Tech Tips and News for May 31, 2019

If you read nothing else in this blog post, take some time to check out the new G Suite Learning Center. This is seriously overdue. Kudos to Google for finally getting there! Summer is coming, and it's the perfect time to enhance your G Suite skills. It will help you be more productive at school, and you'll be better able to help your students on their chromebooks. Start with week 1 or day 1 training and see how much you already know - you might be surprised by the information you didn't know! Then you might move on to the learn by product section, and learn all you can about Gmail, Drive, Docs, etc., to make things easier for you. If you're really feeling adventurous, maybe try learning a product you've never used before. The better you know how to use G Suite, the faster and more efficient you can complete all your work tasks. You'll also be able to pass your mad, ninja, G Suite skills on to your students. As far as reading nothing else goes, you will also want to take the time to familiarize yourself with the 7 signs of phishing and the upcoming Gmail Confidential Mode.

• 'Your Account Has Been Locked' - 7 Telltale Signs of a Phishing Scam
• How Not To Have 100 Browser Tabs Open
• How to Customize Your Icons in Windows
• How to Take a Video on a Chromebook
• How to Delete Contacts From Your iPhone
• G Suite Updates:  Update All Linked Content With One Click in Docs and Slides, Check Out the New G Suite Learning Center, Section Breaks Coming to Docs, Gmail Confidential Mode Launching June 25
• Three Lessons to Learn From the $9.2M Copyright Ruling Against Houston ISD

'Your Account Has Been Locked' - 7 Telltale Signs of a Phishing Scam

'Your Account Has Been Locked' - 7 Telltale Signs of a Phishing Scam, from Security Boulevard by Filip Truta
This article has some great details to watch for if you don't want to fall victim to a scam or ransomware attack. We can never be too prepared or vigilant - that includes you, Mac and iOS users!

How Not To Have 100 Browser Tabs Open

How Not To Have 100 Browser Tabs Open, from How-To Geek by Andrew Heinzman
This is a great way to speed up your computer and simplify your browsing habits. Yes, your device will slow down if you have too many tabs open.

How to Customize Your Icons in Windows

How to Customize Your Icons in Windows, from How-To Geek by Walter Glenn
Just as you would arrange your physical desk to make it the most efficient for you, you can do the same with the virtual desktop on your Windows PC.

How to Take a Video on a Chromebook

How to Take a Video on a Chromebook, from How-To Geek by Brady Gavin
Yes, it's possible, and here's how.

How to Delete Contacts From Your iPhone

How to Delete Contacts From Your iPhone, from How-To Geek by Adam Doud
There are several ways to accomplish this task, read the article for details.

G Suite Updates:  

Update All Linked Content With One Click in Docs and Slides

This is great news for anyone who spreadsheet data or charts into Docs and/or Slides. There will now be a Linked Objects sidebar, where you can updte all links with one button. Check out this post for full details and screen shots.

Check Out the New G Suite Learning Center

This is a HUGE improvement. You can basically go through self-paced G Suite training as a new user (day 1, week 1 etc.), by product (Calendar, Gmail, Drive, etc.) or by task (optimize your inbox, manage a project, get up to speed after a vacation, etc.). G Suite users of all comfort levels should check out the G Suite Learning Center. I've bookmarked it for all ASA users - it's in your "magical bookmark folder". There are also PDF versions of each help article if you prefer reading offline while you practice a new skill.

Section Breaks Coming to Docs

In about two weeks, in addition to being able to insert page breaks, you will also be able to insert or view continuous section breaks. By selecting the Insert > Break menu, you will be able to choose either page break or section break. Here are the full details.

Gmail Confidential Mode Launching June 25

Gmail Confidential Mode provides the ability for the sender to protect sensitive information by restricting the recipient from forwarding, copying, printing or downloading the message, and you can set an expiration date for the message. You can also revoke a recipients access to the message at any time. How does one use Confidential Mode? After opening a new message, in the bottom right of the message window, click to turn on confidential mode. You will then be prompted for the options you'd like to use. It's important to note that if you receive a confidential mode message from an outside email address (not ASA or DOGR), it will not be saved in Google's back up system, Vault. Internal confidential emails will be saved to Vault. While this tool can be useful for adults, I have turned Confidential Mode off for students.

Three Lessons to Learn From the $9.2M Copyright Ruling Against Houston ISD

Three Lessons to Learn From the $9.2M Copyright Ruling Against Houston ISD, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
If you are unfamiliar with this case, it involves a small company that sells study guides suing Houston ISD for routinely making copies of the study guides - and winning - big. School employees at HISD even went so far as to cover up the copyright notice on each page before copying and sharing. Take a look at this article, and think about it the next time you want to photocopy any books or other purchased materials. If you think no one notices, think again.