Two on Tuesday... Google Classroom Calendar and Bouncing (plus a bonus)

1. Google Classroom has just added a great calendar feature!  Not only can students stay more organized within Google Classroom but the calendars generated by assignments can be accessed in a calendar outside of Classroom, which means that calendar can be seen by parents and other interested parties not enrolled in your class if you share it (or embed it on your website). Check out these links for details and more information: https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6272985, http://bhshelpdesk.com/2015/09/24/now-you-can-share-embed-your-google-classroom-calendars-with-parents/

2. Here is just a simple, silly one that can be used in a classroom or just for a fun teacher break.   This site uses the microphone on your computer to analyze the noise level in your classroom... the louder the room is, the more active the objects on the screen can be. Whether this would help with volume control or would be more of a distraction... well, you know your students best! https://bouncyballs.org/

Bonus! I have mentioned this before but I came across it again today and I think it is worth a reshare.  http://rewordify.com/.  This site can help your students understand difficult text by providing definitions and by rewording pasted in text and websites. It is free and does not require anything to be installed on your computer. 

Have a super evening! Let your ITRT know if you have any questions.

Two on Tuesday: Summer Summary & Labels

1. Even though I have use Google Docs and Sheets for 90% of the documents and spreadsheets I use at work and outside of work, there are still a few things that I have not strayed from doing in Microsoft Office. One of those is mailing labels. Next time I need to create them, I am going to step out of my comfort zone and try them in Google.  Here is a video showing how to get started: https://www.thegooru.com/create-printable-shipping-labels-using-google-sheets/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonuq3AZKXonjHpfsX56OQuUaaxlMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4CTMRqI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFTbHMMat6w7gKWxc%3D.  I encourage you to try something, labels or otherwise, you have been doing in Office in Google Apps and let your school's ITRT know how it goes!

2. There were many great websites, Google Apps and Google Add-ons mentioned in our Summer 2015 PD sessions. Some were mentioned in all while others were brought up by attendees of specific sessions. Here is a short list of some of those mentioned in case you want to add them to your workflow.

• Google Docs Add-on:  Openclipart (to add clipart easily to your Google doc without searching the web)
• Google Docs Add-on:  Easybib (A huge time saver to add a works cited page to your Google Doc: read about it here, video here)
• Google App: Google Keep (Make and share to-do lists and notes: read about it here)
  
• Google Docs Add-on: Hello Fax (create a Fax in Docs and send it via computer: read about it here)
  
• Website: Screencastomatic (http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/) ~ capture the action on your screen.
  

Contact your school's ITRT with questions, comments, or concerns!

Neat and Tidy Google Drive

Now that we have EVERYTHING in our Google Drive it can seem quite messy. How you organize your files is kind of a personal preference, but I have a few tips and suggestions that may be helpful. 

1. Make a plan for your folders.  Make a "miscellaneous" or "extra" folder to house all of those things that do not belong.

2. Plan to only have one level of sub-folders.  If you put a folder inside a folder, inside a folder, inside a folder,.......that can get ugly quick!

3. Remember that you can search Google Drive.  That is one of the best features in Drive.

4. When you create a new doc or file stick to a consistent naming convention.  I recommend starting with the date since Google does not let you sort by "date created."  For example 9.18.15 Math Quiz Fractions.

5. Here is my example folder structure:

Elementary:

Math - lessons, quizzes, tests, study guides, class work etc.
Reading 
Science
History
School Info
Extra

Secondary:

School Year  - Block 1, Block 2, etc
Subject
School Info
Extra

As always contact your ITRT if you have questions!

PD Offering from Simplek12: Using Google is Easier Than Ever!

Perhaps Saturdays aren't the best time for your PD opportunities or then again, maybe you enjoy learning from the comfort of a cozy chair. I received an email earlier today about a Google Basics webinar series from Simplek12 and thought some of you may be interested in seeing what it has to offer. It is a free opportunity and even though you register for the whole event, you will receive individual join codes via email for each session so you certainly do not have to attend all day. Pick what is valuable to you! The information from the email is in red.

Whether you're unfamiliar with Google tools, or are looking to refresh your memory...

SimpleK12's event on Google Basics is for you!

This is a great event for teachers just getting started with Google in the classroom, or for teachers looking to replenish their Google knowledge...

Join us Saturday, September 26th as our presenters share their best insider tips on getting started with Google Tools!

Click Here to Register.

Some things we'll be reviewing include:

*Google Apps for beginners

*How to use Google for presentations

*Tips for smarter searching

*Ways to use Google to save time

*How to create Chrome Apps with your students

*Ideas for improving communication and staying organized

*And more!

Please let your school's ITRT know if you end up "attending" one of the sessions. We would love to hear your thoughts. I plan on attending at least Session 5, even though it is right smack in the middle of my child's softball game. Thank goodness for mobile technology though I am going to dig deeper and see if it is possible to listen to recorded copies of the sessions at a later date.


Enjoy!

Two on Tuesdays: An Upgrade & Finding Needles in Haystacks (or words in a document)

1. Just last week I sent out a tip suggesting giving the Google Doc Add-on "Speech Recognition" a try.  Well, I have an upgrade to offer already!  If you are in a Google Doc, now you only have to click on the word "Tools" at the top to get a built in voice to text option called  "Voice Typing." This tool is awesome! It understands certain commands such as "period" and "new line." I first read about this tool on a blog by an ELL instructor who thought it may be helpful for students learning English to practice their pronounciations of words. I can see it helping personal productivity in situations where it is easier to speak than type... for example if I need to get information from one source to another I can just read it and not have to read, turn head, type, read, turn head, type, etc.  Here are some details:    https://support.google.com/docs/answer/4492226. 

2. Here is a quick and easy tip that you may already know but I want to share just in case you don't know it because I use it weekly. If you need to look for a specific term in a web browser, Office document, spreadsheet, etc.,  hold down Ctrl and f at the same time and a pop up box will appear in the top right corner of the space you are working in. Type in the term you are looking for and it will show you how many times that term appears in what you have open and then help you get to each one by using the up and down arrow.

Please see your school's ITRT if you need any assistance or if you have a topic you would like to see covered on our blog.

Two on Tuesday (plus one): Speech Recognition Add-on & Google Templates

Enjoy!

1. The Google Docs Add-on "Speech Recognition" allows a Google Docs user to speak into the computer's microphone (built in one is fine on our teacher laptops) and have those words turned into the text of the Google Doc. This may be best suited for notes OR for having your students work on their punctuation/grammar skills as the resulting text has words but not proper formatting. As a reminder, installing an Add-ons is a one-time-only event... within any Doc click on Add-ons and Get add-ons. After the first install that add-on is available in every Google Doc in that Google account.

2. Check out the templates in the Google Drive Template Gallery (https://drive.google.com/templates) next time you are starting a document from scratch. Using these templates may help save you time or inspire you to choose to try Google over your Microsoft Office standby. Here is one I challenge those that still make calendars in Publisher to try: https://drive.google.com/previewtemplate?id=0Au4TNSVpW0jndFNBLWNhaHBpMm9ybXZFQ256RUt6b1E&mode=public.

Bonus Tip ~ For Google Classroom (https://classroom.google.com/) users...

"Share to Classroom" is a Chrome browser extension that some of you may find useful if you are using Google Classroom. You do not need to have everyone in your Google Classroom feed at the moment; the students just need to be enrolled in one of your Google classroom classes, have the Chrome browser open, and be logged into that browser (automatic on Chromebooks, requires logging into settings on non-Chromebooks).  All students in the building have this extension up and running in the browser (extensions can be pushed out to all students if you ever find one that would be great for our students); the adults in the building will have to go through the one time installation from the Chrome Web Store.

So once installed, here is how it works... I find a website I want my students to see. I pull it up in my Chrome browser and click on the "Share to Classroom" icon in the top right corner of my screen. I will be asked which class I want to share it with. As soon as I pick one, all the students in that Google Classroom who have the Chrome browser open will have their browser automatically go to that website. Students can share sites to teachers as well, however, when students share, the teacher gets notified but the website does not pop up automatically ~ no need to panic that the projected website will not be an ideal one.

Contact your ITRT with questions! Have a great day!

Two on Tuesdays: Document Camera Tip & a great Chrome Extension

Good afternoon!  Here are your two technology tips/tools for the week!  Enjoy!

1. Are you using one of our new document cameras... the iZiggi?  Or are you someone who wanted the red one back because you didn't love the new one?  This feature may help those who were frustrated with being strapped to the camera when on your computer. I tried to make a video showing the following tips but the school division simply can't afford the amount of Dramamine that would have been needed due to my poor videoing skills. So, here is what I was trying to show, but in word form:

Setting: My computer is connected wirelessly to my projector (though this should work equally well if you are wired) and my document camera is plugged into my computer.

Conflict:  I want to roam the room with my computer but if I unplug the document camera, my students cannot study page 286 of the dictionary that I have projecting on the board.

Solution:  Take my valuable projector remote and hit the "Freeze" button (green arrow). This captures the page of the dictionary into the projector's memory (or something like that) and I can then unplug my computer and move freely.

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More Remote Goodness:  Hang onto that thing!  It will help down the road adjust the volume of the audio once your speakers are installed (at same height at projector. Also, the AV-Mute button (yellow arrow) is a good way to give your projector a rest during short periods when you won't be using your projector. Of course, please turn off your projector at the end of the day.

2. I love the "Tab Resize" extension in Chrome. It allows you to look at two or more tabs of information within the same screen without tedious resizing. The video here will show you how to find the extension, its options, and how I use it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRB8as2eqjU

Just a word of warning for those of you that want to  create your own split screen option... setting the screen to 9x9 gives you 81 tiles of a site in Chrome (and not the-more-standard-class-size-of-18 I intended... distracted brain moment) this and yes, I had to close each of those screens after I did it.

This is what 20 looks like if you were wanting, for example, to have access to all students in your class in their Google Doc project; this would be a way for you to pick on one at a time to review or showcase.

Contact your school's ITRT if we can help!  Have a great day!