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.
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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 4 resources from around the Internet and 3 resources from my blog.
⚡️ Supercharge your Classroom with Google Workspace for Education Plus
I often get asked by schools to explain the differences between the free and paid versions of Google Workspace for Education, to help them weigh their options and decide which plan is best for them.
To help with this I maintain a resource document that highlights many of the added features of the Plus tier. I recently put all of this in a blog post for easy access which you can get to at the link above.
🔑 AI Prompts for Support & Differentiation
I recently added a new PD session that covers AI prompts for student support and differentiation. It includes dozens of ready-to-use AI prompts to help support all learners. There are prompts for teacher use and prompts for student use.
You can get to all the resources and access all of the prompts at the link above.
- ❌ Odd One Out Maker - Design a classroom-ready "Odd One Out" / "Which One Doesn't Belong?" (WODB) critical-thinking activity for any grade level, subject area, and topic
- ❌ Odd One Out Game - Run a live interactive "Odd One Out" / "Which One Doesn't Belong?" (WODB) game for a whole class or for individual students practicing on their own
- 📑 Worked Example Generator - Generate classroom-ready scaffolding resources for students including a worked example, mistake correction activity, and faded practice
- 📑 Worked Example Coach - Guide students one turn at a time from studying a worked example, to correcting a mistake, to fading practice and solving problems independently
- 🕵️ SIFT Fact Checker - Evaluate the credibility of online claims using the SIFT framework (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, and Trace to the original context)
- 🕵️ SIFT Practice Game - Help students learn and practice the SIFT media literacy framework through an interactive, self-contained "Media Mystery" game
🌱 Glass Jar Garden
I recently got an email from the creator of an awesome science simulator called Glass Jar Garden. This is a free terrarium simulator that runs in the browser (computers or phones). You build a jar layer by layer with 90 real species of plants, mosses and critters, seal it or leave it open, and watch it live day by day for a year. Every species has realistic rates for what it takes in, like light, water and food, and what it gives back, like fallen leaves and CO2, so the jar grows into its own emergent ecosystem.
This could be a wonderful way to help students explore ecosystems, the relationships between organisms, and the impact of environmental factors. Or it could just be a great way to relax!
You can start from scratch at - https://glassjar.garden - or you can get a jump start with a wide range of starter jars here - https://glassjar.garden/starter-jars/
📬 Print Labels from Google Sheets
I do a lot of training on Google tools including Google Docs, Google Sheets, and more. During those trainings, someone will often ask the question about how to generate mailing labels from the data in a Google Sheet. Unfortunately Google Sheets does not have a built-in label generating tool and the normal solution is usually to point people toward add-on's that might work but usually come with a cost.
Recently I received an email from the creator of a free web-based tool that addresses this problem. To use the website you simply
- Paste in or upload your data
- Arrange the fields how you want them on the label
- Choose the Avery label you want to use
- And then it generates the merged labels for you to print or download
The site is completely free and does not require a login or any access to your Google account.
➕ Sumquest
Recently a friend of mine, Steve Sherman, shared online about a new, free math game he created called Sumquest. Here are the key details he shared:
- You have a wheel with 4 or more numbers.
- 2 of the numbers when added or multiplied (depending on the mode you choose) will give you an answer that is actually on the wheel.
- Either race the clock or solve as many as you can in a specific time frame.
- You can select the level of difficulty, number of wheels and numbers and the operations too.
- And best of all... It is free and works on all platforms, devices and cellphones.
I tested it out and found it to be a fun game that could definitely get students to practice loads of math without even realizing how much they are learning.
🐙 Kira
How can AI help you create engaging lessons, see what students understand, and personalize what comes next? In this quick video, TeacherCast’s Jeff Bradbury and Kira’s Head of Community Lindsay Rothfeld show you three ways to use Kira in your classroom:
- Create interactive lessons aligned to your standards and tailored to your goals.
- Bring concepts to life with custom activities that let students experiment, explore, and put ideas to the test.
- Target student needs by identifying gaps and creating focused practice.
New to Kira? Start with the video, then explore our Teacher Toolkit to learn more and share Kira with your school.
- Watch the walkthrough - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFx6aLWjb-0
- Explore the Teacher Toolkit - https://bit.ly/kira-teacher-toolkit
Post by Eric Curts
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