Tech Tips and News for May 3, 2019

I cannot stress enough how important it is to be skeptical of everything online and in your emailbox. You cannot be too careful out there, my friends. Maybe I'm too cynical or paranoid, but I haven't been compromised...yet. (Knocking on wood now - I've probably just jinxed myself.) If you haven't been caught by any phishing or hacking scam yet, good for you! You're obviously being sufficiently cautious as well. We must continue to learn about the latest scams to remain safe online. The first two articles touch on the latest twists to Phishing scams and spam. If only those scammers would use their talents for a good purpose! They could probably end war and world hunger.

• How Phishing Scams are Evolving - And How Not to Get Caught
• How Email Bombing Uses Spam to Hide an Attack
• How to Wipe Your USB Drive Before Throwing it Away
• How to Update Google Chrome
• G Suite Updates:  Team Drives is Being Renamed to Shared Drives
• 5 Ways to Prevent Cheating On Your Google Form Quiz
• Google Earth Timelapses and Historical Imagery
• 10 Ideas for Digital Exit Tickets (and some analog ones too)
• Make Trading Cards for Historical and Fictional Characters

How Phishing Scams are Evolving - And How Not to Get Caught

How Phishing Scams are Evolving - And How Not to Get Caught, from Gizmodo by David Nield
Because if you are going to be online - ever - you need to be aware of the latest scams so you don't fall for them. There's an online Google Quiz included in the article if you want to test your phishing smarts.

How Email Bombing Uses Spam to Hide an Attack

How Email Bombing Uses Spam to Hide an Attack, from How-To Geek by Josh Hendrickson
I'm truly grateful I haven't encountered this particular attack, and I hope none of us ever do. It's good to be forewarned just in case!

How to Wipe Your USB Drive Before Throwing it Away

How to Wipe Your USB Drive Before Throwing it Away, from Tech Republic by James Sanders
It's important to wipe any old technology before discarding it. Anyone who ends up with your old device or drive can access your files if you don't.

How to Update Google Chrome

How to Update Google Chrome, from How-To Geek by Brady Gavin
Your browsers update on a regular schedule, just like your operating system does. This is what keeps them running properly and securely. Although the updates will download automatically, they won't be applied until you close and reopen your browser. It's a good idea to get in the habit of doing this on a regular basis. This article will show you how to check to see if Chrome needs an update, and how to run them.

G Suite Updates:  Team Drives is Being Renamed to Shared Drives

Be aware that on May 31, you will no longer see Team Drives in your Drive, instead you will see Shared Drives. It's just a simple name change, they will still work the same way.

5 Ways to Prevent Cheating On Your Google Form Quiz

5 Ways to Prevent Cheating On Your Google Form Quiz, from The Electric Educator by John Sowash
Prevent students from looking at someone else's screen or previewing the quiz before class. It's also possible now to keep them from opening other tabs.

Google Earth Timelapses and Historical Imagery>

Google Earth Timelapses and Historical Imagery from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This feature has been available in the desktop version of Google Earth for quite awhile, it has recently been added to the online version, which the Chromebooks use. See how to access it in this article.

10 Ideas for Digital Exit Tickets (and some analog ones too)

10 Ideas for Digital Exit Tickets (and some analog ones too), from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
These are quick check-ins with students before class wraps up. Did they understand what was covered today?

Make Trading Cards for Historical and Fictional Characters

Make Trading Cards for Historical and Fictional Characters, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Using the Read Write Think Trading Cards free tool, students can create trading cards about people, places and events, both real and fictional.