Noel Erskine, Technology Coordinator Norris Schools

Welcome to my technology blog.
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πŸ’₯ T𝗲𝗰𝗡 π—Άπ˜π—²π—Ίπ˜€ - More Cowbell? Jamboard megaload! Cana tips galore, Everfi and more in this weeks tips!

Monday, March 28, 2022

 Seesaw is an amazing tool for our K-2 staff!  Keep up the great work.  Each week, the admin team gets a SeeSaw update for our elementary, and it's always great seeing the parental impact it has.  Almost 500 visits in one week is pretty impressive. (This past week was over 600 visits!) 






Miscellaneous tech tips -

This short video shows how to bookmark a great site for scanning QR codes on a laptop, Chromebook, or computer.

Want to make a custom header for Wakelet, Flipgrid, CanvasLMS, MicrosoftTeams and GoogleForEdu? You can with Canva!  Here are all the dimensions! Learn how it all works
http://bit.ly/TeacherCanva

QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK (Quickly Find Google Classroom Assignments) - Tired of scrolling through the Classwork page in Google Classroom trying to find one assignment? Use numbering and this keyboard shortcut to find assignments quickly!  Watch this quick video to learn how!

This Wakelet is a collection of videos for doing cool stuff with Canva. Check it out here

DIGITAL LITERACY AND GOOGLE TOOLS -  A nice presentation and resource from TCEA for teaching digital safety and digital citizenship skills.  Checkout the site here

QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK (Change the Default Font in Google Docs) - Are you tired of Arial 11? Did you know you can change the default font in Docs? Yep! Every time you open a new Doc it will be set to your default! - Watch this quick video to learn how!

Great Math Ideas - Lots of resources in this Fun with Math and Tech poster session from the TCEA Convention. 


WOW - The mother load of Jamboard templates has been found!  There are 59 PAGES!!! of Jamboard templates. More than 1,200 TEMPLATES. Grab your copy here.   We have added this link to our doc of Jamboard tips, templates and resources. 



A few great tools for the math teachers:

FIVE SIMPLE GRAPHING TOOLS MAKE GRAPHS EASY AND FUN - Check them out here

Need a TI-84 Plus or TI-89 for your classes?  Checkout these free online ones that work right inside a browser/Chromebook. 




Have you checked out EverFi?  If not, you need to!




Originally they offered free financial literacy courses, but they have expanded their course offerings to include career exploration (including one specific to STEM careers), social and emotional learning, diversity and inclusion, and health and wellness. Their newest additions are courses in healthcare literacy, data science and banking fraud, taxes, and compassion and empathy.


Many lessons are gamified or problem-solving based, putting students into simulated situations where they need to make decisions based on the concepts they are learning, and this keeps students engaged. Teachers are given analytics on student engagement and performance, so this is an ideal tool for use in remote and hybrid learning.


What’s great about the courses at EVERFI is that they hit on topics we often say should be taught in schools, but don’t often actually find in our curriculum. These lessons could be used in advisory periods, life skills classes, or as enrichment or independent study. 


We have a link to Everfi in Clever.  We recommend signing in to  EverFi with Clever.







Canva Search Terms for the Classroom  - Stumped on what to search for in Canva? Start with these search terms to find templates to use in your classroom. (Have you noticed... we Love Canva for the classroom! Check out more info and tips on Canva in our doc here.





Google Chrome! Look for the little triangle in a circle if you have multiple windows. Find your open tabs!  Tip via Alice Keeler



A little fun -  Bongo Cat! - Use the keyboard to have a cat play the bongos, piano, marimba, cowbell, tambourine, and more.  Not sure what its purpose is, but hey, it's pretty cool.  And yes, the cowbell made me think of vintage SNL "More cowbell'.  πŸ˜€




Creating Choice Boards with Google Tools - Presentation and resources from a TCEA session,   Resource doc here.  Slide deck here




Google Chrome Hacks - Many fabulous tips here, including grouping tabs, pinning tabs you use most often, finding the perfect image, and more for all Google tools.  Checkout this resource from the TCEA convention. 





Use these fonts in Google Workspace or download them at fonts.google.com (Tip Via Shapegrams.) 




Thought you knew Canva?  Guess again...  Checkout Richrad Byrne's "My Five Favorite Canva Features" video. 
Did you know Canva has a background remover?  Who needs plastic surgery with their built-in tooth whitener or face touch up feature.  Check them out! 



AND - There's more Canva!

10 Amazing Features of Canva for Education

Canva has so much to offer educators! Take a peek at some top benefits of using Canva for Education.  Checkout TCEA's 10 Amazing Features of Canva for Education Post. 




WorldCover Viewer - Resource Link - This interactive map lets you see how land is being used anywhere around the world, with the ability to zoom in on any location, as well as view land use statistics by country or state.



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