Tech Tips and News for September 22, 2023

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What is one of your biggest frustrations in modern life? Would remembering lots of passwords make that list?  I can tell you first-hand that using a password manager makes that frustration completely disappear. I use BitWarden both at school and at home, and it has made my life so much easier. All I need to do is remember one password for BitWarden (it's free for individuals!) and it remembers the rest of my passwords. With one or two clicks, it enters my user name and password, and I'm off and running. It wasn't an inconvenience at all to set up, because it prompts me to save passwords as I enter them into the various sites and online services I use, or I can have BitWarden make up a secure password for me. In addition, if you've saved passwords in your browser, BitWarden will walk you through importing those as well. A password manager is much more secure than passwords in the browser. I've added the BitWarden extension for all the browsers I use, as well as the BitWarden app on my phone. No matter where I access a site, BitWarden is there to remember the passwords for me. BitWarden is just one of many password managers, feel free to test a few and see which one works for you. If you've found one you like, let me know in the comments, and tell me why you like it!

• Why You Should Use a Password Manager, and How to Get Started
• Canvas Webinar:  Beginning of the Year Best Practices
• Canvas Update:  Migrate Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes
• Canvas Introduces the Panda Bot
• Google Workspace Updates
• Google Slides:  Live Pointers
• Google Meet:  Add-ons Available
• 22 Killer Keyboard Shortcuts (and a challenge!) for Busy Educators
• How to Access Thousands of Free Audio Books, Thanks to Microsoft AI and Project Gutenberg
• 9 Templates for Responding to Tricky Parent Emails
• How to Use ChatGPT to do Research for Papers, Presentations, Studies, and More

Why You Should Use a Password Manager, and How to Get Started

Why You Should Use a Password Manager, and How to Get Started, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman

Once you start using a password manager you'll ask yourself what took so long! You'll only have to remember one password from that point on. Entering your passwords will be as easy as a click or two. I use Bitwarden, which is free for individuals. 

Canvas Webinar:  Beginning of the Year Best Practices

Are you interested in refining your Canvas skills? You can view the on-demaind Beginning of the Year Best Practices webinar here. This is a 25-minute recording. 

Canvas Update:  Migrate Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes

Quizzes will be replaced with New Quizzes in Canvas. To migrate your existing quizzes to new quizzes, follow the steps outlined in this article.

Canvas Introduces the Panda Bot

A new AI tool, that leverages the official guides for Canvas in a personal way has been introduced in Canvas. Panda Bot will appear in the lower right corner of Canvas Community. This is in beta for now, which means it is being tested for several months. To access Panda Bot and ask a Canvas support question, you'll need to be logged in to Canvas Community. Full information about Panda Bot can be found here. As you use Panda Bot, be sure to offer feedback on your experience.

Google Workspace Updates

Google Slides:  Live Pointers

This feature will allow you to turn on live pointers so you and your collaborators can see everyone's mouse pointer. This allows each user to more accurately call attention to points of interest in slide. Each user will need to turn on this feature when they wish to use it by going to View > Live Pointers > Show my pointer, or by using the pointer icon in the toolbar. Your pointer will remain visible across all slides until you turn the feature off. Learn more about this feature here. Live pointers should be available anytime between now and mid-October. 

Google Meet:  Add-ons Available

Third-party add-ons are now available from within Meet, just like they are in Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. Add-ons are available clicking the Activities button in the lower right, and selecting from the featured add-ons. This feature is available now. More details about this new feature can be found here. 

22 Killer Keyboard Shortcuts (and a challenge!) for Busy Educators

22 Killer Keyboard Shortcuts (and a challenge!) for Busy Educators, from Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller

Learn a few shortcuts and save your self some time. 

How to Access Thousands of Free Audio Books, Thanks to Microsoft AI and Project Gutenberg

How to Access Thousands of Free Audio Books, Thanks to Microsoft AI and Project Gutenberg, from ZDNet by Lance Whitney

Going on a road trip? Taking a walk? Listen to the classics for free. 

9 Templates for Responding to Tricky Parent Emails

9 Templates for Responding to Tricky Parent Emails, from We Are Teachers

These templates will get you started on those common email replies. To save even more time, create template messages in Gmail so all you have to do is tap compose, select the template and fill in the blanks. Pro tip:  If you have a signature in your email, remove the email from your template before saving, otherwise you'll have two signatures when you use the template. Need help? I'll be happy to walk you through the process, it's very quick. 

How to Use ChatGPT to do Research for Papers, Presentations, Studies, and More

How to Use ChatGPT to do Research for Papers, Presentations, Studies, and More, from ZDNet by Sabrina Ortiz

Speed up your internet searching! While these tips use ChatGPT  as an example, they will work in any AI chatbot, such as Bing Chat or Google Bard.