#TCEA16 Favorite Finds

What did I learn at TCEA? What did I not learn! The annual state technology conference always leaves me in a mindblown state; one that takes me a while to process. I always leave the conference on information overload. This year I took several Photoshop sessions, sessions on improving professional development and anything Google. 

Since Google is my first love, I thought I would share some of my favorite finds from this year.

Voice Typing in Google Docs

• Google Docs now has voice typing. 
• When you open Google Docs, go to Tools and click Voice Typing. You will have to enable the microphone on your computer (that should just pop up when you click on it).
• Then click to speak on the microphone that appears.
• The microphone will turn red when it begins to record your voice. 

     

Inserting Non-YouTube Videos in Google Slides
Adding YouTube videos to Google Slides is an easy process, but getting other video formats into a Google Slide can be tricky. Here are the steps to add a non-YouTube video. (Tutorial video)

• Find the mp4 file you want to include in your slide in your Google Drive.
• Take a screenshot of the video to serve as a hyperlink placeholder to your mp4 file.
• Go back to Google Slides, and find the slide you want to add the video link to.
• Insert the screenshot you just took.
• Downsize the screenshot as you see fit for your slide.
• Select the screenshot and insert the hyperlink.
• You can do this with CTRL + K (on a PC) or Command + K (on a Mac).
• Paste the shareable link of the mp4 file in Google Drive.
• Click Apply once you’ve pasted your link.
• Now, your image is hyperlinked to take the user to the video located in Drive.

Google Tips and Tricks

• Remote Sign-Out for Google Account in Gmail
• Forgot to log out of your Google Account on someone else's computer? No worries. 
• Log in to Gmail > Scroll to bottom right > Click on 'Details' > 'Sign out All Other Sessions'
• Reopen a Tab/Recover a Tab in Chrome
• Closed a tab in Chrome by accident?
• Reopen a Tab: Shift + Command + T (mac) OR Control + Shift + T (Windows)
• Recover a Tab:  Control + Tab
• Bookmark all Tabs in Chrome
• To Bookmark:  Right click over a tab > Select 'Bookmark All Tabs' > Save into a New Folder > Title Your Folder
• To Find Bookmarked Tabs:  Chrome Settings > Bookmarks > Locate the Folder > Open All Bookmarks
• Find Someone in a Google Doc
• Not sure where someone is typing in a shared Google Doc? 
• Click on their profile picture (square up in th top right) to jump to the spot on the document where they are.
• Share a Google Doc via Comment Feature
• Bring another person into the conversation by adding them via their Google account.
• Add as follows: Click on insert comment and then type the plus sign and their Gmail account
• Example: +kjohnsontech@gmail.com

TCEA Favorite Finds: Google Flubaroo and autoCrat

Teachers, are you interested in a free, online tool to grade online assignments in under a minute?

Do you want to be able to get immediate analysis on student performance and email students their scores?

Have you heard about Google Sheets and Add-ons which extend the capabilities of the spreadsheets?
One of my favorite Google tools and take-away from TCEA is Google Forms, Google Sheets, Flubaroo and autoCrat.

Flubaroo makes grading online assignments in under a minute and measuring student performance a breeze.

Excited to share, upon return from TCEA we immediately gathered teachers to share Google Forms and Flubaroo.

Carroll High School (CHS) teachers are using Flubaroo to grade assignments via Google Forms, using Flubaroo with Google Docs to collect data and as a classroom student response system, and using self-graded Google forms.

Read how other teachers are using Flubaroo at What people are saying about Flubaroo.

The CHS Associate Principal, Dr. Ellis, is using this Google Forms and Flubaroo add-on to supplement the campus STAAR online training and Professional Development.

Dr. Ellis created a STAAR training presentation, turned it into a video with voice over, uploaded the video to a learning management system, and is using a Google Form to check for learning and staff completion of the training.

autoCrat is an add-on for Goggle Sheets that automates the creation and sharing of personalized (e.g.merged) Google Docs or PDF email attachments from columns of data in a Google Sheet.

This feature gives teachers that ability to create personalized certificates and letters to parents and students. On campus we plan to explore uses of autoCrat for beginning of the year gathering of data for students, parents, teachers and booster clubs as an efficient way to create and share personalized email attachements.

If you want to learn more about autocrat, this is a great ten minute youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDbpjlDAepI