5 Essential Resources for IELTS Preparation

Plenty of candidates walk into IELTS with solid English and still miss the band score they were aiming for. The exam asks for more than language ability. It is one of the most demanding English tests there is, and a high score depends on understanding exactly how each task works, how answers are marked, and how to manage your time under pressure.

So the strongest preparation does two things at once: it sharpens your English, and it builds your familiarity with the demands of the exam. These five resources are useful starting points for candidates who want a structured, reliable preparation plan. (more…)

Father’s Day in the United States is on the third Sunday of June, this year, June 21st. It celebrates the contribution that fathers and father figures make for their children’s lives. (more…)

Top of mind–right after quality of educational tools–is security. Here’s a great article from Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Melissa White. She is a technology writer and security specialist at TechCommuters. With extensive experience in digital safety, data protection, and threat intelligence, she creates insightful content that helps readers navigate the evolving technology landscape. Melissa focuses on online privacy, secure computing practices, emerging risks, and practical solutions for businesses and individuals.

This is longish, but worth the read–in a sentence:

Is your laptop camera spying on you? Learn the warning signs, how to check for spyware, and simple steps to protect your privacy right now.

How To Know If Your Laptop Camera Is Spying On You?

Your laptop camera may look harmless. It sits quietly above your screen. Most people barely notice it. But in some cases, it can become a privacy risk.

Hackers and harmful software can sometimes access your webcam without permission. Certain apps may also use the camera in the background. The worst part is that you may not notice anything unusual while it happens.

This type of attack is often called camfecting. It happens when someone remotely takes control of your webcam. They may watch you, capture photos, or record videos without your knowledge. In some situations, the camera light may not even turn on. Security experts continue to find many devices affected by these attacks every year.

The good part is that there are warning signs you can look for. There are also simple ways to secure your laptop and block unwanted access. In this guide, you will learn how to spot suspicious webcam activity and what steps to take if something feels wrong. (more…)

I  calculate what’s trending on my blog by which of my posts are popular in a particular time period. Here’s the run-down so far this year:

• 33 Great Research Websites for Kids
• K-12 Digital Tools
• How to Find Old Elementary School Teachers
• 100th Day of School — It’s about Learning
• Start Here (to use AATT)
• 17 Websites on Natural Disasters
• 14 Websites to Teach Mouse Skills
• How Students Can Build Their Own Apps
• Robot Teachers vs Human Teachers
• Want to Write for Us?

More top posts

Click here; scroll down the sidebar to “Top Posts”:

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Wrapping up your school technology for the summer is as complicated as setting it up in September. There are endless backups, shares, cleanings, changed settings, and vacation messages that — if not done right — can mean big problems when you return from summer vacation. If you have a school device, a lot of the shutdown steps will be done by the IT folks as they backup, clean, reformat, and maybe re-image your device. If you have a personal device assigned by the school but yours to take home, the steps may be more numerous but really, not more complicated.

Here’s a list. Skip those that don’t apply to you and complete the rest. I won’t take time in this article for a how-to on each activity so if you don’t know how to complete one, check with your IT folks or DDG (Duck Duck Go) or Google it:

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Most-read posts last month:

1. May Is #Homeschool Awareness Month
2. How do I grade technology in my school?
3. National Personal Finance Challenge
4. 5 Favorite Activities to End the School Year
5. Successful USNA Graduates
6. National Spelling Bee Coming In May
7. Looking for Summer Activities? Try These
8.  Simple Ways Teachers Can Integrate AI Ethically in the Classroom

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up: (more…)

As you head into summer, the Ask a Tech Teacher team will post a variety of internationally-themed articles for those looking beyond English-speaking borders. Here’s one on learning and teaching Korean:

Best Online Korean Teacher Platforms for Speaking, Grammar, and TOPIK Practice

Most people assume any Korean tutor will do the job. But the best online Korean teacher platforms are built around something more specific: structured progression, native-speaker interaction, and real accountability. After reviewing dozens of options across lesson formats, pricing models, and learner responses, the gap between a frustrating experience and genuine fluency often comes down to platform fit. This guide covers the top five platforms worth your time, whether you’re chasing conversational skills, grammar depth, or a serious TOPIK score.

The shortlist methodology

Options were evaluated by pulling publicly available data from user reviews, official websites, language-learning directories, and feature breakdowns on trusted review platforms. Only platforms with a documented track record in language education made the cut.

→ See the full research breakdown (more…)

Every month, subscribers to our newsletter get a free/discounted resource to help their tech teaching.

May 28th-June 6th:

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For those already thinking about next year, Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Jenny Wise, has ideas on managing class projects without burning out. This time of year, we all feel on the edge. Jenny has great ideas to prepare for summer school classes if you teach them, or the new school year. She has navigated the complexities of raising a growing family, supporting her children through life’s difficulties, and finding strength through faith, resilience, and connection.

If you’re interesting in homeschool ideas, Jenny shares family homeschooling experiences, practical advice, encouragement, and resources for parents considering or navigating homeschooling through her platform, Special Home Educator. Her mission is to support and inspire other families by honestly sharing the ups and downs of creating a personalized education at home.

A Teacher’s Guide to Managing Creative Projects Without Burnout

For busy classroom teachers who also lead clubs, performances, showcases, or other creative work, the real strain isn’t the project itself, it’s the extra layer of coordination piled onto an already full day. Teacher workload challenges grow fast when student team coordination, shifting expectations, and last-minute questions keep spilling into planning periods and evenings. That pressure can make managing extracurricular projects feel like a personal endurance test instead of a normal part of the job. The good news is that stress management for teachers often starts with educational project planning that makes responsibilities, communication, and follow-through predictable. (more…)