The House of #EdTech SmackDown is back — and episode 265 delivers the 12th annual celebration of educator-shared tools, ideas, and inspiration. This fan-favorite episode brings together contributions from teachers, coaches, podcasters, and edtech leaders who share what made a real impact in classrooms and schools throughout 2025. From AI-powered writing feedback and study tools to creative multimedia platforms, productivity apps, and wellness tech, this episode is packed with practical ideas you can use right away.

#EdTech Thought: Integration Isn't Seasonal

I focused on a common trap in education: waiting for the "right time" to change practice.

New semesters, new marking periods, or new years often feel like the natural moment to reset. But great technology integration doesn't follow a calendar. It happens incrementally, through reflection, experimentation, and iteration, even when the school year feels messy and unfinished.

The takeaway is simple but powerful: You don't need permission from the calendar to teach differently tomorrow than you did today.

The 2025 EdTech SmackDown Recommendations

This year's SmackDown features a wide range of tools and ideas, spanning AI, creativity, productivity, assessment, and wellness.

Chris's Recommendations

Raina AI introduces creative ways to support studying and student engagement, including the concept of "Brain Rot" videos.
Genially for interactive and gamified learning experiences.
123Apps as an all-in-one media creation toolkit.
Chronicling America from the Library of Congress for primary source research.
ICE - https://icemenubar.app/
Latest - https://max.codes/latest/
Rocket - https://matthewpalmer.net/rocket/

AI & Writing Support

Beat the Computer (shared by Stephanie Howell) helps students improve writing by focusing on feedback and revision rather than replacement.
Gemini is highlighted as a tools for educators, including writing Google Apps Scripts to automate workflows (Dan Gallagher).

AI, Engagement & Study Tools

Brisk Teaching and custom GPTs (shared by Dr. Dan Kreiness) demonstrate how AI can support instruction without removing teacher agency.
Brainfreeze AI (Matt Miller) allows educators to build their own AI agents for classroom use.

Creativity, Media & Design

Canva Code and ongoing innovation within Microsoft 365 (Martin Byford).
QuickTales (Batsheva Frankel), which blends audio storytelling with formative assessment.
Adobe Express animations and digital signage workflows (Brian Carpenter).

Content, Research & Instruction

Wayground (Quizizz) for video-based instruction and AI-supported grading (Rebecca Autry).
Desmos / Amplify phonics review tools (Linda Hummer).

Derek Larson's Annual SmackDown Deep Dive

No SmackDown episode would be complete without Derek Larson, who once again delivers a rapid-fire breakdown of tools and ideas educators should know about.

This year's highlights include:

Google Keep for organization and workflow
StoryGraph for reading and reflection
Instapaper for managing long-form content
Teaching AI across multiple content areas
Health and wellness apps like Capsule, Easy Fast, and Sleep++

Derek's segment reinforces an important theme of the episode: productivity and wellness tools matter just as much as classroom tools.

You can explore Derek's curated archive of recommendations at https://appsmackdown.com

House of #EdTech VIP: You

The episode closes with the House of #EdTech VIP segment — and once again, the VIP is YOU the listener.

I reflect on the fact that this podcast exists because educators are willing to share, contribute, and support one another. The SmackDown isn't just an episode; it's a snapshot of a professional community learning together.