Free tools to improve recorded audio

Noisy classroom, poor-quality laptop? Trying to get the students to create multimedia stories on their school laptops or iPads in the classroom or library? Been there and done that. Adobe podcast is an online solution you can use to not only record a podcast but also get your students (and you) to learn the best … Read more

Virtual Appointments App – Microsoft – Save Time with Parent Teacher Bookings and more…

It’s called virtual appointments and you can add that in as an app in to MS Teams… In our education context I am thinking Parent Teacher Interviews, booking support for PD, maintenance, coaching and even booking out equipment. The app enables a seamless end-to-end experience for business-to-customer engagements, integrating schedules, analytics, and management options, all … Read more

Comics in Education – discussion and how to

I like comics. From Tin Tin to the Phantom I only wish Shakespere, Hemingway and others offered accessible comics through publishers when I was studying along with some cynic character in the margin notes pointing out what I really should be paying attention to. Comics in Education: A Powerful Learning Tool Comics have long been … Read more

Using CoPilot (ChatGPT) in your Edge Browser

It’s time to open the pod bay doors HAL. 1968 was when that line from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clark and Stanley Kubrick appeared, proving that the concern about AI interference has been around for a very long time. The other clear message is that denial is more than just a river … Read more

Holidays = unsubscribe. But before I do…

During work time I don’t tend to unsubscribe. Like some digital hoarder, I hope that the sites I have subscribed to in the name of researching, testing or exploring educational sites or tools will deliver me a gem to share with others. Well, halfway through our Taiwan backpacking adventure I have a quiet morning to … Read more

Teacher IT Workshop for One Please

The best learning takes place when the listening is happening. Sounds easy but many things need to align before that simple statement becomes a reality. When you have one-on-one coaching sessions, that alignment has a greater chance. The other day out at one of the newer primary schools in the Northern Territory, Zuccoli, I enjoyed … Read more

SMOOTHIES 23i2 – Microsoft Education Adobe Podcast and Animate from Audio

In this week’s episode of Smoothies, I covered the new Podcast Tool from Adobe. It’s still in beta but it is fantastic. It allows you to record a podcast or an audio file in any environment. Through AI it cleans up any background noise and allows you to edit using text because it actually converts … Read more

SMOOTHIES and Learnshifting

SMOOTHIES stands for Short Multimodal Online Opportunities To Help Interested Educators Succeed These Friday afternoon 15-minute informal online learning opportunities have been running since before the COVID pandemic and were the main reason I ended up running the upskilling training for teachers who potentially had to deliver classes online during the COVID dark days. To … Read more

Reading Parents – count words read to your kids

Reading Parents – an idea for adapting reading progress to have parents track the number of words they read to their children at home in the same way they might count their steps when they go walking. I don’t work for Microsoft but Reading Progress is a great free tool for use in schools and … Read more