A Classroom Timer That You WIll Love!

This is what the students will see

The Teachit Timer is by far the best classroom timer I have discovered. The fact that the timer shows both the time gone and the time remaining is quite useful. You can also show the current time. There are many ways to customize the timer with alerts, buzzers, etc. As you get into testing season (wait, isn't it always testing season), you will like this great tool.

This is where change the timer settings.

Video Tools You'll Love!

In this post I will share a couple of video tools that I have been using recently in my classroom. They are both easy to use and will make your life much more efficient.

The first tool is a Google Chrome extension...AdBlock. As you can infer, this app only works if you are using Chrome as your web browser. In order to explain why I love this app, let me share with you an anecdote you probably have also experienced...

I love incorporating short YouTube video clips to help explain the concepts I teach. However, I used to loathe being forced to show my students commercials before I could get to the actual video. During that 30 seconds, students can easily become distracted and I would often lose that teaching momentum that was leading up to the video. Alas, AdBlock removes this obstacle and lets you get directly to your video clip without silly distractions like commercials (especially inappropriate commercials).

FYI, a student showed me this great Google Chrome extension. If you haven't browsed through the Google Chrome Store, you are missing out on some really neat resources to make web browsing more efficient.

The second tool is something I discovered from EdSurge's weekly email called Clip Converter. This great little website allows you to download YouTube videos.  If you work in an environment with spotty Internet access, you can download the video the day before you teach and have it ready for your lesson. If I was being observed by an administrator, I would definitely have my videos on hand in order to avoid any embarrassment.