Tech Tips and News for September 30, 2022

Watching the devastation in Florida due to Hurricane Ian makes me think about what we would do in those circumstances. At least with a hurricane, there is enough warning to make a plan. With the storms or tornadoes that sometimes occur in Michigan, there isn't usually much advance notice. We rely on technology so much in our everyday lives now, we don't even think about it. Have you ever thought about what would happen if tech was suddenly unavailable - either due to a catasrophic event or a major outage? How many phone numbers do you have memorized? How would you pay for something you needed? What if you couldn't access your electronic files? Do you have a backup plan to continue teaching if the internet is out? No one likes to think about these situations, but they do occasionally happen. These emergencies become far less stressful if we have a plan in place ahead of time.

• Preparing for Sudden Tech Failures
• Why Rebooting Your Router Fixes So Many Problems (and Why You Have to Wait 10 Seconds)
• Five Google Search Products Students Overlook
• Google Sheets in 20 Minutes
• New Classroom Resources:  Power Up Teaching and Learning
• 20+ Sources of FREE Digital Content for Your Class
• A Great Place to Find Free Images for School Projects
• Comedy Relief:  Newest Erducational Technology

Preparing for Sudden Tech Failures

Preparing for Sudden Tech Failures, from Screenagers by Delaney Ruston, MD

While this article focuses on your personal tech data and family plans, it could also apply to your professional life as well, and the methods are sound. Do you have your necessary info backed up? Do you have any critical contact information memorized? Do you have a plan to continue teaching without internet? Do you know how to connect to the internet if the WiFi fails? Fortunately we don't have tech outages often at school, but they do occasionally happen, and it's wise to have a back up plan.

Why Rebooting Your Router Fixes So Many Problems (and Why You Have to Wait 10 Seconds)

Why Rebooting Your Router Fixes So Many Problems (and Why You Have to Wait 10 Seconds), from How-To Geek by Justin Pot

This includes your WiFi router and cable box - just in case you ever wondered why support will always tell you to turn it off, then back on. 

Five Google Search Products Students Overlook

Five Google Search Products Students Overlook, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Great ways to refine searches, along with video demonstration. Some options are geared toward older students, but there are several good suggestions for all students. 

Google Sheets in 20 Minutes

Google Sheets in 20 Minutes, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

Have you ever wished you had a better understanding of how to use Google Sheets? Especially when checking the field trip or conference scheduling sheets? This 20 minute session will hlp you with sorting, filtering, formulas, charts and graphs, sparklines, conditional formatting and pivot tables. 

New Classroom Resources:  Power Up Teaching and Learning

The REMC Association is excited to introduce a new educator resource: Power Up Teaching and Learning. Power Up Teaching and Learning is created to help professionals “power up” their common teaching practices using educational technology and includes guiding questions, learning activities, ideas and resources. Both new and veteran teachers can benefit from these resources. Learn more here. 

20+ Sources of FREE Digital Content for Your Class

20+ Sources of FREE Digital Content for Your Class, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller

So many good, quality resources to use with students on their chromebooks, and we certainly love FREE, don't we?

A Great Place to Find Free Images for School Projects

A Great Place to Find Free Images for School Projects, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Not only are the images appropriate, but this site also automatically adds the attribution information in the footer of the image. The image at the top of this post is from Photos for Class. 

Comedy Relief:  Newest Erducational Technology

Tech Tips and News for September 23, 2022

This week includes a mix of new as well as some review, highlighting some new tricks for old tools. For example, we've all been using email for so long, that we have some ingrained bad habits (myself included). In addition, we might not be aware of some of Gmail's recent enhancements, or how we can use them to our advantage. While we're on the subject of new tricks, did you know there's a better way to select text instead of the tried and true click and drag method we've always used? I've also included some video source alternatives to YouTube that may work better with students. Of course, no one has the vast number of videos that YouTube has, but at least we know the videos on these sites are all appropriate for students. They are video sharing sites, so you can always upload or suggest your own videos as well

• 6 LinkedIn Scams to Watch Out For
• You're Selecting Text With Your Mouse Wrong
• I Asked Gmail Experts to Rewrite My Emails
• Introducing Google Screencast for ChromeOS
• 30+ Ready-To-Use Interactive Lessons
• REMC Offering New Professional Learning Opportuity
• Video Alternatives to YouTube
• Teaching and Learning Jamboard
• Comedy Relief:  Hilarious Teacher Technology in the Classroom

6 LinkedIn Scams to Watch Out For

6 LinkedIn Scams to Watch Out For, from How-To Geek by Tim Brookes

Another week, another scam warning. For those of you who use LinkedIn for professional networking, you'll want to be aware of these common scams. 

You're Selecting Text With Your Mouse Wrong

You're Selecting Text With Your Mouse Wrong, from How-To Geek by Joe Fedewa

I'm always leaving out a letter when I click and drag, so this method is very helpful! I love learning new tricks. There are even simple keyboard commands so you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard when selecting text. 

I Asked Gmail Experts to Rewrite My Emails

I Asked Gmail Experts to Rewrite My Emails, from The Keyword by Molly McGugh-Johnson

We've all been emailing for a long time, so it's now one of those things we don't think too much about. Turns out there's always room for improvement and clarity. 

Introducing Google Screencast for ChromeOS

Introducing Google Screencast for ChromeOS, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

Screencasting was added as a Chrome feature at the end of last school year. To refresh your memory, here's a useful tutorial by Eric Curts. This means students, and anyone else using a chromebook, no longer need to add a third-party extension, such as Screencastify, to make a screencast or video. 

30+ Ready-To-Use Interactive Lessons

30+ Ready-To-Use Interactive Lessons, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller

These lessons are plug and play from Google's Applied Digital Skills, PBS Learning Media, and Google CS First. 

Teaching and Learning Jamboard

Teaching and Learning Jamboard, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

This is a 47 minute deep dive training video for using Jamboard. Jamboard is Google's virtual whiteboard. It gives you and your students a common online whiteboard to use, along with the ability to draw, add sticky notes, shapes, images, textboxes and backgrounds. 

Video Alternatives to YouTube

As we know, YouTube is not included with Google Workspace for Education because it is not designed for users under the age of 13. It doesn't protect them from harmful content, or protect their privacy online. After trying Google's workaround of approving individual videos and channels, we've learned sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't. I can appreciate how frustrating it can be when several students can access the video and move along at their own pace, and others cannot. I realize there isn't a platform that is as plentiful as YouTube (which is actually part of its problem), but here are a few alternatives:

• SchoolTube.com A free vido sharing platform for K12 Districts, teachers, students and their communities.
• MIStreamnet A free REMC-provided video sharing platform
• TeachFlix A new repository of teacher suggested, classroom ready videos from Ditch That Textbook

REMC Offering New Professional Learning Opportuity

Do you want to meet the needs of EVERY student in your classroom while making it manageable for you? The REMC Association is partnering with the Modern Classrooms Project to bring you the Student-Centered Learning Across Michigan (SLAM) project. Read more about the offering and register here.

Comedy Relief:  Hilarious Teacher Technology in the Classroom

Check out this funny teacher created video on SchoolTube. Hopefully you don't feel this way about ASA tech. 😏 SchoolTube has lots of video resources for educators that your students should be able to access as well. 

Tech Tips and News for September 16, 2022

Courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net

Often when I'm looking for various articles and blog posts to share, a common theme begins to develop. Not this week! They say variety is the spice of life, right? Well, this week's offerings are a bit of a smorgasboard of tech tips. There are chromebook tips for you and your students, browser help, Canvas LMS tips, as well as helpful nuggets for various apps and platforms. Hopefully there's something that can inspire or help you. 

• 10 Chromebook Features You Should Be Using
• Two Tips to Make Chrome Run a Little Faster
• 20+ Tips for Using Canvas LMS
• What Does the 'Shortcuts Simplify My Drive' Message Mean?
• 10 YouTube Features You Should Be Using
• A New Kind of Flashcard - Flexcards!

10 Chromebook Features You Should Be Using

10 Chromebook Features You Should Be Using, from How-To Geek by Joe Fedewa

Here are some tricks to share with your students on their Chromebooks. Are they frustrated by the lack of a backspace key? There's a solution for that! Do they need to see two different tabs at once? There's a solution for that too! For teachers who use a chromebook, there are even more features for you. 

Two Tips to Make Chrome Run a Little Faster

Two Tips to Make Chrome Run a Little Faster, from Free Technology for Teachers, by Richard Byrne

Does Chrome seem to be running slowly for you? Here are two settings to take a look at. 

20+ Tips for Using Canvas LMS

20+ Tips for Using Canvas LMS, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller

These tips were amassed from teachers who know and use Canvas.

What Does the 'Shortcuts Simplify My Drive' Message Mean?

Are you seeing a message at the top of Google Drive about shortcuts simplifying Drive? Here's what it means, and why it's happening. Users used to be able to save the same file in more than one folder in Drive. Many of those duplicate files still exist in our Google Drives. Then last year Google imposed storage limits on all Google Workspace users. In order to reduce the amount of space your files are taking up, Google will be automatically replacing those duplicate files with shortcuts that link to the original file. You'll still have access to those files in those additional folders, but they won't take up as much space as a duplicate file. An important note:  After those files are replaced, permissions to the original file won't automatically update, so you'll need to add anyone who had permissions to view, comment or edit the duplicate files. Here are all the details and FAQs about this change.

10 YouTube Features You Should Be Using

10 YouTube Features You Should Be Using, from How-To Geek by Joe Fedewa

Only a couple of these are repeats from last week, so that's 8 new YouTube skills.

A New Kind of Flashcard - Flexcards!

A New Kind of Flashcard - Flexcards!, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne

Think flashcards with multiple sides. So many ideas for these!

Tech Tips and News for September 9, 2022

It's so hard to believe we are already three weeks into the new school year! Teachers and students seem to have their new routines down now. Everyone is getting to know new faces and names. Parents even seem to have the hang of the pick up and drop off process. I hope your year is off to a wonderful start as well. 

• These 5 Popular Chrome Extensions are Malware:  Delete Them Now
• Brushing Scams:  Here's Why You're Getting Random Packages
• Google Workspace Updates
• Google Docs:  Insert Emojis Inline With Text
• Google Meet:  Spacebar to Mute/Unmute
• Google Workspace:  Stronger Protection for Sensitive Account Actions
• 6 Google Docs Features to Help You Create Better Documents
• YouTube Can Do That?! 18 Tips and Tricks
• Three More Ways for Students to Create Flashcards Online
• 10 Best Free Word Cloud Generators for Teachers

These 5 Popular Chrome Extensions are Malware:  Delete Them Now

These 5 Popular Chrome Extensions are Malware:  Delete Them Now, from How-To Geek by Corbin Davenport

If you have installed any of these five extensions, remove them now. 

>Brushing Scams:  Here's Why You're Getting Random Packages

Brushing Scams:  Here's Why You're Getting Random Packages, from How-To Geek by Jason Fitzpatrick

I have never received any random packages, but this article offers great insight as to how online product reviews work. 

Google Workspace Updates

>Google Docs:  Insert Emojis Inline With Text

While entering text in a Doc, instead of taking your hands off the keyboard to find an emoji, you can now entering from the keyboard, by entering @ followed by a description, such as @smile. If you aren't sure what the descriptor might be, type @: for a dropdown list of emojis to choose from. See details and demonstrations here. We should see this update within the next week or two. 

Google Meet:  Press the Spacebar to Mute/Unmute

To quickly mute or unmute yourself in a Meet, you'll be able to press the spacebar. No more fumbling for the mouse or remembering the keyboard command. We should see this new feature in the next two weeks. 

Google Workspace:  Stronger Protection for Sensitive Account Actions

Senstive account actions refers to actions that when done by hijackers can have far reaching consequences for the account owner or the entire organization. For example, when a users tries to change the account name from a location far from your normal login location, the user will be prompted to "verify it's you" through a 2-step verification confirmation. Failure to provide the verification will result in the account being blocked until the true account owner, or administrator can verify it's them. This should help prevent hackers from accessing your account. Should this happen to you and you get stuck, please contact me for help. Here is full information for this update.

6 Google Docs Features to Help You Create Better Documents

6 Google Docs Features to Help You Create Better Documents, from How-To Geek by Sandy Writtenhouse

Everyone should know how to line up their text using tables. It's much easier than it sounds. 

YouTube Can Do That?! 18 Tips and Tricks

YouTube Can Do That?! 18 Tips and Tricks, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts

While it may be hit or miss for your students to watch approved videos on YouTube, you can certainly take advantage of these less common, but handy, features. For example, did you know you could create a clip or a .gif of a YouTube video? 

Three More Ways for Students to Create Flashcards Online

Three More Ways for Students to Create Flashcards Online, from Free Technology for Teachers by David Byrne

Create your own, or use already created sets that match a particular textbook. 

10 Best Free Word Cloud Generators for Teachers

10 Best Free Word Cloud Generators for Teachers, from We Are Teachers

In addition to free word cloud resources, this article also includes suggestions for different ways to use them in class.