Weekly Tech Tips and News for December 21, 2017

2017 K.Szczytko 
William Peace University, Raleigh, NC

Here we are, the last day of school before Christmas break, and the final days before Christmas. The anticipation level keeps rising in the classrooms and hallways, culminating with the students bursting out of the school this afternoon, ready for their week and a half break. I'm sure the teachers will not be far behind. As you go forth, ready for family, fellowship and celebration, stay safe and find time for some relaxation, peace and rest. When the excitement of Christmas subsides, maybe you'll be ready to tackle some new tech tricks in the new year. Make sure you check out the Santa Tracker before Christmas, and the site for getting rid of all your junk snail mail. Peace and blessings to all of you!

• G Suite Updates:  Menu and Toolbar Changes in Docs and Slides
• Google's Santa Tracker is Back with More Holiday Goodies
• An "Ah-Ha!" Moment Using my Favorite Text to Speech for Emergent Readers in G Suite
• A Tip for Unorganized Google Drive Users
• Crash! Bang! Boom! How to add Google Drawings Comic Strips to Your Class
• Three Good Ways to Create Instructional Animations
• Say Goodbye to Paper Catalogs and Junk Mail

G Suite Updates:  Menu and Toolbar Changes in Docs and Slides

Changes have been made to the menus and toolbars in Docs and Slides to make them more consistent. According to the G Suite Updates blog, the following changes have been made:

• In Docs and Slides, “Lists” in the Format menu has been renamed “Bullets and numbering.”
• In Docs and Slides, “Show spelling suggestions” has been renamed “Spelling” and moved from the View menu to the Tools menu.
• In Docs, “Document outline” has been renamed “Show document outline” and moved from the Tools menu to the View menu.
• In Slides, “Import slides” has been removed from the Insert menu.

These changes are expected to appear shortly after the first of the new year.

Google's Santa Tracker is Back with More Holiday Goodies

Google's Santa Tracker is Back with More Holiday Goodies, from Chrome Unboxed by Gabriel Brangers
Think of the Santa Tracker as a digital Advent calendar, with a new interactive activity every day. On December 24th, it will track Santa's progress all night. Now there is also a Santa Tracker Chrome extension for your Chrome browser so you can defrost your screen and keep a count down going to Christmas. If you are out and about on Christmas eve, there's also a Santa Tracker app for Android.

An "Ah-Ha!" Moment Using my Favorite Text to Speech for Emergent Readers in G Suite

An "Ah-Ha!" Moment Using my Favorite Text to Speech for Emergent Readers in G Suite, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert

Continuing with her Text to Speech series, Ms. Limpert explains the usefulness of having words from websites read aloud. 

A Tip for Unorganized Google Drive Users

A Tip for Unorganized Google Drive Users, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

If organizing your files in folders doesn't come naturally to you, check out these search tips for finding them again. 

Crash! Bang! Boom! How to add Google Drawings Comic Strips to Your Class

Crash! Bang! Boom! How to add Google Drawings Comic Strips to Your Class, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Comics always catch kids' eyes, and they can be instructional too. They love reading them, and they love making them, so why not use them in both ways? Step by step instructions are included in this post.

Three Good Ways to Create Instructional Animations

Three Good Ways to Create Instructional Animations, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Here are some free, simple tools when you need to quickly animate a concept - no artistic ability required.

Say Goodbye to Paper Catalogs and Junk Mail

I don't know about you, but I hate receiving paper catalogs - especially here at school. We receive multiple copies of the same catalog, none of which are ever read. The same goes for other unrequested junk mail. It's such a waste of money and natural resources, but trying to remove yourself from all these mailing lists is such a huge time commitment. Not anymore. I recently discovered the wonder of CatalogChoice.org. This is a free service, but you will need to create an account and sign in.  After your account is confirmed, start cancelling catalogs and other junk mail. It helps to have the mailer(s) in front of you so you have all the pertinent info ready. For each one you cancel, you will be directed to that company's opt out web page, and even provided with the text to copy/paste into the message. In the dashboard you can view your Opt-Out History and see how many natural resources CatalogChoice has saved.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for December 15, 2017

maxpixel.freegreatpictures.com

This week's post is arriving a couple days early, as I will be out of town for the rest of the week. My husband and I are putting our proud parent hats on and traveling to celebrate his youngest daughter receiving her Masters degree from North Carolina State. Hopefully our flight isn't delayed due to the snow storm that seems to be in full swing. As is fitting for advent, we are definitely in a state of anticipation:  preparing for travel, waiting to be reunited with family, anxious to celebrate such a hard-earned accomplishment, and looking forward to a brief break from the snow. Just like the preparations and waiting for Christmas and our family celebrations, most things that we accomplish take preparations, feeling anxious with the unfamiliar, waiting while we master it, and looking forward to using the newly learned skill. The same is true for advancing your technology knowledge and skills. See what you can learn from this week's post or any of the previous posts listed in the archives (in the right column).

• G Suite Updates:  Changing How You View Photos and Videos in Google Drive
• 9 Gmail Tips You Need to Know
• EDU in 90:  Quizzes in Google Forms
• Voice Typing in Google Slides
• How to Force a Docs Copy with Pre-Loaded Comments to Help your Students
• Take a Snapshot Alternative for Docs, Slides and Drawings
• Turn Your Phone into a Google Slides Remote Control with this Chrome Extension
• 20 Great Podcasts for Educators (and how to get them)

G Suite Updates:  Changing How You View Photos and Videos in Google Drive

Google Drive currently uses
a tab for Google Photos.

If you have integrated Google Photos with Drive, you see a Google Photos tab in the left column, like the image at right. In January, this tab will disappear. You will still be able to access your Google Photos in Drive by creating a Google Photos folder in My Drive. To create folder in My Drive, follow these steps from the Google Drive Help Center.
Create a Google Photos folder

1. You can move photos and videos into a folder, but the folders won’t become albums in Google Photos.
2. On your computer, open drive.google.com.
3. Click Settings  , then Settings.
4. Check Create a Google Photos folder.
5. Click Done.

You may not see this option in your Settings menu until January.

9 Gmail Tips You Need to Know

9 Gmail Tips You Need to Know, from Better Cloud Monitor
Do you know how to do an advanced search when looking for messages? Did you know you can undo a sent email or turn on Email Read Receipts? Enhance your Gmail skills and save yourself some time with these tips.

EDU in 90:  Quizzes in Google Forms

If you haven't yet discovered how easy it is to give and grade quizzes in Google Forms now, (without any add-ons) check it out now.

Voice Typing in Google Slides

Voice Typing in Google Slides, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert
Show your younger students how to use Slides, even if their writing and keyboarding skills are not yet developed.

How to Force a Docs Copy with Pre-Loaded Comments to Help your Students

How to Force a Docs Copy with Pre-Loaded Comments to Help your Students, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Did you know you can force someone you've shared a doc with to make a copy when they open it? Yes? Great! Now it's also possible to force someone to automatically make a copy AND keep any comments that have been made in that document. Comments do not have to be something you add after a student submits work. You can pre-load comments to provide extra instructions and resources too.

Take a Snapshot Alternative for Docs, Slides and Drawings

Take a Snapshot Alternative for Docs, Slides and Drawings, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
You may not have noticed it, but a recent update has removed "Take a Snapshot" from the Insert Image menu. Here's a work around.

Turn Your Phone into a Google Slides Remote Control with this Chrome Extension

Turn Your Phone into a Google Slides Remote Control with this Chrome Extension, from The Next Web by Abhimanyu Ghoshal
Tired of being tied to your computer when presenting with Google Slides, but don't want to spend money on a remote? Use your phone with the Remote for Google Slides Chrome extension.

20 Great Podcasts for Educators (and how to get them)

20 Great Podcasts for Educators (and how to get them), from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Podcasts are a great way to listen and learn while doing something else. I would add one more podcast to the list:  The Chromebook Classroom by John Sowash. If you aren't interested in downloading a podcatcher app, you can download or listen to any podcast directly from the web, iTunes and Google Music Play.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for December 8, 2017

Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette
St. Michael's Church, Ballinasloe, Ireland

Today we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception, meaning the Blessed Virgin Mary was born with out the stain of original sin. This feast was not widely celebrated until the mid 19th century. Although the concept of the Immaculate Conception had been debated in the Church for centuries, it was after Mary appeared to St. Bernadette at Lourdes and proclaimed "I am the Immaculate Conception", that it acquired more significance. It was officially declared part of the Catholic Church dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854. There is your abbreviated Church history lesson for the day.

Returning to the technology theme of this blog, there are lots of tips for everyone this week. Learn how to speed up your Windows PC, personalize your Gmail, play holiday games and create cards. For math teachers, find out how you can create math quizzes, and other math games and resources. Check out the topics below and learn something new.

• How to Refresh and Maintain Your PC's Performance
• How to Use a Custom Background in Gmail
• Making Google Forms Quizzes with Math (Free, Easy and Quick)
• Seven Tips for Getting More Out of Google Slides
• Play "Mystery Animal" with Google
• Math Games and Resources
• Four Alternatives to YouTube Kids
• What's a Holiday Without Kahoot!?
• Holiday Greeting Card Creators for Kids

How to Refresh and Maintain Your PC's Performance

How to Use a Custom Background in Gmail

How to Use a Custom Background in Gmail, from How-To Geek by Michael Crider

So many of us love to customize our computer wallpapers and themes to reflect our personalities. Did you know you can do the same to your Gmail account? There are a wide variety of themes from which to choose - or you can use your own image. Mine is the colorful, blown glass by the artist Dale Chihuly. What will yours be?

Making Google Forms Quizzes with Math (Free, Easy and Quick)

Making Google Forms Quizzes with Math (Free, Easy and Quick), from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Yes, Math teachers, you too can automate your quizzes!

Seven Tips for Getting More Out of Google Slides

Seven Tips for Getting More Out of Google Slides, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
There are some really great tips here, such as adding fonts, masking or editing your image, getting help with Explore, and more.

Play "Mystery Animal" with Google

Play "Mystery Animal" with Google, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Looking for a fun way to kill time, but also teach questioning skills and critical thinking skills? Mystery Animal by Google is a great choice.

Math Games and Resources

Math Games and Resources, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
There are 16 different sites listed in this post, for both Elementary and Middle School ages. Suggest them to kids and parents for drilling those skills, or have your students use them in class.

Four Alternatives to YouTube Kids

Four Alternatives to YouTube Kids, from How-To Geek by Justin Pot
Many complaints lately have highlighted that YouTube Kids is not completely kid-safe anymore. Here are four truly safe viewing options for your kids.

What's a Holiday Without Kahoot!?

With several holidays approaching, of course there's a Kahoot! for that. They'e outdone themselves this year with a calendar, where they will be adding a new holiday-themed Kahoot! each day during December. These games will cover all of this season's holidays:  Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year. There's even a contest to go with it. Check out the calendar and full details on the Kahoot! holiday page.

Holiday Greeting Card Creators for Kids

Holiday Greeting Card Creators for Kids, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This year when your students are creating greeting cards, try making them digitally, using Storyboard That or Canva.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for December 1, 2017

Pixabay.com

I cannot believe it's already December! Snow will not be far behind thanks to the approaching Polar Vortex, with Christmas on its heels. Here's a pre-Christmas gift for math teachers:  the premium version of the EquatIO chrome extension is now FREE for teachers. See the post below for details. Other tech goodies to try include a Sheets add-on to help you make certificates, Classroom tips, help creating your own crossword puzzles and a game about ecosystems. In the learn something new category, did you ever wonder what the difference is between shutting down your PC, putting it to sleep (that sounds a bit harsh, doesn't it?) or hibernating it? Watch the short video below to find out.

• Should You Hibernate, Shut Down or Put Your PC to Sleep?
• Clean Up Email Addresses in your Gmail Auto-Complete List
• G Suite Updates:  Copy Comments and Suggestions in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides
• Using the About Tab in Google Classroom
• Document Studio Google Sheets Add-on
• Hooray! Free Premium EquatIO for Teachers!
• Teaching With Crossword Puzzles from Read Write Think
• A Fun Game About Ecosystems

Should You Hibernate, Shut Down or Put Your PC to Sleep?

Clean Up Email Addresses in your Gmail Auto-Complete List

Clean Up Email Addresses in you Gmail Auto-Complete List, From Better Cloud Monitor
Isn't it irritating when you are composing a new email, and as you begin entering the email address, waiting for the full address to pop up, it's the wrong address, or an address that no longer exists? Here's how to fix that.

G Suite Updates:  Copy Comments and Suggestions in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides

Previously, when making a copy of a document, sheet or slide, you could only make a copy of the file - not any comments or editing suggestions that may have been added to it. With this latest update, when making a copy of a file, you now have the option of copying the comments and suggestions along with it. There will be an additional checkbox in the Copy Document options box. You should start seeing this update now. Full details are available in the G Suite Update blog.

Using the About Tab in Google Classroom

Using the About Tab in Google Classroom, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
If you have information to share with students, that you don't want to get lost in the stream, put it in the About tab.

Document Studio Google Sheets Add-on

Document Studio Google Sheets Add-on, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Looking for a way to easily make certificates for your students? Here's a new add-on for Google Sheets to help you with that.

Hooray! Free Premium EquatIO for Teachers!

Hooray! Free Premium EquatIO for Teachers! from A Lever and a Place to Stand by Amy Roediger
There have been posts about the EquatIO Chrome extension for math before, but now the premium version is free for teachers.

Teaching With Crossword Puzzles from Read Write Think

Teaching With Crossword Puzzles from Read Write Think, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Looking for another way to test those vocabulary and language skills? Try the crossword puzzle generator from Read Write Think. You can customize it by grade level, and by adding your own words and descriptions. You can also print it out for students to complete.

A Fun Game About Ecosystems

A Fun Game About Ecosystems, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

If you are looking for an interesting way to teach your students about how all members of an ecosystem depend upon one another, or just an acceptable game for your students to play during free time, Feed the Dingo may be the answer.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for November 17, 2017

Photo from Church Iglesia via Flickr

There will be no post next week, due to the short Thanksgiving week. I'll take a moment now to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully you will be able to spend some quality time with your family, and find many reasons to be thankful. Maybe you'll find some tips to be thankful for in this post - or answers to questions. Have you ever wondered why you have to wait for your computer to go through the whole shut down process? Perhaps you've been looking for ways to make it easier for your younger students, or students who struggle with keyboarding, to more easily type in their assignments? Are you looking for a way to make it easier for you or your students to manage larger projects and keep track of people and resources? With Thanksgiving coming up, are you interested in a way to incorporate that theme into your lessons? Are you just looking for ideas to make your lessons more fun? Read on!

• What Happens if You Don't Shut Down Your Computer Properly?
• EDU in 90:  Google Keep in the Classroom
• Using Google Voice Typing in Docs with Elementary Students
• 5 Ways to Use Comic Creation in Elementary School Classrooms
• Multiple Correct Answers in Google Forms Quizzes
• Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) with G Suite
• Kanbanchi Project Management Tool
• Search and Find Educational Games on Classtools.net
• New Challenges and Thanksgiving Collection from Kahoot!

What Happens if You Don't Shut Down Your Computer Properly?

Spend 4 minutes finding out why it's important to shut down properly - disregard the commercial at the end.

EDU in 90:  Google Keep in the Classroom 

Using Google Voice Typing in Docs with Elementary Students

Using Google Voice Typing in Docs with Elementary Students, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert
Do your students get frustrated when typing in their thoughts or stories? Perhaps you have students with special needs? Introduce Google's Voice Typing tool to help them until their keyboarding skills improve.

5 Ways to Use Comic Creation in Elementary School Classrooms

5 Ways to Use Comic Creation in Elementary School Classrooms, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne with guest post by Stephanie Krisulevicz
Kids love comics - both reading them and creating them. Why not infuse some fun into your lessons to keep them engaged. There are suggestions for using them in just about every subject.

Multiple Correct Answers in Google Forms Quizzes

Multiple Correct Answers in Google Forms Quizzes, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
This is a wonderful enhancement to Google Forms Quizzes. The ability to automatically grade short answer quesitons, and allow for more than one correct answer is so helpful.

Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) with G Suite

Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) with G Suite, from Shake Up Learning with Kasey Bell
Make your choice boards interactive with G Suite. There are free templates available in this post, so you won't even need to start from scratch.

Kanbanchi Project Management Tool

Kanbanchi Project Management Tool from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Kanbanchi integrates with Google Drive, and is perfect to use with either your students or co-workers. It will help tame big projects by assigning tasks to others, pushing due dates out to a Google Calendar, attaching Google Drive files, etc.

Search and Find Educational Games on Classtools.net

New Challenges and Thanksgiving Collection from Kahoot!

Kahoot! is offering 20 Thanksgiving themed games, just in time for the big day next week. Some are about Thanksgiving for kids, trivia, customs, and history, but there are also Thanksgiving themed Kahoot!s for math and science. Check out the Thanksgiving collection. Another new offering are the Kahoot! Challenges. Students can complete a Kahoot! quiz on their own or at home, and it will grade itself. It's both fun and a time saver! The challenges will work on the new Kahoot! app, so if students don't have internet access at home, but someone in their family has a smart phone, they can still participate.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for November 10, 2017

And just like that, Winter has arrived in West Michigan. The weather can be so unexpected and random here in the Great Lakes region - in the 60s one day, and in the 30s the next. Not so unexpected anymore are the latest scams - Netflix subscribers should be on the lookout! Unlike with the weather, sometimes random is good. There are several easy ways for random selections in this issue - picking a number, rolling the dice, random student selector, and more. Other topics of interest include Chromebook tutorials, some minor G Suite updates, using hyperdocs to create an assignment or project, taking the mess out of posters, and a lesson planning tool. Snuggle up where it's warm and cozy and learn some new tech!

• Please Beware This New Netflix Email Scam
• G Suite Updates:  Insert Images More Easily, Classroom Improvements
• Google Launches New Chromebook YouTube Channel
• You're So Random (with Google Tools)
• Hyperdocs:  Create Interactive Google Docs
• Making Posters with Google Drawings
• Teaching Kids to Share Images in Google
• Planboard for Lesson Planning

Please Beware This New Netflix Email Scam

Please Beware This New Netflix Email Scam, from Make Use Of by Dave Parrack
If you are a Netflix user, beware of this email scam. As always, never use links in an email - always go directly to the company's website instead.

G Suite Updates:  

Insert Images More Easily

Google will be streamlining this process a little. When you insert an image in Google Docs, Slides and Drawings, instead of being taken to a new screen to select where the image is, it will be part of the drop down menu. Here's a link to the G Suite Updates blog for more details and screenshots.

Classroom Improvements

There have been three minor improvements to Google Classroom recently. You can now grade using decimals, the class code can be displayed in very large letters, and the class cards on the home page can now be rearranged in whatever order you choose. Read all about the details in Richard Byrne's post, Improvements in Google Classroom.

Google Launches New Chromebook YouTube Channel

Google Launches New Chromebook YouTube Channel, from Chrome Unboxed by Gabriel Brangers
If you are curious about what Chromebooks are, or you are interested in purchasing one, or even if you already own one, there is a lot to learn on the new YouTube Chromebook channel.

You're So Random (with Google Tools)

You're So Random (with Google Tools), from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
These are handy tools for when you need to pick a random topic, number student, or flip a coin, roll the dice, etc. All of them are found in Google search or with a free Add-on.

Hyperdocs:  Create Interactive Google Docs

Hyperdocs:  Create Interactive Google Docs, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

"HyperDocs are much more than Google Docs that contain hyperlinks. They are carefully crafted activities that includes all of the components of the lesson in one central location."

Making Posters with Google Drawings

Making Posters with Google Drawings, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Yes, you can use Google Drawings as a desktop publishing app and have your students create posters without messy glue, paint or markers.

Teaching Kids to Share Images in Google

Teaching Kids to Share Images in Google, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert
This is the last post in the Working with Images series. This post illustrates how to share images without email.

Planboard for Lesson Planning

Planboard for Lesson Planning from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Looking for a free app to assist you with lesson planning? Planboard may be what you are looking for. You'll be able to access your lesson plans from anywhere, reuse lessons, and attached resources, such as photos, videos, web links, etc. 

Weekly Tech Tips and News for November 3, 2017

The school year is moving right along, with conferences, Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day in the rear view mirror. What a busy few weeks it's been! The next few weeks should hold fewer interruptions from instructional time. While you are settling back into a normal routine, here are several tech tips to help you out. Take a few minutes to learn about what NOT to do with email and how to keep up with your email, or save lots of time by learning a few keyboard shortcuts. There are also teacher-specific add-ons for Google apps, providing the bells and whistles that are missing from the core apps. Take a look at the topics below to see what else might be useful to you.

• Gmail Survival Guide for Busy Teachers
• 6 Ways to Write Bad Emails
• 22 Killer Keyboard Shortcuts
• 25 G Suite Add-ons for Teachers
• Self-Editing Tools for Student Writing in Google Docs
• Teaching Kids to Edit Images in Google Docs & Slides
• How to Prevent Plagiarism in Online Learning:  Unicheck and Google Classroom
• Games to Sharpen Geography Skills

Gmail Survival Guide for Busy Teachers

Gmail Survival Guide for Busy Teachers, from Ditch that Textbook by Matt Miller
Don't be a slave to your email - make it work for you and save yourself some time in the process.

6 Ways to Write Bad Emails

6 Ways to Write Bad Emails, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

Keep in mind this tongue in cheek post is a great list of what NOT to do when dealing with email.

22 Killer Keyboard Shortcuts

22 Killer Keyboard Shortcuts, from Ditch that Textbook by Matt Miller

Keyboard shortcuts will save you lots of time. Try these one at a time, and pretty soon you'll be shortcut savvy! There's even a cheat sheet to tape on the bottom of you monitor.

25 G Suite Add-ons for Teachers

25 G Suite Add-ons for Teachers, from Practical Ed Tech by Richard Byrne
Add-ons for G Suite apps provide the bells and whistles that may be missing from the core app. Features such as searching a huge image library, a bibliography creator, inserting graphs and mathematical equations, automatic grading, and more, are available through Add-ons. Here is the complete list in a Google Doc.

Teaching Kids to Edit Images in Google Docs & Slides

Teaching Kids to Edit Images in Google Docs & Slides, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert
This post will help you show your littlest Google users how to resize their images and flip them.

Self-Editing Tools for Student Writing in Google Docs

Self-Editing Tools for Student Writing in Google Docs, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
There are four tools here that students can use to take ownership of the editing process in their writing work.

How to Prevent Plagiarism in Online Learning:  Unicheck and Google Classroom

How to Prevent Plagiarism in Online Learning:  Unicheck and Google Classroom, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Plagiarism has always existed, and now it's much easier for students to access those resources. Google Classroom now integrates with Unicheck to allow teachers to easily check for plagiarism in student work.

Games to Sharpen Geography Skills

Games to Sharpen Geography Skills, from Free Tech for Teachers by Richard Byrne
I've highlighted Smarty Pins and Geoguessr before, but did you know you can create your own Geoguessr, custmizing it to 5 of the locations of your choice with Geosettr? There are also other games for kids, including kids of all ages included in this post.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for October 27, 2017

With Halloween coming up next week, there are lots of treats included here. In addition to a couple of Halloween activities resources, there are several new features to try. Gmail now supports Add-ons to make your email more efficient. Google Classroom now has a mobile app with lots of great features to make classroom available from your phone or iPad. Turn any of your Google Slides presentations into an interactive activity with Pear Deck's new Add-on for Slides. Tour Builder in Google Earth is now much easier to use, and there are several resources for working with images. While these treats may not satisfy your sweet tooth, (Seriously, who hasn't already sampled their Halloween candy stash?) they will hopefully be great additions to your tech tool kit.

• Five Gmail Extensions to Increase Productivity
• How to use Google Classroom's Secret Productivity Tool:  The Mobile App
• New Features from Pear Deck
• Free Photos, Icons, Magic and More with Google Slides Add-ons
• 3 Ways to Find & Insert Copyright-Free Images
• Open Tour Builder in Google Earth with 1 Click
• Halloween Resources for Students of All Ages
• Play Kahoot! in Spooky Mode
• Search Safely on Pixabay

Five Gmail Extensions to Increase Productivity

Five Gmail Extensions to Increase Productivity, from Free Tech for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Wouldn't you love to be able to schedule an email  message to send at a certain time, or turn your inbox into a set of lists? Did you know you can add sticky notes to your messages, or use email templates? These enhancements and more are available by using extensions.

How to use Google Classroom's Secret Productivity Tool:  The Mobile App

How to use Google Classroom's Secret Productivity Tool:  The Mobile App, from Ditch that Textbook by Matt Miller
The Classroom mobile app is a huge time saver, and also has some features that the desktop version doesn't. How handy would it be to take care of those beginning of the year assignments from your phone or iPad? For the classes you teach there are also push notifications that you can personalize to get as much or as little info as you want. You can also write on student work with your finger instead of typing your feedback.

New Features from Pear Deck

Pear Deck has announced some new features that are a great enhancement to their interactive presentation program. First, they have created the Pear Deck Add-on for Google Slides, which lets you turn your Google Slide presentation into an interactive presentation. Here is a guide to get you started using the add-on. Also new in Pear Deck, is their new Vocabulary and Flashcard Factory.  You can create your own list. The definitions are powered by Merriam-Webster and also integrates with Quizlet. To use these, log in to your Pear Deck account, click the New button, and select Vocabulary List to get started.

Free Photos, Icons, Magic and More with Google Slides Add-ons

Free Photos, Icons, Magic and More with Google Slides Add-ons, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
If you remember that add-ons provide some of the bells and whistles that are missing from G Suite apps, you'll be excited to know that add-ons are now available for Slides. These add-ons will allow you to easily find icons and royalty-free photos for your presentation. You'll also be able to add filters and other editing tasks to images in Slides. Pear Deck is even in on the act by making your slides interactive. See what else you can do with Slides add-ons.

3 Ways to Find & Insert Copyright-Free Images

3 Ways to Find & Insert Copyright-Free Images, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert
I've mentioned before how important it is to respect the works of others. We should be teaching students this concept right from the beginning. Here are three ways to pass on this concept to our young students.

Open Tour Builder in Google Earth with 1 Click

Open Tour Builder in Google Earth with 1 Click, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
It just became easier to open your tours automatically in Google Earth. This can be used for ELA, social studies, science and more.

Halloween Resources for Students of All Ages

Halloween Resources for Students of All Ages, from Free Tech for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This post includes Halloween themed lesson plans, activities, science experiments, STEM activities and the history of Halloween.

Play Kahoot! in Spooky Mode

With Halloween right around the corner, Kahoot! is sharing out several Halloween themed quizzes to have fun with your students. You can try The Ancient Origins of Halloween, The History of Halloween in America, and Halloween Superstitions & Traditions, or you can always create your own.

Search Safely on Pixabay

Search Safely on Pixabay, from Free Tech for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Pixabay offers free videos and images that are free to use for education or commercial purposes, with a Creative Commons CCo license.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for October 20, 2017

commons.wikimedia.com Don LaVange

It's starting to look a lot like fall, and there's even been a bit of a nip in the air at times. I don't know about you, from the looks of all the leaves in the yard, it's definitely time to start the yard clean up process before winter hits. With all that yard work ahead of me, I could surely use some time savers. As luck would have it, there are several time savers in this issue. Updates to both Google Calendar and Gmail 2-Step Authentication will save you some time, as will the Chromebook shortcuts, Chrome cleanup, easily save web images to Google Drive, and an easy way to convert a PDF to an editable document. There are other tips as well, such as learning how to use Pegman in Google Maps and Google Earth to immerse yourself anywhere - including inside museums. Dig in and see how you can save yourself some time and learn about some new tech ideas.

• G Suite Updates:  New Google Calendar for Web, Making google Prompt the Primary Choice for 2-Step Verification
• EDU in 90:  Our Favorite Chromebook Shortcuts
• Feedback for Students in G Suite - An Overview
• Meet Pegman
• Saving Images to Drive from Websites
• Google Makes it Easy to Clean Up Chrome on Windows
• How to Convert a PDF File Into an Editable Text Document
• iSLCollective Video Quiz Creator

G Suite Updates:  

New Google Calendar for Web

G Suite Updates:  New Google Calendar for Web from G Suite Updates
Be on the lookout for a new look for Google Calendar on the web. You should see a new look sometime around November 14, that will more closely match the look of calendar on mobile devices. New features will include the ability to add rich formatting and hyperlinks to calendar invites, the ability to manage multiple calendars in Day view, and the ability to see contact information of meeting attendees when you hover over them.

Making Google Prompt the Primary Choice for 2-Step Verification

G Suite Updates:  Making google Prompt the Primary Choice for 2-Step Verification, from G Suite Updates
I love this update! If you are unfamiliar with 2-Step Verification (2SV), it adds a layer of protection when logging in to your Google account, or any account that offers it. This means that if someone has obtained your password, they cannot log in unless they also have your mobile phone and know your lock screen code. (You should always use a lock screen code on your mobile devices, but that's for another post.) To log in with 2SV, you first enter your password as you normally would, then Google sends you a text or phone call with a code to enter as well. With this Google Prompt update, instead of entering a code, you simply tap Yes at the prompt on your phone. It's much easier and faster. I encourage you to protect yourself by using 2SV whenever possible.

EDU in 90:  Our Favorite Chromebook Shortcuts

Feedback for Students in G Suite - An Overview

Feedback for Students in G Suite - An Overview, from Sustainable Teaching by Tom Mullaney
There are lots of ways to provide student feedback in this post, including using comments, Classroom, Forms, and Keep.

Meet Pegman

Meet Pegman from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Pegman, available in both Google Maps and Google Earth, is a great way for students to get a street view of a location. In addition to the post above, the video below will show you how to use Pegman in Google Maps.

Saving Images to Drive from Websites

Saving Images to Drive from Websites, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert
From her Teaching Kids to use Images in Google series, this post from Robin Limpert focuses on saving images found on the web to your Drive.

Google Makes it Easy to Clean Up Chrome on Windows

Google Makes it Easy to Clean Up Chrome on Windows from Chrome Story by Dinsan
A new prompt if your settings have been changed without your knowledge, and an updated clean up tool will help protect Chrome on Windows from Malware.

How to Convert a PDF File Into an Editable Text Document

How to Convert a PDF File Into an Editable Text Document, from How-To Geek by Michael Crider
Have you ever had a PDF file that you need to update or edit? It seems pretty impossible doesn't it, unless you paid for Adobe Acrobat. Never fear, Google is here! You can edit PDF documents in Google Docs.

iSLCollective Video Quiz Creator

iSLCollective Video Quiz Creator from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Here's a free way to turn passively watching a video into an interactive lesson.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for October 6, 2017

It's been a busy fall so far! Art Prize, Pulaski weekend and the MSU/UofM game are already in the books. Hopefully you've recovered from the outcome of the game, as well as all those polkas and pierogis, and perhaps you'll have time to try a new tech tip or two. In today's post there are time savers for all users, some tips for ELA and Math, assistance for helpings kids work with images and help with Google Quizzes. Enjoy the unseasonably warm weather as you rake leaves and start preparing for Winter.

• How to Avoid a Common Mistake When Making Quizzes in Google Forms
• 7 Reasons You Need to try Voice Typing in Google Docs
• Build a Jack-O-Lantern with Google Slides
• Google Basics for Kids, Working with Images
• Keep Your Eye on EquatIO
• Character Scrapbook Helps Students Analyze Stories

How to Avoid a Common Mistake When Making Quizzes in Google Forms

7 Reasons You Need to try Voice Typing in Google Docs

7 Reasons You Need to try Voice Typing in Google Docs, from Shake Up Learning by Kasey Bell
Did you know you could simply dictate to your device and Google Docs would type it for you? Think about the time you could save, not to mention the help this is to students who struggle.

Build a Jack-O-Lantern with Google Slides

Build a Jack-O-Lantern with Google Slides, From Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
In this Slides activity, your students can create their own Jack-O-Lantern with already provided features, then write a story about it. A template for the activity is provided.

Google Basics for Kids, Working with Images

Google Basics for Kids, Working with Images, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert
This is an important concept for both young and old alike to master, including image editing, copyright, fair use, attribution and creative commons.

Keep Your Eye on EquatIO

Keep Your Eye on EquatIO, from A Lever and a Place to Stand by Amy Roediger

This Chrome extension for math replaced g(math), and allows users to insert math problems into your docs, slides, sheets, forms, etc.

Character Scrapbook Helps Students Analyze Stories

Character Scrapbook Helps Students Analyze Stories, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Character Scrapbook, by Scholastic, is an online resource where students can draw what they think a character from a book looks like, and describe the character using ten details from the book. 

Weekly Tech Tips and News for September 29, 2017

www.geteverwise.com

...and the blog is back after the usual beginning of the school year deluge. Now that the school year is underway, and everything seems to have found a new routine, the weekly blog posts should resume. Hopefully you have also found your new routine for this school year as well. For your reading pleasure, there are several helpful G Suite updates, a double dose of EDU in 90 videos for G Suite Education users, including the latest features to be added to Google Classroom. I've found a new blog that specializes in G Suite education with our younger students, a post that will expand your Slides skills, some iPad/iPhone tips, and a couple new tricks to try. Learn something new and expand your skills.

• G Suite Updates:  Custom Headers/Footers in Sheets, Slides Updates, Drive Integrates with iOS Files App
• EDU in 90:  The Latest and What's New with Google Classroom
• Start Your Year With Google Chrome Basics for Kids
• 8 Google Slide Tips You Should Know Before Your Next Presentation
• How to use Multiple Apps at Once on an iPad
• Play Your Dates Right - A Fun History Game
• Create Netflix-Style Learning with Screencasts

G Suite Updates

Custom Headers/Footers in Sheets

You can now make your Google Sheets look better by creating custom headers and footers. You can include page numbers, the workbook title, sheet name, current date and current time. Each of those selections can be customized by selecting Edit Custom Fields, as well. It's also now possible to save your print settings for a sheet. We should start to see these changes within two weeks. For the full scoop, check out the G Suite Update blog.

Slides Updates

There are several Google Slides updates to report. The first is a new integration with Google Keep. If you jot your ideas down in Keep, you can drag them into slides, and a new slide will automatically be created. Another helpful update is the ability to link slides from different presentations, so your slides automatically update. Additional updates include the ability to insert diagrams, viewing your slides in a grid of thumbnails, and a new skip slide feature. Add-ons have also been added to Slides for even more features. These add-ons include the ability to search for and add images from Adobe Stock from within Slides, as well as a Shutterstock editor to customize photos within Slides. Check out the details and screen shots for all these new updates at the G Suite Update blog.

Drive Integrates with iOS Files App

Good news for Apple device users who also use G Suite. If you have updated you iPhone or iPad to iOS 11, you'll be happy to know that Google Drive full integrates with the new Files app. This can consolidate the files stored on your device, and the files stored in Google Drive. You can now drag and drop your files between the two apps. Here are the full details in the G Suite Update Blog.

EDU in 90:  The Latest and What's New with Google Classroom

This quick look at Google for education clip explores app bundles, Google Earth Voyager and digital Skills.

The Latest

What's New in Google Classroom

Start Your Year With Google Chrome Basics for Kids

Start Your Year With Google Chrome Basics for Kids, from Teaching Little Techies by Robin Limpert
If you are looking for some resources to help your younger students work with Chromebooks, look no further. This blog is full of resources for explaining the concepts of G Suite to the younger students.

8 Google Slide Tips You Should Know Before Your Next Presentation

8 Google Slide Tips You Should Know Before Your Next Presentation, from Make Use Of, by Briallyn Smith
There are great tips here for smoothing out your slide presentations.

How to use Multiple Apps at Once on an iPad

How to use Multiple Apps at Once on an iPad, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman
With the upgrade to iOS 11, not only can you easily have more than one app open in split-screen mode, you can also drag and drop information between the apps. Find out how in this post.

Play Your Dates Right - A Fun History Game

Play Your Dates Right - A Fun History Game, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This easy to customize game allows you to enter 10 or more historical events, and students must choose which event happened before and after the event listed in the middle. See the video below for a quick tutorial. This could be used for more than history, in literature students could guess the sequence of events in a novel. In science, the order of events in a scientific process. The Play Your Dates Right game is available on ClassTools.net, by Russel Tarr. ClassTools.net is also home to other tools, such as Fakebook, Random Name Picker, Countdown Timer, SMS Generator for creating a chat between two historical or fictional characters, and more.

Create Netflix-Style Learning with Screencasts

Create Netflix-Style Learning with Screencasts, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
What is Netflix, other than a catalog of videos to be watched at the viewer's convenience? Imagine creating your own catalog of instructional videos for your students to watch, or having your students create a catalog of videos demonstrating their knowledge of a topic. It's easy to do - even on a Chromebook. In this post, Matt not only shows you how, but also gives some lesson ideas as well.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for September 8, 2017

As we finish the second week of school, hopefully everyone is able to come up for air a bit. We and our students are starting to settle into a routine, and most procedures are in place. It might even be time for a little bit of maintenance, such as cleaning out those old email addresses from your Gmail auto-complete list - you know, those suggested emails that pop up when we are starting to type email addresses into a new message. It might also be time to clean up some of the 3rd party apps we've associated with our Facebook accounts. What does that mean? It happens when you are creating yet another online account, and press the easy button in the form of "Login with Facebook" instead of needing to remember yet another account. Yet long after you've stopped using that new account, it is still mining information about you from your Facebook account. It's a good idea to clean those out every now and again. Perhaps you're a teacher who still hasn't started using GoGuardian with your students? I've included a video to help you get started. Also included in today's post are the changes in YouTube from their recent upgrade, and a new way to come up with writing prompts for students. I hope your new school year has begun very smoothly and wish you continued success in your classroom.

EDU in 90:  Be Internet Awesome
Clean up Email Addresses in Your Gmail Auto-Complete List
How to Remove Third-Party Facebook Apps From Your Account
An Introduction to YouTube's New Design
Getting Started With GoGuardian Teacher
Writing Sparks - Writing Prompts for Students

EDU in 90:  Be Internet Awesome

Be Internet Awesome is a new Google game for students to learn critical online digital citizenship skills. There are also coinciding Digital Safety Resources for teachers available, including a curriculum guide and teacher training. There are also instructions in the resources for sharing Be Internet Awesome through Google Classroom. I have pushed the Interland-Be Internet Awesome bookmark out to ASA students.

Clean up Email Addresses in Your Gmail Auto-Complete List

Clean up Email Addresses in Your Gmail Auto-Complete List, from Better Cloud Monitor
With a new school year beginning, you may be overwhelmed, but it's the perfect time to do some clean up and start with a clean slate. Tired of outdated email address suggestions popping up when  you are composing new messages? Take a minute to get rid of them!

How to Remove Third-Party Facebook Apps From Your Account

How to Remove Third-Party Facebook Apps From Your Account, from How-To Geek by Michael Crider
It's so handy to sign into a new website account using your Facebook account, instead of creating yet another login account. There's a flip side to that convenience. Did you know that when you sign in to another account using your Facebook account, that new organization now has access to all the information you post on Facebook? You may want to think about that before taking that shortcut. If you are thinking twice about it now, you can remove that Facebook login from those apps.

An Introduction to YouTube's New Design

YouTube is undergoing an update. Watch this video to see what has changed.

Getting Started With GoGuardian Teacher

Monitor your students when they are on their Chromebooks, keep them on task, open a specific web site for all or some of your students, and interact with them.

Writing Sparks - Writing Prompts for Students

Writing Sparks - Writing Prompts for Students, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Help your students get started with a writing topic with Writing Sparks. Neither teachers nor students need to set up an account to use it.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for August 18, 2017

K. Szczytko 2017

Just like this butterfly is trying to get all the nectar it can before summer ends, I am also trying to enjoy the last bit of summer before school starts. Aren't you? Although there is still much to do, we all benefit from taking some time to enjoy the last of the season before it's gone. As we close in on the beginning of the school year preparations, here are some suggestions for ways to start out organized, or new ideas to try out. Give your class a fresh approach to a fresh new year.

• Start and Stay Organized:  5 Tech Tips to Start the School Year
• It's Not About Google, It's About the Learning (ISTE Empowered Learner)
• Book Creator is Now Live for All Chromebook Users
• How to Create Virtual Reality Panoramas
• Seven Sites With Free Photos You Can Use However You Want
• What Happens When You Get a Concussion
• DIY Augmented Reality - 3 Ways to Use it in School

Start and Stay Organized:  5 Tech Tips to Start the School Year

Start and Stay Organized:  5 Tech Tips to Start the School Year, from Tech and Learning by Adam Shoenbart
Not only are there suggestions for what to do, there are also explanations and suggestions for what tools to use.

It's Not About Google, It's About the Learning (ISTE Empowered Learner)

It's Not About Google, It's About the Learning (ISTE Empowered Learner), from Shake Up Learning by Kasey Bell
Here are many practical ideas for presenting assignments and following the ISTE Student Standards.

Book Creator is Now Live for All Chromebook Users

Book Creator is Now Live for All Chromebook Users, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Book Creator has long been available for iPads, now it is also available for Chromebooks. If you create books with your students, this is a great new tool for you to use.

How to Create Virtual Reality Panoramas

How to Create Virtual Reality Panoramas, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Remember reading about Google Cardboard in this blog? Now your students can take their own photos to view through Google Cardboard. The Google Cardboard Camera app is now available both for Android and iOS. It will now work on any Android phone or tablet, as well as on iPhones and iPads.

Seven Sites With Free Photos You Can Use However You Want

Seven Sites With Free Photos You Can Use However You Want, from How-To Geek by Justin Pot
These seven sites have a good variety of photos, that can be used without restriction. On most of these sites, attribution is not required.

What Happens When You Get a Concussion

What Happens When You Get a Concussion, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
With fall sports beginning, this might be a great TED-Ed lesson to review with sports-age students.

DIY Augmented Reality - 3 Ways to Use it in School

DIY Augmented Reality - 3 Ways to Use it in School, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
What is augmented reality? Think Pokemon Go. With Metaverse, you can create your own augmented reality game or exercise. This post contains links to tutorials, as well as ideas for how to engage your students or parents this way.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for August 11, 2017

Photo courtesy of laura271GSD via Flickr.com

We are in the dog days of summer...or are we? If you've ever wondered where that phrase came from, here's the explanation from National Geographic. While we still have a few more weeks of summer, it seems that once the calendar hits August, everyone employed by a school starting at the end of August hits panic mode, or at least kick-it-in-gear mode. Suddenly that endless summer becomes very finite! Today's post has lots of ideas to help you keep your head above water this school year, as well as an advisory video about internet scams, and advice for safely taking photos of the upcoming solar eclipse.

• Three Google Classroom Updates That You Will Appreciate
• 5 Classroom Management Apps to Start Your Year With
• Google Classroom Tutorials
• Alternatives to YouTube's Video Editor -  It's Going Away
• Student Use of Adobe Spark - Your Questions Answered
• The Most Common Internet Scams! Watch Out!
• Give Your Traditional Syllabus a Needed Makeover!
• How to Take Photos of a Solar Eclipse Safely

Three Google Classroom Updates That You Will Appreciate

Three Google Classroom Updates That You Will Appreciate, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
If you've not yet considered using Google Classroom when your students use the Chromebooks, do yourself a favor and look into it. It makes getting students on the same site, distributing and collecting their work so much easier. Just point them to your classroom and everyone's on the same page. The updates included in this video include viewing student work either by assignment or student, displaying the class code in full screen for students to join, and now you can rearrange the order in which your classrooms appear. Other updates not highlighted in this post include being able to transfer your classes to another teacher, as well as the ability to use decimal points when grading.

5 Classroom Management Apps to Start Your Year With

Bouncyballs.org is a fun way to manage classroom noise levels.

5 Classroom Management Apps to Start Your Year With, from Stephen Mosley
Looking for a fresh way to manage your class this year? Here are 5 tech tools that can help you out.

Google Classroom Tutorials

If you've been wondering what the fuss over Google Classroom is about - here are two quick videos to get you started. Classroom does all the heavy lifting for you. It creates folders for you classes, makes copies of files for your students, takes care of all the pesky permissions, and makes assigning work and the feedback much easier.

Setting Up Google Classroom

How to Assign and Grade Work in Google Classroom

Alternatives to YouTube's Video Editor -  It's Going Away

Alternatives to YouTube's Video Editor -  It's Going Away, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
I'm thankful for this clarification. Many of the features we use to edit our videos in YouTube are not going away, such as trim, blur and filter. But other important features like the Photo Slideshow, combining multiple video clips, and adding music are. In this post, Richard makes suggestions for replacing those features.

Student Use of Adobe Spark - Your Questions Answered

Student Use of Adobe Spark - Your Questions Answered, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Adobe Spark is a great tool to use for video editing with Chromebooks. Not only does this post show you how to use Adobe Spark, and combine clips, it also answers the questions about how students under the age of 13 can legally use it. They are able to sign in with their Google account.

The Most Common Internet Scams! Watch Out!

Give Your Traditional Syllabus a Needed Makeover!

Give Your Traditional Syllabus a Needed Makeover! from Tech & Learning by Shelly Terrell
There are several ideas in this post for making your syllabus more eye-catching, or even interactive for students. Create an infographic, game, hyperdoc, scavenger hunt, and more.

How to Take Photos of a Solar Eclipse Safely

How to Take Photos of a Solar Eclipse Safely, from How-To Geek by Harry Guinness
In a follow up of last week's post, How To Safely Observe the Upcoming Solar Eclipse, the next logical question is how to take pictures of the eclipse. Don't just point your phone or camera at the sun and shoot.