Tips & Tricks

Digital organization is JUST as important as physical organization! Click here for some tips from Shake Up Learning, and click here for a how-to video on organizing your Google Drive!

You can now group and organize tabs in Google Chrome, and it's super easy! Check out this blog to get started!

Want a Screen Reader for your littles (to read assessments or websites)? Chromebooks have one built in! Click here for screenshots on how to activate it and use it!

If you do not want your Google Slides presentation to go full screen (because you are trying to split screen to see your Meet participants), click the arrow next to “Present” and instead choose “Present with Speaker Notes.” When you present on Meet, choose "window" or "Chrome tab," and students will not be able to see your speaker notes.

Would you like to control your Slides presentation with your phone? Or add emoji bullet points? Or add audio to Slides? Check out these Slides Tips for how to do these and more!

Do you feel limited by the templates on Google Slides or tired of the PowerPoint templates you’ve been using forever? Check out Slides Carnival for free presentation templates that work with both programs! 

Want to create custom maps for your students to use, complete, and label in a variety of ways, or for you to display while teaching? Check out MapChart!

Want to get the most out of your Google apps? Check out this list of the best educational Chrome extensions, organized by subject area and learning skills!

Leave your desk behind and circulate the classroom by using your teacher laptop as a tablet, and take advantage of Windows Inking tools! Click here for help using Windows Inking.

Do your students want to use simple animation to show sequence or progression on a PowerPoint project? Use the "morph" tool under "Transitions." Watch this video to see how!

Flipgrid is an amazing student engagement tool that allows teachers to set up topics and students to submit video responses! View the links below for some amazing resources and ideas! The last one is how to help your students become global communicators with virtual penpals!
-50+ Ways to Use It In Class
-Educator's Guide to Flipgrid
-Elementary Integration Guide
-GridPals 

Help your struggling readers navigate Canvas by using emojis in the titles of assignments! Go to Emojipedia for more emojis!

Tired of random videos autoplaying after your chosen YouTube video? Or comments on YouTube videos? Use viewpure.com to remove that!

Powerful Formative Assessment Tools for the Chromebook Classroom shows you how to use Socrative and Flipgrid to assess student learning in more engaging ways.

TedEd is a great resource for student-appropriate TedTalks! Sign up for free as an educator! TedEd

Dr. Monica Burns has a great EdTech blog website called Class Tech Tips with frequent posts!

Looking for ready-made templates to use with Google Docs/Slides/Sheets for K-2? Look no further! Christine Pinto has 25+ templates you can edit and use!

Check out 10 Ways to Use Screencastify for creative approaches to formative assessment!

Think Google Slides is just another version of Powerpoint? Think again! These 8 Great Ways to Use Google Slides will get you excited at all the possibilities!

Do you teach Social Studies? Then get ready to be inspired by these 5 Free Tech Tools for social studies!

Google developed a special new font shown to improve reading fluency among students, called Lexend... It doesn't look that different, but a unique ability to adjust the spacing between the letters results in improved reading speed and comprehension. The font is now available in Google Docs: http://www.lexend.com.

Adults have trouble deciphering "fake news" and reputable websites, which makes it all that more important for us to teach students how to! Here is a great blog on Fake Sites to teach students website evaluation!

Wizer has been added to our District-Approved List! It is a site where teachers can create engaging, interactive worksheets for students!

Click here for 22 killer keyboard shortcuts from Ditch That Textbook author Matt Miller to save you time while working!

Looking for a way for your students to discuss issues that matter with students across the country? Check out KQED Learn! Every week they post a new discussion topic, and students use a variety of digital media to share their voices!

Did you know Microsoft Forms is similar to Google Forms, but has image-inserting options, video-embedding, and math equation tools?! For adding an image and an overview of Forms, watch this video. To learn how to embed a YouTube video, watch this. For information about the math tools, watch this video.

The DigCitCommit Coalition, supported by ISTE, had a virtual conference. Check out the DigCitCommit website or watch the YouTube to see the speakers! DigCitCommit advocates that Digital Citizenship means being INCLUSIVE, INFORMED, ENGAGED, BALANCED, and ALERT.

Flipgrid has lessons from Nearpod, Tynker, and Microsoft, among many others! Check it out by signing up through Google at Flipgrid!

Using all CAPS in comments on Google can sound like shouting, but when the text formatting tools aren't available for comments, people do it. Did you know that instead, you can make *bold*, _italic_, or -strikethrough- text by typing your words as I have just now! It works with comments on Docs, Slides, Sheets, & Drawings!

The Math Learning Center has some amazing apps for digital manipulatives, including base ten blocks, money, fractions, and more! And now Balsz students can add it to their Chrome extensions! They can be used within a browser as well. Just go to Math Learning Center and explore!

Looking for a way to make review or content more exciting for your students? Try a Digital Escape Room (also called Digital Breakout)! Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to set it up, as well as an example! DitchThatTextbook has additional examples and tips too.