Search Your Drive!

The search feature in Google Drive is a great way to quickly locate documents! You can search using filters such as owner, document type, and date. 

Watch the 2min. tutorial below for some quick tips! 

Google Documents: Email Collaborators

Use the "Email Collaborators" feature located in the "File" menu in Google Docs to make sure your collaborators (including students) see your comments. While you could use the "comment" feature, that requires your collaborators to locate the document to see the comment. Using "Email Collaborators" automatically includes a link to the document in your email for easy access by the recipient. (see GIF below)

"Share" in Google Docs/Sheets/Slides Explained

The "SHARE" feature in Google can be confusing unless you are using it regularly. First, it's important to understand that ALL DOCUMENTS IN GOOGLE DRIVE (including folders) HAVE THEIR OWN WEB ADDRESS that can be shared in many ways. I've tried narrowing the options down to 4 main concepts: 

1. Share with a few individuals
2. Share with a larger group
3. Download or Email as a different File Type
4. Force others to make a COPY before accessing the document

Here are a few quick resources to help you decide which option is right for the situation. 

VIDEO TUTORIAL: Google Share Settings Explained 

Google Forms Quiz for PD Hour Certificate

SHARE SETTINGS EXPLAINED POSTER

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings SHARE Comparison Chart

TEAM DRIVE Options

PC Mag: 

How to Share Google Drive Files

Google Drive Help: 

Share files from Google Drive

Google Lit Trips: A Visual Exploration Through Literature (K-12)

Google Lit Trips are a great way to give your students another perspective on the events and locations in literature. Lit Trips uses Google Earth to plot out important event locations in a book through a pre-made, interactive path. Easy to save, easy to import and share with students in Google Classroom, you can instantly draw your students into deeper engagement and understanding in just a few steps. If you don't see a book in the list of pre-made Lit Trips, you can make your own! (more on that in another post) 

Click the video below to get started.

Click here for an alphabetical list of available titles. 

Turn off Desktop Notifications for Google Hangouts

To shut off the desktop notifications for Hangouts, simply open Hangouts, click the settings menu on the left (the three stacked lines) then uncheck the box that says "Show Desktop Notifications for New Messages" 

***You will still hear an alert sound for incoming messages, but a preview of the message will NOT pop up on your computer. This is handy if you are signed into your Google account on your Smartboard computer. It will keep students from seeing your messages. 

Google Classroom: Updates Explained

Google Classroom went through many updates over the summer. I sent out an email back in August, but here is the quick overview if you still feel unsure about the changes.

*The three tabs at the top are now:
-Stream- a place for quick announcements, a preview of classwork posts and discussions.
-Classwork- no longer listed in chronological order, rather listed by Topic. If you want to add things such as syllabus, materials, etc., create a post under the topic "Materials"
-People- see students enrolled and add guardians

*Settings Gear- adjust student comment abilities and guardian access
*Easier Grading- directly flip to the next document and grade directly in the document as well as use a comment bank to quickly add duplicate comments
*Copy Entire Class: the Stream will be erased as it's specific to each school year's needs and all Classwork will be saved as a "draft" so you can edit and assign as needed. All students will be removed from the prior year
Idea!- a master course could be created and copied for teachers to use around the district.

Watch this short 7min. overview for details. 

Click the links below for 
additional help:

Time for a refresh: Meet the new Google Classroom

Elementary Tech Training Sign Up

MS/HS Tech Training Sign Up

***NOTE: Use the "To-Do" option to quickly access assignments that need to be graded rather than searching for items individually  . 

Edit Your PDF with Doc Hub

How many times have you found a document that you'd love to share with the kids or edit for yourself only to find it's a PDF?

PDFs (portable document format) are files that, for the most part, cannot be edited. The text and images are "flattened". So, unless you purchase a tool such as Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, your only other option is an "Add To" editing tool. I call them a "Add Too" tools, because that's what you do to the document. You ADD text, cover unwanted text, add images, line drawings, highlighting tools, etc. but cannot remove or edit existing items. 

My favorite "Add Too" by far is Doc Hub! I have used it with 6th and 7th grade students and found it very easy for them to manipulate. Students can access and sign up for it directly through their Google Drive. They can also share their work with you and collaborate with other students just like a Google doc. As a teacher, you have the option to add annotations BEFORE assigning it to students in Google Classroom and the ability to leave comments as they work.

Doc Hub also offers the option to add an electronic signature to documents. I have used it for scholarship applications and my daughter has used it for college club and job applications as well. 


NOTE: Need to SPLIT A PDF? Use a Chrome Extension such as Split PDF to break your PDF apart in to separate pages. 

Gmail is Updating!

Some of you may have noticed a change to your Gmail over the summer, or even during the past few days. Google is rolling out a new version of Gmail to make handling email even easier! Between now and October 16 you will either see the transition take place, or have the option of manually updating by clicking the settings gear in your Gmail and choosing to update manually. After Oct. 16, everyone will be updated automatically. Click here for the official update announcement.  To learn more on navigating your new Gmail, click below for tips or contact me and we can get together at a time convenient for you. Links for further information: GSuite Learning Center: What You Can Do with the NEW Gmail,  Learn What's New in Gmail

                                                                               

New Year- New Tech News

In an effort to streamline and organize technology topics of interest, I am giving blogging a try! With a blog I can label specific topics to easily locate and reference later on. Also, using a blog gives me more options for sharing content of different formats. My goal is to send out a VERY short blog entry once a week. If something catches your eye that you'd like to try in your classroom, send me an email and we can schedule a time to get together that is convenient for you. The link for this blog can also be found on the Margaretta Ed Tech site homepage under Tech News  or at margedtech.blogspot.com