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  • Gmail Tip -- Canned Responses for Email Templates to Reuse Frequent Message Content The "canned responses" lab in Gmail changed my life! Okay, perhaps an exaggeration, but anything that can save me minutes with email every single day, is pretty life-changing! Canned ...
    Posted Apr 23, 2018, 11:54 AM by Adrienne DeWolfe
  • 5 Things You Need to Know about Google Slides 1. Insert videos from Google Drive, not just YouTube!When inserting video you are no longer restricted to YouTube videos. This is great news since YouTube is blocked on our ...
    Posted Feb 12, 2018, 10:39 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe
  • Blended Learning, Student-Driven Learning & Staff Development Guiding PrinciplesOur mission is to help empower self-directed, digitally literate learners.  Staff learning should mirror the vision we have for student learning.Blended learning empowers student-driven learning ...
    Posted Aug 28, 2017, 10:06 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe
  • Share to Google Classroom Extension This tip will rock your world if you are using Google Classroom! We've installed the Share to Classroom Extension to student chrome accounts. If you add the Share to ...
    Posted Sep 22, 2017, 9:41 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe
  • Adding a Table of Contents to a G Doc Adding a table of contents with links to places in a document or page numbers, is often really helpful. Here is an example. In Google Docs, it's also a ...
    Posted Jun 5, 2017, 7:23 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe
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Gmail Tip -- Canned Responses for Email Templates to Reuse Frequent Message Content

posted Apr 23, 2018, 11:53 AM by Adrienne DeWolfe   [ updated Apr 23, 2018, 11:54 AM ]

The "canned responses" lab in Gmail changed my life! Okay, perhaps an exaggeration, but anything that can save me minutes with email every single day, is pretty life-changing! 


Canned response lab allows you to "reuse" and edit the same emails as templates without having to copy and paste anything. Just enable "canned responses" in gmail settings/labs. 

Directions are below. (Thanks to https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/gmail-templates-canned-responses for great directions! and also to @kcutler1 for the tip) 


Part 1: Activate Gmail Templates (aka Canned Responses)

Here’s how to quickly activate canned responses:

Step 1: In Gmail, click the Gear Icon , then click Settings:

gmail_templates_canned_responses_settings.png

Step 2: Click the tab that says "Labs."

gmail_templates_canned_responses_labs.png

Step 3: Search the term "canned responses," click "Enable," then save changes.

gmail_templates_canned_responses_enable.png


Part 2: Save Canned Responses

Once you've activated Gmail canned responses, create your templates. 

Step 1: Start a new email by hitting "Compose."

gmail_templates_canned_responses_compose.png

Step 2: Type the email you want to save as a template.

gmail_templates_canned_responses_template

Step 3: Click the down arrow on the bottom-right-hand corner of the compose window, hover over "Canned responses," then click "New canned response…".

gmail_templates_canned_responses_new_canned

Step 4: A new window will pop up where we can name the canned response.

gmail_templates_canned_responses_naming_canned

Part 3: Insert Canned Responses Into Email

Nice, we saved our first canned response. Now, here's how to insert the saved response into a new email:

Step 1: Start a new email by hitting "Compose."

gmail_templates_canned_responses_compose

Step 2: Click the down arrow on the bottom-right-hand corner of the compose window, hover over "Canned responses," then click on the canned response name (in this case, "Example template") under the Insert section.

gmail_templates_canned_responses_insert

Step 3: After the response is pasted, add your recipient and click send.

gmail_templates_canned_responses_send


5 Things You Need to Know about Google Slides

posted Feb 12, 2018, 9:46 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe   [ updated Feb 12, 2018, 10:39 PM ]

1. Insert videos from Google Drive, not just YouTube!

When inserting video you are no longer restricted to YouTube videos. This is great news since YouTube is blocked on our Chromebooks. 
Go to Insert > Video and select the Google Drive option. 

Autoplay Video

It used to be you had to click on the video to play it and then click off of the video to continue the Slides presentation. A pain in the neck when presenting with a clicker. When inserting a video into Google Slides you can now choose “Video options.” You can find this under the Format menu, in the toolbar or by right-clicking on the video. This opens a side panel with the option to “Autoplay when presenting.” You can also choose a start and end time for the video if you only want to show a portion of the video. 

Go to Format > Video Options. 

2. Q&A and History

Using the Q&A feature in Google Slides, audience members can actively participate by asking questions via a link. In the upper right-hand corner of your slides, where it says present, you can select Presenter View from the drop-down. 

Go to Tools > Q&A history to revisit all of the questions later. 

3. Slide Sorter in Google Slides (Grid View)

PowerPoint has Slide Sorter view. Now Google Slides has Grid view! It’s handy to see your slides sequenced horizontally in a grid. The grid also makes it easy to change the order by simply dragging and dropping. 

Go to View > Grid View. To return to the standard Flipstrip view, click the icon in the bottom left of the window.

5 Google Slide Tips


4. Publish to the Web

When you publish google slides or docs to the web, you create a copy of your file as a unique webpage with its own URL. 

  1. In Google Drive, open your file. From Docs, Sheets, or Slides, select File > Publish to the web.
    • For spreadsheets, select the entire spreadsheet or individual sheets
    • For presentations, choose how quickly to advance the slides
  2. Click Publish.

Copy the link and send it to anyone you’d like to share the file with or embed it in your website. This is how I do my Tech Newsletter. 

5. Insert a Chart Linked to a Spreadsheet that Auto Updates!

Try it: https://goo.gl/pMkXPM 

Go to Insert > Chart > From Sheets This will bring any chart you have in a spreadsheet into your Slides or Doc, but it’s dynamic, not static. Anytime that spreadsheet changes, the linked chart will show the option to update. This means that if your spreadsheet is being generated from a form, anytime someone submits to the form, it will update in your presentation!

Click update to show updated chart

Blended Learning, Student-Driven Learning & Staff Development

posted Aug 28, 2017, 9:04 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe   [ updated Aug 28, 2017, 10:06 PM ]

Guiding Principles

  • Our mission is to help empower self-directed, digitally literate learners.  


  • Staff learning should mirror the vision we have for student learning.


Blended learning empowers student-driven learning. 

Choice is a critical ingredient for student-driven learning. 
In blended learning, students learn, at least in part, online, with some control over at least one of these four key elements:
1. Time 
2. Place

3. Path

4. Pace

Introducing META -- Moraga Ed Tech Adventures     Access Code: 2n0nvfn
  1. Join the META Google Classroom with access code: 2n0nvfn 
  2. On the left, in META, select the 001 Start Here topic and read it. 
  3. Select a module, either Google Keep or Google Classroom, and try 1 level of a module with your partner. 
  4. With your partner, complete the feedback form:

Moraga Ed Tech Adventures Feedback

  












Share to Google Classroom Extension

posted Aug 21, 2017, 4:57 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe   [ updated Sep 22, 2017, 9:41 PM ]

This tip will rock your world if you are using Google Classroom! We've installed the Share to Classroom Extension to student chrome accounts. If you add the Share to Classroom Extension to your Chrome account (directions found here), you can instantly share a website to your students when they are in your Google Classroom. Say what?! You must see it to believe it, so watch the brief video below from Christina Whitmire. 

Share to Google Classroom Extension


Adding a Table of Contents to a G Doc

posted Jun 5, 2017, 6:39 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe   [ updated Jun 5, 2017, 7:23 PM ]

Adding a table of contents with links to places in a document or page numbers, is often really helpful. Here is an example. 

In Google Docs, it's also a SNAP! 

First, you will have to format your doc using Heading 1 and/or Heading 2 for titles or keywords. If you need help to Make a title or heading, use the link. 

Let's use this document for practice and as an example. Make a copy of the document. 

Follow these 4 simple steps or watch the screencast at the right to learn how to make a Table of Contents. 
  1. Open a document in Google Docs.
  2. Click where you want the table of contents.
  3. Click Insert and then Table of contents.
  4. Choose With page numbers or With blue links. The table of contents will appear.

To delete it, right-click and click Delete table of contents.

The table of contents reflects the titles and headings in your document.

  1. Open a document in Google Docs.
  2. Add a heading in your document.
  3. Click Refresh Refresh. The change will update in your table of contents.

Add a Table of Contents to a G Doc



Sphero - Are You Smarter Than a 3rd Grader?

posted May 23, 2017, 9:43 AM by Adrienne DeWolfe


Smarter than a 3rd Grader - Sphero Lightning Lab


Quick Search Tips

posted Apr 25, 2017, 10:28 AM by Adrienne DeWolfe

Narrow your search results by:
  • News
  • Videos
  • Images

Use Tools:
  • Set a time range to get fresh articles 
  • Set the maximum length for a video 

Go to Settings/Advanced Search:
  • Search for copyright-friendly images with Usage Rights


Quick Google Search Tips


Google Keep

posted Apr 24, 2017, 9:10 PM by Adrienne DeWolfe   [ updated Apr 24, 2017, 9:56 PM ]

I'm pretty excited about Google Keep. It was just added to the G Suite for Education so students have access too! It also integrates seamlessly with Google Docs!

Google Keep is like post-it notes, Evernote, voice memos and a list app, all-in-one. 


Why am I excited?? Let me count the ways...
  1. Got post-it notes but can't find them? Add labels in Keep to keep all of those notes organized and easy to search. You can color code too, just like with post-its.
  2. Got chart paper from a great brainstorming session but don't want to retype it all? BAM - Use the "Grab image text" tool and it converts the image of your chart paper to typed text! Analog, meet digital! (This article explains it in detail.)
  3. Want to share those notes with your brainstorming group? Use the "Collaborator" feature in Keep and share away. 
  4. Doing research for your blog post? Capture helpful sites with Google Keep and tag them. When you are ready to write that post, simply search your tags and drag them into your document. 
  5. Tired of trying to find something in your bookmarks? Use the Google Notes extension to capture a site and annotate it. Slap a label on it and the next time you need it, do a simple search. With the Google Keep Chrome Extension, easily save web pages, images etc. and have them synced across all of the platforms that you use. Take notes for additional detail and add labels to quickly categorize your note for later retrieval.
  6. Got whiteboard notes that you want to share with absent students? Use the "Grab image text" tool and it converts your notes to typed text. 
  7. See a cool bulletin board idea you want to try? Snap a picture on your mobile device to add to a note.

Share this article on Twitter. 
 

Introduction to Google Keep



  • How might students use Google Keep? 

Chrome Extensions

posted Mar 12, 2017, 11:32 AM by Adrienne DeWolfe   [ updated Aug 20, 2017, 11:17 AM ]

How to Install Extensions - Click here for the G Doc with directions or watch the video below:

Some Favorite Extensions
  • OneTab - Whenever you find yourself with too many tabs, click the OneTab icon to convert all of your tabs into a list. When you need to access the tabs again, you can either restore them individually or all at once. Reduces the memory used on your computer by 95%.
  • G-Suite Training - G Suite Training provides simple, interactive, just-in-time training lessons to get you up and running fast with G Suite (formerly Google Apps). 
  • Screencastify - The easiest way to record, annotate, store, and share video screen captures. Record a specific tab, or your whole desktop. The Lite version is free and usually suffices, but has editing turned off.

  • Google Keep - With the Google Keep Chrome Extension, easily save web pages, images etc. to Keep and have them synced across all of the platforms that you use. Take notes for additional detail and add labels to quickly categorize your note for later retrieval.
  • Extensity - This extension allows you to turn your extensions off and on with a click. Really important once you've installed many extensions.

Extensity Demo:

Padlet Templates for Collaboration

posted Feb 28, 2017, 12:21 AM by Adrienne DeWolfe   [ updated Mar 10, 2017, 10:54 AM ]

Have you tried Padlet for collaboration? 

Try these awesome thinking templates from TechChef4U on TPT
Need to learn more about setting up Padlet? 

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