Free apps, Realtime Board Accounts, Google Classroom updates and more... in this weeks resources!

Web tools and sites:

Realtime Board - Grab your free educators account here.  Whiteboard. Finally in your browser. - Works across all platforms! 

Interesting infographic covering some handy Google search tips.

Get lost on those historic trails that Lewis & Clark navigated in the 1800s via@googlemaps goo.gl/3h5rKQ

Kids can turn off your TV, Projector, and more... with this app

Some of the Android phones/devices include IR (infrared) (I so they can act like your TV/projector remote.) Apple devices currently do not support this.

So the bad news is... kids with certain Android devices and apps installed can turn your TV on or off, change channels, control your projector, etc...

  

The Peel app is one app that does this.  Android App OR  IOS App (As noted above, IOS does not have IR built in, so they would need an extra device to make that work.)  This peel app is pretty cool, even includes TV Guide like features.

What can you do about it... not much.  Just have good classroom management and be aware of what can be done in case your TV/Projector/ etc... starts behaving like it has a mind of its own. (It will probably be a middle school kid playing tricks on you!) 

Has this happened at Norris? -- Well Yes... LOL. 

IOS Apps:

Fresh from the Twitter feed of Tony VIncint: neu.Draw is free right now (was $1.99). I use new.Draw to make vector illustrations to use in VideoScribe. 

Google Apps:

Have you used the collaboration feature in Google Docs? If not... you are missing out, when you need to collaborate on a doc. In the upper right-hand corner of the doc, you will find the following drop-down menu: 

Or use comments, to draw attention to things but not suggesting an edit:

Want some more great tips like above... Watch this short 5 minute video - Collaborative Editing | Docs, Sheets, Slides | The Apps Show for more including notification rules, bookmarks in docs, and more!

The Apps Show by Google is a nice YouTube channel with a great short series of videos introducing many Google Apps features and uses. 

4 Things You Can Do Right Now To Create A Perfectly Organized Google Drive <-- Great tips here!

And this short video will show you how to find that email or file in Drive - You will learn something new in this one! 

Google Forms:

Practical Ed Tech Tip of the Week – Create a Check In/ Out System in Google Forms (This includes a really cool add-in that I did not know existed.) 

Google Classroom:

Multiple teachers can work and collaborate in a single Classroom class! Google just added this feature to Classroom this week! 

In response to teacher feedback, Google has made two additional changes that will make Classroom easier to use:

• Autosaving grades - Grades will now be autosaved as they’re entered, meaning teachers can grade assignments over multiple sessions but still return those assignments to students all at one time.
• Improved notifications - Teachers and students will now receive email notifications when private messages are left on assignments.

​Check out the announcement here!

Free Disney Short films, apps, web tools and more in this week's tech roundup.

Web Tools:

Great Video tool - especially for flipping your classroom.  Turn online videos into interactive learning experiences that engage students and deepen understanding: zaption.com

Clipart - Background images- 

128 free to use 1024x1024 textures http://goo.gl/ZMEvn2

Your students will pay attention to these Google Search tips!

7 Google Search Tricks That Will Help You Pull Off The Perfect Date

And a couple other tips:

12 Google Search Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know

14 More Google Search Tricks You Didn’t Know Existed

Google Apps and Tools:

Google Doc and Sheet add-ons:

If you have not looked at the many Google Sheets and Doc add-ons, now is the time.  My quick how-to doc will assist you in getting started with these great add-ons. 

Need to map addresses from a Google sheet to Google maps - This add-on is slick!  (Demo video here.)

Google Sheets:

 How To Turn Any Data Set Into A Heat Map

A data heat map highlights each data cell with a different color along a spectrum based on its distance from the statistical mean. As an example, you could use heat maps to quickly identify trends in expense reports, like which days you spend the most money.

6 things That You Didn’t Know You Could Do In Google Sheets 

How To Make The Perfect Budget In Google Sheets  - Nice 3 minute how-To video.  (Nice demo on a few Google sheet features, including conditional formatting for cell colors, etc...) 

IOS apps and tools:

iTunes U for educators has a wealth of info. iBooks, lessons and more!  Educators could spend HOURS exploring the wealth of rich education resources here. (Must have iTunes on your computer, or visit this link form an iPad for it to open up iTunes U.

Norris Google Apps growing!

#norristitans staff and students have almost 1/2 million files in GoogleDrive with 54% of them being GoogleDocs

​

Edit video on the iPads:

Animoto- use small clips and pictures to edit together. Great for quick videos.  (Educators can get the pro features for free - Longer videos.) Educators - First join Animoto as a regular user.  Then visit this site, and apply as an educator. 

Loopster - this one is a little more complicated but is great for video editing. I layered it with small clips of music from my iPad (I chose some random tunes), I incorporated a slow motion clip, and some text so you can see how much can be done with this app. You then upload the video to the loopster site and can publish it to youtube.   Thanks to @MeganHuenemann for sharing this great resource with our staff!   Here is a sample from her: I layered it with small clips of music from her iPad (and chose some random tunes), I incorporated a slow motion clip, and some text so you can see how much can be done with this app. You then upload the video to the loopster site and can publish it to youtube. 

Adobe Voice: Show your story. In minutes.  Download the free app here. 

Free Disney Short Films: 

Apple iTunes.com is offering various Disney's Winnie The Pooh Short Films (HD) for Free listed below. (Fresh from SlickDeals!)

• Winnie The Pooh Short Films for Free
• Climb a Tree
• Heffalumps and Woozles
• Pooh's Game (Pictured)
• Owl's House
• Pooh and Gopher
• Pooh Meets Tigger
• The Rain Came Down
• Stout and Round
• Stuck at Rabbit's House
• Eeyore's Tail

Note:  in iTunes, these are normally $1.99. (By getting them, it does allow you to download them as well for offline use.)  These short films are also normally free on YouTube along with other's their Jr. Channel. 

ck-12.org - A great math & science resource for Grades 1-12!

This resource deserves it's own email, it's got so much potential and just keeps getting better.

ck-12.org  is an amazing resource that just keeps getting better.  They now have a great app too!  Download it here. 

Their Teacher site is located here.

Their new free apps for both iOS and Android devices offer 100,000+ practice problems anytime, anywhere! Best part: it adapts to the student's skill level, so it will keep them engaged. And yes, it's free.

100,000+ free digital textbooks - you choose!

Wondering what other schools in your state are using CK-12 FlexBooks®? You can now browse from our collection of free Common Core and state standards aligned books to download, or customize one to make your own!  

There are a few Nebraska Teachers that have shared their flex books for you to see too. 

It's still targeted for the Math and Science areas, Grades 1-12 as shown from their main screen:

April fools fun, FreeApps, K-6 storytelling apps, web tools, and Google tips in this week's email!

Some April Fools fun - lirpA sloof nuf

Head on over to Google's site

OR

Play Pac-Man in Google Maps 

Web Tools: 

Want to find Google Docs that other's have already made?  There is always the template gallery... it' great.  But here's another way - How to Find Publicly Shared Google Docs

Seven Alternatives to Google Image Search - Comparison Chart 

EDpuzzle Review: Easy-to-Use Tool Lets Teachers Quickly Turn Online Video into Lessons.

Get better, more accurate search results with these 12 Google search tips

Tagboard - Follow Hashtags from Multiple Networks in One Place

Here at Norris... did you know we have this tool in each building for checkout?

Swivl - a robotic mobile accessory for you phone or tablet. -Great for filming class lectures, presentations and more! This Doc will give you more information on this great product! 

IOS Apps and tips:

Use your iPad as a Whiteboard with this free app from IPEVO. Check out my resource doc here. (Sent out a separate all staff email earlier on this tool - It' got a lot of potential!)

This video might have some iOS 8 tidbits that are new to you (time limits, zoom controls, speak screen & more): IOS 8 tips with Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent)

Three Free iPad Apps Students Can Use Over and Over. Facilitate creativity with these apps! (These are great apps for the K-6 area - Awesome for stroy telling and more!) 

Stickyboard 2 - Free today (3-31-15) !  Great app for classroom brainstorming!  Use your Apple TV to turn this app into a great classroom tool! Their homepage has a nice video about the app. 

Google Apps:

Google Sheets - The easiest way to split first and last names in Sheets.  Short 2 minute Video. - This is a cool add-in! 

Classroom management made easier: Class Charts allows you to track and analyze student behavior over time, make seating charts, and share with colleagues and parents. They have a Chrome App too. 

Try these 5 undiscovered Google Drive tricks by PCWorld

Managing Student Workflow with Google Apps

Google Presentations:

FREE TEMPLATES FOR GOOGLE SLIDES PRESENTATIONS - This site is awesome! Slides Carnival has some amazing free templates you have to check out. 

What's new in Google Apps:

Conditional formatting improvements in Google Sheets 

People using Google Sheets will now have more powerful conditional formatting options.

Google+ Photos coming to Google Drive

Google Drive allows you to store and access your files anywhere—on the web, on your hard drive, or on the go. We’re now making it easier to store and organize your photos and videos in Google Drive as well.

Combined inboxes, smarter search and more with the new Gmail app for Android

A new version of the Gmail app for Android is now available on Google Play

Get these product update alerts by email <--- This will put you on the Google Apps email list, to stay current with all of the new features coming out in Google Apps! (They only send a couple a month, so they do not flood your inbox.) 

YouTube:

Posted this a few weeks ago... but it's worth making sure everyone sees it! Awesome new app! 

Have you heard? The new @YouTube Kids app safely opens a world of videos to little ones. Introducing the newest member of our family, the YouTube Kids app--available on Google Play and the App Store. 

Online videos, apps, Google tips and more - In this weeks teacher tech tools!

Web tools and sites:

Find apps for a device or learning activity --  this edtechteacher site can do it for you!

Run Windows software in a browser tab, for free -  Using Cameyo

Explore Planet Nutshell's Teacher Library for Great Educational Videos - http://goo.gl/zGVJeg

Students Can Learn About Careers in Next Vista's Career Videos Collection  http://goo.gl/QjV6Ri

Dictate online with the website https://dictation.io/ works great on Chromebooks too. Or you can add this really nice ChromeApp - VoiceNote II Once you load it, make sure you select your language and location. You must use the on-screen buttons for punctuation. Other than that, the extension works very well for hands-free notes.

Ton's of free resources and lessons for Biology _Thanks to @dylankendall12 for this one! 

Have you seen quiziz? (Mentioned this one in my last posts.)

Here are a couple great training videos:

• Overview (6 Min.)
• Creating a Quiz in Quizizz (3 Min.) 

5 Free Tools for Creating Whiteboard Videos - http://goo.gl/RAc3Wo

eBooks

iStoryBooks Now Offers Premium Books for Free to Teachers - http://goo.gl/qC161l

IOS Apps -

WOW- YouTube Kids by Google – a Must Have Free App for Families -Review Here IOS App Here

Training docs from my recent in-service:

Turn your iPhone, iPad, or Android device into document camera - using these awesome apps!  

Turn your phone into a document scanner with these apps

Note for Norris Staff - Both of the above docs are in our Google Drive folder - Under Norris Tech Docs and STAFF SHARE in the iPad items folder. 

A few Apps for the younger grades:

Picture Math  By Brainingcamp, LLC - Free app

Cursive Writing – abCursive 2 - Free iPhone app

Google Classroom:

Mentioned this one in my last posting/mailing too ... Google Classroom Update: Custom Theme - 1minute video tutorial

Google Chrome:

DF YouTube (Distraction Free) is a Chrome extension for watching YouTube -Nice for teachers http://goo.gl/6dPiVx

Google Apps:

6 new free Google tools to upgrade your classroom - Free templates and images! 

4 Tips For Making Professional Looking Google Docs 

Merge Cells in Google Docs tables

A few nice video's from "Ask the Gooru".

• Gmail Update - A Sneak Peak At Google's New Contact Manager (Will be coming soon!)
• How To Use A Pivot Table in Google Spreadsheets If you have not used Pivot Tables - watch this short 2 minute video!
• ImportHTML and Filter functions in Google Sheets 
• Pull live stock market data directly into a Google Spreadsheet
• Bonus Post - Sharing Maps Is Just As Easy As Sharing Drive Files 

Best Drive Shortcut EVER!! ... a great tip from our very own @MrsCoady 

A quick way to add a file to multiple folders is to use the Shift+Z (not Cntrl+Z, which is undo). This will open a screen saying "Add to" rather than "Move to," so you can keep the file where it is and add it to another folder. I use this all the time and decided to share. 

You can also hold down the Cntrl key when click on a folder while the "Move to" window is open, and this will allow you to add to a folder rather than actually move. 

Free apps, classroom tools, websites and more - This weeks tech list is out! (Act fast on the free app.)

Websites and tools:

WOW - 123D Circuits by AutoDesk is a revolutionary free tool for designing your electronic projects online. great for the science classes and more!  This 8 Minute video demo will show you how. 

7 Innovative Apps (and web sites) for Parent-Teacher Communication - from teach.com

Over 120,000 photos of Omaha history now on Durham Museum's website - Check it out! 

Save Kahoot Quiz Results In Your Google Drive Account: http://goo.gl/kt4fUb

Exciting activity for kids - Gamification and coding at the same time! 

codekingdoms.com - Guide your character through an adventure from planet to planet, learning and using coding skills to navigate the world and complete progressively trickier missions. The site allows player to build their own worlds to play and classmates can even communicate and share their creations.

He's one of the best... and this slide deck has some of the best tech tools!  Best of the Winter 2015 from Richard Byrne.  <--- Check it out!

2015 Educational Technology Apps, Tools, Sites from the Florida FETC conference. Nice list, and some new ones I have not tried! 

17 Websites to Manage Your Classroom - I LOVE THIS LIST - It has some new ones you do not typically find on many lists.  The first one is a hoot! Bouncy Balls  I have often used Doodle to pick meeting dates too.  Something for any K to 12 teacher on this list! 

IOS Apps:

The ComicBook app & the BOOM Sticker Pack are free today! (3-3-15 & 3-4-15)  Nice creativity app for kids. http://goo.gl/nECV22 

Google Apps and tools:

How to Email Reminders from a Google Spreadsheet 

Chalkup- A Wonderful Google Drive Tool for Teachers. Chalkup recently made the move to Google Drive and created a seamless integration of Chalkup with Google Drive. (Not sure, but I think I would still recommend Google Classroom, but this one may have a few added features worth the look.  I have not personally tried this product yet.) 

Creating with Chromebooks - Slides, ThingLink, and Snagit: A great 2 1/2 Minute video you have to watch!

10 Good Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms Add-ons for Teachers via Free Technology for Teachers

Did you know about Google Keep?  Short 1 min. Video will show you how! Great for keeping lists, etc.... (They have apps for this one too.)

Still have files in DropBox?  Dropbox for Gmail extension easily adds Dropbox files to emails. Thanks to @joshmurtaugh for this tip! 

THIS SUPER SIMPLE GOOGLE DOCS TRICK IS LIFE CHANGING - Force make a copy http://goo.gl/Uo1Vvz 

More great tip from the Google Gooru: (I love this resource... check him out!)

Create protected Sheets and cell ranges

When sharing a spreadsheet you often have to worry about which cells will be modified by viewers. If you only want them to be able to edit select cells in the spreadsheet then you should try protecting the sheet or the range of cells you want to remain untouched.

Automatically number pages in Google Docs

This video will walk you through the simple steps to add page numbers to your Google Docs.

Pull live stock market data directly into a Google Spreadsheet

Researching specific stocks and pulling accurate up to date information can be tedious. Google Sheets cuts out a lot of the busy work and allows you to get the data you need in one convenient location

How to create and share a collaborative map

This feature can be used for mapping classroom projects, geography assignments and more. Learn to make your own collaborative maps with this video.

Google Classroom:

Keep your Google Classroom dashboard organized by adding stars to your templates

5 Things You May Not Know About Google Classroom

New Features in Google Classroom!
New for Googel Classroom! - Add your own themes and app imrovements.

Google Drawing:
It's finally done! Google Drawings CHEAT SHEET for Teachers and Students. Note: At Norris, I have added this to our Google Drive Tech folder.
10 Fantastic Ways for Teachers and Students to Use Google Drawings in the Classroom!

Google Slides & Tools:
Presentation tools for use with Google Slides: Present.me - Great for adding audio or video to a Google Presentation. (Works with other presentation tools too.) Sign up for a free account here  - http://goo.gl/7Ofcms <---  
24 Google Slides Templates You Can Use On Your iPad - Or with any presentation!

Chrome apps:
Some favorite ChromeApps for Chromebook and MacBook Classroom

Great classroom review tools:

(I sent out a separate email on these two tools already, but wanted to add them to this email and blog posting as well.)

I have mentioned Kahoot in the past... it's a great tool for the entire classroom for reviewing classroom materials. If you want to add some excitement to your classroom - this is a great tool.

This is a new one - quizizz.com and is definitely worth a look!  It adds some different twists and tools to the gaming and review aspect.

Both of these tools are in class kinds of tools, where Socrative and other tools can be used out of class.

Web tools, tech tips, and some free apps you may want to grab while you can!

Just saw this on Twitter from a University of Nebraska - Tech Edge UNL @UNLTechEdge Twitter feed:

Tech will not replace teachers, but teachers who know how to use tech will replace those who don't

Don't be a paranoid Rob Lowe when it comes to tech! 

Web sites and tech tools: 

Tony VIncent's - Learning in Hand Show #30 is about making infopics. An infopic is a photo with text layered on top that is designed to communicate a message. Watch the video to see examples and to learn about tools and techniques for making your own. Tony's site has a wealth of information and short video tutorials that are worth checking out! 

From our very own @CAHutzler

Test scores should never be a surprise." @coolcatteacher shares Formative Assessment tools - http://goo.gl/QS3By2  This is a great list! 

Beyond the Chalkboard: 5 Apps That Will Change the Way Your Students Learn

12 Good Tools for Gathering Real-time Feedback from Students

Twitter - are you still on the fence?

Sorry... but if you want to keep up in education... I really think this is one of the best tools period. If you follow someone and they are tweeting all day about the hamburger they just ate at McDonalds.... you are following the wrong person! It's all about who you follow and the hashtags you follow. Check out my other blog posts that include some great Twitter resources.

Here are a few Hashtags to get you started. (You do not even need a Twitter account to look at a hashtag stream.) 

#Kinderchat  There are also one for each grade #1stchat  #2ndchat  #3rdchat  #4thchat  #5thchat  #6thchat

How about Social Studies - #sschat 

iPads - #ipaded

Norris Titans --- YES!  #norristitans

The list goes on..... just Google educational Twitter Hashtags.  (Note: Some are more active than others.)

As with everything... we must realize the professions we are in.... Rules for Tweeting Teachers - Thanks to @ryruhl for bringing this one to our attention.

Google Apps - Tips and Tricks.

Did you know that you can store a file in multiple folders in Google Drive?  New Google Drive: Saving a Document in Multiple Folders  (I had to recently do this, so I figured a post would be appropriate.) 

How to Create Custom Google Slides Backgrounds

Have students Create Collaborative Google Maps! Short 2 minute how-to video. Plot out a trip, points of interest, War plans, Historical sites.... you are only limited by your imagination! 

Need to do a mail merge in Google Docs to create letters or labels?  My tutorial doc should help!

7 Really Simple Tips To Manage Your Files And Folders On Google Drive http://goo.gl/ezcAIz  

Five lesser-known Google Apps to make your digital life easier - I have not used Trends in a long time! 

What's New in Google Apps Newsletter - January 2015 (See all of the changes and updates for January 2015) 

10 Google Slides activities to add awesome to classes

Apps for the Classroom:

Three Fun and Free iPad Apps for Learning to Spell New Words - http://goo.gl/899lCc

Hide movie previews & cut the clutter on your Apple TV - Some Apple TV tips for the classroom.  (Note for Norris teachers - Do not change your Apple TV name, since we have already named those according to your rooms and inventory.)

Home Streamer IOS app FREE today! Turn your device into a document camera for the classroom with this app. http://goo.gl/uAD8ot   <---- Grab it while it's still free!  (Updated - 2-9-15 - This app is no longer free.) There are several other IOS and Android apps for turning your device into a great doc camera for your classroom. This doc will help. 

Some amazing creativity apps for your students - Grab these while you can!

Toontastic for iPad is free today- normally $9.99 

Telestory is free today - normally $4.99 Write, direct, and star in your own TV show with TeleStory!

Check out their website for download links and intro videos. <---- Grab them while they are still free!