Friday, October 9, 2020

Tech Tips and News for October 2, 2020


Now that I'm starting to feel like the beginning of the school year is sort of under control, or as "under control" as 2020 can be, it's time to catch up on the tech blog. Most of the articles this week are G Suite updates from the past couple of months, as I'm catching up on new features that were introduced. While we were busy getting a very different school year started, Google was busy rolling out lots of new features. You'll notice many of them are for Google Meet. With so many schools still learning virtually, there's a big demand for full features and student security. We have recently switched to G Suite Enterprise, so we will have FULL Meet features, such as recording Meets and Break Out Rooms. I would suggest Teachers practice with Google Meet, and familiarize yourself with the new features as a Meet host. Just like last March, we may have very little, if any, warning before we might need to transition to remote learning school-wide. It's good to be prepared. I'll roll out a new instructional video very soon with the new features!


8 Ways to Make Your Mac Boot Faster

8 Ways to Make Your Mac Boot Faster, from How-To Geek by Tim Brookes
Is your Mac slowing down and taking longer to start up? Find out how to speed it up.

G Suite Updates

Google Contacts:  New Trash Feature

Trash has been added to Google Contacts. What does that mean? Now when you delete a contact, it will go into trash, where it will sit for 30 days before it is deleted. This gives you a month to rescue accidentally deleted contacts. This update arrived in early August.

Google Docs:  Easily Add and Manage Citations

You will no longer need an add-on or extension to insert citations into academic papers. By using the Citations feature (in the Tools menu), you can insert in-text citations and create a bibliography in the MLA, APA, or Chicago styles. If you are not already seeing this, it should appear by mid-October. 

Google Drive:  Trash Items Will Automatically Delete After 30 Days

Beginning October 13th, any files in the Trash folder will automatically be deleted after 30 days. Previously, it stayed there until the user emptied the trash. Clearly, we're not doing a good enough job of taking out the trash, so Google will do it for us. 

Google Meet:  New Digital Whiteboard Integration

Meet now integrates with Jamboard to offer a digital whiteboard to collaborate with other Meet participants. Those using Meet on a computer or chromebook will easily be able to collaborate. Attendees using a mobile device will be prompted to use the Jamboard app. Full instructions for using a whiteboard in Google Meet can be found here. 

Google Meet:  Increase Engagement with Q&A and Polls

These features will roll out after October 8. Q&A will allow attendees to ask questions and get answers without disrupting the flow of the Meet by separating them out from the chat. Questions can be upvoted by attendees, so the most common questions will stand out. Polls allow you to quickly get real-time feedback from the attendees. Full details, including links to help screens can be found here. 
The feature was expected to become available last week, but it has been delayed due to performance issues. When it does rollout, meeting organizers will receive an attendance report via email once the Meet is over. The attendance report will be available for Meets with between 5 and 250 participants. The report will include the participant's name, email, the length of time they attended, as well as join and exit times. 

Google Meet:  See Up To 49 People

You can now remove your Google Meet GridView extension in Chrome! During September Google Meet added the feature to see up to 49 people, including yourself, at once with both the Auto and Tiled layout options. How do you turn it on? During a Meet, click on the 3 dots in the bottom right, select Change Layout, and choose either Auto or Tiled. At the bottom of the Change Layout window, you'll see a slider bar for the number of tiles you wish to see at once. To add yourself to the tile view, hover over your thumbnail in the upper right corner of the Meet window, and you'll see a grid option to add or remove yourself from the grid. Here are the complete details. Note:  I have removed the Google Meet Grid View extension from student accounts, please show them how to use the tile and auto views. I'll create a new Meet video tutorial for students too.

Google Meet:  Blur Your Background

This feature was supposed to become available in September, although I'm not seeing it yet. Didn't have time to tidy up before your meeting? No Problem! Just blur your background. The feature is off by default, so you'll need to turn it on to use it. You'll access it through the three dots in the bottom right. You can read all about it here. Hopefully we'll be seeing it soon. 

Google Meet:  Quick Access to Manage Who Can Access Meetings

Meeting hosts now have more control over who can access meetings. Meets are now limited to within the ASA or DOGR domains, or anyone with a Google account. In addition to that by using Quick Access. This feature is on by default, and will allow participants in the same domain (asagr.org or dogrschools.org) to enter the meeting with out "knocking" or requesting access to the Meet. Any participants outside the domain will need to be allowed to enter the Meet. Any participants without a Google account will be prompted to login to a Google account. Google accounts include any Gmail or G Suite account. Access full instructions here.

Google Meet:  Manage Who Can Share Their Screen

Meet hosts and creators can now control who in the Meet can present their screen by turning the "share their screen" feature on or off. When it is off, only the host can share their screen. When it is on, anyone can share their screen. This feature is on by default. This feature can easily be found by clicking on the blue shield with the lock next to Meeting Details at the bottom of the screen. Screenshots, instructions and details can be found here. 

Google Meet:  Block Participants from Knocking Again

Knocking is when someone sends a request to join a Meet. If the Meet organizer denies a request twice, they will be prevented from sending more requests. In addition, if the organizer ejects a participant, they will not be able to rejoin, or ask to rejoin. If the teacher accidentally ejects a participant, he or she can add them back by using the Add Person button in the People panel. Here are all the details and instructions. 

Google Meet:  Cast Google Meet to Your TV

With a Chromecast device, you can easily cast your Google Meet to your TV. Just make sure both the Chrome browser and the Chromecast device are up to date. Find out more here. 

G Suite now Google Workspace

Just when you got used to calling it G Suite instead of Google Apps, sometime in October, G Suite will become Google Workspace. Hey, it's 2020, we can roll with any changes now, can't we?

How to Make Text Bigger or Smaller in Google Chrome

How to Make Text Bigger or Smaller in Google Chrome, from How-To Geek by Benj Edwards
Have you ever encountered websites with too small text? Chrome has a wonderful zoom option to allow you to make it bigger, and easier to read.

What is a Bitmoji Classroom and How Can I Build One?

Image Credit: Pinterest
Image Credit:  Pinterest


What is a Bitmoji Classroom and How Can I Build One?, from Tech & Learning by Luke Edwards
Mary Klaasen and Nicole Stoner have used these with students. They are a very engaging and interactive way to organize lessons for your students. 


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