Quick way to check the spelling of a word (use the tab in Google Chrome and choose the mic) 🎤

 While there are numerous ways for you (or your students) to check spelling, 1 simple way is to open a new tab in Google Chrome. When you do say make sure to select the microphone on the far right of the search bar.

When you do so, it may state 

• that voice search has been turned off (see image below).

• to correct this look in the upper right of your search bar for the red x over a video icon. Make sure to allow and choose your microphone.

• to correct this go into settings > privacy and security > site settings > scroll to microphone and select it > sites can ask to use your microphone

• make sure to Allow the use of your microphone

Give it a try and ask your students some tough words! 

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

Take care,

Brad

In Safari, 2 ways to have your address bar go back to the top of your screen.

 In Safari, there are 2 ways to have your search bar go back to the top of your screen. For the record, it did take a bit of time to get accustomed to the search at the bottom; however, I really like the ability to go to tabs easily.

• on the left of the search bar you will see 2 letter As. Select them and then choose to Show Top Address Bar.
• the second way is to select Settings > Safari > Tabs > choose Single Tab

Embedded below is a 47 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

How to access links from URL shorteners like bit.ly and tinyurl.com that are blocked at your school/office

 If you have a link to a website that can not be reached (see image below), chances are it is blocked because it is from a shortened URL (like bit.ly or tinyurl.com). 

A URL shortener takes a long link and turns it into a shorter, easy-to-share one. The problem with URL shorteners is that they hid the true link  which from a network security standpoint makes hard to verify that it is safe. However, if you feel the website is safe, you can unshorten the link using the directions below.

• Go to https://urlex.org/
• Copy and paste the link into the text box.
• Press "Expand"
• The website will "expand" the shortened URL so you can view the site (as long as it is appropriate).

Embedded below is a 1 minute YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

How to create a GIF from a video on YouTube

 If you have ever wanted to create a GIF directly from YouTube simply copy the URL and paste it in Gifrun.com

From there you will have to go to the specific part of the video where you would like your GIF to start and then choose the number of seconds (up to 15).  You can add text as well if you would like to. 

When ready, simply select Create GIF.

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 38 second YouTube tutorial. Go Birds!!

Take care,

Brad

Rearrange pages, add a watermark, password protect your PDF, etc.

 PDFcandy is an outstanding tool when working with PDFs. Take a look below at all that you can do with the site.

The one that I focus on in the video below is the rearrange pages option. For those of us that have used Kami in the past, we know how helpful it is to have this option. Well, with PDFcandy you can do the same thing.  Once you upload your PDF you can remove pages as well as move them around as you would like. 

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 32 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Hour of Code - sign up as a teacher, sign up students, and additional resources.

Happy Computer Science Education week!

In this post we will take a brief look (and a brief video) at how you can quickly enroll as an educator, enroll your students to the proper course, as well as additional resources.

• Log onto Hour of Code
• In the upper-right select Sign in (in this example I am using Google)
• make sure to got through the rest of the sign-in process
• Scroll down to where it says Classroom sections
• if for some reason you do not see the Classroom sections make sure to select the My Dashboard in the upper left of your screen.
• Choose to create a section
• Choose how you want your students to sign-in (in this example a reminder that I am using Google Classroom).
• You will then need to choose a course.
• To choose the courses I recommend clicking here (Kindergarten is A, 1st is B, etc.)
• If you would like to show your students the course you chose - make sure to click the link above (also can click here) and choose view course.
• On the right hand side you can view as a student.
• Your students are all set. Just make sure to post in a link in your LMS so it is easy for them to go directly to their course. 
• https://studio.code.org/users/sign_in
• All progress is saved and you as a teacher can see your students progress.

• I would also recommend pasting this link in your LMS as well. As students will be able to have access to numerous activities.
• https://hourofcode.com/us/learn

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 16 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

How to create a contact group in Gmail

 If you would like to create a contact group in Gmail, follow the instruction below:

• enter into contacts.google.com
• on the left-hand side choose create Label
• name your label
• choose the individuals you would like to add to your label by clicking to the left of their name
• select the label icon at the top and choose apply

You can now enter into Gmail and type in the name of your label and email the individuals you would like to.

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

Take care,

Brad

How to add audio to Google Form responses using Mote. Can also use in documents, emails, presentations.

 If you would like to add audio to a Google Form (or documents, emails, presentations) try using the extension Mote. In this example we will be adding audio to a Google Form (new release).

Once you add the extension and go through the sign-up process make sure you open up a Google Form.

When you open up the form you will see the Mote icon built into your form. 

Now, when you add the specific audio you would like to add, you will notice it does not come directly into the form itself. You will need to enter back into the extension and choose My recent motes and select the share icon.

Once you select the share icon you can then copy the link and paste it next to where you would like it to appear. You will see the link and when you preview the form you will see the ability to play the audio.

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 21 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Remove objects and defects from your pictures for free using cleanup pictures.

 If you would like to remove certain objects/defects from your pictures, try using the website cleanup.pictures.

Once you enter the site simply upload (or drag) the image and then choose the width of the brush and remove the object. 

To see the original picture, press down on where it says original and you will then see a fast scroll bar. 

This could be fun especially if you would like to compare one image with another with your students.

Embedded below are 2 pictures as well as a 1 minute and 31 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

Alarms, World Clock, Timer, and a Stopwatch all available on your Dell Notebook

 If you have a Dell notebook and are in the need to set an alarm, see what time it is in places all over the world, a timer and a stopwatch - you are in luck!

• With the alarm you can set and name any number of alarms as you would like to. You can also change the sound of the alarm(s) as well.

• The World Clock is great because you can see the time where you are and see the time from any major city throughout the world as well. Pretty cool, especially if you are studying cities around the globe.

• The timer is great as you can set numerous timers and name them. You can also have the timer go full screen.

• The stopwatch you can start and have it go full screen. You can also use it for Laps/Splits.

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 17 second YouTube tutorial.

Take care,

Brad

New features on your Chromebook (Dec 1, 2021) Create a video, scan a document, and a QR reader.

Good news for all you Chromebook users - you and your students have the ability to take a video, scan a document (and save as a PDF or photo), a timer for your camera (3 seconds), as well as a QR code reader.

To find the new features, choose the launcher on the bottom left of your device and choose the camera icon. From there you will see the options to shoot a video, choose a timer (left side), as well as scan a document and a QR code.

One thing to point out, for scanning the document - make sure you have plenty light. While not perfect, it is a nice feature to have.

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 1 second video.

Take care,

Brad