Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Tech Tips and News for November 2024

Photo By Sue Thompson|Flickr
Well, I think we're finally up to date with all the various updates that have rolled in through the late summer/early fall. The beginning of the school year is behind us, as are conferences, Eaglefest, and the election. I can't believe we're already knocking on the door of the holidays! We must be having fun, because time is surely flying. Below, there are some notable Google updates along with video overviews by John Sowash, AI tools to help teachers, as well as some cybersecurity points to look at. We all need to be ever vigilant with our online activities, especially going into the holidays. AI has made bad actors even more stealthy with their attempts to steal online identities and access our personal information and accounts. 

Safety and Security 
Updates
News
Tips & Tutorials



7 Essential Password Rules to Follow in 2024, According to Security Experts

7 Essential Password Rules to Follow in 2024, According to Security Experts, from ZDNet by Ed Bott
I wish all those high security websites would get the message that it's more important to have a longer and more complex password than it is to change your password regularly! More complex passwords or pass phrases are so simple to create and use when you use a password manager. Bitwarden is the one I use...and love! Personal accounts are free.That being said, any reputable password manager will work, so find one that works for you. 

Gmail Users, Beware of a New AI Scam That Looks Very Authentic

Google, or any other tech company, is never going to call you to report suspicious activity. They also cannot magically detect problems with your computer, phone or any other device. 

4 Easy Ways to Keep Your Social Media Secure

4 Easy Ways to Keep Your Social Media Secure, from How-To Geek by Debby Gluzband
There are easy tips for keeping your information safe, and also your children's info safe. 

You Can Now Check if Your Data Has Been Leaked Thanks to SurfShark's New Tool

This is another great tool, in addition to the Have I Been Pwned site, to safely check if your email address has been leaked in a data breach. Unfortunately companies aren't always very dutiful about letting their customers know. Incidentally, SurfShark is the VPN Mark and I use on all our devices. This service not only protects us on a public WiFi network, it also protects at home from dangerous websites.

How Well Do Smart Speakers Protect Privacy While Listening to Everything?

Is Alexa or Siri always listening? And what can you do to make them more secure? 


New Features for Google Classroom, Chromebooks, Drive and More

John Sowash explains new features from the beginning of summer. (We're still catching up on the last few months of updates!) For your reference, ASA has Teaching & Learning Google licenses for teachers. Included topics are:
Read Along - Built-in Google tool to help teach students to read
New handwriting fonts for elementary students/teachers
Google Drive Updates
Chromebook Updates
Gemini for Education Updates


Your September Google Updates:  AI Updates, Classroom Groups, Cool Websites and More!

Some of the updates mentioned last month and some in this month's list of updates are explained and demonstrated by John Sowash. For your reference, ASA has Teaching & Learning Google licenses for teachers. Just so you don't have to watch the entire video to get the bits you actually want to watch...
4:15 Data protections for Google Gemini
7:00 AI training for teachers & students
8:40 Enhance your Gemini experience with Gems
13:17 NotebookLM adds audio summaries
19:50 Google Docs has tabs
25:13 Google Classroom supports student groups
28:40 First impressions of Google Vids
33:30 Jamboard is going away
35:50 GenType (via ‪@JeremyBadinerGL‬)
38:40 Gear Sketch (via ‪@Dadjokesandtech‬)  


October Google Updates (video)

John Sowash presents Google's October updates. Not all topics apply - ASA does not have Google Gemini for Workspace licenses. That means that while we have access to use Gemini with Workspace for Education privacy built in, we do not have the Gemini features that are integrated into Google Workspace. I've included time stamps for the topics that apply
3:58 Star Rating Question for Google Forms 
5:25 Tabs for Google Docs
6:40 Cover image for Google Docs
11:56 Parents sue school over school discipline over AI usage (AKA the importance of establishing an AI policy and outlining what is considered cheating)

Google Docs:  Organize Your Document With Tabs


Have you ever noticed the icon to the left of your text in Google Docs? That's where your tabs (or table of contents links) appear. You can create tabs, and then nestle sub-tabs beneath them, up to three levels. You can also rearrange your tabs. Every doc already has a Tab 1 started. Just open the left pane, click the Add tab + and give it a name. You can even use Emoji to make the tab names stand out. Learn how to use tabs in Docs here. 

Google Drive:  A Smoother, More Modern Video Player

Playing videos you've stored in Google Drive has a new look and improved controls. You'll be able to fast forward and rewind, as well as adjust playback speed and manage captions. I'm not sure if this is just a cosmetic change or if it will also improve the issue with multiple users playing a video at the same time, but let's hope so. This might be an option to try for those times when some of your students cannot access those YouTube videos that have been approved and embedded into Google Slides. You can try downloading them to drive and sharing them with students. Of course, not all YouTube videos allow downloading, so that may be a limitation to this work around. Learn how to store and play videos in Google Drive here. 

Google Forms:  Ask Responders for Ratings



There is now a new question type in Google Forms that will allow users to indicate how they rate something. You can customize the Rating question by changing the icons to stars, thumbs up, or hearts. You'll then be able to analyze those ratings in the response sheet. Full details can be found here. 

Google Notebook LM:  Now available as an Additional Google Service

What does that mean? While I don't yet see Notebook LM in the Google app switcher grid (AKA "the waffle"), I assume it will appear there soon, like Google Earth or Google Translate. In the meantime you can access it at notebooklm.google.com. Here's how it works:  You add all the resources you can find on a particular topic. You can add website links, PDFs, videos, Docs and Slides from Drive, and any copied text as your sources. Once you've included the links, files, videos, etc., you can create FAQs, study guides, a table of contents, a timeline, a briefing doc, or just ask it any questions about the content. You can even create a deep dive conversation between two very real sounding hosts, like a podcast, where they discuss all the information in your sources. Learn how to use NotebookLM here. Read the full description of the announcement here. 

Google Read Along:  Help Your Students Learn to Read


Google Read Along is now included in Google Workspace for Education. This app is built-in to Google Classroom, so you'll need to assign Read Along activities and assignments to your students there. Read Along in Google Classroom is a new feature that helps students build their independent reading skills by enabling teachers to assign differentiated reading activities, based on Lexile® measure, grade level, or phonics skills. With this feature, a digital reading buddy, Diya, gives students real-time assistance and pronunciation support, with the help of AI.  Read the full details in the announcement. Learn to use Read Aong in Google Classroom here. 

Google Slides:  New Templates with Easier Access

Google Slides is getting new templates with more modern designes. For education customers, some of these templates include templates for lesson plans, book reports and project reports. Once we receive this update, the templates will be easy to find either by using the Templates button on the toolbar, or by selecting the Insert menu and tapping Templates. You should see this update in the next week or so, if you aren't already seeing it. Find out how to use templates, change a theme, backgrouned or layout here. 


16 Education Grants in Michigan for Teachers and Schools

These grants are not focused on technology, but it was too good a list not to share! There are grants for classroom innovation, classroom projects, early childhood/child care, STEM, literacy, arts, and even housing. 

7 Reasons Why A Chromebook is the Best Laptop for Most People

7 Reasons Why A Chromebook is the Best Laptop for Most People, from ZDNet by Jack Wallen and Cesar Cadenas
Seriously! Save yourself some money and troubleshooting headaches. I predominantly use a chromebook at home and very rarely reach for my old laptop. I have used an HP x360 2-in-1 laptop/tablet for many years. When I recently replaced it, I did boost the RAM to 8GB to better handle video calls and my favorite Android games. 

Looking For Some Free PD in December?

Matt Miller from Ditch That Textbook is holding his 9th annual Ditch That Textbook Summit. By registering (it's free!) you'll have access to 90+ on-demand video presentations that you can watch from the comfort of your couch. The videos will be available December 16, 2024 through January 10, 2025. You can also receive free certificates for professional development certificates. Learn more and register here. 


Catholic Central Teachers Recommend Eduaide.AI

During the October PD day, Catholic Central teachers explored Eduaide.AI, a free AI resource for teachers, and found it "helpful and promising". This tool was created by teachers, for teachers, and promises to help you work smarter not harder. It will help you with lesson planning, as well as creating or planning a HUGE variety of assignments and activities. The list of options is so big, it's even difficult to summarize here. The link above takes you to a list of over 100 different teaching resources, planning materials, assignments and more that Eduaide can help you create in minutes. The free subscription allows teachers to  create 15 generations per month, access to a limited feedback bot, and you'll be able to enhance and transform features. The Eduaide.AI Pro subscription is $50/year, and allows unlimited access to all resources and tools. There is also discounted pricing available for schools and districts. Not sure you have the time to figure out an additional tool right now? No worries, Eduaide Academy will walk you through creating an account, navigating Eduaide.AI, using the content generator, the teaching assistant, feedback bot, Eduaide chat, generation history, and putting it all together. 

Cultivate Critical Thinking with News Literacy Skills

Taken from Common Sense Media email from Erikk Henderson-Hood

Bing Bong, the lovable imaginary character from the first Inside Out movie, is riding with Joy (another character) on the "train of thought." As they go over a bump, two crates fall, and their contents mix together. One crate is labeled "facts," and the other is labeled "opinions."

Joy quickly tries to sort everything back into their original crates, but laments, "Oh no, these facts and opinions look so similar!" Bing Bong, like a toddler trying to help you clean up toys, quickly shoves them indiscriminately into the nearest crates and says, "Ah, don't worry about it! It happens all the time."

Bing Bong's right: Getting our facts and opinions mixed up does happen quite a bit. It's especially tricky since news and entertainment are often seen in the same place: social media. And it's not just teens using these platforms for news! According to a Pew Research survey, today, 39% of adults under 30 say they regularly get news there, compared with much smaller shares of adults age 30 to 49 (19%), 50 to 64 (9%) and 65 and older (3%). While there are experts and reputable news organizations posting content, there are plenty of opinions stated as facts, alongside mis- and disinformation. Algorithm-created filter bubbles and AI-generated content just complicate these issues further.

With an election on the horizon, helping students evaluate facts and opinions—and deliberate deception—within the complex world of online news has never been more critical. Your role as teachers in shaping the next generation of informed (digital) citizens starts with discussing media and giving them the tools to think critically.

So how do we equip students to navigate the news on social media?

We highly recommend teaching lessons from our Essential News & Media Literacy Skills for Students collection, which offers lessons on news and misinformation as well as social media and AI's impacts. Here are some of the key elements we can address, along with paired resources to do just that:
 
🔎 Differentiating between facts, opinions, and misleading information.
📰 Identifying credible news sources.
👀 Recognizing bias and sensationalism (aka clickbait) in news coverage.
  • Check out our lesson "You Won't Believe This!," which introduces students to the concept of clickbait and managing our natural desire to figure out missing information.
☑️ Making informed decisions as future voters who can sift through the many hoaxes and fakes.
In an era of information overload and "fake news," the ability to critically evaluate news and media isn't just an academic skill: It's essential for participating in a democracy. Setting aside some time to integrate news and media literacy into a lesson or family discussion can make a difference. And as Bing Bong would say, "To Infinity and Beyond!" Wait, somebody fact-check that!

Did a Robot Write This Report? Managing AI Cheating

Did a Robot Write This Report? Managing AI Cheating, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
This is a 50 minute, on-demand webinar to help teachers identify student cheating using AI. 


Guess Where You Are Can Replace Geoguessr

Much to our disappointment, Geoguessr recently stopped being a free game. For years students have played this fun Google Maps game to figure out where they were in the world. One free alternative suggested by Eric Curts from Sparcc Lines is Guess Where You Are. Much like Geoguessr, you are placed in a random location around the world. By exploring your surroundings in Street View in Google Maps you can make a guess where you are. You get points based on how close you are to the actual location. 

Creating Soundboards with Google Slides for Stories, Games and More

You can add sound effects to your classroom to designate transitions, add applause after a student presentation, games and competitions, while you're reading a story to bring it to life, and whatever you can imagine. This post includes a video tutorial for setting up your own soundboard, as well as a sample Google Slide to use and customize. 

Use Google Translate's Conversation Mode with Non-English Speaking Parents


Having trouble communicating with a parent who struggles with the English language? While the Talking Points app is great for written communication, it doesn't really help if you are speaking in person. This is where Google Translate's Conversation Mode comes in. Google Translate is available in both the iOS App Store and in the Android Play Store. Add the app to your phone. When you need to have a conversation with someone who speaks another language, select your language and tap the Conversation button. Approve the use of the microphone so the app can listen to your conversation and translate it. 

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