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.