Come for the tech tips - stay for the Dad jokes! ����
Today is my birthday and a friend of mine sent me the website https://you.regettingold.com/ . In the site you simply enter in the date in question and you are presented with lots of interesting (and some odd) facts since the day you were born.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 14 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you use Screencastify for recording instructional videos you know how valuable of a tool it is. A nice feature that is relatively new is the ability to add Interactive Questions into your video.
To add the questions you will simply need to access your previously created video and go into your recordings. Make sure to select he interactive questions icon on the right and then you can then start watching your video. When you are ready to ask a multiple choice question make sure to click on the blue "Add Question" icon at the bottom of the page (has a time stamp). Make sure to add at least two possible answers and choose the correct answer. Continue on with as many questions as needed and then share your video with others (top of screen). You can share directly to Google Classroom or as a link.
Once the quiz has been completed you will see responses at the top of the screen as well with the quiz already graded.
If for some reason you need to adjust your questions, make sure you click on list view on the right side of the screen.
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 57 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you (or a student) are typing on a Chromebook and the letters you are typing do not come up as they should, take a quick look down to the bottom right of the screen where the clock is. In the United States what you should see is something that looks like what you see below (notice the US).
The quickest way to "solve" this is to select Ctrl + Spacebar. This should then adjust back to the US keyboard.
If you would like to see more information regarding the keyboard, simply go into the settings, and adjust the different input methods.
In the 1 minute and 3 second video embedded below you will see how to adjust the keyboards.
If you would like to create a fill-in-the-blank type worksheet quickly and easily within a Google Doc - simply use the CLOZEit Add-on for Google Docs.
Once added, you can highlight or underline words you'd like to be blanked. It does not matter what color you use to highlight the words.
Once you launch the Add-on you will see the options available to you on the right-hand side (see image below).
You can the Add-on multiple times. If there are more words you wish to be blanked, select them and run it again. You can also edit the word bank list.
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 21 second YouTube tutorial.
If you are looking for an easy to use audio editor (and free up to 5 minutes) - check out TwistedWave.
You can upload files as well as create a recording directly within the site. The controls are easy to use and have a few nice features, such as the ability to add an remove markers, change the pitch/speed, fade in/out, etc.
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 6 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you would like to have a template set up for your students that includes slides with image placeholders, or you would like to have a Slide with image placeholders, try the following.
A great feature in Google Slides is the ability to include all types of content (including video and audio) to go along with text.
A few quick reminders when importing background audio.
If you would like to add a timer or stopwatch directly into Google Slides, one solution is to embed a YouTube video.
To do this select Insert > Video > 5 minute timer > select
Shortcuts are an amazing way to save yourself (and your students) time. Favorite ones include:
If you (or your students) like to utilize multiple desktops on a Chromebook, you know how useful they can be to keep "things" organized.
If you do not use desktops, it is a great way to keep organized by storing all of one topic in each desktop (and naming them is nice as well).
The traditional way to access the desktops is to select the Show windows key (see image below).
If you use extensions in Google Chrome you know how beneficial they can be. If you are also a fan of shortcuts - you know how helpful they can be. Now, put your hands together.
In order to launch an extension with a shortcut simply click on the extension icon and choose manage extensions.
If you would like to take a full page screen capture try the extension Go Full Page. The extension does exactly as is stated and takes an entire full page screen capture. You can download as a PDF or PNG. To make edits to the full page screen capture there is a 7 day free trial followed by a $1/month fee.
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 8 second YouTube tutorial that also includes how to tale a screenshot by using the following:
If you would like to quickly split your Windows based device into multiple screens you could always use an extension like Tab Resize; however the much easier way is to simply use a shortcut.
If you have ever closed a Tab (or Tabs) by mistake in Chrome it can be very frustrating. Fortunately there are two ways to get those closed Tabs back.
The first way is to right click on the + (or new Tab button) and select to reopen closed tab. The other option is Ctrl+ Shift+ T.
One other way is to go into your history by selecting the three dots in the upper right and choosing history - or Control + H.
Embedded below is a 24 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you have ever had a website not load properly, try clearing your cache. Think of cache as the place where your browser (in this example Google Chrome) stores images, code, and other file types to avoid having to redownload repeatedly. Your browser would run a lot slower if cache did not exist. That being said, sometimes those stored images/code/other files can have something go wrong with them.
So... try clearing it. Here are two ways to do it in Chrome:
Mathsbot is a very useful website that has Question Generators, Manipulatives, Printables, Puzzles, Starters, Tools all at your fingertips for free.
One thing to point out is that this site is not just for primary teachers and students, many of the topics are relevant to older students as well.
I really like the Starter and Drills that has many ways to start your day including quick questions and number of the day.
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 17 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you are using a Windows-based device, one thing to try (if you are not already) is to use multiple desktops. I do mean multiple desktops on your computer, this does not mean to have multiple monitors (although that is ideal).
If you are use three fingers on your touchpad and start from the bottom and swipe up you will then see the possibilities to add more desktops. This is helpful because you could have a different browser available to you. a different lesson all ready to go, etc.
If you like the idea of multiple desktops, but not the three finger swipe up, try using the Windows Key + Tab.
Finally, to go to the other desktops quickly and easily, try using the Windows Key and the left or right arrow keys.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 41 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
Mathlearningcenter.org is a site that contains numerous free resources to try with your students. There is a web version available as well as apps available to add in Chrome and iOS. The apps/sites are extremely user friendly. What I really like is that you can share the work created directly in the site as a direct link or download an image to share. This is extremely helpful for students that may have missed a lesson or would like to see the work again.
Also, when selecting the app make sure to check out the tutorial as well as select the i to see helpful How To information.
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 15 second YouTube tutorial (I show the math clock app).
Take care,
Brad
It doesn't happen often; however, when a mouse or touchpad stops working it can be paralyzing, especially if a computer is 100% necessary.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 46 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
With all the amazing Google Forms offers, one "pain point" I have heard many times is the fact that the results can be frustrating to decipher.
Thankfully a Google Add-on allows the results to be read in a much easier format. The Add-on (in Sheets) is called Save as Doc. This is amazing as you can now see each person's response on their own page(s). This is especially helpful while reading longer responses.
Once you have gone through the process, the Add-on will be available in your Google Sheet on the right-hand side. You will then see the options you see below. Be sure to select the cells you would like to utilize (I choose all data) as well as name your document. As for the Heading - you have 5 options (1 is the largest and 5 is the smallest).
Take care,
Brad
If you would like to receive a motivational quote when you open a new tab in Google Chrome - try adding the Daily Motivation - Motivational Quotes extension.
Once you add the extension, make to allow the extension to open when you open a new tab. Also, look into the gear in the upper left to change the theme.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 11 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you are signing in to your Chromebook and your password has recently changed, make sure to put in your old password when prompted. However, do not worry if you do not remember it. What you can do is simply select Forgot old password.
If you do this just know that all local data that was previously saved on your Chromebook will no longer be available, only synced data and settings will be restored.
Embedded below is a 33 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you would like to add some virtual confetti to your lesson try adding the Confetti Cannon! extension. Remember to pin the extension by clicking on the extension icon (looks like a puzzle piece).
Embedded below is a 41 second YouTube tutorial. Thank you to Alison Navarrete for sharing this with me.
Take care,
Brad
Book Creator now has an app store that you can add apps such as Bitmoji, Giphy, Google Drive, and Canva for free.
In this example we are going to take a look at adding Canva .
When you open Book Creator make sure to select the three lines in the upper left (Teacher Dashboard) and look to the right for apps.
A few items to look into:
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 18 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you use Classroomscreen in your classroom to support class activities, you will know that there are built in audio sounds to the timer. While you can not add additional sounds to the timer - you can embed a webpage with additional sounds.
The example I use in the embedded video below is a Teacher Soundboard created by Candace Buchanan. What you can do is select media in Classroomscreen and embed the teacher soundboard's url.
You will then see the site on the screen. You can shrink or enlarge the embedded page as well as navigate between the 3 pages.
Embedded below is a 1 minute and 49 second YouTube tutorial.
Take care,
Brad
If you would like to quickly bring up the sharing settings of a document in Google Drive, simply select the document and press the period key. That's it!
Google recently announced the ability to create (or import) text watermarks in Google Docs. If you are importing a Microsoft Word document, the text watermarks will show.
If you are starting a Google Doc and would like to create a text watermark, simply follow the steps:
Originality reports are now available for Google Slides files when used in Google Classroom (previously it was just available in Google Docs). Click here for the announcement from Google.
A few brief reminders about originality reports is that you (as the teacher) can turn on 5 reports per class. Also, students can run 3 reports prior to handing the assignment in. Please click here for more information from Google.
Embedded below is a 2 minute and 2 second YouTube tutorial showing originality reports from a teacher and student point-of-view.
Take care,
Brad
