Control Alt Achieve: EdTech Links of the Week

Each week I keep an eye out for the latest edtech resources through blogs, social media, podcasts, videos, user groups, and more. I then try to reshare these resources in many ways.

One way I share these is here on the blog in these "EdTech Links of the Week" posts. See below to explore the latest batch of resources, and be sure to share with others who may benefit.

If you want to make sure you don't miss new resources, you can:

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter here: Newsletter link
🐦Follow me on Twitter here: Twitter link
🔗 Subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog here: RSS feed link

And as always, please let me know of any resources that you recommend. I would love to learn from you!

This week I have 5 new resources from around the Internet and 2 new resources from my blog.

▶️ Recorded Video

You can watch the recorded live stream where I demonstrate the resources and go into more detail on each one.

Or you can watch the video on YouTube where I have added time stamps in the description so you can jump directly to the spots in the video where I talk about each link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsSrEG_RYUc

Future live streams will usually be on Monday evenings at 7pm EST. The next schedule live stream in Monday, November 28, 2022 at 7pm EST. You can always get the exact time, as well as links to the live streams for YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn at:

bit.ly/caa-live

New resources from around the Internet...

🎱 Bouncy Balls

https://bouncyballs.org/

This website lets your class visually monitor noise levels with balls that bounce in response to the volume level in the room.
You can adjust the sensitivity and quantity of balls.
You can choose the theme of the balls (plastic, emoji, numbers, bubbles, or eyeballs).
This site could be great for managing classroom noise or even for visualizing music.
Thanks to Jake Boll for introducing me to this!

❌ "What NOT To Do" Slideshows

Example 1 - Google Slides link

Example 2 - Google Slides link

How do we teach our students how to make good slideshow? One option is by showing them bad examples of what not to do!
I absolutely love these "What NOT To Do" slideshow where our students can identify things to avoid when creating a presentation.
I think we have all seen every one of those bad choices in design at one point or another (or been guilty of doing them ourselves in our early days of using technology 😁)
Thanks to Lancy Collins for creating and sharing these!

🦒 TextGiraffe

https://www.textgiraffe.com/

This free website lets you create text graphics and logos in hundreds of styles from whatever text you type in.
You can download the final result as a PNG image in five different sizes from micro to extra large.

🎙️ Beep

Chrome Web extension

This free extension allows teachers and students to record and leave voice notes and feedback in Google Classroom, Gmail, Google Docs, Slides, Forms, and Sheets.
Voice recordings can be up to 3 minutes each, and there is no limit to the number of recordings.
Other people do not have to have the Beep extension to be able to listen to the recordings.

🐘 Mastodon

"What is Mastodon?" video - YouTube link

Mastodon is a newer social media tool that a lot of educators have been exploring.
It is different from other social networks in that is is open source and decentralized (basically not run by one one company or person).
Connect with me on Mastodon at - https://mastodon.world/@ericcurts
Resources below from Miguel Guhlin - https://qoto.org/@mguhlin

List of educators on Mastodon - Google Sheets link
Form to add yourself to the list - Google Forms link
Mastodon tutorials - Resource link

And new resources from "Control Alt Achieve"...

📆 New Google Sheets Timeline Creator

https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2022/11/new-google-sheets-timeline-creator.html

A new feature just rolled out for Google Sheets which is the ability to create timelines (this may still be rolling out to some domains) which students can use to create interactive timelines for historical events, books their own lives, and more.
I just posted a 14-minute tutorial video, several examples, and detailed directions and screenshots, in my new blog post linked above.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this new tool and how it could be used with our students.

🤯 Chromebooks Can Do That?!

https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2022/11/chromebooks-can-do-that.html

I recently finished updating my Chromebook resources and pulled everything together in a bog post linked above.
The post contains two tutorial videos for one hour total, a resource document / help guide, a slideshow, written directions, and links to more resources.
The Chromebook topics covered include camera tools, screen capture, recording and screencasting, touchpad gestures, multiple desks, offline access, keyboard shortcuts, Android apps, and accessibility tools.
Feel free to use and share any way you need. And I would love to learn from you any tips and tricks you would add for Chromebooks