Weekly Tech Tips and News for June 9, 2017

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Summer break is upon us! Very shortly, the students will be streaming out of the building for the last  time this year, followed closely by the teachers. What a great time to enjoy the warm weather, beaches, biking trails, get your hands dirty in the garden, and take time to rest and rejuvenate. It's also a great time to experiment with those new tech tricks you didn't have time to try during the school year. If you get stuck and need some help, please let me know, I'll be here all summer. I will also continue to post through summer - if not weekly, then bi-weekly. Be sure to check out new posts over the summer so any upgrades and new features don't take you by surprise when you return in August. Most of all - have a delightful and restful summer!

• Making Google Searches More Personal
  
• 6 End-of-Year Google Classroom Clean-up Tips
  
• Smart Reply for Gmail - The G Suite Show
  
• How to Free Up Gigabytes of Space on Your iPhone or iPad
  
• Words With Friends EDU
  
• Catch the Flipgrid Fever! 15+ Ways to Use Flipgrid in Your Class
  
• 12 Lessons About Inventions That Kind of Changed the World
  

Making Google Searches More Personal

Making Google Searches More Personal, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Did you know when you perform a Google search, you can specify it search only your calendar, email, docs, images, etc.?

6 End-of-Year Google Classroom Clean-up Tips

6 End-of-Year Google Classroom Clean-up Tips, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
Here are some year end, clean up tasks for Google Classroom, to tidy it up before you use it next school year.

Smart Reply for Gmail - The G Suite Show

How to Free Up Gigabytes of Space on Your iPhone or iPad

How to Free Up Gigabytes of Space on Your iPhone or iPad, from ZDNet
iPhones and iPads are great devices, but can be a pain when the storage is full. Here are some ways to clear your storage.

Words With Friends EDU

Words With Friends EDU, from Edgaged.net by Lance Yoder
What better way for your students to practice vocabulary than by making it a game? Words With Friends now has an educational version at wordswithfriendsedu.com. You can create a class and assign a grade level. Your students create a user account with a code for your class, and they can play with anyone in that class. This post has a video showing you how to set it up and play.

Catch the Flipgrid Fever! 15+ Ways to Use Flipgrid in Your Class

Catch the Flipgrid Fever! 15+ Ways to Use Flipgrid in Your Class, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
What is Flipgrid, you ask? It's a video discussion for your classroom. The teacher posts a discussion topic or question, and students post short video responses.

12 Lessons About Inventions That Kind of Changed the World

12 Lessons About Inventions That Kind of Changed the World, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This Ted-Ed Moments of Vision series of 12 videos focuses on 12 inventions that have impacted our lives one way or another. A good exercise for students might be looking around to find other everyday items that make our lives easier, and researching how they came to be.