Intellectual property is the topic of the latest Common Craft video. The video provides an overview of what intellectual property is and how it is protected by patents and copyright laws. You can see the video here or as embedded below. Applications for Education Intellectual Property explained by Common Craft is a good companion to their video on Copyright and Creative Commons. Both videos can help students understand why they should try to use their own original media or public domain media when creating presentations, videos, and podcasts. Common Craft videos can be viewed for free online but to download them or embed them you do have to be a subscriber to their service. In the interest of full disclosure I will tell you that I have an in-kind relationship with Common Craft which means that I have received a subscription in exchange for advising Common Craft on some product offerings. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesChemistry and Counterfeiting - A TED-Ed LessonOpinion Polls - How They Work and Why We Have ThemHow Sound Is Produced Through Brass Instruments 

There are dozens of great game builders, writing templates, and handy classroom tools on Classtools.net. I've tried nearly all of them over the years. My five favorite Classtools tools are featured below. Mission MapQuest is a great tool for map-based quizzes and games. The concept behind it is simple, you create a series of clues that your students need to follow to identify places around the world. You can add as few or as many clues to your MapQuest as you like. When you're ready to have students try your MapQuest just give them the web address assigned to it. Watch the video embedded below to learn how to create your own map-based quizzes on Mission MapQuest. The Classtools Fake SMS Generator is free to use and does not require students to register to use it. In the video below I demonstrate how to create a fictitious text message exchange between historical characters. As I mentioned in the video, the Fake SMS Generator could also be used to create visuals for lessons on cyber-safety and etiquette. Connect Fours is a game in which that you have to create four sets of four related terms from sixteen terms displayed on the game board. Connect Fours is based on the concept of the connect wall in the BBC gameshow Only Connect. The idea is that you have to create four sets of four related terms from sixteen terms displayed on the board. For example, I created a game about the four major professional sports leagues in the United States. Sixteen team names are displayed on the board and players have to arrange the teams according to the leagues that they belong to. In the video embedded below I demonstrate how to use Connect Fours to create your own review games. The Random Name Picker and the Fruit Machine are two of those tools that can be used in almost every classroom setting. Both tools can be used to select names or numbers at random. In the video embedded below I demonstrate how to use both of those tools. Twister, like the Fake SMS allows you imagine what historical figures would have done if they had access to social media. On Twister you can create fake Tweets as if you were Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, or any other person in history. To create a fake Tweet on Twister just go to the site and enter a name, a Tweet, and date stamp for your Tweet. Twister will pull a public domain image for the profile picture and show you the fake Tweet. Your fake Tweet will be given its own URL. You can also just take a screenshot of it to save it. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesThe Week in Review - Thank You Guest BloggersCreating Narrated Slideshows with Google ToolsTransforming Learning Through Student Content Creation 

NoteBookCast is a free whiteboard tool that will work in the web browser on a laptop, iPad, Android tablet, and Windows tablet. NoteBookCast is a collaborative whiteboard tool. You can invite others to join your whiteboard by entering the code assigned to your whiteboard. You can chat while drawing on NoteBookCast whiteboards. While you can create an account on NoteBookCast, it is not a requirement for using the service. You can create a whiteboard by simply clicking "create a whiteboard" then entering a nickname for yourself to use on the whiteboard. If you do create a NoteBookCast account you can save your whiteboards and create whiteboard templates to re-use. Applications for Education NoteBookCast could be a good tool for students to use to remotely work together to solve problems, create mindmaps, or tutor each other. H/T to The Whiteboard Blog. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesEncouraging Student Collaboration Through TwiddlaTenMarks Offers a Free Summer Math Program for FamiliesTeaching Mathematics With a Surface Pro Tablet 

Randy Krum wrote the book Cool Infographics and he maintains a blog of the same name. Today, his blog features an infographic about the process of creating an infographic. The infographic was created on Visme. Visme offers tools for creating slideshows, banner graphics, and interactive infographics. Your Visme creations can be shared online by embedding them into websites or blogs. You can also download your creations as image, PDF, or HTML5 files. The Process of Designing an Infographic is embedded below (click here for the interactive version). Applications for Education About eighteen months ago I had the opportunity to ask Randy Krum for his advice to teachers and students that want to create infographics. His advice is copied below. What advice would you give to teachers, particularly elementary and middle school teachers, who are interested in having students create infographics? I would strongly suggest starting with charts. The big three chart styles are important (pie, bar and line charts), but also more advanced charts like arrays, gauges, scales, tree maps, mind maps, word clouds and proportionally sized circles that may require different software, websites or manually creating the visuals. Then ask students to redesign an existing infographic. That gives them access to all of the data, but allows them to experiment with new layouts, colors and types of charts that are different than what was used in the original design. Then students should be able to incorporate their own original data visualizations into their own reports, presentations or infographics. I’ve seen successful student assignments that ask students to design persuasive infographics about a specific topic covered in class. This requires the students to attempt to clearly show the data that supports a particular position in an attempt to convince the audience. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesMy Five Favorite Classtools.net ToolsCreating Narrated Slideshows with Google ToolsNoteBookCast - An Online, Collaborative Whiteboard for Every Device 

In my guide to classroom video projects I featured a handful of tools for creating audio slideshows. Sharalike is another option to consider when you want to create an audio slideshow. The concept behind Sharalike is much like the one behind Animoto, YouTube's Slideshow Creator, and many similar services. To create an audio slideshow on Sharalike simply import some images from your computer or iPad, drag them into the sequence in which you want them to appear, and then add some music. Sharalike offers a small collection of stock music that you can use or you can upload your own music. Sharalike videos can be shared privately through email or you can make them public through social media. You can also embed your Sharalike videos into blog posts as I have done below. Applications for Education Summarizing the highlights of an event, summarizing the key points in a story, and summarizing the results of research project are all common purposes for creating audio slideshows. Sharalike makes it quick and easy to create a video for any of those purposes. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesCreating Narrated Slideshows with Google ToolsWeVideo Makes Updates to Their Online Video EditorMy Five Favorite Classtools.net Tools 

None of our students were alive when Michael Jordan made his famous dunk from the free throw line. Yet many have seen pictures of it (they're copyrighted) and tried to imitate it on playgrounds, in driveways, and in gyms. How much hang time did Michael Jordan have when he jumped? What are the forces influencing hang time? And what would it be like to jump on the moon? All of those questions and more are covered in a new TED-Ed lesson, The Math Behind Michael Jordan's Hang Time. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesTen Lessons on the Math and Science of HockeyCK-12 Brainflex - A Summer Program for Math and Science PracticeChemistry and Counterfeiting - A TED-Ed Lesson 

Whether you're trying to come up with new lesson plan ideas or new blog post ideas, at some point we all feel our creative energy sag. One of the ways that I get my creative juices flowing again is to go for a long walk, a hike, a bike ride, or paddle down a river. I emphasize long because a quick 15 minute lunch time walk doesn't do it. I have to get outside for an extended time, at least an hour, to let my mind really wander. When my mind wanders it can come up with some interesting ideas. You might be saying, "Richard, I hate running and biking." That's okay. The important thing is to get outside away from your desk and without your cell phone. If you feel you must take your cell phone for emergency purposes, do so but turn off the ringer and resist the temptation to check Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter/ Email. Even just strolling around a park for an hour can do wonders for your mood and your creativity. The next time you feel your creativity waning, try moving your body and you'll find you're mind moving too. This is one of the methods that I've used for years to keep my blog posts flowing. I'll be sharing more ideas and methods like this one in Blogger Jumpstart later this week.  This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesAn Interactive Infographic About Designing InfographicsMy Five Favorite Classtools.net ToolsHow to Turn Your Blogger Blog Into a Book - Video 

My local newspaper and my Facebook feed are filled with pictures of fresh high school graduates and the names of the colleges that they will be attending in the fall. When those students get to campus in the fall offers from credit card companies will be one of the first things to greet them in their campus mailboxes.  Unfortunately, a lot of students don't understand just how quickly they can rack-up huge debts with these credit cards. The following videos are worth sharing with students before they apply for their first credit cards. Credit Card Responsibility from Common Craft explains how credit cards work and how you can avoid getting into trouble with them. Credit Card Debt Explained With a Glass of Water shows students how long it can take to pay off a credit card debt if they only make the minimum payments every month. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesThe Math of Michael Jordan's Hang TimeIntellectual Property Explained by Common CraftMove Your Body, Move Your Mind 

Think back to your childhood and there is bound to be a toy that you just "had to have." That toy was probably in one of the new toy fads that hit the marketplace every year.  If you got that toy during the height of its popularity it surely cost more than it did a few months later. EconEd Link has a lesson plan devoted to this pattern. Supply and Demand, Lessons from Toy Fads is a lesson plan designed to help middle school students understand the concepts of supply and demand. The lesson plan is based on two case studies. One case study focuses on Hula Hoops while the other focuses on the more recent Silly Bandz fad. Through both studies students will learn about shortages, surplus, and price equilibrium. Applications for Education Rather than relying on the somewhat dated Silly Bandz fad and the definitely dated Hula Hoop examples, modify the lesson plan for toys and other objects currently desired by the students in your classroom. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesMay Flowers - A Writing LessonTen Lessons on the Math and Science of HockeyConsumer Education at the Mall 

The summer is a great time to learn a new skill, develop new ideas, and create new lessons to take into your classroom in the fall. This summer I'm offering a handful of online professional development opportunities. Two of them carry graduate credit options and all of them provide certificates for professional development hours. All courses feature live webinars with Q& A forums. All webinars are recorded for students to watch at their leisure if they miss a class. Getting Going With GAFE (Google Apps for Education) Getting Going With GAFE is a five week course covering everything you need to know to integrate Google Drive, Google Classroom, Google Calendar, and Google Sites into your practice. Three graduate credits are available for the course through my partnership with Midwest Teachers Institute and Calumet College of St. Joseph.  This course begins on July 2nd. Click here to learn more. Click here to register today. The cost of this course is $147 Blogs & Social Media for Teachers & School LeadersBlogs and Social Media for Teachers and School Leaders is designed to help teachers and school leaders develop an understanding of the many ways they can use blogs and social media (Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and more) to enhance communication between school and home. After learning about how each of the tools works we’ll dive into developing strategies for implementation. Three graduate credits are available for the course through my partnership with Midwest Teachers Institute and Calumet College of St. Joseph. This course begins on July 6th. Click here to learn more. Click here to register today. The cost of this course is $147 Teaching History With TechnologyHistory teachers come learn with me, Richard Byrne, and Ken Halla of US and World History Teachers’ Blogs. In Teaching History With Technology we take you through the process of developing engaging, web-based history lesson plans. This course features three interactive online meetings along with a discussion forum in which you can further interact with me, Ken, and your classmates. The class will meet online on July 16, 23, and 30 at 5:30pm Eastern Time. Click here to learn more. Click here to register today! The cost of this course is $97. Blogger Jumpstart!Over the last eight years I’ve published more than 11,000 blog posts across four blogs. Along the way I’ve grown my primary blog, FreeTech4Teachers.com, from less than 1,000 pageviews per month to more than 1,000,000 per month. In doing so I’ve learned, often the hard way, what works in blogging. More importantly, I’ve learned what does work. In Blogger Jumpstart on June 10th and 11th I’ll share all of those lessons that I’ve learned.   Blogger Jumpstart is a live two night event in which I will share all the lessons I’ve learned about what works and doesn’t work in blogging. The cost of this course is $97. The course will be conducted in two 90 minute live webinars. Each webinar will begin at 8pm Eastern Time. It will be recorded for those who cannot attend the live sessions. The recordings, slides, and workbook are yours to keep and refer to forever. Click here to learn more. Click here to register today! Custom WebinarsIf you have ten or more faculty members that you want to participate in one of these webinars, a special schedule can be created just for you. We can cover any of the standard topics of Google Drive, Google Apps, Blogging, and Google Earth or create a custom series of webinars just for you. Click here to learn more about offering a custom webinar for your organization. About the costs and my decision to advertise these opportunities on my blog:Sometimes when I advertise one of these webinars I get messages from people who are upset that I am advertising it here and or that I am charging for it. I understand why some people feel that way. I thought long and hard about how to offer these opportunities. In fact, I thought about it and talked about it with trusted advisors for a year before offering the first webinar series. The purpose of this blog and my goal for years has always been to help people use free technology in their classrooms. The tools and strategies featured in my webinars and at the Practical Ed Tech Summer Camp are free to use. However, my time for teaching isn't free. Further, I pay licensing fees to GoToTraining and to Wistia for hosting all of the media content of the courses. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesSharalike - Another Way to Create Audio SlideshowsMy Five Favorite Classtools.net ToolsThe Week in Review - Thank You Guest Bloggers