Become an ed tech ninja with your friends

Technological change evolves much faster than institutional change can keep pace, so we need a way to learn in a way that fits our busy lives.  Your teacher feedback has shown this to be the case, and you are looking for a way to quickly collaborate and share ideas in an organized way.

This video will show you how to use Bedford's Ed Tech blog the post and comment on your ed tech successes and challenges.

Your posts do not need to be formal.  The idea is that you have a place to quickly share thoughts and ideas when it is convenient for your schedule.  You are extremely busy and getting everyone together for a regular meeting may not be realistic, so a blog like this is ideal in this situation.

Using video, images, audio and links can greatly enhance your ideas.  Most people agree that face-to-face collaboration is the most desirable way to work as a team, but adding something like a short video explanation can get us pretty close.

If you can think of Blogger, Youtube, Facebook, Google, etc. as the modern versions of the slide-rule, abacus, pencil, paper, etc., we can accomplish great things while keeping pace with the way the world works today.  

Our students desperately need us to help them navigate the wide open world of technology.  If we can help our students to avoid getting lost in all of the garbage out there, we can show them how to use technology to love to learn...to become creators of information instead of consumers.

A great place for us to start would be to sign up to follow this blog from the "Follow by email" box in the upper-right corner of this page.  Then I would recommend finding a couple of other blogs that interest you to follow by email.  In this way, you will get frequent updates of other teachers' thoughts and experiences which can provide great motivation and inspiration for your classroom.

Here are a couple to start with:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/

All Bedford school teachers have been invited to be an author on this blog.  If you can't find it in your email, send a request to support@bedford.k12.ia.us.  If you are not a Bedford school teacher and would like contribute a post to this blog, contact our tech team at support@bedford.k12.ia.us to be added as an author.

Tools used to create this post:

blogger.com

Screencast-o-matic (free)

iMovie

youtube.com

update: it appears that we are only allowed 100 authors per blog, so if you didn't receive an invitation and would like to post, let me know and we'll make it work.  :)

Teacher's Easy Guide to Creating Quiz Shows on GoogleDrive

Teacher's Easy Guide to Creating Quiz Shows on GoogleDrive

Here is another how-to I found over Christmas Break I thought I should share.

Carl

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/01/teachers-easy-guide-to-creating-quiz.html

A Step by Step Guide on How to Create Flashcards Using Google Spreadsheets

A Step by Step Guide on How to Create Flashcards Using Google Spreadsheets

I saw this over break and thought I would share.

Carl

URL:  http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/01/a-step-by-step-guide-on-how-to-create.html

Open Pages Docs from Google Drive

You can now open your Pages documents, or any other document that uses an application on your computer, directly from your Google Drive when using Chrome (doesn't work in Firefox).

Here's how:

1. Install this Chrome extension.
2. Download, install and launch the latest version of the Drive app for Mac
3. Ensure you are using the new look for Drive

Once you are setup with the above steps, Ctrl-click on any Pages document in your Google Drive and select Open With.  Pages will be one of your choices.

Until next time!

For more details

Tips to speed up your Mac if it is running slow

Here are some things you can do to help keep your Mac running smoothly.

1. Shutdown unwanted apps
2. Use Activity Monitor
3. Get rid of preference panes
4. Cut down on Login items
5. Free up hard drive space
6. Software update
7. Verify Disk and Repair Permissions
8. Turn off visual effects
9. Reboot

Google Docs Offline Editing

HOW TO ENABLE OFFLINE EDITING

If you and your class are using Google Docs on a regular basis on a Mac or Chromebook, you should consider enabling the offline editing feature.  This will allow you and your students the ability to create and edit Google Docs, Sheets, Presentations (Slides), and Drawings without an internet connection.

*To edit Google Docs and Sheets offline on your mobile device, you must have the Google Docs and Sheets apps installed. All other files can be viewed using the Google Drive app.

Google Gadget-Slideshow Maker

If you want to add a rotating image slideshow on your Google site a quick way is to add the Slideshow Maker gadget.  The first thing to do is follow the link below to the Slideshow Maker Template I have created below.  Copy the template by selecting "File" and then "Make a Copy" so you can edit it and add your own photos.  When using the template do not move the blue frame!  This is very important or your final project will not be correct.  Delete my photo from the slide. From there insert one of your photos to the first slide.  Control click the photo and select Order, then Send to Back.  This will put your photo behind the frame.  Move, crop or shrink the photo so the image you want on the final product is visible inside the frame. Again, don't move the frame over the picture, move the picture behind the frame. Duplicate the slide and repeat the process above.  Continue with this until you have all the photos for your slideshow in the presentation.