Want to quickly rename a file you are working on in Google Drive?

Simply select the file and then N. So simple and can save those few extra steps.

Readability Grader - great for finding readability level of an online article

Wow - what a great site Richard Byrne discussed on his blog today.

The topic discussed was the ability of a site, Jellymetrics, to determine the readability level of an article. You could post a doc, an article you found on-line, or any number of things.

Take a look at the embedded GIF below followed by a 55 second video below as to how easy it is to use. Hint - if you are going to look at a long article - it makes sense to shrink your screen to get as much as the article as you can. Or, you could copy and paste the long article by grabbing parts of it at a time.

Any questions please let me know!
Brad

iOS10 Widgets - how to edit them

When updating to iOS 10 a nice feature is the "Add Widgets" to keep you up-to-date on items you are interested in quickly. Some of the main items include your calendar, mail, music, photos, reminders, your fantasy football team, and news.

The news feature is one in which some of the items discussed may be borderline in an elementary setting.

If you would like to learn how to remove the widgets, or at least how to edit them to how you would like it - please watch the embedded  45 second YouTube video (with audio) below.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Brad

Need to calculate a tip quickly?

Many of us  remember the pre-Google days with the Seinfeld episode dealing with the "Tip-Calculator" (see below). Jerry and his dad ended up buying a "Willard" tip calculator instead of a "Wizard" calculator for some members of the board at Del Boca Vista.

Well, it is 2016 and Google has had a tip-calculator ready for you to use on your device. Simply type in tip calculator and you have a section to fill in for the bill amount, tip %, and number of people.

See the embedded Gif below to see what it looks like.

Have a great day! Remember to take care of your wait staff!

Google Chrome & Lego - put constructions all over the world!

Feel like a kid again when you buildwithchrome.com. You can use your phone, tablet, or laptop to build a creation and place it all over the world. You can even become a master bricklayer with Build Academy where you face a series of challenges in different locations.

Below is a GIF to give you a quick glimpse into  what the site looks like.

Image Source

Enjoy!

Brad

Want to see a graph of how "popular" any words used in books were between 1800-2008?

If you would like to chart the "popularity" of words used in over 5 million books between 1800-2008 - try Google's Nram Viewer.

I have embedded a GIF and 50 second YouTube video below.

Hope you all have a nice day!

Brad

Want to share your Google Form for others to use?

If you created a Form that has worked great and you want to share it with your colleagues, but you are not sure how - please follow the embedded 1 minute 52 second YouTube video below.

It does take a few steps - but it is worth it.

It is Cyber Security Month - Google's 2 minute security checkup

October is Cyber Security Month.

If you have a Google account - it is worth your time to do a security checkup by clicking here or going on to Google and type in "Google Security Checkup".

The checkup will...
check on your recovery information (e-mail and phone)
check your connected devices - and let you know when they were connected
check your account permissions (apps, websites, and devices connected to your Google account)
check your 2-step verification settings (very important)



Hope you all have a nice day!
Brad

Have an iPhone and want to send balloons or fireworks in your text?

If you have updated to iOS 10 and would like to send a text to someone that includes fireworks, balloons, a shooting star, laser type effect, or different bubble effects - check out the 8 second GIF and 45 second YouTube video below.

Have a great day!

Brad

Want to open a specific set of page or pages when you startup on Google Chrome?

If you would like to either change or set a specific page or pages upon startup using Chrome simply follow the directions below, follow the GIF below, or watch the embedded YouTube video with audio.

1. Select the 3 dots in the upper-right of your screen.
2. Select Settings
3. Open a specific page or set of pages
4. Add a new page

Any questions, let me know.

Thanks!
Brad

How to level books in your library or find books of an appropriate reading level with an App.

The app literacy leveler  will enable you to level your books or find the correct reading level by scanning the code on the back of the book of choice. The app does cost $3.99. To me - I felt it was worth the money for the information it will provide me with for years to come.

Take a look below at the embedded GIF as well as a 29 second video on YouTube with audio.

A special shout-out to my awesome sister-in-law Erica Carroll for telling my wife about this amazing app! 

Enjoy!

Brad

Want to publish a file in Google and publish it to the Web?

If you would like to publish your files to the web simply follow these steps.

1. Select File
2. Publish to the web
3. Publish
4. Click ok
5. Select your link and you are good to go.

Below you will see a GIF followed by the same 21 second YouTube video (with audio).

Any questions, let me know!

Brad

Want a free "for a year" Science resource that can inspire students to love science?

Mystery Science's mission is to help children stay curious. The site provides ready-to go science lessons for elementary students (K-5). The site provides material lists and detailed directions for the activities. The lessons includes videos and images dealing with a particular subject. Once the video is complete there are questions students can work on their own or with some guidance. The lessons can be extended as well to help re-enforce the concepts taught in the lesson.

As of now a user can sign-up for a free year (only a little over 3,000 free memberships left as of this post). After the year is complete a subscription is required.

Check the site out!
Brad

GAFE Accounts now known as G Suite for Education

Google announced that there is a new name for GAFE - it is G Suite for Education.

Click here for Google's post about the name change. It sounds as if the term Apps was too limiting for what Google offers.

The post also discusses updates to docs, sheets, and slides.

Hope everyone has a nice day!
Brad

Want to give directions or recap a lesson with a Star Wars like scrolling feature?

If you are interested - check out Classtools.net's template by clicking here.

All you need to do is simply select edit on the bottom of the screen and erase whatever text that is on the screen that you will not need any more.

When you are finished you can then save it with a password so you can edit later. You can then copy the URL and show your class.

Below you will see a GIF followed by the same video on YouTube with audio.

Any questions let me know!

Brad

Want to quickly get to the Chrome Web Store to add an extension?

If you want to quickly add that extension, theme, or app from the Chrome Web Store - follow the steps below.

You will see a GIF followed by rhe same YouTube video (32 seconds) with audio.

Any questions please let me know.

Brad

How to make sure PDFs always open using Adobe on Windows 10

If you have been having issues with PDFs on Windows 10 - follow the GIF below. If you would rather listen to the same video with audio, click on the embedded YouTube video below.

Any questions - please let me know.

Thanks!

Brad

Issues with PDFs displaying on Windows 10? Try changing the default browser.

in the District where I work a number of teachers have had issues with displaying PDFs. When they click on the certain site for the Math series - Microsoft Edge is launched and it will not display properly. A work around is to simply copy the URL and use Firefox or Chrome.

A way to make this a permanent switch is to simply follow these steps...

1. Right click on your desktop.

2. Select display settings

3. Select default apps

4. Select whatever browser is the default (probably Edge)

5. Change it to Firefox or Chrome

You can also watch the GIF below as well as the same YouTube video with audio below.

Any questions please let me know!
Brad

Happy October - fun pumpkin activity

Happy October to all. A fun pumpkin activity that is done every year in classrooms and households is one that includes the weighing of pumpkins and counting pumpkin seeds.

The past few years in the school where I preciously taught 4th grade the classes all got together and we had a lesson dealing with estimation, mean, median, and mode. 

Students would estimate the following: weight of the pumpkin in pounds, how many lines, circumference of the pumpkin, as well as the number of seeds. 

Prior to the students estimating the weight we would number and weigh each pumpkin prior to the students estimating.

Last year all 4 classes entered their data into a Google sheet the data for each pumpkin. The great thing about a spreadsheet on Google is that you can all share the same sheet and enter the data in as you get it. The sheet has the formulas in it for you already. Click here for a copy of the sheet. Remember, if you are going to do this as a whole grade - make sure you are all using the same sheet.

Below is a GIF showing how what the sheet looks like when you enter the data followed by a short video on YouTube with audio.

Any questions please let me know!

Brad

5 Dice - great free App for order of operations

5 Dice is a fun and challenging iPad App for students to learn and be challenged using the order of operations.

Below you will see a GIF followed by the same YouTube video with audio.