Tech Happy Teacher

1. In Google Doc, Google Slides, or Google Drawings, click on "Tools" then "Research". You could also highlight a work or phrase and right click to choose "Research". 
2. This will open a Google search area in the right sidebar of your document.
3. Optional – Click the drop down arrow to view other options or to search "Everything"
4. Click through the arrow to return to the search results.
5. Use the pull-down arrow to narrow the search results.

Turn of the Lights  is very easy to use. With just one click on the lamp icon in the address bar, the entire page around the video will fade to dark, bringing one's attention on the video. Click again on the lamp icon or click on the black screen, and the page will return to normal. This is great for watching videos to avoid getting distracted. It’s put little black

Readability also a great extension that declutters web pages or articles for a better reading experience. If you have an article that has a great deal of distracting clutter, you can click the button and it will make the article more readable for you. I have a CNN article here

Another one I use a lot is Print Friendly & PDF. It will make any page print friendly. So, if a page you are printing has lots of graphics or advertisements, it will delete all of that and just look for text. If you are trying to reduce your printing to one page, you can eliminate portions that you don’t need so it will all fit. It will print to your printer, print to PDF or email your text where you tell it to go. It’s also very useful. I use it quite a bit

Another great extension that I use a lot, and you may want your students to use, is Google Docs Quick Create. It adds a simple menu to your browser bar to quickly create new Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Forms, and Drawings for Google Drive. Very simple, but very handy.

I also use the Add on Called “SPLIT at Selected Tab”. I love this and I think students will too. If you have at least two tabs in the selected Chrome window, it will split that window into two smaller side-by-side windows. All the tabs on the left side of the selected tab will stay in the left window, and the rest will move to the window on the right. This is great for students if you have instructions on one tab and they are completing an assignment in a Google App. They view both the assignment and their work simultaneously, hopefully with fewer distractions! Teachers can also have Flubaroo or Google Classroom grades open on one tab and a gr I used this when I was studying for the Google Educator exam and found it very useful!

Save to Google Keep is also an extension I like for myself and my students. It will “Keep” lists and notes on my phone and other devices, it’s one place for everything. You can easily save and sync your items across all of the platforms that you use — including web, Android, iOS. Web pages,  images, quotes, lists, assignments.  Students can keep assignments, media such as photos and links for projects and reminders.

Once in the app, you can take add detail and labels to quickly categorize your note for later retrieval.

So these are some extensions that I enjoy using. They really save time online and they are really accessible on your chrome browser. Thanks for watching this video and look for more like it on my channel.

With Google Cast, students or users can share their screen to a teacher or presenter eliminating the need for sharing files, emails, flash drives etc. Google Cast for Education allows the teacher station to receive students screens that are cast to his/her screen for presentation. So the teacher screen is the host, and invited students can cast to his/her screen. Google Cast - is for student use. Students download this extension and can share their screen when it’s ready.

Every once in awhile, we need a break from the computer. At least I know I do. Did you know you could play Atari Breakout on Google Image search? Super cool Google tool. Here's how: Just do an image search for "Atari Breakout" (or just click the hyperlink). A few more are listed below,  too. 

In this tutorial, I demonstrate adding green screen to a wevideo. If you have a google account, you can login with your Google credentials. Wevideo is very similar to Windows Moviemaker and other video editing software.

                                                

If you create a document and share it with students, you don't want to have to also instruct your students to go to file>make a copy as there will invariably be students who will start typing on the document like it's their own.  You prevent this when you create an assignment in Google Classroom. Students simply open the document you've posted and it automatically creates the file in the student folder and drive.

If you are not using Google Classroom, there is another way. You can grab the link of the doc, sheet, slide or drawing--the one you see when you are editing. The link will have the the word "edit" at the end.  If you replace the word EDIT with the word COPY, the user will automatically be prompted to make a copy of the file. Once they click the "Make a Copy," button, it will make a copy of the file and add it to their Google Drive. 

Google Forms is new and different, but the functions are still the same. Many teachers are using Google Forms in the classroom. These are just  few ways!

1. Parent/Teacher Night - Collect parent information like emails, phone numbers and contact info. The collected data can be used to create a parent email list.

2. Gather Student Information - Every year I have students complete a student info sheet titled, "In a Million Words or Less” Google Form. It will be helpful to have this typed up in one place, and you’ll get to know your students better.

3. Create a Web quest - Insert short videos and short answer options. Students watch, learn, and respond.

4. Collect an Assignment - Create a Google Form that asks students for the link to their project. Students create a "sharable link" in Google application (docs, slide, sheets) and submit the form. Assignments are collected in one place with a convenient time stamp and easy paperless access to each student's assignment.

5. Homework/Field Trip Tracker - Create a list of students at the beginning of the year and check off the form to keep a list of students who have turned in assignments or documents such as field trip forms, money collected, or other data. Use a device to walk around and check off student completion.

6. Exit Tickets - have students complete a quick exit ticket at the end of the class period to get a quick assessment of what they have learned and what they may need for more information.

7. Pre Assessment - provide students with questions to determine their prior knowledge on the topic.

8. KWL Form -  Similar to the pre-assessment form, you could also complete a KWL form. This would also work with training or workshops to determine a baseline of where to begin instruction.

9. Book Review - Have students complete a mini-book report on a library book they've read independently or as a class.

10. Pop Quiz - Create a Google Form quiz for comprehension or unannounced quiz. With all the answers in one place, you’ll be able to see trends—what don’t they understand? What topics do you need to reteach?

11. Survey Says! - Create a Survey for students - favorite character, career of choice,  methods of learning, for comprehension. The responses are great for generating classroom discussions!

12. Reflection - Give Students a Chance to Reflect Use Google Forms as a reflection tool for your students to think back on their learning.


Once you’ve created your Google Form, create a QR code so it’s easily accessible to your students.

You can take a Google Document (or uploaded Word File) and turn it into a Google Form for distribution.