Thursday, February 29, 2024

In SchoolAI how a student can rejoin the session and pick up exactly where they left off.

 SchoolAI is such a powerful tool for students and teachers alike. For previous posts regarding SchoolAI - see the posts below.



One "issue" if you want to call it that, is when a student or students have had to leave a session for any number of reasons. The issue is, how do they come back to their session because they never really "signed in". Well, it is actually quite simple.

Enter into the sidekick or the space in question, find the student's name and then choose the three dots to the right. You will then see the option to Copy student link (you also see View chat, Pause Chat, and Remove student). Once you select Copy student link, you can then share the link with that student and they can pick up where they left off.


Embedded below is a 1 minute and 20 second YouTube tutorial.



Take care,

Brad

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Check out Curipods Curi-quiz. Curi-Quiz is the perfect activity to practice vocabulary and concepts. Includes instant AI feedback to students and teachers.

 Previously we looked into Curipod for exit tickets , today we are looking into Curipod's Curi-quiz. 


When you open up the Curi-quiz you will see the Generator inputs. You can place what you are currently working on, or something you would like to see students' prior knowledge on a subject. Make sure to then select Do magic and see what is created.


Once you select the Do Magic it will create 5 slides that includes an intro to the class, hints, etc. When ready make sure to select Present in the upper right. The default for time is 2 minutes which you can adjust. At the top of the presented slide your students will see curi.live with the pin for them to enter in to join.

Students type in their real name (which only you can see) followed by a generated nickname for the lesson.

Once your class has all joined make sure to select Play (you may need to select it 2x).

Once your students complete they will receive an option for instant feedback.

When completed you will see feedback as well on how each student did.

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




Take care,
Brad



Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Design Your Discovery Craft Unique and Fun QR Codes with Canva

Last week a friend of mine asked if there is a creating an fun way to make a QR code. So, there are a number of sites out there that you can create a QR code with, and yes some of them allow some creativity. However, most of us use the option built into Google Chrome (3 dots, save and share, QR code)


However, if you would like a QR code like the one you see below, follow the steps that follow.



  • When you join, select Social Media under the "What will you design?" 


  • Then, choose your size. I suggest Instagram because it is a square shape.
  • On the left you can choose what you would like, if you have one you would like to upload please do so.
  • Then, select share in the upper right corner > scroll down to more > under share choose QR



Embedded below is a 1 minute and 35 second YouTube tutorial.



Take care,
Brad


Sunday, February 25, 2024

Capture and Save: A Step by Step Guide to Saving Frames from YouTube Videos


 If you have ever wanted to capture and save an image from a YouTube video (like image below) here are the steps you can take.


  • Open a YouTube video
  • Right-click on the video
    • You will see an image similar to this

  • Right-click a second time
    • You will see an image similar to this
  • Make sure to select Save video frame as...
You can then save your video frame and share as you like.

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




Take care,
Brad


Saturday, February 24, 2024

Maximize Classroom Efficiency: How to Enable Picture-in-Picture for YouTube Videos (Great for Classroom Timers)

If you have a YouTube video that you would like to watch in picture-in-picture (like a timer that you see below)


These timers are great, but maybe you want to show other websites with a timer still showing. There are two way to do this.

  • Right-click two times on the video. On your first click you will see the first image you see below. Make sure you right-click again and then you will see the second image and choose Picture in picture. You can then resize and move the video where you would like.

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 28 second YouTube tutorial.




Take care,
Brad







Friday, February 23, 2024

AI made easy: Powerful tools for personalized learning with School AI.

 SchoolAI not only has incredible features for personalized learning (Spaces and Sidekick), but also has numerous tools available for you.

When you select Tools you will see the image below.


The tools are self-explanatory and have built in prompts to show you examples. What I really like is when you create a lesson plan for example, it not only provides you with the plan, but also has the ability to edit like a word document. The ability to embed, add a link, change the font, etc. is really a nice feature.

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


Take care,
Brad


Thursday, February 22, 2024

Start class by introducing a topic and asking students how they're feeling using AI.

Getting a little insight to how your students are is crucial. With a tool like SchoolAI  and utilizing their Bell Ringer Space, you can create a question that checks in on the students and also gets the class engaged and ready to begin.

When you enter into SchoolAI select the Find a Space Icon.




You will then be presented with options as well as a preview window so you can see and adjust the Bell Ringer as you see fit.


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


Take care,
Brad

Take care,
Brad


Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Want your students to have access to their very own AI assistant to help with any questions they may have in your class?

 Yesterday, I shared a post School AI. Know what students need, when they need it, and deliver it with AI support in a fun and creative way! and today we are looking at another feature in School AI - a sidekick - basically a tutor.


When you select the Icon you see above you will then see the options you see below (remember to select More Options).

When filling in the information, you can be as specific or general as you wish. For example, typing in you would like the sidekick to help your students with their math homework. For tone - it is up to you but you could have fun with them and as the video shows below you could even out in something like Ric Flair. This video is an example inside of School Ai's website.


Embedded below is a 2 minute and 8 second YouTube tutorial I created showing you the ins and outs.


Take care,
Brad






Tuesday, February 20, 2024

School AI. Know what students need, when they need it, and deliver it with AI support in a fun and creative way!

 School AI  is a platform that allows students to get what they need when they need it and is provided in a fun way.


Once you join the site, you will see the following (in this example we chose to create a space).


Once you create you space you will see 2 areas that are required to create your space (title and AI prompt). Feel free to be as descriptive as you would like.


You can then have AI create the rest if you like (image, subtitle, teacher and student description).

Once that information is created you can preview and/or Save/Save and Launch.

If you select Save and Launch you will be presented with a unique url as well as a QR code if you would like.


Once you place the link in a site such as Google Classroom the students will then begin their "journey".
You can see the questions I am being asked as well as how it comes across in a chat fashion.


Now, from the teacher side you will get a sneak preview of how your students are doing as well as the ability to invite, pause, or end the session.

You can also click on the student's name and see the full transcript along with an AI look at how engaged I am.


You can see how amazing this tool is and the learning and sharing of knowledge that will take place.

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


Take care,
Brad






Monday, February 19, 2024

How to quickly find what you are looking for on any webpage. Plus how to find and replace that word (or words) on any word processing site (Google, Microsoft, etc).

 If you have ever searched up and down in a PDF, website, or even a Google Doc it can be overwhelming. Remember to try using ctrl f to find what you are looking for. 

A nice feature, especially if you are writing a paper is the option to find and replace.

In the example below I show how I pasted 25 fantasy baseball team names from ChatGPT in a Google Doc and it provided me with ** at the beginning of the name and the end **. 

If you want to remove them

  • use ctrl f
  • click on the three dots
you will then see the image you see below
  • type in what you would like to find and then what you would like to replace it with
    • in my example I typed in ** and left the replace with empty. I then chose to replace all and they were gone!
Embedded below is a 1 minute YouTube tutorial.




Take care,
Brad


Sunday, February 18, 2024

How to have your audio file transcribed for you with text and timestamps for free.

 My daughter interviewed my parents today for her History project. One of the things she needs to do is upload her audio to her website. She asked me is she could also include the transcript. I thought this was a great idea. If you use YouTube it is very easy to get the transcript, but with just audio it is a little different. Of course there are other options out there, but this method I found to be the easiest and cheapest (free).

We used Microsoft 365 - Word and selected the microphone and transcribe.

Then, make sure to choose your audio and then you will see the options you see below:




Embedded below is a 1 minute and 36 second YouTube tutorial.


Take care,
Brad


Saturday, February 17, 2024

How to customize ChatGPT so your responses show a level of confidence.

Yesterday I was running a session on AI and a fellow teacher came up to me and mentioned a story to me about her friend. Her friend was interested in learning about pickleball and asked ChatGPT for some book recommendations. As he looked them up, he realized they were not real. So, he went back in and had a conversation with Chat about what happened. ChatGPT admitted that the books were made up and they were made to sound like real books. 

So, what are some precautions for this? Turns out if select your name in the lower left and then select Customize Chat GPT.


Then, select Customize ChatGPT and scroll down to How would you like ChatGPT to respond?

One option is to enter in the following text: Always add the confidence level of your answer. When your answer includes facts, always provide a valid URL with the source for your answer. If you speculate or predict something, inform me.

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 34 second YouTube tutorial.


Take care,
Brad


Friday, February 16, 2024

Want to find the transcript of a YouTube video? Here are two ways to do it.

 Today I was asked how to "grab" a transcript from a YouTube video and place it in ChatGPT. Well, most YouTube videos do have transcripts, but please note that not all do.

There are a number of ways to get a transcript.

One way is to add the extension YouTube Summary with ChatGPT & Claude (free) 

Another way (without an extension) is to scroll down to the description and select the ...more (see image)

Then, scroll down and look for the link for the transcript (see image below).


Embedded below is a 1 minute and 36 second YouTube tutorial.




Take care,
Brad


Thursday, February 15, 2024

Would you (or your students) want help breaking down tasks, managing time, and improving productivity? Try GoblinTools

 If you (or your children or your students) need assistance with breaking down tasks, helping to manage time, break tasks up, etc - make sure to give Goblintools a look.

Below you will see a 2 minute and 20 second YouTube tutorial followed by images of the the different tasks it performs.



Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Super Teacher Tools Numerous classroom games and tools - including a personal favorite - Plinko!

 If you are looking for some online games and tools - take a look at Super Teacher Tools. You will notice numerous games, tools, and extras available to you (see images below). You can create an account for free that will save your creations. 





In the 2 minute and 9 second YouTube video I show an introduction to the site and how you can play Plinko with your class.



Take care,

Brad

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Bringing Words to Life: How to Turn Your Scripts into Dynamic Avatar-Led Videos with ChatGPT

If you would like to create avatar-led instructional videos, it can be created and sent out in mere minutes. In the video I created (you can see it by clicking on this link) as well as the back and forth "conversation" with ChatGPT by clicking on this link (you will need to sign in to ChatGPT). If you do not have Chat - I have the conversation at the bottom of the post.

The steps necessary to create this avatar-led video are:

  1. Make sure you have enabled how to install ChatGPT plug-ins - click here for a tutorial that includes a YouTube video.
  2. Make sure you add the plug-in Veed.
  3. Make your choice from what you see below and then you will be prompted with a few questions, your video will be created, and you can edit and share as you see fit.


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


Take care,
Brad


Monday, February 12, 2024

Chromebook Touchpad and Keyboard Tips & Tricks


If you have ever heard a student's Chromebook start talking or you see the ever popular inverted colors, make sure to either print out the document below or keep it as a favorite.

To quickly find what you are looking for you can select the three lines and three dots on the upper left of the document for the outline.

 Click here for the Document

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


Take care,

Brad




Sunday, February 11, 2024

Google's AI (Bard) is now known as Gemini and available instantly in Google's App

 Google's AI (Bard) is now officially known as Gemini and is available at https://gemini.google.com/app.



What I wanted to focus today is that Gemini is available for both Android and iOS.


On Android, you can opt in to your Gemini mobile app from your Google Assistant, and the Gemini app. On iOS, you can opt in to Gemini from the Google app. You can find more details by clicking here.



I really enjoy how simple it is to use Gemini directly from the app (you will see the option to toggle it at the top).

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 30 second YouTube tutorial showing how to access Gemini and a quick example.


Take care,

Brad

Saturday, February 10, 2024

How to create a self-grading spelling test using Google Sheets and Google Classroom

 If you would like to create a self-graded spelling test, one way is to try using Google Sheets and Google Classroom.

Here are the steps I used:

  • Create a Google Sheet
    • Make sure you have a column for the students to enter in their words.
    • A column for the correctly spelled words
    • A column for your formula
      • Here is an example for the word "fed"
        • =IF(AND(ISNUMBER(SEARCH("fed", A1)), ISNUMBER(SEARCH("fed", B1))), "Correct", "Incorrect")
    • Remove the unwanted columns and rows (see how in video)
    • **Make sure to select all columns you do not want your students to see and right-click and hide the columns.**
      • This is key as your students will only see the column to place their words in.
        • Please know your students could right-click and un-hide the columns - I doubt their would - but wanted you to know.
  • Once you have the test ready in Google Sheets go into Google Classroom and create an assignment and force a copy. They will only see the 1 column to enter in their words.
  • They will then need to submit their work in Google Classroom.
  • Once submitted you can then go into the assignment in Classroom and choose the folder.
  • You can then open the student's submission, right-click on un-hide columns and voila! You will see the test is automatically graded.
For a step-by-step tutorial please watch the 3 minute YouTube video below.

Take care,
Brad

Friday, February 9, 2024

Instantly generate a quiz from text using AI within Quizizz.

An amazing AI feature in Quizizz allows you to create a quiz on any topic you wish directly from a prompt.

Enter into Quizizz, select create and then choose to create with AI

You will then see options - choose to Generate from text.

You can then place in what you would like to create and how many questions.

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 37 second YouTube tutorial.




Take care,
Brad

Thursday, February 8, 2024

How to print the data from your Google Spreadsheet on one page.

 If you have some information on a Google Sheet and you would like to have it all on one sheet, here is one way to do it.

Now, in my example when I selected print it had it print out 6 pages (portrait) and when I switched to landscape it had 4 pages.

The way to get it to one page was to select underneath scale and change it from custom number to fit to page.

Granted, the print is small; however, it works for me. You may have a lot more information and it may not work as well for you.

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 21 second YouTube tutorial.



Take care,

Brad

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Want to create a YouTube quiz (with answers) for your student revolving around a video you just watched? Try Magic School

 The other day I shared how to quickly create a quiz from a YouTube video using the Brisk extension. Today, I wanted to share another way - using the website MagicSchool (click here for a blog post I created in January about the basics of MagicSchool).

When you open MagicSchool you will see the tools you see below (you can favorite any of the tools so they appear at the top).


When you select YouTube you will see the options you see below.


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




Take care,
Brad


Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Looking for a way to read a PDF, get a summary, and ask any question about the PDF and receive answers? Try ChatPDF.com

If you have ever been reading a PDF and wanted to be able to find information beyond using ctrl f to find a word, give Chatpdf.com a try.

Once you upload the PDF you will receive a brief summary along with some questions that chat feels as though are pertinent.

Below that you will see the ability to ask any question you would like. This is huge as you can ask it to find any information within the PDF, ask for a summary, pretty much anything you can think of.

Embedded below is a 2 minute and 18 second YouTube tutorial.



Take care,

Brad

Monday, February 5, 2024

How to leave voice notes, feedback, and comments on Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Forms, Gmail, etc. FOR FREE!

 Recently the school district where I work had a F.I.D (flexible instructional day) and a number of teachers used the Mote extension to leave audio feedback or directions to their students (click here for a blog post I created about Mote).

The issue with Mote is that while you have 20 free uses a month, they are a business and need to make money. Plus, they have a number of additional options. Click here for their pricing options.

The site Beep has an extension that allows you to leave voice notes for free.

Once you go through the sign-up process, make sure you refresh the page you are on (like a doc, sheet, etc). You will then see Beep appear in the upper right of your screen. Simply select and then record - please note it does start as soon as you hear the - you guessed it - Beep.


For more information - please take a look at the 2 minute and 19 second YouTube tutorial embedded below.


Take care,
Brad


Sunday, February 4, 2024

Easiest way to create a quiz directly from a YouTube video.

 The easiest way for a quiz to be created from a YouTube video is using the free Brisk extension. If interested I created a tutorial 2 months ago about Brisk - you can see it by clicking here. You can also learn more by clicking on their site https://www.briskteaching.com/

In order to create a quiz simply make sure you select their extension while you are on the YouTube video you would like to make. You will notice a red glow around the extension (bottom right of your screen). Then choose create - quiz - then state what you would like the quiz to cover and make your selections below that (see 3rd image below).



You will then be prompted to create a Google Doc or Google Form (in this tutorial I created a Google Doc).

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


Take care,
Brad


Saturday, February 3, 2024

Have some text you would like to have read aloud? Try voicegenerator.io

 If you have some text you would like to have read aloud, voicegenerator.io is a nice and simple solution.

Once you enter into the site simply paste in the text and then choose the voice you would like, adjust pitch and speed, play and then if interested, select download Google TTS Audio. This TTS Audio allows you to right-click and copy the audio address to share with others to play

Underneath the above image you will see your past creations.

Embedded below is a 1 minute and 36 second YouTube tutorial.




Take care,

Brad