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Discover tips, tools, and strategies for using Google in education. Explore resources to enhance teaching, learning, and productivity.

Chrome
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and Tricks

It’s a Chrome World!

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

For those educators using the Chrome browser, life is good. Add-ons and extensions abound that allow you to individualize the web experience however you want, for both yourself and your students. That makes Chrome a powerful tool in any teacher’s tool belt.

To make sure you have the best tools available, here are some Chrome goodies that you may want to add.

Picsho – Create photo galleries for you and your students to use from the millions of photos shared on social media each day. You can search by social network and by hashtag to find exactly what you need and remove any questionable images you don’t want.

Usecubes – Create pixel art from your imagination and share them with the world. You can even 3D print them, if you want.

Goo Create – Take Usecubes up a notch and use this artist-friendly HTML5 tool for creating interactive 3D images.

Rizzoma Topics – Help engage all of your students in the discussion and learning with this great extension. You can post polls, as well as documents and images that students can comment on.

Animaker – Animated Video Maker – This extension is lots of fun as students create animated videos by dragging and dropping characters.

To really ramp up your Chrome game, consider taking the online Chromebook Certification (Level 1) course.  The course emphasizes the use of the Chromebook in the classroom and includes both Chrome and Google Apps tools.

Itch – The Scratch Teacher Dashboard – If you are having your students program using the free language Scratch, then they will love this extension. It provides tutorial videos that play as students try what is being shown in Scratch.

MindMup – This is an excellent mind mapping tool that integrates with Google Drive or Dropbox. It also includes real-time collaboration. Another excellent brainstorming tool is Coggle. It includes many of the same features.

Piktochart – Create amazing infographics that really tell the story with this easy-to-use extension. Some free templates are provided (more than 300 with the Pro version) and you can publish the completed work to social media or download it as a graphic.

Robust Audio Recorder – Capture up to three hours worth of audio stories, vocabulary practice, reading, interviews, and more with this simple extension.

Padlet – The web version comes to Chrome as a powerful extension, combining visual bookmarking, videos, notes, images, and more in a collaborative environment.

If these aren’t enough extensions for you, join us the first Thursday of each month for Get Your Google On webinars (free to members) and discover more. Or check out the tried and tested Chrome apps that TCEA recommends in this extensive list (also free to members).

 

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Google
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and Tricks

Updates to Google Classroom, Forms, and More

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

As another school year gets ready to begin, Google has announced changes and updates to a variety of its offerings. Most of these are welcome and will make learning a little bit easier this year.

Google Hangouts on Air

The first announcement came yesterday when they let us know that, effective September 12, they will be discontinuing Hangouts on Air and are instead encouraging people to move to YouTube Live or their new Duo app (available free for Android and iOS). While this may not be something to thrill your heart, it will help to combine two products into one and make it easier to schedule and host video conferences/discussions.

Google Classroom

For Classroom, Google now includes summaries of student work that can be automatically shared with parents by teachers. The summaries (or classroom announcements) can be sent daily or weekly, depending on what you prefer. This will make that home/school connection even stronger. There are also a few updates to the Classroom mobile app. Now it will allow you to annotate documents, turning them into whiteboard-like screens. You can use the annotations to mark papers, grade assignments, highlight mistakes or excellent work, and demonstrate concepts. In addition, the teacher can now add topics to posts and allow students to filter their own streams for topics of interest to them.

More Google Goodness for the Classroom

Google has also released Cast for Education, a free Chrome app that lets educators share their screens wirelessly to a projector. This is another great way to make the teacher more mobile and get him/her away from the front of the room while teaching. It’s very easy to use. Just install the app, give your device a name, and invite your students to cast. A GAfE account is required.

For Forms, Google has now added the ability to include images in questions or in multiple-choice answers. This is especially great for math, social studies, and science educators who want to have students focus on complex concepts that resonate better in graphics than in text.

If you’re using the Google virtual reality program Expeditions, you’ll be delighted to discover more virtual field trips have been added. Using smartphones paired with inexpensive cardboard viewers, Expeditions brings the world to your students with more than 200 trips now available.

Google continues its strong support for teaching and learning. And we definitely appreciate that!

 

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research
ChromebooksContent AreasDigital LiteracyGoogle Tips and Tricks

Making Student Research as Easy as Candy

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

Teaching students how to take the tremendous amount of information and data that is available to them on the web and then do something useful with it becomes a little harder every day. Information overload, plagiarism, finding exactly the right content and then remembering where you found it, correctly citing sources — these make research projects of any kind difficult for both students and teachers.

How Candy Helps with Research

If you’re using the Chrome browser, however, there is a new extension available that will solve many of these digital literacy problems. Candy styles itself as “the flexible and visual way to organize the best things from the web” and it’s true. Once the extension has been added, students can researchconduct their research as they normally would. But as they collect information that they need, they are now able to highlight the data, drop it onto a “Candy card” with automatic site location and citation, and then organize the ideas into a “Storyline” to reveal connections and find answers. Candy cards can be dragged and dropped into different orders, which is fabulous for organizing the final draft, and the contents of each card are searchable. Once the research is complete, the Storyline can be exported as a text file with just one click.

What’s Great About Candy

researchInformation and quotes from any source can be Candyed, including websites, social media, videos, images, and more. When you’re ready to insert the Candy cards into a document, the original source comes with it, making citation simple, complete, and automatic. To help students throughout the project, a teacher can ask that the Storyline in digest format be emailed to her to look over. Candys can also be shared via email and social media and inserted into blog posts, which is great for student blogs.

To the left is a sample Candy Storyline on 2015’s Hurricane Patricia. Each of the green sections is a separate Candy card. There is no limit to the number of cards that can be attached to a Storyline.

I really believe that this Chrome extension is one that all students in grades 4-12 should be using on a regular basis because it makes the whole research process much easier to manage and to understand. Simple to use, free, and makes life easier — the perfect candy for the classroom!

 

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Google Animated Book Cover
Google Tips and TricksLibraries

Google-Animated Book Display for Your Library

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Google Animated Book CoverKrista Welz (@kristawelz) has shared an incredible use of Google Slides to create what she calls, “animated book displays.” This allows you to feature your school library’s new books or a specific genre collection. She has even created a template to go with it. Krista describes it in this way:

Feature your school library’s brand new books or a specific genre collection with this animated book covers display. The display is made on Google Slides – yes, Google Slides. It is a slideshow with preset animations on each book cover.

She offers this template for download; when you click it, you will be given the option to make a copy of it into your own Google Drive (you will want to be signed into your Google account).

google animated bookSee it in action

Here are her step-by-step instructions with some minor edits.

  1. Create a new Google Slides file. Set your background to white.
  2. Create a list of the books you want to display on your animated book covers slideshow. You can type them in a list on Google Docs or use any list-maker method you prefer.
  3. Create a folder on your desktop titled “book covers.”
  4. Go to www.goodreads.com and search for a book on your list. Right-click on the book cover image and save it to your desktop folder labeled “book covers.” Repeat this step for every book cover you need to save. Once you have saved all the book covers to your folder, you will start inserting them into the slideshow.
  5. The animating book covers slideshow is set up with two rows and five columns. You are going to start inserting your book cover photos and arranging them in two rows and five columns. All book covers have to be resized to the same height and location. They need to be consistent and match each other. Once the books are perfectly resized and aligned correctly, you will add the animations to them.
  6. Now you are going to animate each book cover in a zigzag pattern.
    1. If you click on the first book cover labeled #1, you are going to add an animation to it by clicking on the Insert menu and choosing Animate. The Animation window pane will pop up on the right of the screen.
    2. The animation you want to choose is “Fade In – After Previous.”
    3. Next, choose the book labeled #2, click on Insert, choose Animation, and then set it to “Fade In – After Previous.” You are going to do this for all 10 books.
    4. There is only one change to the animation that you are going to make. The change occurs on your sixth book. Instead of choosing the animation “After Previous” – you will choose “With Previous.” This change in animation reduces the choppiness, giving it a smoother flow.

Please take note of the animations listed on the right-side of the Google Slides slideshow. You must follow this exactly as it is shown to have a beautiful, flowing animated book display.

Some other points that Krista makes:

  • Once you access the slideshow, all you have to do is right-click on each book image on each slide and then choose Replace image.
  • You will then select Choose an image and then upload the book cover(s) from your desktop folder of saved book covers. All the animations and slide transitions are already timed for your convenience.

 

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Google Tips and Tricks

App-Smashing Google Tools

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“How do you blend tools to solve a real-life problem?” That’s a question that pops up often for me. A popular concept from using iPads is “app-smashing,” which involves taking what you made in one app and dropping it into another. Usually, this results in a refinement of the initial product, enhancing it with audio or video. You can do the same with Google Apps tools.

Let’s consider these real-world scenarios which may all be solved by combining key Google tools such as Sites, Forms, and Sheets:

Classroom Scenario:

Students have asked how they can know who else has signed up to attend an after-hours, academic field trip. To automate the process, create a Google Form to capture student registrations, which are saved to a Google Sheet, and those responses can be displayed on a Google Sites location.

District Scenario:

Staff have a variety of questions regarding a new initiative. They want to make sure you, the administrator, are getting the responses. To eliminate email traffic (after all, who needs more email?), you want them to fill out a Form with their question. Then, you and your team are able to record your response in an additional column. Both their questions and your responses appear in a Google Sheet housing the responses.

Solution:

Create a sample Google Sites location that provides some background information on the event, has the Forms link, and displays the responses (as well as any additions you have made). Share the link via social media or email the link to the Sites location to those who need it.

Let’s walk through what this might look like:

Step 1 – Create the Form and Sheets spreadsheet for responses.

To begin, develop your list of information queries. For example, in the case of the classroom scenario, you might want to include queries like the following:

  • Your First Name
  • Your Last Name
  • Your District Email
  • Staff or Student?
  • Attend Field Trip?

Once the person has completed the form, they would be shuttled off to the Google Sites location that is to be created in Step 2. In truth, you could probably complete Step 2 first to get the link or just come back and edit the form. Another key component of this step is to create the Responses form and designate where those responses will appear in a Google Sheet. To verify the form is working, submit a fake response. Once the response has been submitted, you will notice that the Responses Google Sheet has placed your responses beneath a column corresponding to the information queries.

After the last column in your responses, add another column entitled “Status.” In this column, you and/or your team will update the status of each form submitted. In the case of questions, you can type a short response, being sure to set the format for the column to “wrap text.” You will also want to set up notifications on your Google Sheet featuring the responses to the Form so that you receive an email every time the form is completed. Here’s one example with data partially blurred to protect the innocent:

Step 2 – Create the Google Site

Create a Sites location with three tabs to include the following:

  1. Home – This tab is your “Welcome” screen that allows you to provide background information for visitors to the Google Sites location.
  2. Ask for Help – This tab includes a link to the “Ask for Help” Google Form. The form is actually embedded in the Google Sites page, enabling visitors to fill it out and submit it without having to leave the Sites location.
  3. Check Status – This tab features an embedded copy of the Google Sheet which houses your responses.

Once your Google Sites location has been created, you can share it with others, even using a URL shortener to make it easier to share.

As you can see, you can add even more information to your Google Sites. But this makes it easy to quickly capture and share information and questions without being inundated via email with people’s requests for assistance. It also more quickly organizes the information for your review and externalizes it so that anyone you designate can look it up via Google Sites. This eliminates people calling or emailing you repeatedly to ask for the status. And it helps create a knowledge database that facilitates information sharing with interested individuals.

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Google Tips and Tricks

Bend It Like Beckham, er… Google Sheets!

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“Bend it like Beckham” is a term that meant little to me as someone not interested in soccer. That is, until I saw an engaging movie with my family a few years ago. One of my favorite movies, Bend It Like Beckam, is described in this way by Wikipedia:

The film is about the 18-year-old daughter of Punjabi Sikhs in London. She is infatuated with football (a.k.a. soccer in the United States) but her parents have forbidden her to play because she is a girl. She joins a local women’s team, which makes its way to the top of the league. Its title refers to the football player David Beckham, and his skill at scoring from free kicks by curling the ball past a wall of defenders.

So what does that have to do with Google Sheets? The idea is that you can use a technology (such as the free Google Sheets) to score and to get the job done, in spite of difficulties and obstacles. At a recent Google Educator Level 1 Certification class I had the opportunity to help facilitate, I had the opportunity to share some of my favorite Google Sheets add-ons and tools. Here is a quick overview of those:

Mail Merge Tools: Looking for a quick way to send out bulk email to others? Take advantage of one or both of these tools, listed in order of preference:

  • FormMule – Allows you to quickly add create information in Google Sheets, then “email merge” it together. This is a great feature because it allows you to organize the mail merge fields in columns in Google Sheets, then drop the column headers into the text of the email, blending them together. It’s my go-to tool when sending email via Gmail and there is a need to send complex instructions or links that are customized for each individual (represented by a row in the Google Sheet).
  • Yet Another Mail Merge – Allows you to quickly “spam” or bulk email people.

Styles: This add-on allows you to customize the look and feel of your spreadsheet, adding headers, coloring rows in alternating colors (e.g. row 1 is grey, row 2 is white, row 3 is grey, row 4 is white, and so on). It meets a need those of us who use MS Excel have to quickly customize the look and feel of a table in a spreadsheet. The Styles add-on makes it easy to achieve a similar effect.

QR Code Generator: This is an easy way to generate QR codes for students or to inventory items. One of my favorite uses for this involves creating HTML or web links to various resources with a QR code, then having QR Code Generator auto-create them. After that, it’s just a matter of printing them out on sticky labels or having students stick them on their intended targets. This add-on also makes it easy to create a text label for each QR code generated so you are not left guessing as to what you are looking at, or trying to scan it with your smartphone’s cross-platform (e.g. Android, iOS, Blackberry) Inigma QR Code Reader app.

Split Names: This is an absolute must-have add-on. Although you can use complex formulas to split names (e.g. “Juan Guhlin” to “Juan” and “Guhlin” in different columns), Split Names makes it a cinch. You are also able to separate out salutations and other elements commonly included.

PowerTools: This particular add-on has so much to offer, you probably will want to read the web site for it. Some of its best features include making the process of dealing with extra spaces, formulas and data in the wrong format, inserting or deleting cells and shifting adjacent data, changing case, or swapping values easier. Also, you can click once to AutoSum numbers in every row or column, as well as sum and count cells by color. PowerTools also makes it easier to search all selected sheets for certain values, formulas, notes, and hyperlinks, as well as split values in a column by any delimiter, string, or by position (think Split Names with more features). You can also automate a variety of tasks, and much more.

What are some of YOUR favorite Google Sheets’ add-ons that help you “bend it like Beckham?” That is, get the job done for free? Please share them in the Comments section below.

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e-newsletter
Google Tips and TricksLeadershipMicrosoft

Quick Ideas for Creating a Classroom e-Newsletter

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Since the year is getting rolling now, you may be thinking of ways to send information and success stories home with your students. Why make paper newsletters that might go home every week, but never get read? Why not make something more engaging?

I’m always on the lookout for fresh ways to share classroom content. Here are some quick ways to revamp your classroom, or campus, e-newsletter:

  • Smore – If you simply want your current newsletter to look better, then Smore is for you. Smore offers beautifully designed templates that let you create your e-newsletter very quickly. You can then publish via email or social media or post on your teacher or campus website. Smore can track who opens the email and works seamlessly on all devices. The educator’s version is $59/year, which is very reasonable for unlimited flyers.
  • Blog – With a blog in Blogger, Weebly, or Wordpress, to name a few, you can easily create an ongoing series of posts that beat out print any day of the week. The benefit of going digital is that people can get your content via email, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and any other social media platform that allows you to craft an IF This Then That (IFTTT) recipe. You can embed content (like video, audio, and images) into each blog entry to make it more engaging, and you can also schedule when it will appear online. What’s more, you can grab the RSS feed for the blog and feed it into a mobile app that parents can view on the go. View an example.
  • YouTube – Create a YouTube channel and combine all your news into a video broadcast. There are lots of possibilities here and engagement is easy. View an example
  • Touchcast – Touchcast, a free, powerful iPad app, allows you to blend news broadcasts, websites, and more, including green screen, into an easy-to-use interface that will have you looking like the person on the evening news. You end up with a video e-newsletter that you can publish via Touchcast or share on YouTube. View an example
  • LucidPress – This is a nice tool that allows you to blend video, audio, and text in a multi-page format. Unfortunately, unlike the other options mentioned, it costs money. View an example.
  • Microsoft Sway – Sway is a powerful tool for e-newsletter creation that allows you to blend audio, video, and more into a rolling view that works on any device. View an example.
  • Office Mix – Take a Powerpoint slide show and organize it like a newsletter, then share it online with MS Powerpoint Online so anyone can view it. Use Office Mix to add audio narration and interactive quizzes to keep the reader engaged, as well as make content viewable as a movie.

Of course, these seven ideas are all powerful alternatives to creating a paper newsletter. But what happens when you need something you can print for the people who don’t know what to do with digital content, something that can also be viewed online via a mobile device or on a computer? One response to this question is the eighth and final tip for creating an e-newsletter: Google Slides.

Google Slides makes it possible to easily embed video from YouTube, images, text, and more. It can be visually attractive on the printed page as well as on your mobile device. What’s more, you can embed it on your website or blog so that it can be viewed at the appropriate size or full-screen.

You can see what that looks like in the examples shown below:

Join the ongoing TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) SkypeChat via rour mobile device or online. Explore and share concepts at the intersection of teaching, learning, leading, and technology!

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notes tools
Good TeachingGoogle Tips and TricksPodcasts

TCEA Podcast #2: ePortfolios with Yvonne Clark

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Listen to Yvonne Clark, Henderson ISD

Today, we’ll hear about how one teacher, Yvonne Clark (@yclarkhhs) from Henderson ISD, is using Google Sites as a way to house ePortfolios.

Yvonne was kind enough to write a few words, as well as record a podcast about her experience:

Hi there, my name is Yvonne Clark and I am from Henderson ISD, Henderson, TX in the Tyler/Longview area; we are about 20 miles south of I-20. I am in my first year as the campus technology specialist where I assist both teachers and students with technology needs. I previously taught technology classes and that is where I began using Google Sites for student portfolios. Find me on Twitter @yclarkhhs or on my website.

Last year, I had several seniors that were talking about all of the forms they had to fill out for college: scholarship applications, college entrance applications, and summer job applications. My original thought was to have students make e-portfolios that they could send out with their applications. I wondered how I could make the process easier for students. I googled “portfolios” and found some ideas that I wanted to tweak and made my assignment.

Student Portfolio Assignment page

Grade sheet

And, in regards to using Google Sites for eportfolios, here is what Yvonne had to say:

A Google site was the best option for me to use as a portfolio platform because we are a GAFE school and it was free. We had practiced creating websites with Google Sites using the different page options in a previous assignment. I then had students follow the portfolio assignment page. I wanted to have my students update their portfolio throughout their high school career. Plus, I had my students add their personal Gmail account as an owner to the site so that their work did not disappear after graduation. Students can then provide a link to their portfolio on applications to future colleges and/or businesses.

What I Would Change:

  • Use Google Drawing to help personalize pages more.
  • Have all high schools students start as ninth graders collecting information.

These are sample sites that you should be able to access:

Conclusion

Thanks for listening to this TCEA podcast featuring Yvonne Clark (@yclarkhhs) from Henderson ISD. You can find a copy of the show notes online at www.tcea.org/blog, which is the TCEA TechNotes Blog, recently recognized by EdTech magazine as one of the top 50 blogs to read in 2016! Also, be sure not to miss any of our upcoming events this summer 2016. Some amazing learning will be happening at the TCEA Makers events, Tots and Technology Conferences taking place in Galveston and Frisco in June, as well as the Adobe Academy and Chromebook Academy.

If you’re a TCEA member, don’t be afraid to sign up for the free Lunch and Learn webinars (only three left this school year) and more online at www.tcea.org/events. Not a TCEA member yet? Join up at www.tcea.org/join

Join the ongoing TCEA Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) SkypeChat via Your Mobile Device or Online! Explore and share concepts at the intersection of teaching, learning, leading and technology!

Show Notes

Weaving a Digital Tale About Yourself

Creating a digital story that reflects your voice is important. You can do this with these apps quite quickly.

Digitizing Content

Need to quickly scan paper documents into digital? These apps make doing so incredibly easy, either saving directly to Google Drive (Scanner Pro) or to your camera roll or OneNote.

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elementary
Content AreasGoogle Tips and TricksiOS Tips and TricksPodcastsProfessional Learning

#TCEATots Voxercasts: Learning for Elementary Educators

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to travel to the TCEA Tots and Technology Conference taking place in Galveston, Texas for elementary educators. When I attend conferences like this one, it can be overwhelming to process all the information that’s being shared. That’s why I took a few moments to start up the Voxer app and interview folks on the way to TCEA Tots.

Below, you’ll find short “voxercasts.” The Voxer app makes it easy to record content and then quickly share it. I bookmarked the tweets where I shared the Voxercasts and you can subscribe to the #TCEATots Voxercasts RSS feed via the Diigo social bookmarking tool.

These TCEA Tots voxercasts really help capture the flavor of this fantastic conference geared to teachers of young children. Note that links below will open to a Voxer page.

Seven Tots and Technology Voxercasts:

  1. Green Screen Tips from Dr. Bruce Ellis – This conversation really blew my mind, so to speak, and sharing the tips Dr. Ellis included in his overview of green screes caught the attention of pre-conference attendees in my Become a Storymaker session.
  2. GeoGuesser with Dr. Bruce Ellis – This conversation expands on social studies/geography connections possible with GeoGuesser, a Google feature I had never heard of. In fact, when I spoke with Lampasas ISD teachers who were presenting on virtual field trips and geo-related activities, they did not know about it either.
  3. iPad Sharing Made Easy (Part 1) with Miguel Guhlin – This conversation has me sharing about iPads and getting information out there. I highlight several apps, including Readdle Documents and Seesaw. This is a two-part series since we were having too much fun, and Part 2 also mentioned Android.
  4. iPad and Android Sharing Made Easy (Part 2) with Miguel Guhlin and Dr. Bruce Ellis – You may have noticed that the previous voxercast was cut short. This is the second half.
  5. Notecard Confessions with Pedro Delgado (El Paso ISD) – What a joy to chat with Pedro Delgado (Twitter @neuropete01), TCEA Teacher of the Year Award finalist. He describes how he and his fourth and fifth grade students adapted the Paper Slide Videos, which I shared in my pre-conference session at TCEA Tots and Technology, to create Notecard Confessions. Check out Pedro’s phenomenal web site here.
  6. sherrieshelleyVirtual FieldTrips and More with Sherrie Berry and Shelley Kozma (Lampasas ISD) (shown right) – We discussed Seesaw, as well as other awesome ideas and tips in the iPad classroom. This really addresses collecting student work from iPads. Also discussed Microsoft in Education, as well as Skype in the Classroom. And Google Lit Trips were also referenced. Catch them on Twitter @shelleykozma and @sherrie_berrys.
  7. Digital Storytelling with Dr. Martha Green (Texas A&M) and Cecelia “Cece” Porra – In this wonderfully rich conversation, Martha, Cece, and I discuss digital storytelling and its application for instructional purposes. Martha provides some insights into using digital storytelling for mathematics, as well as shares other ideas.
  8. codinginlangartsCoding in the Language Arts Classroom with Kelly Hong – Listen to Kelly share what she knows about coding in the language arts classroom. Who would have thought you could “write” or “code” fantasy stories and tales with MIT’s Scratch program?
  9. Seesaw with Brittany Adcock (@adcockb10) – Listen to Brittany share about Seesaw, a phenomenal digital portfolio tool.
  10. digitallearningctrsDigital Learning Centers with Crystal Flores and Jeanine Freeman (@techtimewithj9) – This is a fascinating presentation by Crystal and Jeanine about how Crystal created audio versions of her classroom books. Also listen to Dr. Roland Rios share his reflections, too.
  11. TCEA Tots participants were asked to share their insights: What is one take-away from TCEA Tots? Other participants Image 276(TonyaHinkebein; MalvernMRS shown below with service dog, Nelson) also offered their thoughts on Promoting Technology Use in their classroom.
  12. Collaborative Grant Writing (Part 1 and Part 2)– This was an enlightening session regarding crowdfunding (e.g. DonorsChoose) with Brandi (@aesfinearts) and Mandy Bryan (@mandyrbryan) and collaborative grant writing tools. It resulted in two parts.

Be sure to check back for even more interviews from TCEA Tots and Technology 2016 in Galveston, Texas. And if you want more learning for elementary educators, consider joining us for the Tots Frisco conference July 24-26.

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Google Tips and TricksiOS Tips and TricksLeadershipMicrosoft

Five Tips for Your Digitally Disorganized Administrator

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Care to learn some ways you can organize your digitally disorganized administrator? Whether your boss is a superintendent, a campus principal, or a collaborator in need of assistance, this blog entry can help her get organized with a few simple apps and suggestions!

Note: This blog entry focuses on apps that work on Android, iOS, and Windows devices.

Tip #1 – Organize Your Email

“Hundreds of emails flow into my supervisor’s inbox,” shared one secretary. “Even though she has a smartphone and could sort her email on the go, the built-in email app doesn’t get the job done.” Whether your supervisor uses MS Exchange, Hotmail, or Gmail, she now has access to some easy-to-use email clients that work quite well. Two good solutions include CloudMagic, which works on Android, iPhone, and iPad, or Readdle’s Spark (iOS only). Both make it easy to sort your messages into folders and/or forward to somewhere else, like OneNote, since they include built-in support.

Tip #2 – Collect and Organize Critical Documents

“Every day,” shares one assistant, “my supervisor and I receive a large quantity of documents, some of which are digital, others that are mostly paper. Instead of having to wait until she gets back to the office for me to digitize them, what could my supervisor do to scan the documents?” Whether it’s business cards, invoices, permission slips, or other school paperwork, you can easily capture these documents with an app like Readdle‘s Scanner Pro or Microsoft OfficeLens and save them to the cloud (e.g. Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneNote). Text in the images is searchable, and you can also add some keywords or tags.

Tip #3 – Check That Off Your List!

“What I like to do every morning is make a checklist for what she will be doing each day.” The assistant held up her phone and waved it in front of me with a smile. “When she checks the list, there’s a list of things to do by location.” With Google Keep, you can put all your list items for your supervisor online, inserting checkboxes in front of each item. As she finishes them throughout the day, she can simply tap on the checkbox to place a checkmark. And Google Keep lets you set up location-based reminders, so you can help your supervisor be more efficient as she goes from one campus to another.

Tip #4 – Track Your Meetings

“At the end of the day, my boss comes back with a stack of papers from all the meetings she has been to. I wish there was a way for her to organize them as she gets them so it makes more sense.” Show her how to get into OneNote 2016 and tap on the microphone to record the entire meeting. In addition to typing notes with the audio recording of the meeting synchronized to the written notes, the administrator can snap pictures of meeting paper materials, including business cards, meeting agendas, and handouts, for inclusion in the meeting notebook.

And, finally, consider how you will protect the privacy of sensitive data with this last tip.

Tip #5 – Protect Confidential Information

With OneNote, you are able to “protect” sensitive notes that may contain confidential information. Encryption once was difficult to do, but now it is inexcusable to have sensitive data not protected. In OneNote 2016, your supervisor can right-click a section and choose “Password Protect.” This allows you or your supervisor to add a password and that section cannot be opened without the password. Some caveats: 1) You might not be able to view password-protected sections on all devices; 2) Audio and video recordings are not protected in the OneNote 2007 section format; and 3) To search password-protected sections, you need to unlock them first.

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