Welcome back to your regularly scheduled Roundup!  I've made it back to South America and our school year starts on Monday... yikes!  Before getting this thing started, I wanted to give two big "Thank Yous!"  First, to the Techlandia Podcast and Alison Anderson for the shout-out on Saturday night's episode.  If you haven't watched it yet, they cover some great tech tools and ideas (in their usual hilarious & rambly fashion).  Second, GettingSmart just posted their list of 50 Great Blogs & Blasts and the Roundup made the cut!  Woo!  So, thank you both very much, and to everyone reading the Roundup, I can't thank you enough for your support, feedback, ideas, shares, and encouragement! First up today, the always-awesome Dr. Jackie Gerstein and her blog User Generated Education.  Today, Dr. Gerstein continues her series on "The Other 21st Century Skills" with a post on Empathy and Global Stewardship.  In the post, she defines empathy and global stewardship and discusses what those skills look like in students and in the classroom.  As usual, it's a wonderful read. Jamie Forshey at EduTech for Teachers continues to show her love for Thinglink with her monthly special, "The Geeky Girl's Greatest Hits: Volume VII."  In the article she covers her favorite posts, tools and apps from the month including Jigsaw Planet (the free web-app to create online jigsaw puzzles) and Smoovie (an online tool that students can use to create stop motion animations).  Be sure to check out the post for more excellent resources. I'm not proud to admit this, but it took me a long time to get on board with Twitter (like only 4 months ago long).  I never really saw the use of it until I actually signed up and started exploring.  Now that I have signed up, I would never go back.  It can be an absolutely amazing educational resource and every single teacher should try it out.  To that end, Edudemic shares, "How Teachers Can Stop Being Scared of Twitter."And Edudemic also shares a new infographic from Knowledge Works on the 12 Changes Coming to the Future of Learning.  It's definitely worth a look and you can click the image to enlarge it.   Free Tech for Teachers has five new resources to share:Science 360 - A Good Collection of Science VideosWidgets to Add to your Classroom BlogWhy Historical Thinking MattersiPads Apps to Learn About a New SchoolSmart Kit - School-Safe Games and Puzzles Kelly Tenkely at iLearn Technology has a new review of the "Kids Picture Dictionary App."  It's the perfect dictionary app for young students and it includes a self record feature that lets kids record their own sentence examples.  It's an excellent tool for preschoolers and ESL students and you can check out the post for more tips and the full review! The Ed Tech Review has a new post covering the "Best Technological Ways to Increase Engagement in the Classroom."  One of the major benefits of classroom technology is that it can increase student engagement like few other tools can.  The ETR's new article discusses some great specific examples on tools and ideas for utilizing all the new technology options that are available to schools. Teach Thought has a great post over a new graphic they made about the "7 Most Powerful Idea Shifts in Learning Today."  The post (and graphic) discuss how teaching and learning (and schools in general) are making the shift into the 21st century.  The post covers gamification, blended-learning, self-directed learning, and all the usual suspects.  It's a good read and you can click on the image below for the full size. We've talked about Minecraft a lot here at the Roundup, and I'm a big fan of its educational possibility.  If you're not familiar with Minecraft (or you're still not sure it can be used for educational purposes) Wes Fryer at The Speed of Creativity has an outstanding student example in his new post 4th Grade Virtual Tour of a California Mission.  The video example comes courtesy of Holly Clark and it is wonderful! Ed Reach has four new podcasts to check out:Google Chromecast - It's Only $35Summer Acronym Summary - ADE, DEN and GTAThe EdAdmin Minute: Touch and EffectGamers & Learning with Heather Robertson And, for our grand finale, Pearson shares their vision of the future of education with a collection of videos entitled, "School for Thought."  The collection includes an introduction, an overview of the research that went into the videos, and three different "student stories" that represent the direction Pearson believes education is heading.  Here's Rey's story: The Lightning Round... Edudemic shares How to Use Your iPad in Music ClassThey also cover 5 Educational Websites to Keep Kids LearningAnd Edudemic has a new infographic on The Biggest Online Learning Trends of the YearEducational Technology discusses 9 Great Back to School Resources for TeachersTeach Thought gives us 21 Common Core-Aligned Math AppsMind/Shift talks about 10 Ways to Boost Your Game for Back-to SchoolLisa Nielsen has 8 Easy Tips for Starting a Personal Education BlogAnd of course, don't forget to check out GettingSmart's list of 50 Great Blogs & Blasts That's it for the Roundup today and again, thank you for reading!  Based on the success of yesterday's     8 Apps To Try This Fall post, I'll try to start writing more articles like that to include in the Roundup as well! See you tomorrow!-Mike

Welcome back!  Today we begin at Hybrid Pedagogy with a new post on MOOCs (massive open online courses) in K-12 education, "MOOCifying K-12: Relationships, Collaboration, Risk-Taking."  The post follows Verena Roberts, an educator working to design hybrid online learning systems.  She writes about her experience in creating a system as well as the problems, challenges, feedback, and final reflections. If your school was lucky enough to get a set of iPads for this year, you'll probably want to check out this new article from Edudemic (after you beat Angry Birds, or course) "A Practical Guide For Teachers Who Just Got iPads."  The post opens with the most important tip (in my opinion) "Don't Start Collecting Apps!"  Find a few that you love and work with those!  Then slowly grow from there.  It's an excellent post with lots of advice. Blogger, speaker, and consultant, Annie Murphy Paul has a new post on her blog that asks "Can Data Predict the Future? And What Should We Do About It?"  Paul discusses the growing ethical dilemma of student data collection and analysis.  More and more, schools are collecting information (often without students and parents knowing) and using that information for all sorts of predictive purposes.  Check out Paul's excellent article for a more in-depth analysis of the issues at hand. Mind/Shift has a great article that I missed during the Roundup's break last week, "From Toy to Tool: How to Develop Smart Tablet Habits in Class."  The post raises an important issue: most students see iPads and tablets as toys or, at the very least, devices for entertainment.  How can teachers change that perception and get students to see tablets as a tool for learning? This post offers some great ideas on how to get started! Free Tech For Teachers has five new resources to check out:5 Places for Students to Find Public Domain Images3 Good Advanced Search Options for StudentsWhat is Needed for 7 Billion People?Class Dojo is Giving Away Free iPad Minis!3 Ways to Look at the World as a Village If you're like me, you're probably starting to write (or at least think about writing) some new lesson plans.  Emerging Ed Tech has a great post to help us out with that, "A Few Free Lesson Planning and Classroom Resources for Teachers."  The article discusses how tools like Planboard App and My Lesson Planner can help create lessons and even find new resources! Ed Reach has three new podcasts up to check out:EduWin Weekly: Something to Write the World AboutMarzano Weighs in on Teacher EvaluationWould Curriculum Changes Improve the Dropout Rate? Finally, Monica Burns of Class Tech Tips has a guest post at Edutopia entitled, "The Simple Power of a Screenshot."  It always surprises me how many times teachers will attempt to teach something about computers or applications without ever once using a screenshot.  They're so simple and so useful!  To that end, Burns' article discusses the many, many practical uses for screenshots in education.   The Lightning Round... Edudemic shares a new infographic on Why Should You Try Game-Based Learning?Educational Technology covers the 10 Most Used Smartphone Apps in 2013Getting Smart has Fun New Apps for Learning from EdShelfThe Ed Tech Review discusses 7 Great EdTech Incubators Helping Startups to Succeed And that's all for the Roundup today!  Thanks for reading!  We'll end with a new graphic from Busy Teacher (via Ed Tech Magazine) that I'm pretty sure every teacher will want to hang in their room and hand out to all of their crazy friends who think we only work 3/4ths of the year.  See you tomorrow!

Welcome back!  As you may have seen, today was the annual EdmodoCon, a professional development conference that Edmodo puts on every year.  In case you missed, they'll have a rebroadcast before too long (more details to come) On that note, Free Tech for Teachers has a new post covering the recent addition of Educlipper (the pinterest for education) to the Edmodo family.  If you're not familiar with Edmodo, it's a great site for connecting teachers, students and parents.  You can find out more on their site. Organizing field trips can be challenging, time-consuming, and downright annoying.  But, they can also be an incredibly rewarding learning experience.  Unfortunately, there are tons of schools in the world that lack the resources to experience field trips.  That's where Edudemic's new post on "10 Digital Field Trips for the Modern Classroom" comes in to play. Technology has made it possible for students to take virtual field trips, and this list covers some of the best options. Another day, another new feature from Google!  Today, Educational Technology has a post on the new "In-Depth Articles Feature" from Google.  The goal of the search is to "provide searchers with richer and more challenging content than just the quick answers usually displayed."  The search will happen automatically, depending on the topic you're looking for, and you can read more in this PC world post. Rob Waldron at Getting Smart has a great new list of the "Top Ten Ways to Save Money on Ed Tech."  As the article points out, tech is changing at an ever-increasing rate and it can be incredibly difficult for schools to keep up financially (and professionally).  In the post, Waldron outlines ten excellent steps that schools can follow to help manage their technology purchases and budgets. And, for you math educators out there, Getting Smart also has a post on a new Math Education Blog from the MIND Research Institute.  Their new blog will "feature discussions on a variety of topics from common core to blended learning."   Josh Corbat at Teach Thought has a great post about how we can "Make The Most of Limited Access to Learning Technology."  More and more, teachers are expected to integrate technology into their curriculum and yet the resources we are provided are often incredibly limited.  Corbat's post addresses this issues and offers some suggestions on how to succeed with limited access. Ed Reach has three new podcasts up from today: The Ghosts of Summer Past, Present and Future WeVideo: Collaborativie Video Creation Back to School with Ed Tech Tips & Tricks Katrina Stevens at  Ed Surge has a new reflection posted which covers the2013 Education Technology Innovation Summit that happened a few weeks ago in NYC.  The post, "When Teahcers Unlock the Dungeon" discusses the role teachers play in ed tech creation, the development of new ed tech startups, and plenty more ed tech goodness. Mind/Shift has two excellent posts up from today.  The first, by Annie Murphy Paul, is a repost of her article on using student data to predict student outcomes (from yesterday's Roundup). The second post, by Katrina Schwartz, asks, "Does Blended Learning Boost Algebra Scores?" The article discusses a recent report from the RAND Corporation which "tries to provide an objective overview of blended learning." The Lightning Round... Educational Technology covers the 17 Best iPad Digital Storytelling Apps They also have a new infographic on the 10 Reasons Why Teahcers Use Twitter as a PD Tool The Ed Tech Review discusses 15 Ways Teachers and Collaborate with Students on Facebook Teach Thought has 464 Digital Learning Tools to Sift Through on a Rainy Day (or 10 rainy days...) Edudemic has a new infographic on 17 Tech Terms Connected Educators Must Know And Lisa Nielsen has an upcoming podcast on iLiteracy: Distinguishing Face from Fiction Online And that's all for the Roundup today!  We'll end with an infographic from Adobe and Edudemic on How to Promote Creativity in the Classroom.  Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! Courtesy of: Edudemic

Alas!  Due to technical difficulties and an annoyingly unstable internet connection here in Colombia, the Roundup will be taking the day off.  But, we'll be back on Saturday or Sunday with the weekend edition! (fingers crossed...)

Image courtesy of Pixabay Over the past week I’ve been thinking a lot about digital footprints.  As a middle school computer teacher, a big part of my job is teaching students about digital citizenship and their online presence.  For those unfamiliar with the concept, think of a digital footprint as the trail you leave behind online.  Comments, posts, tweets, emails, and digital actions of all sorts make up your digital footprint. When teaching students about their digital footprint, the majority of advice on education websites focuses on recognizing and minimizing a student’s print.  The less of a mark you leave online, the safer you are from online predators, the better it looks for future employers who are searching for information on you, and your private data has a better chance of staying private.  Obviously, teaching students how to be safe, secure, appropriate, and positive digital citizens is paramount in any computer technology class.  But I began thinking, what if, instead of trying to minimize our students’ footprints, we tried to maximize them?  What if, when a university or business searched the internet for information on a student, they found page after page of exceptional material?  Not a footprint they were trying to minimize or hide, but a STOMP-print, their own personal mark on the internet.  A collection of work that they were proud to display in the public arena for all to see.  Something that says, this is who I am, this is what I’ve accomplished, and I’m ready for more! Now, at the younger ages, this might not work as well.  Online safety is a big concern, and it’s not a great idea to have elementary and middle school students posting that much personal information online.  That doesn’t mean students that young can’t start creating content, but it’s probably best to leave that content private until the student reaches high school and is well-versed in online safety and digital citizenship. But for high school students, creating a digital stomp-print could be an excellent way to showcase a student’s achievements.  Students could write blogs about community service projects, create webpage portfolios to share the major assignments they have completed, use sites like Degreed to create digital resumes and keep track of online learning, and use social networks like Facebook and Twitter to connect to professionals in the fields they are interested in.  Then, when that student is applying for work or school, they have an entire library of digital achievements which they can easily share and send off.  Plus, when those organizations are searching for information on our students, they will find a myriad of positive websites, full of projects and accomplishments.  This is not to say that everything a student does over the course of their schooling should be made public and posted on the internet, far from it.  But, rather than focusing on hiding our student’s digital footprints, maybe it’s time we start rethinking our kids’ online presences.  Maybe it’s time to start helping them create pages, profiles, blogs, wikis, and sites that they can be proud of, that they can share with the world.  Maybe it’s time we teach students how to make a unique and positive digital STOMP-print that reverberates throughout the internet. Suggested Resources:Wix - Website CreationWeebly - Blog CreationBlogger - Blog CreationDegreed - Digital ResumeLinked In - Digital ResumeIssuu - Online PublishingTwitter - Social NetworkFacebook - Social Network

Welcome back to the Roundup!  My internet is up and running again (hopefully for good) and it's time for some tech news! First up, Mind/Shift has a new post on "How Video Games and Social Media Fuel Students' Passion for Art."  The post discusses the growing trend of interest driven art creation can offer an artistic outlet for students in districts where art programs are lacking or nonexistent.   Over the past month, the HP Catalyst Academy has been offering free STEMx professional development courses online. Two days ago, they announced that they will be releasing a second round of free classes geared towards middle and high school.  Each of the classes takes 6-12 hours and teachers who complete the classes will earn a certificate of completion (or digital badges!)  You can check out their online catalog to see some of the awesome classes they have available. Special thanks to Aronne Watkins for this news; the Tennessee Library Association has just released a formal study on "Tablets and Children: Intuitive Technology and New Literacies."  The paper "discusses the intriguing opportunities that tables offer for children to interact with technology, and how those opportunities translate for librarians and young patrons."  It's a good read, especially for all you library media specialists out there! Free Tech for Teachers has five new resources to check out: The New Fakebook for Creating Fake Facebook Pages Two Good Ways to Expand Your PLN Embed a Google Calendar In Your Blogger Blog Help Students Start Stories with Word Mover Best of the Web for #TLC13 (below) Best of the web june 2013 copy from Richard Byrne Curt Rees at I Know This Much is True has an awesome post entitled,"Wow! Augmented Reality Sandbox."  And he's right, "Wow" is definitely the right word.  In the post he shares the video below which covers an upcoming museum exhibit that uses augmented reality, a Kinect sensor, and a projector to do something pretty outstanding with a normal sandbox.  Just check out the video, it's awesome... Jamie Forshey at EduTech for Teachers has a new post on "Writing with Web 2.0 Tools."  In the post she talks about her recent Writing with Web Tools Workshop from Techapalooza 2013.  Forshey covers how to "help students make meaningful visual connects to content through writing and technology" and she covers web-apps like Wikispaces, Edmodo, Edublogs, Google Docs, and a ton more! Ed Reach has four new podcasts to check out: Techlandia #30: So this is 30?! Get Your Google Ninja On ChromeCast... Will You Marry Me Ask3 and Your iPad 1:1 Tablets (and especially iPads) often steal the classroom tech spotlight, but Google Chromebooks (running only $250) can be an awesome alternative.  If your school is thinking of adopting Chromebooks (or you've already got them!), Edudemics new post, "How To Get Started with Chromebooks in the Classroom" will be right up your alley! iLearn Technology has a new review of "Snap! Digital Reading Program."  The program is a collection of interactive books that are organized by reading level and can be printed or viewed on a PC or tablet.  Plus, all the books are aligned with the Common Core Standards.  It's not free, but for $89 you do get a ton of interactive content.  Check out their site for more. Finally, Getting Smart opens with a piece on "Finding New Professional Development at Edcamp."  For those unfamiliar, Edcamp is a relatively new form of PD in which passionate speakers and teachers organize free events to share ideas.  The organization is now worldwide and over 100 events have already happened this year.  For more information, here's a a good page that covers the basics.   Getting Smart also has two new reviews up.  The first is over BloomBoard which is an awesome app for managing professional development, teacher observations, and teacher feedback.  You can also check out the Roundup's review of BloomBoard here.  Finally, theyreview iAnnotate, a "fantastic productivity tool that engages users directly with various text documents."  It's great for teachers who want to grade and be able to write on digital papers.   The Lightning Round... Educational Technology share The 7 Killer Skills every 21st Century Student Should Have They also reviewApraxia - A Great Speech Therapy App Edudemic has the 9 Best Web Tools Teahcers Will Use This Year And they also discuss 4 Ways to Showcase your Learning Online And that's it for our weekend edition!  Thanks for reading and we'll be back on Monday!  We'll end today with a new infographic from Edudemic and Spinx Web Design on the Most Awaited Technology Devices of 2013.  See you Monday! Courtesy of: Spinx

Welcome back!  My first day with students is officially over and it's time to do some round-upping.  Today we'll start with Katrina Schwartz at Mind/Shift and an incredibly interesting and important article about the business of educational technology, "Tech Companies Angle for Big Bucks in Education"  It's a wonderful article that chronicles the ever-growing business interest in ed tech. Next up, Mary Jo Madda at  Ed Surge covers "How Good Ideas in Edtech go 'Viral'"  The article relates a recent New Yorker article, "Slow Ideas by Atul Gawande," to educational technology and discusses why some great innovations in ed tech seem to spread incredibly quickly while others take longer to catch hold (if they catch on at all).  She closes by discussing what the most successful edtech start-ups have in common and by offering some advice to new start-ups. Jessica Slusser at Getting Smart has a great new article about a new online resource from Pearson and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21).  The new learning resource is home to some wonderful case studies and examples of successful 21st century schools.   Their goal is showcase examplar schools so that others can learn from what works (and what doesn't) at these organizations. Winifred Kehl also has a writeup on "An Amazing Experience for K-12 STEM Teachers."  In the post she discusses a recent experience with 19 K-12 Teachers and a group of paleontologiests from the University of Washington.  Together, the group traveled to the badlands of Montana to dig up dinosaurs! Pretty awesome stuff. Free Technology for Teachers has 5 new resources to try: 100 Tips for New Teachers/Reminders for Veterans What would you do if you knew you could not fail? A Quick Tip About Editing in Apple's Pages 21 ClassDojo Tutorial Videos Socrative 2.0 Is Coming in September Wesley Fryer at Moving at the Speed of Creativity has a new article entitled, "Managing Distractions: Maintaining Focus and Creating Media."  The post discusses great ways to help students avoid getting distracted in a technology-rich environment and focus on creating products.  He ends with an awesome list of projects that students can create with classroom programs and apps. Educational Technology has 5 new posts to check out: 5 Excellent Resources for Social Studies Class YouTube Capture - A Practical iPad App for Teachers 9 Tips for Teachers who just got an iPad 10 Google Plus Educators Teachers Should Follow 6 Tech Video Tutorials Created by Kids And for those teachers who are in a 1:1 or BYOD (bring your own device) iPad environment, Teach Thought has you covered with, "How To Create A Paperless Classroom with your iPad."  The post centers around using Google Drive and Google Education apps to manage the distribution and collection of assignments, thereby creating a completely paperless environment! Finally, the Ed Reach network has 4 new podcasts up: Techlandia: Back to School Edpisode Educelerate 13.5: UX for EDU Siblings Can Work to Cut Behavior Problems Going Virtual with the Oculus Rift The Lightning Round... Edudemic shares 5 Educational Websites Older Students Should Be Using Getting Smart has a list of "Remix" Apps from EdShelf Edudemic also has a post (and prezi) on 5 Flipped Classroom Issues and Solutions And that's it for today!  Thanks for tuning in!  We'll end with a new infographic from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Edudemic on The Role of Business in Education Reform... Courtesy of: Edudemic

Welcome back!  I hope everyone is having a great start to the school year!  Today we'll start at Edudemic with a post on "The 5 Best Social Media Tips For Teachers."  The post offers some great advice  for connecting with other teachers and educators.  If you still haven't given Twitter a try, it can really be an awesome resource for professional development and connecting with other teachers.  So, if you're looking for some new ways to connect with social networking, check out the post! Emerging Ed Tech has a new review up of "Lucidchart - Excellent Web Based Diagramming and Charts."  The web-app is free for teachers and students and is an excellent resource for creating online charts, diagrams, graphic organizers, and mind maps.  If you use any of those organizational tools in your classroom, I highly recommend checking out Lucidchart! Educational Technology has four new resources to check out:The 10 Best iPad Apps for the Start of the School Year4 Alternatives to the iPad YouTube AppTwitter in the Elementary Classroom6 Ways to Monitor Your Digital Footprints The trend of online learning is continuing to grow and with it, tools like Mozilla's Open Badges are being used to certify students' learning.  And, with sites like Degreed helping students create digital resumes that include online learning courses, the potential for digital learning to "mean" something more tangible is growing as well.  Alison Anderson at Getting Smart has more on the topic with her new post, "Mozilla Open Badges to Show Career Readiness."John Hardison also has a new post entitled, "Ordering a Teacher: Suggestions from Students Part 2."  In the post, Hardison discusses 5 characteristics that students believe exceptional teachers possess.  It's an excellent article and provides some great insight into what our students would like to see more of. Education Week has a new post on the growing trend of students using social media to improperly post photos from standardized tests.  The article focuses on California but this is an issue that affects schools across the globe.  Last year, a total of 212 schools in California were flagged for improper social media postings.  Check out the article for more. Ed Reach has four new podcasts to check out:Australia's Innovative Learning SpacesGuns, Knives, and Mayhem - The Murder Mystery CoAn EduWin-IT About BloggingStarting a Flipped Year with Nichole Carter The Lightning Round... Free Tech for Teachers has a new guide on How To Use Google Drive in SchoolFree Tech also shares 43+ Alternatives to YouTubeTeach Thought covers 45 Design Thinking Resources for EducatorsGetting Smart has 20 Coding, CS, Assessment, & Data Resources And that's a wrap! Thanks for reading and we'll be back tomorrow!  If you'd like to have the daily roundup emailed to you, you can always subscribe in the box on the right.  Plus, you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates as well.  See you tomorrow!

Welcome back to the Roundup!  Before we start I just wanted to let everyone know that we've added a few new lessons to the secondary lesson plan section of the site.  They're mainly aimed at computer science class, but if that's your subject, you might find something you enjoy!  First up, Ed Tech Magazine has a new article entitled, "Schools Face Tech Overhauls in Preparations for Common Core."  The article discusses the many changes and improvements to tech that K-12 schools are making in order to get ready for Common Core adoption. If you've got iPads in your school, Edudemic's new post will probably be of interest.  If you're not familiar with the Guided Access feature, it can be used to limit students to only one app while they're using the ipads.  It's a pretty great feature and you can read more about it in their new post, "A Step-By-Step Guide to Keeping Students Focused While Using Tech." First up from Getting Smart (and Compass Learning) is a new post about the "Top Ten Challenges of Implementing New Technology."  For any teacher, integration specialist, or district that is considering new technology, this list is an excellent place to start before diving in and buying whatever looks flashy and new.  The article offers some excellent tips for finding, affording, and implementing new technology.Getting Smart also has a new review aimed at Science Teachers of the MasteryConnect App.  The iOS app is an excellent resource to help science teachers align their content with the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and it's completely free!Finally, Tom Vander Ark has a new post/idea entitled, "DIY High" about a "new high school where students create the job they want."  The basic idea is that when students finish high school, they'd graduate as blossoming entrepreneurs with a business plan already well underway. Free Tech for Teachers has four new resources to check out:A Collection of the Best Google Street View ImageryReminder - If It Doesn't Look Legit, QuitSee & Print More Clearly with Evernote ClearlyA YouTube-free Video Search Engine Lisa Johnson at Tech Chef has an excellent new post entitled, "Teacher iPad Orientation Toolkit: 6 Tools Every Teacher Should Master."  What I really like about this post is that it's essentially a guide to running your own PD session on iPad basics.  Johnson has suggested apps and activities to help teachers become more familiar with some great iPad apps. For those schools with teacher iPads, it's worth a look! Christina Quattrocchi at Ed Surge has a new post on the online marketplace ePals, "A Lesson Plan Marketplace with 11.5 Million Potential Customers."  This summer, ePals (a K-12 social network) announced that they will begin allowing teachers to share and sell lesson plans.  This means sites like Teachers Pay Teachers will have some new competition and it could be a great resource for teachers looking for new lesson plans! Educational Technology has four new resources to check out:33 #EdChat Podcasts You Should Not Miss10 Things Teachers PD Should Never IncludeTwitter Guide Featuring 18 Ed Hashtags for ParentsGoogle Forms for Teachers - A Must Read Guide The Ed Tech Review has a new article discussing how "MOOCs Help Teachers in their Flipped Classroom."  They talk about how MOOCs (massive open online courses) can be used to provide instruction outside of the classroom while leaving more time to focus on assignments and projects in the classroom.  If it's a topic you're interested in, I wrote a recent article for MOOCs.com discussing some similar ideas. Finally, Lisa Nielsen at the Innovative Educator has a wonderful article on how to "Get Back-To-School By Engaging Families Right From Their Cellphones."  She discusses some great apps and tools for connecting to parents to send reminders, grades, and just to keep in touch.  She covers twitter, QuizU, Poll Everywhere, and a whole lot more! The Lightning Round... Edudemic covers 6 Simple Ways to Have a Green ClassroomTeach Thought has 5 Tips for Using Flipboard in the ClassroomLearn Dash discusses the 4 Stages of Integrating Technology into Learning And we are all Rounded up!  Thanks for reading and we'll be back tomorrow!  Halfway through the week!

Welcome back!  And happy Friday-eve!  We've got a pretty short Roundup for you today and we'll start over at Getting Smart with Alison Anderson's new post, "Back to School: Ten Tech Tips for Team Building with Parents."  In the article they cover ten excellent and easy ways to use technology to connect with parents.  Host a website, write a blog, create podcast newsletters, send texts, and so on.  Plus they've got links to great resources to help get your ideas off the ground! Emerging Ed Tech has a new discussion and review of three "Educational Apps that Teach Young Students about Money Management."  These apps are awesome for home use or for in a business, accounting, or even an elementary or middle school math class.  They review iAllowance, Savings Spree, and P2K Money. Free Tech for Teachers has five new posts to check out:MasteryConnect's Next Gen Science Standards AppClassDojo Releases New iOas and Android AppsIn Case You Also Missed the Teen Choice AwardsCNN Student News is Back for 2013-2014U.S. Military History Animated iLearn Technology has an excellent review of "Rewordify: Help Kids Understand What They Read."  Rewordify is an online app that is designed to help struggling readers and ESL/ELL students "improve their reading comprehensions and vocabulary development."  It's an excellent app to check out if you're looking for something to help struggling readers. Educational Technology has four new posts to check out:Findery - A New Social Platform for your Classroom7 Apps for Creating Books with StudentsTop 10 Teacher Tools for Digital CurationA DIgital Citizenship Starter Kit for Teachers Finally, Beth Holland at Edutopia has an excellent new post entitled, "Didn't Your Mother Tell You Not to Google."  In the article, Holland discusses the educational problems that can arise from "googling" or "siri-ing" everything we have questions about.  There are tons of educational resources that are better at finding age and subject-appropriate information and Holland discusses quite a few in her write-up. The Lightning Round... Getting Smart shares their new Smart List: 30 Next-Gen Literacy, Language & Math ResourcesTeach Thought covers A Really, Really Well-Written Set of Classroom RulesEd Reach has a new podcast on Haiku Deck and Your iPad 1:1Mind/Shift gives us 10 Ideas to Get Those Back-to-School Juices FlowingEdudemic discusses Every Gmail Shortcut You Never New Existed And there you have it!  Roundup complete!  Thanks for reading and we'll be back either on Sunday night or Monday afternoon with the weekend Roundup.  See you then!

Welcome back to the Roundup!  Today we start at EdSurge with an excellent article from Michael Levine entitled, "Beyond Good and Bad: Applying Games Research to Action."  The post discusses the research behind game-based learning, the reaction from schools on teachers towards GBL, the educational games marketplace, and the barriers that may prevent GBL from reaching its full educational potential. Next up, Dave Rudey at Emerging Ed Tech has an excellent write-up on the student response iPad app, Socrative.  The app is completely free, can provide immediate feedback on student understanding, and it will grade your quizzes and assessments for you.  If you've got student iPads in your school, Socrative is definitely worth a look. Free Tech for Teachers has five new resources to check out: Create Citizen Scientists with NOVA Labs How to Introduce EduClipper to Teachers and Students Turn PDFs Into Multimedia Documents Unsplash - A Good Source of Free Images Submrge - Ideas for Teaching with Games Jackie Gerstein at User Generated Education has another absolutely awesome post,"Epic Moves as an Integral Part of Education."  She discusses the incredible importance of risk-taking in education, for teachers and learners alike.  She also outlines the consequences for those students and teachers who avoid educational risks.  It's a wonderful post and great reading for all grade levels and subject areas. Alison Anderson at Getting Smart has a great review of a new educational service called Nutmeg, a "New Teacher Tool on the 'Horizon.'"  The app is designed to help teachers individualize instruction and assist with assessment. Teachers can use the app to design assessments that are aligned with the CCSS as well as access an enormous bank of open educational resources (OER) to make creating assessments even easier. Edudemic has two excellent posts up on the edtech front, the first of which is from Holly Clark on "How to Tackle Digital Citizenship During the First 5 Days of School."  This is a great article for any computer science teachers or elementary teachers who have to handle technology instruction themselves.  She has some wonderful ideas on how to quickly get all students on the same page as far as netiquette, online safety, and digital citizenship are concerned. Edudemic also has a new guide on "How to Pick the Best Device for your Grade Level."  If your school is considering purchasing new devices this year, this article is a good place to start getting some ideas. Educational Technology has five new posts to check out: Interactive Graphic Featuring 21st C. Thinking Skills. 15 Pinterest Boards Every Teacher Should See Interactive Graphic on the Networked Educator 5 Places to find iPad Apps for Students Android Apps for Teachers and Students Drew Minock at Two Guys and Some iPads has an awesome post from 2 weeks ago that I missed the last time around, "5 Free Tech Tools for this School Year."  It's a great list that includes some augmented reality, some programming, and a whole lot of other goodness.  He covers iOS and Android apps, so all your bases are covered! Ed Reach has five new podcasts to check out: What is the Future of Games and Learning Is Outsourcing the Ticket to Healthier School Meals A Small Audience is the New Big Audience The Power of Podcasting Vimeo Video School Tutorials The Lightning Round... Teach Thought shares 25 Common Core-Aligned Math Apps for Middle School Students Getting Smart has a new Smart List of 20 Great Learning Platforms Edudemic covers 10 Digital Resources for New Teachers Edudemic also has a new infographic on How to Give Your Online Class an In-Class Feel Edutech for Teachers has a review and write-up on theiOS Book Creator App (Now Free!) And that's all for the Roundup tonight!  Thanks for stopping by!  We'll end today with a new infographic from Open Colleges on some future possibilities for using Google Glass in Education.  See you tomorrow! Courtesy of: Open Colleges

Welcome back!  Today we begin with... Holograms!  That's right, holograms.  Awesome.  The Ed Tech Review has a new post on the "Potential Applications of Holograms to Engage Learners."  In the post they give a little background on the technology behind modern holograms and then dive in to discussing educational possibilities.  Are they feasible at this point in time?  Absolutely not.  Is it exciting to consider the possibilities?  Most definitely! If you're not familiar with South by South West for Education (SXSWedu) it's a annual gathering in Austin, TX where educators, developers, and anyone who has something to say about education can get together, and enjoy awesome presentations.  Right now, community voting is going on to determine what projects will be in the festival.  Getting Smart has a list of projects to check out and may I personally recommend my good friend and rock-star educator, Saul Heide and his project the Paperless Classroom. Free Tech for Teachers has four new posts to check out:15 Things You Can do with EdmodoInspire Students to Read & Travel with Global BookshelfA Primer on Creative CommonsA Complete Guide to Using Blogger in School Teach Thought has a new post on "Mind-Mapping and the Digitization of Learning."  The article outlines the benefits of mind-mapping and discusses how they can be used in the classroom to help organize thoughts and streamline feedback. With the wealth of awesome mind-mapping apps (spicy nodes, bubble.us, padlet, and so on) it's never been easier to start using mind-maps in your classroom. In education, a lot of focus is given to Apple and iOS apps, mainly because they've got an enormous selection and a relatively easy to implement product.  But now, with the recent unveiling of Google Play for Education, that will most likely begin to change.  Holly Korbey at Mind/Shift has a new article on the topic in which she compares Apple and Google and discusses the pros and cons of each. Ed Reach has four new podcasts that your ears might enjoy:My Singing Monsters: Gaming in Music ClassFlipped Learning meets Google EducastWebinar on Police Involvement in SchoolsThe Problem with MOOCs The Lightning Round... Teach Thought shares 5 Strategies to Resist Googling and Conduct Meaningful ResearchLisa Nielsen covers an upcoming Free Virtual Conference on Alternatives to SchoolEducational Technology discusses 2 Interesting New PDF Tools for TeachersAlong with looking at Web Tools to Use WIth Bloom's Digital Taxonomy And there you have it!  Roundup complete!  Have a wonderful evening and we'll be back in the saddle tomorrow.  Thanks for reading!

Welcome back to the Roundup!  And, as always, happy Friday-eve!  Today we start off with some big news from EdReach.  Like some 1970's super-group, EdReach has just announced new partnerships with our friends over at Two Guys and some iPads and the tech company TechSmith. They'll be launching some assuredly excellent new shows as well as a new comic strip! Next up, Kate Smitty at Emerging Ed Tech has a writeup on "LearnPad - a Tablet Designed Specifically for Educational Use."  While iPad and Android tablets have their distinct advantages, they were designed for consumers, not for educators.  The LearnPad is a "trialed and tested tabled designed for schools and educators."  Check out Smitty's post for more info on the new tablet. Free Tech for Teachers has 5 new posts to check out:A Lesson Overcoming ObstaclesWhy I Occasionally Use Box instead of Google DriveVisit the Zoo with Google Street ViewShirts and Ties and the New School YearHelpful New Poll Everywhere Features EduTech for Teachers has a new Guest Post in which "Media Experts Name the Best Technology Skills for Graduates." The article discusses the essential technology skills that students should be learning and discusses why encouraging blogging is an excellent way to support those skills.  It's a great read and if you haven't considered having your students blog, this post might change your mind! David Fife at Perspectives 2.0 has an excellent new post on the "4 Reasons Why You Need to Be a Connected Educator."  Social media has made it ridiculously easy for teachers to connect, share ideas, and swap lesson plans and in this article Fife argues the importance of connecting to your own personal learning network (PLN).   Educational Technology has 4 new posts to check out:7 Outstanding iPad Apps to Help with Homework8 iPad Apps for Classroom Management8 Tools to Protect Your Online Data and PrivacyHow to Change Education from the Ground Up Finally, iLearn technology has a new review up, "Fluency Finder App: Updated with New Features!"  If you guessed that Fluency Finder is an app to help find out your students' reading fluency levels, you're absolutely correct!  It's designed for 1st-8th graders and has some pretty awesome features.  If that's your area, check it out! The Lightning Round... EdSurge gives us Teachers Favored Web 2.0 ToolsMind/Shift discusses 4 Essential Principles of Blended LearningThe Ed Tech Review has a new Infographic on How Mobile Apps Influence Childhood EducationLearnDash covers the 4 Downsides to MOOCs And that, my friends, is all she wrote!  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and we'll be back on Monday with the weekend Roundup!  Thanks for reading and remember, you can always follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or just subscribe to receive the Roundup by email (box on the right and up a bit...)-Mike

If you’ve already started reading this post, you might as well accept it:  by the time you get to the end of the page you will have a Twitter account and be well on your way to falling in love with the social media site.  "But why Twitter?" you’re probably asking.  "I already have Facebook, I already Pinterest like crazy, what’s the point?"   Here’s why: Twitter is the easiest way to connect and converse with educators from around the world who share your passions.   As one teacher puts it, "Twitter is like having a professional learning superpower" and I couldn't agree more.  After a rough day at school, when I’m maybe starting to feel a little pessimistic about students or education in general, I fire up Twitter and see all the amazing lessons, ideas, wisdom, success stories, and positive energy from my digital peers and it picks me right back up.  In short, Twitter is like have an outstanding team of educators in your pocket at all times (or on your PC, if you’re still not into this whole smartphone thing).   So let’s do this! Get ready to take your first steps into the Twittersphere!  First, you'll want to open up a new browser tab or window and head over to Twitter.  Once there, you'll find this box just waiting to be filled out: Your Journey Begins Go ahead, sign up… we’ll be waiting right here!  You know you want to check it out… All right, nicely done!  You’re on your way! Next up, choose a username.  Don’t stress out about it too much, you can change it later.  Maybe pick some sort of awesome teacher name like "TheTweetinTeach" or whatever floats your boat. Personally, I would recommend unchecking the "Tailor Twitter based on my recent website visits."  One, it creeps me out a little bit.  Two, I have no idea how my website history would translate to the Twitterverse and I’m not sure I’d like to know.   Then click, Create Account!  Welcome aboard the Twitter Train!  (The Twain? Maybe I should just avoid word play…) You're In! Now, Twitter will give you a quick walkthrough, but here’s the gist of it.  They’re going to ask you to start by following five people (it’s too late to turn back now!)   You’ve got a couple options here.  You could search for a topic, like "Education" or "Ed Tech" or "Physical Education" or whatever you’re interested in. Or, if you just want some great educators to follow, I would recommend: @PrincipalJ, @coolcatteacher, @kellyhines, @paulawhite, @tedrosececi, and @dsdixon Or, if you’ve got favorite blogs or websites, odds are they’re on twitter too, so you can follow them as well (@edudemic, @edutopia, @edweekteacher, and so on…) Build That Timeline! Now wait a second, what’s all this "@" business?  And what about these hashtags (#), what’s their deal?   The "@" is used to designate a person/company/business.  It goes before a name, like you’re sending a tweet or message AT someone.  The hashtag is used to "tag" or categorize tweets.  If you want to find out what’s going on with educational technology, you could search #edtech, and all the recent EdTech posts would show up. Back to setting up your account, if you don’t want to import actual contacts (there’s really no need to, you can find them later) you can just click the semi-concealed "skip" button at the bottom. Next up… add a photo!  I’d recommend at least adding something, otherwise you’re stuck with the default Egg-head picture and people might think you’re a dreaded SPAM BOT instead of the awesome teacher that you actually are… Who are you?? After you’ve got your photo, it’s time to write a short Bio.  How can you describe yourself in 160 characters or less?  What are you passionate about?  What do you want to learn more about?  You can always leave this part blank for the time being if you've run into a writer’s block... And that’s all there is to it!  You’re in!  THIS. IS. TWITTER! But don’t worry, I’m not going to just leave you high and dry and let you try to navigate the Twasteland all by yourself.   At the top you’ve got four navigation buttons: Home / Connect / Discover / Me The Home Page is… well it’s your home.  Here’s where you can see what everyone is tweeting, find new people to follow, and see what’s trending.   The Connect Page will show you if anyone is tweeting about you, retweeting (i.e. reposting) what you’ve said, following you, or favoriting your tweets.   The Discover Page is great if you’re looking for new people to follow.  It will create a list of tweets and users based on your interests. And the Me Page shows who is following you and if you have any direct messages. The connect page shows your interactions So, you’ve got your bearing now, maybe you’ve found a few outstanding educators to follow, what’s next?  Personally, I’m not a big fan of how the Twitter feed looks.  There's so much on the screen, so many tweets, and it gets a little cluttered sometimes. I know, I know, I just spent this whole article talking about how great Twitter is and now this?   Well Twitter is great, but I still don’t like the layout.  Personally, I love using FlipBoard.  But it’s only available on Tablets, Kindles, Nooks, etc.  if you have one.  It will turn your tweets into a magazine like book that makes it a million times easier to read through.  You get previews of articles and pictures and it just looks nice!  Plus, it’s free!  But if you’re tablet-less and still want to get a different look out of twitter, here’s a whole list of web-based suggestions for Macs and PCs. OK!  So, you’ve got your account, you’ve found some people to follow, maybe you’ve switched to Flipboard or HootSuite or something new, and you’re ready to start tweeting and sharing! The Easiest way to start is to think of what you want to say!  Maybe something like, "I’m new in town #NewToTwitter #Teacher #Education #Whatever ElseYou’reInterestedIn"  Or you can start tweeting directly @ other people.  Send a tweet at another teacher you like, or an organization you’re interested in talking with. Tweet it up! This is where the awesomeness of Twitter comes in!  All those blogs and sites and organizations that you love tor ead, you can now start a dialogue with them.  Go ahead, give it a try!  Some sites are better than others, but by and large, people and organizations on Twitter are ready to chat! So, start chatting, start sharing, and start building your personal learning network (PLN).  You’ll soon be able to find great professional development, articles, ideas, lesson plans, and even friends!  Seriously, there are a ton of great, friendly educators on twitter who are happy to connect!  (And you can always follow me as well @edtechround - I love talking shop and sharing ideas on education) And that’s it!  You made it!  You’re on twitter and you’re ready to take the training wheels off!  It’s time to fly... well virtually at least. Thanks for reading and I hope you find Twitter to be as awesome and useful as I have! And in case you still want a little more info, here’s an excellent infographic from UC Rossier Courtesy of: USC Rossier

Welcome back to the Roundup!  I hope everyone had an excellent weekend!  To start, a little sad news: The Roundup will be a bit sporadic this week.  I've got middle and high school back to school/meet the teacher nights this week, so unfortunately I won't have as much time for the site.  But anyway, let's get started with Edudemic's article on "How Blogging Can Help Reluctant Writers."  It's a great read and if you have the opportunity to use blogging in the classroom, do it! Free Technology for Teachers has five new resources up:Lingualy: Learn Languages while Web BrowsingRewordify Helps Students Read Complex PassagesHow to Create a Website with Weebly5 Free iPad Apps Students Can Use to Take NotesThe Most Popular FT4T Posts This Week Jackie Gerstein at User Generated Education has an excellent new post on using "Photography for Enhancing Social-Emotional Learning."  Her article discusses how the use of photography in a variety of subjects (English, Science, History, Art, etc.) can help students increase their social and emotional learning.  She also provides links to tons of excellent classroom resources. Alison Anderson at Getting Smart has a new write-up on "Taleblazer: The New Scratch."  If you're not familiar with Scratch, it's an awesome program from MIT that helps teach students the basics of programming.  Taleblazer is a web-based platform that will allow students to create location-based augmented reality games that you can play on your smartphones and mobile devices!  I'm a huge fan of scratch, and Taleblazer sounds incredibly exciting. Educational Technology has five new posts to check out:7 Resources for Public Domain Pictures5 Good iPad Apps to Teach Kids about CodingWhat You Should Know about EduClipperA Tutorial on Using Edmodo in Your TeachingScoot & Doodle: Collaborative Learning Platform Kelly Walsh at Emerging Ed Tech has a great new post showing that "Instructional Technologies CAN Improve Learning Outcomes and Help Address the Challenges Education Faces."   In the post and video (embedded below) Walsh discusses a variety of examples of Educational Technology Success Stories. The EdReach Network has five new podcasts for you:Got a Question? Google Helpouts are Coming!Techlandia 32: The Return of the School YearGoogle and Your iPad 1:1Color Coding with Erin KleinRob Steller Shares His ClassXP Kickstarter The Lightning Round... Teach Thought shares 41 Must-Have Teaching Tools from edshelfLisa Nielsen covers 5 Back to School Management Tips for Innovative EducatorsGetting Smart gives us 30 Apps for Sharing, Showing, and TrackingEdudemic has a new infographic on Formative Assessment and TechnologyThey also have a new infographic Visual Guide for Teachers New to Apple iPads And that's a Roundup!  Thanks for reading and we'll be back tomorrow!  I hope everyone is having a great back to school week (unless you're starting your third week like we are, in which case, keep it rolling!)

And, we're back!  After a crazy week of meet the teacher/back to school nights, I'm happy to be back to the Roundup!  In the interim, there have been some exciting developments, well, really just one exciting development: The Ed Tech Roundup is launching a podcast with my good friend Saul Heide (@NoPaperNoProb)  Every Wednesday night we'll discuss classroom integration ideas, new apps and tech tools, technology successes and failures, and we'll even have some awesome guests along the way.  Check out our new twitter page for more (@MCTechFest) First up, American Radio Works has a new essay/documentary entitled, "One Child at a Time: Custom Learning in the Digital Age."  It's an excellent article about how teachers and technology can work together to continue improving the current state of education.  It's a long one though, so set aside an hour or so (or download the MP3 version for the drive to work!) Jackie Gerstein at User Generated Education has a wonderful new article on, "School, Executive Functions, and Technology." In the post, Gerstein discusses the role technology can play in helping students learn and practice executive functions and self-regulating skills.  She provides some excellent technology tools to try and discusses tons of integration ideas. Free Tech for Teachers has five new resources to check out: Three Mobile Blogging Activities for Students Three Tools for Improving Flipped Video Lessons Now that your Students have iPads... K12 Online Conference Speakers Announced Month in Review - The Most Popular Posts Shane Haggerty as Edudemic has an excellent new post entitled, "How (and Why) to Try Twitter Teams In School."  Twitter can be an excellent tool to connect district stakeholders (parents, teachers, administrators, and community members) and Haggerty's article discusses some of the major benefits that can result from a connected district.  And, in case you missed the Roundup's recent guide/intro to Twitter, you can check it out here [ Seriously Teachers... It's Time to Join Twitter. ] Educational Technology has four new posts to check out: 8 Great Web Tools to Create a Website for Class 90 iPad Apps Teachers Should Try this Year Sketchlot: A great Collaborative Whiteboard My Top 5 Web Tools for Teachers The EdReach Network has four new podcasts up: LadyGeeks 19: Being A Connected Educator EdGamer: Getting Tech Savvy with Ben Rimes Welcome to the Two Guys Show! Google Educast: Google Hangouts Go High Def Finally, if you've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try out some of these new technology ideas in your classroom, the Flipped Learning Network is hosting a "Flipped Day" to help teacherstry our flipped lessons in their classroom.  The day is September 6th (not that you have to do it on that specific day) and they have a great collection of lessons to help get going! The Lightning Round... Mind/Shift shares the results of Neilsen's latest survey on How Students Prefer to Use Tablets Teach Thought covers 16 Free Science Apps to Download Now! Lisa Nielsen discusses 4 Innovative Ideas for Using Pinterest to Support Learning Perspectives 2.0 gives us 12 Apps for School Administrators The Ed Tech Review has a new infographic on the 5 Big Questions of Early Childhood Tech Edudemic shares 10 Web Resources for Becoming a Better Collaborator  Finally, Edudemic and Ann Vega share a great new infographic onHow to Use Instagram in Education.  Thanks for reading and we'll be back tomorrow evening! Courtesy of: Edudemic

Welcome back! And if it's your first day of school, I hope it's a great one!  Today we begin at Edudemic with a post on "2 Basic Ways to Add Technology To Your Curriculum."  The article covers how teachers can build off of their existing curriculum and begin to integrate social media.  If you're looking to get started with classroom tech, start here! Free Tech for Teachers has four new posts from today: Register Now for the Wolfram Virtual Ed Conference Try Class Charts for Online Attendance & Behavior A Nice Selection of Travel Books for Kids Credit Card Responsibility & Debt Justin Boyle at Emerging Ed Tech has an excellent new post on the pros and cons of virtual education conferences, "Are Virtual Education Conferences Worth the Time and Effort."  Boyles discusses the basic setup of virtual conferences (if you've never "attended" one) and goes on to discuss the possible problems and benefits. Educational Technology has four new posts to check out: The Dictionary of Educational Hashtags for Teachers 5 iPad Hashtags Teachers Should Know About A Must Have Google Hangout Tip Sheet JSTOR: A Library of 15000 Academic Journals Tony Wan at EdSurge has a new response to a recent report from MindCet on Kids & Digital Games entitled, "Why Every Game Teaches Useful Skills."  The report focuses more on kids's perspectives on gaming, as opposed to the opinions of teachers and parents.  The whole report is pretty great if you've got the time to read it and are interested in incorporating game-based learning into your classroom. The EdReach Network has three new podcasts up: Subtext: The Reading Room - Teaser EdAdmin: Dress Codes & First Amendment Rights TheatreCast: Online Masterclass with Caitlin Muelder The Lightning Round... Teach Thought covers 26 Upcoming EdTech Conferences for this School Year Lisa Nielsen shares 10 Creative Scheduling Ideas to Provie Time for Face-to-Face Collaboration EdTech Magazine has a new infographic discussing Student Privacy Concerns Getting Smart has a new list of the Latest Tools Added to EdShelf And that's all we've got for today!  We'll close with a new infographic from Getting Smart andSpecial Education Degree on how Ed Tech is being utilized in special education. In case you missed the news yesterday, we'll be launching our brand new podcast tomorrow night (so there won't be a regular Roundup).  Barring any unforeseen technical difficulties (yeah right) we'll be broadcasting live on Google Hangouts from my YouTube channel around 7:30 central.  Although for this first episode, it might be better just to tune in on Thursday.  We shall see!  Thanks for reading! Courtesy of: Special Education Degree

Thanks for tuning in!  And if you missed our inaugural podcast last night, it's up and ready for viewing!  We'll have the audio and video cleaned up a little better for next week too, this South American internet tends to get a little laggy at times...  Today begins at Mind/Shift with an article entitled, "Can Tech Help Students Find the 'Sweet Spot' for Learning?" It's an excellent post on the current state of classroom tech. Next up, Uptime Systems has an great post about "Staying Secure in the Cloud Age."  The article discusses the importance of knowing the details of your online storage provider.  Just because a site looks legitimate, does not necessarily mean it's a great place to store and backup all your personal data.  The post goes through a list of considerations to take into mind when storing data online. Free Tech for Teachers has five new resources to check out: Free Teaching Materials from the Zinn Ed Project A Free iPad App Built By Students for Students The History of Design in a Nutshell Classmint - Create and Share Online Flashcards 20,000 Math Practice Problems Aligned to CCSS Jamie Forshey at EduTech for Teachers has a great write-up of a wonderful program, "See the Edu-Good with 365 Photo Project."  In a nutshell, the EduGood 365 Photo Project invites teachers and students to "spend a year photographing and sharing all of the positive happenings in their schools, classroom and/or life."  The pictures are then shared with other students and teachers in the program.  Pretty great idea. Educational Technology has five new resources up today: Bloom's Taxonomy Apps 22 Map Games to Improve Geographical Knowledge ZipGode: A Good Grading App for Teachers 20 Back to School Education Cartoons Students can Generate Creative Commons Licenses Emerging Ed Tech has a new review of "Chronicle - A Transformative Multi-Media Assessment Tool for Teachers."  The app is used to provide teachers with an easy way to "quickly capture and share student progress via text, photo, audio and video."  It's an awesome app for keeping all stakeholders informed with student development and growth. EdReach has four new podcasts up from today: The Two Guys Show: The Amazing Erin Klein EdAdmin: 10 Traits of Creative People Teacher Prep for Arts Tech Chalkstar to Rockstar: Anastasis Academy The Lightning Round... Edudemic shares 4 Resources for Finding STEM Grands for your School They also give us 9 Places to Find High-Quality Online PD Teach Thought covers 10 Strategies to Design Your Class like a Video Game Getting Smart has a new infographic on the Top Tech Gear of 2013 And finally, Getting Smart reviews 10 Free Apps to Jumpstart your iPad Cart And that's a Roundup!  Thanks for reading!  We'll be back on Monday and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  For those hankering for some more Roundup over the weekend, remember to check out the new podcast!  We'll end with a new infographic from K-12 Magazine and Microsoft.  Hasta luego! Courtesy of: EdTech Magazine and Microsoft

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had an excellent weekend. Today we start with a wonderful article from The Atlantic, "Go Ahea, Mess with Texas Instruments."  The post focuses on "Why educational technologies should be more like graphing calculators and less like iPads."  I'd definitely recommend setting aside the next 20 minutes to check the full article out. Free Tech for Teachers has five new posts to check out:Six Months with a ChromebookHow to Insert Videos Into Google FormsCreating and Grading Quizzes through Google FormsHow to Use Google Maps Engine LiteA Teachers' Guide to Classroom Backchannels Next up, Jamie Forshey at EduTech for Teachers has a new write-up of the free web-app OhLife which is a platform for online, confidential, journal writing.  The tool promotes "writing fluency, technology use, and typing skills" plus it sends students a daily reminder to update their journals.  It's an excellent tool to help motivate students to write, and, unlike a blog, all the writing is saved privately. Katie Lepi at Edudemic has a new article on "How to Build Powerful Tech-Infused Lesson Plans."  She offers some great suggestions like incorporating technology into already existing lesson plans, so you're not reinventing the wheel (just improving upon it).  She also reminds us of something that I have to constantly remind myself of, "you can't be afraid of failure" when integrating new tech in the classroom. Educational Technology has five new posts to check out:Excellent back to school resources from WikiSpacesVisual Guide to Citing Tweets in Academic PapersWhy you Should Create a Class Blog8 Apps for Writing on the iPad26 Conferences for Teachers to Grow Professionally This one goes out to all the biology and life science teachers our there, The Ed Tech Review has a new write-up on "Labster: Virtual Labs for Biology and Life Science Teachers."  The site offers a variety of "cases" that include 3D animations, interactive quizzes, open-ended learning environments and more.  It's a little pricey, but if you can cover the cost it looks like a great resource. Next up, Dave Guymon at Getting Smart (and also the host of the excellent PD Podcast Take 5) has a new article entitled, "All Must be Shared" Google+ Takes Your Class Into the Future."  Guymon discusses how teachers can use Google+ to build digital classroom learning communities as well as "provide teachers with a medium to deliver timely and authentic feedback."  If you haven't considered Google+ in the classroom, it's definitely worth a thought. EdReach has five brand new podcasts to give a listen to:EdGamer 112: What is EdGamer?ToolZeit - Path on App - Swipe to TypeFlipped Learning #59: Building RelationshipsTechlandia: Sweetness and Sweet ConferencesEdAdmin: New Packaged Chrome Apps And last but not least, Drew Minock over at Two Guys and Some iPads has a new article on how to use "Augmented Reality to Inspire Creative Writing."  He discusses using the awesome app ColAR Mix to help inspire excitement and imagination  in creative writing.  Minock shares his classroom experiences with the lesson and it sounds like a pretty enjoyable and tech-filled lesson! The Lightning Round... Lisa Nielsen covers 3 People & 3 Ideas for Using Twitter to Connect with StudentsGetting Smart lists the Top 125 Blogs on Blended LearningGetting Smart also has their weekly news roundup EdTech 10: We Heart SchoolKelley Walsh from Emerging Ed Tech is releasing his Flipped Classroom Workshop as a BookEdudemic has a new infographic on how to make infographics (infograph-ception?)And finally, Edudemic also has an infographic on the Myths and Realities of Online Learning And there you have it!  A weekend in review!  And if your year is just starting and you're looking for some new tech tools to try in the classroom, check out our post from last month on 8 Classroom Apps to Try This Fall.  Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow!

Welcome back!  And don't forgot, tomorrow night we'll have our weekly podcast!  Today we begin with a post from Carmel Deamicis on... Robot teachers!  The article, "When Your Teacher is a Robot" discusses the growing influence of computer-based learning in the classroom and the seemingly inevitable rise of robot teachers.  It's a great post and offers a lot to consider. Next up, Tom Vander Ark at Getting Smart has a new article on "EduClipper's Presentation Portfolios."  If you're not familiar with EduClipper, it's essentially the Pinterest of education.  It's a wonderful resource and you can read our review of the service here.  Vander Ark's post discusses the new Presentation Portfolios feature which will allow teachers and students to easily organize their clipboards into presentations. Free Tech for Teachers has five new posts to check out:How to Create Digital Portfolios on eduClipper (video)CNN Student News Explains Syrian ConflictResources for Teaching About 9/11How to Create a Padlet for your ClassroompH and pOH - A Crash Course in Chemistry Edudemic has a new article on "Why Teachers Should be Preparing for a Multi-Screen Classroom."  The post discusses how most people use a variety of screens/devices in their daily life and that the classroom (especially with BYOD policies becoming more and more popular) is heading that way as well, so teachers need to be ready. Educational Technology has four new posts from today:5 Crucial Google Drive Tips for TeachersImportant Updates in Google Drive up for iPad5 Ways to use the iPad in the Classroom4 New Google Forms Features Teachers Should Know About Emerging Ed Tech has a new post on "The Necessity of the Connected Text - Why Just Switching to E-reading Isn't Enough." The article discusses how the free app Subtext can be used as an e-reader that also links the text to outside resources like Google and Wikipedia.  It's a great app and for the full review, check out the post. Finally, EdReach has four new podcasts up from today:TheatreCast: Common Core PlaysiDig Video: Teaching Video in your ClassroomLadygeeks: Leveraging Google ScriptsEdAdmin: View YouTube Videos Faster The Lightning Round... Edudemic has a new interview on How Ed Tech is Being Used in China Right NowThey also have a Beginner's Guide to the iPad and iOS 7Getting Smart covers Powerful Apps to Empower Powerful WritingThey also discuss 5 Ways Twitter Can Help in EducationTeachThought shares 30 Innovative Ways to Use Google in Education And that's all for tonight's Roundup!  If you want to watch the Mid-Coast Tech Fest podcast live tomorrow night, tune in at 7:30 Central to my Google+ channel and (barring an unforeseen difficulties) we'll have the live feed going!  Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow!

Welcome back and happy Friday-eve!  If you missed our podcast last night, you can check it out here.  If you already watched it, thanks for tuning in!  Today we start with a new post from Adam Renfro atGetting Smart on "Going Hollywood in the Classroom."  In the post, Renfro discusses how the "Hollywood" Model (i.e. collaborative and project-based) can be implemented in the classroom and what the possible benefits would be.   Next up, Katie Lepi at Edudemic covers some"Must-Have Facebook Guidelines for Educators."  As the post mentions, there are tons of awesome ways to utilize Facebook in the classroom and if you are using the site (or are considering it) Lepi has some excellent guidelines that are worth thinking about before you virtually connect with your students. Free Tech for Teachers has three new posts to check out: How to Add RSS Feeds to your Blogger Blog Three Tools for Commenting on PDFs Resources for Teaching and Learning about Classical Music Marisa Kaplan at Edsurge (and the creator of EdGeeks) has a new post entitled, "A Teacher Walks Into a Demo Day." In the article, Kaplan reflects on her recent trip to the Kaplan, Inc. Demo Day where she got to check out tons of new ed tech tools that are on their way from Kaplan.  If you're interested in what's on the edtech horizon, check it out! Having been a pianist for the better part of the last 30 years, any post/tool that focuses on getting music instruction out to more people is a wonderful thing in my mind.  Emerging Ed Tech has a great post today on "Four Resources that can Enable Suzuki Method Instrument Instruction Online."  If that's up your alley, there are some great ideas! Educational Technology has five new resources up: Great Web Tools for Bloom's Digital Taxonomy Best Practices in Fair Use and Copyright 10 Good Ted Talks from Inspiring Teachers Top 5 Classroom Management Tools for Teachers Easily Convert Files Between Different File Types TheEd Tech Review has a new collection of "Tips for Teachers Who Wish to Use Twitter in Their Elementary Classrooms."  The post opens by discussing some of the benefits Twitter can offer in the Elementary classroom and goes on to offer some suggestions to keep things organized and safe for students. Finally, EdReach has four new podcasts to check out: Risk and Trust with Anastasis Academy The Reading Room: Building Reading Strategies Teacher Tech Talk Tidbit: Follow Your Passions ToolZeit: 3 Apps from Kids Discover The Lightning Round... Lisa Nielsen covers 5 Ideas Essential to #1to1 Tech Learning Success Getting Smart shares 25 Great YouTube Channels for Blended Learning Edudemic gives us 5 Cool STEM Activities Students Should Try this Year And finally, Edudemic has 6 Questions to Ask Before Doing BYOD And that's all we've got for today!  Thanks for reading!  We'll be back on Monday with the news from the weekend and, speaking of which, I hope everyone has a wonderful one! (what a poorly phrased sentence, eh?)  We'll end today with a new post from SigNix which asks Who Can You Trust in a Digital World? digital signatures

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had an excellent weekend and that your week is off to a great start!  Today we begin with Eric Patnoudes at Edudemic with a post entitled,"How Technology Changes Student-Teacher Interaction." In the article, Patnoudes discuses the changing role of the teacher in technology-rich classrooms. Next up, if you've spent any time over atGetting Smart before, you're probably familiar with Tom Vander Ark.  He's an absolutely impressive educator, author, and tech-enthusiast.  On October 1st, he will be hosting a webinar to "help administrators understand how to deploy blended learning in Special Education."  The event will be co-hosted by PresenceLearning (an online speech therapy service) and will no doubt be incredibly informative.  You can register here. Free Tech for Teachers has five new posts to check out: NASA Explains the Harvest Moon A Glossary of Poetry Terms for Students How Lasers Work - A Short Explanation Is Denali Shrinking?  A Mountain Math Lesson How to Find Google Earth Files without Opening G.E. Australian Education blog 2and2 and two posts from the past week or so.  First up, Leon Young writes about "Tablets for Education."  Young discusses the growing trend of using tablets in education as well as tablet deployment in Thailand, China and Japan.  The second post delves into the idea of using game-based learning for skills that, whether we like it or not, require some amount of repetition to be acquired. Young closes with some nice questions to consider. If you've been reading the Roundup for a while, you might be familiar with Educade.  I've talked about it a few times, and we have a review of the service as well.  Basically, it's an awesome site to find, share, and rate lessons for all subjects and grade levels.  The news today, is that Educade just partnered with Storybots, another excellent site that aims to bring tech-rich learning tools to pre-K and elementary students.  They're partnering up to bring even more great digital content to schools.  Both sites are worth checking out! Katrina Schwartz atMind/Shift has a thought-provoking new post about a new computer school in Paris entitled,"A School with No Teachers, Where Students Teach Themselves."  Around 4,000 applicants will live at the school for a month and be "challenged with computers problems for 15 hours a day."  Out of those 4,000 around 800 will earn a place in the school. Educational Technology has five new posts to check out: Guides on How to Use Google Services in Education Free Downloadable Cartoons for the Classroom Top Educational Infographics for Teachers Personalized Learning vs. Individualized Learning A Comic on the 12 Types of Procrastinators EdReach has four new podcasts up from today: EdGamer: It's PENGUEMIC! ToolZeit: iFlip Book - Vintage Movie Editor Techlandia: El Presidente Learning RedesignED: Maker Space w/ Vinnie Vrotny The Lightning Round... Teach Thought covers 25 Question Stems Framed Around Bloom's Taxonomy They also share 12 Tools for Making Classroom Posters from EdShelf iLearn Technology gives us 78 Resources for Digital Literacy Internet Safety Edudemic has 23 Sources for Free Educaitonal VIdeos Online Edudmic also has a new infographic on How Tech is Being Used in Special Ed And that's it for the Roundup!  Thanks for reading and we'll be back tomorrow.  In case you missed it over the weekend, we posted two new reviews.  The first was for LucidChart, an excellent (and free) mind mapping and graphic organizer tool for the web and iOS.  The second was for LearnBIG, a new web resource that helps you find great technology resources.  We'll end with a new infographic from Edudemic and HostGator onHow 3 Different Generations Use the Internet.  See you tomorrow! Courtesy of: Edudemic

Welcome back!  I hope everyone's week is off to a great start! Tomorrow, we'll have our weekly podcast, so there won't be a new Roundup.  You can tune in to my Google+ channel at 7:30 central to watch the cast live, or catch it on Thursday!  We begin today at Teach Thought with a new post on"How Automated Tutoring Can Transition to the Common Core."  The article discusses how tech and self-directed learning can help prepare students for CCSS assessments. Next up, the Ed Tech Review has a new article entitled, "Social Media and Language Learning: Why Classrooms Move Online."  The post focuses on how teachers can use online tools to begin moving components of their classroom to the web.  They cover Facebook and language learning communities and discuss the general benefits of offering material online.   Educational Technology has four new posts to check out: 100 Ed Apps for Elem Students (dedicated to Ammery) Chart on SAMR Model Applied to iPad Apps VIdeos to Teach Students about Creative Commons 5 Note Taking Tips for Students and Teachers Neil Goldman at Emerging Ed Tech has a new post on Rewordify entitled "This Free Website Provides an Alternative Pathway to Vocabulary Development."  You may have caught iLearn Technology's recent post on Rewordify, but if not, it's an excellent app and Goldman provides a great review of the service which helps students with complex English. If you're a fan of Class Tech Tips, the excellent edtech site run by Monica Burns, you'll be happy to hear she is now offering a class on Udemy.  The course, "Teach with Your iPad: Instruct, Assess & Manage Your Class with a Single iPad" is designed for teachers with an iPad that are looking to better utilize it within their classroom. EdReach has four new podcasts to check out: TheatreCast: Culture is What Unites Us EdAdmin Minute: Creating A More Productive Workspace EduVue: Expanding Networks for Educators of Today ToolZeit: Bedtime Math Updated Educational Resources, the makers of the "ready out-of-the-box tablet for education, LearnPad" have just announced a new student bundle.  For $340 you get their tablet, a Bluetooth keyboard and a case.  If you haven't checked out LearnPad, it's a great (and cheaper) alternative to iPads and other tablets in the classroom. Finally, the always excellent Annie Murphy Paul has a new post on Mind/Shift which asks "How Can We Make Homework Worthwhile?"  I know, it's not really edtech related, but it is an excellent post and something worth considering regardless of subject and grade level.  I'd definitely recommend taking the next 15 minutes to check it out. The Lightning Round... Getting Smart discusses 4 New Ways to Use a Google Docs Form with Students Getting Smart also shares4 Video Apps to Create a Parent/Classroom Connection Teach Thought covers the 4 Stages of Integration of Technology in Learning Edudemic gives us 12 Effective Ways to Use Google Drive in Education Edudemic also discusses 4 Ways to Make Digital Portfolios with Students And that's a Roundup!  Thanks for reading!  We'll be back tomorrow night with the podcast and the regular Roundup will return on Thursday.  We'll end today with a bit of a downer, but incredibly important information nonetheless, on the current state of teachers in higher education.  From Online-PhD-Programs comes a new infographic on the plight of adjunct professors. Source: Online-PhD-Programs.org

Welcome back!  And of course, happy Friday-eve!  Except for those readers in Korea, the Philippines, etc. in which case, Happy Friday morning!  In case you missed our podcast last night, you can check it out here.  We covered digital yearbooks, programming with Scratch, and a whole lot more! Today's Roundup begins at EdTech Magazine with a new post from Ricky Ribeiro entitled "Collaboration Can Transform Education. We Just Need to Commit To it."  It's a great post about getting teachers connected and sharing ideas! Free Tech for Teachers has 5 new posts to check out: Geeky Measurements and Math in Google Maps How to Install and Uninstall Chrome Extensions Four Helpful Web Search Strategy Tutorials LitMap - Find Books by Location WikiTube Adds Videos to Wikipedia Entries Edudemic has a nice post over "A Refreshingly Simple Guide to Twitter for Teachers."  The post features an infographic (which was also featured in our recent post/tutorial on Twitter for new teachers) and discusses some of the benefits of Twitter for Teachers.  If you're a teacher, and haven't joined Twitter, I highly encourage considering the possibility. Educational Technology has 5 new posts to check out: 9 Book Creator Tools for Teachers & Students A Guide for Effective Use of iPads in Teaching Social Bookmarking Explained for Teachers Why You Should Create Your Own PLN 4 Types of Naps you Shoud Know About Alison Anderson at Getting Smart (and the co-host of the wonderful Techlandia podcast) has a new review on "Pathbrite: Provide E-Portfolios for All Learners."  In th post, Anderson discusses the benefits of using digital portfolios for assessment in the modern classroom.  She also covers how the web-app Pathbrite can help K-12 students build and curate digital portfolios throughout their elementary and secondary school years. We've talked a lot about EduClipper here at the Roundup (The "Pinterest" of education) and it's an absolutely wonderful web-app (here's our recent review of the service).  On that note, Lisa Nielsen has a new article on how to "Increase Teacher Effectiveness with eduClipper."  Nielsen posts an excellent breakdown of specific standards and components that EduClipper can help teachers address. EdReach has 4 new podcasts to give a listen to: The Two Guys Show: Augmented Reality 101 ToolZeit - TLDR Reader EdAdmin Minute: Tech for Rote Skills...YUCK Flipped Learning: Improv in the Classroom Finally, we've mentioned Educational Resources and LearnPad a few times on the Roundup (the cost-effective tablet-alternative) and if you're using LearnPad in your school, you'll be happy to hear they've got some great upcoming professional development opportunities! The Lightning Round... Emerging Ed Tech discusses their favorite Educational Technology Books iLearn Technology has new Free Twitter Posters for the Classroom Getting Smart shares a new infographic on Adventures in Online Learning Edudemic covers 11 Cutting-Edge Free Online Course Worth Taking this Fall Edutopia discusses 10 Tips for Creating Compelling Video Content Mind/Shift gives us 10 Essential Tips for Meeting Tech Needs of Low-Income Schools Finally, Teach Thought has20 Important Questions Parents Should Ask Teachers In closing, if you're a big fan of creation/invention/DIY projects, for one day only you can get a free digital copy of Sylvia Libow Martinez's awesome book Invent to Learn.  Just click this link to find out more!  We'll end with a new infographic from Edudemic andCommon Sense Media on Why Teachers Should Use Education Technology.  Thanks for reading and we'll be back on Monday!  Have a wonderful weekend! Courtesy of: Edudemic