💥 Tech tools - BIG things added this week!!! New Gmail look coming, SPARK tools for EDU!, PBS resources, New file convert added for you... and more in this weeks teck tips email!

The Premium Adobe Spark tools are free for education... and you may be the first in the nation to try them out! 

Here at Norris... our network admin (Bryan Williams) ROCKS!  By the time I started to talk to him about this... he had it already set up and ready to go for us! I am guessing there is no other school in the nation that beat us to the trigger.... so be the first to try it out!  This doc will walk you through the step-by-step process to get your account setup and ready to roll. 

A new look and some new features coming to Gmail: 

Google announced there will be a redesign coming soon to Gmail.  Check out this article with a few leaked screenshots to get an idea of what's coming down the pipe soon.

CloudConvert - A new free service added to our nsdtitans.org domain.   You can now easily convert files right inside your Google Drive. (This service has been added for all staff and HS and MS students.) 

Misc. Tech tools and websites:

3 Tools for Creating Instructional Animations 

What a great web drawing tool!  Check it out --> SketchPad's site works with any browser or Chromebook. I have added this to my list in our tech doc: Whiteboard and drawing tools.  

Google Keep:

Great tips: 10 ways Google Keep can help streamline life at school.

If you are not using Google Keep - You are missing out!  It works great with our teacher Chromebooks and pens!  Check out our tips sheet to get started!  If you need help getting started... give our Tech Integrationist, Jason Gault, a call at 2010.  He's awesome to work with! 

Google Sites:

Add Custom Links to the Navigation Bar in the New Google Sites via G Suite Updates

The new Google Sites automatically creates an intuitive navigation bar that links to content within your site, but there may be times when you want to create your own links that go somewhere else. That’s why Google is adding a new feature where you can link to any URL from the navigation bar.

The PBS NOVA Labs have some great online resources:

Nova Sun Lab - Despite its apparently steady glow, the Sun is a churning mass of superhot plasma that regularly produces powerful flares and storms that can knock out power and communication systems on Earth. This Lab explores what makes the Sun so volatile and gives you access to the same data, images, and tools that scientists use to predict solar storms.

Cybersecurity Lab - Take cybersecurity into your own hands. In this Lab, you’ll defend a company that is the target of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. Your task is to strengthen your cyber defenses and thwart the attackers by completing a series of cybersecurity challenges. You’ll crack passwords, craft code, and defeat malicious hackers.

Energy Lab - For something we use every day, energy is a pretty mysterious concept. This Lab investigates what energy is, how it can be converted into useful forms, and why some sources are running low. In our Research Challenge, you'll use scientific data to design renewable energy systems for cities across the U.S.—and compete with others to see whose designs can produce the most power.

Cloud Lab - Covering some 70 percent of Earth's surface, clouds play a key role in our planet's well-being. But how do they form, why are there so many types, and what clues can they give us about the weather and climate to come? Try your hand at classifying clouds and investigating the role they play in severe tropical storms.

RNA Virtual Lab - Nature’s best-kept secret is a wonder molecule called RNA. It is central to the origin of life, evolution, and the cellular machinery that keeps us alive. In this Lab you’ll play the role of a molecular engineer by solving RNA folding puzzles. Then take your skills to Eterna, where you can design RNAs that could be at the heart of future life-saving therapies.

SAS Curriculum Pathways have some great K-12 resources- Interactive, standards-based resources in the core disciplines.

Check out their website for more info.  (All free resources.) 

​​

​ Looking for an engaging Google Slides lesson that you can teach in just 45 minutes? Try out our newest lesson for middle and high school students: Create a Presentation "All About a Topic." Choose any subject you'd like, from "all about my spring break" to "all about the Industrial Revolution"! Students will learn the basics of Google Slides, including how to:

Choose a theme, insert slides, and add a title. Add images, text, animations, and transitions. Digitally share and comment.

Google's Applied Digital Skill curriculum has a lot of resources for your classroom!  Check out all of the lessons here.