Weekly Tech News and Tips for November 4, 2016

Please accept my apologies for the delay on last week's post, due to the Wi-Fi emergency at the elementary. Hopefully all will be resolved there later this week. I'm sure you are as sick of election coverage as I am. The blitz is certainly on now before tomorrow's election day. Take a little time to escape it and read about the latest news in ed tech. Hopefully you'll find something that interests you, and you can use in your classroom. As always, please feel free to comment below the post, or let me know if you'd like help trying something new. Don't forget (as if you could) to vote tomorrow!

• How is This Better Than Paper?
• 10 Google Classroom Time Savers for Teachers
• Protect Sheets and Cells in Google Sheets
• 10 of the Best Google Docs Add-Ons for Teachers
• Use JoeZoo to Save Time Grading in Google Docs
• Get Collaborative with Nearpod
• Smartypins - a Geographic Trivia Game in Google Maps

How is This Better than Paper?

How is This Better than Paper? from Teacher Tech by Alice Keeler

If you are struggling with how to use technology in your classroom, or what assignments/projects to convert to technology, this blog post provides you with some questions to ask yourself and points to consider. See if this is helpful for you in finding useful ways to integrate tech into your classroom.

10 Google Classroom Time Savers for Teachers

10 Google Classroom Time Savers for Teachers from Ditch that Textbook, by Matt Miller
Google Classroom already saves teachers time by making it easy to share or duplicate documents for students, and then track them and grade them. Here are some ways you  can save even more time with Google Classroom.

Protect Sheets and Cells in Google Sheets

Protect Sheets and Cells in Google Sheets, From Better Cloud Monitor
Sometimes when sharing a sheet with students, or anyone else for that matter, you need to protect some of the cells in a sheet, or a sheet in a workbook so the other users don't edit a formula, or other information on the sheet. Here's how to protect those areas, and still make the sheet editable by others.

10 of the Best Google Docs Add-Ons for Teachers

10 of the Best Google Docs Add-Ons for Teachers, from Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
As you recall, Add-ons are those helpers in Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms that add the bells and whistles features that are otherwise missing. They tend to make our lives a little easier by helping with things like citations, mathematical equations, voice typing, diagrams, flowcharts and mind maps, and more. Check out the list and see if there's anything you can use.

Use JoeZoo to Save Time Grading in Google Docs

Use JoeZoo to Save Time Grading in Google Docs from Practical Ed Tech with Richard Byrne

With some initial set up, JoeZoo Express is a Google Docs add-on that can save you time when grading student documents. You can save canned comments to insert into your students' documents, as well as inserting a link to another online resource for review.

Get Collaborative with Nearpod

Get Collaborative with Nearpod, from A Lever and a Place to Stand by Amy Roediger

For those of you who use Nearpod, or are thinking about using it, soon there will be a new feature called Collaborative. This new feature allows your students to post their ideas on a common board. See how this teacher uses it in her science class.

Smartypins - A Geographic Trivia Game in Google Maps

Smartypins - A Geographic Trivia Game in Google Maps, From BetterCloud Monitor
Test your students' geography knowledge with Smartypins. Answer a trivia question by placing a pin somewhere on the map. The closer you are to the correct location, the more kilometers you keep, and the longer you play. You can select from categories, such as March Madness, Arts & Culture, Science & Geography, Sports & Games, Entertainment and History & Current Events.