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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. XII

August1

Welcome to the weekly (not so weekly) edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities, tools and articles curated from various social media spaces throughout… well, in this case—the past few months.

For those of you who became a fan of these collections of resources, my apologies for the hiatus. I’d like to say I spent the last year putzing from beach to beach in my hippie van, but that will be my reality in about five years… In the meantime, I’ve actually had some really awesome reasons as to why I had to take a step away from blogging for while—again; however, I’ll spare you from the details other than to say that among other edtech things, I started a movement known as XscapeEDU, which is based on providing students with the opportunity to design and build original “xscapes” (or breakout activities) for other students.

➡️ Check out additional info about this concept as well as the Xscape Xstravaganza I recently hosted for 80+ students in my region to showcase their escape room talents here and here. You can also check out a collection of pictures from our inaugural event here.

➡️ And, of course, if you’d like to join the movement and become an Xscape EDU Warrior—please contact me!

➡️ OK, now that I’ve convinced you to get your Xscape EDU on, it’s time to check out some other good stuff… Despite the ongoing crazy busy schedule, I have continued to collect a variety of super cool resources that will be useful in the classroom throughout the upcoming school year, and I’m about to share some of these edtech gems right here, right now…

First up: Introducing one of the neatest activities I’ve seen in awhile using the new green screen feature in iMovie—the Wormhole Challenge. If you don’t have an iOS device capable of generating this kind of creative coolness, one of the examples shown below will definitely persuade you into visiting the nearest Apple Store asap (or if you’re me—Amazon Prime)! But it’s not just a fun looking activity—the learning possibilities are endless! In fact, you can add your ideas to the soon to be crowd-sourced Padlet located here.

➡️ For additional examples, check out the following hashtags on Twitter: #WormholeChallenge + #EveryoneCanCreate

Check out my first few attempts at creating a “Wormhole” video…

A shout out to Richard Hopkin for developing and sharing this concept!

➡️ Back to School Activities…

» 9 Back-To-School Ideas for AdobeSpark in the Classroom (includes planning pages)—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» 14 Ideas for those First Days of School—By Ryan O’Donnell

➡️ Next, if you’ve previously tuned into my space, you know that I’m a total Google fan girl—and for good reason. That said, let’s kick things off with some edtech gems that will definitely assist you with engaging your students in learning!

➡️ From the amazing Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve:

» Simple Search Lifesavers for Students

» Battlesheets: Google Sheets Battleship Game Template—Use with students to develop critical thinking skills and learn about locating points in a coordinate system

» Play “Mystery Animal” with Google—A 20-Questions Game for Students to Learn Critical Thinking & Science

» Amazing Mobile Features of Google Classroom

» Make Google Form Responses Easy to Read with “Save as Doc” Add-on

» Super Spreadsheet Activities for All Subjects

» 20 Awesome Add-ons for Google Docs

» 4 Fake Sites to Teach Students Website Evaluation

» 12 Terrific Podcasts to Learn Something New Everyday

» 26 YouTube Shortcuts Everyone Should Know

➡️ More Google Goodness…

» Do you use Google Classroom and want to print student work without opening and printing each document individually? Allison McCutcheon has a solution, and it’s called PDF Mergy. Watch her explainer video here!—via Tony Vincent, Learning in Hand

» Nearpod Announces a New Add-On for Google Slides—A blog post by Julie Smith, The Techie Teacher

➡️ For the Apple Gurus…

» Animated Sketchnotes: A quick explanation of how to use Keynote builds, actions, line draw & paths to make animated GIFs—By Tricia Fuglestad

» Let’s Make Stuff: 5 Keynotes Templates to Amplify Learning—Keynote is for SO much more than just presentations! Learn creative uses for Keynote to amp up learning in your classroom by exploring and remixing Keynote templates for iPad and Mac.—By Jessica Garrigan

➡️ Other #EdTech Faves…

» 10 Digital Bell-Ringer Activities to Kickstart Class (Part 1)—By Matt Miller, Ditch That Textbook

» 10 MORE Digital Bell-Ringer Activities to Kickstart Class (Part 2)—By Matt Miller, Ditch That Textbook

» Nadine Gilkison’s Hyperdocs: From Rube Goldberg machines to counting money, this massive collection of Hyperdocs can be downloaded to your Google Drive for easy access and classroom usage. Not enough thank you’s to Nadine for sharing this amazing resource!

» Add intrigue to a lesson by having students make guesses about a pixelated picture—By Tony Vincent, Learning in Hand

➡️ Good Reads…

» DON’T Ditch That Tech: Differentiated Instruction in a Digital World—A book written by Matt Miller, Nate Ridgway & Angelia Ridgway

» Relentless: Changing Lives by Disrupting the Educational Norm—A book written by Hamish Brewer

» EDrenaline Rush: Game-changing Student Engagement Inspired by Theme Parks, Mud Runs, and Escape Rooms Paperback—A book written by John Meehan

» Students in Tech Say Soft Skills and the Arts Set Them Up for Success—An article written by Emily Tate; Featured on EdSurge

➡️ Geeky Gadgets Worth Checking Out…

» Pi-Top 4: It’s a Raspberry Pi computer with 14 components for making cool stuff. The components are magnetic and can connect to Lego.—via Tony Vincent, Learning in Hand

So there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

In the meantime—if you’ve missed any of my previous edtech collections, check ’em out within the interactive image embedded below… Be sure to hover over the image to reveal the hotspots!

Click here to view a full screen version of this image.

Click here to view a full screen version of this image.

Until next time… Peace out!

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. XI

October2

Welcome to the weekly (not so weekly) edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities, tools and articles curated from various social media spaces throughout the past—well, months.

For those of you who have become a fan of these Smackdowns, my apologies for the hiatus. I’d like to say I spent the summer in a tiki hut on a tropical island but… Instead I actually do have some really awesome reasons as to why I had to take a step away from blogging for a few months. Aside from attending some pretty amazing professional learning workshops (iPadpalooza in Austin, Texas and the Pittsburgh Fab Lab Institute), I’ve been super busy creating all kinds of cool opportunities for students in my district: A high-tech makerspace in our elementary, a brand-new makerspace in our middle school and a ’70s-themed Escape Room. I also organized and facilitated Edcamp Blue Devil Nation, the first event of this kind in our area, and Tech-A-Rama, an all-day edtech workshop for teachers in my district.

Despite the ongoing crazy schedule, I have collected a number of awesome resources that will be useful in the classroom throughout the new school year, and I’m about to share some of these edtech gems right here, right now…

But first, let me just say that most of the links I’ll be providing in this post involve the use of the G-Suite (formerly Google Apps for Education). Yes, I am a total Google fan girl—and for good reason. So as usual, let’s kick things off with some amazing activities that will definitely engage students in learning!

From the amazing Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve:

» What’s New in Google: 42 updates from Summer 2017

» 11 Ways to Teach Math with Google Drawings

» 6 Awesome Uses for Revision History in G-Suite

» Why and How to Share Student Writing with the World

» Video Mash-Ups with Google Slides

» 30 Free Google Drawings Graphic Organizers (And how to make your own)

» Battlesheets! Google Sheets Battleship Game Template

» Google Drawings Chess and Checkers Game Templates for Students

More Google Goodness…

» Smarter Google Forms: Why Google’s New Features Are Good for Educators—By Adam By Adam Shoenbart, The Shoenblog

» Put a Hashtag in the Google Classroom Assignment Title—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» How to Create a GoogleClassroom Custom Header with GoogleDrawings—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» Our Favorite Google Docs Tips & Tricks—From the Google Teacher Tribe Podcast with Matt Miller & Kasey Bell

» Create a QR code that links to a shared Google Drive folder containing images you’ve selected—By Tony Vincent, Learning in Hand

Other #EdTech Faves…

» 10 Digital Bell-Ringer Activities to Kickstart Class (Part 1)—By Matt Miller, Ditch That Textbook

» 10 MORE Digital Bell-Ringer Activities to Kickstart Class (Part 2)—By Matt Miller, Ditch That Textbook

» 9 Back-To-School Ideas for AdobeSpark in the Classroom (includes planning pages)—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

The #MakerEd Movement…

» Check out our new logo that will be used to represent the makerspaces in our District. Follow us on Twitter @BAmakertribe to get your makered on!

So there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

In the meantime—if you’ve missed any of my previous edtech collections, check ’em out within the interactive image embedded below… Be sure to hover over the image to reveal the hotspots!

Click here to view a full screen version of this image.

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. X

June25

Welcome to the weekly edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities, tools and articles curated from various social media spaces throughout the past week.

Check out some super cool edtech gems right here, right now and get ready to use these ideas to support learning and to engage students in your classroom!

As usual, this week kicks off with more Google goodness you won’t want to miss…

» Video Mash-Ups with Google Slides—By Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» Google Keep: An Overview—By Meagan Kelly, I ❤ EDU

» How to Create a GoogleClassroom Custom Header with GoogleDrawings—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» Our Favorite Google Docs Tips & Tricks—From the Google Teacher Tribe Podcast with Matt Miller & Kasey Bell

» Creating a Yohaku Puzzle with Google Sheets—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» Creating a Duplicate Tab in Chrome—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» 16 G Suite Challenges for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Users—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» Worksheet Trapped in a Notebook—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

For the Apple Gurus…

» 2000+ iPad Lessons—By Lisa Johnson, Techchef4u

» 8 Must-Have Websites and Apps for Science Reading Passages—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» 4 Ways to Use QR Codes with Students in 2017—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» QR Codes: Pushing the Narrative on Scannables—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» 3 Reasons to Try the Paperscorer App This Year—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» Level the Playing Field with these iPad Accessibility Apps—By Nick LaFave, EdTechPicks

» Update: iOS 11 allows users to record their iPhone or iPad’s screen—By cnet.com

The #MakerEd Movement…

» Tinkering Forward: The Maker Movement Continues at B-A—By Jamie Forshey, Edutech for Teachers

» 7 Tips for Planning a Makerspace—By Leila Meyer via THE Journal

Other #EdTech Faves…

» Thinking of starting a student-led technology helpdesk? Check out a student-made iTunes U Course here!

» HyperDoc Lessons for When You’re Out of the Classroom—By Meagan Kelly, I ❤ EDU

» Favorite Sites for Free Clipart and Photos—By Tony Vincent, Learning in Hand

» Creative Book Trailer Ideas—By Brenham Tech Daily

» Green Screen Editing in GsuiteEdu (with a PicForward Template)—By Larissa Aradj, mrsgeekchic.com

» 6 Reasons to Lead Your Next Faculty Meeting with Nearpod—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» Creating Visual Six Word Stories—By Adam Shoenbart, The Shoenblog

» 10 Apps to Help Students With Their Social Studies Homework—By Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» Geometry: More Resources for Flipping—By Meagan Kelly, I ❤ EDU

» Edtech Quality, Not Quantity—The EdTech Vlog by Matt Harris, Ed.D.

Good Reads…

» Strategies for Seamlessly Integrating Technology into Class—By Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» Duh! You Don’t Need Technology to Gamify Your Classroom—By Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» The A-Z of EdTech Literacy—By Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» Creating a Site-Based EdTech Bootcamp—By Meagan Kelly, I ❤ EDU

» Micro-Credentials for Micro-Students: Kindergarteners Swap Grades for Badges—By Brad Simala, Jennifer Meliton and Mary Carole Perry, Elementary Principals in the Elizabeth Forward School District via EdSurge

» Sometimes It Is Just About the Technology—Chris Aviles, The Teched Up Teacher

» Easy-to-Use Guide: The K-16 Instruction and Technology Integration Model—By Getting Smart

» Fair Haven: School Startup Spins a Profit—Via the redbankgreen.com web site

 Geeky Gadgets Worth Checking Out…

» Scribbler DUO: The World’s First Dual-Nozzle 3D Printing Pen—By Scribbler 3D Pen

Other Super Cool Stuff…

» Another awesome idea from Tony Vincent, Learning in Hand

So there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

In the meantime—if you’ve missed any of my previous edtech collections, check ’em out within the interactive image embedded below… Be sure to hover over the image to reveal the hotspots!

Click here to view a full screen version of this image.

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. IX

May27

Welcome to the weekly edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities, tools and articles curated from various social media spaces throughout the past week.

Check out some super cool edtech gems right here, right now and get ready to use these ideas to support learning and to engage students in your classroom!

As usual, this week kicks off with more Google goodness you won’t want to miss…

» 6 End of Year Google Classroom Clean-up Tips—By Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» The Guide to Google Drive Sharing: FREE eBook—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» Awesome Assessment App Smash: Google Drawings and Google Forms—By Avra Robinson, EdTechTeacher Instructor

» Favorite Google Docs Tips & Tricks—From the Google Teacher Tribe Podcast with Matt Miller & Kasey Bell

» Video Projects with G Suite—From the Google Teacher Tribe Podcast with Matt Miller & Kasey Bell

» Google Sheets Cheat Sheet for Teachers and Students—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» Google Classroom: Record Video Straight to Classroom—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» ABC Summer Countdown on Google Slides—By Erin Flanagan,

» 5 Google Slide Tips & Tricks—By Meagan Kelly, I ❤ EDU

» Teach Like the Tonight Show: Internet Pop Quiz with Google Slides (Teacher Edition)—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

For the Apple Gurus…

» 10 Things Siri Can Do for Teachers & Students—By Julie Smith, The Techie Teacher

» iPad Desk Plates—By Erin Flanagan,

The #MakerEd Movement…

» What the Heck is a Makerspace?—By Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» Educator’s Guide for Designing a Makerspace—By Mayuri Ambule, EdTechTeam

Other #EdTech Faves…

» 20+ Fidget Spinner Activities—By Denis Sheeran, Instant Relevance

» 8 Ways to Use Scratch Coding Cards in Your Classroom—Contributed by the ScratchEd Team

» 10 Ways to Use Adobe Spark in School—By Richard Byrne, Free Technology for Teachers

» Statistical Research PBL: A HyperDoc + Smashboard Project—By Meagan Kelly, I ❤ EDU

» Visualize, Connect, Doodle, Repeat: Sketchnoting with Students Using Explain Everything—Guest blog post written by Carrie Baughcum for Explain Everything

Good Reads…

» The HyperDoc Handbook: Digital Lesson Design Using Google Apps—A book written by Lisa Highfill, Kelly Hilton & Sarah Landis

» 12 Inspiring STEM Books for Girls—Article written by Emelina Minero; Featured on Edutopia

» 3 Must-Read Books for Teachers—Nick LaFave, EdTechPicks

Other Super Cool Stuff…

» The 2017 Honor Roll: EdTech’s Must-Read K–12 IT Blogs—Compiled by Meghan Bogardus Cortez, associate editor with EdTech: Focus on K–12

» End of the Year Project Using Snapchat—By Sarah Weck

And last, but certainly not least… I recently had the awesome opportunity to become a member of the Tech with Us Community on Facebook. Check out our page for tons of awesome edtech ideas, discussions and other resources!

So there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

In the meantime—if you’ve missed any of my previous edtech collections, check ’em out within the interactive image embedded below… Be sure to hover over the image to reveal the hotspots!

Click here to view a full screen version of this image.

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. VIII

May14

Welcome to the weekly edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities, tools and articles curated from various social media spaces throughout the past week.

Check out some super cool edtech gems right here, right now and get ready to use these ideas to support learning and to engage students in your classroom!

This week kicks off with more Google goodness you won’t want to miss…

» Creating Lit Trips and Tours for Google Earth—By Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» The Google Drawings Manifesto for Teachers—By Matt Miller, Ditch That Texbook

» Google Slides: Make a Draggable Stack—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» Bring In a Google Doc into a Spreadsheet—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» 7 Hidden Tips for Google Sites—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» How to Easily Assess Student Writing in Google Docs—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

For the Apple Gurus…

» Running an iPad App Draft in the Classroom—By Erin Flanagan,

Other #EdTech faves…

» And Here is Your 5000th Poster Assignment—Love, love this crowd-sourced doc containing alternatives to the typical poster project! From Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» 6 3D Printing Lesson Plans from MakerBot’s Thingiverse—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» 8 Examples of Transforming Lessons Through the SAMR Cycle—Kelly Walsh, EmergingEdTech

Good reads…

» The Maker Mindset & Invention Literacy—By Colleen Graves, Maker Ed Author

» Makerspaces Around the World—By Laura Fleming, Worlds of Learning

» Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom—A book written by by Sylvia Libow Martinez & Gary Stager

» 8 Ideas to Make the End of the Year Race Better—By Pernille Ripp

» Teach Kids to Code and Secure Their Future—By Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» Making Science: Reimagining STEM Education in Middle School and Beyond—A book written by Christa Flores

Other super cool stuff…

» The Educational Hashtag and Twitter Chat Database—Compiled by Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» School STEM Program Website—Deerfield Academy (Deerfield, MA)

» Websites & Blogs to Follow—Compiled by Bret Gosselin, The One Room Globetrotter

» Another excellent sketchnote by Sylvia Duckworth…

And there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

In the meantime—if you’ve missed any of my previous edtech collections, check ’em out within the interactive image embedded below… Be sure to hover over the image to reveal the hotspots!

Click here to view a full screen version of this image.

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. VII

May7

Welcome to the weekly edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities, tools and articles curated from various social media spaces throughout the past week.

Check out some super cool edtech gems right here, right now and get ready to use these ideas to support learning and to engage students in your classroom!

This week kicks off with more Google goodness you won’t want to miss…

» Using Google AutoDraw for Sketchnotes, Infographics, Drawings, and More—By Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» Create a Mother’s Day Movie with Google Photos—Google Blog via Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» Code a List of Your Calendar Events with Google Calendar—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» Favorite Google Tools and How to Use Hyperdocs in the Classroom—The Google Teacher Tribe Podcast featuring Karly Moura

» Browser Tech Tip: Ctrl-F to Find Words Anywhere in a Browser Window—Kelly Walsh, EmergingEdTech

» 6 Ways to Use Adobe Spark with Google Classroom—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

For the Apple Gurus…

» codeSpark Academy with The Foos—Develop problem-solving skills, encourage persistence and promote creativity with the #1 learn to code app for kids ages4-9! #EveryoneCanCode

» Clips Video App Update: Live title editing and other improvements—Info by AppleInsider

Other #EdTech faves…

» Create a Read Aloud Backchannel in Your Classroom—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» AR/VR in EDU—Tons of augmented and virtual reality resources—Compiled by Jaime Donally

» Augmented Art Show….via Quiver—By Katie Ann Wilson, Diary of a Techie Chick

Good reads…

» Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom—A book about the maker movement written by Gary Stager

» 12 structures to keep kids focused when using the internet in class—Written by Angela Watson

» Teaching Kids about Standing up for the Underdog—Written by Annie Fox via Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

Other super cool stuff…

» Science & STEM EdTech Links of the Month—Compiled by Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» The Edvocate’s List of 20 Must-Follow K-12 Education Twitter Feeds—Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» How to Recover Lost Files from a USB Flash Drive—By Jessica Carrell via Nick LaFave, EdTechPics.org

» How to Make a Lightboard for Less Than $100 (Step-by-Step, With Illustrations)—Kelly Walsh, EmergingEdTech

And there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

In the meantime—if you’ve missed any of my previous edtech collections, check ’em out within the interactive image embedded below… Be sure to hover over the image to reveal the hotspots!

Click here to view a full screen version of this image.

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. VI

April30

Welcome to the weekly edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities curated from various social media spaces throughout the past week.

Check out some super cool edtech gems right here, right now and get ready to use these ideas to support learning and to engage students in your classroom!

This week kicks off with more Google goodness you won’t want to miss…

» The Teacher’s Guide to Google Classroom eBook (including a free bonus: Student Quick Guide)—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» Play Connect 4 Asynchronously with Google Drawings—By Alice Keeler, Teacher Tech

» Creative Google Slides Uses for Students—By Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» 8 Awesome Reasons to Go Incognito in Google Chrome—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

Another geeky gadget worth checking out…

» The first-ever mini robotic printer—By ZUtA Labs 

Good reads…

» Can schools punish students for off-campus, online speech?—Written by Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» Why don’t kids speak up about bullying?—A guest post by Jennifer Fraser; Featured on The Tech Edvocate

Other cool stuff…

» 50 Fabulous EdTech Blogs to Follow—Compiled by Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» PicCollage & PicKids… What’s the Difference?—By Ann Kozma, Tech.Travel.Teach

» A super cool quote graphic shared by Erin Flanagan, erintegration.com

And there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

In the meantime—if you’ve missed any of my previous edtech collections, check ’em out here:

» Volume I

» Volume II

» Volume III

» Volume IV

» Volume V

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. V

April23

Welcome to the weekly edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities curated from various social media spaces throughout the past week.

Check out some super cool edtech gems right here, right now and get ready to use these ideas to support learning and to engage students in your classroom!

This week kicks off with more Google goodness starting with this epic new release…

» Welcome home to the new Google Earth—It’s everything you love about Google Earth, plus new ways for you to explore, learn and share. Zoom in and see what adventures await you!

» 4 New Video Options in Google Slides That Will Make Your Day—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» 100+ Great Google Classroom Resources for Educators—Compiled by Vicki Davis, the Cool Cat Teacher

» Free Pattern Block Templates and Activities with Google Drawings—Lots of awesome digital pattern block ideas and resources by Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

For the Chrome Extension gurus…

» Sticky Notes: A Chrome extension for quickly and easily taking notes while browsing—Tip shared by Julie Smith, the JG Techie Teacher

» Reinventing Math Class with the EquatIO Chrome Extension—Post written by John McGowan, Math Product Manager, Texthelp

A few geeky gadgets worth checking out…

» iPad Cases: Bluetooth & Backlight ClamCases from Incipio—By Monica Burns, Class Tech Tips

» Go Adventuring with this Underwater Microphone—From KitHub, By KitHub

Other super cool stuff…

» 10 Best Sites That Offer Gorgeous Free Images for Blogs—By Lifehack… Great places to snag images for classroom projects too!

» Student-Created Breakout EDU Games—Post written by Mari Venturino

» Another great sketchnote by Sylvia Duckworth…

And there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. IV

April15

Welcome to the weekly edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities curated from various social media spaces throughout the past week.

Check out some super cool edtech gems right here, right now and get ready to use these ideas to support learning and to engage students in your classroom!

This week kicks off with more Google goodness… Be sure to check out the latest tips and tricks!

» 8 Fantastic Ways to Find Anything in Google Drive—By Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» Stop Animation with Google Slides Examples and tutorials by Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» Claim Evidence Reasoning with Google Forms… Use the Autocrat add-on to create color-coded paragraphs! Idea created by Mari Venturino

» 9 #Edtech Tools to Try—Compiled by Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» 10 Commandments of Innovative Teaching—Post written by George Couros

» How to make a colorful Venn diagram in Google Drawings or Slides—By Tony Vincent

And there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

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The Weekly Edtech Smackdown: Vol. III

April9

Welcome to the weekly edition of The Edtech Smackdown—a collection of digital resources containing a few of my most favorite activities curated from various social media spaces throughout the past week.

Check out some super cool edtech gems right here, right now and get ready to use these ideas to support learning and to engage students in your classroom!

This week kicks off with lots of Google Goodness from some of the best gurus on the planet… Check. It. Out!

» Google’s Buried Treasure: 18 Hidden Tricks and Tools—A super useful Google Slides prez by Matt Miller, Ditch that Textbook

» Create interactive Jeopardy games with Google Slides—Templates, examples and tutorials by Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» Create animated online comic strips with Google Slides—Another awesome resource from Eric Curts, Control Alt Achieve

» Google Slides Picture Writing Prompt Journal Template—Instructions included by GoogleAppsAction.com

» Without Mentioning It, Google Silently Released a Pretty Awesome Video Editor—Are you looking for a simple video editing tool to use with your students for that once and done classroom project? Find out from Jeffery Bradbury of Teacher Cast how Google Slides just might be the perfect fit!

» The Complete Guide to Google Certifications—A free eBook by Kasey Bell, Shake Up Learning

» Teaching Math with Google Apps: 50 G Suite Activities—Awesome book by Alice Keeler & Diana Harrington

» Google Tip: Accidentally close a tab in Chrome? Bring it back with CTRL/SHIFT/T.

And for the Apple fans…

» Tips for Using iPads in the Classroom—Written by Matthew Lynch, The Tech Edvocate

» A Free Interactive Guide to Boost Students Learning on iPad—Created by Apple Education, this resource is available for free and can be downloaded with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device.

» 5 Ways to Use Apple Clips in the Classroom

Other useful edtech gems…

» 14 Fun Formative (and Summative) Assessment Ideas—Lots of fun and engaging ways for students to demonstrate understanding brought to you by the EdTechNut

» 10 Wordless Videos That Teach Problem Solving—Very cool idea that can be used for classroom discussions, writing prompts and/or storytelling from speechisbeautiful.com

» How Biology Helps in Solving Challenges Facing The Planet—A free interactive book app available for free on iOS and Android devices

And there you have it—this week’s smackdown! Stay tuned for additional resources coming your way in the next round…

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