Batoul's Tech Tips & Recommendations

What is Family Link App and Why as a Parent you Should be Using it

Managing a child’s accounts and devices can be daunting for some families. For Google and Android users this process is made easy using the Google Family Link App. Download the app on your device and login using your parent account to start managing your kids’ devices and experience online. Before handing out the devices be sure to have multiple conversations about safety, time management and family values when accessing the internet. Families can together create a Family Media Agreement that is agreed on and easily implemented for your family.

إدارة أجهزة العائلة يثير المخاوف للكثير من العائلات. لمستخدمي Google الوضع اسهل مع تواجد تطبيق ال Family Link الذي يمكن تحميله على اي جهاز للمساعدة في تنظيم الحسابات وادارة الاستخدام والمحافظة على سلامة جميع أفراد العائلة.

#familylink #internetsafey #googleapps #Googlefamilysupport #onlinesafety #internetrules #techtips #familytips #parenting #internetparenting #GoogleFamilyPartner

What is Google Keep and Why I love Using it

Google Keep has been around for a while now. I started using the tool back in 2014 and became my go to note catcher later in 2015 with the release of their IOS compatible app.

Let's me just say before google keep, my notes were all over the place. I had sticky notes everywhere on my work desk, kitchen desk and even in my bedroom but, these notes as you can imagine are only accessible if I was in the space I placed them. I love everything that is online because it meant I can log in to my device and access what I need wherever I am at. And Google Keep with its color coordinated notes and labels gave me everything I needed.

Now Google Keep has continued to impress me with their updates and added features. My lists were even better as I was able to add a location and time with reminders. To make things better I am able to snap an image of an item, book or poster and add my notes to it all in one place. Adding the scribble options few years back made it even more valuable. I can draw my thoughts and ideas and share them with whomever I chose to with an access to Google's Workplace.

Google Classroom Updates June 2021

As a Google Certified Educator, I am proud to bring you the news on the latest Google for Education updates coming this fall of 2021.

I will begin with the Google Classroom upcoming updates today. I will list them in the order of relevance for educators to celebrate!!

🎉👏🏻 The most exciting feature is the ability to schedule assignments to MULTIPLE classes!! Yey, can you imagine the time saving here! I know most elementary teachers don't have to deal with this but this is an exciting feature!

✅ ➕ Add-ons are my second favorite upcoming update. Coming this fall teachers will see an extra option when creating an assignment beside adding attachments! This feature allows educators to integrate NINE of my favorite ed tech apps right within classroom assignments. The best thing is that students will not need to navigate to a new tab or window. All on the same screen they can join an Edpuzzle, Nearpod activity, a kahoot, Adobe Spark and 5 more apps (more coming soon) and turn in their work by clicking turn in on the top right corner of their screen!

😁 ✅👍🏻 My third most exciting feature update will be the ability to work offline for both students and educators. This powerful features allows those with limited access to work offline and once they are online they can submit. This is a huge accessibility feature for students in rural areas.

👁👏🏻👍🏻 Lets' talk about engagement tracking! This feature allows educators to see who and when was a student last engaged to offer that reminder or extra support needed to complete their work.

👏🏻👏🏻 Wow! Roster import is what all teachers have waited for. Now instead of spending hrs creating their classrooms at the beginning of the year and enrolling or inviting their students, admins through Clever integration will load in the rosters and classes for teachers to focus on teaching!

Would love to hear your thoughts as an educator. If you are a parent tell me what is the most exciting feature for you as a parent... is it the offline mode or engagement tracking??

Google Drive Updates June 2021

If you are a Google Drive user, you are going to absolutely love these new updates. Please keep in mind that some may have already been released while others will be rolling out by Fall 2021.

@ Many exciting updates and features to enhance the user experience and collaboration. My most exciting feature is the SmartChips within docs, slides and sheets. Use the @ sign to tag people, dates, files or events on your calendar! I absolutely love this feature insteading of having to navigate to the comments to tag a person now users can do so much more.

✅Users will love the checklist feature to check off tasks right within docs! I know this feature will facilitate the collaborations in combination with @ by tagging people to a task or item on the checklist.

👍🏻Table templates and voting within a table will eliminate the need to link to a form. Users can now vote on topics and see live data within docs.

💁🏼We all love writing support and live suggestions while writing. I’ve loved these features but what is better is now the Analysis suggestions within sheets. The suggestions help the user choose formulas to use based on the content of the sheet. Education+ users will also see notifications for foul language usage.

🖥✋🏼 Present to Meet within docs, slides and sheets is making it easier to share your work to an already set up meeting but education+ users will be able to embed the meet vew to the right of their doc, slide of sheet and share their content directly on the same tab.

I love the continuous improvement to forms. Users will now have quicker access to settings, and 20+ new fonts. Also users can now select default settings and fonts. What is even better is the autosave feature when answering a form. I know I’ve had to redo my work often when interrupted while filling out a form. This feature will now save answers up to 30 days after starting part of the form or until submitting.

🔐Most importantly is the security and privacy of users. Now Drive has even more security embedded features that meet COPA, FERPA, and CIPA.

Google Meet Updates June 2021

As a Google Certified Educator, I promised to bring you the news on the latest Google for Education updates coming this fall of 2021.

Google Meet was and still is my number one choice when it comes to online conferencing accessible tools.

🧑🏽‍💻 Meet is bringing a more secure and seamless experience to online conferencing. Now educators can have more settings controls when creating a meet within google classroom. All co-teachers of a course will have the same access as the main host to navigate settings and facilitate co-hosting.

We loved the breakout rooms for small groups and collaboration and Yey!! Now your breakout sessions will have the same settings as your main room/meeting. And more importantly, when a breakout ends all students are forced back into the main meeting room. No more lingering students that may engage in unwanted behaviors.

💻 + 🖥 ❌ Oh how frustrating it was to try to figure what your students are seeing while making sure they are engaged and present. Soon, with the ability to pin multiple screens, teachers and students can pin the presentation screen along with the student view. Or even better pin that interpreter or extra support staff along with the presentation to the screen. No need for multiple monitors and screens.

✋🏼 No need to add an extension to raise hand! This fall raise hand will be visually and audio enhanced. Once a student raises their hand they’re bumped up to the top of the roster and host is notified with a sound alert. Those who raised their hand will appear to the top in the order for which they raised their hand and the hand goes down as soon as they’re done talking!

📹 ❌ Turn off everyone video at once to save on bandwidth and more.

CC Closed Caption is now available for every meeting and even better when turning on translations the caption appear in one of 5 available languages to choose.

📱Best of all hosts will be able to navigate settings and end meetings from a mobile device as well. And finally a much improved admins settings for more security and controlled settings.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse