What's a good app/website to use in your classroom?

In today's digital age, educators are inundated with so many tools and resources. It's often hard to figure out what is good to use and Common Sense Education is a great site to help you out with this.

Why Common Sense Education?

• Comprehensive Reviews: Offers unbiased evaluations of edtech tools, helping educators make informed decisions.
• Digital Citizenship Curriculum: Provides age-appropriate lessons to instill responsible online behavior in students.
• Professional Development: Features webinars, articles, and training materials to enhance teachers' digital literacy.

Classroom Application: Imagine integrating a new app into your lesson plan. Before implementation, consult Common Sense Education's reviews to assess its suitability. Additionally, utilize their digital citizenship lessons to prepare students for responsible usage.

Common Sense Education isn't just a resource; it's a partner in fostering a safe and effective digital learning environment.

Save Time with AI: Brisk Teaching's New Tools for Teachers

I was reminded about an AI tool from Monica Burns' blog.  This could be a game-changer for getting ready for the new school year. You know that feeling, right? The one where you're drowning in lesson planning, grading, and trying to figure out how to give every student what they need. Well, what if you had an AI assistant that could handle a lot of that for you?

I'm talking about Brisk Teaching, and their new updates are pretty cool. They’re all about saving us time and helping us with that whole differentiated instruction puzzle.

So, What's the Big Deal?

It syncs with Microsoft. This is huge for me as I'm a Microsoft School. Now you can sign in with your Microsoft account, and their new Edge browser extension lets you save all your generated content directly to OneDrive. Super simple. 

Lesson Planning, but Smarter. They have this feature called Brisk Next that gives you personalized suggestions for your lesson plans. It's like having a planning buddy that knows your curriculum.

One Prompt, a Full Unit. This is probably my favorite part. The new Bundles feature can generate a whole set of aligned resources—like handouts, quizzes, and even a quick activity—all from just one prompt. Think of all the time that will save you!

Real-time Student Insights. With Boost Learning Insights, you can get real-time data on how your students are doing. It's great for quickly seeing who’s got it and who needs a little more help.

Grading in a Flash. Let’s be real, nobody loves grading. But the new Batch Grading feature lets you grade multiple assignments at once with different feedback styles. This could seriously cut down your weekend workload.

I think it's definitely worth checking out. They're even offering three free months of premium access through a special link. 
Let me know if you end up trying it! I'd love to hear what you think.