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"The American Red Cross has a handful of apps on weather safety for iPad users looking to plan and prepare for natural disasters.  They also have a great iPad app to help students of any age stay safe.  With First Aid children can learn about different ways to act in situations that require first aid.  There are photographs, informational text, and diagrams to help students understand the best steps to take in an emergency.  First Aid includes extra features including the ability to switch from English to Spanish and a quiz to check for understanding."

"Here's a sketchy video I created for my technology pedagogy course. I have mixed feelings about SAMR, because it often implies that "lower levels" are not as good when often substitution works well. Royan Lee picked this apart well. I also think there are times when the best option involves avoiding technology. For example, there are times when sketching something by hand teaches observational skills better than using a camera. However, I still see a real benefit in the SAMR model, in terms of thinking about the transformative power of technology."

"So, you want to increase motivation for reading and writing, improve confidence levels and/or encourage ICT literacy? Well, regardless of the rationale, blogging is a very powerful learning tool that can assist teachers with these goals. Still not convinced that blogging is a meaningful activity? Then check out the nifty sketch note shown below, one that illustrates ten additional reasons you should get your blog on with your students."

"Lists are one of the most valuable tools Twitter has to offer. Ideal for cutting the clutter in the newsfeed and finding great content to share, for organizing your prospects and customers so you can easily engage, and for getting new ideas for creating your own content. Bottom line, you definitely want to take advantage of Twitter lists. But what if you don't know how to make a list on Twitter? Where do you get started? Check out this step-by-step guide on how to make a list on Twitter (and how to save time by subscribing to other people's lists)."

"A couple of months ago we featured a collection of some good iPad apps for music teachers. Today, upon the request of some of our readers here in EdTech and mLearning, we went ahead and curated for you this list of music apps specifically for Mac users. These are programs you can use in your Mac to do a wide variety of musical tasks including: create beats in different music styles; convert audio and video files to multiple audio formats; learn to play piano, guitar and  percussive drums; record, crop, effect and trim audio... and many more. For more options, check out the music section in Mac App Store. "

"2015 saw a whole load of new apps hit the iOS app store. With standouts like Periscope, livestreaming became one of the biggest trends, as well as GIFs and of course, emoji. So, if you're looking forward to unwrapping a new iOS device this Christmas, make sure you get some these apps installed to get you off to the best start. Prefer Android? Check out our top apps of the year here."

"t's been my dream to make my 2nd grade classroom look more like a "Starbucks for kids", and less like, well, a classroom. Think about when you go to Starbucks to complete some work. Why do you choose to work there? Where do you choose to sit? I usually gravitate towards the comfy seating choices like the couches and big chairs, and yet, I see people choose the tables and chairs over and over again. Regardless, when you walk into Starbucks, you have choice. You get to choose where you sit. No one checks you in and directs you to a spot, telling you that you must sit there for the remainder of the day to do your work. If you need to get up, walk around, or choose a different seat, you are free to do so. As I sat in our local Starbucks this past summer, I looked around and thought-why can't my classroom look like this? After several weeks of planning and a little bit of faith, what resulted was this"

"Gmail is a powerful mail service that we have been recommending for teachers over the last couple of years. The strength of Gmail lies in the arsenal of features it provides to users from tips on how to organize and sort emails for easy access to setting auto-replies and automatically saving attachments. Gmail Tips for Teachers section here in EdTech and mLearning features a number of key resources to help you tap into the educational potential of Gmail. Additionally, to take your Gmail experience to the next level you may want to try out some third party tools designed particularly for this purpose. Below is a curated list of some of our favourite apps. Check them out and share with your colleagues"

"iOS for iPad has dramatically improved multitasking with Spit View dual-pane apps and its counterpart, Slide Over. The Slide Over feature lets you quickly reference, use, and access secondary apps on the iPad without having to enter into full fledged split screen app mode, and without having to switch apps. This feature is great for quickly replying to an email, message, checking Twitter, making a note, or doing quick tasks in another app where you don't want to lose the primary app focus on an iPad."

"I had the pleasure once again to work together with Richard Wells from New Zealand. He recently reworked his website from iPadwells.com to eduwells.com. Give it a look if you haven't checked it out lately! 2016 has arrived and iPad pedagogy has moved a long way in 6 years. Having iPads in your classroom is no longer about which exciting apps you can all use but more about empowering your students to discover and share their own iPad solutions for every situation. This requires collaboration between peers and a flexible mindset held by all in the room, including the teacher. It's about building on new habits held by young people to connect, create and share their learning. It's also about keeping in-touch with new developments to ensure our young people are ready for a rapidly changing world. Think less about teaching delivery or a "one-app-fits-all" model, and more about 21st century habits, and the development of an innovative mindset. (See this book for more details on this) We hope these help! Richard & Steve"

"Looking for some good audio note taking apps to use on your iPad? The collection below has you covered.  These are four of our favourite apps for recording audio notes on the go. Check them out and share with us if you have other suggestions to add to the list. Enjoy"

"Below is a collection of some of the best iPad and Android apps to use with kids and young learners to enhance their creativity and boost their imaginative thinking. From doodling and sketching to drawing and digital storytelling, the apps below are particularly designed to unleash the creative gene from within. We invite you to check them out and share with your students. Enjoy"

"Most people who are familiar with 3d printing have been to Thingiverse.com or at least have heard of it.  With over 1 million uploads to the site, its the place to go if you need a 3d printable model of most anything.  But where else could you check to download 3d models if you wanted a variety? I've put together a list of all the 3d model libraries out there in order to help give you more options as makers.  If I missed one or if a new website pops up after this post goes live please let me know and I'll get it added to this list.  I can't wait to see what you print.  Send me a tweet @Makerspaces_com "

"Guidelines and instructions are not the enemy of makerspaces.  Working through guided projects can help students to develop the skills that they need to further explore creatively.  It's true that some students can just figure it out, but most need that gentle push to get them started.  While things like LEGOs and K'nex are intuitive, many other activities are not.  If you just sat me down in front of an Arduino with no guidance, I wouldn't have a clue what to do.  But after following some example projects, I can start to feel more comfortable with branching out on my own. The problem comes when all we ever do are guided projects.  Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager warn against the "20 identical birdhouses" style class projects, where there is zero creativity involved.  It's very easy to fall into the trap of focusing too much on standards, rubrics and guided projects and zapping all the fun and creativity out, turning a makerspace into nothing more than another classroom.  It's tempting for many educators to just print out a list of instructions, sit students down in front of a "maker kit" and check their e-mail while students work through the steps one by one.  This is obviously not what we want in our makerspaces."

"Sifting through the app stores trying to find the cream of the crop isn't easy, so we've done it for you! Though plenty of other awesome apps are out there, kids should play these at least once. From art to coding, preschool skill building to problem solving, and social-emotional learning to endless runners, dive in with this list of 50 standout apps across all age groups. Check out our Essential Apps Guide for even more titles, or find a curated list that fits your kid's specific interests."

"A google search of "Maker Movement and Education" reveals more than 36 million search results! That's just one piece of evidence that the Maker Ed Movement is on the rise across formal and informal learning environments. Head to any education conference, talk to any STEAM teacher, ask anyone who tracks innovations in teaching and learning, or check out the new infographic featured below and you'll be sure to find a lot more."

"We absolutely love seeing the many exciting ways that teachers are using ChatterPix to help engage their students. Many educators have come up with some incredibly creative ways to make their lessons more exciting by incorporating tools like ChatterPix and WonderBox. Check out these 15 awesome ways teachers have recently used ChatterPix to enhance science lessons!"

"Coding is believed to be the 21st century literacy par excellence. Codes make up the totality of our digital world. They are a universal language that every computer speak. Teaching kids coding will not only enable them to better understand the digital world surrounding them but, more importantly, will equip them with skills integral to their overall learning. Coding is all about creativity, imagination, problem solving and strategic thinking. There is a wide variety of ways to make learning programming and coding a fun an enjoyable task for kids. One of them is through the use of engaging and interactive games. Below is a collection of some of the most popular iPad apps for helping kids learn coding through games. Check them out and share with us if you have other suggestions."

"This sample rubric from Lisa Yokana can help guide efforts to assess the materials and knowledge students come to understand through the process of making, as well as the habits of mind and qualities they demonstrate. For more information, read the associated post: "Creating an Authentic Maker Education Rubric." For an editable version of this rubric, check out this "Editable Sample Rubric.""