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TCEA Membership

Explore Our New TCEA Account Portal

by Robert Bennett
written by Robert Bennett

Here at TCEA, we’re a big believer in the idea that, as the times change, the tools need to change too. And for a good while now, we’ve heard from our members that they wanted a portal that was more accessible and user-friendly, as well as a platform where they can pay invoices, register for all events, and purchase courses, all in one convenient place. That’s why we’ve switched to our brand new TCEA Account Portal! We invite you to learn more about the new portal and explore these new, exciting changes.

*Please note that this is an entirely new system, and therefore your old TCEA username and password will not work.

To log in, you’ll want to choose “Set Up an Account” on our sign-in page. You can either sign in with social or your email. Then add your preferred password, and your first and last name to create a login.

The system will then identify if you’re an existing contact or member, have you verify the account, and update your contact information. Then voila! You’ll officially be able to log in to your TCEA Account Portal.

Note: If you are using a brand new email address, the portal will also ask you to also verify it for security purposes.

For more guidance, check out this video on how to create a new login for the TCEA Account Portal:

Your journey with TCEA just got a whole lot easier! We’re excited to bring you this new and improved experience, designed with your needs in mind. And we’re here to support you every step of the way, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me, Robert Bennett, Director of Member Engagement. I am more than happy to help!

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Announcements/Important DatesTCEA Membership

Two Days Only: Free TCEA Membership! 

by Robert Bennett
written by Robert Bennett

TCEA members now get automatic, free renewal for their membership every year. But this Teacher Appreciation Week, you can pay it forward to your non-member colleagues and friends by letting them know: TCEA will be offering free membership this Monday and Tuesday, May 2-3 for anyone and everyone! Remember, it’s not just for Texas educators. We have TCEA members from around the globe.

free membership May 2-3

As a TCEA member, you’ll get access to:

Be sure to share this with your friends who aren’t yet TCEA members! Encourage them to join today (or tomorrow!)- because all TCEA members will get access to our Teacher Appreciation Week session with Pernille Ripp, taking place Wednesday, May 4! Attendees will walk away with ready-to-implement ideas and strategies for embedding choice and voice and guiding students in driving their own academic achievement and growth.

And one more thing: Join or restart your membership for free this week, and TCEA will send you a free copy of our curated list of more than 1,500 Jamboard templates. These are for all grade levels and subject areas, allowing you to save time and make your classroom more engaging. 

Don’t hesitate – you’ll need to join today or tomorrow to access these offerings!

JOIN NOW FOR FREE

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free membership
Announcements/Important Dates

TCEA Offers Free Membership This Week Only

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

As a big thank you to educators around the world for all that they’ve done for their students this terrible school year, TCEA is offering one year of free membership May 3-7, 2021. This offer is good for both new members and for existing or returning members.

Now while free anything is a great deal, and saving $49 by getting TCEA’s one-year membership is fantastic, that’s not the main reason to become part of TCEA. Here are just a few of the many, many reasons to join us.

TCEA Saves You Time

No one has enough time in today’s world, especially if you are a busy librarian or teacher or administrator. But TCEA can actually give you back some time through the resources and services that we provide.

  • Looking for a particular digital tool to help a certain population of students? Ask in our online Community and get immediate, tried-and-tested answers from more than 50,000 colleagues in the field.
  • Want to know what the latest research says about the best instructional strategies to use? Send an email to one of our professional development staff members who are current on what research says works in the classroom and they’ll get you a detailed reply.
  • Need a quick, anytime tutorial on a specific piece of software? Check out the more than 50 video guides on ways to incorporate technology with learning.
  • Take advantage of our free membership this week and we’ll send you a copy of our latest ebook 51 Fun Tech Tools and Resources for Busy Educators. It’s filled with curated tools that you have never seen before and that will really pack a punch in your classroom.

TCEA Helps You Sharpen Your Learning

If ever there was a time when educators needed to better hone their skills, it’s definitely now. As we finish up a year of remote teaching and learning and move into whatever the next phase of education will look like, all of us need to make sure we have the knowledge and skills necessary to help students. And nobody does professional learning better than TCEA.

  • Start with our weekly, free-to-members livestreams of key topics for all educators. Offered in short bursts, these 30-minute Lunch and Learn webinars feature innovative tools, engaging lesson ideas, and tons of curated resources. All of the webinars are then recorded and uploaded to the PD Library in our online Community, where you can watch them whenever you want.
  • To help you keep up with all of the research and new digital learning tools that are available, TCEA provides a daily, award-winning blog. From detailed lessons to reviews of new Web 2.0 resources, student engagement pieces to high-impact instructional strategies, you will be current and knowledgeable with this resource.
  • If you’re charged with keeping up with new ed tech products on the market and how they can help your students, then again, TCEA has what you need. Our partners provide weekly livestreams on the latest and greatest products and their best uses in the classroom or library.
  • Want to talk more with your nearby peers or maybe see some innovative programs on their campuses? Our 20 area directors help to connect members locally with webinars, coffee chats, conferences, and meet-ups. You can learn all about what they are offering in the area group you belong to in our Community.

TCEA Helps You Innovate Teaching

The need to help students recover from a year of the pandemic is foremost on most educators’ minds. Whether it is in a specific subject area or the ability to connect in a face-to-face way with others or to embrace social emotional learning, this next year will be the time for innovation in the classroom and library and in how education works as a whole. And again, TCEA is here to help you.

  • Listen to the weekly Ed Tech Club podcast to learn about innovative approaches to common problems. TCEA interviews experts from around the country who share their knowledge and insights with you.
  • Take on a new instructional strategy or improve your skill with a specific tech tool by taking one of our online, self-paced courses. Starting at just $29, these courses are designed to quickly give you the additional professional learning you need to make real, relevant change in the classroom.
  • Because TCEA partners with educators from around the world and with other educational associations, our members always have access to new best practices. Check out the Summer Learning livestreams with our friends from IDEA (Illinois), MACUL (Michigan), and NETA (Nebraska) on topics like social emotional learning, culturally responsive teaching, esports, and computer science and computational thinking K-12.

And that’s just a small overview of everything that TCEA provides to its members, the dedicated educators who are on the journey with us to learning without limits. So take advantage of the free membership this week and be sure to pass it along to your friends and colleagues. The offer ends at 5:00 p.m. Central on Friday, May 7, 2021.

One more thing: Join or renew for free this week and TCEA will send you a free copy of our latest ebook 51 Fun Tech Tools and Resources for Busy Educators. I guarantee that there are tools in this ebook that you have never heard of before and that you will want to use!

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tcea membership
Announcements/Important Dates

Free TCEA Membership This Week

by Robert Bennett
written by Robert Bennett

Using technology to create lasting learning has been the focus of TCEA for 40 years, and this year, you need all the support you can get. So we’re doing more than ever to connect educators and meet your needs.

To help give educators the tools, ideas, and community resources you need to succeed, you can join or renew your TCEA membership for free, for a full year, when you sign up this week.

To help support everyone during this time (and beyond), TCEA today is offering free, one-year membership in the organization. The free membership includes all of the online learning, resources, networking, and other features that can help you not only survive this scary time, but also thrive in it. The free membership is open to anyone, regardless of where you live or work; whether you are in a public school, private school, or home school; whether you are a teacher or administrator or librarian or counselor or technician or anyone working in education today; and whether you live in Texas or beyond.

It’s a great time to fall for TCEA — and join a cozy community of outstanding, engaged educators. We think of it like a warm blanket of resources, professional networking, and professional learning. 

What You Get with Your Free TCEA Membership

Here are just a few of the benefits of joining our community of educators and lifelong learners:

  • The largest community-and-expert-developed resources for remote learning tools
  • A vibrant online TCEA Community with more than 33,000 active users
  • Weekly live and on-demand webinars created by and for educators
  • Three years of professional learning recordings, available on demand and when you want them immediately
  • 80+ hours of annual, free CPE credit
  • Free SketchUp Pro software, a $495 value
  • Advocacy updates from the Texas Legislature to inform you of changes in educational policies
  • Free ebooks on innovative topics like makerspaces, digital icebreakers for collaboration, and transforming learning
  • And more

SIG-nificant Benefits

Plus, as a member, you can join any of our Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Each of these vibrant, peer-led groups help members explore topics and ideas they’re most interested and active in. 

The SIGs include:

  • CAMP-SIG (for campus technology specialists, instructional coaches, and anyone who works with adult learners)
  • EI-SIG (for anyone interested in equity and inclusion)
  • LIB-SIG (for library media specialists)
  • ROBO-SIG (for those interested in the teaching of robotics)
  • TA/CS-SIG (for those working in Technology Applications and Computer Science areas K-12)
  • TEC-SIG (for CTOs, technology directors, and instructional technology leaders)
  • VL-SIG (for those interested in virtual learning)

Harvest a Bounty of Benefits

Fall into TCEA today. You can join or renew your membership for free, but only until the end of the day Friday, October 30.

Click here to pump up your professional learning network.

Leaders: Want to sign up your entire team, school, or even district all at once for free this week? You can do all that by filling out this Excel sheet with your team’s information (with their consent, of course), and emailing it to Robert Bennett, Director of Member Engagement, at rbennett@tcea.org. 

Don’t delay. Together, we can achieve more!!!

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professional development
Announcements/Important DatesProfessional Learning

Weave Together Perfect Professional Development

by Kristy Breaux
written by Kristy Breaux

TCEA is more than just an event, it’s a community. That’s why our annual TCEA Convention & Exposition is designed to create a professional development experience that meets the needs of a variety of dedicated educators, all sharing a vision for the future.

Every educator, from administrators to classroom teachers, faces a diverse array of challenges, and each deploys their own knowledge and skills in different ways. Put simply, no two teachers are alike. So when we planned our 2020 TCEA Convention & Exposition, we worked to ensure that a variety of different specialities and topics in education were addressed. We call these strands.

It’s our hope that over the five days of world-class presentations and conversations, you find resources from all the strands that touch on your work and professional learning. Here’s how you can weave together these strands to reflect your personal approach to education.

Step 1: Make Sure You’re Registered

You can’t jump into all that content if you’re not registered. Choose the badge type that’s right for you or your group and submit your registration here. Don’t forget, registration comes with a one-year membership or renewal in TCEA, so you can be a part of a vibrant education community year-round and continue the learning.

And remember: Registration prices will increase on January 10, so don’t delay!

Step 2: Explore the Strands

With over 1,000 expert-led presentations, it can be hard to narrow down the sessions that meet your requirements, interests, and needs. So check out the strands below, and find the ones that fit you for a customized convention experience.

  • Application Immersion: Deep dives into the use of a software or application so you can use the apps that increase learning with ease and confidence.
  • Leadership and CTO: Sessions designed to help decision makers find the best products, services, and purchasing practices, along with big-picture ideas for training and coaching, as well as district and campus visioning and leadership.
  • Library Media: Discover the latest and best in multimedia learning, including ways to engage students in the learning process, conduct research, and become responsible consumers of information and good digital citizens.
  • Online and Blended Learning: Insights to help you flip your classroom or augment your in-class work with the most effective virtual classroom technologies. Find the tech that helps keep learning going beyond the classroom.
  • Pedagogy and Instructional Design: Boost creativity and productivity, explore open educational resources, and find the tools and techniques for lesson planning, technology integration, and more.
  • Professional Development: Find new, effective ways to connect with peers, staff, and colleagues through technology, from strategies and models for making connections to the smartest means for measuring outcomes.
  • Special Populations: Best practices, new technologies, and proven strategies for supporting learning with ELL and bilingual students, GT and gifted students, and students with special needs.
  • Technology Applications and CTE Courses: Create computational thinking in the classroom and pick up the newest and most useful strategies and tools for teaching coding and CTE, as well integrating STEM/STEAM into teaching and learning.
  • Technology Support and IT: Upgrade the ways you keep faculty, staff, students, and parents safe online. Find the latest trends, tech, and techniques for securing network infrastructure, managing hardware and software, and providing technical support.

Step 3: Find Your Professional Development Sessions

Now that you’re excited, jump into the sessions that fit you. You can find all the sessions for TCEA 2020 online. Even better, you can search by strand or keyword and explore everything the convention has to offer.

It’s that easy! Although, if there were a step four, it would be: Start planning now — February will come sooner than you think. So get ready! We’re excited to see you there.

unsplash-logoPhoto: Sergio Gonzalez
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teacher appreciation
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Teacher Appreciation Week and Our Thank You to You!

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We’re showing our appreciation for all that amazing educators like you do every day, and it’s even better than a cute cupcake!

During Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6–10, 2019), TCEA will offer all current and retired educators, administrators, and librarians free, one-year TCEA memberships, regularly priced at $49. It’s one way we show our gratitude for your dedication and hard work and celebrate the advancement of digital learning.

TCEA members strengthen their professional learning network, gain valuable professional development, and discuss ideas, trends, tips, and techniques with their peers and experts. And this week, you can secure those benefits for an entire year, all for free. If you’re already a TCEA member, you can renew your membership for another year, again at no cost.

SIGs Too

In addition, our six Special Interest Groups are also offering complimentary membership during Teacher Appreciation Week. Join one, some, or all of them without paying a dime and dive into specialized learning and powerful online conversations.  The SIGs include:

  • CAMP-SIG (for campus technology specialists, instructional coaches, and anyone who works with adult learners)
  • LIB-SIG (for library media specialists)
  • ROBO-SIG (for those interested in the teaching of robotics)
  • TA/CS-SIG (for those working in Technology Applications and Computer Science)
  • TEC-SIG (for CTOs, technology directors, and instructional technology leaders)
  • VL-SIG (for those interested in virtual learning)

Still curious about TCEA membership? Your free one-year membership includes:

Ask a Digital Expert

As an added thank you for all that you do, please join the TCEA staff on May 7 and May 9 for a day of Facebook Live professional learning and “ask a digital expert” opportunities. We will be broadcasting from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. CDT both of those days and would love to have you join us with your questions and topics you’d like to discuss. We’ll also be sharing out some useful tidbits and ideas on topics such as:

  • Hacks for G Suite
  • 3D Printing
  • Safeguarding Sensitive Data
  • Digital Breakouts
  • The Latest Educational Research
  • Cyber Safety and Security
  • Future Technologies
  • Techifying Formative Assessment
  • Coaching for Educators
  • G Suite in the Classroom Tips
  • Leadership
  • Ideas for Campus Technology Specialists
  • PBL Made Easy
  • Encryption

Make a Plan for Teacher Appreciation Week

To help you plan ahead, we have created a rough schedule of conversation topics below; however, you are welcome to jump in at any time to ask questions on any topic throughout the day. This live stream is meant to be convenient for you, so please do not hesitate to work off your schedule and needs.

Time

 Topic

TCEA Team

6:30 am – 7:30 am

Tips for Instructional Leaders

TCEA Executive Director, Lori Gracey

7:30 am – 8:30 am

Chat with TCEA Social Media Experts

TCEA Communications Team:

Sara Qualls

Andrew Roush
8:30 am – 6:30 pm

Ask a Digital Learning Expert

TCEA Professional Development Team:

Peggy Reimers

Diana Benner

Miguel Guhlin

Bruce Ellis

We hope you will take advantage of these offers and begin exploring, or advancing, your digital learning journey through TCEA’s tools, resources, and expert advice, all for the low price of $0.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to TCEA’s Senior Director of Membership Chance McKee at cmckee@tcea.org.

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time and money
AdvocacyCoding/Computer ScienceFundingProfessional LearningRobotics

TCEA Saves You Time and Money

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Every time I speak with TCEA members throughout the state, I ask “What are the biggest challenges you face in your professional life?” Every time, the answer is “I need more time and I need more money. How can TCEA help me with that?”

Boy, do I have answers for you! I’ve outlined below a few ways TCEA helps provide members with the gift of both time and money, all while helping you accelerate student achievement through the use of technology.

Saving You Time

  • TopSchoolJobs – This is a member benefit that saves you time by making the search for your next role in education a breeze. Additionally, you receive a free resume review when you create a profile!
  • Free CPE Credit – Stop wasting time hunting down professional development. TCEA  has all your PD needs covered through free webinars, which can also be found in the TCEA Community. These typically provide .5 – 1 CPE credit per webinar.
  • TechNotes Blog – Looking for a specific resource and need to find it fast? Keyword search the TCEA blog for immediate results on whatever ed tech topic you desire. This content-rich resource is a great way to track down resources on-demand.
  • TCEA’s Student Contests – Robotics, Computer Science, or 3D Design – these help save you time by providing you with unique activities for your students to teach them problem solving and critical thinking skills in a fun STEAM environment. Register today for TCEA’s 3D Design Contest!

Saving You Money

  • Commonbond Partnership – New member benefit alert! TCEA has partnered with CommonBond, a leading student lender, to bring you loan refinancing to tackle your student debt. In addition to this benefit being absolutely free, all TCEA members, family, and friends get a $200 cash bonus when they refinance with CommonBond. Not just saving you money, but making you money. That’s value.
  • SketchUp Pro License ($495 value) – You read that right. TCEA has been granted the exclusive rights in the state of Texas to provide free licenses of SketchUp Pro to all K-12 public school educators and students for school-owned computers. The 3D modeling software is normally $495 per license and is easy and intuitive, allowing anyone to model in 3D quickly and accurately. Use it for your students to participate in our 3D Design Contest!
  • Learning.com’s 8th Grade Technology Literacy Assessment – Through a partnership with Learning.com, TCEA offers all Texas districts a technology literacy assessment for eighth grade students at no cost to the district. The assessment includes a blend of interactive, performance-based questions and multiple-choice, knowledge-based questions to measure and report technology literacy and skills for middle school students. This provides districts with the data they need to understand how well students grasp critical 21st century skills. It is based on the Technology Application TEKS (TA-TEKS).
  • TCEA Certifications – Now, admittedly these cost money up front. But if you want to make more money in your future, professionally develop yourself by adding one of these certifications to your resume. These are a great way to gain expertise in a structured environment with guidance to help you become a master in that particular role.

Both Time and Money

  • TCEA’s empowerED program – Saves you time and money because:
    • It’s dirt-cheap professional development (starts as low as $39/enrolled educator).
    • A majority of your campus or district administrators and educators will be enrolled, keeping you all on the same page and working as one cohesive unit to accelerate student learning through the use of technology. This makes for a more efficient teaching and learning experience campus- or district-wide (which will save you time over the long term).
  • Ed Tech Day at the Capitol – The only real way you will see any sort of institutional change is by attending this event to educate your legislators (who dictate to your profession) on exactly what you need to be successful in the classroom. If only 15 people show up, they won’t take notice. If 1,500 people show up, maybe they will. Join us to affect real, lasting change.

Hopefully, this better explains how TCEA provide members with the gifts of time and money. The content and resources we offer are tailored and structured within a professional environment where you can network with others, grow your PLN, advance your own career, and lobby your legislators to make real change, all without expending too much time or money to do so, which means you can focus on what you do best: accelerating learning for your students.

Learn more about all that TCEA has to offer you. 

Featured Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

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TCEA Social Community
Announcements/Important DatesProfessional Learning

Grow as Educators Together in the TCEA Community

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Welcome TCEA members (and not-yet members)! Check out the video below where I’m sharing with you one more reason you’ll want to be a member of the incredible TCEA network. As one benefit of your membership, you’ll automatically become part of the online TCEA Social Community. This is a place where you can get your questions answered, brainstorm solutions with other educators, and increase your PLN.

As educators, we each have our areas of interest and expertise. Imagine what we can do with all our knowledge combined! I hope you enjoy my video message to you sharing the different types of groups in the TCEA Community and how they can help you. If you’re a member, and you haven’t already, please take some time to check out the Community and see what it can do for you. You’ll be glad you did.

 

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champion
Announcements/Important DatesProfessional Learning

You Are the Champions, My Friends

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As another school year dawns, it’s time, yet again, to take off your sun hat and put on your Champion cape. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, a librarian, a principal, or a school technology specialist, the students’ triumphant return brings exciting, new challenges!

Are You a TCEA Member?

I hope many of you reading this are already TCEA members. And I really hope you’re taking advantage of everything membership can offer you. TCEA advances technology in education to create student success. You can join the TCEA Community to get advice and share solutions with other educators. Or you can attend one of our events or bring learning to you with a range of professional development opportunities. And don’t forget the free webinars! Take one in during your lunch break or whenever is convenient.

Now, Are You a Champion?

Of course, I can tell you about these and all our other benefits until I’m blue in the face. But I’ve found that the greatest spokesperson for TCEA and all that we can offer is…you.

I would love for you to put your knowledge to work by becoming a TCEA Champion and helping to spread the word about TCEA to your colleagues. This is an elite group. Only 200 TCEA members will be accepted as TCEA Champions for 2018-2019.

Who Are the Champions?

TCEA Champions are true leaders within their profession. They can see the big picture of how technology can transform Texas’ education system.

TCEA Champions are helpers who understand that student achievement is the ultimate goal. They believe that “we” is more important than “me.” And they support their colleagues in growing their skill sets and taking on new challenges. This creates a ripple effect of increased knowledge for the educators, administrators, and most importantly, students.

Champion Perks

As a TCEA Champion, you will inform your colleagues about the benefits of TCEA membership and ask them to become members. As a reward, TCEA will provide you with:

  • One $10 gift card for every three new paid members you recruit
  • One $50 gift card for every five new paid members you recruit
  • One $200 gift card for every ten new paid members you recruit

It’s really that simple.

I will provide all TCEA Champions with an easy-to-use recruitment guide and tools to set you up for success so you feel supported every step of the way. Apply to be a TCEA Champion here or email me, Senior Director of Membership Chance McKee, at cmckee@tcea.org with any questions.

Be the Change

Texas’ education system is facing a lot of challenges right now. Help advance your profession by becoming a TCEA Champion. Share with your colleagues the importance of educational technology to set Texas students up for learning equity and future success. Keep up the incredible work, because more than anything, we at TCEA are beyond appreciative of everything you do for Texas students, and all we can say is “thank you.”

 

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TCEA Social Community
Educational TrendsGood TeachingProfessional Learning

Fill Your Toolbox with Incredible Tech Resources

by Joe Vasquez
written by Joe Vasquez

Are you looking for innovative ways to integrate technology into your classroom? TCEA membership paves the way with incredible tech resources that can enhance your curriculum while bringing learning to life. And at just $49 for a full year, it’s a bargain. Here are some resources for your consideration.

Sharpen Your Skills

TCEA Membership - tech resourcesUnlock 80+ hours of CPE credit by attending TCEA’s popular webinar series: Advocacy Updates, Lunch and Learn, and Get Your Google On. Connect and share valuable resources in real-time with educators from around the country, and access our online library of recorded webinars on a broad array of technology and teaching topics.

Stock Up on Tech Resources

TCEA Tech Resources - eBook SeriesFill your toolbox with incredible, free resources for curriculum planning and technology implementation from TCEA’s eBook publications and coveted app lists. Designed to integrate technology, critical thinking, and STEM learning into schools, classrooms, and libraries, our eBook series and app lists are trusted resources to develop your curriculum and enhance classroom learning.

Stay on the Cutting Edge

TCEA Tech Resources - TechEdge magazine and TechNotes blogKeep ahead of the game with TCEA’s TechEdge magazine and TechNotes blog through educational insights, timely information, and recommended tools that can save you time and introduce you to new solutions. Explore our archives of TechEdge magazines and browse through a variety of educational topics, including blended learning, BYOD, Google tips, makerspaces, and so much more.

Additionally, stay on the cutting edge by gaining access to SketchUp Pro software licenses at no cost. The 3D modeling software is free for all K-12 Texas public school educators and students. Visit this blog to learn more.

Staying abreast of today’s ever-changing educational landscape is critical in keeping students on the cutting edge of learning. Let TCEA guide you in finding the perfect tools and tech resources for your classroom.

 

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