ASA Tech Tips and News for March 27, 2020

We are definitely in uncharted territory in education. I applaud all teachers who have been so fearless and creative in continuing to provide an education to our students remotely. You've figured this all out at the last minute and with little warning or training. Many of you are even doing this while entertaining your own children. Give yourselves a HUGE pat on the back!  Parents have also been doing a great job getting their students connected and being their at home teachers, while some of whom are still working from home as well. While you are navigating through this new teaching style, remember to take care of yourself and stay healthy. While we are physically apart, we are in this together!

• The 11 Most Disgusting Everyday Surfaces You Touch All the Time
• How to Disinfect Your Smartphone
• G Suite Updates:  Fix Images to a Certain Location on a Page in Google Docs, Create and Use Multiple Signatures in Gmail, Hangouts Meet Improvements for Remote Learning
• EDU in 90:  The Latest, March '20
• How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail
• Resources, Tips and More for Remote and e-Learning (Teaching Online)
• Using GoGuardian for e-Learning
• 8 Student Activities for Learning About the Census
• A Really "Rotten" Book Review Template

The 11 Most Disgusting Everyday Surfaces You Touch All the Time

The 11 Most Disgusting Everyday Surfaces You Touch All the Time, from Lifesavvy by Elyse Hauser
In case you weren't already paranoid about touching anything, this will alert you to the worst surfaces.

How to Disinfect Your Smartphone

How to Disinfect Your Smartphone, from How-To Geek by Tim Brookes
Think of all the places your phone is in. We should be cleaning it regularly all the time, not just when there's the threat of a pandemic.

G Suite Updates:  

Fix Images to a Certain Location on a Page in Google Docs

You can now make sure your Google Docs images stay in a certain spot, instead of moving around with the text. Full instructions can be found here. This feature should be available within the next few weeks.

Create and Use Multiple Signatures in Gmail

There may be times when you want to use a formal signature for business purposes, or a more casual signature for people you know well. You will soon be able do so from the same email account. Here are the details and a demonstration. This feature should be available after March 24.

Hangouts Meet Improvements for Remote Learning

Google was pretty quick to respond to educators' concerns about using Google Hangouts Meet for students, especially those under the age of 13. Already we are seeing restriction of students muting or removing others (including the teacher) from a Meet. We are still waiting for the ability to block students from rejoining a meet after the teacher has closed it. We should see this in the next two weeks.  Here are all the details.

EDU in 90:  The Latest, March '20 This video includes resources for providing distance learning for your students, as well as training links.

How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail

How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail, fro m How-To Geek by Ben Stockton
You can clean out your inbox without permanently deleting those messages!

Resources, Tips and More for Remote and e-Learning (Teaching Online)

Resources, Tips and More for Remote and e-Learning (Teaching Online), from Educational Technology Guy by David Andrade
We have no way of knowing if the COVID-19 Corona virus will necessitate closing school in our area, but this is a good companion skill for using Canvas or any other Learning Management System (LMS). It would be very useful with sick students or when there is a sub in the classroom. At some point, snow days may even become e-Learning days.

Using GoGuardian for e-Learning

Using GoGuardian for e-Learning, from GoGuardian Learning
In case you ever need to provide remote lessons for your students, there are several features in GoGuardian Teacher that will help you.

8 Student Activities for Learning About the Census

8 Student Activities for Learning About the Census, from We Are Teachers by Kimberly Moran
There are lessons for all grade levels about the upcoming US Census.

A Really "Rotten" Book Review Template

A Really "Rotten" Book Review Template, From a Lever and a Place to Stand by Amy Roediger
This is a great idea for a book report, complete with a Google Docs template to use.

Tech Tips and News for March 13, 2020

Merry Christmas, happy New Year, MLK Day, Presidents' Day, and Valentine's Day! After an involuntary hiatus, the tech blog has returned. I'm thrilled to be back after an unexpected 3 months long absence. This post was partially prepared before my absence, so many of these posts are several months old, but still relevant. As I catch up on my news feeds, newer posts will appear in the next few weeks. This issue has some practical posts for passwords, iPad/iPhone users, shortcuts in Google Docs, and Google Sheets tips. You may not use Google Sheets often, but if you have to deal with Google Forms responses (think field trip and conference responses), it helps to know your way around Google Sheets.

• 13 Ways to Make Up Passwords That are Secure and Memorable
• How to Share Photos and Videos From Your iPhone
• How to Listen to Podcasts on iPhone, iPad or Android
• How to Use Text Shortcuts in Google Docs
• How to Add or Remove Rows and Columns in Google Sheets
• How to Freeze or Hide Columns and Rows in Google Sheets
• Plagiarism Explained by Common Craft-Updated
• Creating with Google Earth:  10 Activities to Try

13 Ways to Make Up Passwords That are Secure and Memorable

13 Ways to Make Up Passwords That are Secure and Memorable, from Make Use Of
Passwords are the eternal struggle - here's how to make them safer and easier for you.

How to Share Photos and Videos From Your iPhone

How to Share Photos and Videos From Your iPhone, from How-To Geek by Khamosh Pathak
With the holidays coming up, you may want to share some of those snapshots with friends and relatives.

How to Listen to Podcasts on iPhone, iPad or Android

How to Listen to Podcasts on iPhone, iPad or Android, from How-To Geek by Khamosh Pathak
For those of us over a "certain age" (let's leave the generational B word out of it), a podcast is an informational radio show you can listen to whenever you want, rather than when it is broadcast. It's so handy to do this from your smart phone, when you're travelling or have a little down time.

How to Use Text Shortcuts in Google Docs

How to Use Text Shortcuts in Google Docs, from How-To Geek by Brady Gavin
This is a huge time saver. It's so much faster to type "asa" and have your doc spell out All Saints Academy for you. This is just one example of how this feature can make your life a little better. You can also program in words that you commonly misspell, so they automatically correct as you type.

How to Add or Remove Rows and Columns in Google Sheets

How to Add or Remove Rows and Columns in Google Sheets, from How-To Geek by Brady Gavin
This is a necessary Sheets skill to know.

How to Freeze or Hide Columns and Rows in Google Sheets

How to Freeze or Hide Columns and Rows in Google Sheets, from How-To Geek by Ben Stockton
Another useful skill for sheets.

Plagiarism Explained by Common Craft-Updated

Plagiarism Explained by Common Craft-Updated, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This is not only a good practice for adults to follow, but also important to teach our students.

Creating with Google Earth:  10 Activities to Try

Creating with Google Earth:  10 Activities to Try, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller
There are endless possibilities to projects students can create in Google Earth, in any subject.