Noel Erskine, Technology Coordinator Norris Schools

Welcome to my technology blog.
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πŸ’₯ Tech items - New staff Chromebooks, Jamboard app- WOW!, Tips, Tricks, Templates and more in this weeks tech tips!

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

 


Remember -  New teacher Chromebooks will be distributed on April 23rd! (PD/Workday.) 
Have your Chromebook, charger and stylus ready to check in on that day!  
  • If you are going to be gone that day, we can check you out a new Chromebook anytime!
  • If you want a stylus for your new Chromebook, remember to sign up in the next couple days! (These are a new/different stylus, so read that prior email for more info.) 
  • More information on time/location will be sent out prior to the 23rd. 
(See my March 29th email for more information. As well as the form to reserve your stylus.) 


Repurposing VR Kits In a post-Google Expedition World - We have several Google Expedition kits we have put together.  Here are some great ideas on still using those kits within your classrooms!  (I still can not believe Google dropped Expeditions!) 

Some new features coming next year to Google Classroom:
  • Improved photo creation, attachment and submission for mobile first (IOS/Android app) users. 
  • Student engagement and tracking page.  See all students in a handy dashboard! 
  • Use Classroom offline for students with limited internet connectivity 



Miscellaneous tech

Are you using rubrics in Google Classroom?  They are easy to use!  Checkout this short video discussing and showing their use. 

How to Access the Clipboard Manager on a Chromebook - Yes there is one!  Find out how.(Hint search + V on a Chromebook.) 

Get Your Copy of the 2020-21 Practical Ed Tech Handbook  By Richard Byrne - Richard always has good stuff and this one is no exception.  Grad it here. (This is such a great resource.)  

Eight More Electrifying Elementary Web 2.0 Tools - If elementary students are your joy in life, check out these eight great web tools to use with them for learning and fun. Read More >>>

Tools to Boost Students' Vocabulary and Knowledge - Discover four tech tools to help students of all ages master critical vocabulary words and become better readers and writers.
Read More >>>

This Is Sand. Remember making sand art as a kid? Now you can do it digitally. Check it out and click the play now. 

MapCrunch. Here’s your chance to go on an adventure without ever leaving your couch. The website will put you in a random location in the world and then it’s up to you to do the exploring.

Teaching tips with tech: 


Google Maps walking tours with Street View and Screencastify (We use Loom instead of Screencastify - both work well.) 

Show learning in motion with stop motion animation - If students can envision it in motion, they can show it in motion on the screen with Google Slides. 

Create a top 10 video with Flipgrid - Checkout the how-to. 


Write choice stories in Slides  - Remember "Choose Your Own Adventure" stories? They gave readers choices and helped them reach endings based on their selections. S

All about that audio. - In this youtube recorded webinar you will learn about adding sounds in slides, captioning in Meet, talk and comment extension (Even works in forms), and many more tips along the way. 

Video Editing Tools for K-12 and adult learners - This resource has several great tools.   This resource is part of the TCEA lunch and learn webinars. site.  



Mote

Exploding on to the #edtech scene in the last 12 months, this versatile extension for Chrome works directly inside Google Slides, Docs, Sheets and Classroom and allows you to leave audio comments and feedback on these different tools. A complete timesaver that promotes inclusion, accessibility and reducing workload, Mote is a must-have tool for the savvy educator looking to make the most of their Chromebook.

Learn more about it and get the extension via https://www.justmote.me/   It's free plan includes most of the essentials. 

Use Immersive Reader (unofficial)

Immersive reader is a fantastic tool, designed for accessibility, but promotes good reading habits and language learning support for all. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work on Chrome, unless of course you use this fantastic unofficial version of the tool. It works just like the Immersive Reader you probably already know and love but just in your Chrome browser.  

You can learn more about it and access the extension here.    
25 virtual field trips for your classroom

Virtual field trips allow us to take our students where the bus can’t. Here are 25 field trips and 10 activities to do while you're on one! Check them out here.  and NEW: Our virtual field trips home page, with 50+ trips


   

Add and manage four new types of citations in Google Docs 
Now you can add these four new citation source types in Google Docs:
  • Film
  • TV Series
  • TV Episode
  • Miscellaneous
This will make writing academic papers easier, since you won’t have to copy citations from other tools. The four new citation source types come in addition to the types you already have available, including books, websites, journal articles, and newspaper articles. More info here. 
   
How would you do on Adam's tech Tuesday Kahoot?
Adam Kranz shared this with our MS staff and I thought it would be fun to share with our entire NSD staff.  (Thanks for creating a great Kahoot Adam!) 
If you have not used Kahoot, Quizlet, Quizizz or several others... checkout our Assessment Tools document to help you get started. 
   
FREE GOOGLE SLIDES TEMPLATES FOR YOUR CLASSROOM - Don't reinvent the wheel when templates are available!  Get them here! 
Checkout our Google Slide templates doc for tons more! (We keep adding resources like this one to this growing doc.) 



   
A few nice Chrome Extensions! 

Link to Text Fragment -  Link to Text is a Chrome extension provided by Google. You can highlight a text on a web page and then create a link that you can share. When someone clicks on your link, they go to the website AND the text that you had highlighted will be highlighted for them.

Full Page Screen Capture. -Captures the entire screen. It scrolls for you all the way to the bottom to get the entire page. Check it out. 

Remember... review your extensions yearly and disable the ones you find yourself no longer using.  (They take up resources and slow your device.)  I use extensity to turn them on and off easily. 

Ran across this quote... let's hope we are all energy builders. πŸ˜€




QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK (Create a Google Classroom Custom Banner) via Kadey Bell

Did you know you can create your own custom banner for Google Classroom?  It's super easy in Google Drawings, and I even have a FREE blank template to get you started. 
πŸ“Ί Watch this quick video to learn how!


WOW - You thought you knew Jamboard, I bet you were wrong! (I was)
Did you know there are some added features in the App vs. the web version?  (We are allowing the Android version of Jam to be installed on all of our Chromebooks!)  (We have added this to our approved apps list.) 

This video webinar will walk you through those features. At this point in the video they show you the app differences. 
Spoiler alert: Stickers, Auto draw, insert from drive, handwriting recognition and more in the App version! 

MORE JAMBOARD:

QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK (Jamboard Version History) - You can now access the version history in Jamboard and see exactly what your students contributed and WHEN! 
πŸ“Ί Watch this quick video to learn how!

How to Make Whiteboard Videos With Loom & Jamboard (3 min. Tutorial video.)  (Both free tools! Remember to sign up for the educator account with Loom! More info here.)

Our Jamboard resource doc with tons of resources and templates can be found here.


Posted by Noel Erskine at 11:33 AM 0 comments
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πŸ’₯ Tech items - Summer tech classes, Kids seeing my files!, Jamming with Jamboard, Classroom tips and more in this weeks tech tips.

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

 Summer tech classes and opportunities:


We will put more out about these as the time gets closer, but I was getting a lot of questions about grad class offerings, so I figured I would get this out ASAP. I had to cancel the first class since the snow days extended our school year, but there are still a couple classes if you are looking for some technology classes and graduate credit.  (Remember, there is no cost to Norris staff unless you want grad credits.) 

  • Tech classes with grad credit availability
  • Paid Google Certification!
  • Tech boot camps
  • New staff tech training and more!

 πŸ”Ά I didn't know students and other staff members could see my Google Drive files! 
Remember it's all about your sharing permissions on files and folders.  They can't unless you mess up! 

In the example below, Noel (owner) and Bryan would be able to edit this file (or folder depending on what I am sharing)  BUT anyone in the Norris School District could view this file.  That's anyone with an nsdtitans.org email address... including students. 




Always know who you are sharing files with!  We are all one click away from disaster.


Miscellaneous tech tools: 

Exploring STEAM Topics with Google Arts & Culture
Using art to explore science — and vice versa — is easy with Google Arts & Culture. Find inventive tools for STEAM education in this post.
Read More >>>

Kahoot! -- Quizlet --  Quizziz --- Here's another one!  Assessment-Based Feedback Tool: Blooket
Dig into another game-based system you can use to enhance blended learning, formative assessment, and practice testing. The free tool? Blooket.
Read More >>>

Using Wakelet to Create Infographics
Learn how to use the curation tool Wakelet with your students to create educational infographics in any subject area. It’s easy and fun!
Read More >>>

Side note: Google Classroom is now serving 150 million students worldwide! 

Learn with Google Arts & Culture - Designed as an entry point into the wealth of resources, Learn with Google Arts & Culture highlights subject related content including lesson plans, stories, videos, high resolution images, 3D models, and more from museums around the world. Check it out!


TEMPLATES!

We have added this template to our templates folder and a link to this resource in our templates document.



Jamming with Google’s Jamboard!

We have updated our "Jamming with Google’s Jamboard" document to include some great resources and templates.  Check them out! 

Note: There are also some other great "whiteboarding" types of tools in our "Whiteboarding and tools" document. 


Version history now available for Jamboard on the web- Surprised it didn't have a version history to begin with? Well now it does. 




Is your Google Drive filling up? Open the link below to see all your Drive files sorted by size. See if there are any large files you no longer need and delete them. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/quota
If you delete files...make sure these files are not shared and needed by others! 




How to Limit Responses in Google Forms
Via How-To Geek | Google Forms is a great way to collate responses from others online, whether it’s for a job or a research project. Limiting the responses manually is possible, but you’ll need to install add-ons to limit them automatically. Here’s how.  



 
This dangerous ransomware is using a new trick to encrypt your network | via ZDNet -  You can read the entire article here.  It's kind of a "techy/geek read"  But in short... they get things on your computer (and our network) through Phishing!  Lesson - be careful what you click on in emails!  

Fraud Losses in 2019 Topped $1.9 billion. Every consumer needs to be educated when it comes to being cautious. 

Password Managers - We recommend using one!
There are several good ones that we recommend.  (Bryan uses  1Password and I just switched from LastPass to BitWarden.) 
Each of these 3 have their pro's and con's. LastPass just put some major restrictions to it's free version so I switched to BitWarden. Since I know many of you use LastPass, I thought I would share this in case you are looking for another free alternative.  (About the only downside I have found is that it's mobile app is not quite as integrated as my old LastPass app.)

Using a password manager allows you to have very complex passwords and different passwords for each site.   This is key to security! 

Remember - Always protect your password manager's master password!  I would use 2FA (2-factor) authentication.  If you do export out of any password managers, be careful with the file since it's got all of your info and passwords as well! 




Tip: Simply drag and drop your waffle icons in Google to fit your needs.





Did you know students can insert a picture from their Chromebook camera right into a Google SlideShow? 


Google has a lot of Fonts built in. (Under more fonts)



BUT - did you know you can go to https://fonts.google.com/ and see what they look like when you type a sentence in.




Another great tip from this slide deck and tech. 




Canva for EDU (Free!) is one of the best resources out there for making posters, cards, banners and more!





Chromebooks now have a built-in tool that makes it easy to create screen recordings with no extra software required!. (The new Chrome version 89 just introduced this new feature.) 





​



Google Slides has a new feature that will now autofit your text in a text box, resizing the font size to fit. 
(Have more questions??? This short 3 minute video walks you through this new feature.) 




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Posted by Noel Erskine at 9:36 AM 0 comments

πŸ’₯ Tech items - Templates galore! , new Google features, Classroom tools, tech tips and more in this weeks tech email.

Thursday, February 25, 2021

 


K-5 Teachers - Remember students are not supposed to be plugging and unplugging chromebooks from the carts!  Also make sure students are using the same Chromebook.  (This is not only for Covid reasons but also for tracking any damages that may occur.) 
 
We really appreciate all of your efforts in helping to keep the technology in great working order! 

WOW - This is a great list of tools and resources from the TCEA convention that just wrapped up.  Templates, tools, websites and more! Get started here with the list.  
The list above is an entire treasure chest of resources and ideas. Here are just a few from this list:
TCEA has a log of free webinars (And past recorded webinars) and resources available in their lunch and learn webinars.  Check them out. 
Misc. Tech tips and resources: 

CS First Classroom compatibility and updates - CS First is now compatible with Google Classroom, which means teachers can sync their accounts, import class rosters, and create assignments from CS First. Check out these and other new features available now by signing in to your CS First teacher account.


If you have not checked out Google's Arts & Culture - now may be the time. They keep adding a lot of content.  Preserving Egypt's Layered History is just one of many. - Brings to life the archaeological discoveries, the archaeologists and preservation processes. With stories, 3D and AR models, Quizzes, videos, virtual tours and Choose Your Own Adventures, the project brings the treasures of Egypt into the classroom.  Checkout Art's & Culture home page for more great interactive experiences and content. 

πŸ“Ί - Ninja trick: How to send an email assignment summary in Google Classroom (Short 1 minute how to video!) 

Class can be like this! If we want to engage students, let's make class feel like their beloved apps.  A social media reply Google Slides template for digital citizenship and 12 social media-inspired Google Slides templates 

10 amazing assessment ideas from Ditch that Textbook. 


Coming soon to Google!  These will be coming this year:

Quick Tip of the Week: Video Feedback in Google Classroom - Great time from Kacy Bell and ShakeUpLearning. 

It's so easy to use Screencastify or Loom to record quick feedback for students.

Let's take this a step further and share feedback in Google Classroom. Add the video link to a private comment, document comment, or add it to your comment bank!

πŸ“Ί Watch this quick 2-minute video to learn how!  (The video shows Screencastify, but we Loom works just as well!) 

FULLSCREEN Interactive Google Slides - Don’t you love interactive Google Slides... especially for the littles! But many teachers wish there was a way to keep the interactivity in full-screen mode. This Chrome extension that will let you do just that!  



10 Things You Didn’t Know Google Docs Could Do - I bet there is at least one in this list you didn't know! 




Ten Time-savers for G Suite for Education Users - This one if definitely worth a quick look! 


QR codes are built into Chrome now!
If you do not see this, make sure you update Chrome to get the current version. 






Learn fractions for 4th grade math using Community Boards at Whiteboard.Chat, (contributed by Gabrielle Mader) and observe your students in real time. We now have over 125 ready-to-use boards for math, languages and social sciences at our content library!




Whitboard.Chat and Whiteboard.fi are GAME CHANGERS when it comes to whiteboarding tools in the classroom.  They are on our top list of whiteboarding tools for the classroom. 


Generate arched text at http://Picfont.com. Save as a PNG and import into Google Slides, Google Drawings, etc.  (ANother greta tip from Tony Vincent - @tonyvincent ) 





Interesting - What device types do we see in the K-12 area?  I just thought I would share this chart from a recent webinar. This chart shows that Chromebooks are king and 2020 saw a large spike in sales for 1-1 programs.  (No surprise here... Covid pushed the 1-1's at a faster rate in schools. ) 




Templates: Don't do the work if you don't have to! 
These are some great templates via Ditch that Textbook.  Via his newsletter - look below for a link to subscribe! 

A great template will save you time. It can create a fun, effective learning activity.

"What's a template?" A re-usable file (often in Docs, Slides, PowerPoint, etc.) that you can assign to students.

"How do you use it?" Pretty simple, actually ...
  • Make one (or make a copy of someone else's).
  • Assign it (in Google Classroom or Canvas, Schoology, etc.).
  • Students work on it.
  • Students turn it in.
"Can I get them for free?" Oh yes. (You know that's what we do here, right?)
 

Our four best templates resources

10 of our favorite templates 

 

 
1. The Virtual Art Gallery Template (via Slides Mania): Display student art, poetry, video, etc. so others can see. Also great for interactive lessons of art, history or anything. (Source: Slides Mania and 30 free Google Slides and PowerPoint themes for teachers)
 

 
2. Digital Board Game Template (via Slides Mania): Create a game for students where students progress based on their understanding of class material. (Source: Slides Mania and 30 free Google Slides and PowerPoint themes for teachers)
 

 
3. The Tower Building Template (via Slides Mania): Take a digital elevator to visit different floors of a building to see what you can find on each. Great for escape rooms, virtual stations, choice boards, etc. (Source: Slides Mania and 30 free Google Slides and PowerPoint themes for teachers)
 

 
4. The Class YouTube Channel Template (via Slides Mania): This is a great place to gather videos students have created -- or helpful ones they can access any time. (Source: Slides Mania and 30 free Google Slides and PowerPoint themes for teachers)
 

5. Weekly Planner for Remote Learning Template (via Slides Mania): Pull together your videos, activities, links, assignments, and anything else your students will need for the whole week. (Source: Slides Mania and 30 free Google Slides and PowerPoint themes for teachers)
 

6. Iron Chef and Cyber Sandwich EduProtocol Templates: These two templates are EduProtocols: "teachers can insert any curriculum from across subjects to help guide students into a deeper understanding of the content." (Source: Jon Corippo/Marlena Hebern and 22 must-have templates for teachers)
 

7. Daily Check-In Google Form Template: Connect with all of your students with this Google Form survey. Give students the link and see at a glance how they are. (Source: Mari Venturino and 22 must-have templates for teachers)
 

8. Fortnite Choice Board Template: Where are we dropping? Students choose their activities by clicking on the Fortnite map! (Source: Tom Spall and 22 must-have templates for teachers)
 

9. Magazine Cover Templates: Create your own cover for Time Magazine, National Geographic, and more. (Source: Ryan O'Donnell and 22 must-have templates for teachers)
 

10. Memory Game Exit Ticket Template: This Google Slides template is a throwback to the favorite children's game, Memory. Match terms and definitions for review ... and more! (Source: Mandi Tolen and 22 must-have templates for teachers)
Posted by Noel Erskine at 2:32 PM 0 comments
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