Tech Tools for Teachers

As teachers, we're always looking for innovative ways to engage our students across the curriculum. This week, I'm excited to share some fun Google Chrome Experiments that fuse technology, music, creativity, and mindfulness into interactive classroom experiences. These web tools provide brain breaks, sparks for new learning, and even moments of mindfulness to inject some variety into your day. Bee...

Hey teachers! Looking to add a little magic to your life? Goblin. Tools is here to help! This fantastic set of six AI assistants can help you get organized, analyze your writing, and even plan meals. As educators, we need all the help we can get to stay sane in our busy lives. Let me introduce you to the six goblins ready to make your life easier! Magic ToDo - GoblinTools Find all of the tools we'...

Feeling like you could use a breather from your workload? Well, this week, we've got your back! We're all about helping you reclaim some precious time and keep all your ideas neatly organized. Get ready to discover two incredible AI tools designed with educators in mind. This week, we're talking about MagicSchool.ai and Notion.so! Notion MagicSchool.ai - AI for teachers - lesson planning and more!...

Looking to add more engagement and excitement to your classroom this year? Check out these two fantastic tech tools that will have your students hooked on learning and discovery! Smithsonian History Explorer First up is Smithsonian History Explorer, where students can dive into artifacts, lessons, and media from Smithsonian Museums. It's perfect for inquiry-based learning across grades. MetKids Th...

Hey everyone! As we gear up for another exciting school year, it's time to equip ourselves with some fantastic tech tools that will not only make our lives easier but also add a splash of creativity to our classrooms. This week, we're diving into three fun tech tools that will help you set the stage for an awesome year ahead! Canva for Education QR.io FontSpace FontSpace QR.io: QR Code Generator C...

Happy Summer! We are just checking in this week to share an entertaining tech tool that can be used all summer and school year long! Prodigy is an awesome tool for educators, parents, and students. It makes learning math and English both exciting and effective, while keeping students engaged and unaware that they're gaining important skills. Prodigy - Make Math and English fun for kids Find all of...

Summer is here and it's time to celebrate all of your hard work and dedication that you have put into the school year! To conclude this season of learning on a high note, we're diving into some fantastic and free tech tools that will keep the educational flame burning during break. So, sit back, relax, and let's explore two amazing websites, KidzType and Home Spelling Words, along with an interact...

Summer is almost here and we are podcasting outside this week! Today, we're going to explore two amazing online platforms, Planner5D and Home by Me, that are awesome for both you and your students! Whether you want to create dream homes, practice math skills, design story settings, or simply have fun, these platforms offer endless possibilities. So, let's design! Free 3D design software | HomeByMe...

Go Pangea is a super cool website that provides a safe and exciting platform for students to connect with peers around the world, learn about relevant topics, and engage in a new age of pen pals. There are so many ways you can use this in your classroom! Go Pangea - A World of Learning Find all of the tools we've discussed in the EdTech Directory: https://smartinwi.com/edtech-directory/ Get in tou...

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! The count down to the end of the year has begun and the weather is finally starting to warm up here in Wisconsin. Hurray! Recently I started hunting for a quick template to make student work look like it was put in the newspaper, and I ran across these 3 easy-to-use sites. So if you are looking for a way to keep you students engaged check these out! The Newspaper C...

It's May (!) and we all know how engagement is key this time of they year. We also know how time-consuming it can be to create visuals and posters to share information for projects. Luckily, we have another free and and easy tool available to simplify end of the year projects! This week we talk about Edit.org and how you can turn it into a fun and engaging tool for creation in your classroom. Your...

It's podcast week! Students can benefit from podcasts just like you! This week, we're excited to introduce you to two fantastic podcasts that are specifically designed for children: "Wow in the World" and "Book Club for Kids." These engaging audio adventures will not only entertain your students but also help them learn and grow. Book Club for Kids - podcast Wow in the World - Tinkercast Find all...

Welcome to the Tech Tools for Teachers Podcast with your host Shanna Martin. In this episode, we will be discussing a fantastic tool called Curipod that can help educators engage their students and enhance their learning experience. As the spring season is in full swing, it's important to keep our students on track and engaged. Curipod is a great platform that offers a range of features to do just...

Ahoy there, teachers! Are you ready to set sail on an exciting journey through history with your students? Then, look no further than the Titanic! One of the most famous maritime disasters in history, the story is a fantastic setting for research and inquiry. And now, with the help of two fantastic websites, you can bring this incredible story to life for your students! Encyclopedia Titanica R.M.S...

Welcome to the Tech Tools for Teachers Podcast! On this week's episode, we're going to have some fun with words. Join us as we explore three easy-to-use sites that will get your students excited about language and literacy. First up, we have Crossword Labs, a site that allows you to easily create and customize crossword puzzles. Whether you want to reinforce vocabulary in a particular content area...

Are you ready to get your code on? Because it's CODING TIME, baby! Woo-hoo! I'm so excited to share some seriously cool coding sites with you today! On this episode, we explore Code for Life and CodinGame! These sites are an absolute blast to use with your students! Get ready to have some fun and engage your students in the magic of coding all day long! Let's do this! YEAH! Code for Life - Rapid R...

Welcome to Tech Tools for Teachers, the podcast that brings you free tools that you can use in your classroom! This week, we're exploring Figma and FigJam, two design platforms that can take your classroom discussions to the next level. Do you ever wonder if your students are truly engaged in deep conversations or just nodding along? Figma Design can help. This cloud-based design platform allows o...

In this week's episode, we explore two tech tools that can help students practice their decision-making and argument-writing skills. The first tool is Quandary, a game-based website that challenges students to make decisions for a future community based on information presented in a graphic novel format. Students will need to use fact versus opinion to make the best decisions for the community. Th...

In this episode of Tech Tools for Teachers, Knight Lab presents two helpful websites for students to share their data in an interactive and visual way. The first website, Storyline JS, enables students to upload their data and explain the story behind it. The visual representation of the data displays the growth and decline of the data, allowing students to explain the reasoning behind each point....

Join us this week as we explore the power of mathematical thinking and introduce you to an incredible resource that can be incorporated into any classroom. NRICH, created by the University of Cambridge, is a website designed to encourage mathematical thinking for students of all ages, from primary to post-secondary. With featured problems, activities, games, and news, as well as resources for teac...

This week's episode of Tech Tools for Teachers focuses on two online encyclopedia resources that can help students with their research: DK Find Out! and Fact Monster. DK Find Out! is a visually-friendly site for younger students with tons of visuals, videos, quizzes, and fun facts all in one place. Fact Monster is a comprehensive site with information on various topics, making it more suitable for...

Weather or not you are a Science teacher, the sites we discuss today are great resources for all students! 🌞 This week, we chat about two great weather sites that can be incorporated into any elementary or middle school classroom—Weather Wiz Kids and SnowCrystals.com. They have great resources and are super interesting to dig into. So hopefully, you find something enlightening for your classroom!...

It's recess time! I am excited to share this week's tool because it is super easy and fun to use in any classroom! RoomRecess.com is a website that offers a wide range of activities and resources for K-6 education. So if you need some indoor recess activities or just fun ways to review content, we have a fun tool for you! Have a great week everyone! RoomRecess | Free Learning Games for Kids Online...

Here on the Tech Tools for Teachers Podcast, we love FREE resources. And one free resource for teachers that is in every state is PBS - the Public Broadcasting System! What is also great is that PBS offers different resources from each state so you can find all kinds of information for your students. And... here's a little tip... you can access other state's PBS content even if you don't live ther...

If you haven't heard about it already, OpenAI's ChatGPT and Dall-E 2 programs are taking the world by storm. ChatGPT is an AI writing program that will write essentially whatever you'd like it to based on prompts that you input into the chat box. Dall-E 2 will create AI-generated images based on whatever prompts you tell it (within their terms of service). Aside from the obvious implications with...