DISD Ed Tech News
Nov. 14, 2016
Shake Up Learning Shares The Secrets to Keeping Up with Google
She says that in answer to the often asked question "How do you keep up with Google?" she decided to share how she utilizes social media to stay up-to-date and learning. She learns from her PLN, from bloggers, from news sources, from YouTube and a variety of other social media platforms and she has compiled a list of hashtags, people, blogs, communities and more that she follows. If this sounds overwhelming, don't let it be! Look through this great resource and pick one or two sources for Google information that you might utilize in your classroom and then add more as time goes on if you like.
In Part 3 & 4 of her guide she talks about "Who & What to Follow on Google+" and "Google Communities". I find that Google+ may be one of the least utilized teacher resources we have available. Think of it as your "Facebook for Education". You can find groups/communities of educators in your grade level or content area and wonderful resources for your classroom. Whether it is agencies offering virtual field trips & online experiences or groups like Discovery Education, Smithsonian, or Google Wonders of the World that are constantly posting timely resources for your students, you will be amazed at the wealth of knowledge available there. If you haven't visited Google+ before simply type in plus.google.com in the address bar of your computer or visit the Google Web Store to install the Google+ app.
Check out Kasey Bell's Guide to Keeping Up with Google on her website here.
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More Ways to "Wonder" Now Available
Wonderopolis was created by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) to pose a new question, the "Wonder of the Day", each day and then explore it in a variety of ways. Teachers and families will find that the content is aligned to educational standards and designed to pique the natural curiosity of students. At the heart of the site is the "Wonder of the Day" which starts with a question to get you wondering. There are videos and pictures and the "Did You Know?" section has informational text that students will want to read. Students will find vocabulary support for words they may not know in the text and there is a word game they can play to test their understanding. Wonders such as "How many stairs can you climb?"and "Where is the longest stairway in the world?" or “Will a watermelon grow in your belly if you swallow a seed?” will encourage students to read and explore. There is also a "What are you wondering" section where students can submit their own questions and see and vote on the questions that others are asking. Students and teachers can also search for Wonders in the "Explore Wonders" tab by typing in a word or clicking on a picture on that page that interests them.
There is a new space in Wonderopolis for teachers called "Wonder Ground". It is designed for educators to provide resources to excite and engage students in classroom learning, find blogs, classroom resources, correlations to standards and ways to connect with other educators who are committed to inspiring curiosity in their students.
The "Camp Wonderopolis" area of the website has a virtual campground full of fun areas and activities to explore. Students can collect virtual "Wonder Cards" and can sign up for the new edition coming in the summer. There is also an interactive "Wonder Jar" where you can take a random "Wonder" from the jar to generate discussion and a link to sign up for the daily "Wonder of the Day" email. Click here to view a short 2 minute overview of the features of the website.
The slogan of Wonderopolis is "Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease" and it is well worth exploring for both teachers and students.
Learn How to Use Google Tools - Amazing Teacher Technology
From Russell Stannard at TeacherTrainingVideos.com
Russell Stannard is another "go to" for information on using technology to enrich your classroom and he produces some great (and free) video tutorials for teachers on many different topics. Below is a recent posting from Russell. Also check out the rest of his tutorials at www.teachertrainingvideos.com.
Google Tools allows you to make online surveys, quizzes, questionnaires etc. Great for collecting information about your students, getting feedback, collecting data for research. You can make a questionnaire, share the link and the students just click on the link and answer the questions. All the data is automatically collated like magic!!
A complete introduction into using Google Forms
There are also some advanced features in Google Forms. This set of videos shows you some of the advanced features
Advanced Features in Google Forms
Don't forget to click on full screen when watching the videos. It will be a much better experience.
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A Faster Way to Add Events to Google Calendar
That drop-down arrow is the Quick Add feature of Google Calendar. When you click on the drop-down arrow you get access to the Quick Add bar where you can start typing in your event. You don't have to worry about the format of your wording because Google has adapted this feature to follow the logic of natural speech. For example, if you type in "dentist appointment next Thursday at 1:00" you will find that Google has added a 1:00 dentist appointment to your calendar on the following Thursday without you having to open up an event and edit all of the details the traditional way. If you mention a location in your Quick Add box you will find that Google has added the location to the "where" details in your calendar event too.
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Two Ways to Instantly Create a Color Palette Based on Any Image
One handy tool is the Palette Creator extension. You can add it to your Chrome browser from the Chrome web store by simply clicking the Add to Chrome button. Once you add it you will be able to instantly create a color palette based on any image you find while searching the web. When you find an image that you want to use and you want to know the colors to create a pleasing color palette for your designs you simply right-click on the image and select Palette Creator from the menu that appears. You can select an 8-color palette up to a 32-color palette with the HEX codes for those colors. All you have to do then is copy the HEX code for the color you want and go back to the project you are working on. In most places where you have the option to specify a custom color there will be a box where you can enter a HEX code. Just paste the code you copied for the color you want and it will be applied to that area of your project, whether it is backgrounds, borders or fonts.
Another useful color-matching tool is the Eye Dropper extension. Once you have added the extension to your Chrome browser, when you find an image with a color you want to copy you simply click on the Eye Dropper icon in your extensions and tell it to select from a web page. Your cursor will change to a small eye dropper and you can move it to the exact spot/color on the screen that you want to copy the color from. Click to copy and you will be give the HEX code for that color as well as from a range of similar colors. There are multiple extensions available in the Chrome Web Store to accomplish this sort of color matching so try some of them out if you are interested.
Reminder - Free and Sale iOS Apps and Kindle Books Lists
Just a reminder that if you would like to receive the (mostly) daily emails with lists of Free and Sale iOS Apps and Free and Sale Kindle Books you can sign up for either or both of those lists at http://bit.ly/freeappslist.
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DISD Instructional Technology
Email: rhonda.artho@dumasisd.org
Website: http://www.dumasisd.org/about-education-instructional-technology
Location: Teacher Training Center, DHS
Phone: 806-936-6461 1029