Weekly Tech Tips and News for December 16, 2016

© 2016 Pixabay

It's almost here...the last week of school before Christmas break! Now that winter has finally arrived, and definitely made it's presence known, it's actually starting to feel like Christmas is coming. The anticipation is building, the excitement is growing, and last minute preparations are underway. If you find yourself needing a break from the holiday hustle and bustle, here are some ed tech updates, tips and ideas to use for your own productivity, or in your classroom with your students. Several are useful for everyone, not just teachers. If you find one that is particularly helpful for you, please comment to let me know. Feel free to comment also if there are topics you'd like to see in the future. As always, if you need help using any tech in your classroom, I'll be happy to help you out.

• Cleanly Manage Multiple Google Accounts
• 11 Common Gmail Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
• G-Suite Updates:  Quickly and Easily cite Your Sources with Explore in Google Docs
• Want More Efficient, Effective Meetings? It All Starts With Google Calendar
• Khan Academy Introduces Grammar
• Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings
• Google Drawings + Google Sheets = Badging System!
• Digging Into Design Thinking: 10 Key Ideas

Cleanly Manage Multiple Google Accounts

Do you have more than one Gmail account? Maybe your work account and a personal account? I am often asked why a user cannot see their bookmarks for their home Gmail account, or why a feature in Calendar isn't working for them. Usually the answer is because he or she used the Add Account feature to log into more than one Gmail account in the same Chrome window. There is a better way to have two (or more) different Google accounts open at the same time.

11 Common Gmail Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

11 Common Gmail Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) from BetterCloud Monitor
Do you sometimes feel you could get more done if you didn't have to spend so much time email? There are some tips in this group that you will love! Particularly helpful is the ability to bookmark important emails or settings so you can access them easily, forwarding an entire thread of an email, using Canned Responses for those times when you send the same email out many times, sending personalized mass emails, sending messages from Dropox, undo send, identifying fraudulent links in an email without clicking on them, creating a contact group, and archiving emails instead of deleting. Which of these tips will speed up your email chores?

G-Suite Updates:  Quickly and Easily Cite Your Sources with Explore in Google Docs

In a recent G-Suite (formerly Google Apps) update, Google introduced the Explore tool. Some of you may have been missing the Research option, which disappeared a few months ago. It has morphed into Explore, which is available in Docs, Sheets and Slides. What is Explore? Like Research used to, it is a way to search for and cite research and image sources from within the document you are working on. As you are entering text into your document, click on the explore tool in the lower right of your document, sheet or slide. Search suggestions will appear based on the information you've already entered, or you can conduct your own search as well. Once you've decided on a source, place your cursor in the document where you'd like the footnote to be, simply click the quotes that appear when you hover over source in the Explore pane, and  Explore automatically numbers your footnote and inserts it at the bottom of the page. You can also choose from the three main footnote styles. Check out the video below for a demonstration of how it works.

Want More Efficient, Effective Meetings? It All Starts With Google Calendar

Want More Efficient, Effective Meetings? It All Starts With Google Calendar, from Better Cloud Monitor
Use these tips for inviting others to meetings in Google Calendar to make them as efficient as possible. Use the description field, attach meeting agenda and other resources, mark invitees required or optional, include the location, and learn to love the Speedy Meetings feature.

Khan Academy Introduces Grammar

Khan Academy has introduced their newest subject...Grammar. If you are looking for ways to supplement your grammar lessons, or provide extra practice for your students, here's a resource to take a look at. There are over 90 exercises available, including videos to introduce each topic. This is also geared to anyone, not just teachers, who need a refresher on grammar skills - based on the posts I see on social media, many of us need a boost in that area. Click here to become a "grammarian" (Khan Academy's term for those participating in the Grammar course).

Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings

Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

Instead of purchasing an expensive set of magnetic poetry words, losing some of the words, or not having enough words, you can now make your own set in Google Drawings. Each student can create their own magnetic poetry creation that can be saved and shared. Eric includes a free template, with a winter theme, in this post that you can use, customize and share with your students. 

Google Drawings + Google Sheets = Badging System

Google Drawings + Google Sheets = Badging System, from Learn Lead Grow by Matt Bergman

We all know kids love to receive stickers when they do well, they also like to earn badges for concepts they have mastered. The badges can be printed for them to post on their locker or desk, as well as put into a chart and shared with students and parents to show their progress - and they're free! Those progress charts no longer need to be limited to viewing in the classroom.This post shows how easy it is to make your own custom badges in Drawings (no you don't have to be an artist), and post them on a chart in Sheets. The badge at left took me less than 10 minutes to make, and consists of a circle shape, two clipart images and word art.

Digging Into Design Thinking:  10  Key Ideas

Digging Into Design Thinking:  10  Key Ideas, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller

We all know our job is to prepare students for the world they will live in as adults. Since there will continue to be fewer and fewer repetitive, low thought process jobs, educators must find a new approach to focus on teaching critical thinking and creative problem solving. One approach to this is the maker movement, or design thinking. Here are ten tips for implementing it in your classroom.

Weekly Tech News and Tips for December 9, 2016

We're already at the end of the second week of advent! It seems like each week gets busier and busier as we prepare for Christmas. This week, classroom teachers in grades K-6 received an early Christmas gift:  new, wall-mounted projectors. (The last one will be installed after school today.) Thank you so much for your flexibility during the installation process. This week's topics include a piggy-back on last week's creative commons article:  a quick way to search for free images while still in google Docs. There are also several other updates and tips, as well as some resources and ideas to use with your students. Please let me know in the comments below if you find any of them helpful - or if you use any of them and how they worked out.

• How to Search for (and Add) Free Images Right Within Google Docs
• How to Share Google Docs With People Who Don't Have Google Accounts
• Classroom Guardian Summaries No Longer Just for Gmail Accounts
• Creating Eye-Popping Infographics with Google Drawings
• How to Distribute Digital Stickers in Flubaroo
• Why You Should Start Using Google Keep Right Away
• Math Playground
• 7 Lessons About Electricity
• Student-Made E-Books: A Beautiful Way to Demonstrate Learning

How to Search For (and Add) Free Images Right Within Google Docs

How to Search For (and Add) Free Images Right Within Google Docs, from Better Cloud Monitor
This is an easy way to find images that are legal to reuse, while still in your Google Doc. Your students should definitely be using this method, as it ensures they are not accidentally using copyrighted images and videos.

How to Share Google Docs With People Who Don't Have Google Accounts

from Free Technology For Teachers by Richard Byrne
This is a huge shortcut, that turns your file into a PDF and attaches it to an email right from within Google Docs. When sending documents to parents, or anyone else outside of ASA, you should always convert your documents to PDFs, so they can be read from any device (not everyone has Google or Word), and so the recipient cannot make any changes.

Classroom Guardian Summaries No Longer Just for Gmail Accounts

With the next update to Classroom, teachers will now be able to share Guardian Email Summaries with all parents - not just those who have Gmail accounts. These summaries automatically notify parents of missing work, upcoming work and class activity. It is another great tool for keeping parents in the loop with student homework.

Creating Eye-Popping Infographics with Google Drawings

Creating Eye-Popping Infographics with Google Drawings, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Here's an additional way for your students to summarize their information in a fun and creative way. It's also another answer to the "what do you use Google Drawings for, anyway" question. Included in the post is a screencast video to show you how he built an infographic in Drawings.

How to Distribute Digital Stickers in Flubaroo

From Free Tech for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Flubaroo is an add-on for Google Sheets, that allows teachers to automatically grade tests and quizzes given in Google Forms. Now you can add stickers to your students' grade notification message.

Why You Should Start Using Google Keep Right Away

Why You Should Start Using Google Keep Right Away, Computerworld, Mike Elgan
This article has the best description I've seen about how to use all the features in Google Keep. Keep allows you to make reminders (recurring reminders, too!), lists that you can check off, take notes, take photos that turn into searchable notes, make audio notes and lists, and sketch. It's available on any device (iPads, iPhones, Android phones, Windows phones, computers, etc.) so your reminders, notes, lists, etc. are with you at all times. You can also share these notes, reminders, lists, etc., and they integrate with all the other Google products, like calendar, drive, and all the rest.

Math Playground

Do your students struggle to grasp math concepts, such as money, place value, or telling time on an analog clock? Math Playground is a site full of math games for grades 1-6, and covers all aspects of math, including addition/subtraction, multiplication/division, fractions/decimals, geometry, ratio /percent, and pre-algebra. You can search for games by grade level, or by concept. There are also logic games and brain teasers. The site is Kid Safe Certified, and students do not need to create an account to play games. This could be a fun way to review specific trouble topics with your students, or a productive "free time" choice.

7 Lessons About Electricity

7 Lessons About Electricity, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Looking for resources for electricity lessons? Here you are.

Student-Made E-Books: A Beautiful Way to Demonstrate Learning

Student-Made E-Books: A Beautiful Way to Demonstrate Learning, From Cult of Pedagogy by Jennifer Gonzalez
This blog discusses why to create eBooks, gives many ideas for eBooks, as well as how to create them in PowerPoint. Those instructions could easily be converted to Google Sheets by changing the Page Setup (File-Page Setup) to custom and entering 8.5 x 11.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for December 2, 2016

On the heels of Thanksgiving, we begin our wait for Christmas. I hope you find time for some reflection and peace during this busy holiday season. Here are some time saving tips, ideas to use in your classroom, as well as some resources or ideas to use either for yourself, or with your students. Especially important is the Creative Commons post, that explains how to legally use images and videos in our own work, with out any copyright violations. This is not only something we all need to be aware of, but we need to teach our students that it is illegal to use for free any photo or video from the internet unless it is licensed for free reuse. In some cases, it's as simple as giving the creator/owner of the image credit, in other cases they expect payment to use the image. As always, if you need help with any new tech ideas, please let me know, I'll be happy to help!

• Tic-Tac-Toe, Solitaire & Animal Sounds: All Now in Google Search
• 9 Ways to be a Good Digital Citizen
• Creative Commons Explained in Simple Terms
• How to Quickly Copy Formatting in Google Docs
• How to Hide Private Info in a Shared Google Doc
• Emoji Writing Prompt Generator with Google Sheets
• Create Narrated Map Tours on a Chromebook
• 18 YouTube Channels for Elementary Math
• Sir Richard Attenborough's Story of Life App

Tic-Tac-Toe, Solitaire & Animal Sounds: All Now in Google Search

Tic-Tac-Toe, Solitaire & Animal Sounds: All Now in Google Search, from Better Cloud Monitor
Need a break? Here are some entertaining diversions that you can quickly access from a Google search.

9 Ways to be a Good Digital Citizen

9 Ways to be a Good Digital Citizen, from GoGuardian Blog, by Cammie Allen
Here are some great talking points to use when reminding students about digital citizenship. This is something we need to remind them of so often it should become a mantra. Most of us are lucky in that our awkward stages and youthful transgressions were not recorded for posterity. This generation has so many advantages, but that can be a double edged sword when every interest and phase of their lives is on display for the world to see. We need to teach and remind them from a young age to protect their current and future selves online.

Creative Commons Explained in Simple Terms

Creative Commons Explained in Simple Terms, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Did you know it's illegal to copy and paste any image from the internet into your newsletter or presentations? It's an infringement of copyright laws. This is an important distinction we need to be teaching our students as well. The photos I use in this blog are all either my own, or labeled for reuse in a Google search. (Search Images, click Search Tools, select Usage Rights, then Labeled for Reuse, or Labeled for Noncommercial Reuse.) Please take a moment to familiarize yourself and your students with this law.

How to Quickly Copy Formatting in Google Docs

How to Quickly Copy Formatting in Google Docs, from Better Cloud Monitor

The Paint Format icon is a terrific time saver when formatting a document.

How to Hide Private Info in a Shared Google Doc

How to Hide Private Info in a Shared Google Doc from Better Cloud Monitor

DocSecrets is a handy add-on for Google Docs when you need to share a document, yet still keep some of the information hidden.

Emoji Writing Prompt Generator with Google Sheets

Emoji Writing Prompt Generator with Google Sheets from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Students love emojis, and because they are pictures, even the youngest students can use this prompt. The best part is, you don't have to create the spreadsheet prompt, it already exists for you to copy and use.

Create Narrated Map Tours on a Chromebook

Create Narrated Map Tours on a Chromebook, from Free Tech For Teachers by Richard Byrne
There are 13 short videos included here that result in a very in-depth tutorial for MyMaps and Tour Builder, as well as other mapping resources. Learn how to add places to your map, adding layers to compare information, uploading photos or video to attach to your places, customizing place labels, sharing the map so it can either be viewed or edited for collaborating, importing data from a spreadsheet, as well as the drawing and measurement tools.In video 5, Tour Builder is also covered, where you can created a guided tour of your map.You can either choose to have students use a screencasting app, such as Screencastify, Nimbus Screenshot or Capture Cast (I'll need to push the app of your choice out to students, so let me know if you want this option), or they can simply record a video of themselves talking about each place, and upload it to the place marker.

18 YouTube Channels for Elementary Math

18 YouTube Channels for Elementary Math, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Looking for resources to enhance your math instruction? Here is a list, with descriptions, of YouTube channels to which you can subscribe for more ideas and instruction. If you include links to them on Infinite Campus or your web page, you can also make them available to parents who may be trying to help with homework.

Sir Richard Attenborough's Story of Life App

In honor of Sir Richard Attenborough's 90th birthday, BBC Earth has released over 1,000 of the best wildlife moments filmed by BBC documentary crews. This app is available in both the App Store for iOS and the Play Store for Android, and it's free! All the videos have been narrated by Attenborough himself. You can not only view the videos in various collections. but you can create your own collection and share them as well. You can search by species, behavior or habitat. These videos are not only wonderful educational resources, but just plain amazing to watch. I can't wait until I get home to stream them - I sure hope our increased bandwidth arrives at ASA soon so all of you can stream them in class!