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Our Top 20 Ed Tech Blogs of 2020 2020 is about to come to an end – and I think everyone can be a little thankful for that! This year has been hard. And for the most part, I think we all can agree we would like the year to be scrubbed from our memory. Our 2020 Google Resource Roundup Every year, I gather all the fabulous Google resources from our blog. This year, we have had so many amazing posts on topics ranging from Google Meet to Google Classroom. Check out this incredible list of Google blog posts from this past year categorized by topic/tool. Accessibility

6 Free Resources for Virtual Field Trips How can you take students around the world without moving very far? If you haven’t yet, it’s worth trying virtual field trips and excursions. Now more than ever, these resources allow students to experience spaces they might not otherwise get to see, and there are many ways to introduce them to students as they explore a topic. Virtual field trips can help students explore a new space, build vocabulary and background knowledge, and expand their world view. Whether you want to explore the setting of a novel, introduce a place-based math problem, or make connections to current events, virtual field trips can expand upon traditional lessons in many ways. One of the reasons I love them so much is that they allow students to view a space that piques their curiosity and provides context for their learning.

Redefining annotation: Ditch That PDF and hyper-annotate [callout]Today’s post was written by Joe Marquez, a tech coach from Clovis, California. Find Joe on Twitter at @JoeMarquez70 or on SonsOfTechnology.com. [/callout] Learning how to read and annotate text is an important skill all our students need to truly understand stories, articles, and *GULP* textbooks.

12 ways to use Google Cardboard in your class Virtual reality used to be the thing of science fiction books and movies. Now, it’s inexpensive, works with the technology we carry in our pockets, and can transform us to real and imaginary places. I remember watching Marty McFly sit at his table in “Back to the Future Part 2”, watching TV with virtual reality goggles. Among many future predictions in that movie, I thought, “How cool would that be?” It’s here. And we can use it to bring spectacular experiences to our students.

25 FREE Google Drawings graphic organizers — and how to make your own Sometimes, we just need some help organizing our thoughts — students AND educators. Paper versions of graphic organizers can do a nice job of that. But by making them digital in Google Apps, they instantly become customizable. #EduDuctTape Podcast Ep 46 with Scott Nunes – Jake Miller Scott Nunes, Building Rapport with EdTech, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, Flipgrid, Microsoft Presenter Coach, EduProtocols, Gimkit Kitroduce Yourself, and more! #EduDuctTape S03-E046 Episode Notes Available at: jakemiller.net/eduducttape-episode-46 Support for Today’s Episode comes from Pear Deck – peardeck.com/learn-pear-deckSoapBox Moment: “Who’s Keeping Score?”Today’s Guest: Scott Nunes Scott is an ELA Teacher turned Edtech Coach, with a focus on PBL & amplifying student and teacher voices. Scott is an MIE Expert & hopes to become a Google Innovator soon.

Google's buried treasure: 18 hidden tricks and tools Google is a behemoth. With all of its tools and apps and programs and initiatives, there’s no way to keep tabs on everything. As such, it’s easy for newer Google tools — and even some that have been around for a while — to slip through the cracks. The problem with that: there are some really powerful, really unique offerings in the Googleverse that aren’t getting as much use by teachers. Let’s work on that today! Free photos, icons, magic and more with Google Slides add-ons Imagine, for a second, that Google Slides is a Shop Vac. (You know, one of those short, wide wet/dry vacuum cleaners with a hose.) Go with me on this … You can use that vacuum cleaner to do a lot with just a hose. Cheerios and Cheetos all over your minivan?

Smore Newsletters for Education Choice Boards are the ultimate tool for differentiating learning in the classroom! Students are given a variety of activities to choose from in order to demonstrate understanding of a topic or unit of study. By giving students choices, teachers will typically find that students are more engaged and will produce higher-quality products. Choice Boards are not new to the education world. Many of us used some sort of Choice Boards in paper format, but with all of the technology tools currently available in the classroom, why not move from the paper format to the digital format? What do Choice Boards look like?