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Showing posts from September, 2016

You can't be in two places at once but your docs can!

Question During a planning session the question came up about having one Google Doc live in two different folders at the same time. Did you know this was actually possible? Example You have plans about a science project or lab. That Google Doc is currently in your planning folder neatly tucked into your Google Drive. Your team/PLC/LLC also needs that Doc to live in your common planning folder. Solution Open Google Drive. Find the file you need in two simultaneous places.  1. Click on that file. 2. Then click Shift + Z . This menu will appear. Add the file to another folder.

Can you really shoot a compelling video on a cell phone?

Is it really possible to shoot and edit a great video on a mobile device? This post was written to support the PBL English classes at the high school. We believe everyone can benefit from this in and out of the classroom. 1. What do you watch now? We used two simple guiding questions to start the class thinking about the videos they watch on a regular basis. What videos do you watch now? What keeps you coming back for more? 2.  Apple of my eye - shot on an iPhone 4 We watched this short video shot entirely on an iPhone. The class broke into small focus groups to watch for the following: angles the video was shot in movement of the camera sound/audio lighting cuts in the video audience - who is the intended audience The above elements helped our discussion about what makes a great video. 3. THINK This acronym was designed to help those shooting video on mobile devices focus on what is most important. shoo T with a storyboard . H old that camera steady. I n

Adding a website to your taskbar = speedy quick access!

A website shortcut can live on your desktop but what about on your taskbar? Check this out! Find the website you want to pin to your taskbar. 1. Click the hot dog/hamburger icon in the upper right corner. 2. Click More tools. 3. Click Add to desktop . Click Add in the little popup that appears. 1. Click the Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen. 2. Right click on the icon you just added. 3. Click More . 4. Click Pin to taskbar .

Lets talk about it - quick fast collaboration.

IMAGE We (the whole team) needed to create a doc but we are not all face to face. Typing chat messages can only go so far, I need to hear you to actually collaborate. Is this an issue you face? Check out this idea from Cindy Kapodistrias. Open your email. 1. Look on the left side of your screen. Click on the small magnifying glass. 2. Type in a name of one of the people you want to chat with. This chat window will appear in the lower right corner of your screen. Click the head with the plus symbol by it to start adding additional people to the session. Start typing their names in the Search for people window. Find the people you want to chat with. Click Create group . Click the little camera and start chatting away! It will initiate a video call. This will enable you to talk about what you are working on. Very simple and effective. 

Seesaw's September "PD in Your PJs"

Teachers are lifelong learners.  Here is an opportunity for all of you Seesaw users! September 2016 is "PD in Your PJs" month at Seesaw .  Each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will feature webinars that explore a wide variety of topics and strategies for maximizing learning with Seesaw. Check out the session offerings and register here . Not available for the live webinar?  By registering for a session, you will receive a link to the recorded session via email which you can view at your leisure. Only have a few minute to spare?  Special "sprint" sessions last ten minutes.  Look for the running man emoticon on the registration calendar. Happy learning!

Topics - another new Google Classroom feature

Sometimes things get a little too much in Classroom. So many assignments and announcements, how does a student quickly filter it all to what is important right now? BAM! Check this out! You create your assignment like normal. You can also go back in and edit things you have already posted. You might have noticed the topics section near the due date drop down. Click and choose Create topic . I created a new topic and clicked Save . Now a topics section appears on the far left side of the Classroom page. I can click on a listed topic and only what was tagged appears, everything else disappears. Nice and clean. Read more about organizing your class stream from Google.