Noel Erskine, Technology Coordinator Norris Schools

Welcome to my technology blog.
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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. 



Posted by Noel Erskine at 8:17 AM 0 comments
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πŸ’₯ Tech items - Great video tool, cool animator, comics, Google Classroom tips, new Flipgrid features, Grogu, and MORE in this weeks tech tips post.

Thursday, January 7, 2021

 WOW - This is a great tool!  RecordCast.com free online video editor that is Chrome friendly. Super solid and gives you just the tools you need.  You can record the screen or record video with your webcam. (WE have added this to our Video creation tools doc.)  






✏️ You can be a digital animator and bring your doodles to life with Google's new AI-powered tool Scroobly https://experiments.withgoogle.com/scroobly  (This is pretty cool!)  
 



HS Staff- Remember to archive your 1st semester classes in Google Classroom. (1st Sem. classes only.(  (Remember in Classroom...Never delete classes, just archive them.)





Here is a great tip from our very own Janelle Coady on why numbering assignments in Google Classroom (as well as not copying classes from one semester to the next) is so helpful. Here is a quick video (3 min) of her explaining and showing why. She got the idea from Alice Keeler, EdTech guru and spreadsheet fanatic, so here is her blog entry explaining the reasoning behind it and the process.  Thanks again Janelle for this great tip.  It's time to start numbering these assignments in Google Classroom!




Five Key Features of Making Comics in Canva



Canva is one of the best free (For Education) drawing and graphics programs!  They have just added online, real-time collaboration on comic strips that includes hundreds of pieces of artwork/ drawings/ clip art.  Check it out here!


Misc. Tech tools:


Here's one for the Elementary Math teachers: Twelve Free Apps for Math Instruction

SeeSaw tip - πŸŽ§Auditory Math Word Problem!!➕ Learn how to make these number sense building activities!!  Short 3-minute video here. 


NEW - Just in case you are sent a Microsoft Office file. (What's that? ☺)  Open Office attachments from Gmail in Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides with one click.   So much faster not having to save to Drive first and then open.

Flipgrid update - Students can now respond with AUDIO only as an option! #gamechanger

Jamboard Update! -  You can now add an image as a background!  AND… select these keys (CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + H)  at once to see file version history in Jamboard!

Chrome  Tabs Update! -  You can now categorize your tabs if you want in Google Chrome! *right click on a tab to get started!

How to Measure Distances in Google Maps - Short 1 1/2 min. tutorial. 

Kleki: is an amazing, easy to use drawing/paint tool that includes image layers, tutorials and is Chromebook friendly. This drawing tool allows you to create and save very nice looking illustrations.  (We have added this to our recommended Whiteboard and drawing tools doc.) 


Here's one for the history teachers - Fifteen New Primary Source-based Lessons from DocsTeach.  (DocsTeach offers more than 1,500 primary source activities to use in elementary, middle, and high school history lessons)


If you need help - Just let us know!  Complete a help ticket and we will get you rolling!  (But, please ask before moving your own computer or ordering any software!) 


Some great Google Sheet templates.  (Free for personal use!)  Checkout the list here!  (They even have an education section.) 





PDF tools all in one site:   https://pdf.io/   





Read-Along Storybooks Using Audio in Google Slides  -Some nice ideas for creating your own! 





Do this one from your Phone - Pretty cool!
Grab your mobile device, head to Google and search for Grogu. You will see search results which include viewing Grogu in 3D. Once viewed in 3D you can then place him in your world via Augmented Reality. Even makes the cute Grogu noises.
  • Click the View in 3D
  • Click the View in...ur space.
  • Grant permission and whala! 







80 back to school activities for the remote learning classroom - You don't have to be "remote" for many of these great tips, templates and activities. - Check them out here. 




Get Your Copy of Richard Byrne's 2020-21 Practical Ed Tech Handbook.  Richard is always a great wealth of information and tech resources.  Check it out!






 πŸŽ¨ Toy Theater is a good sites for math manipulatives but they also have many digital art options! 




New to FlipGrid!



You Asked, We Listened! ... As we approach a new year with new learning communities, we're making Flipgrid simpler and more powerful.


Starting December 21, you can add Google Classroom rosters to your Flipgrid discussions, making student access easier than ever!

Looking for other ways to empower your learners? Here are a few more community‑driven updates:

microphone Mic Only mode

shorts Flipgrid Shorts camera updates

woman Nametag cover images




Posted by Noel Erskine at 12:03 PM 0 comments
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πŸ’₯ Tech items - Amazing K-2 (Maybe even K-4) resources, templates, no YouTube ads, how many masks, and more in this weeks tech tips!

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

 

How to Forward an Email as an Attachment in Gmail - 



Instead of forwarding several emails individually, you can send them all at once as attachments. With Gmail, you don’t even have to save the emails to your computer to do it–there’s a built-in option just for you.  Check it out! 

Miscellaneous tech:

Chrome is getting faster! -  Google’s latest Chrome update delivers ‘largest performance gain in years’  Chrome 87 will be rolling out soon with a few other features including tab search. 

Kasey Bell's Google Quick Tips Library - This playlist keeps growing with her short video tips that are always great. 

Google Sites update - Customize text style and appearance in Google Sites. This significantly expands control over how individual words, paragraphs, pages, and sections look. We hope this will help you make your site look and feel just the way you want it to.

How to Create a Landing Page in Seesaw - Great for organizing your classes! Checkout this How-To video here. 

Simple free online tool for animations. Wick Editor - Is a simple free online tool for animations. Allows for 2d animation creation. The timeline is simplified but very functional. The process of making a tween is different than Adobe. You can create symbols, turn on onion skins and save in multiple formats. The limitations lie in text and tool features. They are there but it needs more options.  We have added this tool to our "Photo Editing for staff and students -Online" Document. 

Math teachers! - If you have not seen the free EquatIO extension to add formulas into Google Docs - Now is the time! Checkout this 2 minute clipMust-Have Google Chrome Extensions for Teachers to see it in action.  Here's another one for the math teachers: VIRTUAL MANIPULATIVES FOR MATH REMOTE LEARNING.  

Even More Virtual Field Trips - Virtual field trips are a great way to engage students, especially if they’re at home. Here are even more ways to explore the world virtually. -Check them out. 

Some great Google Classroom Cheat Sheets:

25 Fantastic Free Google Slides Templates and Themes for Teachers!  Check them out! 


This is why we recommend a password manager ...like lastpass  or 1password. They make having different and difficult passwords for each site easy.  Just make sure you have a good password for those accounts and setup 2FA. (2 factor authentication.) 
(Never use the same password on multiple sites.  -So a password manager helps with that as well.)



Just a fun one...Can you find every mask in this picture?



Another great Math resource with assignments ready to assign right to Google Classroom!
Assistments.org Create assignments using our wide library of curricula, textbooks, and custom problem sets in mathematics.  You can easily select some of the OER resources (Try the NewYork OER as a sample) and then assign them right in Google Classroom!  (Great Google Classroom Integration!)  
Note: We have added this to our OER (Open Education Resources) document to join our top list! 



Must-Have Google Chrome Extensions for Teachers - A great list with a few new ones that I hadn't seen before! 


Did you know PBS Learning Media materials are free and are integrated with Google Classroom?
They have a ton of materials and subjects! Check them out: https://net.pbslearningmedia.org/






YOUTUBE - You can remove the ads, comments, suggested videos - all the things - to SAFELY share videos w/students in 1 click!


TIP:  Just add a " - " in the URL after the T

Try it out: 
Example: 

Compared to regular Youtube share: 




A couple other solutions:
  • When you insert a video into Google Slides it removes the ads. 
  • You can also insert videos on your Classroom Screen page and there will be no ads. (One of my prior tech emails talked about this nice tool.) 

Want some Great K-2 (Maybe even K-4) tech resources!  Check it out!
Here are some great ones!  They are set up as a slideshow newsletter, so page through the slides for new or past posts. 
I like using the one-tab extension and setting them up as a locked group so I just open them all up at once and they are each in a different tab ready to scroll through. 




Here are just a few from the sites/resources above:

  










 




Posted by Noel Erskine at 11:18 AM 0 comments
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πŸ’₯ Tech items - An amazing G-suite resource, markup files on Chroembooks, a ton of class resources and more in this week tech tips.

Monday, November 23, 2020

 Did you know our 1-1 take home Chromebooks (Gr. 6-12) run android apps? If it's a free Android app, we can install it. One advantage of the Google Classroom Android app is that students can draw on PDF files or images. 







WOW - Check out our new spreadsheet for G Suite (Now call Google Workspace).  Check it out here. This one is a big winner.  Use it for personal learning or with students. You can easily make a copy and modify it for what you want to teach the students as well. 

Did you know you (or your students) can markup PDF files right on a Chromebook without adding an extension?









When creating custom headers, change the page or canvas size to the recommended dimensions in pixels. (In Google Slides go to File → Page Setup → Custom) (Another great tip from @tonyvincent) 
·


Online Timers for the Classroom -  These 6 online timers will keep your students engaged. 




Msc. Tech tips and tools:

Google Docs Quick Tip of the Week (New Citation Tool!) - There's a new citation tool in Google Docs.  πŸ“Ί Watch this quick video to learn how!

Free app! - PicCollage EDU Collage Maker - Reg. $1.99. Free until Nov. 30th.  (This is a good one!) (We have obtained a lot of licenses to deploy to our iPads as well.) 

Resources for teaching 4th grade electrical circuits - This Wakelet board has a variety of resources, videos and activities for teaching the basics of circuits. 

Solve Math Equations using Google Search - Get help solving equations by typing them into the Search bar or snapping a picture with Lens to get a step-by-step solution, live in English and coming soon to 70+ languages including French and Japanese.  (Teachers need to be aware of these capabilities (of our students) including the Google Lens feature. (Similar to the Photomath apps.) 

Norris Teachers - Are you ready for remote learning?  Not sure we will ever be back to remote learning, but you always want to be prepared!  Remember, here are a few great resources including parents:

The Google Master Slide is powerful! - Save time creating Google Slides by editing the Master Slide! Change fonts, colors, and more on EVERY slide at once!  πŸ“Ί Watch this quick video to learn how!


πŸ’‘TIP - want to lock words, shapes, or images in Google Slides? Put them in the master!!
Check it out here - https://youtu.be/5Z86V2O_5zc  




This is what I looked like after finding out Google Expeditions and Tour Creator are going away! 


(Well, I guess I may take this look... he's got a full set of hair!)☺

Both of these tools were awesome for educators.  It's VR field trips are getting rolled into their Arts and Culture app, so I guess it's not a total loss.  More info on that here.   I am afraid you will not have the same functionality that expeditions had when it comes to seeing where your students are at in the VR trip, etc... 

They are hoping the creating tools in Google Earth for the web will fill the void for Tour Creator.  (More info here.)   Here is what Google sent out on this:  Three years ago we introduced Google Earth for modern browsers and devices, and last year, we launched creation tools in Google Earth for Web. With creation tools, anyone can create, collaborate, and share custom Google Earth projects, similar to the functionality of Tour Builder, but with compelling 3D perspectives. Furthermore, Google Earth Project integration with Google Drive allows for much more seamless collaboration when working with multiple project authors.  

What free learning resource has 10.8 billion minutes learning so far this year? 

If you guessed Kahn Academy... you were correct. Khan Academy helps anyone, anywhere learn, 100% for free.  (It's a great resource for parents too.) They have so many features with so many subjects it's almost too good to be true.   If you have not checked it out... now might be a great time.  You can even use NWEA MAP Test scores (Math example here.) to generate personalized study recommendations. Checkout our OER resources document to get started with Kahn and a few other great OER resources with other subjects included. 



Just thought I would share a success story! Just when we think we may be pushing too many security tips your way and flooding you with too many security reminders. 


This email is from a Norris teacher that I consider pretty tech savvy:

Just wanted to send you a thank you note. I'll explain below:

I am currently selling my macbook pro. Obviously, being a mac, it is worth a pretty penny. I am selling it on Facebook marketplace, where I have sold many things before. Somebody planned on buying it, and seemed very legit. Got some emails from paypal that looked VERY real, and almost left to ship the macbook. However, the constant reminders at school about cyber-security and scams made me look again. Luckily, I discovered the emails were fraudulent and I was able to cancel the entire thing. If I hadn't known what to look for, I would've easily been fooled as the scammers have gotten pretty good at making things look good.

I consider myself pretty tech savvy and am usually pretty good at sniffing out scams, as I've never been scammed before. I always felt like the constant barrage of information about security was overkill, but without it nagging at the back of my mind, I might be out a macbook pro.

Just wanted to pass along a huge thank you to all of you for what you do. Keep up the security tips!


You asked for it. so here it goes.... πŸ˜€ ... Here's another tip:  Be careful of text messaging scams. We are seeing a lot of these!  They often have a link to click on and may take you to a site that looks like your bank or other business. It's similar to vishing.  (No I didn't miss-spell phishing.) 




Posted by Noel Erskine at 1:18 PM 0 comments
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