Thursday, June 30, 2016

Chromebook shortcut of the week - how to change the brightness.

Image Source
That's all you need to do. Just hold down the smaller "sun" to make the Chromebook dimmer and hold down the larger "sun" to make the screen brighter.

Couple that shortcut with a blogpost I had earlier about posting it on a Sticky Note - see below.


If you use post-it notes - this app is a great one for your computer - Sticky Notes.

It will even allow you to store them on your desktop - when Chrome isn't even active.

You can have multiple notes posted all over your desktop (and can change the color).

Image Source
That's it!
Brad

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Google Expeditions for everyone - want to see Mars?

Just received an e-mail from Google stating that the popular "Google Expeditions" was made available for all this past Monday. While the app is available today for Android it will be available for iPhones and iPads soon.

What is a Google Expedition? Basically it is a way for students/users to travel the world in 3-D. The Expeditions Pioneer Program came to the district where I teach this past February and took students to Mount Rushmore, the Savanah, Greece, England, as well as coral reefs and Mars! The students could not stop talking about "cool" it was to actually see what they were learning about.

You can pre-order Expedition Kits through Best Buy in time for back to school.

For a more in-depth look at what a Google Expedition is - click here.

Image Source

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Amazon to have online education service for teachers called Amazon Inspire

Amazon will have tens of thousands of free lesson plans, worksheets, and other instructional material. Check out the article in the New York Times.

Click here for a link to the site with a video.
Image Source


Brad



Google Forms will now grade your multiple choice and T/F quizzes for you

Hello everyone,

Google has added on quiz form to Google Forms. It is outstanding for multiple choice and true/false questions (you still will need to grade open-ended separately - Flubaroo is an option).

I have included a sceenshot and a video below.

Enjoy!







Monday, June 27, 2016

Want to spin a virtual wheel to choose names? Try Random Name Picker

Random Name Picker is a free site that allows the user to place names (or any word) into a list and it will create a virtual wheel to spin. When the wheel has been spun - you can remove the name and that person will not be chosen again.


Image Source


The great part about this site is when you create your list - it will create a unique url to be copied and either embedded into a website, blog, or kept as one of your favorites. It will also work on an iPad - which is always helpful in the summer-time when you are on a trip and decisions about where to go out to eat can be made by the wheel!

Below is a 15 second GIF and then a 1 minute 38 second video tutorial I created.





Enjoy!
Brad





Sunday, June 26, 2016

Desk cords all over the place? Check out this video by Nifty.

Here is a simple and creative way to store your cords on your desk - from Nifty 




Image Source




You will need:


Chipping tube, or paper roll tube: http://www.amazon.com/EcoBox.../dp/B00MEV0CEM/ref=sr_1_2...Masking tapeSpray paint (the color of your desk)Short screws:DrillHand saw, or box cutter: http://www.michaels.com/artminds-miter.../10398593.html...
Cut a shipping tube into the size that will fit under your desk. Cut the tube open lengthwise, and stretch it open so the crack sits open about 2 inches wide. Tape over all the sides to give a clean look. Spray paint it the color of your choice. Once dry, screw the tube into the back underside of the desk, (two screws is fine) so the crack sits open facing towards you. Push a power strip into the tube, and plug it in. Plug in all items on your desk into the power strip, and tuck the extra cord into the tube. The power strip will now be the only cord showing from the desk.Enjoy a clean floor!