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.