Thank You for Listening & What’s Next
June 12, 2026
The Final Episode of the Tech Tools for Teachers Podcast — For Now
After eight seasons and 235 episodes, we are wrapping up the Tech Tools for Teachers Podcast.
For the last eight years, we’ve talked about free technology that teachers can use in their classrooms. We started this podcast at our kitchen counter with two microphones, a snoring dog in the background, and a simple idea: share helpful tools with educators in a way that felt practical, approachable, and easy to use.
A lot has changed since then.
When the podcast began, the focus was often on fun websites, classroom tools, and creative ways to use technology with students. Over time, the conversation shifted. Technology became more than something “extra” to try. It became part of how teachers communicated, planned, supported students, and adapted to huge changes in education.
Through 2020 and the years that followed, video tools, digital resources, and online learning supports became essential. Now, education is shifting again with AI tools that help teachers save time, build lessons, create materials, and manage the ever-growing list of things asked of them.
At the same time, we are also seeing an important shift back toward balance.
Students need technology skills, but they also need time away from screens. They need to write on paper, solve problems with their hands, collaborate face-to-face, read print resources, get outside, and have space to think without constant digital input.
Technology can be powerful, but it is still just a tool. The heart of education is still people: teachers, students, families, and communities.
One Final Tool: 1,000 Hours Outside
For the final episode, we still had to share one more resource: 1,000 Hours Outside.
The idea is simple: spend more time outside.
The site encourages families and students to track outdoor time with the goal of reaching 1,000 hours outside in a year. They offer free printable trackers, including coloring-style pages that make tracking outdoor time visual and fun.
And getting outside does not have to be complicated. It can be:
- reading on the porch
- drawing with sidewalk chalk
- watching clouds
- playing catch
- walking to the library
- helping a neighbor with yard work
- hiking a local trail
- sitting outside and enjoying fresh air
The goal is not perfection. Even if you do not hit 1,000 hours, the tracker encourages families to be intentional about unplugged time.
In my district, we recently created a summer outdoor challenge inspired by the same idea. Students received a bingo-style card with simple outdoor activities to complete over the summer. If they complete five activities, they earn extra outdoor time in the fall and get entered for a chance to win unplugged activities like board games and snacks.
It’s a small way to encourage families to pause, go outside, and do something together.
Favorite Tools Along the Way
Over 235 episodes, we’ve shared a lot of tools. Some were practical. Some were creative. Some were just plain fun.
A few favorites that came up again in this final episode include:
- Bouncy Balls for classroom noise management
- Blob Opera for pure joy and musical creativity
- Canva for Education for student projects, posters, choice boards, and professional-looking classroom materials
- Google Slides for creating posters, timelines, newsletters, modified assessments, and so much more
- Trello for organization
- Claude for AI-supported planning and brainstorming
These are the kinds of tools that teachers have come back to again and again because they save time, support students, or make learning more engaging.
What We’re Proud Of
The goal of this podcast was always simple: help teachers.
Teaching is hard. Time is limited. Resources can be expensive. If this podcast helped someone find a free tool, build a better lesson, support a student, save a little time, or feel less alone in the chaos of teaching, then it did what it was supposed to do.
That is what I’m most proud of.
What’s Next?
For now, we’re taking a pause.
Life is full right now with family, school, community work, and all the moving pieces that come with this season. But this probably is not goodbye forever. We enjoy podcasting together, and there may be something new in the future. It might be education-related. It might be something totally different. We’ll see.
For now, the website will stay up, and all the resources will still be available at smartinwi.com.
Thank you for listening, sharing, learning, and trying new things with us over the years.
Go educate and innovate.
~ Shanna
TECH MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE