Add Custom Covers to Podcasts You Make on Anchor

Anchor has become my favorite tool for creating podcasts. In a matter of minutes you can have your first podcast episode recorded, edited, and published (watch this video to see how). You can do that on your laptop, on your phone (Android or iOS), or on your iPad.

All summer long Anchor rolled-out new features. And now that fall is here (in the northern hemisphere) another new feature has been added. That new feature is found in the form of cover art. Now when you create a podcast on Anchor you can add cover art before you publish it. You can add cover art by uploading your own images or by using free images from Unsplash. Unsplash image search is available without leaving the Anchor platform.


Applications for Education
This isn't a huge update to Anchor, but it is one that students who are already making podcasts on Anchor will probably appreciate as they can now add a bit more of their personal styles to their podcasts.

Wakelet Has a New Sections Option

Wakelet is a free bookmarking and note-sharing service that I first tried back in April when I started to look for new alternatives to Padlet. On Wakelet you can create collections of notes that can include text, videos, links, and pictures. The options for adding pictures are linking to an online image, uploading an image, or using Wakelet's Unsplash integration.

This week Wakelet added a new feature that you can use within your collections of notes, links, videos, and pictures. That new feature is the option to create sections within a collection. Creating sections will let you bring more organization to your Wakelet account without having to create completely new collections. Watch this video to learn how to start using sections within Wakelet collections.


Applications for Education
One of the ways that I envision teachers using Wakelet is to create a collection of sites and videos about U.S. History. Then within that collection make sections that correspond to eras in U.S. History. That way students could go to a collection then quickly jump to a section of resources that corresponds to the era in U.S. History that they're studying.

Virtual Dice and Random Number Generators

On Wednesday morning I was looking for an online tool that would roll virtual dice for a game that I had designed for a faculty meeting. That quick search brought me to Random.org. On Random.org I found virtual dice to roll.

Random.org has many other virtual game tools in addition to the virtual dice. On the site you'll find a random number generator that you can use on the Random.org site or on your own site. Simply copy and paste an embed code from Random.org their number generator on your own site as I have done below. 

Applications for Education
The next time you need to draw numbers for a PTA raffle or you need to assign numbers to students, give Random.org a try.