Noel Erskine, Technology Coordinator Norris Schools

Welcome to my technology blog.
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Showing posts with label FlipGrid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FlipGrid. Show all posts

πŸ’₯ Tech items and tips- SeeSaw - FlipGrid -Clever & Loom have some great new features, free templates, TCEA ($49) is FREE this week, new math add-on, and why did Jobs turn down a meeting with President Obama? This, and more, in this week's tips!

Monday, October 4, 2021

 Monitor student learning right in Clever - 

Clever Analytics is a dashboard of real-time student engagement for teachers right in the Clever Portal that keeps teachers informed and students accountable because of trusted data on student Clever usage. View your student activity here





K-2 staff- Check out these new Seesaw for Schools features:
Remember, SeeSaw has some great on demand tutorials and videos on a variety of subjects. 

Miscellaneous tech tips:
Jam Board tip: Using the Jam as a collaborative activity for students? Reached the 25 active person limit of working on a Jam?  Most teachers find they do not like more than 15-20 working in one Jam anyway, so many teachers just make a copy of the same Jam and assign that to smaller groups of students. 

Work on Mouse skills for the K-2 kidsVisit mousepractice.altervista.org/ to try any of the trackpad/mouse skill builder activities. 

This is a fantastic, dynamic periodic table of the elements: ptable.com

Quick tip - Search Google Images INSIDE Google Docs, Slides, Sheets or Drawings.   Did you know you can search for Google Images without ever leaving your Doc or Slide? Yep! This can save valuable time in the classroom! AND these images are filtered for use--meaning copyright friendly for students!  πŸ“Ί Watch this quick video to learn how!

How to Edit, Restart, or Continue a Numbered List in Google Docs 

Learn to Code on Chromebooks - Learning to code has never been easier with these nine coding apps that're great for younger and older learners, as well as teachers, schools, and families. (Checkout our Computer Coding for Students resource doc for more great coding tools.)




A few Google updates:




You know how I love templates!  And SlidesMania comes through with some great slide decks that are geared toward manipulatives. These collections of manipulative
slide decks are ones you can customize to suite your needs! Each deck has directions and a variety of activities you can customize for your needs.   Check them out here

Note:  Many more templates can be found in our Google templates and ideas doc





Classroomscreen.com - Connect your computer or Chromebook to your projector and use this handy FREE site to do a variety of things including: 
  • random name picker
  • group maker
  • share a timer
  • Roll the dice
  • share a QR Code
  • project work time
  • stop light




National Geographic Kids Games -  
National Geographic Kids has a lot of great videos and resources, but did you know they have games too?  Try the Animal Trickster Personality Test and get your results!  Great for a rainy day activity or short time killer as students finish early. 





Once again, Flipgrid released BIG updates to its camera, user experience, help center and more. Here are 20+ ways to use those updates in the classroom. For many students, video is just part of the way they speak, let's meet them where they are. 

He also has another great Flipgrid resource here: Flipgrid for ALL! 50+ ways to use Flipgrid in your class

Another great resource from Matt Miller. It's one of the few emails I subscribe to and read for great tech teaching ideas.  Subscribe here and get some nice free tech ebooks as well. 



Flipgrid's camera updates are amazing.  Learn more here... 
An introduction to the NEW Flipgrid camera 




  • Custom backdrops and background blur available now on web and mobile
  • Six new Flipgrid lenses
  • 30+ fun and expressive stickers

Read more about all the new additions to the Flipgrid camera this month and check out the app today!

 One great feature about Google's "Weekly Journal" Slide doc is the block letter alphabet on Slide 10. You can copy and paste each letter individually to spell anything you want.  Checkout the template here. 


This template and others can be found in our templates doc located here. 

Always keep your phones and devices updated.  It's the best way to stay secure!  
Update your Apple Phone and devices ASAP! Apple Patches an NSO Zero-Day Flaw Affecting All Devices  (I only send this email out and post every couple weeks, so this is a few days old, but a good reminder to update your devices all the time!) 

Apple has released security updates for a zero-day vulnerability that affects every iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Citizen Lab, which discovered the vulnerability and was credited with the find, urges users to immediately update their devices.

Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) invites you to discover resources that approach learning through the lens of food and farming. These free lessons and activities feature current instructional strategies and align to grade-specific education content standards in math, science, social studies, and language arts.  



Loom just keeps getting better -   Now when you trim your video or audio  it shows exactly where you’re speaking and where you’re not, making quick edits easier than ever.  Watch the demo.  We have added this tip to our Screen recording tools doc.

Math teachers (Or anyone wanting to insert math equations.) Check this out!  Here is new Google add-on for adding math formula's into Google Docs and slides.  Check it out! It's called 
Hypatia Create.  They give you about every feature you would want for free.  (But there are a few pro features in the paid version too.)  Here is a short how-to video





Foreign Language or ELL teachers - Check this out! This Add-on allows users to easily insert accents for different languages directly from a sidebar in their Google Docs or Slides. Check them out here: 
Easy Accents  for Slides AND Easy Accents for Docs  (They do have some premium features in their pro plan, but most everything is free.) 


How to Use Canva Education with Google Classroom 
I know I keep beating the Canva drum, but it's worth beating to get everyone to check it out!  It just keeps getting better!  Their paid/pro product is free for teachers and students.  And now Canva Education’s seamless integration with Google Classroom makes it easy to assign individual copies of Canva templates to students.



While you are there -Checkout the free pre-made Google Classroom Headers templates in Canva. 


This is a new handy feature coming to Google Calendar! - 
Easily chat with meeting participants from a Google Calendar event.

Google is adding an option that makes it easy to chat with meeting attendees directly from Google Calendar.  Soon you will see a chat button to chat with the meeting participants.  (Note - There has always been an email button to easily email all participants.) 


Create Jamboard Math Activities with Equatio  (Remember,  Equatio is free for teachersMore info here.




Interesting 2 minute read - Steve Jobs' 3-Point Formula for Leading Effective Meetings Was Brilliant  (I didn't know he turned down a meeting with President Obama because the guest list was too long, gotta love it.) 


Photo: Getty Images. Illustration: Reagan Allen.

TCEA membership is free this week! (Normally $49)
TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) (similar to Nebraska's NETA organization) is worth joining for access to several great resources throughout the year.  (They record all of their webinars, so a person can easily watch one on a topic of your choice.) 

Would it be worth $49? Many think so.... but when they offer it free during their fall membership week, you have nothing to lose! 
Here are just a few of the benefits of joining our community of educators and lifelong learners:



Unlock your access to the largest archive of community-and-expert-developed educational resources
  • Connect with more than 50,000 active users in our vibrant, online TCEA Community
  • Attend weekly live and on-demand webinars created by and for educators
  • Access three years of professional learning recordings, available immediately
  • Earn 80+ hours of annual, free CPE credits
  • And more! 

πŸ’₯ Tech items - Google Classroom tricks, Flipgrid & Jamboard resources, Chromebook updates/orders for Norris, and more in this weeks tech tips.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

 


ERSKINE - Why are you posting all this stuff?   I am overwhelmed with tech ideas! I know.  We just want to share a few tech ideas and tools as we run across them. (Picking out the best of the best for you.)  Many may not fit your needs.  Don't try too many of them.  Just use them if they fit a need.  Feel free to ask us for help.  We don't just want to send out an email and leave you on your own! 

Remember... We have a core set of tools that we feel are amazing and every teacher should know how to use them within their classes.  Checkout "Required Tech & Remote Learning Teacher Tools and Skills" to see this list. 


Misc. tech and updates:

New - just like offline email, but now for calendar: Enable offline support for Google Calendar on the web from your computer

How to check if someone else accessed your Google account - Review your recent Gmail access, browser sign-in history, and Google account activity to make sure no one other than you has used your account. Check it out. 

Hundreds of teaching ideas and tech on Pinterest from Ditch That Textbook.  Check them out here!

MATH TEACHERS - Check out this FREE virtual manipulative site!! BONUS- the base ten block manipulation is AMAZING!!   Lots of great math manipulatives here... and not just for elementary classrooms!

How to Create Complete Sentence Requirements in Google Forms - Response validation in Google Forms lets you specify a minimum number of characters that students have to enter in order for their responses to be accepted by your Google Form.  -Check it out here

Three Google Forms Tutorials for Beginners -  A few short video tutorials created by one of the best - Richard Bryne.  Check them out here

7 Amazing Museums You Can Tour Virtually Right Now  Check them out.


Locking an entire page in SeeSaw - Checkout this short how to video. 

Flipgrid for ALL! 50+ ways to use Flipgrid in your class -  Flipgrid (flipgrid.com) is a FREE video discussion platform. You give your students a question or prompt. They respond with short videos to answer.

What's great about Flipgrid: Those short videos are REALLY easy to create. Plus, with all the features in the Flipgrid camera, students can get REALLY creative with their videos! Checkout this great resource from Ditch That Textbook. 



15 ways to create unforgettable multimedia with Adobe Spark - yes we love Adobe Spark too!  Creating great images, pages and videos can spark students’ interest in learning. Adobe Spark makes that possible for free. Checkout this great guest post and resource from Ditch That Textbook. 





How to Find "Lost" Items in Google DriveCheck it out here.  Another great resource from RIchard Bryne. 



An interesting video editing option. (Free for small projects.) - Type Studio's free version limits you to 20 minutes of uploaded video per month which is still very useful for small projects. (Transcribes videos and easily cuts/edits videos.)   More info here about this program.  Not sure on this new tool... it's different. 

Some Jamboard resources:

We keep a few Jamboard templates in our shared staff tech folder here. 


20 tips to use Google Classroom effectively and efficiently - a great resource from Ditch That Textbook. 






How to Link Directly to a Google Classroom Assignment

Did you know you can copy a link directly to an assignment in Google Classroom?

Yep! Then you can paste it in other places, like your website, in an email, on a choice board or other assignment template, or wherever you need it.

Checkout this great tip from Shake Up Learning. 


ANOTHER NEW INFOGRAPHIC TOOL: ICOGRAMS DESIGNER -   Looking for an infographic tool that makes creating cities, roads, warehouses, and much more, easier? Be sure to give Icograms a spin. - Check it out here. 






Problem: You push out a doc to your students in Classroom (To collect later) and your comments in the doc are not pushed out to the student's copy. 


Here's how it works:
  • First, install the Chrome extension linked above as normal.
  • Next create your master Docs and/or Slides that you want to push out copies to your students.
  • Add comments to your master Docs and/or Slides as normal.
  • Now create an assignment in Google Classroom and add your file(s) from Drive.
  • Be sure to choose "Make a copy for each student".
  • Fill in any other details for the assignment as needed.
  • Click "Assign" to push out the assignment.




The students will now get a copy of the file (or files) you attached to the assignment, however your comments are not copied along with the files. Here is where the extension comes in.



  • Click the "CopyComments for Classroom" extension.
  • Note: The first time you use the extension you will need to allow the needed permissions.
  • From the extension pop-up window, choose the "CLASS" you are working with.
  • Next choose the "ASSIGNMENT" you just created.
  • You will now see a list of files you attached to that assignment with the number of comments in each.
  • Click the "COPY COMMENTS" button.
  • Now the extension will take the comments from your original Docs and/or Slides and will copy those comments into all of the students versions of the files.

And that's it! The files that were pushed out through Google Classroom will now have your comments added for additional instructions, resources, links, and more.



Chromebook order updates for this spring and next fall: 



I am sharing some Chromebook plans for next year.  It's a crazy time planning for Chromebooks next year.  There is going to be a shortage next year and challenges with some brands and models. 

Middle School styluses-  You have spoken!  The stylus on the Chromebooks is a useful feature and will be in place next year.  (We had looked at going with a possible model for 6th grade that did not have a stylus.) 

Replacing staff Chromebooks - We are hoping to replace staff Chromebooks this spring.  We will not be offering these for sale at this time.  (Explanations below.)  When we secure a replacement model we will let staff know.  Hopefully you signed up for a new Chromebook from our earlier survey. 

Freshman Chromebooks - It could be a long time before they arrive so we may have to start school with some different models.  If that occurs, we are planning on using the olde staff units as well as the graduating seniors devices that they are not purchasing.  Seniors are given the option to purchase their devices after their 4 years of use in highschool. 



How to use images in Flippity game templates.
Flippity makes it easy to turn Google Sheets into neat games and online activities. Here's how you can use images in those templates.  




πŸ’₯ Tech items - More Google templates, Jamboard tips, SeeSaw tips, a couple GREAT extensions and more in this weeks tech tips!

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

 


Several staff (Via the Chromebook survey) did not realize you can already do these with your current Chromebooks and setups:
  • You can easily cast your Chromebook to your projector. How to Cast here
  • You can easily use your phone as a remote mouse for your computer.  More info here. 
  • Your current Chromebooks do have dual cameras. (So you have a camera when in tablet mode as well as your webcam.) 
Contact Jason or myself to help get you started with any of the items above. 





Did you know? ... all of my tech tips emails get archived to my blog?  You can access them here




Miscellaneous tech tips:

Looking for Royalty free music for student or teacher projects?  Check this one out: Bensound




20 Ways to Use Google Drawings in the Classroom  - Google Drawings is a hidden treasure for teachers and students, but many have yet to discover its benefits.

Quick Tip of the Week (Extract Text from Images and PDFs) - Did you know you can convert images and PDF documents into a Google Doc and extract ALL the text?  This tip could save you valuable time!  πŸ“Ί Watch this quick video to learn how!

Market, an Interactive template for counting money. Free Google Slides template! Check it out! 



How to become a Google Docs power user (free PDF) a few highlights include:
  • Top 5: Tips for getting the most out of Google Docs
  • How to tag collaborators in Google Doc comments
  • How to add more fonts to Google Docs
  • How to insert a text box in Google Docs
  • How to add footnotes in Google Docs
  • How to check the word count in a Google Doc
  • How to create a long dash in Google Docs
  • How to make your Google Docs easier to read using indents and spacing
  • How to make the most out of the mobile Google Docs editing tools
  • How to add page numbers and bookmarks in Google Docs
  • How Google Docs grammar check compares to its alternatives
  • How to translate documents into different languages with Google Docs
  • How to share Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
  • How to add images, tables, and drawings to a Google Doc file


Great poster or cheat sheet to share with your students - Send a copy to your students or enlarge and print a copy for your classroom. Get a copy of this Chromebook shortcuts sheet! 



Jamboard Activities for Independent Learning - It's located in our Jamboard templates folder.




USING BITMOJIS IN YOUR VIRTUAL (AND REAL) CLASSROOM -Some great resources are here as well as a few new tools that were new to me. (Pixton, Wimp yourself and more...) 





CREATING AND USING RUBRICS IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM - Rubrics are an excellent way to assess your student's work. Google Classroom makes it easy to share these rubrics with your students before they work on the assignment and after you have graded it.  Check it out. 




Don't reinvent the wheel!  There are a lot of templates for Google that are available from a lot of resources. We have just added Templates for Teachers  to our template resources.  Check out our Google Templates doc that is chocked full of template resources! 



This is a good  Seesaw tip - especially if you’re having students take pictures of work - it’s hard to hold up the work and use the trackpad!!




A couple great Chrome Extensions! (We have added these to our approved list for students too.) 

Record to Slides easily allows you to do a quick recording from your webcam/Chromebook and insert it into slides. 




mote: voice notes & feedback     (Great find by Gault!) 
Easily add audio notes when grading your student's assignments! Mote is integrated with Google Docs, Google Classroom, Slides and Sheets. You can create a voice note by clicking the mote icon in any Comment box. They have a few paid features, but the free version still gives you 30 seconds per feedback note, which is more than enough time. 






We are seeing a lot of Phishing emails similar to this! 




The past week we are seeing a bunch of automated phishing emails.  They are getting better... using an actual picture... using a fake gmail account with the name... etc...

Always be cautious!  You guys are doing an amazing job so keep up the great work! 


Import Google Classroom Roster to create a group in Flipgrid with the latest update! Checkout this short 1 minute video to learn how