Find all settings in Google Chrome a bit quicker

If you are like me an sometimes get frustrated by having to hit the Advanced when you go into settings in Chrome - try this.

Select the three dots (upper right)
Select settings
Look over to the left and look for the hamburger and select settings
All settings are there for you

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 32 second YouTube tutorial.

Brad

See realtime emoji use on Twitter

Emojitracker updates emoji usage on Twitter in realtime. As a class you could make predictions as to when Face with tears of joy (#1 by the way) will hit 2 billion uses.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 32 second YouTube tutorial.

If you do not want to see them update, simply select "No Thanks" when prompted and a screen shot will appear for you to see.

Brad

How to add shadow and reflection in Google Slides

This new feature in Google Slides adds a nice touch to your pictures in Google Slides. Here are the steps to add a shadow or reflection.

1. Add an image (I used the Explore Button)
2. Make sure you have the image selected in the slide
3. Select More - then format options
4. You will then see the options for drop shadow and reflection
5. Adjust the features as you see fit.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 33 second YouTube tutorial.

Brad

How to add clip art and line drawings directly into Google Docs

If you would like to add clip art or line drawings directly into your Google Doc - try these simple steps.

1. Insert - Drawing
2. Select Image
3. Select search (type in your topic)
4. Select any type (Face, Photo, Clip Art, Line Drawing)
5. Select image
6. Select Save and Close

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 6 second YouTube tutorial.

Brad

Create a crossword puzzle quickly and easily with Crosswordlabs.com

If you would like to quickly and easily create a crossword puzzle - try Crosswordlabs.com.

Once you create your crossword you have the option to regenerate how it looks, download as a PDF, in Word, or share through Social Media. You can also edit if you made a mistake.

You can create a passcode to protect your answer key as well.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 15 second YouTube tutorial.

Brad

Want an emoji search engine? You can browse every one by name, category, or platform.

Emojipedia is an emoji search engine with options to browse every emoji by name, category, or platform.

You can also see the most popular emojis used currently and then browse on a particular site (Twitter, Instagram, Wikipedia, Yelp, YouTube, Google Trends). As of the time of this post (11/25/17) turkeys are very popular. You can also stay up on the latest emoji news.

🦃 on Instagram

🦃 on Twitter

🦃 on Wikipedia

🦃 on Yelp

🦃 on YouTube

🦃 on Google Trends

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 44 second YouTube tutorial.

Brad

Amazingly quick and simple way to share a URL

If you would like to quickly and easily share a URL with a group of people, try Shoutkey.com.

Here is how it works:

1. Copy the URL you would like to share.
2. Paste the URL in the area on Shoutkey.com 
3. Make sure you select the amount of time you would like the URL to stay active (5 minutes to 24 hours).
1. The URL will deactivate 
4. A unique term will be created and users just need to type in that unique word after shoutkey.com

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 44 second YouTube tutorial.

Brad

Interview an elder today with the Story Corps app

Thanksgiving gives many of us a chance to get together with loved ones. What the StoryCorps app does gives people the chance to record interviews of people to record their bits of advice, wisdom, funny memories, etc.

Last year I posted about Story Corps (click here for the post). Embedded below is a 1 minute and 17 second YouTube tutorial followed by the email I received.

Below is an email I received from Story Corps the other day.

Dear friend,
At a moment when the world feels confusing and unstable to so many of us, we ask you to join us later this month to remember who we really are and where we come from. 

As all of our programs do, The Great Thanksgiving Listen provides us with an opportunity to foster meaningful connections with our elders and loved ones, and the potential to strengthen our national fabric at a time when we desperately need it. 

This Thanksgiving, download the free StoryCorps App and honor someone important in your life by interviewing them for #TheGreatListen 2017. Together, have a meaningful conversation about what matters to you and spend a few minutes connecting one-on-one during this busy time.

Ask Great Questions, like…

   •  Can you tell me one of your happiest memories?
   •  What are your hopes for my future?
   •  How would you like to be remembered?

Find a quiet place, follow the prompts in the app to begin recording, and let the conversation flow! Remember to sit together and make eye contact.

Together, we can build a culture of listening that echoes across the nation.

Sincerely,

Dave Isay

Founder and President, StoryCorps

Take care and Happy Thanksgiving!
Brad

Guided Access - lock user to specific app on an iPad / iPhone

A nice feature that a colleague of mine mentioned to me the other day was the ability to lock a user to a specific app. Wow! Pretty awesome right? Especially for those who work with children who tend to open "something else" when they should be working on a specific app, or, and this is a BIG ONE, for those with young children at home.

Here are the steps to access Guided Access on your iPhone and iPad

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on General.
3. Tap on Accessibility.
4. Tap on Guided Access under the Learning section.
5. Tap the switch to turn on Guided Access.
6. Tap on Passcode Settings.
7. Tap Set Guided Access Passcode and set a passcode.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 2 minute and 51 second YouTube tutorial.

** Please note the tutorial was created using the record feature on my iPad. Around the :50 second mark (when I launched Expeditions) the audio goes out.

Brad

Create fun GIFs from your Bitmojis

Bitmoji's are a fun way to add a personal touch.

Yesterday, I shared how to create your own GIFs with photos from your device. Today I thought it would be fun to do the same with Bitmoji.

1. I would recommend you add the Bitmoji extension (I created a blog post in July of 2016 about this extension).
2. Once you add the extension, download a few of your favorite Bitmojis to the place you desire (I chose my desktop). 
3. Then, add them to Google Photos (remember you have unlimited storage for your photos and videos).
4. Select animation and choose the Bitmojis to add to the animation.
5. View the animation and download the animation to your computer, Google Drive, etc.
6. You can then place the GIF file (animation) in Google Classroom, send in an email, etc

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 33 second YouTube tutorial I created.

Brad

Want to create your own GIF's with photos from your device?

If you would like to create your own GIF from some of your own photos - I am sharing what I just did in a couple of minutes (animation below).

1. I asked my two children (Jack and Sydney) to jump up and down.
2. While they did I held down the "button" to take photos on my iPhone (this created a burst of images).
3. I then uploaded the images to Google Photos (remember unlimited storage space for photos and videos - click here for a post I created in May of 2016).
4. I then selected photos (bottom of Google Photos on my phone) and selected the first picture in the burst. You can tell it is a burst of images by looking in upper-right of photo.
5. Once selected - I selected the middle button (on bottom) which asked me to:
1. Keep only this photo
2. Create animation
6. I selected create animation and voila - I now have my animation (GIF) that I can share with others.
1. To share select the share button (bottom left square and up arrow) and then share as you like. I chose save video (bottom right).

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 26 second YouTube tutorial I created (apologies as I created this tutorial on my phone as my MAC is in the shop getting fixed).

Brad

Try Flippity.net's Memory Game

Flippity.net has a great selection of templates for turning a Google Spreadsheet into fun activities (flashcards, quiz show, crossword puzzle, etc.)

The sites newest template is Memory Game. You will be forced to create a copy of the template and then you can adjust as you see fit.

The example (GIF and 50 second YouTube tutorial) I have below is a game dealing with team names from Major League Baseball in 1910.

For a full list of YouTube tutorials (12) I have created about Flippity please click here (or 4th link under Time To Talk Tech).

Take care,

Brad

Reading an article on the web and curious what the font style is written in?

If you would like to know the font style of an article o the web try adding the extension WhatFont.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 28 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Play Mystery Animal (Google Voice Experiment)

If you like playing 20 questions, give Google's voice experiment, Mystery Animal a try.

Once you select the microphone - the experiment will begin and you can ask your questions to narrow down to the specific animal. Questions such as, "Are you a mammal?" "Do you have fun?" "Are you a carnivore?" are good ones early on.

You will notice that the site will respond, sometimes with a little "Heck nah", and pronounce live with a long i.

All in all - a fun site for students to try. My 5 year old and 8 year old were able to narrow it down to eagle within 14 questions. They were pretty excited!

One last thing to point out - when trying on my Dell laptop in Google Chrome - the experiment would not load properly; however, when used on my Chromebook it worked perfectly.

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 33 second YouTube video showing what the site looks and sounds like.

Take care,
Brad

"Do you want to build a snowman?" with Google Slides.

Eric Curts created a great resource for students to build their own unique snoman/snowwoman and write about it.

I worked with students today and they were so engaged in building their snowman as well as their description of their creation.

You will need to use the link below The reason you will need to share this exact link is that it will create a copy of the project that Eric created for them in their Google Drive.

Click here for the link from Eric Curts

If Eric's link does not work - try this link. 
Please make sure to make the copy and then share in Google Classroom (force a copy to each student).

---

Embedded below is a GIF showing the basics of the site as well as a 4 minute and 50 second YouTube tutorial I created. I also included Eric's 10 minute and 51 second detailed video as well.

Take care,
Brad

Disguise a turkey with Google Slides

On Eric Curts' site he has a great resource (created by Kelly Costa) for students to build their own unique turkey and write about it. In the post there is a  story Turkey Trouble to give you some ideas on how to disguise the turkey and keep him safe. (video embedded below as well).

Click here for the template.

---

IF POSTING IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM 

PLEASE CREATE AN ASSIGNMENT AND FORCE  EACH STUDENT TO HAVE A COPY

---

Once they use the template, it is time for them to disguise their turkey.

Embedded below is a GIF showing the basics of the site as well, a 3 minute and 16 second YouTube tutorial I created, as well as the 4 minute and 17 second story on YouTube.

** Please note the video states that you can grab the URL link and post in Classroom. Please use the link I included above for posting in Classroom (is a template). **

Take care,

Brad

"Do you want to build a Turkey?" with Google Slides

On Eric Curts' site he has a great resource (created by Beth Kingsley) for students to build their own unique turkey and write about it.

Click here for the template.

---

IF POSTING IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM 

PLEASE CREATE AN ASSIGNMENT AND FORCE  EACH STUDENT TO HAVE A COPY

---

Embedded below is a GIF showing the basics of the site as well as a 3 minute and 55 second YouTube tutorial I created.

One item to point out, if you copy (ctrl c) and paste (ctrl v) the feathers - make sure to right click and select order (send to back) so the feathers are in the back.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brad

Post important class materials in your About section in Google Classroom

Richard Byrne the other day posted a reminder about posting important documents in the About section in your Google Classroom.

Ideas include classroom rules, your website, YouTube videos, files from your computer as well as Drive.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 58 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

You can add a poll in Facebook

If you would like to add a poll in your Facebook post(s) - it is very simple.
When you select the area for typing in your post - look under photo/video and you will see poll. From there you can add your poll question as well as two possible answers (with a photo or GIF).

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 7 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Where is your Google Classroom folder in Google Drive?

If you would like to find your Google Classroom folder in Google Drive...

1. Select the Chromebook folder in Drive
2. Within that folder exists your Classroom folder
3. Select the classroom folder and all your Classroom folders will be there for you

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 21 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Google Classroom - how to adjust notifications you receive

In Google Classroom it is very simple to adjust the type of notifications you receive (or remove all notifications you receive through email).

On the Classroom Main Screen select the three lines (upper left) and then the settings gear. You can then adjust as you see fit.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 37 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Google Sites - check sharing settings of your files

If you have created a website with Google Sites - one piece of advice:

1.  Take your published site and paste the URL in a search engine in which you are not logged on to Google and make sure all pages load for you. If this is the case - you are good to share with whomever you need to.
2. If the files you are sharing on your site don't load - make sure to go back and check the sharing settings of your files.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 3 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

On a Windows device and screen upside down?

If you are on a Windows device and find that your screen is upside down or turned sideways try this:

Ctrl Alt Up arrow (if upside down)
Ctrl Alt Left arrow or right arrow (to fix sideways issues)

Embedded below is a 32 second YouTube tutorial. Thank you to my 8 year old daughter Sydney for filming!

Take care!
Brad

How to find details about a folder or file in Google Drive

If you are curious when a file or folder was created, type of file, was it modified, etc - try selecting the file and then the view details button (i).

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 31 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

How to embed your Twitter feed directly into New Google Sites!

One of the frustrations with the new Google Sites is that when you try to embed your Twitter feed - it comes up as a link. Thankfully Martin Hawksey created the script for embedding your Twitter feed.

You will need to have the following:
Martin's post
Google script
Your Twitter account
Your new Google Site

I have created a YouTube video tutorial on how to use Martin's script below. I hope it helps.

Take care,
Brad

Helpful Google Sites comparison website (classic vs. new)

While the new Google Sites is very user friendly, there are indeed some limitations. One of them is that a Twitter feed or Blog will not be embedded like it did using the widget in the old Google sites.

A nice comparison website is available by clicking here.

You can access an update on the classic Google Sites deprecation timeline by clicking here (May 2017).

Take care,

Brad

Try Google Gravity to get your audience's attention

Yesterday I was teaching a 3rd grade class all about Google Drive and at the end of the lesson I wanted to get their attention without talking. All I did was project  Google Gravity on the SmartBoard. It took about 20 seconds and they all had huge eyes and wanted to know how to do it to show their friends and family.

All you need to do it type in Google Gravity in a search bar and it will  come up. Google Gravity works as a regular Google page (it is a Google Experiment).

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 23 second YouTube tutorial.

Pretty fun!
Brad

Start a fun Friday meeting or class with Google Space

If you want to have a fun little start to a class or meeting - try Google Space. You can search in it - and when you need a little ice-breaker it is a fun little tool-  especially in elementary schools!

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 27 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Nice new feature - place a chart from a Form directly into Slides, Docs, and email!

A great new feature in G-Suite is the ability to take a chart created in Google Forms and place it directly into a Slide, Doc, or even email.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 34 second YouTube video.

Enjoy!
Brad

How to loop a video in YouTube

If you are ever in need of looping a video in YouTube all you need to do is right-click on the video and check Loop.

That's all.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 22 second YouTube tutorial of what it looks like.

Take care,
Brad