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ZENIT - English - The World Seen From Rome

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Great source for sacred art (free and legal!)

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From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

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20 Of The Best Tools For Creativity In The Classroom

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Because students necessarily create things with digital tools and images, the resulting creative expression is inherently student-centered.

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Awesome resources!

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Chastity Project is a ministry of Jason and Crystalina Evert that promotes the virtue of chastity through seminars, resources, clubs, and social media.

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Bring in "guest speakers."

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​Want to be the hero on your next call? 🦸

Did you know Skype Bing mashup happened? Here are the results - a unique high-quality background images in your Skype calls! And that's not all, you can now kill time by searching up the image and exploring more about the beautiful scenery and places you see on your background!

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Skype | Stay connected with free video calls worldwide

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Keep in touch with free video chat, messaging & affordable international calls. Create instant online video calls with one click, no download required.

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QR Code is a two-dimensional version of the barcode, typically made up of black and white pixel patterns. Denso Wave, a Japanese subsidiary of the Toyota supplier Denso, developed them for marking components in order to accelerate logistics processes for their automobile production. Now, it has found its way into mobile marketing with the widespread adoption of smartphones. "QR" stands for "Quick Response", which refers to the instant access to the information hidden in the Code.

Tell me more

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QR Code Generator | Create Your Free QR Codes

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QR Code is a two-dimensional version of the barcode, typically made up of black and white pixel patterns. Denso Wave, a Japanese subsidiary of the Toyota supplier Denso, developed them for marking components in order to accelerate logistics processes for their automobile production.

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Host interactive online meetings | Poll Everywhere

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Kid-Friendly Saints site by Loyola Press

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Kid-Friendly Saints site by Loyola Press

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One of the most loved friends in heaven is St. Anthony of Padua. Your church might have a statue of him, and you might even have a holy card with his picture on it. People ask St. Anthony for help all the time, and for the most ordinary things, and that's okay. Like a good friend, St. Anthony is always willing to help. People especially like to ask St. Anthony to help them find things that are lost. In a minute, we'll find out why.

We turn to St. Anthony for help with our ordinary problems, but his life was really anything but ordinary. St. Anthony was born in Portugal, and when he grew up, he studied to be a priest. He was a brilliant student and knew the Bible backward and forward. Someone once said that if all the Bibles in Europe were burned, it wouldn't be a terrible problem. People could just go to St. Anthony, and he could write the Scriptures down for them!

Anthony was a good teacher, but one day something happened that inspired him to follow Jesus in a slightly different way. Five Franciscan priests had traveled to Morocco, a country in Africa, to preach the good news about Jesus. They were brutally killed, and what was left of their bodies was brought to the town where Anthony lived.

Anthony couldn't sit still any longer. More than anything, he wanted to go to Morocco himself and try to give the love of Jesus to the people who had done this terrible thing. No one seemed to need Christ's love more than people who would torture and kill innocent men.

So Anthony joined the Franciscan order, got on a ship, and sailed to Morocco. Things didn't work out as he had hoped, though. He fell ill soon after he arrived and had no choice but to return to Europe.

Anthony's plans weren't working out, but perhaps that's because God had something else in mind for him. The ship Anthony was on, the one he thought was taking him back to university life in Portugal, got blown off course by a sudden strong wind. It went straight to the island of Sicily, where a huge meeting of Franciscan brothers happened to be taking place at that very moment.

Anthony didn't speak at the meeting, since he was really an outsider. He sat silently and listened. Perhaps he even heard St. Francis of Assisi speaking of holy poverty as the way to follow Jesus and of how important it is to preach the love of Jesus to all people, especially the poor.

After the meeting, Anthony continued to live a quiet life as a friar, working in a hospital in Italy, taking the humblest jobs of all. Back in Portugal, Anthony had already begun to gain fame as a scholar and teacher, but he said not a word about that in the hospital. He worked hard in the kitchen and the garden, helping the sick in the most ordinary, everyday ways.

Then one day something happened that was almost as strange as the ship wandering off course. There was a large meeting of Franciscans and Dominicans, but oddly enough, the plans for who would give the sermon at the meeting fell through. There were plenty of fine preachers present, but none of them were prepared.

Those in charge of the meeting went down the line of friars. "Would you care to give the sermon, Brother? No? What about you, Father? No? Well, what about you, Fr. Anthony-is that your name?"

Slowly, Anthony rose, and just as slowly, he began to speak. The other friars sat up to listen. There was something very special about Anthony. He didn't use complicated language, but his holiness and love for God shone through his words. He was one of the best preachers they had ever heard!

From that point on, Anthony's quiet life in the hospital kitchen was over. For the rest of his life, he traveled around Italy and France, preaching sermons in churches and town squares to people who came from miles around.

His listeners heard Anthony speak about how important it is for us to live every day in God's presence. As a result of his words, hundreds of people changed their lives and bad habits, bringing Jesus back into their hearts.

Anthony wasn't always successful, though. In most cities, businesspeople would shut down their shops to come listen to Anthony. But in one city the townspeople closed their hearts to him and listened with hard faces and harsh eyes.

St. Anthony had done his best. He shrugged and turned around. The fish in the bay poked their heads out of the water to see what was going on, and St. Anthony started preaching to them instead!

Now, back to the first question. Why do we ask St. Anthony to help us find lost things?

St. Anthony had a book of psalms that was quite special to him. It was special because in those days before the printing press, books were rare and expensive. But it was also special because it contained many notes Anthony had made to help him in his preaching and teaching.

Late one night, a young Franciscan decided to leave the community. He'd had enough of that life, so he made plans to just sneak out in the middle of the night. He saw Anthony's book of psalms on his way out, and he snatched it up and ran. He knew that he could sell this precious book for a good deal of money.

Of course, Anthony was quite upset. He prayed that God would change the young man's heart and bring him back to the Franciscan life. He also hoped that while God was at it, he would return Anthony's book too.

The next day, the young man returned, tired and ashamed, with Anthony's book. He also brought back his own gifts and talents, which he decided once more to offer to the Franciscan community.

So that's why we like to ask St. Anthony to help us find lost things. He was an extraordinary man who can still help us from heaven, even in the most ordinary ways.

from Loyola Kids Books of Saints
Image credit: St Anthony of Padua Church by Mark Pellegrini, 2008. Public Domain via Wikimedia.

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One of the most loved friends in heaven is St. Anthony of Padua. Your church might have a statue of him, and you might even have a holy card with his picture on it. People ask St. Anthony for help all the time, and for the most ordinary things, and that's okay.

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I could try to be more excited, but I'd be unsuccessful. The Victory app is here, and it's going to wreak some serious damage on your-or someone you know's-porn addiction.

What is the Victory app? It's a new app that provides a strategic battle plan for victory in the struggle against pornography. Here are five of its features, which, are also five reasons you need to download it now.

1. One Day at a Time

Recovery from porn addiction isn't something that happens to you, rather, it's a series of daily - sometimes hourly - choices we make by our actions. The victory app reinforces this by allowing you to track your progress one day at a time. When you open the Victory app you'll see a calendar displaying the month you're in. At a quick glance you'll see the days you had setbacks (indicated by grey squares), the days you experienced victory (indicated by white squares), and even the days you went to the Sacrament of Confession (indicated by green squares).

2. Daily Check-In's

Morning, Noon, and Night, the Victory app notifies you to check-in. How are you doing - good, okay, bad? You can let the app know if you've had a setback, and it will take you to another page to assess that setback - were you bored, lonely, angry, stressed, or tired? What was it that triggered you (got you thinking about looking at porn)? After a couple of months, you'll be able to check and see how much progress you've made from the previous months.

3. Accountability Button (aka, the "Bat Signal")

In the fight against porn addiction, no person is an island. We need each other. That's why we've put a handy-dandy accountability button (lovingly called the "bat signal") at the top right-hand side of the screen. In the app "settings," you can enter up to three accountability partners. In a moment of temptation, you can press this "Accountability button" and those accountability partners will be notified on their phones (even if they're locked) with this simple message, "Please pray for (your name)." How cool is that?

4. Daily Inspiration

Mark Hart and I have written over 50 entries for daily inspiration. These entries will educate, motivate, and challenge you.

5. It's Discreet

It's called Victory, and not, "I wish I could stop looking at porn." Plus, if someone does try and open the app, they won't be able to without first entering a four-digit passcode set by you. Take that nosey friend trying to get up in yo bisness.

Finally. It's free. How much? Free. #YourWelcome #ThankYouAwesomeDonor. Now quit reading and start downloading. Help us and those you love by sharing the news!

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5 Reasons You Need The Victory App - LifeTeen.com for Catholic Youth

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I could try to be more excited, but I'd be unsuccessful. The Victory app is here, and it's going to wreak some serious damage on your-or someone you know's-porn addiction. What is the Victory app? It's a new app that provides a strategic battle plan for victory in the struggle against pornography.

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Amazing Catechists site - Technology Page

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Amazing Catechists site - Technology Page

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There are a few strong voices in the world of Teen Catholic Social Media. I recently had the privilege of interviewing two of them for an article on Catechist.com, Jimmy Reynolds, @litcatholicmemes on Instagram and Peter Burleigh of @Jesufex (Young Catholics) on Twitter. I wanted to share some of the insights they shared with me.
Why did you start your page?
I wanted to start this page because I wanted to try to be a part of something where I could reach a large number of people and show them the faith. I loved seeing memes on Instagram, and I felt like there weren't that many new Catholic memes being made, just a few old ones that got passed around a lot. I had a few ideas, so I decided to start a page. Now a year later, the ideas haven't really stopped.
Jimmy R.

I always wrote down anything I thought to be interesting-perhaps a bit too meticulously. One day I realized that other people would probably want to hear what I'm hearing. After a bit of prayer and discernment (because it would not be a small commitment if there were an audience-I would be responsible if I led people the wrong way) I set up the account late one night. Then, whenever I got a hint of truth about the world or some whisper in prayer I shared it. It was always something basic: asking prayers for a friend, noting that God shows His love through making the sun rise every day, and perhaps a few Bible quotes. Over the years my knowledge of the Church and spirituality increased (a bit faster than I would have liked) and so I found that I never ran out of material to share. I love listening to talks and podcasts and so the small things I can wring out I hope to make a difference in the lives of people who follow me. Over time it has become easier to say more with fewer characters, suggesting bigger ideas with the same limit. Not that I'm a rock star at tweeting, but I go for that; I think it makes a difference when people are forced to stop and think about what I'm saying rather than get a message they've already heard. The last thing I want is to tweet platitudes.
Peter B.
What is the Goal of your page in terms of evangelization and catechesis?
They [other teens] don't consider investing any time in the Church, because that's not the lifestyle they wanna live. S,o I am hoping that by running my page, I can show people that you can live a life devoted to Christ, and still enjoy life here on earth, as that will ultimately lead you to the fulfillment of life in Heaven.
Jimmy R.

Young people are thirsting for real connection and faith that demands they change their lives. They don't want a voice online telling them to frequent confession [that] only makes a difference in the world of the Internet. People change their lives more often through what they hear in person rather than what they read online. And this is an unfortunate difficulty because the amount [number] of solid parishes out there are too few. Young people want something more, but they don't know how to go about finding it; in person is what hits hardest, but online is much easier. I think once we have the understanding that one voice amongst a million others is not going to do it. I think things like YouTube channels and other subscription programs (where a person is more isolated and has to go out of their way to pay attention) are effective; I think well-written blogs are effective, as are songs. If you want to be heard, go to the tower and not the market place. For those who want, my favorite resources are...Ascension Presents (YouTube), @emwilss (Instagram), @FrMatthewLC (Twitter), and definitely "The Crunch" and "Pints With Aquinas" Catholic podcasts.
Peter B.
What else do you want others to know?
I never would have thought I could make this many [memes], and it is truly a testament of God working and inspiring me with so many ideas. As long as He inspires me, I will keep making more. All glory to God.
Jimmy R.

Stick close to the Sacraments. Frequent Mass as often as you can; carpe those graces. Get cleaned up in reconciliation at least once a month. Keep close with the friends who lift you up. Spend time with your family as much as they annoy you. Look at beautiful things. Most importantly, disconnect from the Internet as often as possible so you're in every moment of your own life. Never take yourself so seriously that you can't laugh at yourself. The glory of God is man fully alive.
Peter B.

(C)2017

Let's face it, technology is not going away and kids love to play games using technology. But every now and then it's be nice instead of playing Angry Birds they maybe played a game that they could learn from. Enter: Catholic Words and Games.
I downloaded it onto my iPhone and played, many times. There are five different games on the app: flash cards, memory match, tap it, spell it and name match. In theory, you could learn all the words using the Flash Card section and then move onto the other games. But that's not how I roll. I just started playing. I made mistakes ( on purpose people, c'mon now) and nothing bad happened. Sadly, I didn't have anyone to play with but I think it's great you can play the games with others.

Memory Match is my favorite and you can choose from six different sized boards, the more squares you choose the more challenging. The Name Match is fun as well. My least favorite is Spell it, mostly because I stink at spelling!
I would definitely have used this game with my children, instead, I'll start having my faith formation students play with it while we wait for parents.
The app is available for both mobile and desktop devices, for windows and mac users, on iTunes or Google Play. For more information and a peek at graphics, go to the website, Catholic Words and Games.

© Deanna Bartalini, 2016

Read all posts by Filed Under: Tagged With: Deanna Bartalini Technology Apps, elementary, game, review games

The 2016 Rio Summer Olympics is currently the center of the world's attention, and its many outstanding athletes are great examples of what dedication, hard work, and faith can accomplish. While these great performers have all demonstrated faith in themselves, four outstanding athletes at these Olympic Games have openly and proudly gone a step further by openly and publicly proclaiming their faith in Christ.

American divers David Boudia and Steele Johnson, who earned Silver medals, have openly spoken of their Christian faith and belief that Christ is the center and purpose of all that they have accomplished. In fact, both men insist that they wish to be defined much more by their faith and dedication to serving Christ than for their athletic accomplishments.

Speaking of accomplishments, openly professing Catholics Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky are behind only swimming legend Michael Phelps as the stars of this event.

Biles entered the games in the conversation as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, and her domination so far has only strengthened the argument in her favor. Biles earned four gold medals and one silver, matching the most gold medals ever won by an Olympic gymnast at a single Olympic Games.

Like Simone Biles, swimmer Katie Ledecky entered these games with great aspirations and pressure, being called the world's greatest athlete by numerous experts and, like Biles, has dominated her events. Expected to earn numerous gold medals, Ledecky has more than met those expectations, winning four gold and one silver.

Both Biles and Ledecky have cemented themselves as record-breaking, historic athletes, but that is not their greatest accomplishment. These two incredible athletes are very vocal and openly practicing Catholics. Biles has revealed that she always carries a rosary in her bag, and Ledecky has publicly stated that she prays a Hail Mary or two before each event.

Biles has revealed that she is devoted to Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, and that she is a regular churchgoer, lighting a candle beneath the statue of her favorite saint before big events. Ledecky says that her Catholic faith is very important to her and is part of her identity. She feels that her faith keeps her grounded and that faith and prayer help her manage and excel in her athletic life. Ledecky is grateful to the sisters of the convent school where she studied, who she credits with forming the person that she has become.

A catechist is defined as one who teaches the principles of Christian faith by word and action, and Catholic catechists are living examples of the mission of spreading Catholic teaching and doctrine by what they say and do. The above four outstanding athletes are proof positive that one can be a role model of the faith while soaring and spinning in the air as well as by soaring and spinning with enthusiasm for Christ. They are a shining example that serving Our Lord is a greater accomplishment than any medal can ever be.

2016 Gabriel Garnica

Read all posts by Tagged With: Gabe Garnica David Boudia, Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Steele Johnson

No, this is not a post on fashion for Mass or dressing for faith formation classes. I want to introduce you to a great way to make an impact in your marketing materials for the programs, classes, and events you promote. In this day of almost constant visual and auditory input, the same old thing won't be noticed.

About a year ago I discovered Canva.com. Canva is an easy to use tool to create beautiful designs and documents. You sign up and have access to layouts and design elements for posters, Facebook posts, Twitter, blogs, postcards, and more. There are both free and for fee elements you can use, all clearly labeled. Since I have been using Canva I have never purchased anything I have used.

Let me show you some of the work I have created.

These are just a few examples. The possibilities are endless and the price is definitely right for ministry which often have to watch the bottom line. The finished product can be downloaded as a standard or for print PDF or as a JPEG or PNG image. Once you create your work, it is yours without copyright restrictions.

There are tutorials to learn how to use Canva, but I found it easy to use without instruction. You can also see other people's work in the Design Stream or follow friends by putting in their email address or pulling gmail contacts. A blog gives you tips on everything from color to fonts. And of course, you can follow them on Pinterest.

Canva has recently come out with a new product, Canva for Work, which has various pricing plans. I plan to try it during the trial period and then decide if I'll make the switch.

I cannot encourage you enough to try out this tool for yourself. If you are posting "out there" on the internet for your parish, keep in mind that more and more, posts everywhere benefit from a graphic to catch people's attention. By creating visually appealing graphics we let those we are trying to reach that not only do we have an awesome message, we know how to present it.

Go try it, play around and create something lovely. Leave a link to where it is in the comment section; I'd love to see what you made! I hope you enjoy Canva as much as I do.

Copyright 2015, Deanna Bartalini

FYI: I may sound like a paid advertisement, but it's not.

Read all posts by Filed Under: Tagged With: Featured, catechetical toolbox, free resources, marketing, religious education, Technology, visual content General, Technology

I try to prepare myself for the tech requests of my kids: Ipods, Ipads, cell phones, laptops....and of course the newest video games and DVDs. In a world where you need to be tech savvy or at least technologically literate, I struggle with the limits to set on some of these devices and influences.

As I have struggled to raise seven kids and a foster son, I have come to some conclusions about the tech world. First, I can't avoid it. We can limit television, computers and music, but they are everywhere and so is access to them. Second, all my children react differently to the limits placed on them and some will (horror of horrors) disobey me at times. There, I admitted it. I have raised six to adulthood, two more are close behind and I couldn't do it perfectly. Yup..... I home schooled for years, took them to church, gave them (what I hoped was) a good example, but sometimes they disobeyed anyway.

Social media can also provide a positive tool for some children! One of my kids has a mild form of autism. Social sites helped her to connect in a non-threatening way with some of her peers. This gave her the confidence to interact more freely in person. Another daughter of mine uses her page to promote messages of chastity and a pro-life world view. We do not need to be out of the social media sites, just not negatively influenced by them.

So, with these things in mind, I have a few ideas to help parents and youth ministers tackle these difficult subjects.

1/ Don't be too rigid. Experience has taught me that when I draw a line in the sand my children will be challenged to cross it. Rather than not having a television, we all watch things together. Instead of saying you can't watch a particular movie, we may pre-screen it or watch it together and critique it at the end. This becomes a valuable tool for both the young adults and ourselves. They have an environment in which they are getting the benefit of our knowledge and wisdom and we know what they are drawn to watch. As our children have become adults we hope that they will make good choices and this way we can still have some influence over the things they choose.

2/ Help them to become media literate. Often times, information is presented through media purposefully confusing or even imitating truth. Most teens need help sorting this out. Teaching them how commercials are influencing them, or how movies will say, "This movie is based on actual events," even when it is not, will help discern truth as they discover media. We can teach them critical thinking skills and give them information on websites that critique and rate movies and games for their offensive content.

3/ Join in. Many teens will use a friend's computer to have a social networking website if they are not allowed one at home. (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc.) A better tactic might be to allow them to have one on your computer, but keep the computer in an open, family space and require that you have their password. Another idea is to have your own social media and become 'friends' with your kids and with their friends. You would be amazed at how much information your teen or other teens will reveal about themselves on a social networking site.

4/ Teach them safety rules. Teens often don't realize the long-term ramifications of their actions. Consider hosting an in-service on internet safety. Discuss how predators use the internet, how info they post can follow them into job interviews and future relationships. A quick web search will reveal stories of how social media has negatively impacted someone's life or safety.

Discuss how simple information can provide information that may violate their privacy and compromise safety. For example, a school sport's picture with their Jersey number can be used to locate a teen. If you have any doubts about how easy it is to gain info, ask any teenage girl how she can locate a guy she has only seen once and even when she doesn't know his name!

Encourage kids to leave off location services on their mobile devices when using wi-fi, especially in free hotspots. These services advertise where an individual can be found and when.

5/ Discuss being connected. Kids often disconnect their real life behavior from their internet behavior, song choices or movie choices. I know great Catholic kids who listen to violent music about killing and sex. They don't think the lyrics affect their thinking process. Other teens will go to horribly offensive movies (either highly violent or sexual in nature), still others have fantasy lives on the internet.

Spending time talking about how these things can change thinking and even personalities, may help them discern what things to allow into their own lives.
*If you watch a sadistic, violent movie for two hours, can you really be the same person when you come out of the theater that you were going in?
*If a boy respects women, can he tolerate lyrics that objectify or reflect violence against women?
Opening this type of dialogue will help young people to create an informed conscience. God bless!
Copyright 2015

2014 offered a number of new and updated Catholic Apps:

1) CRS Ricebowl App: this is a wonderful app for Lent - just updated for Lent 2015 (iOS & Droid)

Thoughtful daily reflections

Easy to use tool to set and measure your Lenten sacrifices

Delicious meatless recipes from around the world

Built-in feature to share your Lenten experience

Website: http://www.crs.org/ricebowl-app/

2) Black Friars Media App: Dominican prayers, music, and video from the Dominicans of St. Joseph Province (iOS, Droid, Windows)

Website: http://www.opeast.org/2014/02/06/new-dominican-app-blackfriars-media/

3) Catholic Social Teaching App: many documents on Catholic social teachings (iOS)

Website: http://catholicsocialteaching.eppc.org/

4) Peace Quest App: contemplative prayer in a 3-D World (iOS)

Website: http://peacequest.com/

5) Lentsanity App: assistance in the season of Advent by FOCUS Campus Ministry (iOS & Droid)

Prayers

Reflections

Meat Police: Meatless reminders

Videos

Website: http://www.focus.org/lentsanity/#meatpolice

6) Church of the Nativity App: Tour virtual 3-D areas of the Church of the Nativity in Jerusalem (iOS)

Website: http://jerusalem.com/tour/nativity_church_3D

7) The Mass Explained App: learn many aspects of the Mass with this interactive and educational app (iOS - iPad only) updated 2014

Website: http://www.calltoholiness.us/2014/09/29/the-mass-explained-app/

8) St. Francis App: app about St. Francis of Assisi with daily reflections prayers, history, and Franciscan Spirituality (iOS & Droid)

Website: http://peaceandallgood.org/2014/11/new-st-francis-app/

9) Franciscan Apps: a number of apps exploring Franciscan Spirituality

Website: http://peaceandallgood.org/2014/04/franciscan-apps/
More Catholic Apps and also previous Catholic App Roundups available at my blog Call To Holiness

Read all posts by Filed Under: John Clem Technology

About eighteen months ago I took an online class called Digital Discipleship Boot camp or DDBC. I wrote about it at New Evangelizers. Now I am a presenter and coach with the program and would like to encourage you to look into the course and participate in it. Though I was fairly savvy about social media and how to use it before the course, I enjoyed the class as it exposed me to uses of technology and new forms of media I was not familiar with or in some cases even aware existed.

If we are to be a part of the New Evangelization we need to use the tools of the time. Certainly most of us would agree technology is a tool of our time. While I do not want to see technology take the place of person to person interaction, it certainly can assist us in reaching those we catechize. In particular, using technology to reach children and youth, as they are the generation which has grown up with electronic media and technology in unprecedented ways, is most important.

Digital Discipleship Boot Camp is an online program using a combination of live interaction, mentoring, coaching and personal assignments for people at any and all comfort levels in regard to technology. The topics addressed range from social media, websites and digital storytelling to the International Society for Technology in Education Standards and website copyright rules.

If you are a teacher, catechist, or a religious education director, or you work or volunteer in a parish in any capacity, this course is for you. I am not exaggerating when I say that anyone who is involved in parish ministry and uses a computer can benefit from this program. A new group is starting in February and you can find more information at Digital Discipleship, Lifelong Learners in the New Media Age. You can also learn more about Sr. Caroline Cerveny, who runs the program and is so enthusiastic about being a digital disciple!

If you have any questions, please ask in the comment box or email me at faithformation(at)stedwardpb(dot)com.
Copyright © 2014, Deanna Bartalini

Read all posts by Filed Under: Deanna Bartalini Evangelization, Technology

The Mass Explained is a new app for that teaches the history, traditions, symbols, art, music, and spirit of the Mass. This app is currently only available for Apple's iPad & iPad mini, and truly takes advantage of all the multimedia power of the iPad to bring the Mass to new light and understanding for the reader. This app may seem expensive at $24.99, but once you realize that it took years to develop with many resources that require royalty/copyright fees, this is quite a value that will be a worthwhile reference for years to come. Dan Gonzalez is the man behind the scenes who has assembled one of the finest Catholic Apps yet on the market. It is an amazing app that has the potential to get more people excited about "The Mass-the Source and Summit of our Catholic Faith", offering over 300 multimedia pages:

23 Chapters offering deeper knowledge and understanding of The Mass

Writings from The New American Bible

Catechism of the Catholic Church

3-D Objects can be rotated with your finger

Interactive Maps

360 Panoramas of Holy Sites

Videos to enrich content

Audio of music and prayers

Artwork with scalable images

Educational Discount

I really think that the Mass Explained App offers a new chapter in catechesis. Schools and groups interested in learning about the Mass in RCIA, study groups, and schools should look into this opportunity for discounted app to make this more affordable. This App offers a great experience for the reader, learner, and teacher to learn many aspects of the Mass in Gospel and Liturgy. The app is available through Apple's Volume Purchase Program (VPP) allowing your school, class, institution, parish or group to receive a 50% discount when purchasing the app in quantities of 20 or more. When purchased through Apple's VPP, Mass Explained can be distributed to your students or group members through redeemable codes or installed over the air automatically without user interaction. VPP purchases may be made using purchase orders, credit cards or PayPal. For more information on Apple's VPP, visit www.apple.com/education/it/vpp/

NOTE: The Mass Explained App is all self-contained and does not need internet connection for its content, so it can be used in any classroom. It is a large app and needs 299MB of memory space.

This is a nice introductory video offering a sampling of its content.

Take a look at the links below for more information, and to see the many endorsements and praises this app is receiving. The blog also offers printable kids crafts, and book & video resources. There is one book not mentioned that is one of the best books about The Mass: The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Dr. Scott Hahn. This app reminds me of this book that first sparked my awakening to the history, beauty, truth, and goodness of The Mass.
LINKS Mass Explained App website The Mass Explained Blog
John Clem, O.F.S.

Amazing Catechists welcomes guest blogger John Clem, O.F.S. who will be contributing reviews of technology that can aid in catechesis. John Clem, O.F.S is the Director and Media Minister at Catholic Web Services ( http://catholicws.com/). John is a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order, and loves to share his talents in faith, technology, and journalism in service to the church. John also writes a blog entitled Call To Holiness ( http://www.calltoholiness.us/).

Read all posts by Filed Under: Tagged With: John Clem Technology Apps, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Mass, religious education, resources, teaching

iPieta is one of the best resources for Catholics, and is practically like having the Vatican Library in your pocket. iPieta only costs $.99, but offers writings that would cost hundreds of dollars if bought in a bookstore. Kudos to iVerbum, the company who produces this app, and they constantly offer FREE updates. The App is constantly updated with new content and recently added the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva and St. Bridgett of Sweden. This App offers The Douay-Rheims Bible, a Novus Ordo (Catholic) Calendar through the year 2050, a large list of prayers, and many writings of the Saints and Popes.

The Veritas section of the App has a tremendous number of books from many Catholic theologians and saints. A sampling of some of the writings include Saint Francis DeSales "Introduction to the Devout Life", Saint Teresa of Jesus' "Interior Castle", Saint Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica", Saint John of the Cross' "Dark Night of the Soul", and Saint Augustine's "City of God".

In the section of Papal writings, there are books and encyclicals from 18 Popes. These include Pope Benedict XVI: Spe Salvi (Christian Hope), Deus Caritas Est (Christian Love), and Caritas In Veritate (Charity In Truth), and Blessed Pope John Paul II has 17 encyclicals including Vertatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth) and Redemptoris Mater (about the Blessed Virginia Mary and the Life of the Pilgrim Church). The latest writings of Pope Francis are also included in this App.

iPieta is available for the iOS and Driod and it is available in Spanish and offers adjustable sizes for text. Optional free audio is available for many prayers and novenas. The huge library of Catholic writings that are held in this one app offer a lifetime of readings that will constantly challenge and lift your spirit. This is also a wonderful resource for catechists and RCIA students & teachers.

Note: All content can be obtained through the app and does not require internet connection, so it can be used in any classroom, or even on camping trips.

Update July 2014: The latest version (8.0) allows audio to be stored within the app with many new audio supports and files.

More information available at www.ipieta.com

John Clem, O.F.S.

Amazing Catechists welcomes guest blogger John Clem, O.F.S. who will be contributing reviews of technology that can aid in catechesis. John Clem, O.F.S is the Director and Media Minister at Catholic Web Services ( http://catholicws.com/). John is a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order, and loves to share his talents in faith, technology, and journalism in service to the church. John also writes a blog entitled Call To Holiness ( http://www.calltoholiness.us/).

Read all posts by Filed Under: Tagged With: John Clem Technology Apps, Catechism of the Catholic Church, prayer, religious education, resources, teaching

I am seeking objective input on the Symbolon Project from anyone who has used it.

Thank you in advance!

Read all posts by Filed Under: Cay Gibson Book Reviews, Catechetics, Catechism, Catechist Training, Evangelization, General, RCIA & Adult Education, Resources, Technology

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Technology Archives - Amazing Catechists

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There are a few strong voices in the world of Teen Catholic Social Media. I recently had the privilege of interviewing two of them for an article on Catechist.com, Jimmy Reynolds, @litcatholicmemes on Instagram and Peter Burleigh of @Jesufex (Young Catholics) on Twitter. I wanted to share some of the insights they shared with me.

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Dear Community,

We have been a ministry dedicated to bringing the Liturgy of the Hours to everyone everywhere for many years. We grew out of an RCIA Committee to become facilitators of thousands of people who pray together. We have dedicated more than 10 years in God's service to this work. In that zeal to serve and naivety we acquired some licenses and permissions for DivineOffice.org, but we are missing some key ones. We have been asked, understandably so, to close off our ministry to new people while we go through the lengthy process of acquiring all permissions. We will grant free access to priests, deacons, nuns, sisters, brothers and those who have been praying in this community, but failed to register. We will also grant access to anyone with disabilities. Just let us know your situation by sending an email to [email protected]

If you have visual impairment please contact us at [email protected] because we have an accessible site for you and we can help you with registration.

If you need assistance logging in please send us an email to [email protected]

If you are one of the wonderful people who make financial contributions to support this community please do not be disappointed that we don't recognize your email address. We keep your contribution account separate and independent for your security. Please know the good you are doing by enabling so many people who can't afford to help to have access to this life changing opportunity to serve God and each other.

Login:

We care about your privacy: check out our privacy policy

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Dear Community, We have been a ministry dedicated to bringing the Liturgy of the Hours to everyone everywhere for many years. We grew out of an RCIA Committee to become facilitators of thousands of people who pray together. We have dedicated more than 10 years in God's service to this work.

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Not a visually attractive site, but a great resource.

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One of the biggest Catholic resources on the Internet, containing more than 10,000 articles

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It has live programming, but also a great resource library.

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EWTN Global Catholic Television Network: Catholic TV, Catholic Radio, and Catholic News

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EWTN is a global, Catholic Television, Catholic Radio, and Catholic News Network that provides catholic programming and news coverage from around the world

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Teens

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High School.

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Welcome to FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students

This is our story.

Learn more about FOCUS, discover the heart behind the mission, meet our missionaries and find out how you can support the apostolate.

Connect on campus.

See the FOCUS campus map, find Bible studies and faith resources, check out the blog and get in touch with missionaries at your school.

focusoncampus.org

We win the hearts of college students, build them in the faith and send them to the world.

Help us reach the hearts and minds of this generation.

"For if we received the love which restores meaning to our lives, how can we fail to share that love with others?"

- Pope Francis

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FOCUS is a Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students. Trained in Church teaching, prayer, sacred Scripture, evangelization and discipleship, FOCUS missionaries encounter students in through Bible studies, outreach events, mission trips and one-on-one discipleship.

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Can't recommend this enough!!

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Whether you'd like to revamp your prayer routine or don't have a routine you've made your own yet, there are many ways you can work on your prayer life.

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Blog Post by FOCUS - Top 24 Catholics to follow on Twitter/Instagram (this is a great list for junior high/high school.)

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Blog Post by FOCUS - Top 24 Catholics to follow on Twitter/Instagram (this is a great list for junior high/high school.)

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Support FOCUS and join us in continuing to change and impact lives across America and the world.

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OSV's Catholic Technology and Social Media Pinterest Board

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OSV's Catholic Technology and Social Media Pinterest Board

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THE best Catholic tech and social media roundup! News & recommendations from the Catholic web world, and relevant news & developments from around the tech world.

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After waiting all summer, Google Classroom is finally available to all Google Apps for Education teachers and students.

Google's venture into the world of learning management systems seems to be a pretty solid one. My first impressions:

It looks and feels like a Google product (which it should and which is a good thing)

It's clean and simple (which hopefully will make it easy to use)

It provides a home base for everything you do in Drive

For those of us that used lots of Google scripts (i.e. Doctopus, gClassFolders) to manage our classes - and for those of us that didn't know those existed! - Classroom should make life easier.

After taking Google Classroom for a spin, here are some features I know I'm going to take advantage of:

1. Set the class theme. This was the first thing I did after creating my classes. I love the breathtaking photos and the color schemes that go with them. Several photos will be a perfect fit for certain classes (i.e. there are a few nice ones for science).

2. Use the "About" page to provide information and important links for/about your class. After opening your class in Classroom, click the "About" tab at the top. Your "About" page can be a central hub for your class with clickable links (make sure to use http:// before links) and information students will need throughout the year.

3. Attach YouTube videos, Google Drive files and links to announcements. What better way to show students what you want them to do or inspire their work than with a video? Create a video to teach a new concept, to excite students about a new project or provide answers to frequently asked questions. Or choose a video available on YouTube. Attach photos from the classroom from your Google Drive in an announcement. There's a LOT you can do with this feature!

4. Choose how to deliver files to students in assignments. If you include a file to distribute to students in your assignment, you choose the editing rights they receive. Select whether to let them edit the file or only view the file. You can also make each student his/her own individual copy of the file (so everyone isn't typing notes on the same document).

5. Start a conversation/backchannel in announcements. When you post an announcement in Classroom, anyone in the class can comment on it. Post a conversation starter and let students reply to it, creating a digital conversation. Backchannels like this are a great way to make sure EVERY student is comfortable to contribute ... not just the ones that are willing to raise their hands in class.

6. E-mail students from within Classroom. Using the "Students" tab at the top, send an individual student e-mail by clicking the mail button to the right. Or highlight several students and e-mail them at the same time. There's no need to leave the app to send messages!

7. Provide an example of the work you'd like them to do. Within the description of an assignment, provide a link to an example you want students to emulate (and again, remember the http:// so it's clickable).

8. Provide a collaborative space for students to work. Distribute a place for collaborative class notes. Create a Presentation and give everyone a slide as their own space to work on a class activity. If you create files that everyone can work in, teamwork takes place online.

9. Track student progress with submission history. Follow the changes students made to their assignments by clicking a student's assignment in the "Assignment Status" section (after you click on the assignment) and "See submission history."

10. Revisit previous work in your class folder. Classroom creates a new folder for submitted student work in your Drive when you create a class. It creates a new folder for each assignment so files aren't jumbled together (like they were in your "Shared with me" or "Incoming" folder when students shared them with you!).

11. Toggle your e-mail notifications on and off. This is a nice feature if you don't want an e-mail every time something happens in Classroom. Change it under "Settings" when you click the menu button at the top left of your class (the three lines button ... sometimes called the "hamburger button").

12. Give Google your feedback. Use the little button in the bottom right corner to send Google your praise, your frustrations and your suggestions. You never know if the next feature they unveil could come from you!

What are your favorite Google Classroom features? How will you be using this new tool? Share in a comment below!

(For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links, "like" Ditch That Textbook on Facebook and follow @jmattmiller on Twitter!)
Interested in having Matt present at your event or school? Contact him by e-mail!
Check out our online courses. ALL under $50!

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12 great ways to start using Google Classroom now

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After waiting all summer, Google Classroom is finally available to all Google Apps for Education teachers and students. Google's venture into the world of learning management systems seems to be a pretty solid one.

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This is the US Bishop's Website. It is an ENORMOUS resource. The image selected was random...sorry!

*Daily Readings

*Online Catechism

*Church News

*Church Teaching

*Videos

*Free Resources

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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Online Concordance and Bible in many translations, including the NASB and RSV.

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Bible Search and Study Tools - Blue Letter Bible

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Read and study God's Word with Bible study software that has in-depth resources such as commentaries, Greek and Hebrew word tools, concordances, and more.

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Laudate - #1 Free Catholic App - Apps on Google Play

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The most comprehensive Catholic App . Available in English, Español, Português, Française, Deutsch, Nederlands, Slovenský, Italiano, Bahasa, Polski, Slovenski, Hrvatski, Việt, 简体, 繁體 and Românesc. Daily Mass Readings, Order of Mass, Liturgy of Hours, New American Bible, Latin Mass, Latin Liturgy of Hours, Rosary and Latin Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy (on Rosary screen), Seven Sorrows Rosary, Chaplet of St.

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Awesome Catholic prayer/Scripture Readings.

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From USCCB.org

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USA Catholic Church

A whole wide world of faith in the palm of your hands.

For the first time, the USA Catholic Church app from USCCB brings together parishes and (arch)dioceses across the United States-as well as the Vatican-into one, single mobile solution.
The App Features All This and More:

Daily Scripture readings

USCCB content integration

Up to the minute Catholic news

English/Spanish capability

News alerts, calls-to-action, events calendar

Church finder by location, city, zip code - Coming soon!

Individual parish and diocesan pages - Coming soon!

Comprehensive Coverage of Pope Francis: Keep current with what the Pope is saying and doing. The app features communications from the Vatican and Catholic News Service, with comprehensive coverage of Pope Francis's upcoming visit to the United States.
Available now!
Free to download. Find it in your app store or at www.usacatholic.church.

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A whole wide world of faith in the palm of your hands. For the first time, the USA Catholic Church app from USCCB brings together parishes and (arch)dioceses across the United States-as well as the Vatican-into one, single mobile solution.

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Sul sito ufficiale della Santa Sede è possibile consultare: il Magistero dei Sommi Pontefici (da Papa Leone XIII a Papa Francesco); i testi fondamentali del Cattolicesimo in varie lingue (la Sacra Bibbia, il Catechismo della Chiesa Cattolica, i documenti del Concilio Vaticano II ed il Codice di Diritto Canonico); documenti dei Dicasteri, degli Organismi e delle Istituzioni della Curia Romana.

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20 Useful Ways to Use Padlet in the Classroom

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20 Useful Ways to Use Padlet in the Classroom

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Ed Tech

There's a good chance you've done the "write on a sticky note and put it on the wall" activity - or have seen it happen before.
Padlet lets those sticky notes have images, links and videos AND be available with practically any Internet-ready device.
It used to be blocked by my school's Internet filter. This school year, the powers that be have allowed it through on student devices, opening up lots of possibilities in class!

Padlet is a great place for gathering ideas, sharing them and modifying them later. It's like a living, breathing webpage. Users can add links, YouTube videos, files and images to Padlet notes. They can move and arrange them. A link to a Padlet can be shared and Padlets can be embedded into webpages.

Here are 20 ways to use Padlet in class:

15. Collect videos to share in class

Looking for FREE Tech Like A PIRATE resources?
You'll find a treasure trove of additional ideas and activities related to t ​ ​​​​he book at TechLikeAPirate.com!

Looking for some more ideas? These sites have them!
Do you have an idea of how you could use Padlet in class? Post it in a comment below!

For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links:

Are you looking for quality, meaningful professional learning that both equips and inspires teachers?

Matt provides in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops and breakout sessions that equip, inspire and encourage teachers to create change in their classrooms. Teachers leave with loads of resources. They participate. They laugh. They see tech use and teaching in a new light. Click the link below to contact us and learn how you can bring Matt to your school or district!

FREE teaching ideas and templates in your inbox every week!

Subscribe to Ditch That Textbook

©2023 Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller.

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20 useful ways to use Padlet in class now

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Padlet is a web app that lets users post notes on a digital wall. The uses for this site in the classroom are virtually endless!There's a good chance

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This blog has it all! How-To's, Reviews and Ideas galore.

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Last weekend I received an email from a reader named Shayne who had experienced a problem with Google Keep notes randomly disappearing. Shayne's research indicated that other people had the same problem. So if you're someone who has run into glitches with Google Keep, here are some other task management tools that you might consider trying.

Wunderlist is a task management service that will synch across all of the devices that you use. Creating task lists in Wunderlist is an intuitive process. Just click the "create list" link or button and start typing out your list of things to do. You can create as many lists as you like within your account. You could create a list of things to do at home and things to do at school. Or you could create lists for the week, the month, and the year. You can set a due date for each task in all of your lists. All lists can be made collaborative by sharing them with other Wunderlist users.

As reviewed earlier this week, Taskade is a task management tool for individuals and teams who need tools for communicating with each other about their tasks. When you create a list in Taskade you can set a deadline for each item within the list. Files can be attached to each item in the list. And you can write comments on each item in the list. If you invite others to view a list, they can comment on list items too. Taskade users who are working in teams might enjoy the options to be notified whenever a team member updates a list. There is also an integrated text, voice, and video chat that you can use to communicate with team members about list items.

Randomly Remind Me is another task management tool that I reviewed earlier this week. Randomly Remind Me is only available on Android devices. It does not have any collaboration features. It's simply a good app for setting reminders for yourself to complete a list of tasks. My full review of Randomly Remind Me is available here.

Flask is a simple tool for making to-do lists and sharing them with others. To create a to-do list on Flask just go to the site and start writing your list. You don't have to create an account to use Flask. Unique URLs are assigned to each list that you create. To share your lists click the share button to send the link to your list to others. Watch my new video for an overview of how to use Flask to manage task lists.

OneNote has a task list function that you can use. While I enjoy using OneNote for bookmarks and sharing of notes, I don't find the task list function to be as user-friendly as some of the other tools on this list. That said, it could be the option for you if you're already a OneNote user and you don't want to add another app and corresponding account to your phone.

Bonus Option:
Use a paper notebook and pen. That's what I do every morning. The really important tasks then get copied into Google Keep on my phone.

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Last weekend I received an email from a reader named Shayne who had experienced a problem with Google Keep notes randomly disappearing. Shayne's research indicated that other people had the same problem. So if you're someone who has run into glitches with Google Keep, here are some other task management tools that you might consider trying.

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This free site has many possibilities! Students can use it to collaborate or present. (Check the Teacher Resources list for ideas for use).

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Lots of great, short Catechetical videos.

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catholic "fr. mike schmitz" "jessica rey" "catholic mass" "how to pray" "pro life" "young adult" millennials "jackie francois" bible "women's beauty"

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Ascension Presents is an evangelistic platform bringing faith-filled, entertaining and dynamic presenters straight to your newsfeed. By providing engaging co...

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Sr. Helena Burns, FSP, the "Media Nun," tells it like it is.

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Sr. Helena Burns, FSP, the "Media Nun," tells it like it is.

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EXCELLENT video about the use of media/technology with young people and really, anyone! (SO worth your watch/listen)!

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Life on the Rock - 2015-06-12 - Sr. Helena Burns

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Known as the Media Nun, Sr. Helena Burns, FSP, seeks to help young people to know, love and serve Christ on a daily basis. Hosted by Fr. Mark and Doug Barry.

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Similar to Wordle.

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What's a word cloud?

An attractive arrangement of randomly positioned words, where the most important words are bigger than the others.

What are they for?

Mostly for fun! ...and now you can print them automatically onto items: a great idea for making custom gifts! Plus they are fantastic at summarising large documents (reports, speeches, questionnaires, etc), teaching kids and more...

Great idea: make personalised gifts!

Custom T-shirts

Personalised presents

Gift mugs

Features

WordItOut is the word cloud generator that gives you control with many custom settings. Free to use and no sign up required!

Customise more settings than any other word cloud generator

Create word clouds from sentences, whole documents or tables.

Decide how to filter that text, which words to display or remove, and tweak their importance with ease.

Design your word cloud as you like, find that perfect layout, choose your own colours, fonts and sizes (and how to mix them), or let WordItOut find a random look for you!

Keep control of your word clouds

Share your word cloud with the world (or keep it secret!)

Easily embed them on your own website (as big or small as you want)

Download your own copy as an image file

Get any word cloud as a present or gift on a T-shirt, card or more...

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WordItOut - enjoy word clouds, create word art & gifts

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An attractive arrangement of randomly positioned words, where the most important words are bigger than the others. Mostly for fun! ...and now you can print them automatically onto items: a great idea for making custom gifts! Plus they are fantastic at summarising large documents (reports, speeches, questionnaires, etc), teaching kids and more...

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Have them create a word cloud of titles for Jesus, a Scripture passage they like, a Sacrament, again...sky is the limit!

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Consider having them retell Bible stories, create scenarios that exemplify virtues, show someone keeping a particular commandment, endless possibilities!

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Create Your Own Comic Strips Online with MakeBeliefsComix

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Create Your Own Comic Strips Online with MakeBeliefsComix

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EXHIBIT YOUR COMIX AND JOURNALING ART IN OUR GALLERY!

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Create free 30 second videos presentations.

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This is NOT Youtube, but its awesome!! Several great videos, not only about chastity.

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This is not a channel, but it is an awesome compilation about the Saints!

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This priest has made lots of short catechetical videos for college students, but I have found many of them to be appropriate for middle school.

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Father Dan O'Reilly continues his analysis of The Ten Commandments, with the Third Commandment. Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaCatholicMinistry Follow Father Dan on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/FrDanOReilly

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High quality videos about a variety of topics.

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Catholics have risked their lives for thousands of years to be at Mass. For mere ritual? Nostalgia? Obligation? No. For the most intimate encounter we get with our Maker on this side of eternity, and to tap into the power we need to live the life we were made for.

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Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word 

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Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word 

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Several GREAT series of videos. I love "Building Your Faith" with Brother Leo for my middle school students.

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Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word

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Building Your Faith - God is Trinity (CCC 232-233)

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In "Building Your Faith", Brother Leo of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, continues his work of conducting experiments and using various props to teach the Catholic faith in short, fun-filled lessons.

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Lots of times, even their previews are great. Very inspiring and high quality.

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Altaration -- "Bored at Mass?"  -- Online Bonus clip with Mark Hart

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http://www.altaration.com Mark Hart discusses what he calls the "Elephant in the Sanctuary," that is, the fact that many people-teens especially-find themselves bored at Mass, but are embarrassed or uncomfortable to admit it.

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Most of these videos are under 2 minutes and pertain to the Liturgical Year.

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safeshare.tv - View Youtube Videos without Ads or Pop-Ups

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safeshare.tv - View Youtube Videos without Ads or Pop-Ups

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Share YouTube and Vimeo videos safely and without distractions!

Watch videos without ads and distractions

Trim videos to show only the part you care about

Share directly to Google Classroom

Control the privacy settings of your videos

SafeShare makes it easy to generate web pages containing a video from YouTube or Vimeo, but without any advertisements, annotations, or links to other potentially inappropriate videos. Our "SafeViews" ensure that your viewers can watch your video free of distractions, which is especially important in an educational setting.

To create a SafeView you simply copy & paste the URL of a YouTube or Vimeo video. You can optionally select a start & end time to show only part of the video, or edit the video title and description. To share your video as a link, you can generate a short URL or QR code that you can paste anywhere. SafeShare also supports sharing through email, social networks such as Facebook, and Google Classroom.

Now it's your turn!

Signing up with SafeShare is completely free of charge. You'll be able to share YouTube videos without ads, modify SaveViews you previously created, and provide a better experience when sharing videos with students, classmates, colleagues or clients!

Teachers - Our mission is to provide a safe environment, where YouTube and Vimeo videos can be seen without any distraction. Thanks to our platform, teachers are able to share videos with their students without worrying about potentially inappropriate content. No longer will teachers have to resort to download and convert videos with VDownloader or similar applications just to be able to share it with their students without risking potentially inappropriate ad pre-rolls or other nuisances.

Parents - YouTube's "Safety Mode" is far from foolproof. There are many videos without appropriate age restrictions. In fact, some videos are specifically created to fool YouTube's content filters, as reported by the New York Times: " On YouTube Kids, Startling Videos Slip Past Filters". SafeShare was launched to keep reassure parents, and to keep children safe when watching online videos.

Anyone - Although YouTube allows you to set a start time for a video, it does not allow an end time to be defined, nor can you create a custom title or description for a section of a video to describe only the clip you want to highlight. With SafeShare, you can do exactly that, and more! This is great for webmasters, marketers, or anyone else who might want to link to a specific section of a video or customimze its title when sharing to social networks or a messenging application.

Launched as a beta version in 2009, SafeShare has gained popularity as the safest way to Watch and Share YouTube and Vimeo videos, and is widely used all around the globe by educators so their students can watch educational material without the fear of inappropriate videos showing up.

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SafeShare - The safest way to share YouTube and Vimeo videos

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Share YouTube and Vimeo videos safely and without distractions! Watch videos without ads and distractions Trim videos to show only the part you care about Share directly to Google Classroom Control the privacy settings of your videos SafeShare makes it easy to generate web pages containing a video from YouTube or Vimeo, but without any advertisements, annotations, or links to other potentially inappropriate videos.