🗑️ Subscriber Appreciation Week begins!

🤖 Meet M2, an AI co-teacher for your classroom

I got a package in the mail recently 📦 … an M2 co-teacher device from Swivl!

If you haven’t heard about M2, it’s a device you can set up in your classroom that’s ready to answer questions, provide guidance, support students, and more.

I wrote about M2 recently here: 10 ways to co-teach with AI

I recorded an unboxing video to show off M2 — and posted it on TikTok. (Are you following me on TikTok yet?)

💻 TECH TIP 💻

🎵 Make a custom song for students on their birthday

In my teacher AI workshops, one of the tools I love sharing is Suno (suno.com). It generates songs you can click play and listen to — all about whatever you want.

There are lots of classroom uses (vocabulary words, new concepts, order of operations, classroom transition themes, etc.). But there’s one I really love …

Custom birthday songs.

On a student’s birthday, tell Suno all about a student — their interests, their favorite things, their personality — and the music genre. It’ll create a song about them. Use it to celebrate their special day!

Suno’s free version is really good. I’ve always been able to do whatever I wanted without needing an upgrade.

FYI: They have the Suno Teachers Program that lets you get 500 free song creations (5,000 credits) for free. I filled out this form to join. It’s from an old social media post, so I’m not sure if they’re still monitoring it … but you might check it out!

💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

🎁 Your subscriber appreciation gift basket!

We love our readers … and that means YOU. You’re the reason we do what we do and we are so thankful that YOU chose to subscribe!

That’s why subscriber appreciation week is dedicated to YOU. We have a subscriber appreciation basket full of digital goodies just for you. Because you’re amazing and we want to thank you for being part of the Ditch That Textbook family.

We would LOVE to send a gift basket directly to your door with all of your favorite things …

… but I’m pretty sure I don’t have room in my house for more than 100,000 baskets to fill. (Can you imagine all the Amazon orders it’d take to fill them? And the look I’d get from the post office when I dropped them all off?!?)

Instead, we have a superb digital gift basket full of wonderful stuff!

Directions:

1. Click on the red button to get to your gift.

2. Click the yellow gift to open it.

3. Click around on your gift basket to explore all of the gifts!

Here’s what you’ll find inside …

1. A “raffle ticket” for books and merch 📗 👕

I put it in quotes because it’s not a real ticket … but you can register to win five Ditch That Textbook swag packs! They include your choice of …

• TWO of my books (see them on Amazon here)

• An item from the DTT merch store (visit the merch store here)

... plus some DTT stickers!

HOW TO ENTER: Open the gift basket (with the red button above) and click on the raffle ticket. Then, fill out the form. That’s it! (Once per person.) We'll draw FIVE winners at random on Sunday, April 21 and notify them via the email address provided. 

2. A “raffle ticket” for a $100 Amazon gift card 💰

You can get just about ANYTHING on Amazon …

… and you know this doesn’t have to be for your classroom, right? This is $100 for one lucky winner — to do WHATEVER he/she wants with it.

HOW TO ENTER: Open the gift basket (again, red button above). Click the Amazon gift card. Fill out the form (once!). We'll pick ONE winner at random on Sunday, April 21 and notify them via the email address provided. 

3. A virtual escape room bundle 🔐

This one comes directly from Karly Moura, our blog/social media editor and resident escape room guru!

She makes fantastic virtual escape rooms at VirtualEscapeRooms.org … and she’s made some exclusively for us — and is giving them away for free in this gift basket!

Each includes a getting started guide, answer key, hint cards and printable signs for successful escapers.

Directions:

1. Click the button for the escape room you want.

2. Use code DITCHBOOK25 at checkout.

3. You’ll have the escape room delivered to you for free!

🏫Escape the Classroom

In this escape room you’ve been locked in the classroom, and it’s up to you to escape! You must solve four challenging puzzles to find the secret 4-digit number lock. Click around, uncover hidden clues, and use your smarts to crack the code. The clock’s ticking and you’re the key to your freedom—let the escape begin!

🏰Dungeons and Division

An exciting virtual escape room adventure where you will embark on a quest to save the kingdom by harnessing the power of the Elemental Gems and defeating the fearsome dragon lurking within the depths of the dungeon. Prepare to test your wits, teamwork, and mathematical skills as you solve a series of challenging and fun division puzzles.

🧝🏼Link’s Lost Adventure

If you loved the Legend of Zelda then you’ll love this escape room! In this escape room your knowledge of Hyrule is put to the test! Your first task is to unlock the hidden map. Then you must travel through the land and solve a series of puzzles to uncover the 4 magic gems. A prize awaits you once your quest is complete.

Watch for Thursday’s email!

Subscriber appreciation week rolls on all throughout the week! Watch your inbox on Thursday. We’ll tell you more about the things in your basket — and continue to appreciate you some more!

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!