Welcome back!  As you may have seen, today was the annual EdmodoCon, a professional development conference that Edmodo puts on every year.  In case you missed, they'll have a rebroadcast before too long (more details to come) On that note, Free Tech for Teachers has a new post covering the recent addition of Educlipper (the pinterest for education) to the Edmodo family.  If you're not familiar with Edmodo, it's a great site for connecting teachers, students and parents.  You can find out more on their site. Organizing field trips can be challenging, time-consuming, and downright annoying.  But, they can also be an incredibly rewarding learning experience.  Unfortunately, there are tons of schools in the world that lack the resources to experience field trips.  That's where Edudemic's new post on "10 Digital Field Trips for the Modern Classroom" comes in to play. Technology has made it possible for students to take virtual field trips, and this list covers some of the best options. Another day, another new feature from Google!  Today, Educational Technology has a post on the new "In-Depth Articles Feature" from Google.  The goal of the search is to "provide searchers with richer and more challenging content than just the quick answers usually displayed."  The search will happen automatically, depending on the topic you're looking for, and you can read more in this PC world post. Rob Waldron at Getting Smart has a great new list of the "Top Ten Ways to Save Money on Ed Tech."  As the article points out, tech is changing at an ever-increasing rate and it can be incredibly difficult for schools to keep up financially (and professionally).  In the post, Waldron outlines ten excellent steps that schools can follow to help manage their technology purchases and budgets. And, for you math educators out there, Getting Smart also has a post on a new Math Education Blog from the MIND Research Institute.  Their new blog will "feature discussions on a variety of topics from common core to blended learning."   Josh Corbat at Teach Thought has a great post about how we can "Make The Most of Limited Access to Learning Technology."  More and more, teachers are expected to integrate technology into their curriculum and yet the resources we are provided are often incredibly limited.  Corbat's post addresses this issues and offers some suggestions on how to succeed with limited access. Ed Reach has three new podcasts up from today: The Ghosts of Summer Past, Present and Future WeVideo: Collaborativie Video Creation Back to School with Ed Tech Tips & Tricks Katrina Stevens at  Ed Surge has a new reflection posted which covers the2013 Education Technology Innovation Summit that happened a few weeks ago in NYC.  The post, "When Teahcers Unlock the Dungeon" discusses the role teachers play in ed tech creation, the development of new ed tech startups, and plenty more ed tech goodness. Mind/Shift has two excellent posts up from today.  The first, by Annie Murphy Paul, is a repost of her article on using student data to predict student outcomes (from yesterday's Roundup). The second post, by Katrina Schwartz, asks, "Does Blended Learning Boost Algebra Scores?" The article discusses a recent report from the RAND Corporation which "tries to provide an objective overview of blended learning." The Lightning Round... Educational Technology covers the 17 Best iPad Digital Storytelling Apps They also have a new infographic on the 10 Reasons Why Teahcers Use Twitter as a PD Tool The Ed Tech Review discusses 15 Ways Teachers and Collaborate with Students on Facebook Teach Thought has 464 Digital Learning Tools to Sift Through on a Rainy Day (or 10 rainy days...) Edudemic has a new infographic on 17 Tech Terms Connected Educators Must Know And Lisa Nielsen has an upcoming podcast on iLiteracy: Distinguishing Face from Fiction Online And that's all for the Roundup today!  We'll end with an infographic from Adobe and Edudemic on How to Promote Creativity in the Classroom.  Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! Courtesy of: Edudemic

Alas!  Due to technical difficulties and an annoyingly unstable internet connection here in Colombia, the Roundup will be taking the day off.  But, we'll be back on Saturday or Sunday with the weekend edition! (fingers crossed...)

Image courtesy of Pixabay Over the past week I’ve been thinking a lot about digital footprints.  As a middle school computer teacher, a big part of my job is teaching students about digital citizenship and their online presence.  For those unfamiliar with the concept, think of a digital footprint as the trail you leave behind online.  Comments, posts, tweets, emails, and digital actions of all sorts make up your digital footprint. When teaching students about their digital footprint, the majority of advice on education websites focuses on recognizing and minimizing a student’s print.  The less of a mark you leave online, the safer you are from online predators, the better it looks for future employers who are searching for information on you, and your private data has a better chance of staying private.  Obviously, teaching students how to be safe, secure, appropriate, and positive digital citizens is paramount in any computer technology class.  But I began thinking, what if, instead of trying to minimize our students’ footprints, we tried to maximize them?  What if, when a university or business searched the internet for information on a student, they found page after page of exceptional material?  Not a footprint they were trying to minimize or hide, but a STOMP-print, their own personal mark on the internet.  A collection of work that they were proud to display in the public arena for all to see.  Something that says, this is who I am, this is what I’ve accomplished, and I’m ready for more! Now, at the younger ages, this might not work as well.  Online safety is a big concern, and it’s not a great idea to have elementary and middle school students posting that much personal information online.  That doesn’t mean students that young can’t start creating content, but it’s probably best to leave that content private until the student reaches high school and is well-versed in online safety and digital citizenship. But for high school students, creating a digital stomp-print could be an excellent way to showcase a student’s achievements.  Students could write blogs about community service projects, create webpage portfolios to share the major assignments they have completed, use sites like Degreed to create digital resumes and keep track of online learning, and use social networks like Facebook and Twitter to connect to professionals in the fields they are interested in.  Then, when that student is applying for work or school, they have an entire library of digital achievements which they can easily share and send off.  Plus, when those organizations are searching for information on our students, they will find a myriad of positive websites, full of projects and accomplishments.  This is not to say that everything a student does over the course of their schooling should be made public and posted on the internet, far from it.  But, rather than focusing on hiding our student’s digital footprints, maybe it’s time we start rethinking our kids’ online presences.  Maybe it’s time to start helping them create pages, profiles, blogs, wikis, and sites that they can be proud of, that they can share with the world.  Maybe it’s time we teach students how to make a unique and positive digital STOMP-print that reverberates throughout the internet. Suggested Resources:Wix - Website CreationWeebly - Blog CreationBlogger - Blog CreationDegreed - Digital ResumeLinked In - Digital ResumeIssuu - Online PublishingTwitter - Social NetworkFacebook - Social Network

Welcome back to the Roundup!  My internet is up and running again (hopefully for good) and it's time for some tech news! First up, Mind/Shift has a new post on "How Video Games and Social Media Fuel Students' Passion for Art."  The post discusses the growing trend of interest driven art creation can offer an artistic outlet for students in districts where art programs are lacking or nonexistent.   Over the past month, the HP Catalyst Academy has been offering free STEMx professional development courses online. Two days ago, they announced that they will be releasing a second round of free classes geared towards middle and high school.  Each of the classes takes 6-12 hours and teachers who complete the classes will earn a certificate of completion (or digital badges!)  You can check out their online catalog to see some of the awesome classes they have available. Special thanks to Aronne Watkins for this news; the Tennessee Library Association has just released a formal study on "Tablets and Children: Intuitive Technology and New Literacies."  The paper "discusses the intriguing opportunities that tables offer for children to interact with technology, and how those opportunities translate for librarians and young patrons."  It's a good read, especially for all you library media specialists out there! Free Tech for Teachers has five new resources to check out: The New Fakebook for Creating Fake Facebook Pages Two Good Ways to Expand Your PLN Embed a Google Calendar In Your Blogger Blog Help Students Start Stories with Word Mover Best of the Web for #TLC13 (below) Best of the web june 2013 copy from Richard Byrne Curt Rees at I Know This Much is True has an awesome post entitled,"Wow! Augmented Reality Sandbox."  And he's right, "Wow" is definitely the right word.  In the post he shares the video below which covers an upcoming museum exhibit that uses augmented reality, a Kinect sensor, and a projector to do something pretty outstanding with a normal sandbox.  Just check out the video, it's awesome... Jamie Forshey at EduTech for Teachers has a new post on "Writing with Web 2.0 Tools."  In the post she talks about her recent Writing with Web Tools Workshop from Techapalooza 2013.  Forshey covers how to "help students make meaningful visual connects to content through writing and technology" and she covers web-apps like Wikispaces, Edmodo, Edublogs, Google Docs, and a ton more! Ed Reach has four new podcasts to check out: Techlandia #30: So this is 30?! Get Your Google Ninja On ChromeCast... Will You Marry Me Ask3 and Your iPad 1:1 Tablets (and especially iPads) often steal the classroom tech spotlight, but Google Chromebooks (running only $250) can be an awesome alternative.  If your school is thinking of adopting Chromebooks (or you've already got them!), Edudemics new post, "How To Get Started with Chromebooks in the Classroom" will be right up your alley! iLearn Technology has a new review of "Snap! Digital Reading Program."  The program is a collection of interactive books that are organized by reading level and can be printed or viewed on a PC or tablet.  Plus, all the books are aligned with the Common Core Standards.  It's not free, but for $89 you do get a ton of interactive content.  Check out their site for more. Finally, Getting Smart opens with a piece on "Finding New Professional Development at Edcamp."  For those unfamiliar, Edcamp is a relatively new form of PD in which passionate speakers and teachers organize free events to share ideas.  The organization is now worldwide and over 100 events have already happened this year.  For more information, here's a a good page that covers the basics.   Getting Smart also has two new reviews up.  The first is over BloomBoard which is an awesome app for managing professional development, teacher observations, and teacher feedback.  You can also check out the Roundup's review of BloomBoard here.  Finally, theyreview iAnnotate, a "fantastic productivity tool that engages users directly with various text documents."  It's great for teachers who want to grade and be able to write on digital papers.   The Lightning Round... Educational Technology share The 7 Killer Skills every 21st Century Student Should Have They also reviewApraxia - A Great Speech Therapy App Edudemic has the 9 Best Web Tools Teahcers Will Use This Year And they also discuss 4 Ways to Showcase your Learning Online And that's it for our weekend edition!  Thanks for reading and we'll be back on Monday!  We'll end today with a new infographic from Edudemic and Spinx Web Design on the Most Awaited Technology Devices of 2013.  See you Monday! Courtesy of: Spinx

Welcome back!  My first day with students is officially over and it's time to do some round-upping.  Today we'll start with Katrina Schwartz at Mind/Shift and an incredibly interesting and important article about the business of educational technology, "Tech Companies Angle for Big Bucks in Education"  It's a wonderful article that chronicles the ever-growing business interest in ed tech. Next up, Mary Jo Madda at  Ed Surge covers "How Good Ideas in Edtech go 'Viral'"  The article relates a recent New Yorker article, "Slow Ideas by Atul Gawande," to educational technology and discusses why some great innovations in ed tech seem to spread incredibly quickly while others take longer to catch hold (if they catch on at all).  She closes by discussing what the most successful edtech start-ups have in common and by offering some advice to new start-ups. Jessica Slusser at Getting Smart has a great new article about a new online resource from Pearson and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21).  The new learning resource is home to some wonderful case studies and examples of successful 21st century schools.   Their goal is showcase examplar schools so that others can learn from what works (and what doesn't) at these organizations. Winifred Kehl also has a writeup on "An Amazing Experience for K-12 STEM Teachers."  In the post she discusses a recent experience with 19 K-12 Teachers and a group of paleontologiests from the University of Washington.  Together, the group traveled to the badlands of Montana to dig up dinosaurs! Pretty awesome stuff. Free Technology for Teachers has 5 new resources to try: 100 Tips for New Teachers/Reminders for Veterans What would you do if you knew you could not fail? A Quick Tip About Editing in Apple's Pages 21 ClassDojo Tutorial Videos Socrative 2.0 Is Coming in September Wesley Fryer at Moving at the Speed of Creativity has a new article entitled, "Managing Distractions: Maintaining Focus and Creating Media."  The post discusses great ways to help students avoid getting distracted in a technology-rich environment and focus on creating products.  He ends with an awesome list of projects that students can create with classroom programs and apps. Educational Technology has 5 new posts to check out: 5 Excellent Resources for Social Studies Class YouTube Capture - A Practical iPad App for Teachers 9 Tips for Teachers who just got an iPad 10 Google Plus Educators Teachers Should Follow 6 Tech Video Tutorials Created by Kids And for those teachers who are in a 1:1 or BYOD (bring your own device) iPad environment, Teach Thought has you covered with, "How To Create A Paperless Classroom with your iPad."  The post centers around using Google Drive and Google Education apps to manage the distribution and collection of assignments, thereby creating a completely paperless environment! Finally, the Ed Reach network has 4 new podcasts up: Techlandia: Back to School Edpisode Educelerate 13.5: UX for EDU Siblings Can Work to Cut Behavior Problems Going Virtual with the Oculus Rift The Lightning Round... Edudemic shares 5 Educational Websites Older Students Should Be Using Getting Smart has a list of "Remix" Apps from EdShelf Edudemic also has a post (and prezi) on 5 Flipped Classroom Issues and Solutions And that's it for today!  Thanks for tuning in!  We'll end with a new infographic from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Edudemic on The Role of Business in Education Reform... Courtesy of: Edudemic

Welcome back!  I hope everyone is having a great start to the school year!  Today we'll start at Edudemic with a post on "The 5 Best Social Media Tips For Teachers."  The post offers some great advice  for connecting with other teachers and educators.  If you still haven't given Twitter a try, it can really be an awesome resource for professional development and connecting with other teachers.  So, if you're looking for some new ways to connect with social networking, check out the post! Emerging Ed Tech has a new review up of "Lucidchart - Excellent Web Based Diagramming and Charts."  The web-app is free for teachers and students and is an excellent resource for creating online charts, diagrams, graphic organizers, and mind maps.  If you use any of those organizational tools in your classroom, I highly recommend checking out Lucidchart! Educational Technology has four new resources to check out:The 10 Best iPad Apps for the Start of the School Year4 Alternatives to the iPad YouTube AppTwitter in the Elementary Classroom6 Ways to Monitor Your Digital Footprints The trend of online learning is continuing to grow and with it, tools like Mozilla's Open Badges are being used to certify students' learning.  And, with sites like Degreed helping students create digital resumes that include online learning courses, the potential for digital learning to "mean" something more tangible is growing as well.  Alison Anderson at Getting Smart has more on the topic with her new post, "Mozilla Open Badges to Show Career Readiness."John Hardison also has a new post entitled, "Ordering a Teacher: Suggestions from Students Part 2."  In the post, Hardison discusses 5 characteristics that students believe exceptional teachers possess.  It's an excellent article and provides some great insight into what our students would like to see more of. Education Week has a new post on the growing trend of students using social media to improperly post photos from standardized tests.  The article focuses on California but this is an issue that affects schools across the globe.  Last year, a total of 212 schools in California were flagged for improper social media postings.  Check out the article for more. Ed Reach has four new podcasts to check out:Australia's Innovative Learning SpacesGuns, Knives, and Mayhem - The Murder Mystery CoAn EduWin-IT About BloggingStarting a Flipped Year with Nichole Carter The Lightning Round... Free Tech for Teachers has a new guide on How To Use Google Drive in SchoolFree Tech also shares 43+ Alternatives to YouTubeTeach Thought covers 45 Design Thinking Resources for EducatorsGetting Smart has 20 Coding, CS, Assessment, & Data Resources And that's a wrap! Thanks for reading and we'll be back tomorrow!  If you'd like to have the daily roundup emailed to you, you can always subscribe in the box on the right.  Plus, you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates as well.  See you tomorrow!

Welcome back to the Roundup!  Before we start I just wanted to let everyone know that we've added a few new lessons to the secondary lesson plan section of the site.  They're mainly aimed at computer science class, but if that's your subject, you might find something you enjoy!  First up, Ed Tech Magazine has a new article entitled, "Schools Face Tech Overhauls in Preparations for Common Core."  The article discusses the many changes and improvements to tech that K-12 schools are making in order to get ready for Common Core adoption. If you've got iPads in your school, Edudemic's new post will probably be of interest.  If you're not familiar with the Guided Access feature, it can be used to limit students to only one app while they're using the ipads.  It's a pretty great feature and you can read more about it in their new post, "A Step-By-Step Guide to Keeping Students Focused While Using Tech." First up from Getting Smart (and Compass Learning) is a new post about the "Top Ten Challenges of Implementing New Technology."  For any teacher, integration specialist, or district that is considering new technology, this list is an excellent place to start before diving in and buying whatever looks flashy and new.  The article offers some excellent tips for finding, affording, and implementing new technology.Getting Smart also has a new review aimed at Science Teachers of the MasteryConnect App.  The iOS app is an excellent resource to help science teachers align their content with the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and it's completely free!Finally, Tom Vander Ark has a new post/idea entitled, "DIY High" about a "new high school where students create the job they want."  The basic idea is that when students finish high school, they'd graduate as blossoming entrepreneurs with a business plan already well underway. Free Tech for Teachers has four new resources to check out:A Collection of the Best Google Street View ImageryReminder - If It Doesn't Look Legit, QuitSee & Print More Clearly with Evernote ClearlyA YouTube-free Video Search Engine Lisa Johnson at Tech Chef has an excellent new post entitled, "Teacher iPad Orientation Toolkit: 6 Tools Every Teacher Should Master."  What I really like about this post is that it's essentially a guide to running your own PD session on iPad basics.  Johnson has suggested apps and activities to help teachers become more familiar with some great iPad apps. For those schools with teacher iPads, it's worth a look! Christina Quattrocchi at Ed Surge has a new post on the online marketplace ePals, "A Lesson Plan Marketplace with 11.5 Million Potential Customers."  This summer, ePals (a K-12 social network) announced that they will begin allowing teachers to share and sell lesson plans.  This means sites like Teachers Pay Teachers will have some new competition and it could be a great resource for teachers looking for new lesson plans! Educational Technology has four new resources to check out:33 #EdChat Podcasts You Should Not Miss10 Things Teachers PD Should Never IncludeTwitter Guide Featuring 18 Ed Hashtags for ParentsGoogle Forms for Teachers - A Must Read Guide The Ed Tech Review has a new article discussing how "MOOCs Help Teachers in their Flipped Classroom."  They talk about how MOOCs (massive open online courses) can be used to provide instruction outside of the classroom while leaving more time to focus on assignments and projects in the classroom.  If it's a topic you're interested in, I wrote a recent article for MOOCs.com discussing some similar ideas. Finally, Lisa Nielsen at the Innovative Educator has a wonderful article on how to "Get Back-To-School By Engaging Families Right From Their Cellphones."  She discusses some great apps and tools for connecting to parents to send reminders, grades, and just to keep in touch.  She covers twitter, QuizU, Poll Everywhere, and a whole lot more! The Lightning Round... Edudemic covers 6 Simple Ways to Have a Green ClassroomTeach Thought has 5 Tips for Using Flipboard in the ClassroomLearn Dash discusses the 4 Stages of Integrating Technology into Learning And we are all Rounded up!  Thanks for reading and we'll be back tomorrow!  Halfway through the week!

Welcome back!  And happy Friday-eve!  We've got a pretty short Roundup for you today and we'll start over at Getting Smart with Alison Anderson's new post, "Back to School: Ten Tech Tips for Team Building with Parents."  In the article they cover ten excellent and easy ways to use technology to connect with parents.  Host a website, write a blog, create podcast newsletters, send texts, and so on.  Plus they've got links to great resources to help get your ideas off the ground! Emerging Ed Tech has a new discussion and review of three "Educational Apps that Teach Young Students about Money Management."  These apps are awesome for home use or for in a business, accounting, or even an elementary or middle school math class.  They review iAllowance, Savings Spree, and P2K Money. Free Tech for Teachers has five new posts to check out:MasteryConnect's Next Gen Science Standards AppClassDojo Releases New iOas and Android AppsIn Case You Also Missed the Teen Choice AwardsCNN Student News is Back for 2013-2014U.S. Military History Animated iLearn Technology has an excellent review of "Rewordify: Help Kids Understand What They Read."  Rewordify is an online app that is designed to help struggling readers and ESL/ELL students "improve their reading comprehensions and vocabulary development."  It's an excellent app to check out if you're looking for something to help struggling readers. Educational Technology has four new posts to check out:Findery - A New Social Platform for your Classroom7 Apps for Creating Books with StudentsTop 10 Teacher Tools for Digital CurationA DIgital Citizenship Starter Kit for Teachers Finally, Beth Holland at Edutopia has an excellent new post entitled, "Didn't Your Mother Tell You Not to Google."  In the article, Holland discusses the educational problems that can arise from "googling" or "siri-ing" everything we have questions about.  There are tons of educational resources that are better at finding age and subject-appropriate information and Holland discusses quite a few in her write-up. The Lightning Round... Getting Smart shares their new Smart List: 30 Next-Gen Literacy, Language & Math ResourcesTeach Thought covers A Really, Really Well-Written Set of Classroom RulesEd Reach has a new podcast on Haiku Deck and Your iPad 1:1Mind/Shift gives us 10 Ideas to Get Those Back-to-School Juices FlowingEdudemic discusses Every Gmail Shortcut You Never New Existed And there you have it!  Roundup complete!  Thanks for reading and we'll be back either on Sunday night or Monday afternoon with the weekend Roundup.  See you then!

Welcome back to the Roundup!  Today we start at EdSurge with an excellent article from Michael Levine entitled, "Beyond Good and Bad: Applying Games Research to Action."  The post discusses the research behind game-based learning, the reaction from schools on teachers towards GBL, the educational games marketplace, and the barriers that may prevent GBL from reaching its full educational potential. Next up, Dave Rudey at Emerging Ed Tech has an excellent write-up on the student response iPad app, Socrative.  The app is completely free, can provide immediate feedback on student understanding, and it will grade your quizzes and assessments for you.  If you've got student iPads in your school, Socrative is definitely worth a look. Free Tech for Teachers has five new resources to check out: Create Citizen Scientists with NOVA Labs How to Introduce EduClipper to Teachers and Students Turn PDFs Into Multimedia Documents Unsplash - A Good Source of Free Images Submrge - Ideas for Teaching with Games Jackie Gerstein at User Generated Education has another absolutely awesome post,"Epic Moves as an Integral Part of Education."  She discusses the incredible importance of risk-taking in education, for teachers and learners alike.  She also outlines the consequences for those students and teachers who avoid educational risks.  It's a wonderful post and great reading for all grade levels and subject areas. Alison Anderson at Getting Smart has a great review of a new educational service called Nutmeg, a "New Teacher Tool on the 'Horizon.'"  The app is designed to help teachers individualize instruction and assist with assessment. Teachers can use the app to design assessments that are aligned with the CCSS as well as access an enormous bank of open educational resources (OER) to make creating assessments even easier. Edudemic has two excellent posts up on the edtech front, the first of which is from Holly Clark on "How to Tackle Digital Citizenship During the First 5 Days of School."  This is a great article for any computer science teachers or elementary teachers who have to handle technology instruction themselves.  She has some wonderful ideas on how to quickly get all students on the same page as far as netiquette, online safety, and digital citizenship are concerned. Edudemic also has a new guide on "How to Pick the Best Device for your Grade Level."  If your school is considering purchasing new devices this year, this article is a good place to start getting some ideas. Educational Technology has five new posts to check out: Interactive Graphic Featuring 21st C. Thinking Skills. 15 Pinterest Boards Every Teacher Should See Interactive Graphic on the Networked Educator 5 Places to find iPad Apps for Students Android Apps for Teachers and Students Drew Minock at Two Guys and Some iPads has an awesome post from 2 weeks ago that I missed the last time around, "5 Free Tech Tools for this School Year."  It's a great list that includes some augmented reality, some programming, and a whole lot of other goodness.  He covers iOS and Android apps, so all your bases are covered! Ed Reach has five new podcasts to check out: What is the Future of Games and Learning Is Outsourcing the Ticket to Healthier School Meals A Small Audience is the New Big Audience The Power of Podcasting Vimeo Video School Tutorials The Lightning Round... Teach Thought shares 25 Common Core-Aligned Math Apps for Middle School Students Getting Smart has a new Smart List of 20 Great Learning Platforms Edudemic covers 10 Digital Resources for New Teachers Edudemic also has a new infographic on How to Give Your Online Class an In-Class Feel Edutech for Teachers has a review and write-up on theiOS Book Creator App (Now Free!) And that's all for the Roundup tonight!  Thanks for stopping by!  We'll end today with a new infographic from Open Colleges on some future possibilities for using Google Glass in Education.  See you tomorrow! Courtesy of: Open Colleges

Welcome back!  Today we begin with... Holograms!  That's right, holograms.  Awesome.  The Ed Tech Review has a new post on the "Potential Applications of Holograms to Engage Learners."  In the post they give a little background on the technology behind modern holograms and then dive in to discussing educational possibilities.  Are they feasible at this point in time?  Absolutely not.  Is it exciting to consider the possibilities?  Most definitely! If you're not familiar with South by South West for Education (SXSWedu) it's a annual gathering in Austin, TX where educators, developers, and anyone who has something to say about education can get together, and enjoy awesome presentations.  Right now, community voting is going on to determine what projects will be in the festival.  Getting Smart has a list of projects to check out and may I personally recommend my good friend and rock-star educator, Saul Heide and his project the Paperless Classroom. Free Tech for Teachers has four new posts to check out:15 Things You Can do with EdmodoInspire Students to Read & Travel with Global BookshelfA Primer on Creative CommonsA Complete Guide to Using Blogger in School Teach Thought has a new post on "Mind-Mapping and the Digitization of Learning."  The article outlines the benefits of mind-mapping and discusses how they can be used in the classroom to help organize thoughts and streamline feedback. With the wealth of awesome mind-mapping apps (spicy nodes, bubble.us, padlet, and so on) it's never been easier to start using mind-maps in your classroom. In education, a lot of focus is given to Apple and iOS apps, mainly because they've got an enormous selection and a relatively easy to implement product.  But now, with the recent unveiling of Google Play for Education, that will most likely begin to change.  Holly Korbey at Mind/Shift has a new article on the topic in which she compares Apple and Google and discusses the pros and cons of each. Ed Reach has four new podcasts that your ears might enjoy:My Singing Monsters: Gaming in Music ClassFlipped Learning meets Google EducastWebinar on Police Involvement in SchoolsThe Problem with MOOCs The Lightning Round... Teach Thought shares 5 Strategies to Resist Googling and Conduct Meaningful ResearchLisa Nielsen covers an upcoming Free Virtual Conference on Alternatives to SchoolEducational Technology discusses 2 Interesting New PDF Tools for TeachersAlong with looking at Web Tools to Use WIth Bloom's Digital Taxonomy And there you have it!  Roundup complete!  Have a wonderful evening and we'll be back in the saddle tomorrow.  Thanks for reading!