Not a Free Tech Tool

Stolen Image from Amazon.com - but since I'm sending
business their way, my guess is that they will be thrilled.

I Will Never Get Through My Reading List!

@joe_edtech

Frequent visitors to my blog (Hi Mom!) will know that I usually dedicate my time to discussing free tech tools to use in the classroom. Money is tight in every school and I take the responsibility of finding and teaching quality tech tools accessible to ALL very seriously. So, my Free Tech Tools posts will return in the Fall ("Winter is coming!" - House of Stark). This post is really all about you, and how one tech tool may be worth the investment.

I love to read. However, my time is limited. I have a hefty commute to and from work every day. I have my school work and I'm writing a pretty substantial research study. And, I have a 14-year-old daughter that demands and deserves a fairly significant amount of whatever is left of my free time. While I do read for pleasure in the few spare minutes remaining, I find it isn't enough.

For instance, I just read The Girl on the Train, and I found it compelling. It is hard to put it down and walk away - so I didn't. I bought the Kindle book and downloaded it to my iPad, and I bought the audio edition as well and loaded the Kindle app on my phone. The reason is that WhisperSync from Amazon.com actually syncs the Kindle version with the audio. So, I read a chapter at night on my iPad, then got up and listened to the next couple of chapters on my phone on the drive into work. When I got back to my iPad, it would sync to the last page I heard in the audio book. 

This is available for virtually any book that is available with both a Kindle version and an Audible version. So, the downside is that it sometimes costs a little extra. You do have to pay for the Kindle version, but you can usually add the Audio for free or at a significantly reduced cost. For instance, if I were to buy Stephen King's 11.22.63, it would cost $8.99 for the download, but the audio is actually included in the cost.

WhisperSync is a service of Amazon.com, which owns both Kindle and Audible. Click here for more information.

I hope this helps you enjoy your summer break just a little more, and get closer to getting through your reading list. Then, next Fall, we'll talk about kids who might benefit from hearing the story while they read it. :)

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Have other tips for teachers as they head to a summer of recalibrating and learning? Tell us about them in the comment section below.

FTT Year End Round Up Part 2

FTT Year End Round Up (Part 2)

@LisaBerghoff/@joe_edtech

Welcome to the last Free Tech Tools post for the 2015-2016 school year! When I did a Google image search for "round up"I got everything from weed killer to ranchers. As I scanned at the images I was reminded of the carnival ride called Round Up. Basically, you are strapped to the inner part of a huge circular pie plate. The plate starts spinning and the centrifugal force pushes you against the wall. It then lifts up and tilts so that instead of spinning horizontally, you are practically spinning vertically. Some people love it. I, personally, do not understand why this is fun at all.

I thought this image would be appropriate for the last round up because at the very end of the year many of us feel like we're spinning and don't really know which end is up. 

My hope is that by providing you with this short recap of the free tech tools from second semester, you can find your balance and feel daring enough to give some of these a try as you are planning for next year. 

Without further ado, here are the free tech tools that we rolled out during the second half of this school year...

January:

New Updates to Google Drive (so far): Check out some of the new-ish features that have been added to Drive and Docs.

February:

Google Advanced Search: Take a look at what happens when you do an advanced search in Google.

Dotstorming:  One of this year's favorites! This is an online collaborative brainstorming tool.

GE Teach: Compare side by side Google maps. Created by a teacher!

Guide To Backchanneling:  Learn about backchanneling and two tools to use: TodaysMeet and 81Dash.

March:

Avoid ads and other annoyances in YouTube: Learn about Adblock, QuietTube, ViewPure, and DF YouTube

Challenge Your Students To Support Their Claims With Data: Learn about infographics creators. 

Blendspace: Makes it easy to incorporate multiple tools for blended learning.

Choosito: Differentiate by reading level.

April:

Twitter: Educators use Twitter for PD, to have their students reach out to an authentic audience, to share and collaborate on ideas. Not on Twitter yet?  It's not too late:)

Google Keep:  Keep everything organized and share your ideas, to-do lists, progress, and plans.

OpenBadge.Me: Digital Badging tool for your class.

Class Badges: Gamify your class for easier differentiation and engagement.

May:

PSnap.it: When you put more positive out into the world, you get more positive back at you. This tool allows you to share positive messages and feedback with friends and colleagues (students too!)

New Interactive Features of Google Slides: Participants can now ask questions in real time!

Screencasting tools: Learn about Screencastify and CaptureCast as replacements for Snagit, which is no longer being supported.

Year-End Round Up Part 1: If you've been hiding under a rock and missed last week's post. Here are all of the free tech tools from first semester.

Have a wonderful summer everyone!

Do you have a free tech tool that you love? Post in the comments below. I'd love to hear about it!