Friday, September 9, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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