Archives: Resources

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

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

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

Unreal Engine 4 is a complete suite of game development and animation tools originally made by game developers, for game developers.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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Smarter Balanced is a consortium of 15 states, one territory, and the Bureau of Indian Education working together to determine how the Smarter Balanced assessment system is developed … learn more

From 1993 to 2003, the Balanced Assessment in Mathematics Program existed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The project group developed a large collection of innovative mathematics … learn more

Take a look at sample assessment questions from Smarter Balanced.

Assessment is an aspect of the rigorous formative assessment cycle that requires precision to be effective. The items, which make up an assessment, are the foundation upon which … learn more

This blog post from the Northwest Evaluation Association looks at easy-to-implement ideas for measuring student learning. One idea: Keep the Question Going. The teacher asks one student a … learn more

The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan organization that oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as The Nation’s Report Card. You will find … learn more

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, first administered in 1969, is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in … learn more

What is student-centered student self-assessment? No, it’s not the students grading their own tests and giving everyone A’s. What does it look like in the classroom? Do students … learn more

Standardized testing. Formative assessment. Competency-based learning. Report cards. Explore EdWeek’s full coverage of student testing

Louise Yarnall of SRI International answers the question of why assessment is important in education. Assessment is more than just recalling facts and dates, but ensuring the ability … learn more

Assessment involves the use of empirical data on student learning to refine programs and improve student learning. This article from Westminster College looks at the different definitions of … learn more

The Educational Testing Service site is dedicated primarily to their standardized tests; under teaching and learning is a list of current performance assessment studies and measures.

University of Delaware researcher studied teachers’ use of on-line essay scoring software in the classroom with third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. Results were mixed, with higher engagement from some … learn more

NCEO offers resources for administrators, educators, parents, and others concerned with the educational outcomes of all students: An extensive publications list that includes technical reports, state activity updates, … learn more

Connecting educators to what works. Includes many topics: Teachers Essentials, New Teacher, Technology in the classroom, and Professional Development. Education World is a complete online resource that teachers, … learn more

Having written safety instructions for all your Maker gear is important. It’s especially important for a laser cutter. While safe in normal use, you are dealing with lasers, … learn more

Joel Hall goes thru the steps needed to convert a 3D file (STL or OBJ) using Slicer for Fusion 360. When done, you have a set of 2D … learn more

Laser Cutters are great tools that can be used to create simple boxs, sengrave detailed graphics into wood, or build complex three-dimensional objects. This beginners guide explains the … learn more

While it looks a little intimidating, Repetier-Host takes you thru the process of slicing and printing your .stl file 3D creations step-by-step. More importantly, it gives you a … learn more

ideaMaker is another slicer program that’s maintained by a printer manufacturer (in this case Raise3D), but is totally free to download and use with any printer. This is … learn more

This video goes thru the steps needed to download and install Cura on your computer and how to set up your printer profile. While the latest versions of … learn more

Cura is probably the most popular slicer program in use. It will create g-code files and can even be used to control your 3D printer directly. While maintained … learn more

This video gives you a quick look at the steps needed to take an .slt file (downloaded in this case) and turn it into a printed object using … learn more

BlocksCAD looks like a cross between the Scratch programming language and SCAD. You can use it “stand alone” to teach programming and math skills. Or combine it with … learn more

Our webmaster created this K12IRC paper clip / bookmark to be given out at education conferences. It’s a good introduction to what you can do using OpenSCAD. In … learn more