ASA Tech Tips and News for April 27, 2018

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It has been absolutely lovely to see so much sunshine this week - maybe we really are finally leaving Winter behind. Since it's been so bright outside, let's shed some light on some computing mysteries, such as how to easily troubleshoot a chromebook, and why rebooting (restarting) a computer solves so many issues. You may also be interested in how you can take the aches and pains out of using a computing device for long periods of time. Of course, there are new G Suite updates that will make your life a little easier. For teachers there are a couple of tips to use with your students for the end of the year. Stay tuned for next week's post when you see lots of cool new features now available in Gmail!

• Six Tips to Help Save Yourself from Poor Computer Posture
• 7 Easy Chromebook Troubleshooting Tips to Fix Common Issues
• Why Does Rebooting a Computer Fix So Many Problems?
• G Suite Updates:  Link Slides in Google Docs, Slides Guides and Rulers, See Profile Information in Cards
• How to Use Google Drive's New 'View History' Feature
• 10 Ways Google Tools Can Make the End of the Year ROCK
• Student Collaboration in Shared Google Slides

Six Tips to Help Save Yourself from Poor Computer Posture

Six Tips to Help Save Yourself from Poor Computer Posture, from How-To Geek by Cameron Summerson
Do your neck, back or shoulders hurt at the end of the day - or after using your computer for awhile? We all try to get more comfortable when using our devices for a longer stretch of time. Find out how you can save your neck, back and shoulders from all that fatigue and pain.

7 Easy Chromebook Troubleshooting Tips to Fix Common Issues

7 Easy Chromebook Troubleshooting Tips to Fix Common Issues, from Cartyville by Dave Carty
If you own your own Chromebook, here are some tips for troubleshooting issues. They are pretty reliable, but every once in awhile they hiccup, like any other device

Why Does Rebooting a Computer Fix So Many Problems? 

Why Does Rebooting a Computer Fix So Many Problems? from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman
First, rebooting is just a tech term for restarting, or turning the device off and back on. On a PC, that means clicking on Restart - not just holding down the power button or unplugging. It truly does solve many issues on any device. It's always a good idea, before calling support, to turn it off and back on to see if that fixes the problem. During this post, if you tune out during the somewhat technical description of why it helps, be sure to skip down to the section that gives examples of restarting fixing problems.

G Suite Updates: 

Link Slides in Google Docs

You will now be able to insert a Google Slide in to a Google Doc and link the two files so any update you make in one file are always current in the other. This is useful if the same information on the presentation slide is also used in a Doc shared with others. So for example, if you need to share the Doc internally with the staff, and present the same info to the Board of Directors, you can save time by preserving both and updating only once.

Slides Guides and Rulers

There are now guides and rulers in slides, to help you line up all the text and objects. It will be so much easier to make your slides appear more aligned and professional. Drag items around and they will snap to the guide or grid. You can turn this feature on and off as you prefer.

See Profile Information in Cards

What does this mean? When you add someone to a calendar event, or see their post in Google +, their contact will be available on a pop up card when you hover over their name. You will then have the option to add them to your contacts, send a message, start a Hangout, or add them to a calendar event. The contact information comes from your Google + profile, if you have one. If you do not have a Google + profile, it comes from the information entered for you by the system administrator, and includes your job title, work address and work phone number. If you would like to see or edit your profile card information, visit aboutme.google.com.  Here are instructions for updating your user profile.  For now these cards are only appearing in Calendar and Google +. They'll start to appear in more G Suite apps soon.

How to Use Google Drive's New 'View History' Feature

How to Use Google Drive's New 'View History' Feature, from Lifehacker by Jacob Kleinman
Here's how to use the feature that those "Editors can now see your view history." messages enabled.

10 Ways Google Tools Can Make the End of the Year ROCK

10 Ways Google Tools Can Make the End of the Year ROCK, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Lots of end of the year ideas for takeaways, time fillers, review and projects. Full tutorials are included with each suggestion.

Student Collaboration in Shared Google Slides

Easy activity where each student has his/her own slide to edit. This idea can be adapted to any grade level. He also slips in lots of "ninja skills" for Slides.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for April 20, 2018

Finally! Spring has agreed to make its grand appearance here in the Midwest - just when it looked like we would skip Spring this year. I'm a little giddy just thinking about sunshine and 60 degrees, how about you? Something that doesn't make us giddy, are the occasional mysterious behaviors of our tech devices and some of the websites we visit. Have you ever wondered how those extra toolbars appeared in your browser, or where that new message you don't understand came from? Understanding "Dark Patterns" on websites will help you avoid accidentally installing widgets and programs you don't really want. Other helpful posts include what to do if your, or a friend's, Facebook account gets hacked, and what that Not Optimized for Your Mac message is about. If your computer is slow, and you're feeling brave, you may even try increasing your PC's memory - it's not difficult, you just have to find the right RAM stick and snap it in. Next are the G Suite related tips that will enhance your skill set. Finally, if you are running out of room on your iPhone, or want to make sure your photos are backed up and you don't have a Mac or want to pay for cloud storage, learn how to move your photos from your iPhone to a PC. Enjoy the warm sunshine while you broaden your tech knowledge.

• What to Do if Your Facebook Accounts Gets "Hacked"
• How Tech Companies use 'Dark Patterns' to Trick You
• What that "Not Optimized for Your Mac" Message Means
• How to Transfer Photos from an iPhone to a PC
• How to Upgrade or Replace your PC's RAM
• G Suite Updates:  Record Macros in Sheets and Better Printing in Sheets
• Google Document URL Tricks
• Create G Suite Templates with this Mind Blowing Trick
• Creating Moveable Digital Activities with Google Drawings + Slides

What to Do if Your Facebook Account Gets "Hacked"

What to Do if Your Facebook Accounts Gets "Hacked", from How-To Geek by Cameron Summerson
Have you every received strange message or post that is very out of character for one of your Facebook friends? This happens when their Facebook account gets hacked - meaning someone else has figured out the password and taken over the account. Here's how to spot it, and what to do next.

How Tech Companies use 'Dark Patterns' to Trick You

How Tech Companies use 'Dark Patterns' to Trick You, from How-To Tech by Justin Pot
This is a ploy used on pretty much any web interface that is designed to sell you something - shopping sites, games, free app downloads, etc, and often how you end up with applications or browser toolbars you didn't want. The embedded video has very clear examples, but of course by the end of it there's a plug for a VPN. Dark Patterns are something all of us need to be aware of, so we don't accidentally activate something we don't want.

What that "Not Optimized for Your Mac" Message Means

What that "Not Optimized for Your Mac" Message Means, from How-To Geek by Justin Pot
Basically you have a year for the app developer to issue an updated version of the app, or find a replacement.

How to Transfer Photos from an iPhone to a PC

How to Transfer Photos from an iPhone to a PC, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman
This will work for your iPad too, as long is it is new enough to have the smaller lightning charging cable.

How to Upgrade or Replace your PC's RAM

How to Upgrade or Replace your PC's RAM, from How-To Tech by Michael Crider
After you've had your PC for awhile and it has experienced several upgrades, you may notice it has slowed down. There are several reasons for this, but often it can benefit from additional RAM, or memory. It's not hard to do, and the process is described here, along with how to determine what type of RAM and how much you may need.

G Suite Updates:  Record Macros and Better Printing Options in Sheets

If you work with spreadsheets much, this will definitely be a time saver. If you routinely export data into a sheet, and then have to format it, you can easily record a macro do automatically do all that formatting for you. No programming skills are necessary. You can record a macro that automatically performs any routine tasks you normally do in sheets. You will also now be able to add printing page breaks and print on custom page sizes. Additional new features include adding checkboxes to cells, more options for row and column grouping, more pivot table options. Full details and instructions are in this G Suite Updates post.

Google Document URL Tricks

Google Document URL Tricks, from Learning in Hand by Tony Vincent
Have you ever needed to force your students to make a copy of a file you've shared with them? There is a simple way by changing the last word of the URL. That's not all you can do! Read the full instructions (with pictures) in this post.

Create G Suite Templates with this Mind Blowing Trick

Create G Suite Templates with this Mind Blowing Trick, from Shake Up Learning by Kasey Bell
Here's a twist on the previous URL tricks post. Instead of forcing users to make a copy, change the link to make the doc a template. This way those you've shared the file with get a "Use Template" prompt instead.

Creating Moveable Digital Activities with Google Drawings + Slides

Think hands on, graphic organizer type activities where students can move things around in the file. 

Weekly Tech Tips and News for April 13, 2018

Hopefully everyone who was able to take time off during Spring Break last week, returned relaxed and rejuvenated. If you stayed home, the weather definitely didn't cooperate, but hopefully you enjoyed yourselves anyway. Spring just seems to be having a very difficult time launching here in the midwest. Since we can't yet enjoy the great outdoors in this stubbornly winter-like weather, it's a great time to tackle some new tech. Some tasks are being forced on us a bit, such as checking our privacy settings in our social media accounts. Although Facebook has become the poster child for abusing our personal information, they are not alone. Our online information has long been the price for free online services and social media. The difference with Facebook is they were caught selling it to a company that used it to manipulate the presidential election. This isn't the only kind of manipulation that happens. All those little surveys and memes that ask for information, such as your first car, first pet, first grade teacher, etc., seem like harmless fun, but are actually trying to get the answers to those security questions asked by our online accounts, such as banks, medical offices, online purchasing, etc. As long as we want free online services, we need to arm ourselves with the knowledge of how our information can be used, and how we can protect it.  The first three articles below speak to this topic specifically.

• Ever Wonder How Much Facebook Knows About You? Here's How to See
• How to Find Out if Your Facebook Data was Stolen by Cambridge Analytica
• Don't Give Away Historic Details About Yourself
• What is Firmware or Microcode, and How Can I Update My Hardware?
• G Suite Updates:  Updated Google Drive Access Checker
• Goo.gl is Being Shut Down - 5 Alternatives
• 5 Google Drawings Features You Don't Know About
• Introducing a Fresh New Look for Pear Deck Home
• Adobe Launches Spark for Education
• ZapSplat - Thousands of Free Sound Effects
• What Causes Body Odor? - A TED-Ed Lesson

Ever Wonder How Much Facebook Knows About You? Here's How to See

Ever Wonder How Much Facebook Knows About You? Here's How to See, from How-To Geek by Harry Guinness
With the recent Facebook scandal involving Cambridge Analytica mining our personal information without our consent, it might be a good idea to see what kind of information FB has about each of us. (Hint:  Stop filling out those "fun" surveys.)

How to Find Out if Your Facebook Data was Stolen by Cambridge Analytica

How to Find Out if Your Facebook Data was Stolen by Cambridge Analytica, from Gizmodo by Matt Novak
This post explains the notice you may or may not have received on Facebook.

Don't Give Away Historic Details About Yourself

Don't Give Away Historic Details About Yourself, from Krebs on Security
This is the answer to the question, "What's wrong with those fun surveys on Facebook?"

What is Firmware or Microcode, and How Can I Update My Hardware?

What is Firmware or Microcode, and How Can I Update My Hardware?, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman
Did you ever wonder what your Smart TV means when it wants you to update the firmware? Nowadays, your car may even prompt you for this. Should you update it, and how? It's easier than you think.

G Suite Updates:  Updated Google Drive Access Checker

When you send a message that includes a Drive file, Access Checker will automatically check if the recipients have the necessary permissions to view the file. It will then prompt you to turn on the necessary settings. Full details can be found in the the G Suite Update blog.

Goo.gl is Being Shut Down - 5 Alternatives

Goo.gl is Being Shut Down - 5 Alternatives, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
In a very surprising move, Google has decided to shut down its URL shortening extension by April 13th. I have used both Bitly.com and TinyURL, but there are many to choose from. Try them out and see which become your new favorite. If you are unfamiliar with URL shorteners - they are extensions or services that will shorten a web site URL (address) into something shorter, and easier to share with others (and easier for your students to enter).

5 Google Drawings Features You Don't Know About

Introducing a Fresh New Look for Pear Deck Home

Pear Deck has updated their web interface. This video will catch you up on where to find things.

Adobe Launches Spark for Education

Adobe Launches Spark for Education, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Adobe has finally launched an education version of Spark, which makes it COPPA compliant for students under the age of 13. ASA Teachers:  if you use Spark, and would like your students to have their own accounts, please let me know and we can set up the school dashboard. (The education version is free!) If you are unfamiliar with Adobe Spark, it is available as either an app for iPads, or web interface for Chromebooks, and allows for the creation of posters, memes, web pages, video and more. It's a great option for video creation on chromebooks. This post also includes a tutorial video for using Spark.

ZapSplat - Thousands of Free Sound Effects

ZapSplat - Thousands of Free Sound Effects, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Enhance your presentations and videos. ZapSplat offers over 20,000 free sound effects and music for free by just citing ZapSplat.

What Causes Body Odor? - A TED-Ed Lesson

What Causes Body Odor? - A TED-Ed Lesson, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This is for you, middle school teachers. The next time you need to have that hygiene chat with your students, here's a video to show. It explains what causes body odor and how antiperspirants work. This video is part of a Gross Science playlist, that also covers bad breath and passing gas, among other topics.