Disclosure: Front Row is currently an advertiser on FreeTech4Teachers.com. Front Row is a service that offers teachers a nice way to deliver practice math and ELA activities to their students. The central feature of Front Row is that students are given practice activities based upon their individual needs. To get started with Front Row teachers register and create class rosters. Students then join their teacher's class by entering a class code on the Front Row student website or on the Front Row iPad app for students. Once students have joined your class they complete an evaluation assignment to determine a baseline of their current skills in an area. Subsequent assignments can be adapted based upon that baseline information. In both the Front Row web app and iPad app students have digital scratch paper to use as they figure out answers to questions. Front Row is available in a free edition and in a paid school-wide edition. The paid edition offers additional reporting data for teachers and administrators. Applications for Education Front Row could be a good tool for tracking students' progress in mathematics and ELA then giving them practice activities that help them improve in areas the areas in which they are not as strong as they could be. Front Row won't replace the need to work with students individually, but it could help you identify which areas to focus on with them. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesKaizena for iPad - Add Voice Notes to Students' Printed Documents5 Dice - A Fun Math Activity on iPadsThe Week in Review - The Most Popular Posts 

There are a lot of things that we do every day that consume more energy than we realize. One of those things is watching videos on the Internet. I did not know that until last week when I watched a Minute Earth video titled, This Video Has Consumed "X Amount" of Energy. The "x amount" is a reflection of the constantly changing title of the video. The more times it is watched, the more energy it consumes. Watch the video for the full explanation of how energy is used in delivering a web video to your screen. Applications for Education The video does a nice job of using AA batteries to illustrate how much energy is consumed by watching a video. AA batteries are objects with which most students are familiar in terms of how long they last in common electronic devices. To continue the lesson have students use National Geographic's Personal Energy Meter to see how much energy they consume. They might be surprised at how much energy they actually use. Consider using VideoNotes to use this video as part of a flipped lesson. Learn how in this video. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesAn Animated Tour of the Water Cycle and Water TreatmentNearly 100 TED-Ed Lessons About NatureWhy Do Some Birds Eat Dirt? - National Geographic Explains 

AZ Screen Recorder is a fantastic free app for creating screencasts on your Android phone or tablet. Unlike a lot of Android screencasting apps AZ Screen Recorder does not require you to have root access to your device nor does it require you to mirror to another device to record. To create a screencast with AZ Screen Recorder on your Android device simply install it then open it and tap the record icon. You will see a three second countdown timer appear on your screen and then you'll be recording. You can talk over your recording to explain what you're showing on your screen. When you're done just tap the stop button and your recording is saved on your device. You can share your recording directly to Google Drive, YouTube, or any other file storage service that is connected to your Android device. Applications for Education I often receive emails from teachers who want to create tutorial videos or have students create screencasts on Android devices. AZ Screen Recorder is a great option for doing that. See my sample AZ Screen Recorder recording in which I demonstrate the Padlet Android app. Come to the Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp to learn more about screencasting on Android devices, iPads, Chromebooks, and laptops. Only six tickets remain. Powered by Eventbrite This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesTony Vincent Teaches Us How to Make Great Illustrations5 Questions to Consider in BYOD SchoolsTap to Learn Grammar 

BandLab is a free service that enables you to create music in your web browser or through free Android and iOS apps. In BandLab's you can create soundtracks using any of the virtual instruments that are provided. You can also speak or sing to record a track. Within the BandLab editor you can mix your tracks together to create a song. If you have existing audio files on your computer, you can upload those to incorporate into your BandLab creations. BandLab is designed to allow you to collaborate with others. To collaborate you first have to create a band in your BandLab profile then invite other users to join your band. Applications for Education BandLab offers one way for high school students to collaborate to create music. That music could then be downloaded and used in other places like as background music in a video. BandLab could also be used to create simple podcasts. One aspect of BandLab that teachers should be aware of is the public profiles that can be followed in the BandLab community. Those profiles feature the creations of other users. It doesn't appear that those creations are moderated for language. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesAZ Screen Recorder - Create Screencasts on Your Android DeviceHow Much Energy is Consuming by Watching a Video?Front Row - Adaptive Math & ELA Practice for K-8 Students 

One of the complaints that I often hear about Google Classroom is that there isn't a good way for parents to know what has been shared with students within the classroom. This afternoon Google announced that a solution to that problem is coming this fall. This fall Google will introduce an option for parents and guardians to sign-up to receive daily or weekly email digests of upcoming assignments and announcements. Student progress will also be included in the email digest. According to the announcement it appears that administrators will have to invite parents/ guardians to receive the daily or weekly digest via email. Administrators will also set policies for notifications. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesSchedule Assignments in Google Classroom11 Google Apps Updates You Might Have Missed This MonthNow You Can Choose Which Google Drive Files Are Synced for Offline Access 

For quite a while now you have been able to save announcements and assignments as drafts in Google Classroom. But the problem was that you would then have to go back and post them when you wanted students to see the posts. Beginning today that is no longer the case. About an hour ago Google announced that you can now schedule assignments, announcements, and polls to appear at a later time in your Google Classroom stream. To schedule an assignment in Google Classroom simply select the scheduling option when you're drafting an assignment. You can pick the day and time at which you want your assignment to be visible to your students. Applications for Education The scheduling option in Google Classroom could be used in much the same way that I have used scheduled blog posts over the years. Rather than having to post an assignment or quiz on the morning that you need students to see it, you can write and schedule things in advance. Join my online course to learn how to get the most out of Google Apps for Education. You can earn three graduate credits through the course.  This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related Stories11 Google Apps Updates You Might Have Missed This MonthNow You Can Choose Which Google Drive Files Are Synced for Offline AccessThree Google Apps Updates You Might Have Missed This Week 

On Monday evening I hosted the first meeting of the spring section of Teaching History With Technology. One of the topics that I covered was using technology to support students as the read and work with primary sources. Before a student can search for, read, or cite a primary source he or she needs to be able to identify the differences between the two. The Minnesota Historical Society offers a fantastic video on the topic of primary v. secondary sources. By watching the short video students can learn what a makes a resource a primary or secondary source. The video provides a handful of examples of each along with a description of what makes the example a primary or secondary source. This is probably the best video that I have seen explain the differences between primary and secondary sources. Teaching History With Technology will be offered again during the summer along with two other online professional development courses for teachers.  This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesHow Much Energy is Consuming by Watching a Video?Front Row - Adaptive Math & ELA Practice for K-8 StudentsSoon You Will Be Able to Email Parents from Google Classroom 

This afternoon Google added two fantastic new features to Google Slides. First, Google Slides now has a Q&A feature that lets your audience submit questions to you. Second, Google Slides now has a built-in laser pointer that you can use to call attention to parts of your slides. I've already received some questions about how to use these new features so I made the following short video. Applications for Education The new Q&A feature in Google Slides promises to be a great way to collect questions and comments from students during a presentation by you or their classmates. The nice thing about the Q&A feature is that you can turn it off at any time. You can also let students vote for the questions and comments that they like the most. Learn how to get the most out of Google Apps in my online course Getting Going With GAFE. The next class begins on Monday. You can earn three graduate credits through the class. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesSoon You Will Be Able to Email Parents from Google ClassroomSchedule Assignments in Google Classroom11 Google Apps Updates You Might Have Missed This Month 

Anyone who has read this blog for more than a month or two has probably figured out that I love Google Apps including Google Slides. Sharing, collaborating, and publishing Google Slides is convenient and easy. But sometimes it feels like the ease of using Google Slides comes at the expense of not having as many multimedia options as other slide creation tools. Buncee is a slide creation tool that makes it incredibly easy for young students to add a wide variety of multimedia elements to their presentations. To add multimedia content to their Buncee slides students simply click the "add" button then they can choose from videos (available from Vimeo and YouTube), animated characters, animated text, animated stickers, static stickers, audio from SoundCloud, images from Pixabay (filtered public domain images), and upload their own content from their desktops. Students also have the option to draw freehand directly on their slides. Compared to Google Slides Buncee has more video and audio options. While you can draw on Google Slides that requires the use of Google Drawings whereas on Buncee slides students just choose the pencil icon and start drawing. Applications for Education If you have been looking for a Google Slides alternative for elementary school students, Buncee is a good option. Right now Buncee has a bunch of Mother's Day templates that your elementary school students can use to create digital Mother's Day cards. Those cards can also be printed. Disclosure: Buncee is a client of MindRocket Media Group. I am a partner in MindRocket Media Group.  This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesHow to Use the New Q&A and Laser Pointer Features of Google Slides @googledocsA Great Explanation of Primary Sources vs. Secondary SourcesSoon You Will Be Able to Email Parents from Google Classroom 

Leading the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp has been the highlight of my summer for the last three years. This year I am leading two versions of the event. The Practical Ed Tech Chromebook Camp and the Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp. There are some people coming for the third year in row! The Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp will be held on July 11-12 in Portland, Maine. Only seven tickets remain for this hands-on professional development opportunity. The BYOD Camp is for people who work in schools that have BYOD programs and 1:1 laptop programs (Mac or Windows), iPads, Android tablets, Windows tablets, or who have shared computers in a classroom or lab setting. The two day workshop is based on my framework of Discovery, Discussion, and Demonstration. The first day is focused helping students use technology to discover and discuss. Day two is focused on demonstrating knowledge by creating new digital content including podcasts, videos, and other multimedia productions. Abbreviated outlines of both days are available on the Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp page. Only 7 tickets remain for the Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp. Group discounts are available, please email me for details. Powered by Eventbrite The Chromebook Camp sold out on Tuesday. Please email me to be put on the waiting list.  This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related Stories5 Questions to Consider in BYOD SchoolsFAQs About the 2016 Practical Ed Tech Summer CampsWhat is BYOD? And Why Do Schools Opt for It?