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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With the disturbing news about plummeting math scores here in the US, it’s good to review math teaching in your classroom and consider better ways to deliver lessons to students. The Ask a Tech Teacher team has ideas for you:

How to Make Learning Math More Interactive and Engaging

Math has a reputation—either you love it or avoid it like a pop quiz you forgot to study for. For many students, the struggle isn’t about intelligence but how math is taught. Endless drills, repetitive problem sets, and old-school memorization techniques can make even the most curious minds switch off.

But here is the thing: math does not have to be boring. It’s hidden in video games, sports stats, music beats, and even how your favorite social media app recommends content. The problem is that most teaching methods do not expose these fascinating aspects of mathematics.

Thankfully, technology, video games, and interactive hobbies may alter the story in the modern day. Here are some strategies to make arithmetic interesting and remembered, whether you’re a teacher, parent, or just a kid looking to transform math from a chore into something fun.

Photo by Joshua Hoehne from Unsplash

Embracing Technology: Letting AI Do the Heavy Lifting

Students have spent hours stuck on tedious calculations for years, often missing the bigger picture. But what if AI could take the drudgery out of math homework while keeping the learning experience engaging?

This is where an AI homework helper comes in handy. Instead of spitting out answers, these intelligent assistants provide step-by-step explanations, personalized hints, and interactive problem-solving guidance.

AI tools automatically free up repetitive tasks so that students can focus on the logic, strategy, and creativity behind math. It’s like having a patient tutor on call around the clock who never gets bored of repeating the same lesson. AI-powered insights may also be used by parents and teachers to monitor student progress and uncover problems early.

Gamifying Math: Because Who Doesn’t Love a Challenge?

Let’s be realistic: kids would spend hours fighting to beat one level of their favorite video game, but focusing on math for 20 minutes? That is a fight and a half. The good news is that gamification taps into that same drive.

Apps like Prodigy, DragonBox, or Mathletics use challenges, rewards, or competition to make learning seem like an achievement rather than a chore. Earning points, unlocking new levels, and competing with classmates turn math into a game rather than just another subject.

Even the most low-tech games can be fantastic. Math scavenger hunts, escape room-style puzzles or even classroom competitions can help foster friendly rivalry and greater engagement. When math is no longer a chore but a challenge, students are automatically interested in bettering themselves.

If a game can hold a student’s attention for an hour, why not harness that power to make math stick?

Hands-On Learning: Math Beyond the Textbook

Some require you to see, touch, and perhaps experience it for that “click.” Hands-on activities are a total game-changer.

Want to teach fractions? Get students to bake a pizza and then split the slices. Exploring geometry? Get them to build models with LEGO or paper folding. Practicing probability? Use card games, dice, or real life, such as predicting weather.

Math isn’t just adding numbers on a worksheet; it involves budgeting, measuring, estimating, and analyzing. Wherever students encounter real-life math, their understanding builds, and concepts become practical rather than abstract.

The best thing is that simple classroom surveys, pattern recognition games, or real-life problem-solving projects can make mathematics more hands-on for even a resource-poor classroom teacher as long as that is relevant to real life instead of living inside a book.

Collaborative Learning: Math Is More Fun Together

Have you ever noticed how students explain things better than sometimes even the teacher? That’s the power of collaborative learning.

Math is frequently viewed as an individual task, but when students collaborate, they develop fresh viewpoints, innovative problem-solving techniques, and a greater comprehension of the subject. Peer tutoring, team problem-solving contests, and math debates are examples of group activities that transform learning from a solitary endeavor into a shared experience.

Teachers can encourage this by using think-pair-share activities, where students discuss a problem before solving it. Parents can facilitate this by creating study groups or encouraging kids to teach each other what they’ve learned.

Learning is always more engaging when it feels like teamwork. Plus, explaining a concept to someone else solidifies understanding better than any worksheet ever could.

Overcoming the “I’m Simply Not Good at Math” Attitude

Belief is one of the biggest obstacles to learning arithmetic, not aptitude. Too many children are raised believing they are “not a math person,” yet everyone can succeed in math if they take the proper approach.

Embracing the challenge of letting go of a “fixed mindset” is the crucial first step.The brain functions similarly to a muscle. The more you work it out, the more powerful it becomes. Instead of telling pupils, “I’m bad at math,” encourage them to consider, “I’m still learning this.” Parents and educators may support this by highlighting effort rather than just outcomes.

Teachers and parents can reinforce this by praising effort, not just results. If a student struggles, don’t focus on the mistake—focus on how they’re improving. Studies show that students who believe they can improve in math perform better over time.

Math is not an exclusive club—it is a skill, just like reading or playing an instrument—the more interactive and engaging the learning process, the easier it is for everyone to succeed.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema from Unsplash

Conclusion: Small Changes, Big Impact

Math doesn’t have to be a never-ending worksheet marathon. When learning is interactive, engaging, and relevant, students understand math better and enjoy it.

Through the help of AI, tools with gamification, hands-on activities, teamwork, and strategies from the growth mindset, math could transform into something worthy to face from just an added burden. To educators needing innovative methods for a topic or for any student doing their homework and attempting to figure things out through mathematics, every slight shift may add up.

Try just one of these methods today—you might be surprised how quickly math starts to click.

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.

Here are fun Valentine sites to fill those few minutes betwixt and between lessons, projects, bathroom breaks, lunch, and everything else (click here for updates on this list):

1. Drag-and-drop games
2. Google Drawings Magnetic Poetry from Ctrl Alt Achieve
3. Games and puzzles
4. ‘I love you’ in languages Afrikaans to Zulu
5. Match
6. Puppy jigsaw
7. Rebus game
8. Sudoku
9. Tic-tac-toe
10. Typing
11. Write in a heart

Do you use any I missed? If you’re looking for more, here’s my collection of holiday lesson plans, easily adaptable to Valentine’s Day.

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Integrating Technology in Education for Modern Classrooms

Embracing technology is crucial for modern educators aiming to enhance their teaching methodologies and foster student engagement. In today’s classrooms, technology serves not just as a tool but as an essential part of the learning environment. Understanding its role and potential can transform traditional teaching into an interactive and efficient experience.

The integration of technology into education is not merely a trend but a necessity in our rapidly advancing world. As an educator, leveraging technological tools can significantly enrich your teaching methods and student interactions. Various platforms such as Canvas, AI-driven applications, and PowerPoint have become staples in classrooms, facilitating diverse and dynamic learning experiences. By understanding and utilizing these resources, you can create a more engaging educational environment that caters to various learning styles. An online electrical and computer engineering degree can equip educators with the necessary skills to effectively implement these technologies in their teaching practices. (more…)