Here are the most-read posts for the past month:

1. 13 Online Resources About Kids News Resources
2. Random Acts of Kindness Day is Coming. How Will You Celebrate?
3. Integrating Technology in Education for Modern Classrooms
4. 11 Valentine Sites For Students K-2
5. How to Make Learning Math More Interactive and Engaging
6. Engineers Week Feb. 16-22 2025
7. President’s Day Activities Feb. 17, 2025
8. Unlocking Learning Fun: How Educational Bini Games Foster Child Development
9. Tech Tip #107: Ways to Avoid Phishing
10. 25+ Video Collections

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

Generative AI is all anyone in education talks about anymore so the Ask a Tech Teacher team wanted to provide a collection of tips for using AI as a tutor. Rather than us introducing this article, we thought we’d like Grok do it himself:

How to Leverage AI Tutors for Effective Learning: Tips for Parents, Educators, and Students

AI tutors transform learning. They generate instant feedback and personalized lessons. While they are powerful tools, they don’t replace traditional classroom instruction. Instead, they can complement such. Students, parents, and teachers must be proactive in using AI to maximize its benefits.

The key lies in the balance. Use AI to enhance learning, not replace critical thinking or human interaction. Smart learning assistants are powerful allies. The challenge is knowing when to trust the technology and when to step back and think for yourself. (more…)

Here are some excellent themed video collections to use in your classroom (click here for updates on the list):

1. Big Think
2. BBC Bitesize
3. Bright Science–short videos on various science topics
4. Clip Syndicate
5. Coverr–short videos; free download; no login
6. Critical Past–original videos from mid-1800’s and forward of amazing events in world history.
7. C-Span video library
8. Discovery Channel
9. Explore.org
10. FedFlix
11. Free Video Lectures
12. Gooru–thousands of classes available for free
13. History Channel
14. King of Math–solve math problems and move up through levels until you’re King; freemium
15. Math A Tube
16. Math TV
17. National Film Board of Canada
18. National Geographic Video
19. Next Vista
20. PBS Video
21. Reactions–short videos on chemistry topics
22. School Tube
23. Teacher Training Videos
24. Teacher Tube
25. TED Talks
26. Untamed Science
27. Videvo–stock videos, free (and more)
28. Wired Science

Copyright ©2025 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

“The content presented in this blog are the result of creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

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In these 169 tech-centric situations, you get an overview of pedagogy—the tech topics most important to your teaching—as well as practical strategies to address most classroom tech situations, how to scaffold these to learning, and where they provide the subtext to daily tech-infused education.

Today’s tip: Email Phishing

Category: Parents

Q:  I got an email that looks legitimate, but I’m not sure. How do I check?

A: You’re right to take a step back. Email has become the most popular method of hacking individual computers—because most people use email and usually aren’t as vigilant as they need to be.

‘Phishing’ is an attempt to steal your personal information by posing as a trusted source (a friend, your bank–like that). Why is it so popular with crooks? Because it works.

As an educator, you want to teach students how to protect themselves as soon as they start using open email networks. Here are six suggestions:

1. Don’t open attachments.
2. Don’t click links in emails.
3. Check the email address of the sender. Does it match the name? Does it fit the sender?
4. Check for misspellings and mis-phrasings.
5. If you know the sender, does the email sound like their communication style?
6. Hover over the link to see the address. If it doesn’t match the text or look legitimate, don’t click.
7. Don’t hesitate to email the sender and ask if they sent you the email.

Got those? Here are a few more:

1. Slow Down: Phishing often pushes you to act fast—“Your account’s locked, fix it now!” Take a second to think. If it’s urgent, contact the company directly using a number or site you already know.
2. Don’t Share Sensitive Info: No legit company will ask for your password or full credit card number over email or text. If they do, it’s a scam.
3. Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra step (like a code sent to your phone) to logins. Even if they get your password, they can’t get in without the second piece.
4. Keep Software Updated: Hackers exploit old systems. Update your phone, apps, and computer regularly to stay protected.

Sign up for a new tip each week or buy the entire 169 Real-world Ways to Put Tech into Your Classroom.

What’s your favorite tech tip in your classroom? Share it in the comments below.

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If you haven’t heard of Bini Games, you’re not alone. When they contacted me about sharing their website with my readers, I checked it out and agreed it was a great idea. Their offerings are designed to support multiple facets of child development through engaging, interactive, and fun gameplay. Here’s a more detailed peek into how they assist cognitive growth, critical thinking, and creativity:

Unlocking Learning Fun: How Educational Bini Games Foster Child Development

Parents and caregivers help children learn and grow by actively engaging and promoting their growth. In this regard, a similar kids learning game is an excellent choice because they provide a fun-focused opportunity to observe a child’s development.

While games may appear easy on the surface, they provide a variety of educational benefits that can help a child develop cognitive flexibility, reactivity, coordination, and numeracy. As a result, in this blog, we will look at the intrinsic values of learning games and how they might help with cognitive growth.

Engaging Young Minds: The Power of Educational Bini Games for Cognitive Growth

Cognitive development develops at a surprising rate during a child’s early years. Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at how these activities affect specific cognitive skills:

Enhancing Memory and Attention

During play, children frequently have to memorize details, sequences, and rules. This improves their memory and attention span, which are both necessary for academic performance and daily life.

Promoting Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Play inherently includes challenges and impediments, which allow youngsters to solve problems and think critically. Whether they’re figuring out how to build a stable tower of blocks or how to outwit an opponent in a game, youngsters learn critical problem-solving abilities that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Supporting Language Development

Whether they are discussing their thoughts, describing their acts, or conversing with their playmates, children frequently use language to communicate during play. They get better grammar, increase their vocabulary, and strengthen their ability to express themselves clearly as a result.

Fostering Creativity and Imagination

Play is a creative expression that comes naturally. Children are encouraged to think creatively and experiment with new concepts via activities like role-playing, painting, and building buildings. Children can experiment with many roles and situations through imaginative play in particular, which fosters the development of a flexible thinking and a rich inner world.

Conclusion: How to Pick the Game That Enhances Creativity, Problem-Solving, and More!

Play is essential to children’s learning and development; it is not only a respite from education. Since each child is unique, what interests one may not interest another. Because of this, it’s fantastic to have a wide variety of educational Bini Games to pick from, allowing you to find the ideal one for your child’s particular interests. Children who participate in various forms of play acquire cognitive abilities that are critical to their success in the future. We have the ability to encourage and support these activities as adults, giving kids a strong basis for learning and growth.

Copyright ©2025 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

“The content presented in this blog are the result of creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

A lot of teacher-authors read my Ask a Tech teacher. In this monthly column, I share a popular post from the past month from my writing blog, WordDreams 

Good efriend Terri Webster Schrandt reminded me of National Love Your Pet Day last year on her blog, Sunday Stills. I’ve waited all year to add my own celebration!

According to National Today Calendar, February 20 is Love Your Pet Day. As if we need only one day to love our pets.

“On February 20, we celebrate National Love Your Pet Day, a day to embrace one special trait that makes us human: our love of our pets! There are many things that differentiate humans from the rest of the animal kingdom, but one of the more unusual behaviors is our longstanding tendency to keep other animals as pets. Gallup reports that sixty percent of Americans are current pet owners.”

To celebrate, here’s my slideshow of my dog, Casey. Feel free to attach links to your beautiful pets in the comments so we can visit!

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This is a topic dear to my heart–non-college options for high school grads. The Ask a Tech Teacher team has a good summary of why students should consider journeyman trades and vocational schools over college:

From Play to Profession: Why Kids Should Discover Skilled Trades

For years, the dominant message to young people has been that college is the only pathway to success. However, a growing number of educators, industry leaders, and parents are recognizing the immense value of skilled trades. Not everyone needs to attend a four-year university to build a successful and fulfilling career. By introducing kids to trades early, we open up opportunities for them to explore careers that match their skills, interests, and personalities while also addressing critical workforce shortages. (more…)

I’m off to visit my two military children and then help my son move before deploying overseas. As a result, I won’t be around much–a bit, but forgive me if I seem to be ignoring everyone! 

See you-all in a few weeks!

–Comments are closed because I will be completely unreliable!

Presidents’ Day is an American federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February–this year, February 17, 2025. It was originally established to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States, and expanded to also celebrate the birthdays and legacies of other U.S. Presidents, particularly Abraham Lincoln whose birthday is February 12th.

Here are great ways to celebrate in your classroom including websites, games, activities, printables, quizzes, audios, songs, interactive maps,  crafts, flashcards, videos, webquests, books, posters, trading cards, lesson plans, word searches, puzzles, speeches, articles, animations, biographies, and more (click the titles for the link): (more…)

This week, February 16-22, 2025 is DiscoverE’s Engineers Week. Their tagline:

“A week-long event, a year-long commitment”

Do you wonder why anyone would be passionate about engineering? Overall, engineering offers a combination of intellectual challenge, real-world impact, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. By pursuing a career in engineering, students can contribute to meaningful projects, solve complex problems, and make a positive difference in the world.

What is Engineers Week?

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