Noel Erskine, Technology Coordinator Norris Schools

Welcome to my technology blog.
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πŸ’₯ Tech tools and thoughts - Teachers lose paychecks do to phishing ..free eBooks, apps, tech tools & tips and more in this weeks posting!

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

School Employees paychecks go up in πŸ”₯
Atlanta Public Schools to step up security measures, increase email filters after phishing attack causes payday problems.

I hate to be the grim reaper... but always be careful with emails and web links! We do not want you to fall victim to this.  (This is the reason we have really been pushing our phishing awareness and security campaign. -KnowBe4 product) 

Tech tools, web tools and more: 


I know Google Forms now has quizzing built it... but... Ten Things Flubaroo Can Do for You may be what you are looking for if you want more features for Google Forms and quizzing. (Partial credit, score range based responses and more using Flubaroo.) 

Need to schedule parent meetings with time slots.... Calendly is a tool that syncs with Google Calendar and makes scheduling meetings super simple. No more prolonged back-and-forth email chains. 

3 Classroom Math Activities with Adobe Spark - How do your students share their learning in the math classroom? When it comes to movie-making, designing a website, or creating a social media graphic, we don’t often associate these activities with mathematics. But students of all ages can jump into open-ended creation tools to tell the story of their learning in any subject...

πŸ’₯ Math Tools for Chrome -  Powerful math tools that you & your students can use with the Chrome browser (and Chromebooks). 

Amazing Mobile Features of Google Classroom   -- Digital handwriting, Taking pictures, Recording videos .. and more! 

Brain Breaks: 7 YouTube Channels to Get Kids Moving & Grooving 


Google Slide tips:

8 Google Slides Tips You Should Know Before Your Next Presentation.

Grids, Timelines, and Notes in Google Slides (Great add-on for free pics too!) Thanks to Jessie Andre for sharing this one out! 

Great Google Docs tips, add-ons, etc...




How to Link to a Specific Paragraph in Google Docs - Via BetterCloud Monitor | If you ever have a Google Doc that’s tens or hundreds of pages long, it can be difficult to find a specific section of text that someone has asked you to reference. To save time, it can be valuable to provide a direct link to a specific paragraph in your document

Have you looked at Voice Typing in Google yet? 

New and Improved Voice Typing Commands in Google Docs  (Great for special needs too!) 
Via BetterCloud Monitor | You might have known that you can use your voice to type in Google Docs, but late last year, Google released some new and improved features. You can now specify text color, highlight text, add links, insert comments, and switch to a column layout–just by using your voice. 

Voice Typing in Google Docs is a Game-Changer!  - Check this out ...  Kasey Bell is an award-winning digital learning consultant, national speaker, and blogger with a passion for technology. As a former ELA teacher, I am naturally drawn to technology that supports reading and writing. Google Docs is fully-loaded with some features that can save us time in and out of the classroom, and.... 

Google Classroom: 

How to Infuse Google Classroom with the Power of YouTube - Some great tips in this article! 

This one looks like a winner! Teacher Advisor provides 100% free, teacher-vetted, and standards-aligned instructional materials for K-5 elementary math teachers. We're constantly making improvements, and it'll never cost you a cent to take advantage of the cutting-edge technology on teacheradvisor.org. Our tool leverages IBM Watson™ technology to help you find recommended standards, lessons, activities, and strategies directly targeted to your search criteria, so that you spend far less time selecting highly effective resources for your students. Thanks to our very own Dr. Jenny Piening for finding this one. 


Free Kindle Books:





Apps:

Price: $FREE
***Ranked #3 in the App Store under Education***
**** Best Elementary APP Awards 2011 for our First and Second Grade apps ***** 
Note - iPhone only app (But they do run on iPads too.) 


Price: $FREE
TELL YOUR STORY with Scribble Press the ALL-NEW, creative bookmaking App for kids!

Designed for the classroom and at home, Scribble Press is a creative platform for children to imagine, write.

Some great resources from Google - (And a signup link at the bottom.) 


2+2 for Educators, September 2017
Looking for helpful videos and resources for digital citizenship and safety? Read on for more in this month’s 2+2 for Educators.


2 Things to Know for Educators

1. Teach Online Safety with Be Internet Awesome
As classroom technology usage increases, it’s important for students to be prepared to make smart decisions online. Developed in collaboration with online safety experts, Be Internet Awesome teaches the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so students can explore the online world with confidence. In addition to a robust curriculum for teachers, the program includes Interland, an adventure-packed online game that puts these critical lessons into hands-on practice. Access resources at g.co/BeInternetAwesome.
2. Explore EDU in 90 on YouTube
We recently launched EDU in 90, a new video series from Google for Education. Based on feedback from educators, the episodes are designed to share product news, program updates, and tutorials in a quick, concise format. Check out some of our top episodes below:
We’re planning the second season of EDU in 90 and would love your feedback on possible episode topics - share your thoughts with this short survey.



2 Resources for Educators

1. Training Center Resources for Online Safety
Looking for more resources to build your digital safety chops? Head on over to the Training Center, where we recently introduced a free Digital Citizenship and Safety course. Through interactive online content, you’ll learn fundamental lessons of digital citizenship and safety, as well as strategies for integrating them into your curriculum. Check out the full Digital Citizenship and Safety course - including lessons on savvy searching, avoiding phishing and scams, and online reputation management.
2. Tip: Use Classroom to share with large groups
Curious about sharing digital citizenship lessons and other information to large groups? Learn from Sarah Jolley (@sarahaj47), a Digital Coach and Social Studies teacher from Elko, Nevada:
“Our school has used Google Classroom as a vehicle to share important information across large groups of students. By creating a Classroom class for an entire grade (or even the entire school), we’re able to easily share student surveys, digital citizenship lessons, school announcements, videos, and other resources at scale.”



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Want to know about the latest from Google for Education, but don’t have much time? Check out EDU in 90.
Posted by Noel Erskine at 6:53 AM 0 comments
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πŸ’₯Tech tools - Free Kindle Books, free services, and more.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017




Web & Tech Tools

101 Videos | National Geographic - Lots of science and social studies,  but a little bit of everything. Thanks to our very own Jessie Aundre @jessiesandre 


U.S. Constitution Day Is On September 17th – Here Are Related Resources 

8-BIT project: A fraction, decimal, and percent HyperDoc




Free credit monitoring services
With the data breach/hack of Equifax - I thought I would include a couple personal recommendations.  (This loss of data affects over 1/2 of the people in the US and it involves a lot of personal data!) 

If you have a Discover Card - they are offering a credit monitoring service for free to their card holders.  This site will offer more info about the deal.  You can set email and text alerts. 

If you have insurance through the Nebrakaks BCBS for schools - remember they have a free credit monitoring and repair/fix (In case you do get your identity stolen.) service for free to all employee's.  See your school district central office for more info.  (Kim and Linda here at Norris.) 


Make Paragraphs Pop with Borders and Shading in Google Docs

G Suite Tips | Paragraph borders and shading in Google Docs is a little-known feature that can bring your document to life. Check it out here.

Free Kindle eBooks:








Posted by Noel Erskine at 1:25 PM 0 comments
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πŸ’₯ tech tools - Killer deal on Amazon Echos, free music, free app, some great tech tools!

Thursday, September 7, 2017


Misc: Web sites and tools
Do you want to be a Google search pro? - 41 Pro Google Search Tips for Research, Marketing, and Fun

How to Add Filters to Your Images in Google Slides 

The iPevo Whiteboard Chrome app is worth taking a look at!  The awwapp site is still great too, but this one may add a few things to your tool belt as well. 



Customize Google Drive With Drive Apps - Short 2 minute video.  (This video shows Pixlr Express... I love the PicMonkey add-on for Drive as well.) 

Killer Deal on the Amazon Echo! 
AMAZING deal on Amazon Echo - $75 and 3 free audio books. j  I LOVE these things! Ordered 1 more for my place. (I have way too many of these already, LOL.)  

6 Android Apps to Try on a Chromebook - Check it out
New Staff - HS and MS staff - your Acer Spin units already support Android!  More Chromebooks will be supporting Android soon.  
The Google Classroom app allows easy markup/drawing on assignments, 

Google Sheets -

Create Dynamic Dropdown Menus in Google Sheets - 3-minute how-to video

Free Music
Nature Sounds Collection: Sea Waves, Vol. 1 (Ocean Coast) -Not sure this is music, but it may be relaxing.  On Amazon  and also Google Play 

Free App - IOS and Android:

Runtastic Mountain Bike Pro (Android )
Both were free for a while... the Android onestill is!  

Free eBook - PDF 
Not sure if this thing work a cent... but hey it's free so I tossed it in our list! 

The free PDF eBook (a direct download, no registration required) is now available in English or Spanish. The Kindle version (English only) is now even cheaper (only a $1). Thumbup

FREE - Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day [leannebrown.com] (PDF, 1st Edition, ENGLISH)

GRATIS - Bueno y Barato: AlimΓ©ntate Bien a $4 al DΓ­a [leannebrown.com] (PDF, ESPAΓ‘OL)
Posted by Noel Erskine at 3:03 PM 0 comments
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πŸ’₯ This week's tech tools - Free Music, Free Apps, and more.

Monday, August 28, 2017


Misc. Web and Tech Tools:


minutephysics - A really nice YouTube Channel with some cool short videos that.... well... involve physics.  pretty cool! 






Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week – A Summer of G Suite Updates – A Handout

Google for Education Training Center. FREE resources from Google. Check out the tutorials, downloadable guides, tips, tricks, and more!




Looking for a new way to share information with families? You can create a class website using the free, easy-to-use Spark Page. Perfect for teachers on Chromebooks, laptops, iPads, and iPhones, this simple website creation tool is a fantastic choice for creating a classroom website.

Free IOS App:

Stage Pro: Interactive Whiteboard/Document Cam - Free (Reg. $4.99) https://goo.gl/zANBUh   

Free Music from Amazon:
Amazon Music via Amazon.com has Garth Brooks: The Chase/In Pieces (Digital MP3 Album) for Free.

Wow - Phishing and ransomware at it's worst! 
This is why we are wanting users to always be careful on what they click on in emails! (Phishing) - CBS report - Inside the New York Hospital That Was Down for 6 Weeks Due to Ransomware 

Lynne Herr's tech resources from our Bootcamp sessions:
Tech Roundtables (all ideas collected in one file, K-4 and 5-12)

Google Classroom

Welcome to your first day of Classroom Google Classroom saves you time, keeps you organized and helps you communicate with your students.  Great resource from Google! 


10 ways Google is making Classroom and Forms easier for teachers this school year - Yesterday, Google announced 10 updates to Google Classroom and Google Forms to help teachers save time and stay organized. Some updates include a new single view of student work and the ability to reorder classes.




Posted by Noel Erskine at 11:50 AM 0 comments
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πŸ’₯ Free apps, tech tools, free tool for the Alexa, tips and more in this weeks tech tips.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017


QR & Barcode Scanner PRO for Android is FREE for a limited time. https://goo.gl/j6taJk  Reg $3.99 

Web sites and tools:
iOS 11 will render older iPhones, iPads and apps obsolete  - Just like the older iPad 2 units will not update beyond IOS 9.3 .. some devices will now be stuck at IOS 10.x ... But it also means that for users of Apple’s newer smartphones and tablet computers, including the latest iPhone 7 and iPad, some apps that are 32-bit-only and not coded to operate in a 64-bit system will cease to work once their devices are updated to iOS 11. (Hopefully most developers will update their apps to work!) 

How to search Google: 10 advanced tips and tricks 



How Many Words Can You Type Per Minute?  Via Ratatype | Test your typing skills and learn how to type faster.

Create Fillable Text Boxes in Google Docs - How to article here. 

2 handy yet hidden Chromebook security features - Unlock with a Pin or even with your Android phone automatically when you are close! 

Optimize Your Chrome Browsing Experience With These 13 Extensions  There are several of my favorites in this list... LastPass, OneTab, Magic Actions for YouTube, and more... 

Explore in Docs, Sheets, and Slides makes work a breeze — and makes you look good, too -Not a new feature... but one many do not know about or use!

NEW - Smarter Google Forms to save you time -  Google Forms makes it easy to collect information, plan events, solicit feedback, and more. Today, we’re adding new features and using machine learning to make Forms work better for your business. Read on for more details.

MindMup 2.0 Includes Vertical Mind Mapping - MindMup is a nice mind mapping tool that can be integrated into your Google Drive account.

Google tools for Kindergarten and young learners: 
On this episode of the TechEducator Podcast, we welcome Kindergarten teacher Christine Pinto on the program to discuss tips, tricks, and strategies for helping our youngest learners master Google Apps and other G-Suite tools. (Check out the links to resources on this podcast on the page above - Some great templates for the elementary teachers!)   Visit her website for templates, inspiration and more! 

Do you have an Echo or dot - Then you may be interested in this:

Google Sheets -
5 Tricks to Boost Your Productivity in Google Sheets - an AWESOME 5-minute video is a must for some great Google Sheet tips. 

Apps:
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created Spacecraft 3D, an augmented reality (AR) app for iOS - Free.  (This is a cool app!) 

Some great sites built on the top of Google Maps:

Smarty Pins - A great educational and fun game! 


Goolge\s own Tour Builder is awesome! 

Amazon - Inspire Beta -  New program from Amazon for free teacher resources.


​


Hey- it' a beta, so it will be getting better... but it's from Amazon!  Check it out here. 

Remember - If the resources are in Microsoft format - just upload to Google Drive and Convert!

Here are a few ways to start exploring the Amazon Inspire Beta: 

  • Discover: Easily find helpful resources from other educators and organizations, such as The National Science Foundation and Buck Institute for Education. Try searching by title, subjects, grade levels, resource types, publishers, standards, or keywords.
  • Download: When you find a resource you like, download it to your desktop to use in your classroom or read later.
  • Share: Find a lesson plan a colleague might find helpful on the Amazon Inspire Beta? Share links to the content you love so that other educators may benefit from them.
  • Give Feedback: You’re the classroom expert and we want to hear your thoughts! Click on the support icon in the upper right-hand corner to share your ideas with us.

Have you been Smished???  (No not phished... but similar!) 

‘Smishing’ Is Internet Scammers’ New Favorite Trick.  

"Bad guys are increasingly targeting you through your smartphone. They send texts that trick you into doing something against your own best interest. At the moment, there is a mystery shopping scam going on, starting out with a text invitation, asking you to send an email for more info which then gets you roped into the scam. 
Always, when you get a text, remember to "Think Before You Tap", because more and more, texts are used for identity theft, bank account take-overs and to pressure you into giving out personal or company confidential information.  Here is a short video made by USA Today that shows how this works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffck9C4vqEM
Obviously, an end-user who was trained to spot social engineering red flags <-- Check it out. (PDF) would think twice before falling for these scams.
Posted by Noel Erskine at 8:24 AM 0 comments
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