Play Battleship online

Last week I created a blog post revolving around Eric Curts' "Battlesheets". It is awesome how kids can learn to use spreadsheets in a fun and unique way.

I had a few teachers this week let me know that for some students it was a bit advanced, while others cheated.

So, I found this website which is perfect for Battleship - http://en.battleship-game.org/

In the game you will notice that you can play a random opponent, or choose a friend. In the example below I show how to play with a friend.

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 51 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Families - 35,000+ books available for 3 months for $3 (EPIC!)

Epic is offering the amazing deal for families! The deal is $3 for 3 months to have access to over 35,000 books.

Offer ends June 11, 2019.

See the offer by clicking here or by by accessing or by entering into GetEpic.com/Summer2019 

Take care,
Brad

How to close all other tabs in Google Chrome quickly

Ever have a whole bunch of tabs open in Google Chrome and want them all to close, just not the one you are working on?

Try right clicking on the tab and you will see options (see embedded pic below). I chose to close other tabs; however, you can close just the tabs to the right.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by an 18 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Grammar suggestions in Docs coming soon to G-Suite users

Google announced today that there will be grammar suggestions in Docs. Users will see inline grammar suggestions in their doc as they type (just like spellcheck). If a mistake in grammar is made, a blue squiggly line will appear under the phrase. You can choose to accept the suggestion by right-clicking on it.

Below is an example Google created to show how the above will look.

Have a good day!

Brad

The meaning of Memorial Day (video) plus Facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington plus see ritual in Virtual Reality

Happy Memorial Day to all today. While the day is one to be with family and begins the unofficial start to summer, it is important to remember why we celebrate this day.

The embedded 2 minute and 19 second YouTube video below explains the meaning of Memorial Day.

Click here for facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington (CNN).

Below is an embedded YouTube Virtual Reality tour of the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington, Virginia.

Enjoy the day and thank you to all veterans and their families.

Brad

Where in Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? The Tutankhamun’s Mask Caper

Google Earth has launched the 2nd of three games revolving around Carmen Sandiego. This game is entitled, "The Tutankhamun’s Mask Caper" and is available by selecting on this link or by selecting Voyager in Google Earth, games, and then choosing the game.

In this game, VILE has stolen one of the world’s great treasures (King Tut's Mask). Your job is to help Carmen Sandiego track the thief around the globe and  recover the loot.

Just like in the 1st game in this series, users are to select the magnifying glass to go to different landmarks in the city and interview witnesses. These witnesses give clues as to where the thief is. Once the user believes they know where the thief is, they can select the airplane and choose the next city.

To see my previous post about the first Carmen Sandiego game - please click here.

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 10 second YouTube tutorial as well as a few images from the game.

As always any questions please let me know!

Take care,

Brad

Ask Siri to find photos

If you would like to find photos quickly you can ask Siri to search by activity, date, location, scene, etc.

In the following GIF I just asked Siri to "Show pictures of baseball."

Take care,
Brad

Insert instructional content into any web page using Insert Learning's Chrome Extension. Assign directly to Google Classroom

If you would like to insert instructional content into any web page and assign to a class, add Insert Learning's chrome extension (free).

Once you do so, make sure to create a class (can use Google Classroom). Then, go into the web page, select the extension and then add a question, embed a YouTube video, etc. and assign to your class. Once assigned you can go into the Dashboard and see your lesson(s) and see what lesson has been assigned (and edit/delete if needed).

You as the teacher can also hide comments on the site by selecting the circle with a line through it under the time of the comment see below).

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 38 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Play Battleship using Google Sheets!

Eric Curts created a blog post back in 2016 about how to play a variation of Battleship using Google Sheets.

It is a great way for students to be able to see the power of Google Sheets all while having fun.

Players will need to make a copy of the sheet, rename it, and then share it with another player (who also has editing rights).

Players then need to select the tab at the bottom of the sheet and be either Player 1 or Player 2. They will then need to place their "ships" using the following:

A	A	A	A	A
Aircraft Carrier
B	B	B	B
Battleship
C	C	C
Cruiser
D	D	D
Destroyer
F	F
Frigate

Once placed, players will then be able to play the game. If students want to chat, they can since they are on the same sheet by selecting the name in the upper right (to the left of Share button).

Then, players can use what you see below to play the game.

	X	=	Bomb
		=	No try
		=	Miss
		=	Hit
	Current Turn:
	PLAYER 1

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 2 minute and 32 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

How to extend and duplicate your computer screen using Fn F8

If you own a Dell (or comparable)  Notebook and a projector a great feature is the ability to extend, duplicate, second screen only, or just monitor.

To see these options:

• Holf Fn (three to the left of your space bar (on a Dell)
• F8
• You will then see the options for extending, duplicating, etc.
• When selecting extend
• Make sure to left click and hold down on the tab you want to drag over
• You can then drag off the screen to the other display

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 18 second YouTube tutorial.

If any questions please reach out!
Brad

Free Summer Reading Packets from ReadWorks (by grade and includes an answer key)

ReadWorks offers free summer reading packets. The packets are available by grade level (1-8 and then high-school).

The packets offer fiction and nonfiction articles that you can print out (along with an answer key).

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 46 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Newsela has created Social-Emotional Learning Templates using Pear Deck

 Newsela has created Social-Emotional Learning Templates using Pear Deck. The presentation is to be added directly to your Google Drive and then adjusted as you see fit. Questions can be altered or deleted, whatever works for you.

If you have not used Pear Deck, you will need to add the Add-on (click here for information) and then share the link and join code with your class. Once students have joined, the presentation can be started and students will be asked to respond to certain questions throughout.

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 12 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Search a term on a web page using your iOS device

If you are on a website and searching for a term/phrase search for the icon with a square and up arrow (upper right of  iPad and on your iPhone middle/bottom of screen). Once selected scroll among the bottom options until your find search and then search for your term/phrase.

Embedded below is a 30 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Find photos from a friend quickly on your iPhone

How many times have you wanted to find a photo/video that you know a friend shared with you, but you can't find it quickly because you are scrolling through your texts?

Well there is an easy way to find them:

• Tap their name
•  the i
•  then you can look through photos from your conversations

Embedded below is a 23 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Wakelet Update - You can now upload multiple images to your collection.

Wakelet's newest enhancement allows the user to add multiple images at once. This is such an important addition as this will be a huge time saver.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 27 second YouTube tutorial as well as a Wakelet collection showing the ins and outs of the site.

Missing the menu in your Google Docs? Try Ctrl + Shift + F

In this past week there have been a number of teachers who have contacted me regarding missing their menu in their Google Docs.

There are 2 ways to solve this issue:

1. Try Ctrl + Shift + F
2. Select the symbol in the upper right (see embedded pic)

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 14 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Where are extensions in Google Chrome and how can I remove one easily?

In the school district where I work there have been a few pop-ups and advertisements that have been coming up on teacher's computers. What appears to be the issue is that an extension was added. To remove the extension look to the right of your address bar and right click on one that you believe to be the issue.

The one that was causing issues was one entitled "Ads by PDF viewer".

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 42 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Use Google Translate to translate an entire website into the language of your choice.

Google Translate is an amazing site and app. One simple use of the site is the ability to paste the url of the website you would like to be translated and simply select the language you would like it translated to.

In the example below you will see a GIF followed by a 45 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

You can place callers on Hold using your iPhone then Merge the calls (if you like)

So, I was goofing around the other day and found out that if you hold down the Mute button for 5 seconds while on a call, this will place the caller on Hold.

You are then free to add a call and merge the calls, or to work on whatever else you need to do!

To merge a call:

• add call
• call them
• select Merge Call

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 20 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Use Google Photos to easily create a Mother's Day Movie (or dog, cat, Father's Day, etc)

If you use Google Photos, remember you can easily create a movie by choosing from among the options you see below.

Once you choose the category your movie falls in, follow the directions (for Mother's Day choose the mom, and then the children, grandchildren, etc.)

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 2 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Control Center Settings Plus 3D Touch Options

If you have an iOS device make sure to take advantage of your control center and the 3D touch options that come with it.

Your control center can be found when you scroll up from the bottom of the screen. Some of the options include the ability to instantly send what is on your device to an Apple TV, record your screen, have a flashlight, timer, calculator, etc. The options can all be seen below. Plus - make sure to press on the icon for the 3D touch options.

                                                                                  

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 7 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Ride a rocket through an interactive view of the Solar System

If you (or your students/children) want to ride a rocket through an interactive view of the Solar System, check out BBC's How Big is Space?

As you use your arrow key  (or drag the page view) your rocket will travel through the Solar System. You will see information regarding space travel and the distance (in km) that objects are from Earth. Example - Legonaut 24km Lego man launched by two Canadian teenagers in January 2012

 Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 55 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

New word cloud tool - Wordwanderer

The other day TCEA shared a blog post about Word Wanderer. What separates Word wanderer from other cloud tools is you can see how terms are related to each other, see different forms of speech in the text, etc.

This is a great site to check your won writing, show students how text is related, see words of speech, etc.

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

Take care,
Brad

Google Classroom's iOS App now includes a student selector

Google Classroom's iOS app has a student selector built into it. To read an article about this feature from Google click here.

A few nice features is the fact that when a student's name is called you can

• Call on the student later
• Mark them as absent
• See how many have not been picked 
• as well as a running tally of how many picked and how many absent
• You can also reset the selector as well

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 49 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Have an issue with staying focused while writing? Try the Mostdangerouswritingapp

Need to stay focused while writing? Try Themostdangerouswritingapp. Basically, choose the amount of time you would like to write (anywhere from 3 minutes to 1 hour). If you stop writing for 5 seconds within the time frame, all writing will be lost. If you write for the allotted time, you can then save your writing to your computer.

The site is designed to remove your inner editor and get you to focus at the task at hand - write!

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a 1 minute and 9 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Learn math and science topics complete with videos as well as practice questions with Braingenie

Braingenie allows you to practice math and science topics complete with instructional videos and practice questions.

As a student you can use the site without signing up; however, it will not store your results for the future. As a teacher you can use the site without signing up as well; however, if you sign up for an account (free) you can assign topics to your class.

Embedded below is a photo showing all the available courses as well as a 1 minute and 28 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,
Brad

Google Earth Engine Timelapse website - Animations from 35 years of satellite imagery

Google recently updated their Google Earth Engine Timelapse  to provide historical imagery (animations from 35 years of satellite imagery) in an online version of Google Earth. It is fascinating to see the animations and how areas have changed.

Embedded below is a GIF followed by a minute 1 minute and 21 second YouTube video I created.

Take care,
Brad

How to leave feedback to your students in Flipgrid.

Flipgrid is an amazing platform to amplify student voice. While it is awesome for students to have the ability to voice their thoughts, what can take it a step further is for the teacher to be able to leave constructive feedback for their students.

Flipgrid has the ability to add feedback in 

• rubric form
•  comment (1024 characters)
•  or my personal favorite - reply with a video!
• you can also feature the response, spark the response, add Mixtapes, leave a mic drop (see the embedded picture below)

In order to leave feedback make sure to 

• enter your grid
• select the topic
• select the video you would like
• the video will play right away

Below is a 1 minute and 22 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Nice update in Wakelet - Ability to insert bullet points in the notes field.

Wakelet is an amazing platform to store anything with a link into one shareable link to share with others. Wakelet also continues to upgrade their platform constantly.

The newest upgrade is the ability to insert bullet points into the notes field. This is a simple but useful upgrade as it can help you make certain points stand out.

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

Take care,
Brad

Free science and math simulations for teaching STEM topics. Over 360 million simulations!

phET interactive simulations offers teachers and students over 360 million free simulations revolving around science and math topics for free. Simulations are available from elementary all the way to University.

If you join the site (free) you can share a topic directly into Google Classroom!

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 22 second example showing area model introduction.

Shout out to Sarak Keifer for sharing this the other day on Twitter!

Take care,
Brad

Copy and paste images in sheets

Google recently announced that you can easily copy and paste images on the web directly into a cell in Google Sheets.

• Simply right click on the image 
• select Copy Image
• enter into your Sheet and CTRL V to paste

For more information - here is the link to Google's post - 

https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2019/04/new-tools-sheets.html

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

Take care,
Brad