Free Alternative to GooseChase

This morning I received the following email from a reader who wants to create a digital scavenger hunt for an upcoming conference.

"GooseChase has the features that I want but would cost $200. That is a tough sell for a game no matter how great I think it would be. This activity is not only a way to encourage teachers to make connections, it has clear application to the classroom. But, like I said, $200.... Do you have another idea?"

My response was to take a look at what Metaverse can do. I've often described Metaverse as a DIY platform for making educational versions of games like Pokemon Go. Through the Metaverse Studio anyone can program an augmented reality app without having any prior coding or programming knowledge. You can create scavenger hunts that are based on locations. You can also create augmented reality games that are location-independent.


You can even use Metaverse to create digital breakout games.

Three Ways to Digitize Your Physical Sticky Notes

Last week Padlet added a new feature to their free iPad and iPhone apps. That feature is the ability to snap a picture of a set of physical sticky notes then have those notes appear on a Padlet wall that you can manipulate in the app and or in your web browser. If you haven't tried it yet take a look at Kathi Kersznowski's demo video. (By the way, Padlet says the Android version of this will be available in a month).

It works! pic.twitter.com/Kz46Ygk8ze

— Kathi Kersznowski (@kerszi) June 8, 2018

Padlet isn't the first to offer this kind of sticky note digitization capability. Post-it has offered it in their free iOS app for the last four years. The Post-it Plus app lets you snap a picture of a set of Post-it (or other sticky notes) and then manipulate those notes in the app.


While not designed specifically for digitizing sticky notes, Microsoft's Office Lens apps will convert notes written on paper into digital notes that you can edit. You can use the digitized notes in OneNote, Word, and PowerPoint. Get the Android version here and the get the iOS version here.

Ten Types of Notes You Can Add to Padlet Walls

As I wrote yesterday, this week Padlet added a new feature to their iPad and iPhone app. The new feature is called Catscan. Catscan lets you scan a set of physical sticky notes and have those notes digitized and displayed on a Padlet wall. Catscan is one of many ways that you can add notes to a Padlet wall. In all there are now at least ten types of notes that you can add to a Padlet wall. Nine of them are featured in the following video. The tenth is the new Catscan option.


Ten types of notes that can be added to Padlet.

• Text
• Hyperlinks
• File upload
• Video recorded with webcam/ mobile phone camera.
• Audio recorded directly on Padlet.
• Scribble/ free hand drawing on Padlet.
• Pictures taken with webcam/ mobile phone camera.
• Google Search to add image, video, GIF, or link. 
• Google Map.
• Digitized version of physical sticky note (Catscan mode).

Bonus Items:

If you enable these options, you can comment and or vote on the notes added to a Padlet wall. 

How to Automatically Forward Your G Suite Email to a Personal Gmail Address

This is the time of year that I always get a bunch of questions from folks who leaving a school and want to take some emails with them from their old accounts. That can be done by just forwarding those messages from your old account to your personal account. But if you're not leaving your district and you just want to make it so you only have to check one account during the summer, you'll want to use the method that I demonstrate in the following video.

Cheese, Teams, and Games - The Week in Review

Good morning from Maine. By the time that most of you read this I will be fly fishing on my favorite lake in Maine, Kennebago. After a busy and stressful week I need a break. That means fishing and not going online until the weekend is over. And if you follow on my Twitter and are wondering how I'm posting through the weekend, I use Hootsuite's scheduling too. See you all on Monday.

These were the week's most popular posts:
1. Quizalize Introduces New Differentiation Tools
2. Turning Milk Into Cheese - A Science Lesson
3. Changes Coming to the Google Sign-in Screen
4. Three Free iPad Apps for Creating Animated Movies
5. Five Things You and Your Students Can Make With Canva
6. Microsoft Adds New OneNote and Teams Features for Teachers and Students
7. Purpose Games - Create and Play Educational Games

Bring Me to Your School

I have three openings left in my summer schedule for on-site professional development workshops. I can provide professional development workshops on G Suite for Education, Teaching History With Technology, and many other topics. Click here to learn more or send an email to richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com to book me today.

Book Me for Your Conference

I’ve given keynotes at conferences from Australia to Alaska for groups of all sizes from 50 to 2,000+. My keynotes focus on providing teachers and school administrators with practical ways to use technology to create better learning experiences for all students. I like to shine the light on others and so I often share examples of great work done by others as well as my own. Send an email to richardbyrne (at) freetech4teachers.com book me today.

Please visit the official advertisers that help keep this blog going.

Practical Ed Tech is the brand through which I offer PD webinars.

Storyboard That is my go-to tool for creating storyboards.

MySimpleShow offers a great way to create animated videos for free.

University of Maryland Baltimore County offers a great program on instructional design.

PrepFactory offers a great place for students to prepare for SAT and ACT tests.

Boise State University offers a 100% online program in educational technology.