ASA Tech Tips and News for January 29, 2021

 

As we wrap up another in-person school week (with the odd remote student sprinkled in for fun) we need to take a moment to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. Teachers have continued to quickly adjust to meet their students' needs, wherever they may be. If there's one thing we've continually demonstrated during 2020 and now 2021, it's our flexibility. Think about how you were doing things in your classroom a year ago, and how much your tech skills have grown and changed in the last year. As we prepare for Catholic Schools Week next week, take a moment to congratulate yourself, and enjoy the festivities!

• G Suite/Google Workspace Updates:  
• Google Calendar:  Enable Offline Google Calendar from Computer
• Google Meet:  Muted Notifications When Screen Sharing
• Google Docs:  Out of Office Info Displays in Docs Comments
• How to Keep All Gmail Folders Visible in the Side Panel
• Create an Agenda for a Video Conference from Google Calendar
• Autofit Text in Slides
• 25 Fantastic Free Google Slides Templates and Themes for Teachers
• The Best Ways to Save Articles, Links, and Videos for Later
• 20 Teacher-Approved Educational YouTube Channels
• What is DuckDuckGo? Meet the Google Alternative for Privacy
• Common Craft Explains Disinformation

G Suite/Google Workspace Updates:  

Enable Offline Google Calendar from Computer

You can now turn on the ability to access your Google Calendar when not connected to the internet. Events from four weeks prior, or anytime in the future will be visible and editable. You will need to turn this feature on by following the directions in this this Workspace Updates blog post. You may already be seeing this feature, if not it should be available in the next week. 

Muted Notifications When Screen Sharing

If you've ever forgotten to mute your email, chat or other notifications sharing your screen during a Meet, you'll enjoy this update. While you are sharing your screen, any notifications will pop up with no details. Instead, you'll see this:

This update should be arriving sometime this week. Full details are available in the Google Workspace blog. 

Out of Office Info Displays in Docs Comments

In the next few weeks, if you mention someone in a Docs comment, by using @ before their email address, you will be notified in the comment if they have Out of Office/Vacation Mode turned on. Of course we should always turn on Vacation mode in our Calendar when we are out of the office during normal working hours. Click here for screen shots and full details. 

How to Keep All Gmail Folders Visible in the Side Panel

How to Keep All Gmail Folders Visible in the Side Panel, from G Suite Tips

If you are often looking for the Trash or Spam folders in Gmail, you know there's an extra click on "more" to see them. Save yourself that extra click with this setting change. 

Create an Agenda for a Video Conference from Google Calendar

What is the advantage of linking the meeting agenda right in the calendar link? Everyone can easily find the agenda.

Autofit Text in Slides

Autofit Text in Slides from G Suite Tips

This is a nice little time saver. You'll be able to either shrink the text to fit the box or resize the box to fit the text by clicking on the icon at the lower left corner of the text box. There's a handy demonstration in the post. 

25 Fantastic Free Google Slides Templates and Themes for Teachers

25 Fantastic Free Google Slides Templates and Themes for Teachers, from We Are Teachers by Jill Staake

All the heavy lifting has already been done on these slide templates! They also include games that can be played in Slides. 

The Best Ways to Save Articles, Links, and Videos for Later

The Best Ways to Save Articles, Links, and Videos for Later, from How-To Geek by Eric Schoon

Why is it that the most interesting articles surface when you have the least amount of time. Use one of these solutions to save them for later. 

20 Teacher-Approved Educational YouTube Channels

20 Teacher-Approved Educational YouTube Channels, from We Are Teachers by Jill Staake

Remember to send me the channel or video URL to approve for student viewing. 

What is DuckDuckGo? Meet the Google Alternative for Privacy

What is DuckDuckGo? Meet the Google Alternative for Privacy, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman

If you're not comfortable with Google tracking your online presence, here's an alternative. 

Common Craft Explains Disinformation

Common Craft Explains Disinformation, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Find out how easy it is to spread incorrect or false information online. 

ASA Tech Tips and News for January 22, 2021

Can you believe we're nearing the end of January? It seems like everyone just returned from Christmas break! I think this cardinal, who was hanging out in my yard during a snow storm a few years ago, looks as frazzled as many of us feel. 

It looks like the G Suite/Google Workspace updates have slowed down a bit...for now. That has allowed space for other topics, such as what is really happening when your email inbox is inundated with messages, reviewing search strategies with students, how to use a mobile phone as a document camera in a video meeting, and many different ways of using Kahoot! besides as a quiz/review. Keep stretching your tech skills and have a terrific tech week!

• How Email Bombing Uses Spam to Hide an Attack
• "Whoa!" - This is Why We Should Review Search Strategies Every Year
• How to Add Shapes and Drawings to Google Docs
• Mote - An Easier Way to Add Audio to Google Slides
• How to Use Your Android Phone or iPhone/iPad as a Document Camera
• 15 Totally Fun Kahoot! Ideas and Tips You'll Want to Try Right Away
• 37 Black History Videos for Students in Every Grade Level

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

If you ever get bombarded with junk email messages, there's more going on! This article shows you  what is really happening, and what to look for. 

"Whoa!" - This is Why We Should Review Search Strategies Every Year

"Whoa!" - This is Why We Should Review Search Strategies Every Year, From Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

This story is a nice lesson, but there are more cautionary tales as well, such as understanding when to do an image search and when not to. In addition, not all terms should be searched in Google, or they should be searched as a phrase to put them in context. For example the climax of a story is a legitimate educational term, however it also has other meanings that might be shocking for students. Searching for this term on the site literatyterms.net is a much safer bet than a Google search, assuming students follow instructions. 

How to Add Shapes and Drawings to Google Docs

Mote - An Easier Way to Add Audio to Google Slides

Mote - An Easier Way to Add Audio to Google Slides, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

If you would like this extension for students, please let me know and I'll push it out. 

How to Use Your Android Phone or iPhone/iPad as a Document Camera

How to Use Your Android Phone as a Document Camera, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Although this article discusses presenting your document camera view in Zoom, it will also work from Meet. If you have a newer document camera in your classroom, it will also work with your document camera. Don't have an Android phone? Here is a post about the solution for an iPhone. 

15 Totally Fun Kahoot! Ideas and Tips You'll Want to Try Right Away

15 Totally Fun Kahoot! Ideas and Tips You'll Want to Try Right Away, from We Are Teachers by Jill Staake

Kahoot! is not only free, but can be more than just quizzes and review. 

37 Black History Videos for Students in Every Grade Level

37 Black History Videos for Students in Every Grade Level, from We Are Teachers by Jeanne Croteau

February will be here very soon. Here is a collection of Black History videos for elementary, middle school and high school grade levels. 

ASA Tech Tips and News for January 15, 2021

At last, Google is pushing out a new feature to help us all figure out what might be causing our Google Meets to freeze. (And why is it that we always freeze with the ugliest possible expression on our faces? Just stuck there for everyone to enjoy?) You should be seeing this troubleshooting feature in the next week or two, if you aren't already seeing it. If this happens to you regularly, you may want to also check the article below for the link to Google's troubleshooting suggestions. Another helpful Meet feature for teachers, scheduled to be rolled out soon, will include a End Meet For All button. This will boot off everyone at once, and ensure that the teacher is the last one to leave a nicknamed Meet. This prevents students from reusing the Meet nickname for their own, unsupervised video calls. I hope you had a great week. Continue to stay healthy!

• G Suite/Google Workspace Updates:  Troubleshoot Network and Performance Issues in Google Meet
• How to Set an Out of Office Message in Gmail
• How to Sort by Multiple Columns in Google Sheets
• Google Meet Q&A Feature
• Google Photos Loses Its Free Storage:  What You Need to Know
• A Handful of Games for Fun Typing Practice
• Game Show Classroom:  Comparing Kahoot!, Quizizz, Quizlet Live and Gimkit
• Every US Election Through 2012 Explained
• Nine Neat NASA Resources for Students and Teachers - Updated

G Suite/Google Workspace Updates:  

Troubleshoot Network and Performance Issues in Google Meet

When your Google Meet is freezing, or images look fuzzy, how can you tell if the problem is with you or others? How do you fix it? That's exactly what this new feature is going to help you troubleshoot. Meet issues can be due to your internet speed, the number of tabs you have open (especially videos), as well as other programs or apps running on your device. How do you know whose device is having the problem? If you can see and hear everyone else on the call OK, but one person keeps freezing, it's most likely that user's device or connection. If everyone in the Meet is freezing up periodically, or others report you are freezing, it's most likely you. What to do? Start by turning off Meet backgrounds or background blur, closing any other browser tabs you don't need, and closing any open programs. The next check would be your internet connection, and if anyone else sharing your WiFi is video calling, or streaming videos, movies, TV shows, etc. Beyond that, sometime this week or next you should see the Troubleshooting and Help option when you click the three dot menu in a Meet. It will give you tips for troubleshooting and determining if the problem is with your device or your WiFi. More information about this update can be found here. Full troubleshooting tips for Google Meet are here. 

How to Set an Out of Office Message in Gmail

How to Set an Out of Office Message in Gmail, from How-To Geek by Ben Stockton

This is a good practice whenever you will be unavailable and not checking messages during your normal working hours. 

How to Sort by Multiple Columns in Google Sheets

How to Sort by Multiple Columns in Google Sheets, from How-To Geek by Ben Stockton

This is pretty efficient. 

Google Meet Q&A Feature

Google Meet Q&A Feature, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

This is a great way for your class to submit questions. We have the Enterprise version, so you should see this feature. 

Google Photos Loses Its Free Storage:  What You Need to Know

Google Photos Loses Its Free Storage:  What You Need to Know, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman

If you back up the photos on your mobile devices to Google Photos, the free storage option for High Quality photos is going away. You'll be able to change those settings to continue with free storage, and there are other storage options.

A Handful of Games for Fun Typing Practice

A Handful of Games for Fun Typing Practice, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Much like the importance of having legible handwriting, the ability to type accurately and quickly is imperative to success in a digital world. Think about exams with time limits as students get older. If they can't type well enough, it will impact their score. There's never enough time in tech class to devote to keyboarding, and if it's not practiced often, student skills will not improve. These are great games to link for students in their spare time. 

Game Show Classroom:  Comparing Kahoot!, Quizizz, Quizlet Live and Gimkit

Game Show Classroom:  Comparing Kahoot!, Quizizz, Quizlet Live and Gimkit, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller

Sometimes students can forget they're learning when their playing games and competing. Also included in this post are 10 additional games similar to Kahoot!.

Every US Election Through 2012 Explained

Every US Election Through 2012 Explained, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

This may help put the the 2020 election drama in perspective. 

Nine Neat NASA Resources for Students and Teachers - Updated

Nine Neat NASA Resources for Students and Teachers - Updated, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

This seems like the perfect time to focus our attention away from earth for a bit. Resources include artifacts, exploring the moon, Mars and the solar system, NASA selfies, NASA Kids Club, projects, games animations, and lots more. 

ASA Tech Tips and News for January 8, 2021

Of course, with any new opportunity, such as the COVID-19 vaccine, comes a new batch of scams. Continue to be vigilant of phone calls, emails and texts. Most legitimate entities will not contact you this way. Something else to be concerned with is the end of Adobe Flash. If you have a Windows laptop/PC you most likely have it installed, and should uninstall it right away. Flash has never been a truly safe solution, and will only become more dangerous to have on your device. It will no longer be supported, receive security updates, and websites using Flash will no longer be accessible. Uninstall instructions appear below. The end of Flash will also start to cause some educational websites to no longer work if they rely on Flash. It's time to move on and find replacements for them, if you haven't already done so. It may be a little painful, but it's long overdue. In this week of even more turmoil than usual in "the new normal" I send much love your way. If we've learned nothing else in the last year, it's that we are resilient and can accomplish great things when we work together with love and kindness. 

• Be Warned:  COVID-19 Vaccine Scams are Now Appearing Online, Over Text, and by Email
• Adobe Flash is Dead: Here's What That Means
• The Dos and Don'ts of Cleaning School-Issued Devices
• Two Easy Ways to See if a Website is Down or if it's Just You
• A New Habit for a New Year: Schedule Your Gmails
• Draw on Your Screen in Google Meet
• How to Create Flexible Hybrid Classrooms with Audiovisual Tools
• Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos
• 10 Green Screen Project Ideas for the Classroom

Be Warned:  COVID-19 Vaccine Scams are Now Appearing Online, Over Text, and by Email

Be Warned:  COVID-19 Vaccine Scams are Now Appearing Online, Over Text, and by Email, from ZDNet by Charlie Osborne

Stay vigilant, my friends. 

Adobe Flash is Dead: Here's What That Means

Adobe Flash is Dead: Here's What That Means, from How-To Geek by Tim Brookes

Beginning January 12, you may start to see educational websites you've used for years no longer work. This means they were running on Flash, and although the developers had years to convert them to newer programs, they never did. Hopefully you'll be able to find another resource to replace those tools. In addition to this possible inconvenience, if you have Flash installed on your Windows laptop, you should uninstall it for security reasons. This is a quick task, so please make it a priority. To do this in Windows 8 or 10, 

1. Search for Control Panel and open it. 
2. In control Panel, look in the upper right corner for View by:. Make sure it is set to either large icons or small icons. 
3. Then look through the options for Programs and Features. 
4. Look for Adobe Flash in any variation, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Flash Player Plugin, etc. Click on them one by one and select Uninstall. 
5. Click Yes in the window asking you to confirm the uninstall. 
6. Click Yes in the window asking if you want to allow Adobe to make changes to your computer. If nothing is happening and you don't see this message, look at the bottom, in your taskbar, to see if there is an icon flashing. Click on it to see the message. 
7. When it is finished uninstalling, repeat these steps to uninstall the next appearance of Flash. Once they are all removed, close Control Panel. 

The Dos and Don'ts of Cleaning School-Issued Devices

The Dos and Don'ts of Cleaning School-Issued Devices, from EdTech by Micah Castelo

With the definite need to keep devices clean and sanitized, it's important to understand the best way to do it so they don't get damaged. Liquids and electricity are not a good mix!

Two Easy Ways to See if a Website is Down or if it's Just You

A New Habit for a New Year: Schedule Your Gmails

A New Habit for a New Year: Schedule Your Gmails, from A Lever and a Place to Stand by Amy Roediger

This is also a good security habit. Emails sent during business hours are less likely to be marked as spam. 

Draw on Your Screen in Google Meet

Draw on Your Screen in Google Meet, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Type or draw on your screen to call attention to important details, or add info. There's also an instruction video in this post. 

How to Create Flexible Hybrid Classrooms with Audiovisual Tools

How to Create Flexible Hybrid Classrooms with Audiovisual Tools, from Ed Tech by Mike Peters

Teachers are SO flexible and committed to teaching their students! Although we have remained open and in person this school year, anytime teachers have a student quarantining, they must instantly pivot to a hybrid learning situation. Here are some ideas for you to consider. 

Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos

Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Now that you are pretty well versed in recording videos, here's how to refine the process.

10 Green Screen Project Ideas for the Classroom

10 Green Screen Project Ideas for the Classroom from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller, guest post by Megan Diede and Kara Rigsby

We have a green screen at each ASA campus. If you are unfamiliar with the green screen concept, it allows you to create a custom background for any video you record.