Tech News and Tips for August 5, 2016

Charlevoix Lighthouse, July 28, 2016

It's hard to believe that August is already here. Although I'm clinging to summer with all my might, we have to reluctantly face the truth that school starts later this month. (gulp) So as the sun sets on Summer 2016, now is the time to start thinking about how to integrate tech in your teaching. Just start by adding one new thing this year. Using technology in your classroom can be as simple as having students work on a project and submit it via email, while teaching them proper email etiquette and form, or as advanced as introducing virtual reality using Google Cardboard to zoom through space to visit the planets - or anything in between. Not to worry,there's help at your disposal. This year I will have office hours at both campuses so I can be at your disposal to help you with tech projects. Assuming Jeff is once again our tech instructor, he has often expressed an interest in working with teachers on classroom projects and assignments involving tech - so use him as a resource to teach your students the tech portion of a project. My office hours at the beginning of the school year will be MS Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and at the ES Tuesdays and Thursdays. This schedule will be subject to change when we get the GRPS services schedules, as I'll be using the same room they do at the elementary. Here's what's new or inspiring in tech.

• Google Apps Update:  Choose a File Location When Copying Files
• Chromebook Gestures
• What Kids, Tweens and Teens are Watching on YouTube
• Google Apps Training at Your Fingertips
• New ISTE Standards for Students
• 5 Google Resources You Never Knew Existed
• 10 Ways to Start the School Year With a Bang

Google Apps Update:  Choose a File Location When Copying Files

This is both a nice time saver and will reduce confusion. Previously when you made a copy of a file in Google Drive, it automatically placed the file in the My Drive folder. You then had too go looking for it to move it where you really wanted it to go - if you even realized where it had been copied. Now you will be able so select which folder you'd like to move the file to as you are making the copy.

Chromebook Gestures

Chromebook Gestures by Gabriel Brangers for Chrome Unboxed

Here are some gestures to use with Chromebooks to make it much easier to navigate around. Two that I use all the time are two finger scrolling and two finger tapping to right click. Check out the article for even more to use and teach your students.

What Kids, Tweens and Teens are Watching on YouTube

Common Sense Media brings us another helpful video, showing what kids are watching and what to beware of. YouTube is part of Google Apps for Education (GAFE), but as such, it is limited to restricted mode, so students shouldn't be able to run into anything inappropriate. Something to keep an eye on when kids are online - especially during free time.

Google Apps Training at Your Fingertips

Have you ever wished you could have on-demand instructions for something you want to do in Google Apps - while you are in the app? Now you can with in-app training! Say you wanted to learn how to create and use canned messages in Gmail. Simply sign in to your ASA Gmail account, open Gmail and click the Training extensionright next to your avatar or initial). Then just either choose a lesson from the list of Gmail lessons, or use the search to look for the one you want. Follow the onscreen instructions for an interactive lesson right where you are in Gmail. This works for all the core Google Apps: Gmail, Calendar, Classroom, Docs, Drive, Forms, Google+, Groups (not to be confused with contact groups), Hangouts, Sheets, Slides, and Sites.

New ISTE Standards for Students

New ISTE Standards for Students from the K-12 Blueprint blog by Tech & Learning

The International Society for Technology in Education last updated technology standards for students in 2008. This summer they issued new student tech standards. A new category was added for computational thinking. Read the blog to learn how to integrate these standards into your classroom. You may even find you have already integrated many of them. 

5 Google Resources You Never Knew Existed

5 Google Resources You Never Knew Existed by Shaelynn Farnsworth

Here are some great resources for your classroom, such as Google Map game Smarty Pins, museum artifacts with Google Cultural Institute, exploring Marseille with Google Night Walk, researching the world's constitutions with Constitute Project, and many others with Chrome Experiments.

10 Ways to Start the School Year With a Bang

10 Ways to Start the School Year With a Bang, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Get the 2016-2017 school year started on a good note with these tips.