ASA Tech Tips and News for December 17, 2021

 

We've made it to Christmas break!!! It's been a crazy week, and I have been nowhere near as patient as my dear friend's cat (see photo at left). Enzo is clearly ready for Christmas here, and is the most indulgent cat I've ever met. (He has a variety of costumes, but this one is my favorite). So as we enter into the last week before Christmas, before you get caught up in the frenzy of last minute holiday preparations, stop and channel this patient cat, who sits for long periods of time  and allows his family to decorate him for any event. While I don't recommend putting a star on your head and hanging ornaments from your person (those hooks can be sharp!), however if that sounds like fun, who am I to judge? Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you all! For those of you who don't work during breaks, enjoy your time off.

• Google Workspace Updates
• Calendar:  Set Tasks to Repeat
• Calendar:  Prevent Unwanted Invitations
• Calendar:  Easily See Which Account You're Using on Mobile
• Docs:  New Ways to Customize Tables
• Drive:  Files in Multiple Locations Becoming Shortcuts
• Drive:  New Notifications When a File Violates Program Policies
• Meet:  Automatically Move Breakout Room Participants Back to the Orignal Meeting
• How to Hum to Search for a Song Using Google
• Google Tools to Support All Learners
• Wide Open School - Activities and Resources for Many Subjects and Age Ranges
• Free Webinar:  Holy Sheets! Google Sheets Activities for All Subjects

Google Workspace Updates

Calendar:  Set Tasks to Repeat

When using Tasks in Calendar, you will now be able to set recurring tasks with Calendar's recurrance rules and the ability to set an end date. This feature is already available. Full details are available here. Not sure how to use Google Tasks? Find out here. 

Calendar:  Prevent Unwanted Invitations

The settings for adding invitations to your calendar have been changed to Always have invitations automatcally added or Only have them automatically added if you RSVP in the email event invitation. Changing this setting in Calendar will only affect future events, not those already in your calendar. This feature is off by default. To turn it on, open Calendar, navigate to settings (click the gear on a desktop or laptop), scroll to event settings and look for Add invitations to my calendar. You should see this change within the next two weeks. See all the details here. 

Calendar:  Easily See Which Account You're Using on Mobile

Profile pictures have been added to the top corner of the Calendar mobile app so you can easily see which account you're currently using. Tapping that profile picture will also allow you to easily toggle between your accounts. You'll still be able to see events for all of your calendars, but this will help you make sure you're in the correct account before adding appointments. The active account will always be listed at the top of the account list. I am not seeing this update yet, but it is expected to roll out in the next two weeks. Here are all the details. 

Docs:  New Ways to Customize Tables

You now have more options when creating tables in Google Docs. The following features have been added:

• Pin a table header row to repeat on each page - This will make long tables that continue across more than one page much easier to read.
• Designate that a row should not be split across pages - When text in a cell wraps across more than one page, important information can easily be missed or misunderstood.
• Quickly add, and arrange columns and rows  - Columns and rows can now be dragged to a different place in the table.
• Sorting tables to better organize data - Pinned headers will stay in place when you sort
• Use a new table sidebar to manage table properties - This makes table properties much easier to access.

It appears these features are already available for our domain. Full details for each of them and on how to use them can be found here. Not sure how to use tables in Docs? Find out here. 

Drive:  Files in Multiple Locations Becoming Shortcuts

Files in Google Drive, which appear in more than one location, will be converted to shortcuts in Drive in 2022. Shortcuts are just links to the actual file location in Drive, rather than storing the file in more than one location. You will begin to see a banner in Drive notifying you of this upcoming change. You will not need to do anything, it is just for information purposes. Shortcuts will not impede your access to files you currently see. 

Drive:  New Notifications When a File Violates Program Policies

If an item in Drive violates Google's Terms of Service or Program Policies, it may be restricted - even from those with whom the file has been shared. If it is restricted, the owner will see a flag next to the file name, and it will no longer be accessible to others. The owner will also now receive an email notifying them of the restriction, and explaining how to request a review if the restriction is a mistake. These changes should take effect in the next two weeks. 

Meet:  Automatically Move Breakout Room Participants Back to the Orignal Meeting

Meeting hosts and co-hosts will now be able to automatically move participants back to the main meeting room once a breakout session ends. This will hopefully end confusion if an attendee isn't sure how to navigate back, or if a student is being uncooperative. The host, or co-host, will be able to close the breakout rooms, and all participants will see a timer counting down to the when they will be moved back to the main Meet room. Participants will then see a message confirming they've been moved back to the main room. Not sure how to use breakout rooms in a Meet? Find out here. This new feature should be available in the next two weeks. Full details can be found here. 

How to Hum to Search for a Song Using Google

How to Hum to Search for a Song Using Google, from How-To Geek by Joe Fedewa

Can't quite recall the title or lyrics of a song? Now you can hum or whistle it to find out!

Google Tools to Support All Learners

Google Tools to Support All Learners, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

This is a comprehensive list of resources and tools available to help students with special needs. 

Wide Open School - Activities and Resources for Many Subjects and Age Ranges

Looking for inspiration for new activities or resources for your students? Common Sense Media is offering Wide Open School, which offers many activities for your students. Just choose the grade level and subject and be inspired. 

Free Webinar:  Holy Sheets! Google Sheets Activities for All Subjects

Free Webinar:  Holy Sheets! Google Sheets Activities for All Subjects, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

Looking for new activities for your students, or maybe looking for innovative ways to use Sheets? Here you go.

ASA Tech Tips & News for December 10, 2021

One more week until a much deserved break for teachers and many of our staff members! In addition to the two cautionary tales in this issue are several resources for your classroom and a chromebook camera tip - chromebooks can be handy scanners now. I know there are some classes who can certainly make use of the noise meter tip, when your students are riled up and rambunctious. Merry Christmas! With Christmas in mind, the text scams and fake emails have definitely increased. Be sure you know how to spot them so you don't fall victim. I hope you are able to enjoy this last crazy week before break...you're almost there!

• How to Spot Any Spoofed & Fake Email (Ultimate Guide)
• How to Spot a Text Message Scam
• Your Chromebook's Camera is Now a Document Scanner
• SpinnerWheel - A Great Random Name, Number and Word Picker
• Classroomscreen - Timers, Noise Meters and Random Names for Repeated Use
• 8 Googley Winter Activities
• How to Maximize Space in Google Slides for Manipulative Drag and Drop Activities
• 10 Low-Prep, High-Return Activities for Class TOMORROW
• 25 Cool Winter Videos for Kids to Watch on Snowy Days
• Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit 12/13/21-1/7/22

How to Spot Any Spoofed & Fake Email (Ultimate Guide)

How to Spot a Text Message Scam

How to Spot a Text Message Scam, from How-To Geek by Tim Brookes

I know I've seen a dramatic uptick in Smishing messages on my phone. We all need to be just as suspicious of texts as we are with emails. 

Your Chromebook's Camera is Now a Document Scanner

Your Chromebook's Camera is Now a Document Scanner, from How-To Geek by Dave LeClair

The next time you need to scan a document, no need to walk to the nearest copier, just use one of the chromebooks in your classroom. 

SpinnerWheel - A Great Random Name, Number and Word Picker

SpinnerWheel - A Great Random Name, Number and Word Picker, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Not only will SpinnerWheel allow you to customize names numbers, images and sound efects, but you can also run several SpinnerWheels at once for randomly picking groups. or multiple numbers. There's an instructional video in the post.

Classroomscreen - Timers, Noise Meters and Random Names for Repeated Use

Keep all the tools on one handy home screen to use over and over. Did I mention...it's free!

8 Googley Winter Activities

8 Googley Winter Activities, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

These activities run the gamut of age ranges and skills to practice, such as tech, math and writing. Templates are provided to get you started. 

How to Maximize Space in Google Slides for Manipulative Drag and Drop Activities

How to Maximize Space in Google Slides for Manipulative Drag and Drop Activities, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

In other words, how to get rid of the film strip in the left column, the speaker notes at the bottom and the menu at the top. 

10 Low-Prep, High-Return Activities for Class TOMORROW

10 Low-Prep, High-Return Activities for Class TOMORROW, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller

Use these when you are out of ideas, when you have a little time to spare in the classroom, or tuck them away for when you suddenly lose your planning period. Surprise!

25 Cool Winter Videos for Kids to Watch on Snowy Days

25 Cool Winter Videos fir Kids to Watch on Snowy Days, from We Are Teachers by Kimmie Fink

Too cold for kids to go out for recess? No problem! There are videos to choose for all ages in this collection. Keep in mind, Google has blocked YouTube for students under the age of 18, so you'll either have to show the videos as a class, or embed the YouTube video in a Google Slide file. 

Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit 12/13/21-1/7/22

Looking for new ed tech ideas? There's an online conference for Teachers in December, called Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit. This year there will be nine video presentations from well-known presenters on topics related to tech and solid teaching and learning. You'll also have access to previous years sessions, so there will be over 80 sessions to choose from. Find out more here. 

ASA Tech Tips and News for December 3, 2021

 

I hope your Thanksgiving break was wonderful and restful. Now we head right into Advent and the Christmas season. With the new season come several new Google updates. Be sure to check them out, there are some very handy ones in the mix. There are also a couple of security-related videos. Please make sure you learn how to see what's really behind a Bitly link before you ever click on one again. Bitly is a great tool for shortening very long URLs, I use them myself, but it can also be used to hide malicious website links too. Someone always comes along to ruin a good thing, don't they? 

• A New Phone Scam Bypasses Two-Factor Security Codes
• How to See What's Really Behind a Bitly Link
• Google Workspace for Education Updates
• Gmail:  Indicate Whether You'll Join a Meeting Virtually or in Person
• Docs:  Add a Page Break Before Paragraphs 
• Docs:  Add People, Files and More to Docs with Universal @ Menu
• Meet:  Immersive Background and Styles
• Sheets:  Add People With Smart Chips
• How to Delete Bookmarks on Google Chrome
• Take a Look at Your Google Docs Activity Dashboard
• Can You Use FaceTime on Windows
• These Free Lessons Will Get Your Students Making Cool Explainer Videos

A New Phone Scam Bypasses Two-Factor Security Codes

FYI:  2-Factor Authentication is when a website requires a second step when you are logging in, which includes sending a code to our phone or email, which you enter into the website to complete the login process. Banks usually require this. It's important that you know you should never enter the code if you have not just logged in to that site yourself. 

How to See What's Really Behind a Bitly Link

Bitly is a handy tool for shortening long URLs, but sometimes it's used to hide malicious site addresses.

Google Workspace for Education Updates

Gmail:  Indicate Whether You'll Join a Meeting Virtually or in Person

This option was only previously available in Calendar, but is now also available in Gmail. This means when you receive an invitation for a meeting in Gmail, you can indicate whether you will be attending virtually or in person when you RSVP. Read all the details here. This feature is available now. Here are directions on how to respond to a Calendar invitation in Gmail. 

Docs:  Add a Page Break Before Paragraphs

This is useful when you always want a particular paragraph style or heading to start a new page. Simply highlight the paragraph style and turn it on. From that point on, everytime you use that paragraph style, it will force a new page. This will also allow you to import and export this feature from Microsoft Word. Find complete information here. This feature is already available. Find out how to use paragraph styles here. 

Docs:  Add People, Files and More to Docs with Universal @ Menu

@ Menu Demonstration

This is a huge time saver. Entering an @ in a Google Doc will now pop up a menu, allowing you to insert people, meeting notes, files, task lists, media, dates, paragraph heading styles, calendar events, page components (page numbers, headers, footers, etc.), bookmarks, special characters, links and more into the file. This allows you to access many features without clicking through menus or leaving the keyboard. This feature is available now. Here are instructions for using the @ menu. Give it a try!

Meet:  Immersive Background and Styles

Meet Immersive Background & Styles

Immersive backgrounds feature subtle animation that differentiates your background based on the time of day or weather where you are. These include Morning Condo, Night Condo, Rainy Cafe, Snowy Cafe and Sunny Cafe. In addition to these new backgrounds, there are also styles available. A Style will turn your existing background into a different type of lighting or illustration. For example, make your existing background black and white, or a pencil drawing, or appear to be in sunlight or vivid colors. You can turn backgrounds and styles on before joining the Meet. Not sure how to turn on backgrounds? Find out here. This update is available in Meet now (as demonstrated at right in the UC school office). Full info can be found here. 

Sheets:  Add People With Smart Chips

Similar to the @ menu in Docs, you will soon be able to add people in Sheets by entering @ and the first few letters of a name in a cell. You can select the person and then interact with the people Smart Chip that appears to view their info, book a meeting, start a Chat, send an email, and more. You can only access people at this time in Sheets. I'm not seeing this feature yet, but it should be available in the next few days. Find more information about using Smart Chips here. 

How to Delete Bookmarks on Google Chrome

How to Delete Bookmarks on Google Chrome, from How-To Geek by Mahesh Makvana

Sometimes you just need a bookmark temporarily, but other times you may find you have a growing collection of bookmarks that you no longer use - or no longer work. It's easy to clean them up. 

Take a Look at Your Google Docs Activity Dashboard

Can You Use FaceTime on Windows

Can You Use FaceTime on Windows, from How-To Geek by Yuvraj Wadhwani

Facetime is so easy to use for Mac, iPad and iPhone users, except when they want to FaceTime someone who doesn't use those devices. Now it sort of works with Windows users. Find out how it works. 

These Free Lessons Will Get Your Students Making Cool Explainer Videos

These Free Lessons Will Get Your Students Making Cool Explainer Videos, from We Are Teachers by Paul Emerich France

Teach your students (or yourself) the art of making effective explainer videos.