Archives: Resources

A review of other web sites providing on-line document editing and collaboration.

A short video that provides some very basic instruction for editing wikis. Not all wiki web sites work exactly like this, but you can see how easy it … learn more

Addresses the What?, Why?, and How? of collaborative writing in the classroom.

TechLEARNING publishes articles about technology.

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) indexes a wide range of resources, covering topics like Safe Schools, Key Work of School Boards, Legal Clips, and Reports & Guides. … learn more

Use Smore to publish newsletters with multimedia.

One of the easiest ways to get started publishing on the Internet is to start a Blog. You can use it to communicate with students, share your thoughts … learn more

Nothing is more frustrating than getting Minecraft installed and running, and then realizing that you have no idea how to move. (Use the W key and space bar.) … learn more

This tutorial can give you an idea of what Minecraft is all about. It’s as much an environment as a game, one where one can learn and have … learn more

A quick overview of how Minecraft can be used in the classroom, and an invitation for teachers to join the conversation. Minecraft can be a stepping stone to … learn more

Code.org’s 2015 third annual Hour of Code includes this Minecraft module in partnership with Microsoft. It’s part of their worldwide campaign that tries to demystify code by teaching … learn more

Parents and teachers ask: “Are the kids obsessed with Minecraft? Need to learn how to install mods? Looking for party ideas? Don’t have a clue what a spider … learn more

This site outlines some of the ways Minecraft is being used in schools. It has been used in everything from science and literature to architecture and interactive stories. … learn more

This 1 minute video will give you a good idea of what your students are doing with Minecraft, sometimes described as the world’s biggest sandbox.

In February, 2002, we went to Stanford University’s School of Education and interviewed Margaret Krebs, Jennifer Wolf, and Charla Rolland about how they use the K-12 Instruction Resource … learn more

Vimeo is another contender for hosting videos. While not as well known as YouTube, it has the advantage of being pretty much ad free and provides better video … learn more

Making captivating videos has never been this easy. Movie Studio brings together efficient cutting tools, extensive optimization options and up to 1,500 effects and titles in a single, … learn more

Sharing your videos is easy now with sites like YouTube, which supports online digital video editing. This link can get you started quickly. While the ads can be … learn more

Kdenlive is a free and full featured open source video editor that’s gaining a lot of traction. Free and easy to use, Kdenlive is serious video editing software … learn more

Scan Tips is Wayne Fulton’s attempt to clarify some mysteries about the basics of flash and digital photography. A little of it is Nikon specific, however almost all … learn more

EdSurge has a podcast showcasing two excellent examples of student podcast work. First, three 5th graders from the Park School in Brookline, MA share with us an immigrant’s … learn more

PG Music offers reasonably priced sound software, including Power Tracks Pro (sound editing) and Band-in-A-Box (music creation).

For something completely different, check out Tetsuji Katsuda’s free Automated Composing System. You can make your own original music — select the Internet Application link. All you have … learn more

Another recommended program, a little pricey, is Adobe Audition. Includes everything you need for professional sounding results. Not only can you record and edit sound, you can create … learn more

Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds, available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. Our webmaster has used it … learn more

Their premise is that anyone with a little ambition and elbow grease can make a terrific podcast. Though creating a regular talk show is hard work, it’s also … learn more

HyperStudio allows you to create storybook-like animation or “card stacks” that can import images from podcasts, webcams, and more. Hyperstudio is the chief tool for young multimedia makers … learn more

RenderMan is the software that brought you everything from Toy Story to Finding Nemo and Cars. RenderMan is now free for all non-commercial purposes, including education and personal … learn more

Unreal Engine 4 is a complete suite of game development and animation tools originally made by game developers, for game developers. The people started discovering that it can … learn more

A very robust yet inexpensive tool for 3D animation is Animation Master from Hash. While not free, it is easy to use for budding animators and can be … learn more

In addition to making Alien Song (“I Will Survive”), Victor has a great web blog where he talks about the animated movies he’s worked on, tutorials, and more.

When creating content for your web site, training video or classroom presentation, it would be nice to be able to capture what’s on your computer screen as you … learn more

Randy Krum highlights the best examples of complex data displayed in visual format – infographics – found in magazines, newspapers and on the Internet. This site can be … learn more

Adam Pesapane (aka PES) is an American director and stop motion animator who uses man-made objects to portray sea creatures in “The Deep”. As part of Showtime Network’s … learn more

Stop frame animation — think Chicken Run or the old Gumby cartoons — can easily be done with programs like Clay Animator (free!). Includes information and videos as … learn more

Here is an example of how the Alice programming language can be used to create animations. While there really isn’t much of a plot, you can see how … learn more

Here are some examples of what you can do with Pencil2D. The wide variety of animation styles it supports is amazing.

Pencil2D Animation is a free, open source, cross platform program that can be used to create traditional 2D animations in a wide variety of styles. Supports both bitmap … learn more

A collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy, Pixar In A Box looks at how animated moves are made, and in the process helps students answer an … learn more

Ubuntu Studio is a version of Ubuntu Linux combined with a suite of the best open-source applications available for multimedia creation — audio, video and graphics — in … learn more

In this entertaining video, Phillip Kerman illustrates the cheap and easy way to produce video content. A good starting point for any school video project.

Another workaround when dealing with firewalls is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like TunnelBear. A VPN takes your Internet traffic, encrypts it and sends it past the firewall … learn more

One of the easiest options for avoiding ads – and gaining the ability to “save” videos for playback later – is a subscription to YouTube Premium. While not … learn more

This post from TechRadar is another good source of information on downloading YouTube Videos. It includes step-by-step instructions for: 4K Video Downloader on PCs, TubeMate on Android phones … learn more

This post from PC Magazine is a great place to start and stay current with the various YouTube video download options. They update this post frequently as the … learn more

If you use Apple’s Safari web browser, here’s the instructions for finding and installing extensions like AdBlock Plus.

This Firefox add-on allows you to fine tune how YouTube videos are displayed and played, with options to always (or never) use HD (High Definition), turn off annotations, … learn more

To Google Translate is a fast and handy tool, making Google Translate easily accessible for everyday use. Select a word or text in your browser, right-click and select … learn more

Want to know how secure your password is? Type it in here. All testing is done within your browser; your passwords remain secure. For a master password, you’ll … learn more

Arthur Dominguez shows that it’s not as tough as most people think to create and manage those unique passwords for every service online. And with Bitwarden, you can … learn more

Bitwarden is a free to use, open source password manager. Unlike most password managers, Bitwarden’s free version includes syncing your passwords between all your devices (Windows, Linux, iPhone … learn more

This video from Violet Blue and Engadget explains why you need a password manager, how to set one up, and best practices. Two notes on the video: While … learn more

Adblock Plus blocks most/all of the ads when you view web pages and YouTube videos. This is especially good in a class setting where there are already plenty … learn more

SkyBot was a small, 3D printed drone kit designed to walk students, or even interested adults, through the concepts of basic drone and robotics construction. Their goal was … learn more

Drones that weigh less than 0.55 lbs. (250 g) including batteries do not need to be registered. Most toy and hand held drones fall in this category. Drones … learn more

About two dozen middle school students from around Kern County attended a very special STEM Camp, hosted by Bakersfield College. With potential college and careers in mind, students … learn more

The Drones for Schools program resembles a nesting doll for concepts in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A drone is a complex machine, and once you peek inside, … learn more

This hour long presentation talks about using drones to build interest in STEM in middle school students. Includes both presentations and workshop sessions.

OK, you are probably much better off buying rather than building your first drone. This pages shows you the steps needed to create a drone, from different frames … learn more

Since 2004, volunteers have mentored the G3 Grady High School Robotics Team in Atlanta, GA, introducing students to technology careers and providing a glimpse into the engineering profession.

The Federal Aviation Administration at the beginning of 2021 released its Remote ID ruling for drones, which will require drones to broadcast their location as they fly. While … learn more

In the United States, anything that flies is under the jurisdiction of the FAA. This section of the FAA’s web site explains the rules and how to get … learn more

Here’s an archived list of how drones can be integrated into education, in areas from art to assembling tensile structures or bridges to ethics. As drones are versatile … learn more

Heather Wolpert-Gawron, a middle school teacher and curriculum coordinator, answers the question, “so what can you do with it?”. And notes that maybe we’re not “there” quite yet.

Wikipedia has more information on the history of Open Office.org.

100’s of templates & extensions are available for LibreOffice. You can find similar sites with Google.

The official site for LibreOffice. You can get up-to-date information and download the latest version of LibreOffice here. This is the suite our webmaster uses and recommends.

The official site for Apache OpenOffice. You can get up-to-date information and download the latest version of Apache OpenOffice here.

Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice are two branches of the same original software project. Each has some advantages and disadvantages. Both are user friendly and powerful office suites, completely … learn more

Chris does an in depth comparison of LibreOffice vs. Microsoft Office, looking especially at the word processing and spreadsheet applications and the ability to switch back and forth … learn more

K-12 Dive provides in-depth journalism and insight into the most impactful news and trends shaping K-12 education. The newsletters and website cover topics such as leadership, school models, … learn more

These 6 funny, animated gifs may not help your next proposal, but they do bring home the reasons to look at backup options.

Jungle Disk is primarily for computer backup, but does allow some file sharing. Designed to easily and automatically backup your computers and share files between computers. All files … learn more

One of the most popular file sharing sites out there. While not a substitute for regular comprehensive backups, DropBox does provide a convenient way to back up and … learn more

You can use this page as an introduction to Astrophotography. It details experiences and ideas to help you capture your own star images, including maybe the Milky Way. … learn more

While today’s smart phones do not have the capabilities of a high-end SLR camera, the gap is narrowing every year. Schools like Stanford University are now offering classes … learn more

So, you might not be able to duplicate this rig at your high school, but you can use this as a springboard to explore what sort of interesting … learn more

In addition to portraits and landscapes, there is the whole area of product shots for advertising and eCommerce. This resource shows simple setups your students can use to … learn more

This post shows you how you can build a light, simple Pan Head for an camera using a kitchen timer for around 10 bucks and 15 minutes of … learn more

Mary Swanson posted this photo montage of images from Jefferson High School. Take your student’s photos and assemble them into a video they can share with parents & … learn more

This page looks at a machine learning algorithm developed at Yahoo Labs that distinguishes beautiful portraits from the not-so perfect. The results… The single most important factor is … learn more

What better place for photography ideas than Pinterest. Elizabeth Osborne has compiled over 250 photography ideas for High School students. Elizabeth teaches high school art, photography and 2D … learn more

Photographer Lorenz Holder demonstrates some easy & creative smartphone photography tips & tricks. New ways to look at panoramas, “free” zoom and macro lenses, easy tripod & shutter … learn more

A good alternative to Photoshop is Corel’s PaintShop Pro. While not the gold standard, it provides many of the same features and can be easier for schools to … learn more

Explore the endless possibilities of digital imaging with solutions tailored for your unique needs. Whether you’re a digital imaging novice, enthusiast, or professional, work with software that lets … learn more

Pixlr, among other things, has simple and advanced photo editors you can use right on your web browser. They also make cell phone apps and desktop versions available … learn more

This video takes a quick look at the pros and cons of both Photoshop and GIMP. And good news! GIMP version 2.8, mentioned in the video, is now … learn more

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free, cross-platform image editor available for Linux, OS X, Windows, and more. GIMP can be used by graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, … learn more

Paint.NET is a free(!) image and photo editing program for Windows PCs. While not as “feature rich” as PhotoShop, it does a great job and loads faster than … learn more

There are a number of hybrid sites like FreeImages.com that provide both free and for-purchase photos. With over 300,000 free photos, sites like this can provide interesting images … learn more

The Graphics Fairy has over 4,500 free vintage stock images, illustrations, old pictures, antique graphics, and vintage printables. DIY and craft tutorials are offered as well. All images … learn more

Unsplash has over 2 million free high-resolution images “brought to you by the world’s most generous community of photographers”. Covers a wide variety of subjects with high quality … learn more

Check out a repository of digital images from the collections of the National Gallery of Art. More than 45,000 open-access digital images spanning over 700 years of art … learn more

Flubaroo is a free add on for Google Forms (part of Google Docs). In Google Forms, create a test with multiple choice answers then take the test yourself, … learn more

Engage every learner, anywhere with the most comprehensive solution for video recording and streaming, video content management, audience engagement, content creation, and assessments.