Wednesday, March 24, 2021

ASA Tech Tips and News for March 26, 2021

It's time to catch up on Google updates that were announced during my recent absence. Google made some pretty major announcements in late February, and have completely restructured the G Suite for Education product (formerly known as Google Apps for Education). The biggest change for you is that it is now known as Google Workspace for Education. So in the 9.5 years we've been using it, this is the third name change. There are also so many new features coming, they are too numerous to mention all at once, so I'll pass them along as they get rolled out. Many of the features are designed with education in mind, and should make life easier for teachers. Speaking of easier for teachers, make sure you check out the Google Meet updates to see why you will now be able to set up Meets in advance through Calendar, and still keep students from hijacking the Meet. 

Not everything is just for teachers. Everyone should take a look at tips for creating rock-solid passwords. In a network situation, a breach of one account endangers everyone. None of us wants to accidentally be the weak link!

4 Simple Steps to a Rock-Solid Password

4 Simple Steps to a Rock-Solid Password, from Ed Tech by Russell Smith
It's so important to find that balance between convenience and safety. The easist way is to convert your passwords to passphrases, and not to use the same passphrase on every account. Once a bad actor has your password, they'll try it on every account they can. Lock up your online accounts the way you would your house or cars. 

How to Properly Clean Your Gross Laptop

How to Properly Clean Your Gross Laptop, from How-To Geek by Andrew Heinzman
When was the last time you thought about cleaning your laptop, or device of choice? Yeah, me too. Pandemic or no, making sure you clean the dust and crumbs out regularly will keep it running much longer. All that gunk builds up and clogs the vents and fans that keep it from over heating. 

Google Workspace for Education Updates

Google had a major announcement last week, which included a complete restructuring of the product formerly known as G Suite for Education. Some changes and updates are included here, but even more are scheduled in the upcoming months. One update of note starting this summer will be storage limits. Until now, education accounts have enjoyed unlimited storage. That perk is coming to an end. Start now to get in the habit of deleting any files or emails you no longer need. 

Overview of Upcoming Changes



Google Calendar:  More Options for Sharing Your Availability in Google Calendar

Soon you'll be able to create repeating out of office notices, and split your working hours into more than one segment each day. Your working hours help others find times when you're available if they're trying to schedule a meeting with you. Out of office notifications will also automatically send a decline message to meeting invitations for times when you are out. These features should start to appear in March. Full details can be found here. 

Google Calendar:  Must Sign In to RSVP to Calendar Invites

Now when you respond to a calendar invite link in an email, you will need to be signed in to your Google Workspace account. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to sign in. This is to prevent unauthorized users from accepting without your knowledge. Here are the full details. 

Google Docs:  Easier to Find New Comments in Google Docs

If you've ever used comments in Google Docs with a group of people, you know it can be tricky to keep track of the conversation sometimes. With this update, any comments you haven't seen will have a blue dot, which will turn into a "new" banner when you hover over it. You will also be able to search for comments for you, all comments and resolved comments in the comments history dialog. See complete details and screenshots here. 

Google Jamboard:  Version History Now Available for Jamboard on the Web

The version history options we're used to in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are now available in Jamboard. So if there have been changes to a shared Jam that aren't working, you can return to an earlier version of the file. You should be seeing this update now. Here are instructions for using version history and finding what has been changed in a file, or watch the video in the How to View Revision History in Google Docs below. 

Google Meet:  Mute All Google Meet Participants At Once

If you haven't seen this update yet, you will soon. Meet organizers (the teacher or host) will be able to mute all participants at one time using the "mute all" feature. Only the Meet host can see this feature. Remember, to be considered the Meet host, the teacher must be the first one to connect to the Meet - not join - but connect to the link. Best practice is not to share the Meet link with your students until you are already in the Meet. Then make sure all students have left the meet before you do.  

Google Meet:  End a Google Meet Video Call for Everyone at Once

How do you make sure none of your students are hanging out to hijack the Google Meet for their own use? End the meeting for all. Hosts (remember the host is the first one to open the Meet, not join it) will have the option to either leave the meeting so it can continue without them, or end the meeting for all. You should begin to see this feature in the next two weeks. Here are all the details. 

Google Meet:  Set Up Breakout Rooms Ahead of Meetings in Calendar

OK, teachers, here comes a huge game changer! Right off the bat several things caught my attention on this update. For a year, we've been told NOT to set up Google Meets in Calendar for education purposes, which meant you couldn't set up Meets in advance. With the combination of Quick Access and the option to end the Meet for everyone at once, teachers can now manage Meets better and both eliminate unauthorized participants from joining, and making sure all students have left the Meet before the teacher closes it. (Remember, when Quick Access is on, students can enter the Meet without "knocking" or requesting access, and once everyone is in, teachers can turn Quick Access off so no one else can enter the Meet.) Now, not only can teachers set up Meets for students in Calendar now (just don't share the link with students until you have joined the Meet session) you will be able to set up breakout rooms in advance as well! This should help with advance planning and reduce some of the time spent on set up just before the scheduled Meet. This update should be available within the next week or two, if you are not already seeing it. Learn how to set up breakout rooms in advance via Calendar here. 

Google Slides:  Improved Presenter Toolbar in Google Slides


The new toolbar is already present in Slides, and is smaller than the old presenter toolbar, so it stays out of the way. It now appears in the lower left corner, and contains forward/back arrows, a field to select a specific slide, and a three dot menu with more options. Here are tips and instructions on presenting in Slides. 



How to Delete Almost All Junk Emails the Easy Way

How to Delete Almost All Junk Emails the Easy Way, from How-To Geek by Chris Hoffman
Managing all those emails can be so cumbersome, here are some great tips for cleaning house and reducing your storage. Now that more and more providers are charging more for online storage (including Google) it's time to start clearning the clutter. 

How to View Revision History in Google Docs

Oh no! One of your students has accidentally wiped out several days worth of work in his assignment. No problem! You can save the day by restoring an earlier versin of the doc. 


EDU in 90:  What's New in Docs/a>



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Friday, February 19, 2021

ASA Tech Tips and News for February 19, 2021

Piggybacking on last week's cybersecurity message, there are a few articles in this week's post about how to avoid online security mistakes that may leave you vulnerable to attack. This is a career for too many, and no organization or user is too small to be at risk. Although it's a little more time consuming to be careful online, you wouldn't leave your home or car without taking a few extra minutes to lock up sould you? It's always good to review best practices every now and then to keep your online skills sharp and and your identity and information safe. Remember, staying safe online isn't just limited to your work email and files, it's also an important practice for your personal online accounts and social media. Humans are almost always the weakest link in any online breach. Don't let it be you!
Which mistake are you making? It's so important to stay safe, and keep your information secure online.




How to Protect Your Mac from Ransomware

How to Protect Your Mac from Ransomware, from How-To Geek by Tim Brookes
In spite of the title, many of the tips are not Mac-specific.

Google Workspace Updates:  

Email Aliases Now Included in Gmail Search Results

What is an alias email? If you've changed your name, or have an old email or different version of your email associated with your current account, that's an alias. Now when you search for email from another user, messages from any aliases associated with their account will also be included in the search results. 

How to Pin and Unpin Extensions from the Chrome Toolbar

It's easy to get extension build up in your Chrome browser. Some extensions you need to see to use, and others you don't and can unpin. 

Right Click Menu in Gmail

Take action with a Gmail message without opening it. 


How to Add an Expiration Date to Emails in Gmail

How to Add an Expiration Date to Emails in Gmail, from How-To Geek by Marshall Gunnell
Did you know you can send a Gmail message and make it disappear after a specified amount of time? This is especially helpful when sending confidential messages. 

20 Free Interactive Jamboard Ideas and Activities for Teachers at Every Grade Level

The Smartboard on the wall is so old school now. With so many schools now providing 1:1 (1 device per student) access, the whiteboard can now be in each student's hands. This post includes a tutorial for Google Jamboard, which is part of Google Workspace for Education apps.  

An Easy Way to Loop Videos in Google Slides

An Easy Way to Loop Videos in Google Slides, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
There are many reasons you might want to have an embedded video play in a loop (over and over) on a slide. Once again, the handy right click menu comes to the rescue. 


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Friday, February 12, 2021

ASA Tech Tips and News for February 12, 2021


 Happy Valentine's Day, for those who celebrate. If you love history, as I do, here's the history of St. Valentine and the traditions associated with Valentine's Day from the History Channel. Among other notable events this week, we have also seen multiple warnings about vulnerabilities in Chrome, Firefox Microsoft Office, and Windows. This means they are susceptible to malicious activity unless they are patched. Please show your devices some love and take the time to follow the instructions below to update them. You'll even have some spare time with mid-winter break next week! Enjoy the time off, and stay warm!

Several Updates Need Your Attention ASAP

There have been several vulnerabilities identified this week in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Office, and Windows. This means they can be unsafe to use unless they are upgraded, so please make this a priority. Chrome should be upgraded to v. 88.0.4324.150 or above, Firefox to v.85.0.1, and make sure you are running every Windows update your laptop suggests. I know this sounds like a lot of work. The browser updates go very quickly, but you may want to plan at least10-15 minutes for the Windows update(s). All these updates are important for your online safety. Would you continue to drive your car if it wasn't safe to drive? Your tech maintenance is just as important, if not more so. Performing routine updates to any device connected to the network also protects everyone else connected to the network, trust me, you don't want to be the weak link! 

How can you tell what version all of these are running, and how do you update them? Short instructional videos appear below:
Usually you can just let Chrome, Firefox and Windows update themselves, or restart when they prompt you. But when an emergency patch is issued, as is the case now, it's important to know how to check the version and instigate an update. 

Every Google Chrome User Should Click This Button Now

Every Google Chrome User Should Click This Button Now, from ZDNet by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Turn on this easy safety check in Chrome to help you avoid security breaches, compromised passwords or bad extensions. Put a reminder on your calendar to do a quick security check on a regular basis. After checking, feel free to celebrate by doing the Safety Dance (for those of you who remember it...or even knew it existed).

If you use Drive Filestream for your ASA account or Back Up and Sync for your personal Gmail account to sync your online Drive files to your computer, there are changes coming. Google will be consolidating these services into one later this year. Their goal is to combine the best of these two services into one. The new name for this combined service will be Drive for Desktop. More details will be forthcoming later. 

How to Give Yourself a Grace Period in Gmail

How to Give Yourselfe a Grace Period in Gmail, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
There's a lovely feature in Gmail that allows you to undo sending that message you just accidentally hit reply all on, or sent to the wrong person. Turn it on to avoid senders remorse.

Tiled Layouts in Google Meet

No extensions needed anymore - it's baked in. 


How to Change Your Windows 10 Lock Screen Background

Need a change of scenery from the standard Windows background? Use your own photo, or even set up a slide show.

How to Create Posters and Embed Them Into Your Google Site

How to Create Posters and Embed Them Into Your Google Site, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This free site allows you to create wonderful posters, flyers, infographics and worksheets to print, display on your screen or embed in your classroom page.

34 Black History Month Activites for February and Beyond

There are a wide variety of classroom activities here. 
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Thursday, February 4, 2021

ASA Tech Tips and News for February 5, 2021

 

There are some good maintenance tips this week, such as routinely deleting emails, checking quality of your Meet connection before a meeting, and separating out your personal and professional lives in Google Calendar. With winter fully kicking in this week, it's a good time for some tech maintenance. Maybe it will give you something to do while you're waiting for those funny Super Bowl commercials. The winter doldrums are also a good time to perk up your classroom routine with virtual museum trips or fun Valentine videos. Stay warm and safe this weekend, and hopefully your Super Bowl team wins!

Why You Should Delete Emails Instead of Archiving Them

Most emails only need to be saved for a short time. Make it a priority to weed those out at the end of each week so you don't have a huge job later.

Google Workspace Updates:  

Check your Meet Quality Before Joining a Call



You are now able to check your audio and video quality before you join that Meet call. Before you click Join, there will be a button to check your audio and video. Click on it, and you can select which microphone, speaker and camera to use (if you have more than one connected or installed). Next, you'll be prompted to record and play a short video sample of you talking to see what you look and sound like. If the sound and video quality aren't what you would prefer, there is a link to troubleshooting tips so you can improve the quality. 

Share Your Personal Google Calendar With Your Work Calendar Privately

Why not just have one calendar for both your personal and professional Life? It's helpful to share your work calendar with co-workers, and you may not want them to see every doctor appointment or date with friends you add to your personal calendar. Not to mention what happens when you put all your personal appointments in your work calendar, and then leave your job (hopefully because you've won the lottery). Google Calender makes it so easy for you to see all your calendars at one time, there's no need to put everything in one calendar. 

Saving Google Meet Chat and Captions Transcript

Saving Google Meet Chat and Captions Transcript, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
If you need to save a full transcript of your Google Meet, including Chat and captions, here's a tutorial. 

20 Tips for Using Canvas LMS

20 Tips for Using Canvas LMS, from Ditch that Textbook by Matt Miller
These tips come from teachers who use Canvas, and include tutorials for each tip. 

Tour the World with 12 Months of Virtual Museum Trips

Virtually visit famous world museums and explore major works of art and artifacts. 

Book Creator Now Offers More Templates and Themes

Book Creator Now Offers More Templates and Themes, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
There are many more options for creating books or magazines with your students. A free book creator account allows you one library with 40 books. 

15 Sweet Educational Valentine's Day Videos That Kids Will Love

Have you ever wondered how Valentine's Day got started, or how candy hearts are made? Maybe you need a Valentine song or lesson? Check these out. 



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Thursday, January 28, 2021

ASA Tech Tips and News for January 29, 2021

 

As we wrap up another in-person school week (with the odd remote student sprinkled in for fun) we need to take a moment to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. Teachers have continued to quickly adjust to meet their students' needs, wherever they may be. If there's one thing we've continually demonstrated during 2020 and now 2021, it's our flexibility. Think about how you were doing things in your classroom a year ago, and how much your tech skills have grown and changed in the last year. As we prepare for Catholic Schools Week next week, take a moment to congratulate yourself, and enjoy the festivities!

G Suite/Google Workspace Updates:  

Enable Offline Google Calendar from Computer

You can now turn on the ability to access your Google Calendar when not connected to the internet. Events from four weeks prior, or anytime in the future will be visible and editable. You will need to turn this feature on by following the directions in this this Workspace Updates blog post. You may already be seeing this feature, if not it should be available in the next week. 

Muted Notifications When Screen Sharing

If you've ever forgotten to mute your email, chat or other notifications sharing your screen during a Meet, you'll enjoy this update. While you are sharing your screen, any notifications will pop up with no details. Instead, you'll see this:

This update should be arriving sometime this week. Full details are available in the Google Workspace blog. 

Out of Office Info Displays in Docs Comments

In the next few weeks, if you mention someone in a Docs comment, by using @ before their email address, you will be notified in the comment if they have Out of Office/Vacation Mode turned on. Of course we should always turn on Vacation mode in our Calendar when we are out of the office during normal working hours. Click here for screen shots and full details. 

How to Keep All Gmail Folders Visible in the Side Panel

If you are often looking for the Trash or Spam folders in Gmail, you know there's an extra click on "more" to see them. Save yourself that extra click with this setting change. 

Create an Agenda for a Video Conference from Google Calendar

What is the advantage of linking the meeting agenda right in the calendar link? Everyone can easily find the agenda.



Autofit Text in Slides

Autofit Text in Slides from G Suite Tips
This is a nice little time saver. You'll be able to either shrink the text to fit the box or resize the box to fit the text by clicking on the icon at the lower left corner of the text box. There's a handy demonstration in the post. 

25 Fantastic Free Google Slides Templates and Themes for Teachers

All the heavy lifting has already been done on these slide templates! They also include games that can be played in Slides. 

The Best Ways to Save Articles, Links, and Videos for Later

Why is it that the most interesting articles surface when you have the least amount of time. Use one of these solutions to save them for later. 

20 Teacher-Approved Educational YouTube Channels

20 Teacher-Approved Educational YouTube Channels, from We Are Teachers by Jill Staake
Remember to send me the channel or video URL to approve for student viewing. 

What is DuckDuckGo? Meet the Google Alternative for Privacy

If you're not comfortable with Google tracking your online presence, here's an alternative. 

Common Craft Explains Disinformation

Common Craft Explains Disinformation, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Find out how easy it is to spread incorrect or false information online. 
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Thursday, January 21, 2021

ASA Tech Tips and News for January 22, 2021


Can you believe we're nearing the end of January? It seems like everyone just returned from Christmas break! I think this cardinal, who was hanging out in my yard during a snow storm a few years ago, looks as frazzled as many of us feel. 

It looks like the G Suite/Google Workspace updates have slowed down a bit...for now. That has allowed space for other topics, such as what is really happening when your email inbox is inundated with messages, reviewing search strategies with students, how to use a mobile phone as a document camera in a video meeting, and many different ways of using Kahoot! besides as a quiz/review. Keep stretching your tech skills and have a terrific tech week!



How Email Bombing Uses Spam to Hide an Attack

How Email Bombing Uses Spam to Hide an Attack, from How-To Geek by Josh Hendrickson
If you ever get bombarded with junk email messages, there's more going on! This article shows you  what is really happening, and what to look for. 

"Whoa!" - This is Why We Should Review Search Strategies Every Year

"Whoa!" - This is Why We Should Review Search Strategies Every Year, From Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This story is a nice lesson, but there are more cautionary tales as well, such as understanding when to do an image search and when not to. In addition, not all terms should be searched in Google, or they should be searched as a phrase to put them in context. For example the climax of a story is a legitimate educational term, however it also has other meanings that might be shocking for students. Searching for this term on the site literatyterms.net is a much safer bet than a Google search, assuming students follow instructions. 

How to Add Shapes and Drawings to Google Docs




Mote - An Easier Way to Add Audio to Google Slides

Mote - An Easier Way to Add Audio to Google Slides, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
If you would like this extension for students, please let me know and I'll push it out. 

How to Use Your Android Phone or iPhone/iPad as a Document Camera

How to Use Your Android Phone as a Document Camera, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Although this article discusses presenting your document camera view in Zoom, it will also work from Meet. If you have a newer document camera in your classroom, it will also work with your document camera. Don't have an Android phone? Here is a post about the solution for an iPhone. 


15 Totally Fun Kahoot! Ideas and Tips You'll Want to Try Right Away

Kahoot! is not only free, but can be more than just quizzes and review. 

37 Black History Videos for Students in Every Grade Level

37 Black History Videos for Students in Every Grade Level, from We Are Teachers by Jeanne Croteau
February will be here very soon. Here is a collection of Black History videos for elementary, middle school and high school grade levels. 

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Friday, January 15, 2021

ASA Tech Tips and News for January 15, 2021

At last, Google is pushing out a new feature to help us all figure out what might be causing our Google Meets to freeze. (And why is it that we always freeze with the ugliest possible expression on our faces? Just stuck there for everyone to enjoy?) You should be seeing this troubleshooting feature in the next week or two, if you aren't already seeing it. If this happens to you regularly, you may want to also check the article below for the link to Google's troubleshooting suggestions. Another helpful Meet feature for teachers, scheduled to be rolled out soon, will include a End Meet For All button. This will boot off everyone at once, and ensure that the teacher is the last one to leave a nicknamed Meet. This prevents students from reusing the Meet nickname for their own, unsupervised video calls. I hope you had a great week. Continue to stay healthy!

G Suite/Google Workspace Updates:  

Troubleshoot Network and Performance Issues in Google Meet

When your Google Meet is freezing, or images look fuzzy, how can you tell if the problem is with you or others? How do you fix it? That's exactly what this new feature is going to help you troubleshoot. Meet issues can be due to your internet speed, the number of tabs you have open (especially videos), as well as other programs or apps running on your device. How do you know whose device is having the problem? If you can see and hear everyone else on the call OK, but one person keeps freezing, it's most likely that user's device or connection. If everyone in the Meet is freezing up periodically, or others report you are freezing, it's most likely you. What to do? Start by turning off Meet backgrounds or background blur, closing any other browser tabs you don't need, and closing any open programs. The next check would be your internet connection, and if anyone else sharing your WiFi is video calling, or streaming videos, movies, TV shows, etc. Beyond that, sometime this week or next you should see the Troubleshooting and Help option when you click the three dot menu in a Meet. It will give you tips for troubleshooting and determining if the problem is with your device or your WiFi. More information about this update can be found here. Full troubleshooting tips for Google Meet are here. 

How to Set an Out of Office Message in Gmail

How to Set an Out of Office Message in Gmail, from How-To Geek by Ben Stockton
This is a good practice whenever you will be unavailable and not checking messages during your normal working hours. 

How to Sort by Multiple Columns in Google Sheets

How to Sort by Multiple Columns in Google Sheets, from How-To Geek by Ben Stockton
This is pretty efficient. 

Google Meet Q&A Feature

Google Meet Q&A Feature, from Control Alt Achieve by Eric Curts
This is a great way for your class to submit questions. We have the Enterprise version, so you should see this feature. 

Google Photos Loses Its Free Storage:  What You Need to Know

If you back up the photos on your mobile devices to Google Photos, the free storage option for High Quality photos is going away. You'll be able to change those settings to continue with free storage, and there are other storage options.

A Handful of Games for Fun Typing Practice

A Handful of Games for Fun Typing Practice, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
Much like the importance of having legible handwriting, the ability to type accurately and quickly is imperative to success in a digital world. Think about exams with time limits as students get older. If they can't type well enough, it will impact their score. There's never enough time in tech class to devote to keyboarding, and if it's not practiced often, student skills will not improve. These are great games to link for students in their spare time. 

Game Show Classroom:  Comparing Kahoot!, Quizizz, Quizlet Live and Gimkit

Sometimes students can forget they're learning when their playing games and competing. Also included in this post are 10 additional games similar to Kahoot!.

Every US Election Through 2012 Explained

Every US Election Through 2012 Explained, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This may help put the the 2020 election drama in perspective. 

Nine Neat NASA Resources for Students and Teachers - Updated

Nine Neat NASA Resources for Students and Teachers - Updated, from Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne
This seems like the perfect time to focus our attention away from earth for a bit. Resources include artifacts, exploring the moon, Mars and the solar system, NASA selfies, NASA Kids Club, projects, games animations, and lots more. 
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