Tech Tips and News for January 25, 2019

This is so easy, our elementary students could do it. One of these photos is real. The four of us were together...but in only in of these locations. For the other photo, I used remove.bg to remove the background. Then I popped it over a different photograph (no photo editing programs were necessary) and it took under 5 minutes. The full instructional blog post, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne, appears at the end of this post. So what do you think? Were we in Nashville or Washington DC? Why do you think so? (Shhhh! Please keep it to yourself if you know which of our children live in these cities.) Add your guess to the comments below, and I'll reveal the answer next week. Think of the places you could "take" your students! Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that this could also be a cautionary tale about how easy it is to edit real photos as "proof" of something that never happened - also a great lesson with your students. Speaking of cautionary tales, there has also been yet another data leak, compromising many account credentials and personal information. This is another reminder as to why strong passwords, changing your passwords periodically, and good online habits are so important. Read on to see what you need to do to protect yourself. Other tips include...

• Over 1 Billion Login Credentials Leaked, Here's How to See if You Were Compromised
• Lock Down Your Tech in 2019 With These Resolutions
• G Suite Updates:  New Gmail Compose Formatting and Download Options
• Quick Tips for Changing the Layout of Your Google Drive
• The Best Google Docs Add-Ons
• 25 Things You Didn't Know Google Slides Could Do!
• Choose a Layout When Adding a Google Slide
• How to Create Magnetic Poetry (Free Mini-Course)
• Google Slides Templates for Snapchat Games in Class
• Picture Yourself in Front of Any Landmark With Remove.BG and Google Slides

Over 1 Billion Login Credentials Leaked, Here's How to See if You Were Compromised

Over 1 Billion Login Credentials Leaked, Here's How to See if You Were Compromised, from How-To Geek by Cameron Summerson
We know the drill by now after these leaks. Visit haveibeenpwned.com to see if your accounts have been compromised. Although it has since been revealed that this leak was from 2 year old data, as a general precaution, change your password for any account you care about.

Lock Down Your Tech in 2019 With These Resolutions

Lock Down Your Tech in 2019 With These Resolutions, from How-To Geek by Justin Pot
Don't put this off any longer! If you spend time on the internet, and especially if you buy anything or bank online, protect yourself!

G Suite Updates:  New Gmail Compose Formatting and Download Options

This week, new formatting options are coming to Gmail. They include Undo and Redo buttons on the formatting bar, as well as strikethrough. In addition, there will also be the ability to download email as .EML files, so they can be added as an attachment and recognized by other email clients. Full details are available in the G Suite Updates blog.

Quick Tips for Changing the Layout of Your Google Drive

Quick Tips for Changing the Layout of Your Google Drive, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Do you prefer a list view instead of the thumbnails in Drive? Maybe the Quick Access at the top gets in your way? You can customize the way Google Drive looks so it works better for you.

The Best Google Docs Add-Ons

The Best Google Docs Add-Ons, from How-To Geek by Brady Gavin
You may, or may not, agree with their list of the best add-ons, but there are great instructions here for installing, using and removing them. What are Add-ons? They are clever little helpers in Docs, Slides, Sheets and Forms to help with some of those enhancements that may be available in Microsoft, but not in G Suite itself.

25 Things You Didn't Know Google Slides Could Do!

25 Things You Didn't Know Google Slides Could Do! from Shake Up Learning by Kasey Bell
Don't just create a presentation, you can create an interactive presentation in slides or a self guided adventure! Did you know you can create an eBook or create images with a transparent background, or even insert audio? Slides also offers an easy way to create stop-motion animation without the need for a third party app. There are many more tricks included in this post.

Choose a Layout When Adding a Google Slide

How to Create Magnetic Poetry (Free Mini-Course)

How to Create Magnetic Poetry (Free Mini-Course), from Shake Up Learning by Kasey Bell
I've shared magnetic poetry templates before, but this is a great way for you to customize the idea for your class using Google Slides and Google Drawings. It's a great way to use those vocabulary words in any subject, not just ELA. It's also a good tool for foreign language class!

Google Slides Templates for Snapchat Games in Class

Google Slides Templates for Snapchat Games in Class, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
Use the games kids love in your class without the Snapchat app. These games aren't just for mindless fun because you can customize them to your content so students use them to learn.

Picture Yourself in Front of Any Landmark With Remove.BG and Google Slides

Picture Yourself in Front of Any Landmark With Remove.BG and Google Slides, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Yes, this can be used for many educational purposes, but it's also just plain fun. You and/or your students can travel the world, travel through time, in space or be Mrs. Frizzle and travel inside the body. The photos at the top of the blog took about 5 minutes to complete...the longest part of the process is deciding on which background image to use. In addition to remove.bg, a later blog post also demonstrates how to do the same thing with Photo Scissors.