Weekly Tech Tips and News for July 21, 2017

Little Traverse Bay, Petoskey MI 2017

Are you enjoying your summer? My apologies for a three week lapse between posts. Several weeks of equipment maintenance monopolized my time, followed by a week of much appreciated vacation in Northern Michigan. I hope you've had a chance to relax and enjoy the warm weather as well. There are some great tools in this week's post:  terrific enhancements to Google Forms, using Google Maps to measure distances (just how long was that walk or bike ride?), Google Earth is now easier to find in G Suite, new coding options for Osmo, and the best way to insert links in anything online. If you are a Windows 10 user, you'll want to take a look at some settings you should reset. So I hope while you're floating through your summer, you'll take a few moments to pick up a few new tech tricks.

• G Suite Updates:  Smarter Google Forms to Save You Time
• 15 Windows Settings You Should Change Now!
• Don't "Click Here" if You're an Innovative Educator
• How to Measure Distances in Google Maps for Running, Biking, and Hiking
• Google Earth is Now a Component of G Suite for Education
• New Grading Options in Google Forms
• When Coding is Your Jam

G Suite Updates:  Smart Google Forms to Save You Time

G Suite Updates:  Smart Google Forms to Save You Time
Some very welcome updates will show up in Google Forms in the next week or two. Click the link above to see the full descriptions and screen shots on the G Suite Updates blog.

Suggested Answer Validation:  Forms will now suggest answer validation, instead of manually turning this on for your answers. What does this mean? Say, for example, you are asking for an email address. Forms will now suggest you add the response validation to accept email addresses only. This means if the respondent answers with anything other than an email@domain.com formatted answer, they will be prompted to correct the answer.

Forms Preferences:  Another overdue update is the ability to set preferences in forms. If you always send forms to parents who are outside our domain, and forms defaults to sharing with users inside our domain, you can change this setting in preferences and it will stay that way for all future forms you create.

Checkbox Grid Questions:  You will be able to create grid questions that allow more than one answer choice.

Section Reordering:  If you ever create more complex forms that contain more than one section of questions, you'll be happy about this one. It will be finally possible to move entire sections of questions.

15 Windows Settings You Should Change Now!

If you use Windows 10, check out these great suggestions. The settings are explained well, and you don't need to be a tech to understand them.

Don't "Click Here" if You're an Innovative Educator

Don't "Click Here" if You're an Innovative Educator, from Tech & Learning by Lisa Nielsen
This post offers three reasons why you shouldn't use "click here" in your links. It's especially important to break this habit if any of your recipients are sight impaired. They may not be able to see your links, and instead rely on a screen reader to read every link on the web page.

How to Measure Distances in Google Maps for Running, Biking, and Hiking

How to Measure Distances in Google Maps for Running, Biking, and Hiking, from How-To Geek by Craig Lloyd
Trying to map out a route to cover a certain number of miles? Here's a way to figure that out in Google Maps.

Google Earth is Now a Component of G Suite for Education

Google Earth is Now a Component of G Suite for Education, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Your students can access Google Earth easily from their Chromebooks now.

New Grading Options in Google Forms

New Grading Options in Google Forms, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This could be a time saver -  grade by question instead of by student.

When Coding is Your Jam

When Coding is Your Jam, from A Lever and a Place to Stand by Amy Roediger
This addition to iPad's Osmo was a huge success at this coding camp.