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.