I keep a list of all the #edtech tools available for digital learning: apps for assessment, platforms for instructional delivery, tools for collaboration + creativity.

That list is currently at 212. (That is not a typo.)

And those are the tools about which I know. It can get overwhelming, this having to be constantly on top of the ever-evolving, never-stalling educational technology universe. Sort of like this:

I'm a fan of simplicity and of having my options limited. Too many choices and I get paralyzed.  With that said, when I'm asked to make recommendations by teachers for the must-have tools for their edtech toolbox, here are my go-tos in no particular order:

FLIPGRID
Want to really know if your students learned something? This is IT. If you don't believe me about this social learning platform in which the teacher poses a question and students provide video responses, then believe the millions of other users who swear by it. This is a very simplistic explanation for an edtech tool that has more uses than a Swiss Army Knife (especially with its most recent updates of camera features and AR), so I suggest you get in there and play around with it yourself. Here's a great guide to get started.
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EDPUZZLE
It was a giddy day when the teacher would roll out the giant TV and popped a clunky tape into the VCR. But to be honest, I'd have liked Edpuzzle way more. And you will, too. It's more than a simple show-a-video-to-students tool. Edpuzzle gathers valuable and informative data about student comprehension. In the age of on-demand, pausing, and rewatching, this tool will resonate with your class. Click here if you're a newbie to Edpuzzle.

BOOK CREATOR
I have the attention span of a goldfish, so if it takes me a long time to learn something, I'm out. Book Creator's got your back with its 10-minute tutorial. Turn your lesson into your own textbook. Better yet, allow your students to create their own ebooks, comic books, photo books, and journals. 

SCREENCASTIFY
There's a reason YouTube is popular with your students. Watching a video is more powerful than reading text. This screencast recorder allows students to truly show what they know by narrating what's on their screen. Create tutorials for your kiddos for days when you've got a sub, or replace the time-consuming oral presentations with screencasts.

QUIZLET LIVE
Why not make learning a game? I can't tell who has more fun with this--the kids or me. This collaborative learning classroom game makes your job easier. Do yourself a favor and take the lecturing out of learning with the Live version of Quizlet.

I hope you find this list useful if you're just getting started with 1:1, or even if you've been doing it for a while. What are your faves?

Love baseball? Love math? Looking for an end-of-the-year activity with your students that's fun and educational? I just updated my very popular packaged lesson plan, "Play Ball! Using Baseball to Analyze Statistical Data."  It's a happy mix of both educational technology (Flipgrid, Edpuzzle, and Google Apps) and some hands-on creating. Please take a look, share with your colleagues, and let me know how it works for you!

I've had this post in my head for weeks and couldn't find the time to write it, so I took advantage of my commute and made my first vlog post. (Don't judge my camera angle and amateur-ish recording--it's a total FAIL and I'm proud of it!)

Anyhow, one of my personal goals this year is to learn more about gamification and how we can start implementing it into our curriculum. Here are some baby step ideas to get started in your own classroom:

I'd love to hear how you're leveling up--feel free to leave comments and ideas below. Learning can be all fun and games!

RESOURCES

• Tom Driscoll's Gamification eBook (scroll down to "XP & Grades by Attrition")
• Gamified
  
• Gradecraft
  
• Rezzly
  
• Classcraft
• Mr. Matera's YouTube Channel