaching Forum

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FLTEACH - Foreign Language Teaching Forum - home of the FLTEACH academic discussion list and Internet resources page

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ISTE Connect and Twitter Hashtag #ISTEglobalPLN and @ISTEglobalPLN

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ISTE Connect and Twitter Hashtag #ISTEglobalPLN and @ISTEglobalPLN

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"ISTE Connect lets you network and collaborate year-round on the edtech topics that matter most to you! Members have access to 20+ topic focused professional learning networks."  also on Twitter https://twitter.com/isteglobalpln?lang=en

Communication and communication boards/communities to discuss almost anything ISTE related.  For example, I found a great link from a topic of discussion about how to align ISTE student standards with Google applied digital skills. Someone replied with a great link to videos for both students and teachers to use for projects to use that incorporate many standards.

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Rachelle Dene Poth is an EdTech Consultant, Teacher, Attorney, Author. She teaches Foreign Language and STEAM. She blogs for www.gettingsmart.com  where she writes about various educational topics from using collaboration to technology to personalized learning and working with special needs students.

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Sir Ken Robinson is an author, speaker, and advisor on education. His belief is that creativity is killed by worrying more about being wrong than about learning through output. That creativity is killed by making the child conform to our standards rather than meet them where they are. I believe we can take this idea and implement technology to meet our students where they spend most of their time and make it a creative and learning environment.

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Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content.

By subscribing, you understand and agree that we will store, process and manage your personal information according to our Privacy Policy

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Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

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Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

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She advocates for 1:1 tech in the classroom and her blog can assist teachers with implementing technology in any subject taught. I have 1:1 technology in my classroom, but still under-utilize it. The feature article related to screensharing was very interesting. My goal is to get my students to be more motivated learners and screensharing may create a good starting point.

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Class Tech Tips is an EdTech Blog that helps teachers and schools discover new an innovate ways to use technology in their classrooms. Read the latest.

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Sam Patterson, a tech integration specialist, has created both Blogs and podcasts that are intended as quick tips and how-to's for integrating tech in the classroom. His tips can be used by either teacher or student to create tech-based output to include web development and podcasts.

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My Paperless Classroom - a Blog by Dr. Sam Patterson

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Keeping My Assumptions in Check In my STEAMspace at Echo Horizon school, we support empowered innovative learners by asking students to make many of their own decisions, even with our youngest makers. When I started teaching my youngest students I had to keep my own assumptions in check and make sure I was giving them...

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Curts provides tech integration tips on how to transform classrooms into more engaging learning environments.

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If you use Google Classroom, Google has just rolled out a new integration that lets you create a unique Meet link for each of your classes, which you and your students can easily access in Classroom, but your students can't join the Meet without you being there.

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Dr. Monica Burns
Provides a resource for teachers to use digital tools in the classroom.

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EdTech Blog, Tools and Resources for Educators - Class Tech Tips

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Engergize your lessons with classroom technology. Tons of free EdTech resources and tools for educators to use in the classrooom.

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Eric Sheninger
The purpose of Eric's blog and twitter account, who is a former principal, is to provide reflections on teaching, learning and leadership.

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Tammy Worcester Tang, former classroom teacher, specializes in finding unique and creative, but most of all, effective ways to use technology in the classroom.

Tammy offers some fabulous free resources and ideas here at her website, and is available to come to your school or conference to lead sessions and workshops that are guaranteed to excite your teachers and engage your learners!

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Tammy Worcester Tang, former classroom teacher, specializes in finding unique and creative, but most of all, effective ways to use technology in the classroom.

Tammy offers some fabulous free resources and ideas here at her website, and is available to come to your school or conference to lead sessions and workshops that are guaranteed to excite your teachers and engage your learners!

Click here to see Tammy's welcome letter.
Quick links to Tammy's most popular posts:
Self-check Quiz Templates
Give your students a custom online quiz and the computer will grade it for you!

URL Shortener & QR Code Generator
Need to get students to a site with a long URL? This tool can solve that problem!

Print onto Sticky Notes
Yep - Using a simple method, and a regular printer, you can print onto 3 x 3 sticky notes!

Lots more!
Just click the links in the navigation bar at the top of the page

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Tammy's Technology Tips for Teachers - Helping teachers make better classrooms, one mouse-click at a time.

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Tammy Worcester Tang, former classroom teacher, specializes in finding unique and creative, but most of all, effective ways to use technology in the classroom. Tammy offers some fabulous free resources and ideas here at her website, and is available to come to your school or conference to lead sessions and workshops that are guaranteed to excite your teachers and engage your learners!

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Lisa Nielsen is The Innovative Educator. She found school boring and irrelevant. That ticked her off so she became a public school educator who works to help change that for others. She does this by finding and sharing innovative ways to prepare students for relevant and real-world success. Among other things, this means ensuring educators and students have a voice in conversations, issues, and policies that affect them.

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A blog to share ideas about innovative, real, and relevant learning.

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A podcast about the future of learning. Also has links to teacher ideas, strategies, and games

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MindShift Podcast | KQED Mindshift | KQED Public Media for Northern CA

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Ideas for integrating technology into the elementary classroom.

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Let's come together and as a community, have a real conversation about how we can create, establish, and Build our EDU Brands. If you are a blogger, podcaster, speaker, author, or any other type of EDU Content Creator, please introduce yourself, ask a question and start a conversation today!

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The TeacherCast Educational Network - www.TeacherCast.net

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Are you an educator interested in being awesome in your classroom? The TeacherCast Educational Network features Podcasts, Reviews, and Professional Development with the worlds leading educators and edtech companies.Learn how to use educational technology and how to create your own podcast today!

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Kelsey Bell Using Google Tools in the classroom

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Today, I am going to share with you 9 Ways to Improve Student Writing with Google Docs!There are so many amazing digital tools that teachers can use to Continue Reading

Ready to rock the school year with some Google Classroom tips? Today, I am sharing 10 Google Classroom tips you didn't know!In this blog post and Continue Reading

Today, I am #superexcited to announce a brand new online course: The Google Classroom Master Class.Through this online course, you will learn all Continue Reading

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Today, I am going to share with you 9 Ways to Improve Student Writing with Google Docs!There are so many amazing digital tools that teachers can use to Continue Reading Ready to rock the school year with some Google Classroom tips?

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This is a resource in my county for integrating technology in the classroom. I have met him before and he is really helpful.

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Shake Up Learning is a blog and twitter account by Kasey Bell. Her blog posts are quick reads that are all about using Google in the classroom. The technology tips she gives are specifically for teachers and include Google Classroom, Google Drive, G Suite for Education, Blended Learning, Online Courses, Templates, Lesson Plans and Lesson Ideas, and Google Cheat Sheets.

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Keith is the Educational Technology Specialist for AMSTI at the Alabama State Department of Education after teaching for 12 years in Alabama. His blog incorporates technology into the K-12 classroom. His blog emphasizes how students need to be challenged to answer difficult real world problems and become leaders and advocates of their learning.
One thing I learned off the bat were some great resources to help my students make sure the information they find online is not "fake news". This webpage determines the legitimacy of the webpage: https://d1e2bohyu2u2w9.cloudfront.net/education/sites/default/files/tlr-asset/hs-legitposter_8.5x11.pdf
and this video has four great fact checking websites the students can use as well:

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The time is now for educators to become passionate about educational technology. We can no longer view technology as an additional requirement to be met to just to fulfill administrative mandates. Technology, both the tools and techniques, must become truly integrated into the daily lives of all teachers, just as it is for today's students.

Today's teachers should be as adept with using the latest technologies are our students are and, more importantly, those same teachers must utilize a wide variety of instructional techniques and designs that fully engage and challenge their students.

Students should be challenged to answer difficult questions, to think critically about real world problems and they must be given access, inside and outside of the classroom, to the tools that they need to discover the answers and solve the problems.

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The time is now for educators to become passionate about educational technology. We can no longer view technology as an additional requirement to be met to just to fulfill administrative mandates. Technology, both the tools and techniques, must become truly integrated into the daily lives of all teachers, just as it is for today's students....

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Offers tips, tricks and hacks for making the most of Google classroom. Provides templates and fun ideas of different ways to use Google in your classroom.

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The podcast that provides practical ideas for Google tools.

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Eric Berridge provides insight into the focus on STEM in regards to technology careers.  Berridge discusses the importance of the arts and humanities for technology and how it's important to keep technology diverse.

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In these podcasts, learn about new apps, programs and technology resources to use in the classroom. Christopher Nesi is passionate about sharing how technology is changing how teachers teach.

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Feedback, Shoutouts, and Links

#EdTech Thought
Use Your Heart & Gut!
I ask you, what's in your heart? what does your gut tell you is right for kids that aren't supported by outdated or the latest research?

#EdTech Recommendation

Link Expander is an awesome tool to unshorten any URL. The short URL can lead to an unsafe website, these websites may harm your computer or attempt to steal your information. Therefore we check & analyze the website to make sure it is safe for you to browse. This tool has been tried with more than 100 URL shortening services and it works with all of them!

Featured Content
10 Easy Ways to Use Tech in Your Classroom

1. Travel Virtually with Your Students

2. Use Videos for Mini-Lessons

3. Play Podcasts

4. Multimedia Slideshows

5. Share an Online Class Calendar

6. Use Virtual Manipulatives

7. Save Time for Exit Tickets

8. Use Twitter Hashtags to Take Questions

9. Gather Student Feedback

10. Offer Open-Ended Projects

Resources Mentioned:

House of #EdTech VIP

RONALD NOBER - a teacher who likes to make learning fun. Nober enjoys technology and seeing how things continue to change.

Ron lives with his wife and 4 dogs, 5 chickens, 9 ducks, and a parakeet. He is a graduate of Temple University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. He has had a few interesting jobs in his life before teaching. Nober was an archaeologist, excavating Native American, Revolutionary War era, and Civil War sites; some as old as 10,000 years! He is still a dog trainer, although he is training less since beginning teaching.

In his spare time, Ron likes to spend time with his wife enjoying nature, playing with their dogs, reading, and learning new and exciting things. He also loves to work out with weights and stays fit.

Connect with Ronald Nober:

ASK QUESTIONS, SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK AND CONNECT WITH ME

DISCLOSURE

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive commissions or bonuses from your actions on such links.

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10 Easy Ways to Use Tech in Your Classroom - HoET123 - Christopher J. Nesi | House of #EdTech

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Use Your Heart & Gut! I ask you, what's in your heart? what does your gut tell you is right for kids that aren't supported by outdated or the latest research? Link Expander is an awesome tool to unshorten any URL.

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Mrs. Miracle's Classroom - music educator blog

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Mrs. Miracle's Classroom - music educator blog

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Aileen Miracle - teaches K-5 general music and choir in Ohio. Has studied the Kodaly method of music education.
This particular blog post gives ideas for different ways to connect and create PLN's via Social Media. As a music teacher, it gave me different avenues I can use to find other ideas or educators to follow. I had a hard time starting with the PLN topic for music AND having it relate to technology, so this was a great reference.

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Mrs. Miracle's Music Room | Music Education Blog

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The way that social media is used has changed tremendously over the last few years. In the past, I used social media as a way to simply catch up on the lives of friends, follow celebrities, or look at pretty pictures. Although I still do those things, I'm now using social media as a form of professional development. In this blog post, I'll detail how to use social media to learn from other music teachers, gather ideas, and even learn new songs!

When I first happened upon Pinterest, I found tons of pins about home decor and women's fashion, and I wasn't all that interested. But then I discovered pins about education, and specifically music education, and I was hooked!

To search for music education pins, simply start a Pinterest account, then in the search bar, type "music education," "Kodaly," "Orff," etc. for lots of great pins with great ideas! When I typed "music education" into Pinterest today, I saw these pins:

See those words along the top? These are interests, which allow you to get even more specific! When I clicked "lessons," these pins came up:

When you click a pin, it takes you to that blog post, article, etc.

For more information about how to use Pinterest, see . Lindsay Jervis also has a great post about music education pinners to follow .

Instagram is such a fun way to scroll through beautiful pictures, but recently, I've seen so many more music teachers post pictures of their classrooms, their activities, etc.!

To find pictures like this, simply search for music education hashtags, such as #kodaly, #orffposse, #iamamusicteacher, or #musiceteacherproblems. David Row at Make Moments Matter recently started the hashtag # instamusiced for instant music education tips, which are really helpful! Here is a screenshot of all the pictures that came up for the hashtag #elementarymusic:

To follow me on Instagram, click . To find out more music education hashtags, click for a comprehensive list by Melody Payne. And here are some Instagram accounts I love to follow:

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The way that social media is used has changed tremendously over the last few years. In the past, I used social media as a way to simply catch up on the lives of friends, follow celebrities, or look at pretty pictures. Although I still do those things, I'm now using social media as a form of professional development.

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Ways to use online assessment ideas in the musical classroom

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Ways to use online assessment ideas in the musical classroom

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The blog, mustech.net is written by Joseph Pisano and Amy Burns - who are teachers, directors, and clinicians of music education and technology.
This particular blog post demonstrates how Plickers, Socrative, and Seesaw are all great assessment tools, but using them in a musical setting is sometimes hard. They've given ideas on how this is achievable and not "extra work" but rather a fast and easy way to assess in the musical classroom.

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Music, Education & Technology -MusTech.Net

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Last Updated on

Happy 2019! I hope that your evening was filled with fun and/or relaxation.

We have come to the end of the list of Top Ten Reasons to Enhance Your Elementary Music Classroom with Technology! As stated in the previous posts, the definition of enhancement with technology is that technology can help make and do music in ways that traditional method lack. In addition, this list of ten are ones that I have found effective. There is more that can be added to this list. Finally, please remember that the list is like a dessert buffet. Please try only one or two on the list as to not feel overwhelmed.

#1: Assessment

When I first started teaching, assessment was like a black hole to me. I was not sure what and how to assess elementary music students. I immediately picked up a pad and paper and began writing down what I observed after the students left the classroom. This worked for me, but I had some problems that I felt that I needed to address.

1. Organization: I admit that I am not a queen of organization and my classroom and home reflect that. At the end of the trimester, I had a lot of paper with a lot of words, but no organization.

2. Reflection: After I kept reading through my notes, my planner, etc, I wished that I had video that I could look at or audio that I could listen to, to really understand what I made notes about.

3. Sharing: How was I to share my "chicken scratch" notes with administrator and/or parents?!?

Here is a list of assessment tools that have worked successfully in my classroom. With that, if you try any of these tools, you must be patient with yourself and give yourself some time to learn them.

I begin with Plickers because you only need one iOS device to run this assessment tool. You can se up a free account, download the free Plickers cards, enter the student roster, and create an assessment that involves T/F or multiple choice questions.

Create a quiz. Make sure to begin with a few questions, such as "True or False: My name is Mrs. Burns" to make sure that the students understand how to use the Plickers Cards

Launch it

Hand out the Plickers cards to students

Ask the first question

The students hold up the card. If the answer is True, then they will hold up the card with "A" on top.

Click the check button to scan the answers.

When finished, Plickers will record the answers and you can check the answers in your account.

Tip: Paste the cards on construction paper so that they stay intact longer.

Tip: Always print out the list that Plickers creates of students and their Plickers card numbers.

I have used Socrative for years for my elementary students that can read and take pre- and post-tests. Socrative is great because it is free, students do not need email addresses to access it, and it can be accessed from multiple devices.

Create a free account and name your classroom

Create a test that can include images, multiple choice questions, and short answer questions.

You can use this for pre- and post-testing (for SGOs and SLOs) as well as exit tickets.

Launch your test from your teacher account

Students go to socrative.com (or access the iOS app depending on the device) and click on student login

Students enter your classroom name

They then enter their names

Then they begin the test

On your device, you can see the answers as they come in live

Once finished, click finish from the teacher account

You now have the data to share with admin, download as an excel file, and more.

I have used Google Forms for various assessments. If your are using Google Classroom, then Google Forms easily integrates into it. I like using forms because I can add anything from my Google Drive as well as Youtube clips. When finished, the data is all collected and easily viewed and downloaded in an excel file. The Tech Edvocate gives some explanations and ideas for using Google Forms with Google Classroom.

I am also loving the add-ons of Doctopus and Goobric so that when I ask my fifth graders to self-evaluate in their instrument class, I can use these two add-ons to organize all individual rubrics with evaluations. I used the following youtube video to learn how to do this:

Seesaw makes another appearance on this countdown. Through Seesaw Activities, I can assign individual students activities and assessments to perform. These assessments can be them videoing themselves playing the recorder, composing simple rhythm patterns, and more. Check out my website, amymburns.com/webinars to see how to create Seesaw Activities.

I have used iDoceo for years. I use it to organize seating charts, random name chooser, assessments, and more. iDoceo is an iOS app that needs no internet access to use. I set it up by having class rosters emailed to me, opening the email with the iPad I use for iDoceo, tell iDoceo to create a class from the list, and then begin creating tabs within the app. Those tabs involve Orff charts, assessments in the form of video and audio, attendance charts, behavior notes, and more. It keeps everything digitally organized for me. I can backup everything with google drive, dropbox, and other cloud-based storage services. Though the app is on the pricier end, once you learn how to use it, you will be using it often to organize numerous charts and assessments. iDoceo has some of the best tutorials found on their website.

There are so many more assessment tools that one can use in an elementary music classroom. Use what works best for you in your teaching situation. The ability to use tech for these purposes can eventually save a lot of time and can help share the data with others. Check back soon for a free webinar that will showcase all 10 items on the list!

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Top Ten Reasons to Enhance Your Elementary Music Classroom with Technology: #1 Assessment | Music, Education & Technology -MusTech.Net

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Last Updated on Happy 2019! I hope that your evening was filled with fun and/or relaxation. We have come to the end of the list of Top Ten Reasons to Enhance Your Elementary Music Classroom with Technology!

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Ways to use the apple watch in music education.

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Ways to use the apple watch in music education.

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Christopher Russell is the author of the blog,  techinmusiced.wordpress.com - he is a teacher, author of music technology books, and presenter for conferences.
This particular blog post discusses the apple watch and musical apps he has tried. More and more children have technological devices, including smart watches. This article discusses a few apps that could be useful to a beginning musician in school that they can also use on their own at home to practice.

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MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions.  This site examines how learning is being affected by technology, discoveries about the brain, poverty, inequities, mindfulness, agency, social and emotional learning, assessments, game-based learning and music, among many other topics.

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KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We're the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California.

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Keeler’s blog covers everything Google, from Chrome extensions, G Suite tips and tricks, as well as many math tech uses (TPACK in action!). Not only is she a giver of knowledge, but she also corresponds with us commoners.

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Alice Keeler is a mom, teacher, author, Google Certified Innovator, keynote speaker, and workshop presenter. Know more about her today!

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ClassTechTips.com was created by Dr. Monica Burns, a former classroom teacher, speaker and author. She shares her favorite EdTech resources for PreK-20 educators so they can make the most of the technology in their school.

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Class Tech Tips is an EdTech Blog that helps teachers and schools discover new an innovate ways to use technology in their classrooms. Read the latest.

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The Ed Tech Roundup is written by Michael Karlin, a former preK-16 teacher. This blog was set up to help K-12 educators with technology integration. It provides a collection of reviews, lesson plans, suggested applications, and professional development ideas. A few posts I read about were about technology in SPED. One in particular that fascinated me was about a robot called Milo that can help children with Autism learn better because it teaches the social and emotional aspects through the lessons at a slower pace (and as curriculum available for ages K-12). So neat!

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A collection of the latest educational technology news and reviews. Browse our library of free lesson plans and in-depth app reviews. Technology Integration at its best. By Michael Karlin.

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Sam Patterson writes for mypaperlessclassroom.com. He posts articles on ways that students can spend less time in notebooks and more time creating digitally or through hands-on tasks.

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Sam Patterson's professional education blog, Innovation Log, New tricks, old dogs.

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Eddie Woo (How Math is Our Real Sixth Sense)

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Eddie Woo (How Math is Our Real Sixth Sense)

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Eddie Woo has a passion for math and calls it an extra sense that we can all access. He uses real world geometry and encourages students to find patterns in the world around them so that they can look at the world in a whole new way.

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Eddie Woo: How math is our real sixth sense

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In this engaging talk, high school math teacher and YouTube star Eddie Woo shares his passion for mathematics, calling it an extra sense that we can all access. Using real-world examples of geometry, he encourages everyone to seek out the patterns around them for "a whole new way to see the world."

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Mind Shift/ How Harry Potter has brought Magic to classrooms for more than 20 years.

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Mind Shift/ How Harry Potter has brought Magic to classrooms for more than 20 years.

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Educators all over the country are using the Harry Potter books as a way to teach. More than 1000 educators are incorporating the Harry Potter series into their classrooms and curriculum.

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"We have a sorting ceremony at the end of the year to let kids know which homeroom they'll have, play our own version of quidditch about once a month," VanDonge says.

VanDonge's classroom is decked out in Ravenclaw blue and bronze while Keyes has Hufflepuff's black and yellow. The building is older and has arched windows, much like those at Hogwarts that let natural light stream in. In one corner of Keyes' room is a Whomping Willow, the tree that terrorized Harry and Ron after they crash-landed Mr. Weasley's enchanted car between its branches.

And after a couple of years with just Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw representation, Keyes and VanDonge convinced their third partner teacher to join in on the engaging learning community.

This year his students are Gryffindors.

After being sorted into their houses and homerooms, the fifth graders begin their deeper dive into the wizarding world.

"We burn through Sorcerer's Stone in about three weeks as a read aloud using the Jim Kay illustrated edition so all our kids have access to the theme and don't just think we're crazy," VanDonge says. "We refer back to the story frequently as we teach language arts concepts, too."

VanDonge and Keyes said they felt like they struck gold when they heard how the curriculum was helping their students outside of school.

"We knew that we were doing a good thing when at conferences...we had numerous parents tell us it was the first time that their kids had been excited to go to school since kindergarten," VanDonge says. "Or tell us that they've never been able to get their kids to read at all before and now they're having to have lights out rules."
Everyone isn't a fan
As enthusiastic as some parents are about how Harry Potter has helped their children in school, it hasn't always been that way.

A year after the first book's U.S. release, it found a place on the list of most challenged books compiled by the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. The series had a steady presence on this list and even topped it at times, through 2003.

Parents in many states tried to push school boards and districts to ban the books.

One of the biggest criticisms of the series comes on religious grounds that the books promote occultism and magic.

In October 1999, author Judy Blume penned an Op-Ed in The New York Times titled "Is Harry Potter Evil?"

As an author, Blume is familiar with challenges to children's literature as some of her works have also topped the banned books list.

Blume wrote, "I knew this was coming. The only surprise is that it took so long - as long as it took for the zealots who claim they're protecting children from evil (and evil can be found lurking everywhere these days) to discover that children actually like these books."

Today, there are still parents opposed to the series and some schools don't allow the books to be taught or included in teachers' curriculum.

Cynthia Richardson teaches eighth grade English just north of Bellingham, Wash. She uses the wizarding world as a basis for her behavioral management system, but she does not teach the books.

"I kind of started growing the classroom and making the classroom look like the world of Harry Potter...that's when I started encountering some parents who were hesitant," Richardson says. "So I actually put a disclaimer in my syllabus that this was not intended to teach witchcraft or that I was not going to teach the book because parents had been saying 'we don't agree with that book option.' "

Richardson has had some parents ask that their children not be placed in her class because of the theme. Other parents who have been initially opposed or unsure have at times met with her to discuss the situation.

She says all of the pushback she has gotten stems from the theme of witchcraft in the books. This is something Richardson can relate to. Growing up, she says her parents did not allow her to read the books, so her first experience with them was in a children's literature course during college.

"You know, I understand wanting to protect children from things that we think they're not ready for, especially some of the later books that are much darker, and I talk with them about what the power of literature can be" Richardson says. "How maybe it's an opportunity for them to read with their child in this case and talk about those themes and talk about the struggles that are in them and what a powerful learning opportunity that could be for the child."
Magic as a tool to bridge the gap
Since the series began, more than 500 million copies of the books have been sold worldwide, according to Pottermore, and the books are available to readers in 80 languages.

Deborah Stack teaches English as a second language at a middle school in the Bronx, N.Y., and says her classroom is mainly divided between Spanish speakers and Arabic speakers. Finding engaging material in those two languages has been hard, Stack says, especially because her students vary in their reading levels in both their native languages and English.

But this year, she decided to try reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with them after she found the digital editions in both Spanish and Arabic.

"They were so into it like I would end class and they would moan," Stacks says. "They would be like, 'Oh, it's over. I want to read more,' which never happens. It's just like the perfect combination of accessible language."

As her students continued to make their way through the first book over this fall semester, Stack says she watched conversations start between the kids who didn't speak the same language.

"When you start making sure the whole class is reading the same story and that story is really exciting, that story is really engaging, you start to see kids like really talking between language groups and debating and arguing," she says.

It was this moment that really made her excited as a teacher.

"You're seeing this amazing dialogue in English between a native Arabic speaker and a native Spanish speaker and they're utilizing their English and are talking about the same story," Stack says. "They're not doing it because I asked them to, they're doing it because they're really excited about the story and that's where you get the authentic debate and discussion, which is what you want in an English classroom."
Discovering the magic
For many of the teachers who watch their students discover the magic of reading that the series brings, it reminds them of their own introduction to the series.

Shehtaz Huq was 9 and at her grandmother's funeral in Bangladesh when she found the first book in her aunt's purse.

"She gave me the book to read because that was the first time that I had experienced death in the family and I didn't know how to deal with grief and then the book opened with the death and grief and loss, so that really resonated with me," Huq says.

Huq quickly devoured the rest of books as they came out and went on to become sixth grade English teacher. In her classroom, all of her students receive a Hogwarts letter at the beginning of the year. On one wall the Hogwarts Express is waiting at platform 9 ¾ with inspirational quotes coming out of the engine's smokestack.

There's also dementors because Huq says she wants her students to "see the dichotomy of good and evil."

"In sixth grade, we read a set of novels and the essential understanding is how individuals can overcome adversity through the help of community," Huq says. "I wanted students to see how the students at Hogwarts and the adults in Hogwarts found their community whether it was their biological family or their chosen family."
More than a literature lesson
The Harry Potter books are a natural choice for English and literature classes, but that hasn't stopped STEM teachers from finding connections for their students.

Kelsey Hillenbrand teaches middle school math in Evansville, Ind. Floating candles like those in the Great Hall hang from her ceiling along with moving portraits for an immersive experience.

Hillenbrand acknowledges that part of the nature of math is to learn concepts and then review and practice them, but for at least three times during the year, she goes one step further with her classroom theme.

"When we were studying fractions and decimals, I cover all of my desks with butcher paper to look like the wooden tables that you see in Snape's classroom - and we had potions class.

Cauldrons were placed in front of students, along with their supplies, and a large packet of problems, because after all, it's still math class.

"I think they ended up solving like 60 questions that were all fractions and decimals. But each page had its own little puzzle so that they knew how much of each ingredient to add to their cauldron," Hillenbrand says.

In the end, Hillenbrand checks to make sure the solution is the right tint before the students get to drink their potions.

"They're learning something and it's just taking that fear and that edge out of it and to see them come back in and say 'What are we going to do today, Mrs. Hillenbrand?'," she says.

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How Harry Potter Has Brought Magic To Classrooms For More Than 20 Years

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"We have a sorting ceremony at the end of the year to let kids know which homeroom they'll have, play our own version of quidditch about once a month," VanDonge says. VanDonge's classroom is decked out in Ravenclaw blue and bronze while Keyes has Hufflepuff's black and yellow.

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Learning through augmented creation with 3D Bear AR

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Learning through augmented creation with 3D Bear AR

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Using an APP to empower students to be creative. The free download allows students to create a 3d scene and become more creative..

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When determining the effectiveness of a new app or tool for the classroom, one of the first questions I try to answer is if it allows the students to create. Empowering students with the ability to create is the most powerful form of learning. 3DBear AR is one of those apps that hits the mark!

3DBear AR is a mobile application that allows students to build their own augmented reality scenes using 3D models and their physical surroundings. Not familiar with augmented reality (AR)? AR is a type of technology that superimposes computer generated images onto a user's real environment.

With the 3DBear mobile app, you use your camera to see your real physical environment in front of you while also being able to place 3D objects around you to create your own AR scene (see video below for an example).

In order to use 3DBear AR you'll need to do a tech check to make sure your technology is compatible with the app. Check out the technical requirements for 3DBear AR here.

You and your students can use 3DBear AR for free on your mobile devices. It is free to download for iOS, Android, and even the Microsoft Hololens. But the real benefit of 3DBear AR comes from it's Classroom Package for educators (they also have a school or district option)!

As teachers, we want to give our students the flexibility and freedom of creation, but we need to be able to manage their work and their progress. 3DBear AR offers this functionality with its Classroom Package. It provides the teacher with a dashboard for saving and accessing student creations, a library of searchable lesson plans, and access to the complete 3D model library for you and your students.

The lesson plan library that 3DBear AR offers with it's paid plan is a great place to get started with AR creation in your classroom. It includes lessons for Pre-K to high school and for subject areas like ELA, Social Studies, Math, Science, STEM, Computational Thinking, and more.

Access an expanding 3D model library.

The 3DBear AR app contains it's own library of 3D models that is constantly expanding. The library includes categories such as Sports, Dinos, Animals, Shapes, Emotions, Artifacts, Room Parts, and more. They just added a new Characters category that includes 3D letters and numbers that would be great for ELA and math activities!

Import your own 3D models.

The app also allows the user to import their own 3D models as .STL files. You can do so through websites like Thingiverse.com and TinkerCad among others. An .STL file is a type of 3D model file (just like a .DOC is a type of document file). Being able to import your own 3D models expands your library exponentially! TinkerCad is my favorite 3D design tool for students and it's one of the easiest to use!

Access even more 3D models with Thingiverse.

3DBear has also partnered with Thingiverse.com to allow you to login to your Thingiverse account and access more than a million 3D models from their website. After signing in to your Thingiverse account and granting 3DBear access you can search for Thingiverse 3D models from within the 3DBear AR app and import them into your AR scene!

Capture your AR scenes with pictures and video.

The 3DBear AR app also has a built in capture mode that allows the user to take a picture or video of their AR scene using the capture button. Your pictures and videos can then be shared to the 3DBear public gallery, shared out to other apps and services on your mobile device, and copied and edited for later. (Students will not be allowed to share their work to the public gallery, and they are also not allowed to access the public gallery.)

Turn your AR scene into a 3D File.

The app also allows the user to convert their AR scene into an .STL 3D file, which can be used in other 3D design tools or sent to a 3D printer so they can turn their virtual AR scene into reality!

Want to try 3DBear AR in your classroom?

If you're interested in trying out 3DBear AR but aren't sure yet if it's worth the cost, they've got you covered with a FREE TRIAL!

3DBear AR is also offering a special discount for members of the Virtual & Augmented Reality for Education Facebook Group!Join the group, then find the announcement at the top of the feed to learn how to get a 20% discount promo code good towards the Classroom Package or a school or district package!

I'd love to hear how you plan to use 3DBear AR in your classroom! Share in the comments below!

Disclaimer: I am being compensated by 3DBear for this blog post. However, I would never promoted a product on my blog or website that I wouldn't personally use in my classroom. After exploring 3DBear AR myself and speaking with the company, I find this tool to be educational, highly useful, and working for the best interests of teachers and students.

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Learning Through Augmented Creation with 3DBear AR

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When determining the effectiveness of a new app or tool for the classroom, one of the first questions I try to answer is if it allows the students to create. Empowering students with the ability to create is the most powerful form of learning. 3DBear AR is one of those apps that hits the mark!

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Nielson focuses on showing other educators ways that they can use freely available resources and technologies already within students’ grasps to make classes more engaging and relevant. Not only does Nielson deal with broad ideas about technology in the classroom, but also the nitty gritty details of implementation, so that teachers will be able to use her ideas without having to struggle against a budget process or other restrictions.
https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/

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MindShift explores the future of learning in all its dimensions. We examine how learning is being affected by technology, discoveries about the brain, poverty, inequities, mindfulness, agency, social and emotional learning, assessments, game-based learning and music, among many other topics. We report on shifts in how educators teach as they apply innovative ideas to help students learn, while meeting the rigorous demands of their standards.
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/49697/5-strategies-to-demystify-the-learning-process-for-struggling-students

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Reimagining Classrooms: Teachers as Learners and Students as Leaders | Kayla Delzer | TEDxFargo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6vVXmwYvgs

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Provide many resources for educators.

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Brings many resources to educators to help them bring skills necessary in the 21st century. Engaged learning is key.

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Alice Keeler is s certified Google and Microsoft expert who brings this information to teachers through blogs, books and courses.

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5 Ways to use Google Slides, by Richard Byrne.  He shares or helps provide "free technology for teachers", as headlined in his site.  These includes the resources he has used with much success. For example, using Google Slides to make presentations which he has been using for over 10 years.

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Google Slides has come a long way since the first time that I had students use it a decade ago. Many features have been added in that time. Many of those features make it possible to use Google Slides for more than just making slideshows. Here are five ways that you and your students can use Google Slides besides making presentations.

1. Create Comic Strips

3. Create Choose-Your-Own Adventure Stories.
By using the same logic that is applied in making a Jeopardy-style game in Google Slides, students can create choose-your-own adventure stories. Have students publish the presentation to the web so that their classmates can interact with their stories.

4. Create and Printable Storyboards.

5. Make Certificates.
Open the template gallery at slides.google.com and you will find a template for making certificates. You can use those certificates as is (obviously altering names and descriptions) or customize the colors and font styles before downloading them as PDFs or printing them.

Learn more about how to use Google Slides by participating in my upcoming course, Getting Going With G Suite.

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5 Ways to Use Google Slides Besides Making Presentations

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Google Slides has come a long way since the first time that I had students use it a decade ago. Many features have been added in that time. Many of those features make it possible to use Google Slides for more than just making slideshows.

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It is designed to provide online safety tools for educators, parents and kids. It provides teaching resources, training, and videos.

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National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

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Since 1998, NCMEC has operated the CyberTipline, a place where the public and electronic service providers can report suspected online and offline child sexual exploitation. The millions of reports made each year uniquely situate NCMEC to identify trends and create prevention resources to address th…

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The purpose is to assists school leaders in embracing and effectively utilizing technology to enhance education. There is extensive variety of topics to choose from.

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Ed Tech Round Upby Michael  Karlin              A place to find out the latest news related to education technology.  In addition, it provides recently released apps and devices that allows you to find out the latest happenings.This blog will help you to stay informed on recently released apps that will enhance your lessons.It will also keep you abreast of news related to education technology.     

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Ed Tech Round Upby Michael  Karlin              A place to find out the latest news related to education technology.  In addition, it provides recently released apps and devices that allows you to find out the latest happenings.This blog will help you to stay informed on recently released apps that will enhance your lessons.It will also keep you abreast of news related to education technology.     

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In today's digital learning environment, technology is a valuable tool to complement good instructional strategies. However, students still need to be taught how to use technology effectively and how to be good digital citizens. To better meet these goals, we made the switch two years ago from a 1:1 iPad program to a 1:1 Macbook Air program, a transition that required extensive training and support for our faculty and staff.

​In addition to supporting teachers with their new devices, I help identify their technology needs, suggest resources, and facilitate implementation. When we select technology resources, we're looking for tools that solve particular challenges we are facing. Specifically, we choose ones that support classroom learning, help manage time-consuming tasks, and promote collaboration and transparency. Continue reading on our Editorial Page.

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In today's digital learning environment, technology is a valuable tool to complement good instructional strategies. However, students still need to be taught how to use technology effectively and how to be good digital citizens.

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Class Tech Tips

by Monica Burns
A former 5th grade teacher now writes about ways to add  technology to every subject.

There are many great activities on a broad range of topics.  There was a goal setting activity for students using Spark Video.  Many reading/writing activities for elementary students that will benefit all students.

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Class Tech Tips is an EdTech Blog that helps teachers and schools discover new an innovate ways to use technology in their classrooms. Read the latest.

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An interactive, educational program that provides age-appropriate resources to help teach children to be safer on-line.  You can find lessons to teach children to be safer on-line.  This site has lesson plans, tip sheets, presentations and more to teach guidelines for safer internet use and help students to make better choices online.

It's a good site for teaching Digital Citizenship to students of all ages.

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This was set up to help educators integrate technology.  It has a variety of lesson plans, professional development ideas, and reviews.  It is run by Michael Karlin, a former educator.  One post I read was a  review of a book called VentureGirls by Dr. Cristal Glangchai. This book talks about how to support girls in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

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In today's digital learning environment, technology is a valuable tool to complement good instructional strategies. However, students still need to be taught how to use technology effectively and how to be good digital citizens. To better meet these goals, we made the switch two years ago from a 1:1 iPad program to a 1:1 Macbook Air program, a transition that required extensive training and support for our faculty and staff.

​In addition to supporting teachers with their new devices, I help identify their technology needs, suggest resources, and facilitate implementation. When we select technology resources, we're looking for tools that solve particular challenges we are facing. Specifically, we choose ones that support classroom learning, help manage time-consuming tasks, and promote collaboration and transparency. Continue reading on our Editorial Page.

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In today's digital learning environment, technology is a valuable tool to complement good instructional strategies. However, students still need to be taught how to use technology effectively and how to be good digital citizens.

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I already made this post, but it went in anonymously and I can't find it.  In fact, I can only see about four total posts on this page and I don't understand why.
Anyway, here goes again (huge sigh)!
This blog is by Michael Karlin, former educator.  The post I read was a review of a book called VentureGirls by Dr. Cristal Glangchai.  The book is about supporting girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects to encourage them to pursue careers in those areas.

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In today's digital learning environment, technology is a valuable tool to complement good instructional strategies. However, students still need to be taught how to use technology effectively and how to be good digital citizens. To better meet these goals, we made the switch two years ago from a 1:1 iPad program to a 1:1 Macbook Air program, a transition that required extensive training and support for our faculty and staff.

​In addition to supporting teachers with their new devices, I help identify their technology needs, suggest resources, and facilitate implementation. When we select technology resources, we're looking for tools that solve particular challenges we are facing. Specifically, we choose ones that support classroom learning, help manage time-consuming tasks, and promote collaboration and transparency. Continue reading on our Editorial Page.

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In today's digital learning environment, technology is a valuable tool to complement good instructional strategies. However, students still need to be taught how to use technology effectively and how to be good digital citizens.

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The Nerdy Teacher is run by Nicholas Provenzano, and edcamp speaker and director of ProjectPLN.  He shares helpful websites and education apps, and why teachers should vent on Twitter and start a blog!  He also explores Project-Based Learning and connects it through the use of Makerspace.
@TheNerdyTeacher

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Edutopia is an organization that is dedicated to transforming K-12 education so that all students can acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives.

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George Lucas Educational Foundation Celebrating 30 years

Differentiated Instruction

Go beyond the jargon for a quick look at a few of the many ways to differentiate instruction in the classroom.

Differentiated Instruction

Go beyond the jargon for a quick look at a few of the many ways to differentiate instruction in the classroom.

Linda Darling-Hammond discusses how well-placed direct instruction can scaffold rigorous, student-centered project-based learning.

Virtual gatherings for professional learning are convenient and likely to continue, but they should be designed differently than in-person gatherings.

Teachers should have a say in how they'll meet learning goals, and schools need a clear way to determine that these goals are being met.

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George Lucas Educational Foundation Celebrating 30 years Differentiated Instruction Go beyond the jargon for a quick look at a few of the many ways to differentiate instruction in the classroom. Differentiated Instruction Go beyond the jargon for a quick look at a few of the many ways to differentiate instruction in the classroom.

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Class Tech Tips is a blog created by former teacher Monica Burns to help educators place the tasks before apps and promote deeper learning with technology. She provides many great tools and sites that teachers can immediately use in their classrooms.

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EdTech Blog, Tools and Resources for Educators - Class Tech Tips

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Engergize your lessons with classroom technology. Tons of free EdTech resources and tools for educators to use in the classrooom.