Control Alt Achieve: EdTech Links

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:

🔗 View all EdTech Links of the Week: bit.ly/caa-links

📰 Sign up for my weekly email newsletter: bit.ly/curts-news
📧 Join the "Control Alt Achieve" email discussion group: bit.ly/caa-emailgroup
🔔 Get new blog posts automatically through email - FollowIt 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 4 resources from around the Internet and 4 resources from my blog.

🦃 Build a "What I Am Thankful For" Turkey

Resource Link

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, now is a great time for all of us to pause and think about what we are thankful for. To help out with this, a few years ago I created a Google Slides activity for your students. With this template your students will build a turkey where each of the feathers will display things that the student is thankful for.

💎 New EduGems

Resource Link

Each week I try to add new Gems to my EduGems website. Since last newsletter, the following Gems have been added to the site:

😈 Devil's Advocate - Discuss a topic with an AI that identifies your blind spots, challenges assumptions, demands evidence, and offers counterarguments
🏛️ Error-Resistant Research - This Gem reduces hallucinations in research by requiring the AI to provide transparent sourcing, confidence levels, and explicit step-by-step thinking
🗺️ NWEA MAP Analysis - Gain a clear understanding of your students' needs by identifying class-wide trends, cross-subject patterns, and specific student groups for differentiation

Click on any of the links above to access, use, and copy the Gems.

📰 What's new in Google for October 2025

Resource Link

For an easy way to catch up on everything new in Google for Education from the last month, check out the recorded video, detailed agenda, and all the links from the GEG-Ohio October 2025 Meeting. As usual we shared lots of news, updates, helpful ideas and resources for schools. What is your favorite update?

🍑 My 2025 GaETC Sessions

Resource Link

I am excited and honored to be presenting at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC 2025) in Atlanta, Georgia this week on November 5th and 6th, 2025.

You can access all the details and resources for the sessions I will be presenting at bit.ly/curts-gaetc25 or the link above.
If you are attending I hope to see you there! If you can't make it, be sure to check out all the resources in my post.

⚔️ Trivia Duel

Resource Link

Trivia Duel is a free website where multiple people can compete in an online trivia competition. The site does not require a login or collect any personal information, so it would be a good option for use in class with students. There are many categories to choose from including educational topics such as 120 Earth & Science categories, 108 History categories, 46 Books categories, and more. To use Trivia Duel:

Go to the site and pick a category.
You will see some example questions from that category to make sure it is what you are looking for.
If so, click "Play" to begin and get a link for the game.
Share the link with your students (or whoever is playing) and they can join the game.
Once everyone has joined. Click "Everybody's In" to start the game.
Each player now picks a point value from 1 to 10. This is how many points they will get if they answer the question correctly. You can only use each number once.
Everyone then gets the same question to answer and see if they got it correct to get their points.

The game continues for 10 questions, displaying the running scores throughout.

🪑 Seating Chart Generator

Resource Link

Seating Chart Generator is a free Chrome extension created by Russell Spicer, a high school math teacher from Georgia. He built the extension to do all the things he had always wanted in a seating chart tool such as random student selection, grouping tools, printable desk labels, and the ability to lock certain desks for preferential seating or control which ones get filled first when randomizing. To get started you just:

Install the Extension - Add the Seating Chart Generator to Chrome from the Web Store.
Import Your Class - Add student names manually or import from Google Classroom.
Create Your Layout - Design your classroom arrangement using our intuitive interface.
Save - Save multiple template layouts or seating charts for future reference.

You can learn more about this and install the extension from his website, as well as access a Quick Guide, a Full Guide, and Video Tutorials.

🐘 Find Bono

Resource Link

Although the title "Find Bono" may sound like a paparazzi site to track the lead singer of U2, it is actually a cute AI-powered image game. Inspired by classics like "Where's Waldo" this is a hidden object puzzle game where you need to find a pink elephant named Bono (and two bonus items) hiding somewhere in a very busy image. The hook is that the image is AI generated. Each day there is a new image to explore.

Because the images are AI generated, there is always the possibility of unintended content that could show up in a picture, but the site creator, Jonathan, says the site is designed for kids and families, so hopefully there is a thorough check done before any image is used in the game. So far, in the three days I tested it out they were all appropriate images.

🌊 Ripple Breaths: Calm the Classroom, One Wave at a Time

Resource Link

If your classroom ever feels like it’s buzzing just a little too loud, BrainZones has quick, research-backed strategies that help bring the energy back down to calm and focus.

One favorite is Ripple Breaths. Start a slow breath, lifting your hands as you inhale and lowering them as you exhale. The student next to you mirrors the motion a moment later, creating a ripple of breathing and movement that travels through the class. By the time it circles back, everyone’s heart rate has slowed — and the room feels grounded again.

💡 Sign up (free!) to get a 30-day Plus trial with AI personalization. Type in something like “classroom transitions,” and BrainZones will suggest strategies tailored to your needs.

👉 Try Ripple Breaths + Explore BrainZones