Ten Ideas for Classroom Podcasts
On Sunday I published a video that shows how quickly and easily you can create a podcast on Anchor.fm. If you watched the video and you’re ready to get started, your next step is probably to generate ideas for your classroom podcast. Here are ten ideas that I brainstormed to help you and your students […]
Aquation – A Game for Learning About Global Access to Clean Water
Aquation is a free game offered by the the Smithsonian Science Education Center. The game, designed for students in upper elementary school or middle school, teaches students about the distribution of clean water and what can be done to balance global water resources. In the game students select a region to explore its current water […]
Why February is Shorter Than Every Other Month
Tomorrow is the last day of February. Some students may wonder why February is only 28 days while all other months are 30 or 31 days. It’s Okay To Be Smart has the answer to that question in the following video. Of course, every four years February has 29 days. The following videos can help […]
Reshot – A New Source of Free Images for Multimedia Projects
Reshot is a new site that offers free “handpicked” images that you can download to reuse in multimedia projects. The site, like many like it, lets you download images for free. According to Reshot’s licensing statement, image attribution isn’t required, but it is appreciated. To that end Reshot makes it easy to find and copy […]
How to Create a Podcast
Last week Anchor.fm launched a new and improved site that makes it easy for anyone to create and publish a podcast. I liked the redesigned site so much that I featured it as my tip of the week in the Practical Ed Tech newsletter. If you’re not subscribed to that newsletter or you are and […]
Solve Me Puzzles – Play or Create Math Puzzles
Solve Me Puzzles is a free site provided by the nonprofit Education Development Center. The site offers free math puzzles for students to play and templates for teachers to use to create math puzzles. Solve Me Puzzles features three basic puzzle types. The Who Am I? puzzles feature a little robot character that students identify […]
Truss Me – Design and Test Weight-bearing Structures
Truss Me is an app that students can use to design and test simple weight-bearing structures. Truss Me can be used in “challenge” mode or in “free play” mode. The challenge mode contains fifteen activities in which students are awarded points for strength and efficiency of their structures. For example, if a structure holds the […]
Rocket Science 101 – Build and Launch Virtual Rockets
Update, January 2021: This app is no longer available. Rocket Science 101 is a free app offered by NASA that helps students understand how rockets work. The app also helps students understand the differences between the four types of rockets most frequently used by NASA. In Rocket Science 101 students can build all four rockets in […]
Everything I’ve Learned About Making Money Through Blogging Is In This Course
Over the years Free Technology for Teachers, Practical Ed Tech, and my other websites morphed from a hobby to a full-time job. Along the way I made plenty of mistakes and I have had some great successes. But one thing that I always say when people ask me for advice about how to make money […]
Ancient Rome 101 and Life as a Roman Teenager
National Geographic has a great series of YouTube videos called National Geographic 101. The most recent addition to that series is Ancient Rome 101. The video provides an excellent introduction to the origin, rise, and fall of the Roman Empire. The length and substance of the video makes it an ideal candidate for inclusion in […]
