EdTech Alchemy · Field Guide Vol. 1
Better learning with the tools you already have.
Five classroom ideas for teachers working with ordinary tools, tight schedules, and students who need their attention.
16 pages · Five ideas you can adapt · No new purchases required
Inside the guide
Five ideas for lessons you already teach.
Recipe 01
A Form That Responds to Students
Use one question to send students to review, practice, or a challenge.
Recipe 02
Shared Slides for Better Feedback
Help students notice something specific, offer one useful suggestion, and revise their work.
Recipe 03
One Device, Four Jobs
Keep every student thinking when a group has only one screen.
Recipe 04
Feedback Students Can Use
Give one clear next step and a chance to revise an online assignment.
Recipe 05
AI for Lesson Planning
Use AI to brainstorm while protecting student information and keeping teacher judgment in charge.
Made for an ordinary school week
You do not need a new platform to improve tomorrow’s lesson.
This guide is for teachers working around absent students, aging devices, uneven access, short planning periods, and technology that does not always cooperate. Each idea starts with a recognizable classroom problem and offers one manageable thing to try.
Every idea includes: what you need, steps for the lesson, something to watch for, and a page you can use while planning.
The teacher check
Who gains access? Who carries extra work? What data moves?
Also ask who is left waiting, who needs another way into the lesson, what student information is involved, and whether the technology creates more work than it solves.
A note from Paul
“Use what you have. Teach the lesson better.”
I have worked in schools where the budget was tight, the devices were aging, and the internet connection was unreliable. The work still had to get done. Teachers taught me to start with the lesson, use what was available, and pay close attention to what helped students learn.
Paul Richter · Middle School Principal · Educator and Technology Tinkerer
For the next lesson and the one after that
Join the EdTech Alchemy Field Notes.
Field Notes is where I share classroom ideas that may help with a lesson or problem you are working on. I write when I have something worth sharing.
Already subscribed? Download the Guide now.
A few useful answers.
Is it really free?
Yes. Download and share the unmodified guide with attribution.
Is it tied to one platform?
No. Each recipe starts with a learning goal, so you can adapt it to the tools your school already uses.
Can I use it with a team?
Absolutely. Use the classroom plan with a teaching team, department, coach, or professional learning group.
