Analyze your writing over a cup of "expresso" with Hemingway.

 Have you ever wondered if you're getting your message across when sending an e-mail or writting a letter? Maybe your writing could be clearer, or more to the point. There are several online tools that can analyze your writing and give you suggestions on ways to improve it.

My favorite site for this type of tool is Hemingway. Other sites to check out include Expresso, The Readability Test Tool, and https://readability-score.com/.

BTW, this post scored an 8th grade reading level. :-)

I wonder if "there's an app for that"?

There are numerous educational websites and apps available for use. The trick is to find the good ones. That takes time that most teachers can't spare. edshelf.com is here to help.

Edshelf is "a discovery engine of websites, mobile apps, desktop programs, and electronic products for teaching and learning." You can filter by Platform (iPad, Chrome, Windows, etc) Age, Subject and more.

I like the collections feature and the reviews of all of the apps listed there. Check it out!

PDF "On the Cheap"

Do you need to create PDF documents, but can't afford Adobe Acrobat?

No problem! Tracker Software Products is offering their PDF-XChange 'Lite' 2012 product for free to Home and Academic users.

You can't beat the price. What do you have to lose? Check it out today -  
http://www.tracker-software.com/free_lite_home.html
*PDF-XChange Lite 2012 supports all Windows (32/64 bit) operating systems from Windows XP and later.

Get Going With Google

Just getting started with Google? Or, are you a seasoned user that would like to pick up a few new tips?

Richard Byrne, the creator of the great tech site, www.freetech4teachers.com, has some AWESOME resources to help you become a master Google user.

Check out his Google Drive for Teachers tutorial for tips on using Google Drive and Google Apps.
Be sure to visit 10 Google Search Tips All Students Can Use for a super Top 10 infographic that also includes a link to Google search lesson plans.

If you're more of a video guy/gal, Anson Alexander has a nice tutorial posted on YouTube that covers the basics of Google Docs.

No Email? No Problem. Great websites for your classroom

Many schools do not provide e-mail addresses for their students. Unfortunately, this makes it hard for a teacher to utilize websites that require an address for account creation and verification. Tech & Learning has compiled a list of 20 sites that do not require student e-mail accounts. Check it out!

http://www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=67&EntryId=4761

Sync Multiple Google Calendars on Your IOS Device

So, I finally got an iPad. I was surprised to find that I couldn't get all of my shared Google calendars to show up.
Fortunately, I found this great post that describes an easy (and free!) way to make it work: http://www.dacko.ca/blog/sync-multiple-google-calendars-to-ipad2-calendar-app/ . Thanks Joanna!

Got an iPad for Christmas? Try this resource for great Educational Apps.

Scoop.it has a super collection of resources for those lucky duckies that have an iPad.

Thank you to Vicki Windman who posted a great article on Tech & Learning that provided this and many other resources for using the iPad.