60 Videos of Practical Ed Tech Tips

Last fall I started to put together a playlist of how-to videos that I have created. I called the playlist Practical Ed Tech Tips. In the videos I provide demonstrations of how to use some of my favorite educational technology tools and services. There are now 60 videos in the playlist and I plan to continue to add to the playlist. In the playlist you will find videos on things like creating custom columns on Padlet, finding Creative Commons images within Edmodo, and creating flipped video lessons. The entire playlist is embedded below.


I also have a playlist of Google Tutorials that I have created over the years. That playlist is embedded below.

PrepFactory - Free Online SAT and ACT Practice Exercises

PrepFactory is a relatively new service that offers online SAT and ACT practice exercises. To get started on PrepFactory students choose the test that they are preparing to take (they can change their choices at any time) then take a short guided tour of the service. After taking the tour students complete a ten question quiz intended to give them a sense of what they need to work on. Upon completion of their first quiz students can choose to review their answers with the help of PrepFactory, take another quiz, or watch a video about test-taking skills.

Applications for Education
I am not an advocate for standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, but I realize that they are still tests that many students have to take. PrepFactory could be a good service to help students prepare for the ACT or SAT.

Students can log into PrepFactory by using a Google account or a Facebook account.

How to Share Articles from Feedly on Your Android Device

Feedly is my preferred service for keeping up with my favorite blogs and websites. I alternate between checking Feedly on my laptop and checking it on my Android phone. Late last year I published videos about creating a Feedly account and using Feedly in your web browser. Over the weekend I received an email from a reader who wanted to see how I share links from Feedly on my Android phone. The screenshots below demonstrate that process.

Step 1: When I find an article that I want to share I tap the three little dots in the upper, right corner to open the first sharing menu. If you try to share from Evernote from this menu Feedly will prompt you to subscribe to Feedly Pro. If you open the "Android" option from this menu you will open more sharing options, including sharing to Evernote, that don't require a subscription.

Step 2: Select the service that want to share to. This is where I select Evernote to save links without having to buy the Feedly Pro service.

WordWriter Offers Vocabulary Lessons Focused on Innovators and Inventions

Disclosure: BoomWriter is an advertiser on FreeTech4Teachers.com.

Every month BoomWriter features a new vocabulary lesson plan that you can conduct through their free WordWriter service. This month's lesson plan is all about innovators and inventions. The Innovators and Inventions lesson plan can be used in grades four through twelve.

The new Innovators and Inventions lesson plan includes a pre-made list of words for your students to use in the writing assignment that you distribute to them through BoomWriter's WordWriter service. Some of the vocabulary included in this lesson include the names of innovators like Thomas Edison and Tesla along with words like pasteurization and telegraph. Each step of the process is outline in the lesson plan. The lesson plan document also includes the Common Core standards addressed in the writing activity.

If you haven't tried BoomWriter or WordWriter before, check out my demonstration videos embedded below. The first video shows just the perspective of the teacher. The second video shows the perspective of a student receiving an assignment.