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.