Weekly Tech Tips and News for May 25, 2018

Korean War Veterans Memorial 2016

It's Memorial Day weekend, and the unofficial start of summer - except for those of us with two more weeks of school. During your long weekend, please take a moment to remember the reason for this holiday, and say a prayer of thanks to those who have protected our country - especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice while doing so. While you are enjoying an extra day off this weekend, perhaps you'll find time to peruse the helpful tech tips below. There is a very good example of what a phishing attack looks like, both from the receiver and the sender. Other tips include how to fix common issues on your phone, set the default browser of your choice in Windows, installing and managing Chrome extensions and how you can tell a fake Facebook page from a real one. In addition there are a few more Protect Young Eyes topics to help us all keep our kids safe online. Finally, there is a tip for teachers to ramp up those year end review sessions without using the same Kahoot! tools. (Not that there is anything wrong with Kahoot!, but variety is good!) Enjoy your long weekend!

• What an Apple Phishing Attack Looks Like
• Why Restarting Your Phone Makes it Perform Better and Fixes Common Issues
• How to Set a Default Web Browser in Windows
• How to Install and Manage Chrome Extensions
• How to Spot a Fake Facebook Page
• Where the Kids Are, That's Where the Predators Are
• What's the Right Age to Talk to My Kid About Pornography?
• Twelve Tools for Building End-of-Year Review Activities (That Aren't Kahoot Games)

What an Apple Phishing Attack Looks Like

What an Apple Phishing Attack Looks Like, from CSO by Steve Ragan
If you've ever wanted to see a step by step video on how to tell if an email is a phishing attack, watch the first video in this article. This video is helpful for everyone, not just Apple users.

Why Restarting Your Phone Makes it Perform Better and Fixes Common Issues

Why Restarting Your Phone Makes it Perform Better and Fixes Common Issues, from How-To Geek by Cameron Summerson
Here's why the magic "turn it off and back on again" trick fixes so many things.

How to Set a Default Web Browser in Windows

How to Set a Default Web Browser in Windows, from How-To Geek by Yuvaj Wadhwani
If you would prefer not to use Internet Explorer (and you shouldn't) or Edge as your internet browser on a Windows PC, you can change the default browser to something else. The most popular other choices would be Firefox or Chrome, but there actually are other choices as well. Here's how you take control and make the change.

How to Install and Manage Chrome Extensions

How to Install and Manage Chrome Extensions, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Chrome extensions are little helpers for your Chrome web browser. They can do all kinds of useful things, such as block ads, shorten a URL so its easier for others to enter in their browsers (and takes up less space on Twitter), insert your Bitmoji, and so much more. Not only will you see how easy it is to add them to Chrome, but you'll also see how easy it is to disable or delete them if you find one that isn't as useful as you thought it might be.

How to Spot a Fake Facebook Page

How to Spot a Fake Facebook Page, from How-To Geek by Harry Guinness
Are you sure those Facebook pages you're following are legit? Here's how you can tell, and protect your information and money.

Where the Kids Are, That's Where the Predators Are

Courtesy of Protect Young Eyes
Young kids flock to certain gaming and social media platforms, like Roblox and Musical.ly. this is not lost on predators, who pay attention to these trends and also make their homes on these apps, using fake profiles to chat with and groom young children. Too many young people are using social media, and they just aren't ready. Please read more about the risks here.

What's the Right Age to Talk to My Kid About Pornography?

Courtesy of Protect Young Eyes
This is a common question received by our friends at Protect Young Eyes. Here are their responses:  (1) if you wait until you're ready (mom and dad), it's too late, and (2) your kid is ready before you are. In the digital age, it's important to talk through anything your kids might experience on the tablet before they experience it. Don't worry. Our friends at Protect Young Eyes have provided some great tips for getting started with all the awkward conversations.

Twelve Tools for Building End-of-Year Review Activities (That Aren't Kahoot Games)

Twelve Tools for Building End-of-Year Review Activities (That Aren't Kahoot Games), from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
There is a variety of options here, including interactive video, games based, flashcards, and quiz based. Variety is good!

Weekly Tech Tips and News for May 18, 2018

Photo by Art4TheGlryOf God by Sharon's Photo Stream

So, do you hear Yanny or Laurel? You could not be on social media in the last few days without seeing this latest debate go by on your feed. If you were spared this latest, senseless debate, don't worry, you haven't missed anything significant, although the science behind why two people can listen to the same recording and hear different words is interesting. Speaking of annoying things, passwords are a necessary hassle in our lives, but because we all have too many to manage, we are careless with them and that can put us in a vulnerable position. Are you overwhelmed with passwords for all the places you shop or bank, your doctor, not to mention your email and social media? A password manager may be the answer for you. Read the first two posts to understand what password managers do (complete with pictures!), and see a review of the best password managers and how they work. In addition to that helper, there are a couple tips for Windows 10, several G Suite updates, including some new features to Forms that will make creating a grading quizzes easier. With Memorial Day coming up, you may be taking pictures of your family and outings. Check out the post on how to use Google Photos to edit your pics and share them with your family and friends - or with your students' parents for those photos of your class. Be sure to look over the two posts by Protect Young Eyes to learn the best age for kids to have a social media account, and how to apply parental controls to your Apple devices. Finally, if you spend any time around kids, you've probably heard about the game Fortnite. They are obsessed with it. Learn how to embrace it and engage your students by incorporating into  your classes.

• Best Password Managers:  Reviews and Buying Advice
• A Better Way to Manage Your Passwords, Explained With a Cartoon
• How to Manage Startup Programs in Windows 10's Settings App
• Secret Hotkey Opens Windows 10's New Emoji Picker in Any App
• G Suite Updates:  Google Drive Changes Coming, Gmail Nudges Remind You to Respond, Six New Features Coming to Google Forms
• How to Use Google Photos for Easy Photo Fixes, Share Suggestions, and More
• What's the Right Age to Give My Kid a Social Media Account?
• Two Easy Steps for Every Family Who Uses Apple Products
• A Teacher's Guide to Surviving Fortnite

Best Password Managers:  Reviews and Buying Advice

Best Password Managers:  Reviews and Buying Advice, from PCWorld by Michael Ansaldo
If there's one thing all technology users can agree on, it's the hassle of managing passwords. With pretty much everything in our lives online, the importance of passwords keeps climbing. If you struggle with passwords, a good password manager very well may be the answer. All you need to remember is the one user name and password for the password manager, and it will remember and apply the correct passwords for each of your logins, while keeping that information safe and secure.

A Better Way to Manage Your Passwords, Explained With a Cartoon

A Better Way to Manage Your Passwords, Explained With a Cartoon, from Vox by Alvin Chang
So if you're wondering how a password manager works, after reading the previous blog post, take a look at the illustrated explanation.

How to Manage Startup Programs in Windows 10's Settings App

How to Manage Startup Programs in Windows 10's Settings App, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman
Does your Windows 10 PC seem to take forever to start up? When you install programs, sometimes they automatically add themselves to the list of programs that automatically start up when you turn on (boot up) your computer. After awhile, this slows the startup process. You can go through the list of startup programs and disable those that aren't necessary.

Secret Hotkey Opens Windows 10's New Emoji Picker in Any App

Secret Hotkey Opens Windows 10's New Emoji Picker in Any App, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman
Did you know that Windows 10 has an emoji picker that allows you to type an emoji in any application or browser? You can even search for just the right emoji. Expressing your feelings is right at your fingertips. 😁 👍 🧡

G Suite Updates:  

Google Drive Changes Coming

Just when you are getting use to the changes in Gmail (or are contemplating doing so), Google will soon be pushing out changes to the look of Google Drive in your web browser next. Most of the changes are cosmetic, so it matches the look of the new Gmail - rounded corners, white background, Drive logo in the upper left, DOGR logo in the upper right. You will, however, want to know where you can find help and the gear. Those two icons will be moving up a row, so they will be in line with, and just to the right of the Search box. Full details, as well as images, can be found in the G Suites Updates Blog.

Gmail Nudges Remind You to Respond

One of the new features coming to the new Gmail are nudges. A nudge will remind you to respond to emails you may have either missed, or have become buried in your inbox and you've forgotten to follow up on. When this new feature appears, you can choose to turn it off in Gmail Settings if you find you dislike it. Check out the G Suites Updates Blog for all the details.

Six New Features Coming to Google Forms

Six New Features Coming to Google Forms, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
You can look forward to Forms automatically suggesting answers to quiz questions, the ability to automatically grade grid questions, giving partial points when grading a quiz, provide video feedback, and see the total point tally while creating a quiz. 

How to Use Google Photos for Easy Photo Fixes, Share Suggestions, and More

How to Use Google Photos for Easy Photo Fixes, Share Suggestions, and More, from How-To Geek by Cameron Summerson
Now that we're nearing the end of the school year, what do you do with all those photos of your class? How do you share them with parents? How do you easily edit them to make them look better?

What's the Right Age to Give My Kid a Social Media Account?

Courtesy of Protect Young Eyes
This is a great question that parents of elementary and middle school students often have. Age is important (the law says age 13 is the minimum!), but what other factors should parents consider? This blog post from Protect Young Eyes answers these questions and many others. Are you a parent (or grandparent) who is concerned about internet safety?

Two Easy Steps for Every Family Who Uses Apple Products

Courtesy of Protect Young Eyes
Apple's products, including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch all use the same operating system. They also all come with the same awesome parental controls. All families using Apple should know about Restrictions, Family Sharing, and Guided Access. They're easy to use. Protect Young Eyes explains how to use each of these features in this helpful blog post.

A Teacher's Guide to Surviving Fortnite

A Teacher's Guide to Surviving Fortnite, from Tech & Learning by Chris Aviles
Anyone who interacts with upper elementary and older students is aware that their latest obsession is a game called Fortnite. It's a bit Hunger Games without the blood and gore of other first person shooter games. This post suggests several ways to engage your students at school by using Fortnite themes in writing and math.

Weekly Tech Tips and News for May 11, 2018

Happy Mother's Day for all the moms and mother figures. It's time to draw on that "mama bear" or watchdog in each of us to learn to protect any children in our lives from online dangers - including on those smartphones and iPads. Protect Young Eyes has numerous resources on their web site and blog for protecting children online to help you become a watchdog for children. In this online age we are in, we cannot let children have free reign on the internet. Some of the things they may encounter at best will disrupt their development, and at worse could be deadly. Every adult in a child's life must take the time to become a knowledgeable online protector. The two posts below, about YouTube parental controls and where it is the most dangerous places for children to be online (Grandpa and Grandma take note!) are the first two in a series of posts I'll be sharing. On a more utilitarian note, if you took a look at the new Gmail last week, there are a couple of tips for finding your contacts and snoozing your emails. As comedy relief, treat yourself to the video by James Veitch about his way of unsubscribing to those unwanted emails (don't try this at home, kids). If you use Google Drive sync on your PC or Mac so you can work offline, it is going away tomorrow, so make sure you read that post. If you have a Twitter account, you also need to tend to that account by changing your password - be sure to check out that post too. In a less task oriented mode, there are a couple ideas and tips to use in the classroom - just for fun, take a walk down memory lane with the MOOO.

• How to Find Contacts in the New Gmail
• How to Snooze Emails in Gmail Without Any Browser Extensions
• The Agony of Trying to Unsubscribe
• Google Drive Sync Ending May 12
• EDU in 90:  Latest for Spring 2018
• How to Secure Your Twitter Account (Even if Your Password is Stolen)
• What are the Four Most Dangerous Places for Kids to be Online?
• How do I Properly Use YouTube's Parental Controls
• History and Literature Text Messages
• MOOO - Museum of Obsolete Objects

How to Find Contacts in the New Gmail

How to Find Contacts in the New Gmail, from How-To Geek by Justin Pot
This may be a mystery to some, but not to others. If you were used to finding Contacts by clicking on the Gmail logo, then you may be still looking for Contacts. If you access all your G Suite apps via the "waffle" app switcher, then Contacts are right where you left them.

How to Snooze Emails in Gmail Without Any Browser Extensions

How to Snooze Emails in Gmail Without Any Browser Extensions, from How-To Geek by Justin Pot

This will help you snooze emails you aren't ready to deal with, as well as where to find them again.

The Agony of Trying to Unsubscribe

James Veitch's way of finding the game in unsubscribing from spam emails. Get ready to take a laugh  break for 7 minutes and 40 seconds.

Google Drive Sync is Ending May 12

Several months ago Google announced Drive Sync, the program that is loaded on your Mac or PC to sync Google Drive locally and allow you to work offline, would be ending this May. Well, here we are, and if you were using Drive Sync on your Mac or PC hopefully you already switched to Drive File Stream. Even if you have, keep reading, you still may want to remove your old Google Drive folder on your hard drive before May 12 (see instructions below). If you haven't already switched, over the course of the next several days, Drive Sync will stop syncing to your My Drive online and you will receive a pop up message informing you that it has stopped. That pop up message will include a link to install Drive File Stream. Please install it (if you haven't already) to continue syncing your Google files to your computer. The upside is that Drive File Stream will sync not just your My Drive, but Team Drives as well. After installing, you will need to enable offline syncing in Drive > click the Gear > Settings > Offline = check the box to Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings to this computer so you can edit offline. After May 12, Google will make changes to the Google Drive folder on your hard drive so it no longer syncs.
Remove the old Google Drive folder:  To avoid confusion and free up space, delete this folder prior to May 12. You will find it in c:\Users\<your user name>\Google Drive. Note that after May 12 you will remove the folder named Google Drive (not syncing). Right click on the folder and select Delete. It is a large folder, so it will take several minutes.

EDU in 90:  The Latest, Spring 2018

How to Secure Your Twitter Account (Even if Your Password is Stolen)

How to Secure Your Twitter Account (Even if Your Password is Stolen), from How-To Geek by Cameron Summerson
You may have heard about Twitter suggesting all their users change their passwords. This is a good cautionary tale for any social media account, as well as good advice for securing those accounts? Not good at remembering passwords? A password keeper does all the work for you - you only need to remember the one password for the password keeper.

What are the Four Most Dangerous Places for Kids to be Online?

Courtesy of Protect Young Eyes
The Protect Young Eyes team has over four decades of youth ministry experience and has found that there are four places where internet risk for kids skyrockets. Do you know what they are? You might be surprised. Please read more about them here so you can make sure the right controls are in place for your children or students. When parents know the risks, they can do the right things to protect their kids.

How Do I Properly Use YouTube's Parental Controls

Courtesy of Protect Young Eyes
YouTube is the second most popular search engine with over two billion searches daily! Kids love it, but parents typically don't. There are some steps parents can take to enable a safer search experience for their kids, which is very important. Make no mistake - there is an abundance of inappropriate and downright pornographic content on YouTube. Please read this blog post that includes detailed step-by-step instructions for protecting all types of internet-ready devices from junk on YouTube!

History and Literature Text Messages

History and Literature Text Messages, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This is a fun way to make historical or literary characters come alive for students. They can create a texting conversation between two characters - without the use of a mobile phone.

MOOO - Museum of Obsolete Objects

MOOO - Museum of Obsolete Objects, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
For many of us this will be a walk down memory lane, for our students it will be a look at ancient artifacts. At least two of the items in the video library are currently in use here at school. I was disappointed the mimeograph wasn't included. What else is missing?

ASA Weekly Tech Tips and News for May 4, 2018

publicdomainpictures.net

The spring winds are blowing in new tools from Windows to free up space on your hard drive, and a new Gmail, that comes along with some nice new features! Currently the new Gmail is on a voluntary opt-in basis. You can choose to use the new interface, or stay with what is now called Classic Gmail. When you decide you are ready, you can turn it on - it has some great features, like snoozing messages until you have time to deal with them and SmartReply to save you time responding to messages. Read all the details and decide when you're ready to make the switch. If you are not interested in switching, as with all other new Google features, it will be voluntary for awhile, and then it will be forced upon you. I haven't yet seen a date for the end of Classic Gmail, so you still have time to ease into the new Gmail. I've been using it for the past week, and do not miss Classic Gmail at all. In addition to several posts about new Gmail, there's a good reminder about how to tell which email attachments you should never open, preventing eye strain, and Google Forms tips. If you haven't yet embraced the wonderful world of Google Forms, take a look at all the time savers it can bring to your classroom.

• How to Avoid Computer Eye Strain and Keep Your Eyes Healthy
• Use Windows 10's New "Free Up Space" Tool to Clean Up Your Hard Drive
• The New Gmail Interface Launches Today
• Gmail's New Design Will Include a 'Confidential Mode'
• Google Tasks - A Very Simple Task Management App
• Reminder - These Are Attachments You Should Never Open
• Google Forms:  Set Your Default Preferences
• How to Send Certificates via Google Forms
• 25 Ways to Use Google Forms in the Classroom (with examples!)
• End the School Year with Epic Review Olympics (Free Templates!)

How to Avoid Computer Eye Strain and Keep Your Eyes Healthy

How to Avoid Computer Eye Strain and Keep Your Eyes Healthy, from How-To Geek by Melissa Karnaze
After last week's post, your neck and back should be feeling much better with proper computing posture. Now it's time to take care of your eyes.

Use Windows 10's New "Free Up Space" Tool to Clean Up Your Hard Drive

Use Windows 10's New "Free Up Space" Tool to Clean Up Your Hard Drive, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman
Running out of space on your Windows 10 hard drive, or is your computer slowing down? It might be time for a spring cleanup with this new tool that came with the April 2018 Update.

G Suite Updates:  

The New Gmail Interface Launches Today

The New Gmail Interface Launches Today, from How-To Geek by Justin Pot

This actually became available last week. Gmail will not prompt you to try out the new format, but you can turn it on if you wish, by clicking on the gear icon in Gmail, and selecting Try the New Mail. There are lots of new features and time savers in the new version. If you choose to give it a try, you will be able to reply to messages without opening them (from your inbox), when sending messages with sensitive information you can choose a date for them delete themselves (self destructing emails), snooze emails until you are ready to deal with them, and SmartReply, where Gmail suggests a reply to a message. In the new inbox view, you can see and open attachments without even opening the message, and by hovering over the message (not opening it) you can archive, delete, respond to a meeting invitation, archive or snooze the message. Google will also "nudge" you to remind you about unopened emails in your inbox that it thinks need attention. In addition to these features, from your inbox, you can also easily access Calendar, Keep, Tasks and Add-ons from the icons in the side panel on the far right. You can also work offline. On your mobile device, you can set your notifications to only alert you for high priority messages, and you can add the new Tasks app that integrates with Tasks on your desktop Gmail. To see the full announcement from Google, including demonstrations of these features, take a look at the G Suite Updates blog post. At some point in the upcoming months, Google will actively begin suggesting you use the new Gmail, and as with all other new formats, eventually it will automatically change to the new format. The look is only slightly different, and most functions are still in the same place as the old Gmail, so it shouldn't be confusing to switch to the new format, but feel free to do so whenever you are comfortable.

Gmail's New Design Will Include a 'Confidential Mode'

Gmail's New Design Will Include a 'Confidential Mode', from The Verge by Tom Warren
The Confidential Mode features are still in a coming soon status, but they are fabulous security features, so I wanted to highlight them apart from the rest of the wonderful new features in the upgraded Gmail. When they arrive in a few weeks, you will be able to require passwords to open emails, or set an expiration date on emails you send. This is perfect when emailing sensitive or confidential information that you don't want sitting in someone's inbox, or on their phone, indefinitely.

Google Tasks - A Very Simple Task Management App

Google Tasks - A Very Simple Task Management App, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

If you are unfamiliar with Tasks, it has always been part of Gmail to be used as a simple "to do" list. You can easily add items to the list manually, or by linking an email, and you can also add a due date so the task appears on your calendar. In the new version, you can now also add subtasksOn the desktop version of Gmail (not the mobile device app), Tasks appears at the bottom of the right toolbar (see image above). (In old Gmail, you used to click the Gmail logo and turn it on.) For mobile devices (phones, tablets, iPads, etc.) there is a new Tasks app. Before this, we couldn't access Tasks from mobile devices, so this is a welcome addition. Now if Google would just add a recurring date feature.

Reminder - These Are Attachments You Should Never Open

Reminder - These Are Attachments You Should Never Open, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
While we're on the subject of email, it seems fitting for a reminder on how to be careful when determining if you should open a mail attachment. There is a very helpful, short video that makes it clear what to look for in the message. It's crucial to keep these skills fresh!

Google Forms:  Set Your Default Preferences

Google Forms:  Set Your Default Preferences, from The Electric Educator by John Sowash
You can change the default preferences in Google Forms, so you never forget to collect email addresses (within the ASA/DOGR domains only) or assign quiz questions point values. Set the preferences so they are the way you want them for every form you create.

How to Send Certificates via Google Forms

25 Ways to Use Google Forms in the Classroom (with examples!)

25 Ways to Use Google Forms in the Classroom (with examples!), from The Electric Educator by John Sowash
If you are not yet using Google Forms in the classroom, you should truly investigate this very useful tool. It does quizzes well - and grades them, but there are so many other things you can do with Forms as well, such as bell ringers, image quizzes, certificate creator, elections, etc. Forms continues to evolve and add new features, and is pretty intuitive to use. I'm available for a one on one session to get you started as well.

End the School Year with Epic Review Olympics (Free Templates!)

End the School Year with Epic Review Olympics (Free Templates!), from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
It's that time of year when students mentally have one foot out the door. Here's an idea for keeping them engaged while they review.