Friday, March 31, 2017

Made with Code from Google - focus on teen girls (but not just for them)

Made with Code from Google is an amazing site that is geared to encourage a passion in all people, but especially to teen girls. I have a 7 year old daughter who truly enjoys coding and would love to keep this passion sky high! In fact they even include a 5 page pdf that explains "Why coding is kind of a big deal".

The site contains multiple projects that the students can code with as well as partner projects and other coding events.


Embedded below is a 2 minute and 55 second YouTube video I created showing what the site looks like as well as how to start dancing with Yeti!


Any questions, please let me know!
Brad

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Google Translate Equation in Sheets - quickly see a set of words in multiple languages

If you would like to translate select words in a Google Sheet follow the GIF below, watch the embedded 2 minute and 19 second YouTube tutorial I created, or follow the directions at the bottom. Pretty cool to see the languages translated so quickly. Click here for a link to the website I reference that includes the language codes.




Directions
  1.  Enter in a set of terms in Column A with the language at the top (English)
  2. In column B type in another language (Spanish)
  3. In B3 type in =GOOGLETRANSLATE(A3, "en", "es")
  4. You will then see your terms translated from English to Spanish.
  5. Go to the bottom right-hand corner of the term that has been translated and see when the + sign appears.
  6. Drag the + sign straight down and you will see your set of terms instantly translated.
As always any questions let me know.
Brad

Or in Spanish...



Como siempre cualquier pregunta déjame saber

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Great news - Follow-up post on Google Classroom - create classes with personal account

Follow-up post from March 16th - Google Classroom is now available for personal accounts to join classes
 If you are interested in creating your own classroom in Google Classroom  you will need to click on the + in the upper right corner and select Create Class.


At this time you will then need to submit a request to Google (you will be prompted).

It took less than 24 hours and I received confirmation in an e-mail.


When you go create your first class you will have to check that you read and understand that you will not be using Google Classroom at a school with students.

If you have any questions, please let me know.
Brad


Tuesday, March 28, 2017

NEWSELA - free leveled news on notebooks and tablets - includes quizzes as well (online and available to be printed)

NEWSELA contains "free leveled news, primary sources, and more, with standards-aligned formative assessments." The site is very easy to sign-up for a teacher account (allows for creating through Google) as well as for creating a class for your students (Google Classroom). 

Below is a screenshot of what the main page and article looks like on a desktop



Embedded beneath is a 4 minute and 6 second tutorial showing you what the site looks like as well as how to sign up your class and assign articles for them to read. I also show you how you can print the article and quizzes on paper if you like.





Below you will be able to see Newsela's library that you can search through.



The screenshot below shows you the ability to search the news through different categories.



The final screenshot show you text sets.

In the future, I will be creating many more posts regarding this amazing site. If you have any questions, I will answer them as best I can.

Brad


Monday, March 27, 2017

What? There are ways to add fonts in Google Docs!!

So I am able to add more fonts in my Google Docs? In the immortal words of Phineas from Phineas and Ferb - "Yes, yes I am!"



If you would like to add more choices of fonts in your Google Docs - you are not alone! Here are 2 quick ways to add them. The text below was written in Cedarville Cursive.


The first way that I talk about in my video below is using the Add-on Extensis Fonts.

1. Once you add the Add-on - make sure you then allow permission for it to run.

2. You can then start typing a sentence or so and then highlight the text and select Add ons.

3. Select Extensis Fonts and start.

4. The Add on will run and you will see a number of fonts available for you. Since you have highlighted your text, once you select a font you like you will be able to see what your font looks like right away. This is an awesome feature.

5. You can also search alphabetically, date added, popularity, trending, etc.

The second way to add more fonts is to select fonts in your Doc and then scroll to the bottom and select more fonts. You will then see a number of fonts to look through.

While this is nice - I personally do not like it as much as the Extensis Fonts Add on as you can not see what your writing looks like until you select it. Once selected, you are then taken out of the more fonts.

For a 2 minute and 2 second video tutorial, click on the embedded YouTube video below.



As always any questions please let me know!
Brad

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Use Google to find information about a certain image you have (reverse image search)

If you want to find  information about an image, try using Google Image search (*picture below was from Roy Halladay's perfect game).You can also just type in images.google.com.


You will then see the image that you see below.

1. Select the camera button
2. Then you can Paste Image URL or upload an image.

In the embedded 34 second YouTube tutorial below, I show you how to take the picture you see below and get Google's best guess as to who it is and at what point in time it was taken.


As always if you have any questions please let me know!
Brad





If using a public computer - use Incognito Mode in Google

If you are on a public computer and would like to browse the internet in private without Chrome saving the sites you visit, use Chrome's Incognito mode.


In order to use Incognito Mode follow these steps - or use CTRL SHIFT N

In the upper right click on the 3 vertical dots and then select New Incognito Mode





FYI - While Incognito Mode prevents Chrome from Chrome from saving your site visit activity, it does not stop other sources from seeing your activity. Your internet service provider, employer, as well as the sites you visit will be able to still see.

For a full description on Google's site of what Incognito Mode is click here.

If you have any questions, please let me know.
Brad



Friday, March 24, 2017

Storybuilder - fun way to create and present your own story

Storybuilder is a fun way to create and present your own stories in a Google Docs format.

If you click on this link Louisiana Purchase you will see a "story" I told between Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte dealing with the Louisiana Purchase.

You have the ability to use as many characters as you would like and then have them "talk" back and forth.



Embedded below is a 3 minute and 46 second YouTube tutorial I created on how to use this site and create a story.





As always, any questions please let me know!
Brad

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Google Trends - dive in to what is trending among the billions of searches in Google

If you would like to get a see what is being searched the most in Google - take a look at Google Trends. You will be able to search by what stories are trending now, as well as search by categories (Sports, Business, Sci/Tech, Health), and by country.


Embedded below is a 1 minute and 30 second Youtube video showing you what the site looks like.






Another great feature is Google Trend's Visualization Grid. You can see the most common searches in real time.

Below you will see and embedded GIF of what the grid looks like.


A big shout-out to Eric Curts for sharing this site.

Any questions, please let me know!
Brad

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Close a Tab by mistake? Here's how to get it back

If you have ever closed out of a Tab in Google and want it back, here are two quick ways to do that.

1. CTRL + SHIFT + T
2. Right click in a new tab and then select Reopen Closed Tab

Embedded below is an YouTube video.



As always, any questions please let me know!
Brad



A.I. Experiments with Google - check it out!

AI Experiments  is a"showcase for simple experiments that let anyone play with this technology in hands-on ways, through pictures, drawings, language, music and more."

Embedded below you will see a few GIFs of what some of the experiments look like as well as a 2 minute and 12 second YouTube video showing you how to navigate the site and check out a few of the experiments.

One that I really like is the faces of power one where it will show you the presidents and then present you with some information about the president as well as the election he was involved in.



Another one to see is called TreeD thing which is a simple fractal tree generator.








As always, any questions please let me know!
Brad

Monday, March 20, 2017

Find quotes around a topic using Google - "Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical." Yogi Berra


If you are looking for inspirational quotes, funny quotes, or whatever the case may be, simply go to a Google search and type in what you would like. My example is below regarding baseball - I just typed in baseball quotes. The embedded GIF and 18 second YouTube video are below.






Happy First day of Spring!
Brad


Sunday, March 19, 2017

Want to find animated images (GIFs) and then insert them in a Google Doc?

If you would like to find an animated image (GIF) simply follow these steps.

1. Search for the image you would like in Google (I chose baseball)
2. Select images
3. Select tools
4. Select type
5. Select animated
6. Select one of the images and you will see it become animated



If you would like to insert this image in a Google Doc follow these steps.

1. Right click on the image and select copy image address
2. Open up your Google Doc and select insert image
3. Make sure to select insert By URL
4. Paste URL and you will see the animated image appear
5. Click on select and the animated image will be inserted.

Embedded below you will see a 58 second YouTube video showing you the steps mentioned above.



Enjoy!
Brad


Saturday, March 18, 2017

Want to know nutrition facts prior to ordering?

If you are at a restaurant and want to know the nutritional value of different meals prior to ordering simply type in nutrition and then the name of the restaurant.

The example below is from typing in nutrition facts Red Robin and the one below is that is when I typed in nutrition red robin bacon cheeseburger.

At the bottom is a 45 second embedded YouTube video showing you what it looks like,





Take care,
Brad

Friday, March 17, 2017

Chatterpix - give your photos a voice

Chatterpix by Duck Duck Mouse is a simple to use app that gives an photo you have a voice. All you need to do once your download the app is to choose your picture, draw a line where the mouth is, and then record your voice for 30 seconds. When finished you can save it to your camera roll, e-mail it, or send it to YouTube.

Embedded below is a 31 second YouTube video showing a famous American. Can you guess who it is?



A 1 minute and 25 second YouTube tutorial on how I created the video above is embedded below.


Enjoy!
Brad

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Google Classroom is now available for personal accounts to join classes

Google just announced that Google Classroom is now available for all users with a Google account (click here for the post). While creating a class is still not an option (see picture below), users can join a class. This is great news for after school clubs, weekend classes, workshops, etc. This opens up a great piece of technology to people who want to learn and allows them to stay connected and collaborate.

If you are interested in being able to create a class in classroom, let Google know by clicking here and filling out a Google Form.

Any questions please let me know!
Brad

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Khan Academy - Common Core Math Standards (skills and questions)

Khan Academy is an amazing site and now offers you and your student/child access to common core math standards with standards and skills at your fingertips.

If you click here you will be able to see the Common Core Map with information by grade level/



Embedded below you will see a 45 second YouTube video showing you what the Common Core Map looks like.


As always, any questions please let me know.
Brad

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Black Out Poetry using Google Docs

Yesterday I saw Eric Curts' post on Twitter about Black Out Poetry and wanted to share it with you all.

Below is a Black Out Poetry example I created using Lou Gehrig famous "Luckiest Man" speech.


Below are the steps on how to create some Black Out Poetry as well as an embedded 1 minute and 57 second YouTube tutorial I created.

  1. Create a Google Doc and paste in a favorite poem or piece of literature
  2. Make sure to paste in the text but paste without conditional formatting 
  3. Go to file - page setup and select landscape and choose a page color (preferably grey)
  4. Select the text you find important and then select text - but be sure to choose highlight.
    1. Make sure to highlight in white
  5. Go through and highlight all the text you like
  6. Final step - go back to File - page setup and choose the page color to be black - you have your black out poetry to be shared with others.

As always, any questions please let me know!
Brad

Monday, March 13, 2017

Want a fun ice-breaker presentation? Use pechaflickr

If you are looking for a fun ice-breaker, try the site pechaflickr.net .

Pechaflickr creates presentations for you around the topic of your choosing. You also get to choose how many slides in the presentation as well as how long each slide is presented. Word of warning - there is no way to screen all images, so maybe shy away from using this in an elementary setting. However, imagine asking a possible future employee to present on any topic they desire. Could 100% see how they think on their feet!

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 31 second YouTube video.


Special thanks to Layla Lyons for sharing this site with me!

Any questions, please reach out!
Brad







Sunday, March 12, 2017

Just My Type - assistive technology for typing

If you would like to have access to a free piece of technology that can capture what is typed and then make it available to another user to see how to type correctly and then say it aloud - try Just My Type.

The directions for how to download the software is available by clicking here.

Below you will see a GIF of what the site can do followed by an embedded 1 minute and 58 second YouTube tutorial.





If you have any questions, please reach out!
Brad

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Want to see a text conversation between George Washington & Ben Franklin?

Iphonefaketext allows you to create a fun text message between two people - for example George Washington and Ben Franklin. 

The site is very easy to use, allows editing, as well as adding images.


Embedded below is a 1 minute and 28 second YouTube tutorial where I show you the ins and outs of the site.


As always, any questions please let me know!
Brad

Friday, March 10, 2017

Want to know the weather in a certain city? Type in Google + city

If you need to know the weather in a certain city instantly, simply type in weather and then the city.

The example below is when I typed in weather Chicago (pretty warm for a day in early March in Chicago).


Embedded below is a 23 second YouTube video showing you how it looks.



** Education connection ** 
Students learning about different areas throughout the world can simply and easily find this information. Graphs could be made, trends could be studied, etc.

Any questions please let me know.



Brad



Thursday, March 9, 2017

Happy National Barbie, Crabmeat, False Teeth, Get Over It, Meatball, Name Tag, World Kidney, & Panic Day!

If you are having a tough time keeping up with what special "day" it is, you can now rest easy. All you need to do is access Daysoftheyear.com - you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter as well. As for my family - we will happily be celebrating national meatball day today!

Take a look at the embedded 29 second YouTube video below.



Enjoy your day!!
Brad

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Looking for a new restaurant? Google restaurants in "city"

It seems like everyone has that friend who knows the best restaurants in certain cities, well now it is your turn to be that person . All you need to do is Google restaurants in a certain city.  You can even search by Rating, Cuisine, Price, and Hours.The example below is when I Googled restaurants in Philadelphia.


Embedded below is a 23 second YouTube video showing what it looks like.



Enjoy!
Brad

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Khan Academy - expert content at your fingertips for free!

Khan Academy provides users with amazing content at your fingertips. Whether you have a kindergarten aged child and you want them to learn on their level, a high-schooler who is learning calculus, or you yourself want to learn computer programming, it is all there for you!




I have signed up my 7 and 4 year old to the site and they honestly like going everyday. While you do not need to create a username and password to access the information on the site, you would need it to save your progress. The site is fully COPPA compliant as well.

** If you are a teacher you can create a class and add students through Google Classroom - so easy to set up! **

Embedded below are 2 videos. The first one is how to sign up as a parent and I walk you through the site.

The second one from the teacher point of view.

Parent Point of View

Teacher Point of View

As always, ask away if any questions!
Brad

Monday, March 6, 2017

Scores of games this year and future schedule between two specific teams

If you can not recall (or want to prove to your buddy that you are correct) the scores between teams this year, simply use Google and type in Team vs Team. This will also show you the remaining date(s) of future games.

The example below shows the 76ers vs the Knicks this year followed by a 21 second embedded YouTube video.




Take care!
Brad



Sunday, March 5, 2017

Sending info home but want the info sent in another language? Use a Google Doc to translate it for you.

The other day a teacher asked me if there was a simple way to print out a document in another language for the family of one of her students. She was so excited at how easy it was to create in a Google Doc.

Embedded below is a 41 second YouTube video on how this can be done followed by step-by-step directions.


Select - Tools

Select - Translate Document

Since this document will be created as a new document - you will be prompted to name the new document and select the language to translate it to.

There you have it!

The reverse is true as well. If you receive an e-mail or a document  - simply copy the text in a Google Doc and then translate it to English.

Any questions, please let me know!
Brad

Saturday, March 4, 2017

What does the lion say? Use Google to find out!

If you have a little one at school or at home and they want to know what a certain animal sounds like (example lion) - use Google and type in, "What does the lion say?"

All you need to do is click on the sound icon. A number of other animal sounds will come up as well - just know that is not all that is available. As with anything, not all animal sounds are available, but there are quite a few!

Embedded below is a 37 second YouTube video embedded below.


As always, any questions let me know!
Brad

Friday, March 3, 2017

Need a level? Use your iPhone

If you are ever in need of a level, don't forget that your iPhone has one built in.

To access the level open up your compass app on your phone and swipe to the left and there you have it.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 22 second YouTube tutorial.





As always, any questions please let me know!
Brad

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Want to listen to music or podcast before going to sleep? Set a timer so it will turn off.

If you like listening to music or a podcast on your phone, but don't like that it is still playing throughout the night, try these simple steps to have it turn off.

1. Play your music or podcast.
2. Open up your clock app
3. Set your time
4. Click on when timer ends - scroll  down to Stop Playing (bottom)
5. Select start and you are good to go.

Embedded below is a 45 second YouTube tutorial.


As always, any questions please let me know!
Brad



Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Want your iPhone or iPad to read a page or selection of text to you?

If you, or someone you know would benefit from having selected text, or even a whole web page read to them - follow these steps.
  1. Select settings
  2. Select General
  3. Accessibility
  4. Speech
  5. Turn on Speak Selection and Speak Screen
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 47 second YouTube tutorial I created.




Embedded below is a 27 second YouTube tutorial on how you can just select a bit of text and have it read to you.



Any questions, please let me know!
Brad