Control Alt Achieve: EdTech Links of the Week

Thursday, December 19, 2024

EdTech Links of the Week - 12-18-24

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:

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

This week I have 3 resources from around the Internet and 3 resources from my blog.

📊 Google Sheets for Educators (or Anyone)

Resource Link

Google Sheets is one of my favorite tools, and is so helpful everyday, but I know that many people are not as comfortable with it as they wish they were.

To help with this I recently recorded a new 80-minute training on "Google Sheets for Educators (or Anyone)". In the video I use practical, hands-on examples to cover topics including view options, freezing rows and columns, sorting data, filtering data, formulas, charts and graphs, sparklines, conditional formatting, data validation and even pivot tables.

You can access the recorded video, resource document, templates, and detailed directions at the link above.

❄️ Winter Themed Google Fonts

Resource Link

With the winter season almost here, I decided to share some of my favorite fonts for this chilly time of year. Here are 15 of my favorite fonts for wintertime, which can be used by you and your students to add style, personality, and creativity to your Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Sites, and more. Which are your favorites?

🌲 Join Me for Sequoia Con 2025

Resource Link

I am honored and excited to be providing a keynote session once again this year for Sequoia Con 2025! Sequoia Con is an online conference focusing on Artificial Intelligence in K-12 education, which is hosted by Evergreen Education. The conference will be delivered live through Zoom on April 3rd and 4th 2025, but all sessions will also be recorded and shared after the event with everyone who registers.

🖼️ Whisk

Resource Link

I have been exploring Whisk lately - Google's new AI image tool. You upload or describe the subject, scene, and style that you want to have combined. I mixed a bear, a diner, and comic book art. Whisk then creates the new images, which you can download and use however you need. You can also refine the images with additional prompts as needed. If you make something, be sure to share your creations!

♟️ GenChess

Resource Link

GenChess is an AI experiment from Google that turns your ideas into a playable chess set.
You enter a theme and then Google uses Gemini and Imagen 3 to create a chess set based on that topic.
Then the AI generates an opponent set based on a related theme.
Finally you can play a game of chess against the AI using the generated sets.
For my example I chose jellyfish for my theme and the AI generated a shark themed opponent.

📗 Festive Fable

Resource Link

Here is a fun use of AI to create your own custom Christmas-themed multimedia story.
You answer 3 questions including your name, your favorite Christmas memory, and your Christmas wish for this year.
The AI then creates a story complete with background music, audio narration, and custom images.
Note: It can take up to 5 minutes to generate your completed multimedia story.
You can share the story with a link at the end.
Here is a link to the story I made.