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Kids would love this!

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Classroom Assessment Formal and Informal

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Meet Nearpod, an all-in-one solution for the synchronized use of iPads in the classroom. Create your free account www.nearpod.com. This is an older version of Nearpod; find the new one here bit.ly/Tg38Ws

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This is like magic!

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This is so cool!

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Google Forms - Google Drive's Hidden Gem

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Google Forms are just an amazing tool! Free and powerful, it is ideal for anyone who needs to gather information about almost anything. Google Forms is buried within Google Drive right beneath the word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps. Ideal for marketers, organizers, teachers, administrators co-ordinators and more.

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Pep Talk

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VIA technology

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

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Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion

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Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

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Via google

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Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for.

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These Fun, Free Web Applications Make it Quick and Easy to Create Cool Learning Content (Watch out Though, Other Teachers Will be Banging Down Your Door Looking for Tips).

Do you know a teacher who just always seems to know about the latest technology, and makes it look so easy to produce cool content that students find fun and engaging? Maybe you are one of these teachers?

It doesn't have to be hard to use slick tech tools in the classroom. There are so many free, easy to use tools out there. Here are five of my favorites to recommend.

In addition to explaining the basic functionality of each tool, I've provided an example, and offered some thoughts on 'ease of use' and whether or not there is a paid plan (all of these tools have free offerings, one has a Premium Plan).

Be patient with yourself if you try these for the first time and find yourself running into challenges. Some are really easy, and some are a little harder. Don't be too afraid to click stuff and see what happens. Sometimes you have to cast aside caution a bit and take a chance (and yes, sometimes that means you'll get tripped up, but more often you'll probably surprise yourself and figure it out!).

If you have another favorite easy free tools to share, please drop a quick comment and share!

1. LessonPaths

Function: Create a slick tool for viewing a collection of web resources and other digital content. The best way to understand how the end result works is to check out the example below.

Ease of use: This is really easy to use (suggested time for first use: < 30 minutes, if you know what content you want to share)

Free vs Paid use: This is free and that's all there is to it.

Example: I created this Flipped Classroom professional development LessonPath when I first took the app out for a ride (it took me about 15 minutes). You can embed it, as you see here, or if you can use it directly on the LessonPaths site (and get a slightly more functional view).

Function: Geddit provides an easy way for students to "check in" and indicate if they are comfortable with lessons sections as you move through them. This allows you to see at a glance how many students are struggling to understand material you are covering, allowing you focus on which material needs further focus. You can also ask specific questions. There are other applications that provide this functionality, but Geddit is one of the simpler ones I've seen. Of course, students need a device - this can be just about any computer, a tablet, or a smart phone, as long as it is has Internet access. I am confident that this kind of interactive student response system will become increasingly common, eventually becoming standard in many classrooms and schools.

Ease of use: It is pretty simple to set up. I worked my way through setting up and trying my own lesson, making a simple question, downloading the app on my iPhone and signing up as a student and entering the course code for the class, and then going back and forth as the teacher and student asking for response ("check ins"), in about 20 minutes or so, but it could easily take a bit longer. I would advise allowing 45 minutes to an hour for figuring it out and working out the kinks.

Free vs Paid use: Totally Free!

Example: As a live interactive app, I can't really point you to a live example (it's not like web content). This video provides a look at functionality. Beyond that, to learn more ... dive in at letsgeddit.com (click the Get Started Button).

Function: The TedED tool lets you "Flip" any YouTube video. There are several sections where you can add resources, build a simple quiz, have a discussion, and then provide further links, etc., for a "Deeper Dive". There are summaries available for each lesson, showing how many students have viewed lessons, answered questions, etc. This is a pretty awesome concept.

Ease of use: Pretty easy to use (suggested time for first use: 30+ minutes). I love the thought behind this app, and it keeps improving, but I do have to forewarn that it seems like sometimes everything works great with it and sometimes it behaves sort of inconsistently. I have a slightly different experience just about every time I use it. Another slightly similar app is Tackk, but it doesn't have the quiz functionality or the structured additional content sections (you can have a discussion though, and provide additional resources).

Free vs Paid use: Totally Free.

Example: Here is an example of a video that was flipped with Ed.Ted.Com: http://ed.ted.com/on/5iMW5cFP. This is obviously a public lesson, but you can also choose to keep a lesson private and share it with only selected individuals via email.

4. Blendspace

Ed Note: TES acquired Blendspace and the tool now lives here: https://www.tes.com/lessons.

Function: Conceptually kind of similar to LessonPaths, but the end result has a different look and feel (see example below)

Ease of use: Very easy to use (suggested time for first use: < 30 minutes, if you know what content you want to share)

Free vs Paid use: Totally Free!

Example: This example has just 5 resources in it, but you can add many more to yours. It is also easier to view on the Blendspace web site: click here to access it in full screen mode, or click on the "Open in Blendspace" link in the upper right hand corner. Click on the circular icons on the upper right hand corner of each resource tile to open that resource within the Blendspace window.

Function: Create a professional looking short video with ease using preexisting templates. It's pretty easy to create impressive videos with Powtoon.

Ease of use: The template and tools make it pretty easy, but be prepared to spend some time laying your video out. Of course, you need to have some ideas about content. You can easily spend an hour with Powtoon the first time you use it, but the time is well spent, as the results are pretty impressive.

Free vs Paid use: The Free version allows for only 5 minute videos, but there are paid versions starting at $19.99 a month which allow for 15 minutes videos. There are numerous other considerations with the free versus paid options. Click here to learn more.

Example: I created this Powtoon to advertise the Flipped Classroom Workshop-in-a-Book. There are a wide variety of templates for educators and training, in addition to business and marketing and other content.

I hope you find these as fun as I did. Be sure to tell us about some of your favorite free-but-powerful apps!

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5 Tech Savvy Teaching Tools That Your Students Will Love and Your Peers Will Envy

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Do you know a teacher who just always seems to know about the latest technology, and makes it look so easy to produce cool content that students find fun and engaging? Maybe you are one of these teachers? It doesn't have to be hard to use slick tech tools in the classroom.

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From Edutopia

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There are so many tools that educators can use to get students interested and engaged in their work. Like most teachers today, I integrate technology into my instruction everyday. I'm lucky to work in a school with one-to-one technology and use iPads with my students throughout every school day. That makes it easy to use QR codes in my classroom -- and there are many reasons I love using QR codes!

What is a QR Code?

A Quick Response Code is a digital image that can be scanned without the beam of light needed to scan barcodes at the supermarket. It's used in advertising and marketing for smartphone users. You may have seen QR codes on flyers, subway posters, brochures and even cereal boxes. They are often accompanied with a message that says, "For more information scan this code." They can be scanned using one of the many free QR scanner apps available for smartphones and tablets. When you scan the code, you'll be taken directly to a website.

What does this marketing tool have to do with education? If I want all of my students to visit one website, I'll create a QR code for that website. And that's only one of the benefits.

How QR Codes Can Make a Difference in the Classroom

1. Eliminate the Frustration of Long Web Addresses

Instead of asking students to type in a long web address where they could easily make mistakes, a QR code will take them straight to a website. It's easy to type in USAToday.com, but directing students to a specific article might require them to type in a combination of case sensitive letters and numbers. QR codes are perfect for students of all ages, but especially for children with special needs and those students who are easily frustrated.

2. Take Students Directly to a Designated Website

We all want to avoid using search engines that might bring our students to the wrong website. This direct approach also limits their exposure to similar sites that might not be kid-friendly. You can create a list of QR codes for websites to make Internet research easier for students.

3. Save Time

Instead of waiting for each student to type in a long web address, they can all quickly scan the QR code. You won't have to waste valuable minutes from your lesson because all students will be on task and viewing the correct website in seconds. Try projecting the QR code on the board or printing just one QR code for each table of students to save yourself the time of making extra copies.

4. QR Codes are Easy to Make

Websites like Qurify.com allow you to generate your own QR code for free. Copy and paste a long web address, and they'll create a code that is unique to that particular website. You can save, print and distribute the QR code to students.

5. Change Up Your Normal Routine

I love to keep things new and exciting for my students. Try creating scavenger hunts that will get your students to visit a variety of websites to gather information on a topic. Get students engaged and moving by placing QR codes in different parts of your classroom or school building.

Are you already using QR codes in your classroom? I'd love to hear how you're integrating this technology tool into your instruction.

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Five Reasons I Love Using QR Codes in My Classroom | Edutopia

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There are so many tools that educators can use to get students interested and engaged in their work. Like most teachers today, I integrate technology into my instruction everyday. I'm lucky to work in a school with one-to-one technology and use iPads with my students throughout every school day.

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From Kleinspiration

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From Edudemic

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What's on your summer to-do list? Starting your teacher blog? There's a vibrant online community of educators sharing their expertise in writing, and the topics that get covered offer insights into just about everything, including practice, policy, education technology, and many more. Summer is the perfect time to join that conversation by starting a blog of your own.

Here are some of the best guides and sources of inspiration to get you started. And for all of the veteran bloggers out there, hopefully there's something here for you, too!

Tip and Tools for Getting Started

30 Days to Kick Start Your Blogging: Last year, Edublogs, a great network of teacher blogs, hosted this 30-day challenge. Each day features a new activity to get your blog off the ground. This is a great place to start!

24 Steps to Creating an Awesome Teacher Blog: Another post from TeachJunkie.com, this one provides some valuable advice for jump-starting your teacher blog. Each lesson links to a useful video, as well, for all of you visual learners.

How to Start a Blog: The Definitive Guide: Although this guide isn't teacher-specific, it covers all the bases. There's information here about every aspect of blogging, including choosing a platform, finding free blogging tools and software, and building an audience.

A Goldmine of Inspiration

With so many insightful ed blogs out there, this list of examples just scratches the surface. Truly, it was a challenge to pick only a few, but here are several roundups of education blogs from around the web.

Create a Teaching Blog! Pinterest board: Edutopia's Pinterest board is the perfect source of inspiration. There are links to infographics, blogs, and articles that will help you get started; for experienced bloggers, these resources will help you brainstorm new ideas.

Top 50 Science Teaching Blogs: There are lots of great examples in this list, too; and they touch on just about everything, from integrating technology into the science lab to student-centered science teaching models. Other, great "Top 50" lists include rankings for edtech and elementary education.

Words of Advice from Veteran Bloggers

Ready to get started? These ideas and considerations from fellow ed bloggers might help get the ball rolling.

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Start Your Teaching Blog: Resources, Advice, and Examples | Edutopia

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What's on your summer to-do list? Starting your teacher blog? There's a vibrant online community of educators sharing their expertise in writing, and the topics that get covered offer insights into just about everything, including practice, policy, education technology, and many more. Summer is the perfect time to join that conversation by starting a blog of your own.