Broadcast Student Work to the Head of the Class!

Recently, Google released the Google Cast for Education App.  This app is a game-changer in terms of student presentation and collaboration.  

The purpose of the app is to allow users to broadcast work from the chrome browser on their device to the screen at the front of the room.  It does require that the computer/chromebook attached to your projector/TV have Google Chrome and the Google Cast for Education app.

Watch this video for a quick overview:

For schools who are working 1:1 with Chromebooks, this is an obvious choice in terms of presenting student work, and allowing for collaboration and discussion.  But use stretches so far beyond that.  Imagine you are in training with teachers, or in a faculty meeting.  If a participant has an example of a website or video they are trying to share, you no longer have to worry about having to switch devices, or look up the information on the computer attached to your projector/TV.  You can simply allow them to share their Chrome window directly to the Receiver device.

To get started:

1. Add the Google Cast for Education App to the Chrome Browser on your Teacher Computer.
2. Open the App and setup your Receiver Name
3. Click the Share Button
4. Add any students or teachers (email addresses) or courses from Google Classroom that are allowed to Cast.
5. You are ready to receive Casts.

For Students

1. Students will need the Google Cast Extension on their Chrome Browser.
1. Check with your GAFE Admin about setting this extension up for all students.
2. When students are using the Chrome browser, they can click on the Cast extension in their Chrome browser and ask to broadcast their browser or tab to your Google Cast for Education screen.
3. When they are finished, they can click Stop Casting.

Try it out this summer and then brainstorm ways you can use it right away at the start of the school year.  How will you use it?  Leave a comment on this article.

3 Ways to Optimize Chrome for Better Browsing

Sometimes when browsing the web, people get so wrapped up in work that they soon lose track of sites they've visited.  If you're like me, you often visit so many sites looking for information that is easy to  confuse one page with another when you need to go back to that one nugget of wisdom you need as a reference.  Sure, you can always go back and sift through your browser history, but there is a much simpler way to organize your research.

Bookmarks
Now I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't always a fan of bookmarks.  Whether it was Internet Explorer, Safari, or Netscape Navigator (Whoa! That's a throwback), I just didn't like bookmarks.  But with Chrome, the Bookmarks Bar makes it easy to keep track of your pages.  

First let's talk about how to bookmark a page.  To Bookmark any page on Chrome, click the Star at the end of the Omnibox (URL address bar).  A popup box will open where you can name your bookmarked link.  

Once you've click Done, your Bookmark will appear on your Bookmarks bar.  Can't see your Bookmarks Bar?  Click on Settings>Bookmarks>Show Bookmarks Bar.

If you get too many bookmarks on your Bookmarks Bar, there are a few solutions.  

• First, you can right click on any Bookmarked page and choose Rename.  You can change the name of any bookmark to whatever you want.  I often will use acronyms or initials so I can fit more bookmarks on the bar.  

• Second, you can right click on the bookmarks bar and choose Add Folder to create a folder for all of you links.  I organize mine into categories such as Work, School, Church, PD, etc...

Startup Pages (Home Pages)
Do you have a number of websites that you visit every day for work or school that you access frequently?  Rather than bookmark them and open them every day, why not set them as your Startup Page.  To set a Home Page on Chrome, click on Settings.  In the On Startup section, choose Set Pages.  If you already have your preferred pages/tabs open on your browser, you can choose Use Current Pages.  Then click OK.  From there forward, Chrome will open to the tabs you have saved as Startup Pages.

Save to Google
Finally, another option for optimizing browsed sites is the Save to Google extension.  This Chrome Extension allows you to quickly and easily save pages for later viewing.  This is great if you are researching a project and need to file away a page for later.  It's also great as an alternative to Bookmarks, if you are a visual person.  The extension is available in the Chrome Web Store.  Once installed, you simply click on the extension when visiting any page you want to save.  You can also add Tags to your saved pages.  

When you're ready to view your saved pages, go to http://www.google.com/save.  Your saved pages appear as tiles.  Want to view one?  Click on it and view info on your page.  Click again to visit it.  View your pages by Tags, by clicking on the menu at the top left, and choosing a tag.

Techy Teacher's Toolbox

Today I'm passing along some tips I have shared at a Google Conference, as well as our district faculty.  Originally shared as the Spring Break Toolbox to new subscribers to this site, it has been renamed the Techy Teacher's Toolbox. In this li'l download, you'll find tips such as:

• Chrome Browser Tips
• Classroom Apps 
• Chrome Extensions

Each of the tips are tools, apps and extensions that I use on a daily basis.  I hope you enjoy the information in this guide as much as I do.  

Download Here!

Save to Google - A Launch Page for your Favorite Sites

This week, Google released the Save to Google Chrome Extension.  This handy tool allows users to save their favorite websites to Google Chrome.  

How is this any different than creating Bookmarks?  If you're like me, I'm a visual person.  I avoided bookmarks like the plague for so long, because having a  list of bookmarked webpages didn't do anything for me.  I wanted to see a thumbnail view of the site, or at least some large icon representing what that site is about.  That way, I would have a visual reminder.

So now it's Save to Google to Save the Day!  

 

If you have a Website you want to save, just click the Star Icon for the Save to Google Extension.  That's all you have to do.   One click does it.  When you want to view your saved sites, go to http://www.google.com/save

You can also Tag your Saved Sites so they can be categorized.  To do this, you can add Tags as you save sites, or just visit your saved sites page, click on a tile and add the tag.  To view tags by category, just click the Tag at the upper left side of the page.

Finally, if you can't remember what your saved site is about, you can click on it and open the description.  Don't like the default description?  Change it!  Just highlight the description and type a new one in.  Then click Enter. It's saved!

There are other programs online that do the same thing such as Pocket or Symbaloo, but like all things Google, this has a clean and simple look, and an easy interface, so anyone can do it.  Plus you don't have to create a new account for another service.  It is part of the every growing number of Google Services available to GAFE and Gmail users.

Google Apps, AddOns, and Extensions

Google Chrome is a powerful tool for browsing the web, but did you know you can super charge your browsing experience by adding Apps and Extensions?  What are apps and extensions?  

• Chrome Apps - these are web based applications that can be added to your Chrome Apps Page or Chrome App Launcher.
• Chrome Extensions - These are tools that can be added to your Chrome Browser

Also, if you are a Google Drive user, you may know that there are AddOns that you can install in Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms to beef up your productivity and document creation.   

You can easily add these tools to your browser by visiting the Chrome Web Store (http://chrome.google.com/webstore).  Some AddOns may not be viewable in the store, but you can find them in the AddOns menu of whatever Google App you are using.

Now that you know what is possible, below is a list of tools you can't do without!  Just providing enough to make you dangerous, then you can set yourself loose on the webstore to really start exploring.

Apps

• Pocket - This app allows you to save and archive websites/articles for viewing later.  You can use your Google Account to set up your Pocket account. Great for those times that you simply can't read every article or site that you run across.  Just pocket it for later.
• Socrative - This student response app allows teachers to create, edit and deploy assessments.  Students can respond on any web connected mobile device or computer.  And its FREE!
• Remind - this tool is a free, safe way for teachers to interact with students and parents.  Sent out notifications to participants via text or email - whatever format users wish to receive.  Plus you can also setup the Chat feature so that students and parents can respond or reply.
• NewsELA - This tool provides a large library of articles that can be used to engage students in nonfiction and news articles.  Articles can be scaled to the students needs across 5 reading levels.  Plus, teachers can also administer quizzes and discussion questions related to the articles students read, for a great reading comprehension exercise.
• HootSuite - Very simply put, this app allows you to connect all your social media accounts so you can access them in one place.  Wonderful tool if you have social media accounts for the classroom.

AddOns 

• Autocrat - This add on for sheets allows you to merge Sheet data with a Google Doc.  Great for Mail Merges.
• Draftback - Allows users to playback the revision history of a document.  Sort of like watching the document be created all over again. Great as a plagiarism checker, as you can see large pieces of text dropped in at once instead of being typed....
• EasyBib - This add on for Google Docs allows users to search for and add citations to their documents - in MLA, Chicago, APA and more....
• Flubaroo - This add on for a Google Form Response Sheet allows you to grade assessments automatically as they are submitted, and inform students of their grade and responses.  Great time-saver for teachers.
• Merge Values - This add on for sheets allows you to merge values in a google sheet.  Great when paired with Power Tools.
• Power Tools - This add on allows Sheets users to perform many of the functions found in Excel, including capitalization, split (text to columns), data merge, etc...
• Site Maestro - This add on for Google Sheets allows you to create and manage ePortfolio sites for students using a Google Site template you have previously created.  This description will not do justice to the actual add on - you have to watch the video tutorial to see how powerful this tool is!

Extensions

• ColorZilla - This extension allows you to pick a color from anything on your screen and get the RGB values for the color so you can use them in Photoshop or any other program.  More useful than you would know!
• Crafty Text - This extension allows users to display large text on a banner over an existing webpage.  Great for lectures, presentations, or bellringer activities.
• OneTab - Reduces tabs on your browser down to a  list on one tab.  Tab can be shared with others using a link.  Great way to share a list of links for projects and research, with students.
• Save to Pocket - This extension for Chrome allows you to Save articles and sites to your Pocket Account directly from your browser.
• SnagIt - This chrome extension from TechSmith allows you to capture images and screen casts from your browser and save them in Google Drive.  Great screen cast and image tool!
• Tab Resize - Need to view two tabs side by side?  Tired of having to reduce/restore and resize on your own?  Turn your chrome browser into a split screen. Let this extension do the work for you.  Love it!

#edcamp918 Session Notes: Chrome Apps and Extensions

Today I led a session on Chrome Apps and Extensions.  These are the notes that were taken and shared in that session.  Enjoy!

Video Tutorials at http://www.techycoach.com

Chrome Webstore: http://chrome.google.com/webstore

Extensions:

• goo.gl: URL Shortener
• Crafty Text: creates banners on screen
• Tab Resize: create multiple screens automatically
• Snagit: (TechSmith): screenshot that can be resized, saved into Google Drive
• Clipular - similar to snagit but doesn’t save image to your computer (you can download if you want), it saves it to your clipular account and then you can easily drag and drop into whatever you’re working on
• OneTab: reduces an entire set of tabs to one web address to share with students (then shorten to share)
• Keep Awake: keeps the screen on for as long as you set it
• Black Menu: click on extension icon and menu pops up with lots of google tools
• Google Tone: broadcast a web address to other computers in the room (that have tone installed) to give them a notification and one click there
• Share to Classroom: automatically shares the website you’re on to your google classroom

Apps:

• Socrative: Quick assessment tool
• Remind: a super easy way to stay in touch with your students/parents

Additional Tips

• To right click on chromebook, just press with 2 fingers
• Go incognito mode to test things to see what it looks like if you’re not logged in to you

Google Tone and the Chromebook Classroom

For all the teachers out there in a 1:1 environment using Chromebooks, have I got a deal for you!  If you've ever had a URL link that you wanted to share with your class and you dread reading it out loud for kids to enter into their device, you've got to try Google Tone.  

Google Tone is a Chrome Extension that you can use to share URL Links by an audible tone.  Here's how it works.  

1. First, both computers (sending and receiving) must have Google Tone installed as an extension on the Chrome Browser. 
   
2. Next, visit any website that you want to share with you students.
3. Click the Google Tone icon on your browser.
4. An audible tone will sound that can be received by your students' Chromebooks.
   
5. Students will be prompted by a popup message to visit the URL shared by your computer.
   
6. Its that easy!

While  you certainly can provide a link to students by placing it on the board, adding it as an announcement on Google Classroom or as a link on a webpage, having the ability to share a link on the fly that students can quickly view is a definite must for any 1:1 classroom.

Try it out!

Need Help with Chrome Extensions?  Watch this video!