Common Sense Education has posted a notice on its website stating that the content on its EdTech review pages is no longer being updated, and it will be taking a break from edtech reviews beginning February 2026.

The notice also directs educators to Common Sense EdTech privacy ratings and encourages subscribing to its educator newsletter for updates on classroom tech and media trends.

For many educators and district leaders, Common Sense reviews have been a familiar first stop for quickly gauging classroom fit, usability, and student experience. This shift does not create an immediate emergency, but it does remove educator access to a widely used resource.

Educators are asking the question: “Where do I get a rating now?”

Where To Go For Edtech Ratings and Reviews Now?

A useful alternative for educators looking for ratings and reviews is the EdTech Index. The EdTech Index is a resource from ISTE+ASCD (International Society for Technology in Education and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) designed to help educators compare tools using validation badges from partner organizations such as Common Sense Education.

You can learn how it works in A Comprehensive Guide to Using the EdTech Index.

The EdTech Index is not trying to be a single-star rating destination. Its approach emphasizes validations and badges as indicators across categories that schools routinely weigh when choosing tools.

Ratings vs. Validations

Ratings and reviews summarize experience and opinion. These can surface workflow realities and teacher satisfaction.

Validations and badges are meant to indicate alignment to specific criteria within a defined scope. These can help you narrow options quickly, as long as you remember that a badge signals what was validated, not whether the tool is the right fit for your specific students and setting.

The EdTech Index organizes validation signals using five EdTech Quality Indicators: Safe, Evidence-Based, Inclusive, Usable, and Interoperable. These indicators are a decision framework that can help teams move from “This is popular” to “This meets requirements we can explain and defend.”

How To Use The EdTech Index

The EdTech Index’s guides explain how to interpret quality signals rather than relying on a single score. Here is a practical approach:

1. Start with a product page and look for validation badges aligned to the five indicators.
2. Filter or narrow your search by the indicator that is non-negotiable for your district, such as safety or accessibility.
3. Click through to see who issued a validation and what it covers using the Validations area.

A badge is a strong starting point; it is not the finish line. Even a validated tool can fall short if it does not fit local curriculum, accessibility needs, device realities, or implementation capacity.

What To Do Next

Common Sense Education's pause in edtech reviews removes a familiar shortcut. The good news is you do not have to start from scratch.

Use the EdTech Index as your decision support hub to narrow options. Start by filtering using the five quality indicators. Then open a product page and look for validation badges that match your priorities. When a badge looks relevant, click into the Validations area to confirm what it covers and who issued it.

Once you have a shortlist, compare the remaining tools side by side and choose the one that meets your instructional goals and classroom realities. The value of the Index is speed and clarity. In a few minutes, you can move from a long list of tools to a short list that clears your baseline requirements, then use the Index’s comparisons to make the best choice.

You can also check out Tech & Learning's classroom tools, which are general introductory overviews. These are continually updated, although not vetted to the degree that Common Sense reviews were.

As a psychotherapist and technology journalist, specializing in education, I'm often looking at the intersection between app-based solutions and real-world emotional needs for students.

This is a very, very busy space right now as apps, AI, and enhanced attention in this area are all making for a whole host of potential solutions. So where do you start?

I think it's important to focus on what you're trying to do, first. Are you offering tools to send kids away to self-regulate, or are you trying to work with them to offer ways to explore their emotional worlds together? Or perhaps a combination of the two?

A student with enhanced communication skills, empathy, and an ability to know their own needs and limits is automatically going to be more independent. This is good for them and for educators.

So this guide aims to lay out some of the best special ed need (SEN) apps to help foster social and emotional independence for a better mental health experience for students and teachers alike.

TeenToks

TeenToks is a very modern and highly teen-focused solution to a mental health issue that has been enhanced by social media. Only in this case, that social media-style app is used to foster better self-care, enhanced emotional learning, and reduced adult authority pressure to help.

This mirrors how adolescents process emotional information: socially, narratively, and without feeling 'treated.' In this way, the app allows them to explore videos created by peers, normalizing mental health talk, in a short-form that's easy with which to engage.

GoNoodle

GoNoodle is a great choice for anyone who wants to use movement-based work to help with the discharge of energy. For this reason, the tool can be very helpful for learners with ADHD, autism, and sensory-seeking challenges.

This uses movement to help regulate the emotional system and to discharge nervous system arousal, safely and effectively.

While that can look like burning off energy, it's actually co-regulation through movement. This is ideal for any student who may struggle to process or express emotional experiences verbally. A great, body-first somatic path to regulation.

Moshi

Moshi offers a way to help students down-regulate their nervous systems so they can be more available and attentive. This can be a great way to start lessons, setting everyone in the room on a similar level for calm and available attention.

This uses strong evidence-based approaches to reduce anxiety. This includes calming stories, mindfulness, and a focus on sleep. That makes this ideal for transition periods, such as lesson beginnings or endings, as well as refusal points, or to help with sleep when needed.

Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind is a really good tool for working on understanding how to name and communicate feelings.

Thanks to a focus on emotional vocabulary development, this is a really powerful way for students to explore their inner worlds in a meaningful and useful way, both in the moment and for the future.

This uses structured mindfulness programs, nicely adapted to age groups, that allow teachers to help students develop better emotional literacy. The fact it's free, school-friendly, and non-commercial all help to make this a really powerful option for teachers.

Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation is an effective option to help students with their emotional self-regulation. This works well to take emotions as they are, without the usual moral connections that can complicate the reality around working with them non-judgmentally.

This uses an emotional self-regulation framework that's visual for ease of understanding, even for younger students. The idea is to take "bad" away from feelings and rather focus on ones that, perhaps, need more support than others.

No matter which you use, these SEN-friendly options make for a powerful way to help students work more openly and effectively with their own emotions in a self-affirming way.

Math is more than arithmetic, geometry, or algebra. It's also a language that describes everything in the universe to a precision far beyond what words convey, as well as a system of logical thinking.

Yet math is not a natural language for many kids. They may struggle not only with understanding math concepts, but also with understanding why it should matter to them.

But when kids become immersed in math games and activities, they learn in spite of their misgivings. Make your math lessons engaging, exciting and fun with these top math apps and websites, many of which are free or modestly priced.

Best Math Sites for Education

Illustrative Mathematics Curriculum
Founded in 2011 at the University of Arizona, Illustrative Mathematics is a research-based, standards-aligned comprehensive set of K-12 math curricula, including lesson plans, professional learning, and community support. Site visitors can browse lessons without logging in, but to explore the full curriculum, educators must create a free account and verify their identity.

Better Explained
Founded by a former Microsoft program manager, Better Explained aims to help students grasp math concepts, using real-world illustrations, colorized text, metaphors, and humor. This site isn’t just about math -- it’s also about how people learn. Explore topics such as “Learning math? Think like a cartoonist,” “Learning to Learn: Math Abstraction,” and many others. Informative and enjoyable.

What If Math
A fascinating free site dedicated to the idea of math as an experimental science and the use of spreadsheets to understand and solve problems, What if Math was created by math educators seeking a better way to teach math concepts. Dozens of spreadsheets cover topics from “Absolute Value Functions” through “What is x?” while the ebook What if..the Idea that Changed the World investigates the centuries-old basis for our current math education and how it no longer applies to our modern world.

Math Playground
No account is required to “give your brain a workout” with this extensive collection of math, logic, skills, and word games for K-6 students. Created by educator Coleen King, Math Playground is kidSAFE/COPPA Certified and includes only COPPA-certified children's ads. Want to go ad-free? Consider the modestly priced premium plans for teachers, as low as $5 monthly for an entire classroom. Shareable in Google Classroom.

ClassPad
A free online math tool that provides a digital “scratch pad” to solve any math problem, including calculus, geometry, graphing, statistics, and more, Classpad’s intuitive, sophisticated workspace is easy to try with no account set up required. Users can also quickly sign in with their Google account. A Tech & Learning Back to School award winner. `

Math is Fun
When I come across an interesting free site that looks like it was last updated in the year 2000, I investigate more deeply to be sure that's not the case. Although Math is Fun presents a dated interface, the site is fully functional and up-to-date. Moreover, its math games and logic puzzles are fascinating and, in some cases, unique. Well worth investigating . Free, no account required. Bonus: the "Hide Ads" feature will keep ads hidden for 36 hours. Ads can also be blocked by your browser's ad blocker.

ABCYA
Terrific resource for educational games in a wide range of subjects including math. Games can be searched by Common Core State Standards, as well as Next Generation Science Standards. Fully free for desktop use, premium plan for mobile devices.

Funbrain
The aptly named Funbrain offers a fine selection of math games and videos for kids in grades preK-8, searchable by grade and topic. Free, no account required.

iKnowIt
A comprehensive interactive math practice site for K-5 students, IKnowit's generous 30-day free trial (no credit card required) allows teachers to fully experience the site before purchasing. The annual cost of $150 provides access to more than 500 Common Core State Standard-aligned math lessons for one teacher and 25 students, each of whom has their own login. Clear navigation and good design makes it a pleasure to explore.

Math Games
A variety of fun, imaginative math skill games are offered free (with blockable ads) or as part of modestly-priced monthly or annual plans for teachers. District-level membership is also available. Searchable by grade, category, standard and skill.

Math Game Time
Large selection of free educational math games, videos, and worksheets, searchable by topic and grade. Despite the early Web 2.0 interface, the site is easy to navigate and loads quickly. No account required.

RoomRecess
Free K-6 educational math games, quizzes, and puzzles. No account required.

Zapzapmath
A curriculum-aligned site for math grades K-6, with an online teacher dashboard for tracking student progress and creating reports. The free basic account allows for one class of up to forty students, and provides teachers’ guides and student reports.

Best Math Apps for Education

Monsters vs. Fractions iOS
Free Common Core-aligned app that helps kids learn fractions through mystery, monsters, and zombies. 'Nuff said.

Mystery Math Town iOS
An adventure-style math game for kids 6-12 that covers addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students enter a town and try to unlock levels and characters by solving equations and finding variables.

Math and Sorcery iOS
An iOS games for learning basic math skills through playing an old-school 8bit-style role-playing game. Free with in-app purchases.

Moose Math - Duck Duck Moose iOS Android
Top-rated multi-level math game that allows kids ages 3-7 to earn rewards and decorate cities by solving math problems disguised as adventures. Topics include counting, sorting, arithmetic, geometry, and more. Common Core-aligned for kindergarten and first grade.

Prodigy Math Game iOS Android
Prodigy uses an adaptive game-based learning approach to engage students grades 1-8 in building and practicing math skills. Math questions are aligned with state-level curricula, including Common Core and TEKS.

Math Attax iOS Android
A fast-paced single or two-player mobile math shooting game. Players practice arithmetic while playing five math games. Tournament mode offers extra excitement.

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• Frax: How to Use It to Teach Fractions
• Best STEM Apps For Education

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by 2029 employment in STEM occupations will increase by 8%, more than twice the rate of non-STEM careers. And the fact that the median STEM wage is more than double that of non-STEM wages underscores the importance of effective K-12 STEM instruction.

STEM subjects can be dense and difficult for students to engage with, which is why these top STEM apps can make a valuable addition to your STEM-teaching toolkit. Most offer free basic accounts, and all are designed to capture the imagination of users, through games, puzzles, and high-quality graphics and sound.

Best STEM Apps for Education

Periodic Table 2024: Chemistry iOS Android Web
An extremely popular free app that provides a wealth of useful information about the periodic table and its chemical elements. Click on any element to reveal a submenu of images, history, properties, solubility, Wikipedia links, and more. With more than 40,000 ratings, this app has a remarkable average 4.8 stars out of five. The developers keep the app updated and respond to selected comments. Don’t have a mobile device? Not to worry, the web version is accessible on your desktop computer and is super easy to use.

Tynker: Coding for Kids iOS Android
An award-winning app, Tynker Coding for Kids teaches the basics of coding and beyond with games and puzzles that teach coding principles. More than 200 starter tutorials help users practice skills with every new step. But it’s much more than simply learning skills -- kids can create and launch their own characters, weapons, drones, and more for Minecraft, Crystal Clash, and Barbie. Free app with in-app purchases. To unlock all features, purchase a subscription of $24.99 per month or $59.99 per quarter.

Froggipedia by Embibe iOS Android
A former Apple App of the Year, Froggipedia invites users to embark on a virtual exploration and dissection of frogs, all without textbooks, lab space or ethical concerns. High-quality images and animations demonstrate frog anatomy, life cycle, and behavior in a way that will engage kids in learning frog biology—and pique their interest in other life science topics.

K-5 Science for Kids - Tappity iOS
Guided by Haley the science expert, kids learn science with thousands of fun interactive lessons, activities, questions, and stories covering more than 100 topics, including astronomy, Earth science, physics, and biology. Lessons align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Free to try, with several paid subscription plans.

The Elements by Theodore Gray iOS
Animated by detailed, high-quality 3D graphics, The Elements by Theodore Gray brings the periodic table to life. With its strong visual appeal, it’s ideal for engaging science learners of any age, while older students will benefit from the depth of information presented.

The Explorers iOS Android
This former Apple TV App of the Year winner invites amateur and professional photographers and scientists to contribute their animal, plant, and natural landscape photos and videos to this extensive showcase of Earth’s wonders.

Hopscotch-Programming for kids iOS
Designed for the iPad, and available for iPhone and iMessage as well, Hopscotch-Programming for Kids teaches children age 4 and above the basics of programming and game/app creation. This multiple-award winner is an Apple Editors’ Choice.

Inventioneers iOS Android
Kids learn physics while having a blast creating and sharing their own inventions, aided by Inventioneers Windy, Blaze, and Bunny. Winner of Parents' Choice Gold Award.

Minecraft: Education Edition iOS Android
The ultimate building app for students, teachers, and kids of all ages, Minecraft is both a game and a powerful teaching tool. The education version provides hundreds of standards-aligned lessons and STEM curricula, tutorials and exciting building challenges. For teachers, students, or schools without a Minecraft: Education Edition subscription, try the hugely popular original Minecraft: iOS Android.

Monster Math: Kids Fun Games iOS Android
This highly touted gamified math app allows kids to learn and practice grade 1-3 Common Core Math Standards. Features include multiple levels, skill filtering, multiplayer mode, and in-depth reporting with skill-by-skill analysis.

Prodigy Math Game iOS Android
Prodigy uses an adaptive game-based learning approach to engage students grades 1-8 in building and practicing math skills. Math questions are aligned with state-level curricula, including Common Core and TEKS.

SkySafari iOS Android
Like a pocket planetarium, SkySafari lets students explore, locate, and identify millions of celestial objects, from satellites to planets to constellations. Try the voice control feature, or use it in augmented reality mode to combine a simulated sky chart with the real view of the night sky.

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• Best Cybersecurity Lessons and Activities for K-12 Education

Keeping lines of communication open between teachers and families is important. To support that, Lacey Merrifield, Director of Technology at Bosqueville ISD in Texas, created a communication app to achieve transparency in the community. Here we talk about how the app came to be, what it accomplishes, and how it helps mitigate over-communication.

Staying in consistent contact with your child’s teacher can keep you up to date with what’s going on in your child’s class, help you better understand a teacher’s way of teaching, and provide an answer when you need it the most. However, for many schools, keeping connected with what’s going on at a school has been left to the likes of Facebook. Lacey Merrifield thought of a better way to keep families connected with teachers without forcing them to be exposed to social media.

“We’re a really tiny district,” Merrifield says of her 750-student school community. “The main way they were communicating and getting information out was Facebook. At the end of every year we do a parent survey, a staff survey, a student survey, and one of the biggest things on the parent survey was that they had to actually get on social media when a lot of them avoid social media. I’d already wanted to redesign the school website and add communication to it. Our website was really outdated…and adding the app came from parents wanting to be able to avoid getting on social media [to stay connected].”

The Bosqueville ISD app acts as an extension of the updated website, which can also help keep parents connected if they find themselves without their phones or tablets.

For this effort and other work, Merrifield was recently honored with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award for Innovative Director of Technology during a recent Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summit.

Making Safety a Priority

Parents today now have higher levels of access to teachers through emails and text messages. Pushing that communication through a single platform can help organize the messages that a teacher can receive regularly, and allows for communication without sacrificing privacy and security.

“We don’t want our teachers texting,” Merrifield says. “This is on the app. That way our teachers aren’t giving out their numbers. They don’t have to get a Google number. They can still use their phone, but their privacy is protected. We’re still communicating, but it’s not intruding on personal boundaries.”

What if a teacher does not want the app on their own personal device?

“The cool part about this is that if a teacher doesn’t want to put the app on their phone, they don’t have to,” she says. “It’s a web-based app as well so they can do it all from their school computer.”

This can help to separate the working world from a personal life for teachers who feel the two may blend together too often. Keeping school-related apps and tools strictly on school devices (or separate devices if they are not school-issued) can create peace of mind for a teacher while also allowing for full focus when sending information to families or responding to an inquiry from a parent.

6 Steps To Put Together a Communication App

With the idea and the execution of the communication service running smoothly, it might seem like the Bosqueville ISD app was a walk in the park to make. However, it took strong collaboration with programmers and designers, as well as vocal opinions from the community itself, to help get this innovative moment off the ground.

“The number one thing was getting a needs assessment that came through our staff, student, and parent surveys,” Merrifield says. “Then we collaborated with Edlio, telling them what we wanted from [the service]. We had to test, and there were some glitches. Our Google Sign On didn’t work as it should have, things like that. Then we had launching and training. I think getting those in the right order [is important], because if you launch it and it doesn’t work, nobody wants to go back to it.”

Merrifield shares the step-by-step process that ensured the app achieved the proper goals and met the needs of her school community effectively.

Needs Assessment: “We began by gathering input from stakeholders, including teachers, parents, and students, to identify their communication needs and preferences,” Merrifield says. “This feedback guided our overall vision for the app.”

Collaboration with Edlio: “After defining our goals, we collaborated closely with Edlio's development team. They provided us with insights into the features and functionalities that could be incorporated, ensuring the app would align with our communication strategy.”

Design and Development: “Together with Edlio, we worked on the app's design, focusing on user-friendly navigation and an appealing interface. Edlio's team helped customize the app to reflect our school’s branding and unique needs.”

Testing and Feedback: “Before launching, we conducted thorough testing of the app with a small group of staff who were also parent users to gather feedback on functionality and usability. This step was crucial to identify any issues and make necessary adjustments.”

Launch and Training: “Once the app was finalized, we launched it to the staff first, then the rest of the community. We also provided training sessions for staff and parents to ensure they were comfortable using the app effectively.”

Ongoing Support and Updates: “After the launch, we established a system for ongoing support and periodic updates, ensuring that the app continues to meet the evolving needs of our community.”

The Hidden Ways A Communication App Helps a School

The main focus of the communication app is to keep teachers and families connected, but having that service can also have other benefits that are more uncommon but just as important.

“There are so many apps,” Merrifield says. “When I started here, we had a different company for door access, a different company for cameras, a different company for guest services. We’re also in the process of changing that. That’s been my thing coming in. I’ve tweaked a few things. Our guest services, cameras, and door access are all going to one company now.”

Combining multiple services into one convenient spot can save time, effort, and money. Doing so with the Bosqueville ISD app had a profound effect on other aspects of school life, not only influencing community communication, but also the consolidation of multiple school tools and functions into better managed situations.

• Innovative Leader Award
• Regional Leadership Summit

Why should teachers integrate augmented reality (AR) apps and sites into their curricula? With manipulable 3D visuals, augmented reality apps and sites inject a wow factor into any subject, increasing kids’ engagement and enthusiasm for learning. In addition, recent research suggests that AR can foster greater empathy in users. Many of these immersive technology apps and sites are free or inexpensive.

To learn more about how to use augmented reality tools in your classroom, check out What Is Augmented Reality? and Tools and Apps to Bring Augmented Reality into Your Classroom before diving into the top augmented reality tools below.

Best Apps and Sites for Augmented Reality

iOS and Android AR Apps

My Very Hungry Caterpillar
Based on Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar book, the My Very Hungry Caterpillar app is ideal for encouraging a love of nature and nurture in kids up to age five. Users feed and care for the virtual caterpillar, allowing him to eventually transform into a butterfly. Along the way, they grow flowers, paint pictures, and hunt for buried treasure. This one’s a gem. iOS Android

RakugakiAR
An award-winning app that animates scanned drawings and doodles, such that the characters spring to life. Users can then engage with their creations through virtual activities such as playing and feeding. For only $0.99, create your own virtual reality. Check out this brief video to see how it works. iOS Android

solAR - Solar System in AR
A stunning AR app that allows users to bring elements of the solar system into close view for investigation and learning. The app uses your device’s camera to superimpose digital planets and moons on Earth-based scenarios, adjust the scale, and explore all the features. Free with in-app purchases. iOS Android

Assemblr EDU
This 3D and AR imaging platform allows students to explore, produce, edit, and annotate 3D and augmented reality creations, which can then be shared with teachers and classmates. Pre-made content and drag-n-drop controls makes it easy for users to get hooked right away. Free basic plan plus three paid levels provides a price point for every budget iOS Android

3DBear AR
This super-creative AR design app offers lesson plans, challenges, 3D models, social media sharing, and 3D printing capability. The 3DBear website provides video tutorials, curriculum, and distance learning resources for educators. Great for PBL, design and computational thinking. Free and paid plans, with a 30-day free trial. iOS Android

Quiver - 3D Coloring App
Quiver turns a special coloring book into a 3D augmented reality experience. Users print AR-enabled blank coloring sheets through the app or the website, then color each with crayons, colored pencils, or oil pastels. Activate the quiver app to bring the pages to life. Free app, free and paid coloring packs. iOS Android

SkyView Explore the Universe
One of the most popular AR astronomy apps, SkyView Explore the Universe makes it easy to identify galaxies, stars, constellations, planets, and satellites in the night sky, while the AR mode allows users to spot objects day or night. Great for out-of-the-way places, as no WiFi, data signal, or GPS is required. Try the Time Travel setting to see the sky of ancient and future ages. $1.99. iOS Android From the same developer, the similar SkyView Lite is free.

iOS AR Apps

Augment
A simple app for viewing 3D AR models. Users upload their own 3D models and can manipulate each one in various ways with the app. Augment works well for design-related subjects and presentations; resources are available for students and teachers to get started. Free.

Froggipedia
An impressive AR anatomy app that covers every phase of frog life, from a single-celled egg to a full-grown frog. Dissect and examine the AR frog’s lifelike internal organs using a finger or Apple pencil with this 2018 iPad App of the Year. $3.99

Sky Guide
Winner of the Apple Design Award 2014, Sky Guide allows users to instantly locate stars, planets, satellites, and other celestial objects in the present, past, or future. Augmented Reality mode makes it easier to visualize and identify constellations. Works with or without WiFi, cellular service, or GPS. $2.99

Wonderscope
This highly engaging interactive story app puts kids at the center of the unfolding action, allowing them to move around, become part of the story, and explore details by tapping on objects. Free for the first story; additional stories are $4.99 each

East of the Rockies
A beautiful story app from the National Film Board of Canada. Written by acclaimed author Joy Kogawa, this interactive tale follows the journey of a Japanese-Canadian family interned during WWII. Free teachers guide in English and French. $3.99

Websites for AR

McGraw Hill AR Online
Explore topics ranging from V8 engines to exponential growth to the features of glaciers in this fine collection of 3D interactive augmented reality animations. Each interactive begins with an overview of the subject, then provides an opportunity for users to manipulate objects and activate functions. Take the quiz following each exercise to demonstrate comprehension. Free, no account required.

CoSpaces Edu
A complete 3D, coding, and AR/VR platform for education, CoSpaces Edu provides online tools for teachers and students to create and explore their own augmented worlds. Features include lesson plans and an extensive gallery of CoSpaces created by teachers, students, and the CoSpacesEdu team. AR requires iOS or Android device and free app. Free basic plan for up to 29 students.

Lifeliqe
A standards-aligned K-12 science curriculum with lesson plans and eye-popping, sophisticated interactive 3D models. Integrates with Google Drive, Google Classroom, and Microsoft Teams for easy sharing and saving. Prices start at $8 per student annually. 14-day free trial with premium content.

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Social-emotional learning (SEL) has become an important tool for helping students with the so-called “soft skills” of life -- emotional regulation, social interactions, empathy, decision making.

We may term them “soft,” but these skills are in fact essential for every child to master as part of maturing into a mentally healthy adult who can successfully navigate the world beyond the schoolyard.

The following free SEL resources will provide a solid foundation for educators to understand and implement SEL in their classrooms and schools.

Social and Emotional Learning Activities and Lesson Plans
10 easy-to-implement lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school students include SEL activities for remote learning, classroom community building, current events, and more.

Powerful SEL Activities
A profile of Summit Preparatory Charter High School in Redwood City, California, highlighting 13 simple, yet powerful, classroom activities to support social-emotional learning skills.

SEL in Digital Life Resource Center
From Common Sense Education, this excellent selection of lessons and activities is a guide for putting SEL into action in your classroom. Lessons and activities incorporate self-awareness, social awareness, decision-making, and other key SEL principles. Create a free account to access lessons.

What is SEL? Still not sure what SEL is all about? Long-time educator Erik Ofgang goes beyond the acronym, exploring the concepts, history, research, and resources for understanding and effecting social-emotional learning.

5 Incredibly Fun GAMES to Teach Self-Regulation Kids love games, and teachers love well-behaved kids. So a video demonstrating how games can help kids regulate their emotions is a win-win for all concerned! This annotated video provides five simple games, explains why these help kids, and the research basis for the games.

Explaining SEL to Parents
This Tech & Learning article tackles the social media controversy of social-emotional learning, and explains how to talk with parents so they understand the benefits for their kids.

What Is the CASEL Framework?
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a pioneering nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting SEL research and implementation. The CASEL Framework is designed to help educators use evidence-based SEL strategies according to their unique needs and priorities.

Improving social emotional learning with Classcraft
In this useful and informative article, educator Meaghan Walsh describes how she practices SEL in her classroom with Classcraft.

5 Keys to Social and Emotional Learning Success
This video from Edutopia features educators discussing the elements of social-emotional learning as well as real-life examples of SEL activities in the classroom.

Harmony Game Room
A free app ( Android) from National University, Harmony Game Room is a stellar collection of social-emotional learning tools for PreK-6 students. Included are: Battle the Bully Bot Game (learn to handle bullies); The Commonalities Game (find out more about your friends); Relaxation Stations (focus and breathing exercises); and many more. After trying the app, head over to the Harmony SEL website to access a free SEL curriculum and educator training.

Social-Emotional Learning: The Magic of Circle Talk
How do talk circles help kids relax and open up to their peers and teachers? “The Magic of Circle Talk” answers this question and describes three types of circles to implement in your classroom.

CloseGap
CloseGap is a free, flexible check-in tool that asks kids developmentally appropriate questions to determine whether they’re quietly struggling to maintain good mental health. Then students have the option to complete quick, self-guided SEL activities, such as Box Breathing, Gratitude List, and Power Pose. Hmm, maybe not just for kids!

Quandary
How would you handle the marauding Yashors on Braxos? A challenging fantasy game designed to build a student's ethical and critical thinking skills, Quandary includes a robust guide for educators. Teachers can track and monitor student progress and decide which ethical challenge to present.

myPeekaville
Enter the magical world of Peekaville and interact with its residents, animals and problems through a series of quests and activities. The research-based app contains a daily emotions check-in tool, and is CASEL-aligned and COPPA compliant.

Once upon a time there was a teacher looking for new ways to teach old subjects.

While storytelling is nothing new, it hasn’t always been applied effectively in the modern classroom. Obviously, storytelling is a great way for kids to learn to love reading and writing. But almost any school subject can be considered through a dramatic frame, from history to geography to science. Even math can be taught through narrative (word problems, anyone?). Most importantly, storytelling gives kids the opportunity to be inventive with language, graphics, and design, and to share their creations with others.

The following sites and apps for storytelling range from basic to advanced. Many are designed for educators or include guides for use in education. And while most are paid products, the prices are generally reasonable and nearly every platform offers a free trial or free basic account.

The End. The Beginning.

Best Sites and Apps for Digital Storytelling

PREMIUM

• Story Xperiential
  Story Experiential offers a comprehensive storytelling curriculum based on the creative process of the renowned Pixar studios. Eight modules cover all aspects of the creative process, from the starting point, “What if?” to the final edits. No unusual equipment is required- students use an ordinary smartphone or camera and free editing software. The program is standards-aligned and can be incorporated into any subject area. A moderated community forum supports kids in giving and receiving peer feedback, while the public exhibition celebrates their work at the program’s end. Although this program is a bit more expensive than many others, it provides a professional level of guidance that few can match. A seven-day free trial will help those interested to decide if it’s worth it.
• Plotagon
  Offering professional-level animation at a deep discount to education users, Plotagon is a remarkably powerful tool for storytelling and moviemaking. Download the app or desktop software and start creating. You need only supply the story idea and text, as Plotagon’s libraries of animated characters, backgrounds, sound effects, music, and special effects cover vast territory. In fact, just browsing the libraries will help generate ideas for stories. A must-try, if not a must-have! Android and iOS: Free with in-app purchases. Windows desktop: For education users, only $3/month or $27/year, with 30-day free trial.
• BoomWriter
  Boomwriter’s unique storytelling platform allows kids to write and publish their own collaborative story, while teachers offer advice and assistance. Free to join and use; parents pay $12.95 for the published book.
• Buncee
  Buncee is a slideshow presentation tool that lets teachers and students create and share interactive stories, lessons, and assignments. A drag-and-drop interface, templates, and thousands of graphics make Buncee popular with educators and easy for kids to use. Strong support for accessibility and inclusion.
• Nawmal
  Students create imaginative videos using a wide range of animated characters who speak via AI. A great way to build communication, presentation, and conversation skills all at once. Free trial for educators. Windows 10 download (or Mac-compatible with Parallels Desktop or Bootcamp engaged).
• Pixton for Schools
  An award-winning platform that’s employed by districts from Santa Ana to New York City, Pixton offers more than 4,000 backgrounds, 3,000 props, and 1,000 subject-specific templates for creating digital comics. Plus, they’ve added features based on feedback from educators to make teaching with Pixton simple, fun, and safe. Highlights include easy logins, integration with Google/Microsoft, and unlimited classrooms.
• Storybird
  A story creation and social media site that allows students to illustrate their original text with professional graphics rendered in a variety of styles. Writing prompts, lessons, videos, and quizzes provide the support that kids need to write well.
• Storyboard That
  Storyboard That’s specialized edition for education offers more than 3,000 lesson plans and activities, while integrating with applications such as Clever, Classlink, Google Classroom, and others. It’s also FERPA, CCPA, COPPA, and GDPR compliant. Best of all, you can create your first storyboard without a download, credit card, or login! 14-day free trial for educators.

FREEMIUM

• Powtoon
  Powtoon is a presentation platform that allows users to create slide-based video animations with special effects, music, and voiceover narration. Choose from among a large collection of editable templates or upload your own slide presentation or video. With an education account, teachers can create an online Powtoon classroom and invite students to join so that resources and assignments can be easily shared. This Powtoon Lesson Plan is a practical example of how teachers can incorporate this engaging storytelling tool into the curriculum.
• Book Creator
  A powerful ebook creation tool, Book Creator allows users to embed all kinds of content, from rich multimedia to Google Maps, YouTube videos, PDFs, and more. Try a real-time class collaboration—and be sure to check out AutoDraw, an AI-powered feature that aids artistically challenged users in fashioning drawings to be proud of.
• Cloud Stop Motion
  Very cool software through which users create stop-motion video projects from any browser or device. Use your device camera and microphone, or upload images and sound files, then add text and animation effects. Try out the simple interface without an account or credit card. COPPA compliant. Free organization/school accounts with unlimited students and classes, and 2 GB storage. Buy additional storage for $27-$99 annually.
• StoryJumper
  Simple online software that allows kids to write stories, generate customized characters, and narrate their own book. Excellent for younger students. The step-by-step teacher’s guide makes it easy to integrate this platform into your curriculum. Free to create and share online – pay only to publish or download books. Try it first – no account or credit card required!

FREE

• Storyline Online
  An award-winning children’s literacy program, Storyline Online couples well-known actors with top illustrated children’s books. Each storytelling video features the actor’s dramatic narration while skillfully animated illustrations unfold to tell the tale. The extensive teacher’s guide that accompanies each book/ video includes a synopsis, standards, suggested grade levels, themes, activities and printable worksheets. Storyline Online is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Library Association.
• Pic-Lits
  A simple yet powerful tool that supports literacy through the pairing of images and text. Kids can choose from among hundreds of available images in diverse topics ranging from animals to politics, then drag and drop words from the word bank to create their “Pic-Lit.” Or choose the “Freestyle” option and start typing. Dozens of lesson plans covering ELA topics and poetry offer guidance to educators in implementing Pic-Lits in the classroom.
• Storytelling Activities with Google Tools
  K12 edtech authority Eric Curts displays his considerable expertise with Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets in this video demonstration of using Google tools to write and illustrate stories and poetry. An engaging speaker, Curts dives into “Choose your Own Adventure,” “Emoji Rebus,” “Stop Motion Animation,” and other super creative ways to excite kids about writing.
• Knight Lab Storytelling Projects
  From Northwestern University’s Knight Lab, six online tools help users tell their stories in unusual ways. Juxtapose lets you quickly make a comparison between two scenes or images. Scene turns your image into 3D virtual reality. Soundcite narrates your text seamlessly. Storyline allows users to build an annotated, interactive line chart, while StoryMap is a slide-based tool for telling stories with maps. And with Timeline, students can create rich interactive timelines about any topic. All tools are free, easy to use, and include examples. The easily accessible FAQs and examples for each tool provide excellent support while the shareable links and embed codes let users show off their work. Some projects may require a free Dropbox or Google account.
• Make Beliefs Comix
  Author and journalist Bill Zimmerman has built a marvelous free site where kids of any age can learn to express their ideas through digital comics. Mouse over the main navigation and you’ll be amazed by the number of topics to explore, from 30 Ways to Use MakeBeliefsComix in the Classroom to social-emotional learning to text- and image-based comic prompts. Video and text tutorials guide users. No special talent required!
• Imagine Forest
  Exceptional free site that offers features more common to paid sites, including story idea generator and prompts; built-in dictionary, thesaurus, and rhyming dictionary; writing tips and challenges; and the ability to produce assignments, monitor progress, and award badges. Images and customizable characters are supported as well. Awesome for teachers on a budget.

• LightSail: How to Use It to Teach Literacy
• How It’s Done: Reading Students through Digital Storytelling
• Actively Learn: How to Use It to Teach Reading

Game-based learning turns potentially tedious study time into an adventurous knowledge quest, complete with catchy soundtracks and digital rewards. It helps keep kids engaged with the subject matter and motivated to pursue greater expertise. Best of all, web- or app-based gameplay integrates easily into both online and in-person classes.

We’ve curated the best K-12 educational game sites and apps, arranged according to cost. Many are free (or offer free basic accounts), while some provide progress tracking and analysis tools for teachers. All are remarkably creative and will help kids enjoy learning. 

50 Sites & Apps for Educational Games

FREE

Ducksters
This easy-to-navigate site affords a wide range of educational digital games for students or anyone who enjoys gameplay and learning. Included are math, word, geography, puzzle games as well as classic games such as chess, checkers, backgammon, mahjong and more. But it’s not just fun and games at Duckster. An extensive collection of illustrated lessons in history, biography, geography and science are accompanied by quizzes and links to the relevant games. No account required to play or learn.

Wordle
Wordle’s simplicity belies its intriguing intellectual challenge. This new, highly popular word game tests memory, vocabulary, and spelling in a puzzle format that allows for rapid gameplay and feedback. Teachers and students can play this free game on the New York times website, no account needed. 

Khan Academy Kids
An award-winning, free iOs or Android app, Khan Academy Kids offers a comprehensive collection of educational math, literacy, and music games and activities for kids aged 2-8 years. Top-rated by users, this free app includes no ads—and no subscription is needed. 

Vocabulary Spelling City
Three dozen free games cover topics including vocabulary, spelling, phonics, and language arts. Each game includes several variations, so the total number of games to play exceeds 100. Just start playing- no account needed. Looking for premium content? Head over to the new site for premium games at VocabularyA-Z.com

Math Playground
Explore this extensive selection of math, logic, skills, and word games for kids in grades K-6. Created by educator Coleen King, Math Playground is kidSAFE/COPPA Certified and includes only COPPA-certified children's ads. Shareable in Google Classroom. 

Puzzle Playground
From the publisher of Math Playground, Puzzle Playground is a free game-based learning site that uses puzzles of every kind to engage kids’ imaginations. Don’t think “jigsaw” because these amazingly creative puzzles go far beyond shape-fitting. Instead, these varied digital puzzles will keep kids of any age busy challenging their problem-solving, trial and error, spatial reasoning, and perseverance skills. Super fun too. 

Best Free Virtual Escape Rooms for Schools
These top free virtual escape rooms combine the best elements of gameplay -- suspense, skill, knowledge, and speed. Arranged according to age suitability. 

Moose Math - Duck Duck Moose iOs Android
A multi-level math game that allows kids ages 3-7 to earn rewards and decorate cities by solving math problems disguised as adventures. Common Core-aligned for kindergarten and first grade. 

Wordscapes iOs Android
Wordscape combines  features of crossword puzzles, word connect and word anagram games, all accompanied by scenery designed to relax and focus the mind. 

ChatterPix Kids iOS Android
Kids aged 5-12 can easily make images come to life with their own voices. Great for all types of creative expression, from funny cards to school assignments. 

Mind Games
Don’t worry, this site doesn’t advocate gaslighting or psychological manipulation. Rather it’s a collection of free online number, word and logic games, brain teasers, sudoku, crosswords, and more. Free with (blockable) ads. For a premium ad free gaming, visit adfreegames.com, where users pay only $10 for a full year of access. 

PurposeGames
With tools for teachers, games on every school subject, badges, groups, and tournaments, PurposeGames offers a lot of free educational play. Create your own games and quizzes, too! Need a break from geography? Try the entertainment and television games, which allow users to show off their knowledge of Family Guy, The Simpsons, child actors and other light fare.

ABC kids
Easy as ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), these super simple digital games are for young learners aged 2-5 years. Games include memory match, Alphabet Hunt, Fire fight, jigsaw puzzles, and more. Want more early education resources? Check out the ABC Kids Early Education curricula and ideas. 

Solving the Rubik's Cube!
From educator Ryan Chadwick comes this top-notch digital tutorial for one of the most challenging hands-on puzzles ever. Includes images and advice to boost your speed solving Rubik’s cube. Free, no account required.

Annenberg Classroom That's Your Right
Kids play alone or in multiplayer mode to learn and practice their Bill of Rights expertise. With high-quality graphics and music and three levels of difficulty, this free game is an excellent way to support civics education for middle and high school students. Additional resources include a Constitution guide, review of Supreme Court cases, and lesson plans. 

Cells Alive! Puzzles and Games
Free digital memory match, jigsaw, and word puzzles help students reinforce classroom biology lessons. The interactive cell models are also a great way to learn about the parts and functions of plant and animal cells.

Funbrain
Browse K-8 educational games by grade level, popularity, and topics such as math, grammar, and vocabulary. New games include chess, sudoku, and What on Earth?! (geography). Free, no registration required. 

Geoguessr
A unique and visually captivating geography brainteaser that encourages children to decipher locations using hints from Google Street View and Mapillary visuals. Ideal for fostering cognitive abilities and logical reasoning, while providing an entertaining and immersive experience. 

GoNoodle Games iOs Android
Unlike most digital activities, GoNoodle is designed to get kids moving rather than keep them glued to the screen. The latest free GoNoodle games for iOs and Android feature kids’ favorite characters, moves, and music. 

iCivics
A rich resource for social studies education, the nonprofit iCivics was founded by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in 2009 to educate Americans about our democracy. The site includes an educational portal for learning about civics and standards-based games and curricula. 

Little Alchemy 2
Air. Earth. Fire. Water. Simply creative. Simply brilliant. iOs and Android too. For makers and imaginers of any age. 

Sheppard Software
Hundreds of free games for preK to post-secondary students, grouped by grade level and including subjects such as animals, geography, chemistry, vocabulary, grammar, math, and STEM. Choose relaxed mode for fun, timed mode for practice tests.

Math and Sorcery
A super entertaining iOS app for learning basic math skills in an 8-bit style role-playing game. Students are challenged to find the stolen book of math and sorcery. A great way to improve mental math speed. 

Math Attax
This free mobile (iOS/Google Play) math game helps students with basic math skills. An Asteroids-style shoot-em-up, it’s fast and fun.  

National Geographic Kids
Free quizzes and games in topics ranging from animals and bugs to solving ciphers. 

ABCya
More than 300 lively educational games and mobile apps for preK-6 students. Games can be searched by Common Core State Standards, as well as Next Generation Science Standards. Fully free for desktop use, premium plan for mobile devices.

PBS Kids Games
Dozens of free games, from math to social-emotional learning, will delight younger learners. No account required on this user-friendly website. English and Spanish. New games include Nature sights and Sounds, Puppy Pet Care, Road Repair, and many more.  

Play4A
A deceptively simple interface allows users to play surprisingly challenging games for free. In addition, teachers create gamified quizzes, then share the code with their students. A jaunty musical soundtrack adds to the enjoyment.  

Play to Prevent Games
With a focus on sensitive topics such as opioid misuse, HIV/AIDS, vaping, and unintended pregnancy, these games tackle tough social issues while supporting kids’ mental health and development. Free with request for access. 

RoomRecess
Find 140+ free learning games in a wide variety of subjects, including math, language arts, typing and keyboard skills, digital puzzles, and more. Games are grouped by grades as well as topics. Highly popular with teachers and students alike.  

Tate Kids
Explore art-based games and quizzes on this super appealing, highly visual site from Great Britain’s Tate Museum. Activities focus on learning and discovery rather than test scores. An exceptional way to get kids thinking about and making art. Free.  

HoloLAB Champions (Educators Edition)
Players in this remarkable virtual chemistry lab will measure, weigh, pour, and heat in a series of competitive lab skills games. No safety goggles required—but don’t forget your virtual pair! Free for educators. HoloLAB Champions is available in English on Steam for the Oculus Rift and VIVE VR platforms. Free to educators.

Braineos
A simple, easy-to-use site with digital flash card-based games in a wide variety of subjects and topics, including English, math, sciences, and languages. No login required to play, but a free registration is needed to save your scores. 

NASA Space Place
NASA invites users to investigate Earth and outer space via games that ask big questions such as, “How does NASA talk to its faraway spacecraft?” and “How does the sun make energy?” Free and fascinating.  

FREE ACCOUNT OPTION

Education Galaxy
This imaginative K-6 online platform uses game-based learning to boost kids’ academic success. The two main programs are online assessment prep and adaptive intervention for struggling learners and at-risk students. Free basic teacher’s account allows one teacher and 30 students/all subjects or 150 students/1 subject.

Arcademics
An award-winning, innovative site for K-8 game-based learning in math, language arts, geography, and other subjects, Arcademics includes an educational portal that allows teachers to monitor student progress, generate detailed reports, and assess student learning. Free basic account provides most features and is ad-supported. Free 30-day trial. No credit card required.

Oodlu
An online education gaming platform, Oodlu is perfect for learners of any age with some reading ability. Teachers create their own games using the built-in question bank, and analytics provide progress reports for each student. Free standard account.

Blooket
A wonderful gamified learning/quiz platform with a user-friendly interface, Blooket offers nine different game modes and runs on student devices as well as desktop computers. Free basic account allows for unlimited sets & edits, unique game modes, and question set search for up to 60 players. 

Turtle Diary Online Games
An extensive collection of games, videos, quizzes, lesson plans, and other digital tools for preK-5 students, searchable by topic, grade, and Common Core standard. Free and premium accounts.

Gimkit
Created by a high school student, Gimkit bills itself as a game show for the classroom. Kids can earn in-game cash with correct answers and invest the money in upgrades and power-ups. Reports for educators are generated after every game played. A second program, Gimkit Ink, allows students to publish and share their schoolwork. $4.99/month, or group pricing for schools. A 30-day free trial of Gimkit Pro can be converted to a free basic account. 

Kahoot
One of the most popular sites for gamifying the classroom. Teachers create games and quizzes and students answer them on their mobile devices. You’ll find a plan for every budget: free basic, pro, and premium. 

Knoword
A fine, fast-paced vocabulary game. Educators can create their own word packs and track student progress. Free basic accounts allow play of all public word packs, sharing, and exporting, while the moderately priced Pro and Team accounts allow unlimited word pack creation and assignments. 

Legends of Learning
A fine collection of standards-aligned science and math games for K-8 students. Free teacher accounts, with premium features for school and district-level accounts. Bonus: Learn about the games before signing up here. Be sure to check out their free upcoming game-based STEM competitions. 

Prodigy
An award-winning, standards-aligned online math game designed for grades 1-8, Prodigy is modeled on popular fantasy-style multiplayer games. Students select and customize an avatar, and then prepare to battle math problems. Free basic account includes core gameplay and basic pet features.  

PREMIUM

Buzzmath
Buzzmath provides more than 14,000 interactive math questions, as well as manipulable objects, audio text reading, math glossary, brain teasers, badges, and digital rewards. Teachers can personalize learning for each student with this standards-aligned supplementary math resource. 

Prodigy English
From the makers of the popular Prodigy Math, Prodigy English is a gamified English language learning program that features all the fun bells and whistles of gaming, from creating worlds to boosting energy with correct answers. A suite of teachers’ tools includes assessments and reports. Aligned to Common Core reading and language standards for grades 1 to 6.

Sumdog
Sumdog’s standards-based math and spelling practice platform aims to boost student learning and confidence with adaptive personalized gameplay. A hit with kids and research-validated to boot. Free 30 day trial.

MinecraftEdu
A block-based graphics game, designed for education, that allows students to build and explore virtual worlds. Built-in educator controls support a safe and education-directed experience. The abundant classroom resources include lesson plans, training for educators, challenge building, and more. 

Skoolbo
A 2016 SIIA CODiE winner for Best Game-Based Curriculum, Skoolbo offers educational games for reading, writing, numeracy, languages, science, art, music, and logic. Digital books and step-by-step animated lessons support young learners as well. Various plans for classes and schools, with the first month free.  

• Best Summer Learning Apps & Sites
• How to Use Comics in Your Classroom, With MakeBeliefsComix Founder Bill Zimmerman
• Best Online Summer Jobs for Teachers

To share your feedback and ideas on this article, consider joining our Tech & Learning online community here.

Valentine’s Day provides an excellent opportunity to incorporate fun and engaging pop culture into your classroom or remote learning instruction. Graphic arts, design, literacy, social-emotional learning, and even STEM topics lend themselves nicely to Valentine's Day themes.  

All of the following digital resources and lessons are free or low cost. 

1. ABCYa Valentine’s Day Puzzles
   Young learners practice click-and-drag mouse manipulation, as well as shape and pattern recognition, in the Valentine’s chocolate box puzzle game. Be sure to check out the Valentine-themed crossword puzzle, which provides helpful hints if needed.  
2. A Kid’s Heart: Valentine’s Day Math Games
   These Valentine-themed digital games help kids practice problems involving addition, exponents, and prime numbers. 
3. Animoto Valentine's Day Videos
   Animoto  makes creating original videos fun, easy, and free for people of all ages. Users choose from six Valentine’s Day templates to express their love for another person, pet, or even a favorite cause. Templates are fully customizable with users’ own images and music, or take advantage of the stock options from Animoto. Share your video via download, link, or social media.  
4. Apples4theteacher Valentine’s Day Games
   Nine fun computer games, including word search, memory and mouse skills, pattern recognition, and more.  
5. Digital Valentine's Day Activities In Google Slides™
   From Teachers Pay Teachers, this rich resource of 10 digital Valentine’s Day activities includes poetry, writing, design, word search, and more. 
6. Distance Learning Virtual Scavenger Hunt Zoom Editable February Valentines
   A great remote learning lesson, this digital scavenger hunt from Teachers Pay Teachers allows educators to customize the assignment and incorporate movement.  
7. Festisite Valentine Heart
   A simple, fun way for kids to get visual with Valentine’s Day poetry. Text is transformed into a heart-shaped, downloadable image or document. Have your students write their own, or analyze a published verse.  
8. Love Collage Maker - Photo Editor & Heart Frames (Android)
   Valentine’s Day is a perfect occasion for children to get creative with photos while expressing affection for friends and family. 
9. Love Magnetic Poetry Kit
   Ever written poetry on your fridge? This simple digital “magnetic” poetry game offers batches of 40 to 50 words to create lines with whimsy, wisdom, and emotion. When done, click “More words'' to get a new set and start again. Challenge your students with a theme or genre, and let the random fun begin.  
10. Pocket Heart (iOs) This free interactive 3D cardiology app is the real deal, used by medical students, doctors, and nurses. With its high-quality visuals, detailed descriptive content, and quizzes, it’s ideal for advanced biology or other life science studies.
11. Sincerely Ink Cards (iOS and Android)
    Students design and digitally create their own Valentine’s Day cards. Ink Cards will print on 5”x7” gloss laminate card stock and mail to the intended recipient - perhaps a classmate or relative (or teacher).  
12. Starfall
    Starfall’s create-your-own digital Valentine’s Day greeting helps the youngest students with spoken language, words, and spelling while they enjoy a variety of kid-friendly characters. Starfall’s Math Journey Valentine edition teaches basic number concepts as users traverse a heart-filled landscape. 
13. St. Valentine's Day by Stephanie
    Six cloze stories about St. Valentine and St. Valentine's Day provide grammar/word choice practice for young learners as they explore the history and culture of the holiday.   
14. Tynker: Valentine’s Day Card, Candy Heart Search and On Cloud Nine In these three great STEAM projects for young learners, kids learn coding and graphic arts while creating interactive Valentine’s Day cards and games.
15. Valentine's Day Word Search (iOS) Make a game out of word practice with this free iPhone Valentine word search, which offers three levels of difficulty and five Valentine word categories.
16. Valentine STEM Challenges
    It’s not all hearts and flowers! Use this top-rated PDF lesson to incorporate STEM topics such as physics and engineering into your Valentine’s Day instruction. Convertible to interactive digital format.   
17. Virtual Valentines 2023: Melting the Miles between Classrooms
    Designed by educators, the free Virtual Valentines Project aims to teach geography and cultural awareness through virtual Valentine’s greetings. Two options for global connections are offered, both ideal for remote or classroom learning.
18. Watch and Learn Heart Interactives
    Valentine's Day is filled with heart imagery and love poetry. But it’s the perpetual beating of the physical heart that keeps us alive and feeling emotions. Advanced students can use this free expert interactive from the American Heart Association to learn about multiple key topics in cardiology, from angina to  stents. 

Why should teachers integrate augmented reality (AR) apps and sites into their curricula? With manipulable 3D visuals, augmented reality apps and sites inject a wow factor into any subject, increasing kids’ engagement and enthusiasm for learning.  In addition, recent research suggests that AR can foster greater empathy in users. Many of these AR apps and sites are free or inexpensive. 

 iOS and Android AR Apps

1. 3DBear AR
   This super-creative AR design app offers lesson plans, challenges, 3D models, social media sharing, and 3D printing capability. The 3DBear website provides video tutorials, curriculum, and distance learning resources for educators. Great for PBL, design and computational thinking. Free and paid plans, with 30-day free trial.  iOS   Android 
   
   
2. Civilisations AR
   Based on the BBC Two art history program Civilisations, the Civilisations AR app helps users explore masterpieces from ancient Egypt to the Renaissance. Themes -- including faith, progress, and the human body -- are illuminated through the investigation of the featured 41 artifacts. This research tool can ignite kids’ interest in history, art, or science. Free. iOS Android  
   
   
3. Quiver - 3D Coloring App
   Quiver turns a special coloring book into a 3D augmented reality experience. Users print AR-enabled blank coloring sheets through the app or the website, then color each with crayons, colored pencils, or oil pastels. Activate the quiver app to bring the pages to life. Free app, free and paid coloring packs. iOS  Android 
   
   
4. PopAR World Map
   Explore the wonders of the world, from wild animals to international culture to historic landmarks. Features include 360-degree view (VR mode), interactive gameplay, and 3D models. Free. iOS Android 
   
   
5. SkyView® Explore the Universe
   One of the most popular AR astronomy apps,  SkyView® Explore the Universe makes it easy to identify galaxies, stars, constellations, planets, and satellites in the night sky, while the AR mode allows users to spot objects day or night. Great for out-of-the-way places, as no WiFi, data signal, or GPS is required. Try the Time Travel setting to see the sky of ancient and future ages. $1.99. iOS  Android  From the same developer, the similar SkyView® Lite is free.
   
   
6. CyberChase Shape Quest! 
   Based on the PBS Kids math show CyberChase, CyberChase Shape Quest! combines games, puzzles and 3D augmented reality to practice geometry and spatial memory skills. Three different games and 80 puzzles provide lots of variety and skill levels. Free. iOS Android 

iOS AR Apps

1. Augment
   A simple app for viewing 3D AR models. Users upload their own 3D models and can manipulate each one in various ways with the app. Augment works well for design-related subjects and presentations; resources are available for students and teachers to get started.  Free. 
   
   
2. East of the Rockies
   A beautiful story app from the National Film Board of Canada. Written by acclaimed author Joy Kogawa, this interactive tale follows the journey of a Japanese-Canadian family interned during WWII. Free teachers guide in English and French. $3.99
   
   
3. Fetch! Lunch Rush
   A fun multiplayer game based on the PBS KIDS TV series, FETCH!, in which players try to keep up with the sushi orders. Designed to supplement national standards for first and second grade math curricula. Free. 
   
   
4. Froggipedia
   An impressive AR anatomy app that covers every phase of frog life, from a single-celled egg to a full-grown frog. Dissect and examine the AR frog’s lifelike internal organs using a finger or Apple pencil with this 2018 iPad App of the Year. $3.99
   
   
5. Sky Guide  
   Winner of the Apple Design Award 2014, Sky Guide allows users to instantly locate stars, planets, satellites, and other celestial objects in the present, past, or future. Augmented Reality mode makes it easier to visualize and identify constellations. Works with or without WiFi, cellular service, or GPS. $2.99
   
   
6. Wonderscope
   This highly engaging interactive story app puts kids at the center of the unfolding action, allowing them to move around, become part of the story, and explore details by tapping on objects. Free for the first story; additional stories are $4.99 each

Websites for AR

1. CoSpaces Edu
   A complete 3D, coding, and AR/VR platform for education, CoSpaces Edu provides online tools for teachers and students to create and explore their own augmented worlds. Features include lesson plans and an extensive gallery of CoSpaces created by teachers, students, and the CoSpacesEdu team. AR requires iOS or Android device and free app. Free basic plan for up to 29 students.  
   
   
2. Lifeliqe
   A standards-aligned K-12 science curriculum with lesson plans and eye-popping, sophisticated interactive 3D models. Integrates with Google Drive, Google Classroom, and Microsoft Teams for easy sharing and saving. Prices start at $8 per student annually. 14-day free trial with premium content. 
   
   
3. Metaverse
   An augmented reality creation platform that requires no coding knowledge. Users build, publish, and share AR stories, games, and polls on the platform. Mobile devices are required to run AR programs.  Free with premium options available. iOS Android

PBS KIDS has released the newest app in The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! family called The Cat in the Hat Invents, which helps young children to learn more about STEM concepts through activities such as designing their own robots and exploring different worlds. The game is now available both for mobile and tablet download for iOS and Android via the App Store and Google Play, and for desktop play at PBSKIDS.org. 

A new study released today from the University of Rhode Island (URI) reveals that using free resources from the PBS KIDS series, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! had a positive effect on children’s perceptions of science and engineering. The new app applies the findings from the URI study to engage kids in engineering, inquiry, problem solving, and using science tools. 

The Cat in the Hat Invents App

Developed with The Next Generation Science Standards in mind, The Cat in the Hat Invents app allows players to select specific tools to help characters Nick, Sally, and the Cat in the Hat improve their robot. Different worlds in the game—complete with ten levels each—introduce players to new skill development opportunities in engineering, inquiry, problem solving, and using science tools.

 Features of the new app include:

• Voice command: Players can use on-screen buttons or voice commands to control their robot. The Cat in the Hat will let players know about other voice commands, like up, down, or test. Players can also motivate their robots with encouraging words and phrases such as: ‘Good job!’ 
• The Cat in the Hat help button: The Cat in the Hat help button can be found in the upper right corner of the screen and used whenever a player needs a hint or reminder.
• Robot customization: Players can customize their robot with stickers and patterns they find in each level. They can also choose how their robot is feeling that day: cheerful, silly, grumpy, or sad.

Accelerate Learning announces the national release of its first coding program, STEMscopes™ Coding. Powered by Bitsbox, STEMscopes Coding guides students and teachers through the process of creating and sharing digital apps. The new program for grades 3-8 is now available to educators nationwide.

“The best way to learn coding is by diving in and writing real code. With STEMscopes Coding, students get to make and share real apps — and no prior coding experience is required,” said Vernon Johnson, president and CEO of Accelerate Learning. “It also provides embedded support to help educators teach coding with confidence. In addition, every project is mapped to a set of cross-curricular academic standards to make it easier to find time for coding in the curriculum.”

STEMscopes Coding teaches students how to design and build apps to share on any device. And it allows students to type their JavaScript code and create their own games, simulations, and storytelling apps with graphics, animation, interactivity, and sound.

STEMscopes Coding features three types of projects: App, How Do I, and Challenge. App projects provide an example of the code while students follow along. How Do I projects walk students through a task, and Challenge projects allow them to use their newly knowledge to write their own code. All projects are open-ended and include standards-aligned lessons for computer science, science, English language arts, or math.

STEMscopes Coding is priced at $3.95 per student per year, with a maximum price of $2,495 per campus. It is the newest addition to Accelerate Learning’s suite of STEMscopes solutions. For more information, visit https://stemscopes.com/coding.

With 22 preset 7-minute workouts to choose from, the J&J Workout app proves that gym class doesn’t have to last 45 minutes. The app is good for four-year old students through high-school seniors and has categories from Beginners to Advanced athletes. The app covers 72 exercises and shows how to properly do the exercise as it tells you what to do. Feel free to create your own smart exercise routines along with your choice of workout music. The app has gauges to track progress and its free, courtesy of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute. It’s available for iPhones, iPads, iPhones as well as Android systems. 

Education management platform provider Abre.io will be showcasing its non-traditional method of open-source product development at this year’s TechOlympics, February 22-23 at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, OH. Abre will hold an App Development workshop which will walk attendees through the Abre Appathon framework for development.  The framework features hosted events where students define problems and develop their own Abre apps as solutions to education challenges. 

TechOlympics 2020 is the nation’s largest student-run tech conference and Cincinnati’s premiere technology competition and expo.  During the competition and expo, students compete in challenges ranging from programming to design to networking in an effort to build their technical skills. 

Based on the Appathon framework, the App Development workshop is an opportunity for students to define problems within a learning community and develop their own Abre apps as solutions. This session will walk students through what Abre is, how Abre works, how to design and wireframe an app, and how to connect to Github and download the source code for Abre. 

The Abre App Development session at TechOlympics 2020 will be held Sunday, Feb. 23 from 9-11a.m. at the Great American Ball Park in the Center Field Pavilion. For more information, contact Emily Spinks at espinks@abre.io.

Timelines are popular for helping students and researchers to understand the order or chronology of events and trends. 

Top 20 Sites/Apps for Creating Timelines (in alphabetical order)

Adobe Spark - One of the most popular sites available for making timelines, featuring an easy-to-use wizard.

Aeon - An in-depth timeline builder, ideal for project management and creative writers.

Buncee - An all-in-one digital canvas on which students can make timelines using animations, audio and video. The ideas lab offers inspiration for projects, from lesson plans to journals.

Canva - Offers an abundance of templates to help fashion eye-catching timelines.

Flippity - A simple-to-use tool that employs a Google Spreadsheets template to create interactive timelines.

myHistro - A good site/iOS app for making interactive timelines with a special section for educational uses. Also offers the ability to embed Google Maps.

OurTimeLines - Stocked with templates for building text-based and personalized timelines.

Preceden - Useful for designing layered interactive timelines and project roadmaps. Timelines can be public or private, and also can be embedded into a site or blog.

• Timeline Tools to Document and Analyze the Past
• How to Use Google Jamboard, for Teachers
• 15 Sites/Apps for Social-Emotional Learning

RWT Timeline - RWT is a free iPad app for creating stunning timelines. The app also accommodates multiple users, ideal for those schools that share devices.

Storyboard That - A digital storytelling platform with an education portal that offers a wide range of graphic organizers, such as t-charts, grids, and detailed timelines. 

Sutori - An innovative site for timelines that also supports collaborative projects. In addition, Sutori can be used for any curriculum and even to flip a classroom or lesson.

Tiki-Toki - Create great 3D timelines with images and videos. A paid account allows for collaboration among multiple users and the ability to embed timelines on other sites.

Timeline JS - An open source tool for designing timelines that include videos, maps, links, and audio. Timelines can also be integrated with Google Sheets.

Timelines.tv - A United Kingdom-based education resource for viewing timelines in five different historical categories. 

Timetoast - Create an interactive timeline that can be embedded into a site or blog. Timelines can be viewed in either standard mode or text only.

Timeline 3D - An innovative app for building three-dimensional multimedia timelines. Timeline 3D also can be exported into PowerPoint or Keynote for more options.

Timeline Maker - An easy-to-use iPad app for building timelines by stacking tiles or events.

Timeline Maker (Soft Schools) - A student-friendly site that allows users to create a timeline through text or a template.

Venngage - Make custom visual timelines or infographics from a free library of templates.

Visme - A flexible tool with a drag-n-drop interface that allows users to design custom timelines. 

cross-posted on cyber-kap.blogspot.com.

David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment. For more information about his work, contact him at dkapuler@gmail.com and read his blog at cyber-kap.blogspot.com

Comprehensive note keeper offers loads of organizational features

Pros: Students can organize notes and filter searches by folder, color, and tags; syncs easily with the creator’s web clipper and screencasting tools.

Cons: Things can get cluttered easily if students don’t maintain good organizational habits.

Bottom Line: Customized notes sync across devices to enhance productivity and promote a paperless classroom.

Read more.

Site of the Week picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed byCommon Sense Education, which helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

With so many STEM-related career opportunities in the 21st century, it's no wonder that STEM topics are considered a key part of learning in today's classrooms. Because of this, more and more students are learning coding and programming earlier than ever before. Fortunately, there are many cutting-edge web tools and apps that help teachers teach, and students learn, coding and programming skills. Below is a list of some of the best resources for students and educators who want to learn how to program and code.

*This list is in alphabetical order.

1. Boogie Bot - A super fun iOS app that teaches kids how to program and code using Blockly - Google's visual programming language. Kids drag and drop code to make the robot dance.
2. Coda Game - A free iOS app that helps students create their own games, such as Air Hockey, Flappy Bird and Platform and learn how to program or code. Kids’ creations can be shared with others.
3. Code Avengers - A great site for teachers who want to teach their students how to code games, websites, apps, and more. Kids as young as five  can learn foundational coding skills . 
4. Code Karts - An interesting and fun iOS game designed to teach students as young as four how to code by programming a car to drive through a racetrack and finish a race.
5. Code Kingdoms - An excellent site for students to learn how to code games like Minecraft and Roblox through a drag-n-drop interface.  For teachers, the educator portal allows them to track and monitor student progress.
6. Code Kingdoms: Treasure - A cool free iOS app that teaches students ages 8-14 how to program and code by drag-n-dropping blocks of code to have their character move around a board and collect an item. Games can be played and shared with friends. 
7. Code Monster - A fantastic user-friendly site with a deceptively simple interface. Students learn how to program Javascript by practicing in side-by-side windows and watching what happens as they type in commands.
8. Code with Google - A new initiative from Google to help students strengthen their STEM skills and learn to program/code. It combines Google’s free curriculum and coding programs from beginner to advanced.
9. Codecademy - This interactive site helps students learn how to program in Javascript,  PHP, Ruby, or Python using stepwise instructions. A free Basic plan is offered as well as Pro and Teams plans. 
10. CodeCampKidz - Offers 24/7 access and live sessions for kids to learn HTML, CSS, JS, and more. 
11. CodeCombat - A fantastic way to teach coding including HTML, CSS, and more through playing a game by typing text instead of dropping blocks of code.
12. Codelicious - A wonderful Computer Science Curriculum for grades 3rd-8th designed to teach students Javacsript, Photoshop, game creation, and more.
13. Codemoji - An innovative new site that uses emojis to teach kids to code and tracks student progress through an educational dashboard, which helps to assess student progress and differentiate instruction.
14. TheCodePlayer - Video walkthroughs guide users in learning HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript.
15. CoderZ - An innovative site for learning how to program or code 3D virtual robotos through gamified lessons. CoderZ offers robotics coding competitions for students of any skill level as well. 
16. codeSpark Academy - A fun way for kids 4-9 yrs old to learn how to code through activities, puzzles, projects and more by interacting with the Foos. The app uses a patent pending "no words" interface. 
17. Coding, the Musical - A free iOS game designed for girls age 4-8  to teaching programming and coding by creating their own musical.
18. Daisy the Dinosaur - From the creators of hopscotch, this fun iPad app  teaches kids how to program and animate by dragging blocks together and watching Daisy the Dinosaur animate the action.
19. Dystopia - This innovative site teaches students how to code through a digital graphic novel.
    
    [Robotics in the Classroom]
    
    
20. Gamefroot -  Provides excellent resources for teachers to learn or teach coding.  Gamefroot for Education’s “ learning packages“ and workshops for teachers and students help to integrate Gamefroot and STEM into curriculum.
21. Gamestar Mechanic - A nice site for teachers to teach students how to program games by reinforcing skills such as problem solving, writing, storytelling, and more.
22. Grasshopper - A free mobile app that teaches students how to program through Javascript by playing through games and puzzles.
23. Hopscotch - A wonderful iOS app that teaches kids how to program and create animations by dragging and dropping blocks together.
24. Human Resource Machine EDU - Designed for classroom use, this fun iOS game lets students program their worker to complete an assigned task. Requires a Filament Learning account, which includes standards-aligned curriculum. 
25. hyperPad - Formerly known as GamePress, hyperPad allows students to create games, apps, interactive books and more. This iOS app is ideal for learning the basics of programming with lots of resources and activities for educators.
26. Kodable - A fun iPad app designed for younger kids that has them controlling fuzzballs to complete each level.  Each level deals with a simple concept of programming with higher levels exploring more advanced concepts.
27. MIT App Inventor - A wonderful site filled with a multitude of educational resources for teaching students how to program mobile apps. 
28. Osmo - An award-winning education game system for the iPad that teaches students how to code through three different games (i.e. Awbie, Jam, and Duo).
29. Pixel Press Floors - An amazing app that lets students create games by drawing them.
30. Programmr - A nice way to learn programming by solving coding exercises.
31. Quest - An innovative site/app for creating text-based games that will show/hide the programming language while it is being worked on.
32. Sam Labs - Sam Labs Alpha Kit is an educational kit designed for the classroom that ignites creativity and teaches students how to code and more.
33. Scratch - Probably the most popular site on the list, as 1000s of students have created online games through their very easy-to-use web interface.
34. Scratch Jr - A spinoff of Scratch designed for younger kids 5-7 yrs old to teach them how to code and create interactive stories by drag-n-drop blocks of code.
35. ScreenPlay - A fun game that introduces the basics of programming by solving puzzles through a variety of worlds.
36. SoloLearn: Learn to Code - A subscription app with free features, SoloLearn offers courses in Python, C++, JavaScript, Java, jQuery, machine learning, data science, and more. Certificates awarded for completed courses. 
37. Stencyl - A wonderful site for creating iOS or Flash-based games by putting blocks together (i.e. Scratch).
38. Swift Playgrounds - A free iPad app that lets students learn how to program in Swift. This is a fun and easy-to-use app that has users take on different challenges and even integrates with iTunes U.
39. Tynker - A great site for students grades 4-8 learning how to program.
40. while True: learn() - An innovative iOS game in which students learn to communicate with a cat by moving blocks of code to solve puzzles.

David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment. For more information about his work, contact him at dkapuler@gmail.com and read his blog at cyber-kap.blogspot.com.

I started this blog 10 years ago, which was shortly after using Twitter and other social media tools to connect with educators. Part of connecting and spreading the word of new posts, online conferences I’ve organized, online courses, Twitter chats, and other news is creating visuals to share online. I’ve learned to use free web tools to design headers on different social networks, graphics for books and digital badges, banners, flyers, parent newsletters, programs, digital magazines, book covers, logos, and more! Below I’ve listed free design tools teachers and students can use to create digital graphics and publications. The awesome part is these tools are free and offer access to awesome fonts, stock photos, frames, templates, and icons. This way your students can begin designing visuals to highlight their innovative ideas, spread their passion, share their creativity or become influencers.

Web Tools for Creating Awesome Graphics

• Canva is my favorite free web tool and app for designing graphics. The majority of the visuals on this blog and that I share on social networks are designed on Canva. You can access free templates that can be copied to make creating the same type of visual quick and easy. Find templates for creating logos, flyers, posters, greeting cards, business cards, online magazines, and social media headers and graphics (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). The fonts are amazing as well as the images, icons, frames, and color schemes. Canva also helps you learn more about graphic design with tutorials and free design courses and tips! If you want your students to truly learn about graphic design you can access the free workshops, lesson plans, and teaching materials.
• Gravit is a simple online graphic design tool I just learned about with a library of templates for designing posters, presentations, social media graphics, greeting cards, and more! Choose from a library of fonts, stock images, shapes, lines, emojis, and more. I really love the look of this web tool.
• Design Wizard is a simple online graphic design tool with a library of templates for designing different graphics, Facebook covers, ads, greeting cards and even videos! Choose from a library of fonts, shapes, and stock images.

To thank you for your sharing, friendship and support over the years I am sharing free tips, learning resources, web tools and apps for 25 days in my Digital December STEM Advent Calendar. Just click on the calendar below and a post will appear for that day. NOTE! The post will not appear until that day. If you enjoy these resources, then take one of my fully accredited continuing education and graduate online courses or check out my latest book, Hacking Digital Learning Strategies with EdTech Missions!

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

PebbleGo Next: Kid-Friendly Database for Grades 3–6

This student-centric research site gives kids a just-right amount of information to build foundational research skills.

“Thinklets” Provide Path to Teaching Common Core Math Lessons

CueThink, an innovative, community-based platform, helps students plan, strategize, and collaborate.

Explore Photosynthesis, Carbon Cycle, and More with Virtual Lab App

CellEnergy Photosynthesis Labs helps high-school and middle-school students explore how photosynthesis and cellular respiration allow matter and energy to cycle through ecosystems.

Geoguessr

[Global Sim Lets Kids Direct Earth's Future

"Just one more turn" gameplay jazzes up geography

Pros: Clean interface, easy controls, and addictive gameplay make geography appealing.

Cons: Favors players with some travel experience or background knowledge in geography.

Bottom Line: It's not a typical educational game, but students are inspired to explore the world and encouraged to think critically about what defines culture and geography.

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

Sway

Cool scroll effects, flexible features boost visual storytelling tool

Pros: Combining text and images to tell a story is a snap with tons of features and an uncluttered user interface.

Cons: The navigation is a bit outdated, and classroom-friendly options are lacking.

Bottom Line: A seamless transition from design to presentation makes Sway a great fit for presenting carefully curated content.

[Use Twitter to Build PLN, Communicate With Students]

Read more here.

By Common Sense Education

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

Google Classroom

Simplify communication, collaboration, and document sharing

Pros: Easy-to-learn interface; integrates with lots of apps and websites; seamlessly share, collect, and grade G Suite documents.

Cons: Integration with student information services is still in development; no standards-based grading options.

Bottom Line: Google Classroom is a great way to manage and organize learning, though teachers who need more features may need to look elsewhere.

[Add Fun to Classroom Communications with Today's Top Pick]

Site of the Week picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

Read more here.

By Common Sense Education

Today IXL Learning, the K-12 personalized learning platform, announced the release of the IXL app for Android phones. Featuring IXL’s complete curriculum of more than 8,000 skills across math, English language arts, science, social studies and Spanish, the IXL Android app can be downloaded for free on the Google Play Store.

With this release and the recent release of IXL for iPhone, the IXL app is fully available across all major mobile devices including iPad, Android tablets, Kindle, and Chromebook. 

On IXL, personalized questions adapt to students' current level of understanding, introducing concepts at the perfect time and at the right difficulty level. 

Along with IXL’s curriculum, the IXL Android phone app offers a number of mobile-only features. For example, handwriting recognition allows students to enter their answers to math questions by writing on the screen. The app also displays a real-time progress bar that displays how close they are to achieving their next milestone. The SIIA CODiE Awards has recognized this mobile interface as the Best Educational App for a Mobile Device for two years.

The IXL app is free to download and features 10 practice questions each day for students not subscribed to IXL. IXL members can sign in through the app and practice unlimited questions across all grade levels and subjects. Learn more about IXL's capabilities and download each app at www.ixl.com/apps.

As the costs for devices and applications decrease, technology use is increasing In classrooms across the country. Growth is particularly high in web-based devices. A recent University of Phoenix College of Education survey showed that about 58% of teachers use educational apps and 41% use social media. As tablets, Chromebooks, and other handheld devices are employed in classrooms, instruction relies more and more on apps instead of on traditional computer-based programs.

Join us for What Ed Tech Apps Work Best for Learning? Monday, November 5, 2018 12:00pm Pacific time, 3:00pm Eastern

Some apps are comprehensive and others tackle a specific purpose. Among the classroom apps in widespread use are those for:

Presenting, creating, and coding

Developing and honing skills in math, ELA, and science

Fulfilling classroom needs such as organizing, note-taking, writing, looking up definitions, and developing portfolios

Learning information and getting answers to questionsCollaborating and communicating

With so much learning dependent on app-based technology, educators, administrators, and communities need to know if they are using the best apps for each purpose and for each curriculum area. Cost and usage are only part of the picture. Even more, they need to know the impact of these apps -- if students are learning because of them.

Impact tracks the link between student usage on a particular app and how that may or may not influence their performance on assessments.

More than $3 billion was spent on ed tech products last year and more than 2,500 programs are on the market. Educators need to know which products are likely to have a positive impact on learning for their students. To figure that out, they can look at assessment data for evidence of correlation between apps and test score improvement. With this knowledge, administrators can leverage their data to make smart decisions about using the apps that will best improve learning.

Dr. Ryan S. Baker, Director of the Penn Center for Learning Analytics and Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education, studied 1.4M hours of usage data from 392,603 students in 48 districts to put together a comprehensive report that reveals surprising findings on the range of cost per license, the degree ed tech apps are being used, and the level of app effectiveness for math, science, and ELA.

His groundbreaking study produced insights into the national trends of cost, usage and impact of apps across a broad cross-section of school districts in the U.S. His research also analyzed the contexts where apps are producing positive impact. In addition, he uncovered just how many apps are purchased by districts for use in classrooms but are not widely used. (Spoiler alert: The median percent of unused licenses is 70.1%)

Investment, Engagement, Impact

National data is meaningful but districts also need data that shows if they are making the best decisions on apps for their classrooms. Analyzing their data can tell them which apps work best in which classrooms, which have the greatest impact on learning, and the conditions in which specific apps are effective. The key is in evaluating data about the cost, user perception and the effectiveness of apps the district has employed. Together the data will provide answers about the districts’ technology investment, engagement, and impact.

While there are data mining programs that report cost and usage, the key in understanding the value of a district’s technology decisions is to use data that shows the impact on learning. To break down the analysis needed, districts should connect program usage and student achievement.

We know that if an app is seldom used, it can’t be effective. What we don’t know is impact. If an app for literacy instruction offers an individualized approach and provides performance data within the app, that data should be mapped to the results of reading proficiency assessments to judge its value. If a math program with a common core aligned curriculum allows teachers to assign content for students to practice online and track their progress toward mastery, that data should be mapped to the results of math assessments to gauge its effectiveness.

Some districts have implemented BrightBytes’ Learning Outcomes Modules, which captures data using a district’s existing web proxy and employs advanced research-driven analytics to correlate usage with student achievement data. It takes millions of data points from digital device usage and triangulates it with district investment data and student achievement data.

With this data, educators can know which programs have the most impact and can develop plans to replicate, scale, or adjust resources accordingly.

The future of employing apps in classrooms is based on knowing what makes a difference for student learning by assessing the impact on student scores and gauging how much each app is used in order to gain insight into the real costs. Having the right data leads to informed decision-making and future student success.

With more than $3 billion spent on ed tech products last year and more than 2,500 programs on the market, educators across the country need to know which products are likely to make a difference in teaching and learning. In a research study into this issue, Dr. Ryan S. Baker, Director of the Penn Center for Learning Analytics focused on what aggregate data can tell us about the programs we use and how effective the apps we use for math, ELA and science are.

Join us for What Ed Tech Apps Work Best for Learning?

Monday, November 5, 2018 12:00pm Pacific time, 3:00pm Eastern

He used aggregate data from BrightBytes Learning Outcomes module to learn what programs students are using, how much they’re using them, and how the investment in programs correlates to improved student learning.

After looking across 48 school districts with 392,603 learners using 258 apps, he found that there was sufficient test data to analyze student improvement for 177 of these apps. He focused only on 150 apps used by learners that were used for a total of 1.48 million hours.

These districts were varied in type: large cities (3), medium cities (6), small cities (7), suburbs (24), rural/ small town (12) and student population: more than 30,000 students (5), 10,000-30,000 (9), 5,000-10,000 (13), 1,000-5,000 (19), fewer than 1,000 students (4).

The team focused their efforts in three areas: adoption, engagement, and impact. Each plays a role in understanding the overall effectiveness and financial sustainability of apps that students are using.

Adoption tracks how many licenses were purchased, the cost of licenses, how many active users there are, and who at the school is using it. Engagement measures student usage (how often students are using a particular app and to what degree) and student perceptions (how much do students like/dislike a particular app.) Impact tracks the link between student usage on a particular app and how that may or may not influence their performance on assessments.

Student Improvement was measured by standardized test score improvement between one test (fall, winter) to another test (winter, spring). Scores were collected from standardized tests in math, science, and ELA.

They defined student usage in two ways: the total number of minutes that students used the system and the total number of distinct days that students used the software. They determined the average cost of an app in terms of the cost per license, the cost per user, or the cost per intensive user.

Results of the Study

Use

1.8 million licenses were purchased. The average number of licenses per student was 5.02. When a district purchases licenses, it is typically with the expectation (or at least hope) that they will be widely used.

However, the study showed that not all licenses are used. License use varies by app, and there is a range of unused licenses. The study also looked at licenses that were employed in classrooms but not used intensively. There was a wide range in the degree of adoption of different apps and limited overlap between the apps with the largest number of licenses purchased and the largest number of intensive users.

Costs

There is a wide range of costs, even when not including free apps. Cost per license varies from $0.14 per license to $367.00. There is an even larger range of costs when looking at the cost per user, which varies from under $0.1 per user to $1000.00. The largest range of costs is cost per intensive user, which varies from $0.2 per user to $5000.00. 

Impact on Math and ELA Learning

Perhaps the most important question to discern from the data is what apps had the most impact on learning. The study examined use of apps in math, English Language Arts and science. The data on time indicated what one would expect -- the more minutes students used certain apps, the more their test performance improved between assessments. The data on the number of days of use is also logical -- the more days students used certain apps, the more their test performance improved between assessments. 

Impact on Science Learning

While there were fewer apps and fewer assessments available for the study in science, correlations existed between the time and number of days certain apps were used and test improvement. Apps also had geographic variation for where they were most effective.

General data on use is valuable but even more relevant is an analysis of what apps were most widely adopted, used, used intensively, and were successful in promoting student learning in math, ELA, and science. 

Read the previous entries in this blog series:

How Effective for learning are the Ed Tech Apps we Use?

As the costs for devices and applications decrease, technology use is increasing In classrooms across the country. Growth is particularly high in web-based devices. Read more.

How Good is our Return on Learning for Classroom Apps?

School districts across the country spent more than $3 billion on ed tech products last year and chose from an assortment of 2,500 apps on the market. With so much money at stake and so many choices, educators need to know which products have a positive impact on student outcomes and the conditions under which impact is the greatest. Read more.

Sphero Edu

Cool robots and creative play make programming irresistible

Pros: Block- and text-based code and an engaging community make programming accessible to all.

Cons: The learning curve may frustrate some kids, and teachers will have to be creative to fit this tool into their curricula.

Bottom Line: Hub for Sphero robots draws crafty kids who love making into coding, and it empowers them to be collaborators.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

GatherIQ™ is a free app and website that teaches students about the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) for 2030 and inspires them to take action to make the world a better place. By exploring and interacting with GatherIQ, users will unlock donations to organizations supporting the Global Goals mission.

The latest donation campaign will focus on the goal of No Poverty and will benefit Zoe Empowers, a GatherIQ partner. Zoe Empowers equips orphans with tools and training to overcome life-threatening poverty.

A beta version of GatherIQ is being showcased this week at the International Society for Technology in Education Conference (ISTE 2019). To continue supporting organizations that are dedicating their efforts toward achieving the Global Goals, microdonations are available this summer for users to unlock donations for ZOE Empowers. A similar effort raised $5,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas during SAS® Global Forum in April.

GatherIQ’s resources are easily integrated into classroom instruction through Curriculum Pathways® Crio™, a free digital lesson building platform. Educators can create and customize lessons for any class size or type.  

The curriculum experts from Curriculum Pathways have developed over 2,000 resources that align with education standards. Through Crio, teachers can draw from these resources, as well as content from GatherIQ, to jump-start classroom projects that are relevant to what is happening in the world today. In addition to opening new windows to our world, GatherIQ’s gamification challenges students to make an impact. 

As students explore the app, they will uncover microdonations that benefit nonprofits working on the Global Goals.  When thousands of students unlock the microdonations, their efforts turn into real change. 

Current nonprofit partners include Girls Who Code, the UN International Organization for Migration, DoSomething.org, WaterAid and Rise Against Hunger, among others.

SAS has just launched two partnerships with organizations devoted to fostering global education by exposing students to a variety of cultural experiences and preparing them for success in an increasingly connected world.

Launched by the UN, the World’s Largest Lesson produces free and creative resources for educators to teach lessons, run projects and stimulate action in support of the Global Goals. SAS will use digital-lesson builder Crio to transform many of the World’s Largest Lesson’s static lessons into interactive ones with assessments and feedback capabilities built in. SAS will also integrate content from the World’s Largest Lesson’s library of compelling and engaging content.

SAS and Participate Learning will co-create a new learning experience focused on teaching the Global Goals with Crio. Participate Learning seeks to integrate Global Goals into instruction to help students become more culturally aware, learn empathy and become more active citizens.

GatherIQ is on display at Booth 700 at the International Society for Technology in Education Conference (ISTE 2019), along with Crio, CodeSnaps and other Curriculum Pathways resources.

Attendees can also learn more at the poster session U.N. Sustainable Development Goals: A Global Scaffolding for Inquiry-Based Learning, taking place from 1 to 3 p.m. at Level 4, Terrace Ballroom Lobby, Table 46.

SAS will also show CodeSnaps at the conference. CodeSnaps is a no-cost app that teaches coding basics by enticing students to actively work together, hands-on, to control Sphero, an app-enabled robotic ball that students command using code and an iPad®. CodeSnaps can be used in any learning environment, including traditional and blended classrooms, 1-to-1 or at home. The collaborative coding activity requires only one Sphero robot and one tablet.

Virtual reality (VR) may be commonly used for gaming and watching videos, but there are actually plenty of ways in which it can used to educate.

In fact, many suggest that VR could absolutely transform education altogether, largely by making education much more immersive for students – which could help make lessons more interesting.

You don’t actually have to wait around for VR to change education, though: there are plenty of education-focused VR apps that are already available.

Whether you’re a teacher, a student, or simply interested in learning more about the world, here are the best VR apps for education.

Titans of Space

Interested in learning about the vast expanse of space? Titans of space offers an in-depth tour of a number of the planets, stars and other objects in the galaxy. Plus, it does so with beautiful visuals and a well-designed overall experience. Safe to say, this app definitely makes learning about space a little more exciting than it otherwise would be.

To help show the sheer scale of objects in space, Titans of Space does things like shrink down planets to a millionth of their actual size. For example, the Earth could appear to be the size of a house. In the app, you’ll find a variety of options, including the ability to customize the tour of space for you or your students. The app is available on a variety of platforms, including the Oculus Go and the Samsung Gear VR.

Visit TechRadar for the complete list of the best VR apps for education.

As part of its Spring Cleaning giveaway, Bloomz, the parent-teacher communication app, is offering $10,000 to the winning school’s parent-teacher association.

The Bloomz parent-teacher communication app consolidates communication, coordination, and classroom management tools in one platform, offering parent-teacher instant messaging and photo-sharing capabilities, calendar and signup forms, behavior tracking, and student portfolios.

To enter, school leaders schedule a call with Bloomz to set up a free 30-day trial of Bloomz Premium—with additional features such as unlimited cloud storage and an engagement dashboard—then get as many of their teachers to use the app as possible during the trial period. 

Every activity, whether it's a message, post, or photo shared in their Bloomz community, counts as another entry in a random drawing. At the end of the contest on August 31, the winner of the drawing will be awarded $10,000 for their PTA or PTO to fund school projects. 

Teachers can also win $500 to use in their classroom. To enter, teachers propose a professional development session at their school (they can use the company’s PD resources) to demonstrate the benefits of Bloomz to their colleagues. Next, they can take pictures and share them on social media with the hashtag #SpringCleanCommunication. After that, each teacher they get to join Bloomz for free using their personal invitation code will give them another chance to win $500 for their classroom.

I had a great two days of learning at the Blended & Personalized Learning Conference in Providence (#BPLC19).  The sessions I found myself in focused on blended and personalized learning design (great session @csanford42 and @ShawnCRubin) , increasing student voice, and supporting educators take the next step in their own growth. Today’s students are experiential learners; they learn by discovery rather than being “told” what to do. They like to interact with content to explore and draw their own conclusions. They also like playing different roles in their learning, either as a student or even as an instructor/facilitator/supporter of others. We need to create classrooms where students are the ones defending and explaining their ideas rather than regurgitating facts.  Giving students a list of options from which they can choose, whether it’s a book to read in language arts, a topic to research in history, or a business to create in math, will increase engagement and retention. This strategy will allow them to operate in a learning space where they are comfortable and self-motivated. 

Click here for session slide deck 

John Dewey said (over 80 years ago), “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”  These words ring true especially in the implementation of technology in the classroom. If teachers are not learning and implementing new and current practices, they are failing to prepare students for tomorrow. Furthermore, teachers are missing valuable opportunities to engage student learning.

This brings us to the focus of this blog and a point that came up in my session “Innovative Leadership.” We must evolve as teachers by moving away from dioramas and moving towards dynamic project design; “thinking outside the box.” I showed the slide below and asked, “How can we enhance this project?” I had some great conversations with participants which pushed my thinking and led me to write this blog: “How Can We Move from Diorama to Dynamic?”

Dioramas are, in the most basic explanation, physical boxes built to showcase learning on a subject matter or topic. They are a way to incorporate craft projects into the understanding of a topic. They allow students to illustrate an academic subject, the plot of a story, or an event in history. However, a diorama is a scene that captures a single moment in time. Yes, it may give some student voice and autonomy, however, once the glue dries – the project is stationary; enhancement or further extension of the scene is impossible.  

To create a dynamic project, a teacher must offer students multiple opportunities to explore and understand the topic.  A dynamic project should have a balance of static and interactive elements as well as individual work and cooperation. It should also include a variety of tools and resources to appeal to students’ interests and preferences. The more interesting and appealing the project options are for students, the more creative and fascinating the student projects will be. Offering dynamic options will certainly help to achieve higher engagement and relevance in student learning.

So what are some tools to add to a diorama, or any student project, to make it dynamic? Below are some ways to take that shoebox and make it come alive with student creation, imagination, and independence:

Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio or learning journal that provides opportunities for students to show their work and thought processes in real time. Students can create a video of themselves working on their project. Seesaw can empower students to create, reflect, collaborate and share. Having this video will also allow family members to view the Seesaw content to share and enjoy their students’ learning. Sharing with families will celebrate successes. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Have students take photos and video articulating their thinking in their design process for the diorama. This thinking process and video creation can be part of the students’ presentation or a post-presentation addition.

When I think about Flipgrid I explain it like a combination of Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube. Flipgrid is a tool that increases independence and creativity. As educators, we strive to develop student voice in order to share, verbally, what they have learned. Flipgrid is designed to do just that by creating a fun and creative space to produce individual videos. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Create a  Diorama “preview” Flipgrid. With each student giving a “trailer” as you would see for a movie. This grid can be made public and if posted a week before the diorama showcase, build excitement and intrigue for their projects as the students hype their projects via video.  

Buncee is a web-based tool for creating interactive multimedia presentations. A student can integrate content from both external and internal sources as well as create content directly on each slide. Buncee boards are a great way to make students ideas grow as well as provide an inspiration to collaborate. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Create Buncee boards with sequences of what came “before” the diorama scene and “after”. Students can share the board to the web and have an external monitor to show “what happened next” in the timeline of the diorama scene.

The above tools are all web-based. As such, a student can create a Flipgrid, Buncee, or Seesaw and have a live link. But what do you do with those links? QR codes allow websites to be photo codes. One only has to scan the code via their phone camera to be taken directly to another digital tool or website. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Place a large QR code next to each project to allow students to walk around the room and visit each diorama independently. When students scan the QR code, they will be taken to a video or other online information that will teach them about the research used to create the scene. Additionally, students can place guiding questions on the back of the QR codes; these would be written by the project’s creator(s). This idea will provide an avenue for students’ independent learning.

Augmented reality (AR)  is quickly becoming a powerful tool in education. The goal of AR is to transform learning and expand possibilities for content. AR can offer students the opportunity to design virtual three-dimensional learning objects or visuals. Aurasma is an augmented reality application that allows you to overlay any video or image on top of anything. Aurasma looks very much like a QR code reader on a phone or tablet; it allows the device to scan with its built-in camera. Dynamic Diorama Idea: Students can create an overlayed image or video for their diorama. From there, the object can be activated by scanning it with the Aurasma app. Combining the diorama scene with an overlay that plays sound, images or video will add a layer of excitement and wonder to the learning. For instance, students can create moving objects or animals for the diorama that you could otherwise not see with a static 3D scene. Students will be fascinated to see a dinosaur walking through the diorama or an astronaut landing on the moon diorama.

3D printing is the action or process of making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many thin layers of material in succession. 3D printing enables students to manufacture objects right in the classroom (or lab). Dynamic Diorama Idea: Once students have planned their diorama and visualized parts or figures, they can create it digitally, and save the design. The next step is getting ready for printing by reviewing your design, loading the printer with the correct materials, and ensuring the printing surface is clean and ready. Students can change 3D printing settings using software like any desktop printer. Using the diorama (from above) that sparked this discussion at #BPLC19 and fueled this blog, you could 3D print the trees, the hut, and some people to populate the scene.

Classroom instruction is experiencing a dramatic shift in how it has been done for decades. As teachers begin to learn more, classroom projects should become more dynamic in design thinking and production. The next step in the ever-changing landscape of technology is allowing dynamic projects to become part of the culture of learning. This shift will require a coordinated effort between mindset, behaviors, and skills to enhance classroom learning and design through technology. Using today’s technology and combining it with the endless creativity and ideas of today’s young minds, teachers will be able to shift from dioramas to dynamic relevant projects and take the next step in their growth as educators.

See you next year #BLPC20 

cross posted at techinnovation.live 

Dr. Matthew X. Joseph is currently the Director of Digital Learning and Innovation for the Milford Public School District in Milford, MA. Before coming to Milford, he was a building principal for 11 years in Natick, MA and Attleboro, MA. Other professional roles include: classroom teacher, district professional development specialist supporting leadership and technology instruction. Matt holds licenses in general education, school administration, and Massachusetts superintendent. His master’s degree is in special education and earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Boston College.

Throughout his career, Matt focused on what is in the best interest of students and pushing the limits to achieve excellence in schools. He is an instructional leader constantly looking for student and school improvement while building community and continued teacher improvement. He is passionate about building a collaborative school culture, creating a school of learners utilizing 21st century instructional tools, and developing leaders’ communication techniques to enhance instruction and parent communication.

Follow Dr. Joseph on twitter at @MatthewXJoseph or read his blog techinnovation.live

With Kahoot!'s challenge feature, teachers can assign kahoots as homework and track learners’ progress in real time. Using the app, students can make their own quizzes, developing their creative and research skills.

With the new Smart practice, learners can re visit previous kahoots or challenges where they answered some questions incorrectly. They will be prompted to start it when a game is completed. 

Learn more below.

source:  https://kahoot.com/blog/2019/04/11/smart-practice-students-retain-knowledge/ 

Storybird

[A Home for Young Writers Seeking Real Audience]

Social storytelling fun; artwork inspires, but limits creative freedom 

Pros: A huge collection of curated art provides kid-authors with distinct and inspiring illustrations.

Cons: Students can't add their own art to stories, which limits creativity a bit.

Bottom Line: For anyone interested in kid-authored storybooks, this is a great resource.

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

 By Common Sense Education 

DIY Lake Science

At home or on location, explore and model watersheds and ecosystems

Pros: The activities are absolutely doable for parents, teachers, and kids alike, making this a win for in-class work or at-home assignments.

Cons: A lack of additional resources and avenues for extensions may leave curious students and classes wanting to know (or do) more.

Bottom Line: The combination of easy-to-use task directions and accessible materials make this great for class centers or family extensions.

Read more here.

By Common Sense Education

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

Like it or not, educators and parents of young schoolchildren know (or will soon find out) the rigorous literacy demands being placed on students today. A friend shared she was surprised by the reading level and number of books her six-year-old was supposed to be reading. She'd been reading bedtime stories to her daughter. What she didn't realize was that schools today expect young children to be reading their own stories with proficiency at such a young age.

The research

This is happening despite research that indicates we are pushing children to learn before they are developmentally ready. Doing this can have harmful consequences for children.

In their report Reading in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose, education professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige and her colleagues write about the hazards of early reading instruction. They warn: “When children have educational experiences that are not geared to their developmental level or in tune with their learning needs and cultures, it can cause them great harm, including feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and confusion.

Unfortunately, if you’re a teacher or parent, even if you feel this way your job and/or child’s success depends on how they meet today’s expectations.

What not to do

One of the worst things a parent or teacher can do is to associate reading with anxiety and failure. One way to avoid this is to make reading fun with as many scaffolds as possible.

While for some families this may mean investing in expensive programs or tutors to help their child keep up, there is another way.

Finding high-quality early literacy apps.

Solution: Increase Screen time

If you’re lucky enough to be in a district that purchases and provides a platform such as Footsteps2Brilliance students will be more likely to meet today’s demands. Their research shows that in just one month students have measurable results in vocabulary acquisition, critical thinking, and comprehension. Outside research shows that students who used Footsteps2Brilliance gained 7 months of vocabulary acquisition on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test in just 1 month. That is almost an entire year’s worth of academic progress.

Unfortunately, you may not be in a district that uses advanced tools for advanced literacy. Fortunately, there is an app now available to any parent or teacher for students. The app can be downloaded even if their school or district has not invested in it. 

It’s called Rivet. It’s free! It also has no ads and it’s COPPA compliant. 

The app contains more than 2000 leveled books for students in grades K-2. The app has a kid-friendly interface with word help to decrease frustration level. It has a read along feature enabling the book to read aloud to children. It is personalized so kids can choose their favorite books, avatars, and skins. It also has authentic, real-world reflection. Readers can rate and review each story they read. They can also save favorite stories and play games based on the stories they enjoy the most.

Using an app like Rivet means increased screen time results in increased reading time. What does that look like for readers using Rivet?

• +20% more time reading
• 29 average minutes per day reading
• 4.2 nights per week read
• 5.3 books read per day

The Verdict

While click-bate headlines love to scare parents and educators about the risks of screen time, it’s not that simple. Intelligently directed screen time with adult guidance and support can be the very thing kids need for success.

What do you think? Are apps like Rivet or Footsteps2Brilliance something that could help the students with whom you work? Have you tried them? Have you had success with something else?      

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several books and her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal. 

Video can be a powerful tool for classroom learning, and it's safe to say that teachers have never had more videos at their fingertips than they do today.

But with so many videos on YouTube, how do you find the good stuff? You know, those perfect, one-of-a-kind, just-right-for-your-lesson videos -- the ones that make you think, "Oh, my students have to see this!"

The best YouTube videos for the classroom are the ones that teach or -- better yet -- show something you can't otherwise do in your classroom. Videos that are more than flashy attempts to spice up a chapter from a textbook. Videos that go beyond zany talking heads doling out CliffsNotes for the digital age. Classroom-worthy videos on YouTube shouldn't be replacements for your lessons; they should be additions to the awesome lessons you already teach.

Whether they're an intriguing hook or the spark for a thought-provoking reflection, the best videos for school bring the world and all of its wonder into our classrooms. See below for a few of our favorite YouTube channels with useful videos for your lessons.

Above the Noise 

From PBS Digital Studios and KQED Education, Above the Noise offers an investigative dive -- albeit a brief one -- into the research behind a variety of popular and newsworthy topics, ranging from technology and climate science to free speech, economics, and beyond. Each video dives into a specific, thought-provoking topic, and the channel's sensibilities are right in line with what high school to college-age students are talking about. 

Standout Videos:
Is Video Game Addiction Real? -- A discussion of some of the science behind all the reporting on so-called "Video Game Addiction" and "Gaming Disorder."

Can Procrastination Be a Good Thing? -- Explore some academic research behind the question: Why do people procrastinate?

Why Do Our Brains Love Fake News? -- A brief primer on confirmation bias, and whether or not it's something people can actually avoid. 

The Art Assignment

An engaging look at contemporary art, as well as art history through a contemporary lens. While not specifically for K-12 students, plenty of the videos here can nonetheless work in school. The best of them are shot on location and bring art from around the world into your classroom.

Standout Playlists:
Art Trip -- Video field trips to various art locales, from London to Tijuana to Columbus, Indiana.

Assignment Episodes -- Sixty (and counting) episodes highlight various artists and works of art, each involving a related "assignment" for viewers.

The Brain Scoop

As "Chief Curiosity Correspondent" at Chicago's Field Museum, YouTube star Emily Graslie offers dispatches on a variety of natural science topics. Topics cover a range of (mostly natural) science content, and some videos have a certain gross-out factor. But Graslie gives the videos a decidedly friendly and personable tone that may resonate with some younger kids.

Standout Playlists:

In the Lab -- A behind-the-scenes look at what goes down in the Field Museum's lab as the crew preps various exhibits.

Amazon Adventures -- Ride along on a trip to the Peruvian Amazon to view life in the wild. 

Numberphile

Updated regularly, Numberphile is made by people who truly love math, which is one of the best reasons to share these videos with students. Much of the math can be higher level -- likely too esoteric for most kids. However, the friendly hosts also tackle engaging, off-the-beaten-path math topics that can make for some great conversation starters.

Standout Playlists:

Pi -- Includes the famous "Mile of Pi" video, wherein pi is printed to a million digits (seriously) and laid flat on an airport runway.

Dice -- Everything you've ever wondered about dice and probability, and then some. 

SciShow

Celebrity YouTuber Hank Green and friends cover a bevy of fun science topics tailored to the curiosities of their massive YouTube audience. Overall, the channel's a bit talking-head heavy and covers lots of standard subjects (chemistry, astronomy, etc.). However, plenty of other playlists dive into a variety of pop-science topics. Also: For younger kids, consider checking out the sister channel, SciShow Kids.

Standout Playlists:
Quick Questions -- Info-packed and short (most videos run three minutes and under), these videos explore everyday science-related phenomena, like "Why Do Your Eyes Get Red in the Pool?" to "What Does 'Clinically Proven' Actually Mean?"

Weird Places -- True to its name, this playlist dips into the science behind some of Earth's stranger natural locales.

TED-Ed

An education-focused offshoot from the now-famous TED talks, TED-Ed pairs experts in education and animation to create engaging videos covering an array of curiosity-fueled topics.

Standout Playlists:

Can You Solve This Riddle? -- These elaborate, complex, and brain-bending riddles are made more comprehensible through animated explanations.

New TED-Ed Originals -- Over 500 (and counting) of TED-Ed's latest videos, ranging from "How Aspirin Was Discovered" to "What Makes a Poem … a Poem?"

THINKR

Compelling human-interest stories that tend toward the exceptional, remarkable, and out of the ordinary. THINKR bills itself as "smart entertainment," but the topics are wide-ranging, from profiles of an innovative science class in a Bronx high school to interviews with Weird Al Yankovic.

Standout Playlists:
Prodigies -- An inside look at the Science Genius program, melding hip-hop and science at Compass High School in the Bronx, New York.

Why with Nye! -- The notable "science guy" entertains with some interstellar trivia.

Bookd -- Authors, stars, and other notable personalities get literary and react to a handful of popular books (though most aren't for kids).

Veritasium

These videos don't merely describe -- they actually show interesting and unique science in action. Every video starts with engaging essential questions, then dig in. Beyond conversation pieces, the videos here would probably make great hooks for a lesson or unit.

Standout Playlists:
Misconceptions -- A handful of simple, common misconceptions are explained and exploded.

Science Experiments! -- This playlist shows actual experiments, some of which could be difficult to replicate in a classroom or school, oftentimes with helpful explanations, motion graphics, and super-slow-mo video.

Vihart

Vi Hart’s (mostly) math and music videos are genuinely off-the-wall, but in a really great and unique way that's bound to have broad appeal. Plenty of these videos are fun and engaging enough for younger kids, yet still complex enough to challenge high schoolers (and adults!) to think outside the box.

Standout Playlists:
Mathmusician Stuff -- An interesting DIY investigation into the intersections between math and music.
Thanksgiving: Edible Math -- Ever wondered how to shape your mashed potato trough to hold the most gravy? Now you can find out.

Note: A lot of videos on YouTube come with advertisements, including those that seem targeted to users’ browsing history (both on YouTube and elsewhere on the web). This is, unfortunately, one of the big trade-offs when using YouTube in the classroom. Many of the channels on the list above have ads. As you select videos to show, be thoughtful about the ads that might come with them and whether or not you want your students to see these.

For more guidance and info about YouTube channels, check out our YouTube tips and reviews for families.

And to learn more about effectively using video in the classroom, explore our collection of resources on the topic: Use Video in the Classroom to Stimulate Critical Thinking.

Photo courtesy of Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action.

cross posted at Common Sense Education 

Jeff Knutson is a Senior Producer and Content Strategist for Common Sense Education

Lexia Learning, a Rosetta Stone® (NYSE: RST) company, has released the Lexia® PowerUp™ Literacy (PowerUp) app for iPad® and it is now available in the App Store. The PowerUp app for iPad joins the Lexia® Core5® Reading, Lexia® RAPID™ Assessment, and myLexia iPad apps, making the entire Lexia Learning K-12 literacy portfolio available on iPad.

PowerUp is designed to enhance core English language arts (ELA) instruction for struggling and non-proficient readers in grades six and above. 

The program addresses the needs of students in the three areas:  Word Study, Grammar, and Comprehension, by identifying skill gaps and providing personalized instruction, original texts, and gamification. Embedded progress monitoring, actionable data and scripted lessons help teachers to deliver personalized instruction.

The Lexia PowerUp for iPad app was launched with support for the iPad and iOS 10 or later. Schools and districts can integrate the PowerUp iPad app with their existing infrastructure since Clever login, single sign-on (SSO) via SAML and mobile device management systems are supported.

Good.iWare marks GoodReader’s 10th birthday with the launch of GoodReader 5, bringing a fresh look and improved document security for iPhone and iPad users.

GoodReader 5 delivers a new interface that makes viewing documents on an iPhone or iPad easier, including a split-screen view for iPad which enables users to view two documents or different sections of the same document simultaneously. This feature is especially useful for comparing documents such as drafts of contracts or researching for homework assignments.

GoodReader 5 offers a new user interface designed to be faster and more intuitive. 

Usability improvements include: 

• A redesigned PDF viewer with smoother scrolling, zooming, and page turning.
• A new way to read PDFs, featuring continuous "pageless" scrolling.
• A new pictures viewer, including a more modern look and feel, smooth and fast image loading, and a quick preview bar of all pictures in the folder.
• Split Screen (iPad only), enabling viewing of two files or different parts of the same file side-by-side.
• A new PDF Reflow mode with a continuous "pageless" scroll of pure text extracted from a PDF, with a graphical preview of actual PDF pages shown at every page break.

For the full list of new features, visit http://www.goodreader.com/update_history.html

GoodReader 5 locks down documents with military-grade AES-256 encryption, making it nearly impossible to read stored documents should a device be lost or stolen. Even should the hacker unlock the stolen device, the documents stored inside GoodReader will remain protected.

Another new document protection feature is Secure Photocopy which blocks others from copying redacted text from a PDF. Secure Photocopy guarantees the total elimination of all redacted text and images, hidden and deleted pages. 

Key new security features of GoodReader 5 include:

• Total document protection with military-grade AES-256 encryption for files and folders.
• For users requiring the ability to export a sensitive document outside GoodReader, where GoodReader's own file encryption doesn't apply, there is now the ability to add password protection with strong AES-256 encryption to PDF files and ZIP archives.
• Secure Photocopy, eliminating all traces of invisible, hidden or redacted information in a PDF file
• Secure options for individual PDF pages: email, extract or export pages as a separate password-protected file, as a secure photocopy, or both

GoodReader is currently available on the App Store for US$5.99 while users may purchase the Pro Pack as an in-app upgrade for the introductory price of US$5.99.

For more information, visit GoodReader.com.

Siftr

Collect images in the field with simple, collaborative app 

Pros: Large groups can create interactive maps using a variety of devices.

Cons: Teachers will need to think twice about privacy protections before using geotagging with students.

Bottom Line: An easy way to crowdsource location-based data. 

Read more here. 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

Tyto Online

Ambitious science role-playing game has bright future 

Pros: The varied cast of characters, adaptive gaming environment, and sci-fi storyline are sure to engage kids.

Cons: It's still in active development, so some features are a little clunky, and it can sometimes be difficult to know what to do next in the game.

Bottom Line: Diverse characters, immersive experiences, and useful teacher tools make this life science RPG worth checking out. 

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education  

Blockly for Dash & Dot Robots

Adorable robots teach hands-on coding skills 

Pros: Students see code come to life and have lots of customization options for sounds.
Cons: Puzzles are very challenging and sometimes buggy with little to no help.
Bottom Line: You can program robots with code blocks, with plenty of creative options and lots of fun.

Read more

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education  

Here is a great tool that lets you androidify yourself. We can download it as an app or you can go to the website and create your own androidify version. 

You can make your character tall, short, blocky, skinny or small in different colors. You can style your android self with clothes, accessories, shoes or phones. Then you can make your characters laugh, dance, play or do all sort of other moves. When you are done, you can share your Android self on social media or you can download it as a picture or as a gif to use it on a ppt or on a word document.

We can ask our kids to create their own Android characters and describe them. We can create various characters and and ask the kids to talk about their physical appearance and what they can do.

We can create a class mascot using this tool or we can create a character together with the kids. We can brainstorm about his/her character traits, where s/he lives; her/his likes and dislikes, abilities and disabilities. Then students can write a story about this android character. We can also ask our students to create android characters for characters in the stories that they are reading. 

cross-posted at ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org

Özge Karaoglu is an English teacher and educational consultant in teaching young learners and teaching with web-based technologies. She is the author of Minigon ELT book series, which aims to teach English to young learners through stories. Read more of her ideas about teaching English through technology and Web-based tools at ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org.

It's the time of year again for my favorite annual sites and apps.  Once again, this year's list sees a lot of tools for STEM that focus on programming and coding.  As with any of my previous annual top lists, all tools listed in previous posts will not be eligible for this year's list. 

1. YO Teach! - With Today's Meet shutting down this year, Palms created a very user- friendly tool for creating a "backchannel" that can be used in any number of ways in education. 
2. Book Creator - A fantastic mobile (iOS/Chrome) app for creating stunning eBooks/presentations that can be used for digital storytelling, project-based learning and more. 
3. Think Fluency - A wonderful iOS/Google Play app for assessing a student's reading fluency.  This is done without the user of paper, provides instant real-time feedback, and saves teachers valuable time. 
4. Dystopia 2153 - An innovative new site that teaches programming/coding through the use of game-based learning and graphic novels. 
5. Night Zookeeper - An excellent new free writing tool filled with interactive lessons as well as an educational portal to help teachers track and monitor student progress. 
6. Hippo Video - One of my favorite sites around for creating digital videos that can be used to "flip" a classroom or create explainer videos. 
7. TypeTastic - The best site around for K-12 students (with educational portal) learning how to type/keyboard. 
8. Socrates - A cutting-edge new site where educators can seamlessly differentiate instruction through game-based learning. 
9. Project Pals - A great all-in-one collaborative learning platform that is ideal for project- based learning. 
10. I Know It - One of my favorite new free sites around for math grades K-5.  Best of all, educators can assign lessons and track student progress. 
11. Oodlu - An excellent new site/app for creating games that lets parents or educators track student progress. 
12. Klassroom - A free mobile (Android/iOS) that reminds me of a cross between Remind and ClassDojo, where educators can share photos, videos or documents in a secure environment. 
13. Badaboom - A new game-based learning tool (similar to Kahoot) where educators can make quizzes/games to assess student's learning. 
14. Edji - An innovative new site for annotating texts for collaborative learning. 
15. Elementari - A fun site for digital storytelling and project-based learning where students can create digital stories, portfolios or choose-your-own adventures.  There is an educational portal in the works for easier student tracking/management. 
16. Codemoji - A cool new site where K-8 students can learn how to program/code through the use of emojis. 
17. Pixorize - A interesting site for U.S. history that reminds me of ThingLink where students learn facts through the use of pictures. 
18. Reading Racer - A wonderful new iOS app that uses speech recognition to assess a student's reading ability and comprehension. 
19. CodeCombat - A fantastic way for educators to teach programming/coding through an innovative game. 
20. UMU - An excellent mobile app (iOS/Android) that can be used in a any number of different ways.  Educators are using it for assessing students, creating quizzes/games, professional development and blended learning. 
21. Waypoint EDU - An innovative new iOS app that uses augmented reality to let educators create scavenger hunts or geocaching. 
22. Grasshopper - A cool mobile app (iOS/Android) that teaches students how to code in Javascript through fun puzzles/games. 
23. Typing Agent - A great web-based typing/keyboarding tool for grades K-12 with features such as multiplayer games, certificates, type-to-code and more. 
24. Khan Academy Kids - A new iOS/Google Play app for finding educational resources for math, reading, writing, and more. 
25. ClassPad - A free digital scratch paper that students can use to solve math problems. 

cross posted at cyber-kap.blogspot.com

David Kapuler is an educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience working in the K-12 environment. For more information about his work, contact him at dkapuler@gmail.com and read his blog at cyber-kap.blogspot.com.

A few days ago, I bragged on one of the latest Library of Congress interactive tools titled CaseMaker. Part of the Teaching with Primary Sources project, CaseMaker joined the three earlier tools that rolled out last year.

But wait. There’s more. Called DBQuest and developed by the awesome people over at iCivics, this fifth tool helps you teach history and civics through the use of primary-based documents and evidence-based learning. The multi-platform app teaches students how to make sense of evidence, contextualize information, and make and support claims using evidence-based arguments.

In DBQuest, students are provided with a Big Question that is used to guide student thinking and examination using three selected primary resources. Each of the four Big Questions uses a variety of texts, images, and videos and document-based guiding questions to help students dig into the evidence.  Teacher Guides offer step-by-step instructions, timelines, maps, and context for supporting the learning activities. Each of the Questions provide a handy online glossary of terms to support contextual understanding and you can follow their progress using a report system.

The tool takes students through the same four steps for each source:

1. Rate the document for usefulness and determine perspective

2. Identify and analyze the text and visual elements that assist with answering the questions

3. Address the supporting questions in your own words

4. Summarize your findings as a response to the Big Question

The Louisiana Purchase, for instance, poses this investigation:

Students can work on the prompt in either Freeform Mode, allowing for more creative and independent engagement, or in Guided Mode, probably best for students new to primary source analysis or who might need reinforcement. Guided Mode provides a variety of scaffolding tools including pre-selected evidence options and just-in-time feedback.

Students review the three sources by sequentially answering multiple choice questions; analyzing the documents looking for textual evidence; and responding in writing to prompts.

Each Quest provides a virtual avatar tutor to help as your kids walk through the Quests. Students select a tutor at the beginning of the Quest that acts as a guide and resource throughout the project. The tutor’s role will be to draw out the student’s thought process for each source and offer a deeper level of questioning. The student is also be able to engage with their virtual tutor for support.

A small problem is that there doesn’t seem to be a handy landing page where you can easily access all of the different DBQuests. But you can get the video below and an Info pdf here. 

[Real or Fake? Factitious is a Breakthrough Tool for Assessing Student Online Literacy]

Right now there are four DBQuests:

The Louisiana Purchase: Branching Out
President Jefferson usually gets the credit for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which doubled the size of the young nation. But this ignores one important actor, the U.S. Congress. Nearly every step of the process involved the approval of, and funding from, the Legislative Branch. This DBQuest will walk you through primary sources that show the give and take between the two branches.

The Nashville Sit-Ins
What makes a movement successful? The people? The actions? The outcome? Students find out that answering this question is more involved than it may seem. Each of the three primary sources reveal a new perspective on the Nashville Sit-In Movement of 1960, and lead to a deeper understanding of what it means to work for change. Students will hear from a local businessman, student activist, and view newspaper coverage of the event.

The Constitution’s Cover Letter
In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided that it was time for a change. A new plan for government was outlined in the Constitution, and it was George Washington’s job to present this document to Congress. As with any important document, the Constitution was delivered with a letter of introduction. Part background, part persuasion, Washington’s cover letter provides a behind-the-scenes look at how a new government came to be designed.

America’s Founding Preambles
Learn how the American idea of government evolved from a revolutionary response to monarchy to a unified nation. The sources will illustrate the effort taken to reach “a more perfect union” through a close read of our founding documents. Students will dig into the preambles and introductory text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution.

You get a variety of Teacher Resources:

• Teaching Guide & Tips
• Classroom Printables
• Anticipation & Reflection Activities
• Evidence Guide
• Overview Reading
• Glossary

Each Quest will take one to two class periods to complete and can be done in a 1-to-1 computing environment or as a whole class activity. And because it’s an iCivics tool, you get all of the iCivics goodness to create classes and track student progress.

So pick and choose from all of the powerful Library of Congress interactives – make your kids smarter. 

cross posted at glennwiebe.org

Glenn Wiebe is an education and technology consultant with 15 years' experience teaching history and social studies. He is a curriculum consultant for ESSDACK, an educational service center in Hutchinson, Kansas, blogs frequently at History Tech and maintains Social Studies Central, a repository of resources targeted at K-12 educators. Visit glennwiebe.org to learn more about his speaking and presentation on education technology, innovative instruction and social studies.

Related Words is a tool that helps you find words that are related to a specific word or phrase.

Simply write the word or a phrase that you would like to find related words/phrases about and the tool will come up with many words or phrases. 

[Reverse Dictionary]

This can be a neat and a nice tool to learn new vocabulary. Also, when students do a writing activity, they can use this tool to come up with more ideas about their writings.  This tool also can be used for brainstorming  on the topics that we are working. 

cross-posted at ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org

Özge Karaoglu is an English teacher and educational consultant in teaching young learners and teaching with web-based technologies. She is the author of Minigon ELT book series, which aims to teach English to young learners through stories. Read more of her ideas about teaching English through technology and Web-based tools at ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org.

AnyFlip is a cool tool that will convert your PDFs into cool-looking flipbooks. Once you sign up, you can get your online flipbook by simply uploading your pdf on the website. You don’t need to know any coding to be able to do that. Once you publish it, you can share it online, or embed on your website and your blog.

[SAFE YOUTUBE]

We can use this tool for the booklets or the newsletters that we are sharing with the students or the parents. We can also encourage our students to create their projects or share their stories using a flip-book!

cross-posted at ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org

Özge Karaoglu is an English teacher and educational consultant in teaching young learners and teaching with web-based technologies. She is the author of Minigon ELT book series, which aims to teach English to young learners through stories. Read more of her ideas about teaching English through technology and Web-based tools at ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org.

When I’m searching for an answer to a question – big or small – I often head over to Google. If the first search term I type in doesn’t send me in the direction I was hoping, I head back to the top of the screen and try typing in something different. Now we often do this without thinking; it’s become a natural way we navigate online spaces. But these simple steps involve a set of problem-solving and vocabulary skills that students need in order to successfully navigate the digital world.

Vocabulary instruction is sometimes an isolated event in classrooms. As an elementary school teacher, I definitely introduced word lists and spelling tests with vocabulary unrelated to the topics we explored in different parts of the school day. These activities weren’t particularly authentic or relevant to my students. But there are lots of ways to leverage “real” moments through the school day to help students discover new vocabulary and put their English Language Arts skills into action.

Keyword Searches in Spark

I’m a huge fan of Adobe Spark and if you’ve visited my blog before that’s no surprise. You might have grabbed my free Spark graphic organizers or picked up a copy of my book, co-written with Ben Forta, 40 Ways to Inject Creativity into Your Classroom with Adobe Spark. When it comes to exploring new vocabulary with your students, Spark is a perfect place to put your subject matter into action.

Spark Post, Page, and Video all include options to search for images and icons right from within the tool. Having access to this feature means your students don’t have to worry about uploading pictures from other places. Unless of course, they want to add a picture they’ve snapped themselves.

In the screenshots in this blog post, you can see the search features in each of the three Spark tools. Users can look for pictures from Unsplash and Pixaby all tagged for reuse in your project. In Page and Video, the credits for the images you choose will automatically appear at the bottom of the Page or the last slide of your Video. Spark Post and Video also let users search for icons from the Noun Project to add to their creation.

Tips for Teaching Vocabulary with Keyword Searches

A keyword search requires students to pause and think about the perfect word to use as a search term. If students are looking for something very broad or very specific, it can be challenging to find the perfect image or icon. As students create a Page, Post or Video they can brainstorm the type of pictures and icons they will need. Then they can develop a list of potential search terms. This exercise can happen as a pre-publishing activity before they even jump into the tool.

Imagine your students are publishing a Post, Video or Page after researching facts about Toucans. They can develop a list of keyword search terms that relate to the subtopics they will include in their final product. So in addition to preparing a paragraph for a Spark Page, or a script to read for the narration of a Spark Video slide, they can pull out the keywords that compliment each subtopic.

[Sparking Student Creativity with Big Ideas from Adobe MAX]

Search Term Brainstorm Example

If the big topic for a student project is Toucans, the subtopics might include (1) habitat, (2) diet, (3) geography, or (4) threats. The subtopics of a student research activity may align with a checklist or rubric you have shared with them. Or it might include areas that students have identified themselves after conducting preliminary research on a topic.

When you share strategies for keyword searches with students, you can model with a teacher example. You might think aloud as you ask questions like:

• What type of picture do I want to include in this section? Ex. When talking about geography, I want to use images of South America and the rainforest.
• What type of search terms will help me find pictures for this section? Ex. South America, Brazil, rainforest, Amazon, trees, leaves, branches, toucans

In addition to posing questions to students, you might introduce a mind map activity. This can help students connect words that relate to one another. It’s also an opportunity for you to share a thesaurus tool with students. This can help students explore relationships between words. You can tailor this activity your goals around domain-specific vocabulary words and ELA instruction.

A Standards Connection

In our book 40 Ways to Inject Creativity into Your Classroom with Adobe Spark, we make connections to different standards for each activity shared. When it comes to vocabulary instruction, states and countries may word their expectations differently. But exploring new words and applying them in context is always essential. One example is the Common Core Anchor Standards for Language which state how students should be able to “Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases…”

Learn more about Spark for Education by heading over to this page from Adobe. Although your older students can jump in right away, this post includes directions for getting full premium features for free and setting up accounts for students under 13.

Freebie: Find a graphic organizer for this activity in this bundle of freebies!

Ready for more: Here’s a link to the book 40 Ways to Inject Creativity into Your Classroom with Adobe Spark.

I've had the pleasure of working with this company. All opinions are my own.

cross posted at classtechtips.com

Dr. Monica Burns is a former classroom teacher, Speaker, and Curriculum & EdTech Consultant. She is the author of Tasks Before Apps (ASCD) and #FormativeTech (Corwin). Visit Monica's site ClassTechTips.com for more ideas on how to become a tech-savvy teacher.

Flat

Terrific composition tool empowers budding musicians to create, share

Pros: Flexible features and great on-screen guidance make this a match for beginners and pros alike.

Cons: Some features can be a little slow to respond.

Bottom Line: An excellent tool for writing and sharing musical creations.

[Superb App Introduces Kids to Animation]

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

Quizizz

Quizzing tool balances meme-fueled fun with useful features

Pros: Comprehensive reports and integration with learning platforms make assessing easy.

Cons: Too easy for students to mistakenly tap the wrong answer on touchscreens; no open-response questions.

Bottom Line: This is a good multiple-choice-style quiz tool with some handy customization options for teachers and fun extras for students.

[Screencast Tool Lets Kids & Teachers Create Multimedia Presentations]

Read more here.

Site of the Week picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

[Extensive Free Resource Supports Finance Lessons for Middle & High School Students]

Hall of Heroes

Responsive game helps students prepare for transition to middle school

Pros: Engaging visuals, responsive feedback, and detailed progress reports boost learning potential.

Cons: Because each level takes time to master, students might become antsy or lose focus.

Bottom Line: Wonderful and fun social-interaction game designed to teach cooperation and friendship skills needed for middle school and beyond.

Read more.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education