Educator Alexander's Newsletter
February News
📌 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR FREE WEBINAR: Interactive Mapping
Free webinar about what you can do to create a more engaging classroom by helping students collaborate!
Register NOW: bit.ly/eamapping
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR In-Person SLLA Test Prep Class
Saturday, February 29, 2020
9am to 5pm
(1 hour for lunch on your own)
Shreveport/Bossier City, LA
$155
Register Today at bit.ly/sllaprep
2020 ISTE Digital Citizenship and Equity Joint Playground Application Due February 28
Learn more and apply here.
WriQ Free Webinar
Join us for a free overview webinar on Wednesday, February 12 at 3:00pm ET.
Learn how to grade student essays using rubrics in an easy way using WriQ!
Register for the webinar here!
No More .heic on iPhone
If you have an iPhone and do not want your phone taking the "new" file type .heic (which computers have a hard time reading), you can turn off that setting.
Go to Settings.
Click on Camera.
Click on Formats.
Choose Most Compatible.
Chromebook Help Here: Shortcuts
Going crazy over no DELETE button on your CHROMEBOOK?
Well, this keyboard shortcut is here to help!
ALT-BACKSPACE is your delete button on a Chromebook! Try it out!
If you like Chromebook Shortcuts, this is a great list here!
SheetsCon 2020
FREE
Find out more and register here!
Free Book Creator for Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts (MIEE)
NEW SESSIONS ANNOUNCED
Specifically for ALL teachers of Grades 6-12
Click on your area to see more information!
Great Library or School Program for Tweens/Teens
Have an Anti-Valentine's Scary Movie Night after school as a great program! Find a PG or PG13 scary movie (start here for some ideas) and show the movie for fun!
If movies aren't your jam, try a poetry slam or dance party or really anything with the Anti-Valentine's Day title will become a hit!
Check Out these amazing free self-paced trainings for tech tools from nandine Gilkison
Discount on BER Professional Development
Click here to retweet and follow @LeslieLederman to receive a discount on one of BER's online seminars.
Google Slides Templates and Tips
Check them out!
Problems with Screenshot and Print Screen on Chromebooks! Solutions Here!
See how to screenshot and print screen on your Chromebook without extensions here.
If you want a quick extension, Awesome Screenshot is indeed AWESOME!
Chrome Keeping Tabs Open Even After You Close...Help is Here
Is your Chrome keeping tabs open after you close the browser even if you have it set to open on the new tab page?
Click the 3 dots in the top right hand corner and go to Settings>Advanced>System>and uncheck 'Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.'
Submit Questions for SPED or ADMIN Panels
We are accepting questions to ask the two upcoming webinar panels in April and May.
Click here to ask a question to the panel: edalex.net/question
Be the Master of Your Craft: What SPED Teachers Need to Know on April 18 at 11am central
Real Talk from Education Administrators on May 9 at 11am central
Register at https://www.educatoralexander.com/upcoming-events.html
Wakelet has started a Student Ambassador Program
QR Codes So People Can Follow You on Twitter and Instagram Faster
You can create a QR code people can scan to follow you on Twitter and Insta!
On apps, go to bottom left corner & click on QR code (Twitter) & go to three lines in top left corner and click name tag (Instagram).
Pull them up on your phone and have people scan or put them on flyers and presentations!
NEW Freebies, Free Webinars, and Appearances
We add new things all the time, like new freebies, free webinars and appearances!
Drive integration in the address bar
Live Presentations in PowerPoint for the web and SO many Updates from Microsoft
Using your devices and new resources to improve communication skills and make learning easier on the web
Live Presentations in PowerPoint for the web
Educators know the importance of cultivating strong communications skills in students. And, like most of us, educators want to improve their own communications skills, whether they give presentations at staff meetings, conferences or curriculum nights. We’ve continued developing support for these critical skills in PowerPoint. With smart assistance like Designer built right into PowerPoint, educators and students can quickly and easily craft and design their message. And teachers and students can hone presentations by practicing with the real-time feedback offered with Presenter Coach.
In addition, on the day of a presentation, educators and students now can help every person in the classroom or audience understand what they’re saying by clicking on “Present Live.” Live Presentations enables every audience member to view the presentation on their own device, such as a laptop, tablet or phone. Each audience member can turn on live captioning and choose subtitles from more than 60 languages. They can even navigate between slides, so they don’t miss a single, important detail. The audience is engaged throughout the presentation and sends reactions in real time. After the presentation, the audience can provide feedback on the content and delivery of the presentation, which educators and students can use to improve skills over time.
Live Presentations will be coming soon to PowerPoint for the web as part of Office Education, which educators and students can access for free. If you haven’t already done so, get started with Office 365 Education now.
And check out this video for more on how to use Live Presentations.
LEARN MANY MORE UPDATES HERE!
Google Certified Innovator Program Application Opening Soon
Originality Reports and Rubrics Available for Google Classroom Users
Rollout pace
- Originality reports
- Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 3, 2020
- Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 3, 2020
- Rubrics
- Rapid Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 3, 2020
- Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility) starting on February 3, 2020
Free Spring Webinars: What do you want to see...what do you want to teach?
What free educational webinars do you want to see in 2020?
Do you want to present or facilitate a webinar in 2020?
(We already have guest, first time webinar presenters in January and February...you can be next...)
Let me know in this ONE question survey: bit.ly/seewebinar
🎥 Webinar of the Month
😍 FREE Extension of the Month
This extension allows you to use your cell phone (or any device) as a clicker to go through Google Slides! It also allows you to read your speaker notes, a timer and more!
No more buying expensive clickers!
💻 📱 Tech Certification of the Month
Certify for Read&Write, EquatIO and more!
💫MICROSOFT SUPPORT
Office 365 You Can in :90 Video Series
You Can in :90 video series is here to help!
Educators Can Get Office 365 for FREE
Flipgrid Newest Newsletter with Updates
🌈 Google Updates
A Couple More Google Updates
Start the year off with new product features and updates from Google for Education.
Google for Education's series EDU in 90 is back for season six. Check out new episodes below to learn about product updates, Chrome security features, and more.
Looking for the latest Google for Education news? You’ve come to the right place. Join Tim as he shares the latest news on the Chromebook App Hub, rubrics, and more.
Get a quick look at Chrome’s multi-layered security features and the unique protections that make Chromebooks the trusted choice of 30 million teachers and students worldwide.
We’re back for the second half of a two-part series on 20 time-saving tips for G Suite for Education tools. In this episode, we’ll cover ten tips, but make sure to catch the previous episode to collect them all!
EDU in 90 is bringing you 20 time-saving G Suite and Google Classroom tips for 2020. We’ll cover 10 tips in this episode and 10 in our next episode. Get ready for some rapid-fire learning!
Newest Updates from Chrome OS
The newest Chromebooks, including the Lenovo 10e Chromebook Tablet are here, some with more than 8 years of automatic updates. Learn about the latest on the Chrome Education Upgrade and the new Automatic Update Expiration date policy.
Chromebook App Hub Announcements
Based on user feedback, you can now search the Chromebook App Hub’s 270+ apps and ideas and use new filters to find apps optimized for Chromebook tablets, information about data policies, and Google integrations.
Creativity Apps for Chromebooks
Introducing a new collection of creativity apps for Chromebooks, all managed and licensed through the Google Admin Console, and purchased through your Chromebook provider.
Google Classroom Updates
Educators can now create, attach, and reuse rubrics to an assignment in Google Classroom, and use originality reports to help students improve their writing.
💡Upcoming Trainings & See Me Here
Click on the pictures below for more information and to register and find more information such as dates, times, room numbers and links to register HERE.
💯 FREEBIES
✏️ Commenting to Educator Alexander
Desiree Alexander, Educator Alexander Consulting
Ms. Desiree Alexander, Ed.S. is an award-winning, multi-degreed educator who has been in the educational field since 2002. She is currently the Regional Director of North Louisiana for the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana. She is the Founder CEO of Educator Alexander Consulting, LLC. She consults with members of several schools/businesses and presents at conferences nationwide.
Ms. Alexander is lifetime certified in Louisiana in Secondary English Education, as a Reading Specialist, as a School Librarian, as an Educational Technology Facilitator, as an Educational Technology Leader and in Educational Leadership 1. She is certified in Texas as a Principal, in English Language Arts and Reading for grades 4-8 and grades 8-12, as a Reading Specialist for grades EC-12, and as a School Librarian. She holds multiple technology certifications, including, but not limited to, IC3 certification, Google Certified Trainer and Innovator, Apple Teacher 2016, and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Trainer and Expert.
She holds a Bachelor, a Master + 30, and an Education Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University. She holds a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University. She holds a Master of Educational Leadership with a concentration in Educational Technology Leadership from Nicholls State University. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Lamar University.
She is the 2019 Customer Commitment Award Honoree from Better Business Bureau's Torch Awards for Ethics, a 2019 Shreveport National Pan-Hellenic Council Mover and Shaker, a 2017 Young Professional Initiative 40 Under 40 Awards Honoree, 2017 Center for Digital Education Top 30 Technologists, Transformers & Trailblazers, 2017 PBS Learning Media Digital Innovator for Louisiana, 2016 A+PEL Member of the Year, 2015 Librarian of the Year for Louisiana Librarian Association, 2014 Leader of the Year for Region 2 Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators, and her recent campus's 2015 Teacher of the Year in the Zachary Community School District.
Learn more at www.educatoralexander.com.
Email: educatoralexander@gmail.com
Website: https://www.educatoralexander.com/
Phone: 318-759-7591
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EducatorAlexander
Twitter: @educatoralex