Empower Your Classroom
TechCheck is intentionally designed to function perfectly as an isolated, plug-and-play tool for easy integration into any class. It also empowers educators through seamless synergies with the broader TFE ecosystem.
The "Living Curriculum" Pipeline
Use a new TechCheck episode as a high-energy lesson hook to introduce complex new topics. Start class with a 5-minute video to immediately capture student attention and spark discussion before diving into instruction.
TFE Academy Extensions
After watching or listening, transition students to the TFE Academy Current Events Tab to read related articles, complete writing prompts, and engage in deeper structured classroom discussions.
Distinct, Fresh Content
These episodes are entirely separate from the current events tabs found in the physical TFE Textbooks. This ensures students are always getting fresh, distinct material rather than overlapping content.
Homework & Curriculum Freshness
Assign an episode as lightweight homework to keep the curriculum relevant outside school hours. Students can watch on YouTube, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or play the audio right on the episode page — whichever their device and network allow.
Grade-Band Playlists
Each grade band has its own dedicated playlist with episodes designed for appropriate cognitive pacing. Visit a playlist to find all episodes for your students.
K – 2nd Grade
Welcome to TechCheck for K-2! Introduce your early learners to the exciting world of technology with our dynamic weekly news series. We take big, real-world tech events and break them down into fun, bite-sized, and highly visual stories designed specifically for young minds.
3rd – 5th Grade
Welcome to TechCheck for Grades 3-5! Keep your students plugged into the fast-paced real world with our weekly tech news series. As students become more independent online, we explore what is happening right now in the tech industry in a highly engaging, age-appropriate format that bridges the gap between classroom theory and real life.
6th – 8th Grade
Welcome to TechCheck for Middle School! Equip your K-12 students with essential 21st-century digital skills by connecting them to the real world. Released every school week, this series dives into major tech industry shifts, delivering easily digestible, multimedia current events tailored for a middle school audience's cognitive pacing.
9th – 12th Grade
Welcome to TechCheck for High School! Step out of the classroom and into the fast-paced tech industry. This weekly series provides older students with in-depth, digestible analysis of the latest real-world current events, ensuring they graduate with the digital literacy and industry awareness required for the modern workforce.
Google Classroom Integration
Every episode on TechCheck includes a Share to Google Classroom button. With a single click, teachers can push any episode directly to their Google Classroom as an assignment, question, or material.
Use Schoology or Canvas instead? Those buttons copy the episode link and open the site for you. Paste it into a Schoology Link material or a Canvas module's External URL item.
Comprehensive Domain Coverage
News topics are specifically based on the following core domains, helping students build essential 21st-century skills.
Digital Literacy
Understanding how to navigate, evaluate, and create digital content responsibly.
Netiquette
Practicing respectful and ethical behavior in online communities and digital spaces.
Programming
Building computational thinking skills through coding concepts and real-world examples.
App Development
Understanding the process of designing, building, and deploying software applications.
Game Development
Exploring how video games are designed, programmed, and brought to market.
Cyber Security
Learning how to protect personal data and stay safe in an increasingly digital world.
Web Development
Understanding how websites are built, maintained, and how the internet works.
Artificial Intelligence
Exploring AI concepts from basic machine learning to real-world AI applications.
Free Classroom Kit
One reusable worksheet per grade band, plus a Google Form you copy into your own account for grades 3 and up. They are deliberately generic — pair them with any week's episode and students learn the routine once. Each band also has two take-home sheets: a family guide to the safest ways to watch at home, and a student guide.
Grades K–2
Grades 3–5
Grades 6–8
Grades 9–12
Listen Anywhere
Every episode is also a podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the full show, or add a single grade band's feed to any podcast app — and the audio plays on the episode page itself, which works on networks that block video.
The TechCheck Download · All grades
The complete show, every band