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Video Sharing in Google Classroom and Seesaw

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Need to share videos into Google Classroom or Seesaw? You’re not the only teacher who needs to put a quick tutorial video together for students. Here are some strategies that other educators recommend around the topics of video storage, sharing and creation tools and tips, as well as how to share videos in Seesaw and Google Classroom.

Storing Videos in the Cloud

With both Google Classroom and Seesaw, you can share links to existing videos. This means that you can make a video using any tool you want and then post it anywhere. That anywhere can be YouTube, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or wherever. One thing you need to be careful with is ensuring that the video is viewable by anyone with a link. This is an option when you put the video in a cloud storage space.

Did you know you might have almost unlimited storage in the cloud? Both G Suite EDU and Microsoft OneDrive offer unlimited (or almost) storage.

share video

A New Player? Loom Pro for Free

“Looms is my choice as a best option,” says TCEA board member, John Bimmerle. He goes on to point out that it is “super quick.” Loom Pro, which has gone free for teachers, is also open to students at K-16 education institutions. Loom Pro comes with a desktop version and Chrome extension.  Learn more about their COVID-19 Loom Pro free offer via their announcement. My experience? It lagged a bit in rendering the video on their website. After 10 minutes, I uninstalled Loom and opted for another tool. Let’s hope they improve and/or demand eases up.

Wait, Wait, There’s ONE MORE Newcomer!

Flipgrid announced on April 1, 2020 that they are adding screen recording to their amazing product. It’s a free, no-cost offering. Watch their announcement video via this Tweet (or see the unauthorized MP4 video I made of it):

The possibilities with Flipgrid screenrecording option are endless. You can now organize your screencasts, such as of your desktop and apps, into grids and allow others to contribute. What’s more, you can export those screencasts as MP4 video files to place on YouTube. What’s amazing is how easy it is to screen recording using Flipgrid. And, all of this is FREE and available at no cost to educators. It also allows you to start and stop video recording, which is an amazing feature.

Did You Know?

Sign up for one of our Google Certified Educator certifications. You’ll learn about more than Google Meet, as well as earn 12 CPE hours per course. Use these courses to get Google Educator certified. Find out more online.

Video Creation Tools

If you’re still looking for a good tool for video sharing, here’s a quick run down of other digital tools you can use to creating teaching videos.

  1. Screencast-o-Matic. Screencast-O-Matic is a fantastic tool that will let you record from their site. You can record up to 15 minutes, and it allows for webcam picture recording. Save your videos in .mp4, .flv, or .avi video format or you can upload them straight to YouTube.
  2. Screencastify. Screencastify is a Chrome extension that allows you to record, edit, annotate, store, and share video screen captures. Record a specific tab, or your whole desktop, at the click of a button. The free Lite version normally limits recording time to five minutes per video and has a watermark. Due to COVID-19, as of this writing, you can get premium version for free for 60 days. You may also want to look at some of their free e-learning resources. They are also announcing a new feature for students to use Screencastify. Find out more at Screencastify Submit. Watch a video intro.
  3. Nimbus Screencapture/Screen recording. Nimbus is a Chrome extension for capturing web pages, either part of one or the whole browser window. You can also edit your screenshots and screen record your desktop or a particular tab.
  4. Zoom. Available at no charge and in wide usage as a result of COVID-19, many people don’t know they can use it to record and share their screens. Using Zoom Basic, you can record webinars that feature picture in picture, play music as you share your screen, and save a video recording to your computer. Many videos you will create will be no more than five to 30 minutes, which fall into the free version of Zoom time limits. Of course, those time limits have been waived for educators during COVID-19.

Popular Screencasting Tools

Those are some of my favorite browser-based screen recording tools. There are also free screen recording tools that you can install on Windows. Of course, Mac users can rely on QuickTime, which offers free recordings. If you need to edit videos, Shotcut is a great editor for Windows, Mac, and GNU/Linux computers.

A Personal Recommendation

People often ask, “What do you use?” Until lately, I have relied on Screencastify. With its $29 price tag  for one year, it’s worth the investment. While I still use Screencastify when on a Chromebook, on Windows 10 and Mac I recommend another tool, Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). I can’t tell you how amazed I was at the flexibility, versatility, and speed of this free (and no-cost), open source tool. Gamers (e.g. esports) use OBS to stream their game-play to various streaming services (e.g. Facebook LIVE, Twitch, Periscope). You can use it to record your content, too.

Look hard? It’s not as bad as you think. Here’s what OBS looks like when I’m using it to record videos for TCEA Remote Learning.

Highlight Tool: Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)

Instead of recording your desktop, OBS allows you to record anything your computer does (see sidebar image for a list). While not for the faint of heart, OBS continues to get easier to use every day. If you have to record video, it makes switching between different scenes and input sources (e.g. audio, video, webcam, browsers, and apps) easy.

Intended as a streaming solution, you can use it to record and save video to MKV or MP4 format. I am truly astonished how fast it is once set up. However, the setup can be confusing, and so I encourage you to read my upcoming guide on recording videos with OBS. In the meantime, be sure to read the the OBS Studio Quickstart guide.

Even More Video Sharing Tools

Looking for other powerful tools to use? Here are a few.

  1. Flipgrid.com – Flipgrid is a free, fun, and easy way to have a video chat. It is a great tool to get student feedback while incorporating student voice. There is an iOS and Android app.
  2. VideoNot.es. Have students use this Google Drive app with their Google account. That will allow them to take notes while they watch a video that you assign. Notes work as video markers. Click the notes, and you leapfrog to the matching spot in the video.
  3. Vialogues. Vialogues allows you to create conversations that revolve around a video.
  4. EdPuzzle. This is the premier tool for adding content to an existing video. It makes it easy to use what you need from any video. You can insert audio notes or record over a video with your voice. You can even add questions at any point in the video and track your students’ understanding.
  5. Educannon (Playposit). This is a great way to annotate existing YouTube videos for students to watch at home.

share video

Some Quick Tips for Video Recordings

Here are some quick tips for video recording you may want to keep in mind:

1) Storyboard your content first, then create a video about your lesson. All the tools are free to get started.

2) Keep videos short, two to three minutes or five to 10 minutes max (shorter is better). You can always create more videos. Think “bite-sized chunks” that students can nibble on their way to/from school, sitting somewhere waiting for an adult to do something, or during the gap in a basketball game on television or in person.

3) Plan for reflective, online classroom activities. Use tools like Quizziz, Kahoot, and GetKnowt to create some online assessments.

Recording Video on the Go

Need tools for recording videos on the go? You can use your smartphone and an app to get the job done. Need some solutions for Android? How about iOS?

Sharing Videos in Seesaw

Sharing content in Seesaw has never been easier. The steps involve creating an announcement and adding an attachment. Then you select the type of attachment you want (a link). Afterwards, paste the link to your “shared with anyone” video resource. For a visual overview, check out this animated GIF that walks you through the process. Remember, you can have a copy of that video saved anywhere so long as it is “shared with anyone link.”

If you want to share a message straight to the camera, you can record video directly into Seesaw using your device’s camera. Instead of choosing LINK in the Add Attachment window, choose VIDEO, as shown in the picture below:

share video

Sharing Videos: Google Classroom

Google Classroom makes it easy to share content by posting it into its stream or to YouTube. If it’s an instructional video, you can then add questions with EdPuzzle. Dropping your videos into Google Drive, then sharing a public link is easy. Drop the link to the video in the Google Classroom stream. You may like Eric Curts’ video series on Google Classroom.

Final Thoughts

Still not sure what’s the best tool for the job? Let’s review the options below:

  • Flipgrid user? Need an easy to use tool, then Flipgrid screen recording is so easy. You can save your screencasts as MP4 videos on your computer. Flipgrid works via your browser, making it the perfect tool on mobile devices. This is also an amazing feature for students to use.
  • Screencastify? If you are a Chromebook users, or want to use a simple, powerful tool, then Screencastify will make the job easier. As a veteran Screencastify user, it’s one of my favorite tools. They are also announcing a new feature for students to use Screencastify. Find out more at Screencastify Submit.
  • OBS Project? Not afraid of a little complexity? OBS offers a free, no-cost screen recording tool that works on your Windows or Mac computer. It’s super-fast since it’s running on your computer.
  • Mobile user? Try XRecorder to screencast your Android screen, YouCut – Video Editor & Video Maker, No Watermark to blend pictures and video with light editing. On iOS?

Need a video editor? Use the free, open source Shotcut for Windows, Mac, and GNU/Linux. Or if you need a browser-based web editor, WeVideo may be your only option (check here for more info).

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TCEA Responds: Exploring Google Contacts

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

How do I manage or find my addressbook in Google? I upgraded from my old phone, but somehow, I now have a lot of duplicates in my smartphone. I have two or more of everything. Finding the duplicates takes forever on my phone. Is there a way to do this online?

-Monica

Dear Monica:

Thank you for your email. Working with your smartphone contacts can be a bit daunting. I know people who hate upgrading their phones because they worry their contacts will go away. If you are using an Android phone, or even an iPhone, many of your contacts are safe. That’s because Google saves them to the cloud for you.

Did You Know?

Sign up for one of our Google Certified Educator certifications. You’ll learn about more than Google Meet, as well as earn 12 CPE hours per course. Use these courses to get Google Educator certified. Find out more online.

Let’s review a few ways you can solve your duplicate problem. You didn’t say which phone you had, so I’ll focus on Android.

Dealing with Duplicates in Google Contacts

Dealing with duplicates on your Android phone can be a pain. If your phone is backing itself up to Google, then switching to a new phone may have resulted in lots of duplicate entries.

Many people are unaware that they can access their phone contacts list online. You can get to it via the Google Contacts website. Once you are there, you can take advantage of its “Merge and fix” option, as seen below:

As you can see in the screenshot, this is one of the easiest way to merge and fix contacts. You also have more options available through Google Contacts. Let’s take a look at them.

Organizing Your Contacts into Label Groups

Did you know you can organize your contacts into Groups so that whatever changes you make in Google Contacts will end up in your smartphone? You can do this through the use of labels. Any labels you create and assign to your contacts appear as Groups on your phone. That may make a specific group of people easier.

You can’t delete the contacts in your Directory in Google Contacts, but you can organize them into groups that will appear on your smartphone. The way you do that is to assign them a label. While it’s easy to select contacts in your Directory list, then assign them a label, let’s take it a step further. Let’s export your contacts. This could come in handy if you want to keep a list of people in your work contact lists. Some people find it easier to work long lists in a full-screen editor or database tool.

Exporting is another way of saying “Save these contacts to my computer as a CSV file.” CSV is a comma-delimited text file that is often used for database imports/exports.

Note: To protect the innocence of the privacy of people in my contacts, I have pixelized names and emails. This makes them unreadable.

Before you start the export process, you will need to take some steps. Let’s review them:

Step 1 – Create a Label

This is an important step. The reason why is that Google Contacts does not allow you to export your Contacts Directory. First, you have to assign them a label you have created, then export that label.

For example, I have created a “MyContacts” label in Google Contacts. You can title this label whatever you want (e.g. “Keepers”). Once I have that, I can go to label specific contacts. These are the ones I want to keep.

My last step will be to use the EXPORT option and export only the MyContacts label. This is great because I can choose to add only the correct entries in my contacts directory.

Step 2 – Label Directory Entries with “MyContacts” Label

Now that you have your “MyContacts” label created, you can go through your directory. You can multi-select the ones you want to keep as shown in the screenshot below.

Once you have added all the contacts you want to keep to the “MyContacts” label, you’re ready to move on.

Step 3 – Export the Entries Labelled “MyContacts”

In this step, you are going to export the entries you labeled in Step 2 as “MyContacts.” As you can see from the image below, you can export the contacts with the “MyContacts” label.

Note that you have three options. While Google CSV is the best option if you’re trying to clean up your contacts, there are others. You could use Outlook CSV if you want to move to Outlook email client, or vCard for iOS.

If you look at the file you have exported in MS Excel, LibreOffice, or Google Sheets, you will see the following:

Once you have verified you have an export file, close out of it without making changes.

At this point, you can choose to completely wipe out your Google Contacts Directory. That is, you can delete or remove any contacts you have labeled. Google prevents you from removing contacts from the Directory itself in order to safeguard your data.

Ready to import your contacts from a particular group to a new label? Let’s take a quick look at that.

Step 4 – Import Contacts Exported Before

Since you have that exported contacts file on your computer, you can choose to import it. In the screenshot below, you can see how we can import the contacts into a new label, MyPeeps.

As it imports and when it finishes, you will seen screens like this:

And that’s pretty much the process. If you look at your phone, you will see that you have Groups that reflect your labels in Google Contacts.

There is a lot you can do via the Google Contacts web interface. Take some time to explore it and organize your phone groups using it. Use it to clean up your duplicates with Merge & Fix.

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Maintain Teacher Privacy with Google Voice

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

As an educator leading remote learning, you may need to call parents. But sharing your mobile number may cause you concerns. Giving students and parents your personal mobile phone number is unprofessional and you may find yourself

in an uncomfortable situation. After all, what if you are at home relaxing with family and you get a phone call to your smartphone? It will feel like a personal moment, but you have to be ready to put on your professional hat. Avoid that. Get another phone number at no extra cost with Google Voice.

Note: Educators should avoid using Google Voice to contact students. You should adhere to your school district’s or organization’s approved communications tool. For example, that may be Seesaw, Google Classroom, MS Teams, or another learning management system. Use Google Voice for contacts with colleagues, parents, and others from whom you would like to safeguard your personal phone number.

What Is Google Voice?

Google Voice is a free* to start service available to you if you have a personal Gmail account. You can make phone calls via the Voice app on your phone or through your web browser. It’s a boon to teachers who may need to speak to parents during the COVID-19 challenge. It’s also nice to be able to share your Google Voice number with strangers. Only you need know that it’s not your “real” phone number.

*Note: If you decide to use Google Voice, you may have to add credit to it. You can add credit to it as you need it. Since it features a billing history, you can keep a record and share that with your supervisor for reimbursement. Some school districts are offering to provide reimbursement for phone calls since teachers have to call parents. This will vary from district to district, so be sure to get clarification. Privacy has a price. That price in the United States is $0.00 per the Google Voice calling rates.

My Google Voice number is 210-617-3330. I’m comfortable sharing it with you because it’s not my smartphone number. And, if spammers get hold of it, I add them to my blocked list. In fact, I rely on the Should I Answer app on my phone to intercept robocallers.

google voice

Why Sign Up for Google Voice?

A close teacher friend keeps her students’ parents updated all the time via Seesaw but COVID-19 caught her and others off-guard during spring break. But her school district administrators want her to contact parents. Have you ever had to deal with parents or guardians who couldn’t maintain a professional distance? I know I did and I was always grateful that they didn’t have my number.

Worse, if you work with older students, it is inappropriate to share that number.  It opens you up to the charge that you are engaging in private conversations with students. That’s a violation of many responsible use agreements (RUAs/AUPs). How do you solve this problem?

Did You Know?

Sign up for one of our Google Certified Educator certifications. You’ll learn about more than Google Meet, as well as earn 12 CPE hours per course. Use these courses to get Google Educator certified. Find out more online.

Some small school districts who have poor phone systems that fail may want to get an “alternate phone.” The alternate phone (using a personal Gmail account) is one that works even when the district’s phone system goes offline.

The way to solve all these problems is get a Google Voice number based on a personal Gmail account, NOT a G Suite EDU. Follow these steps to get started.

Steps to a Google Voice Number

To get a Google Voice number, login with your personal Gmail account, then go online to the Google Voice website. Be sure to login with your personal Gmail account, NOT your G Suite EDU (school/work) account. If you don’t have your own Gmail account, then you may want to get one first.

google voice

Step 1- Get a Google Voice Account

Go to voice.google.com to get your account. Make sure to use the blue SIGN IN button in the top right and again, be sure to use your personal Gmail account.

Step 2- Select Your Phone Number

Google will provide you a list of available phone numbers in your area. Choose one that you would like to use. Make sure to write it down.

google voice

Once you have selected your phone number, you will VERIFY the number you want to connect it to.

google voice

Step 3- Make Phone Calls via Web Browser

You can begin making calls immediately via your web browser. Once the call connects, you will be able to have conversations via your computer’s mic/headset.

google voice

Note: Phone numbers pixelated to protect privacy.

Step 4- Make Phone Calls via the Voice app on Your Smartphone

Need to make phone calls via your smartphone? You can get the app for free via the Google Play store on your phone or iTunes. It’s easy to install. You will need to verify your phone one more time. When you are ready to make phone calls on the go, start with the Voice app on your smartphone.

Step 5- Customize Settings

One of the neat things about Google Voice is that you can customize the settings. Those settings include DO NOT DISTURB. You can turn on DO NOT DISTURB when you want all calls sent to voicemail, such as after work hours. Another neat feature is being able to record one or more professional greetings. For some, this might be an easy way to share daily announcements. You are also able to screen calls. When you do that, you are able to hear a caller’s name when you pick up.

google voice

If you don’t want to disconnect altogether, you can get your voicemails transcribed. Google will work as your assistant to send transcribed voicemails to your email. There are many other settings. Here are a few I recommend you set under Calls:

  • Turn on “Always use my phone to place calls.” This will ensure any calls you start on your computer end up on your phone. If you need to record calls using Audacity, you may want to leave this off.
  • My Devices. Decide what device you want to answer calls on. To push all calls to the web so that you don’t get bombarded on your smartphone, turn on the web, but leave others off. If you don’t mind calls beings forwarded to your smartphone, turn that on.

Google Voice Makes Calling Parents Easy

As wonderful as your parents in your classroom are, you may not be ready to share your number with all. And, with little ears listening, it’s better to keep your real phone number to yourself. Using Google Voice, you can be fearless about sharing your Google Voice number. And you can feel comfortable reaching out to students and parents.

Need a printable document? Share Hunter McConnell’s handout:

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TCEA Responds: Making Copies of Google Docs

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

Thank you, TCEA TechNotes blog, for supplying me daily with useful tips and tricks. I love the Google templates you share. When I try to click on the link, it takes me to a Make a Copy page. Nothing happens from there. Will you please check the hyperlink? Is this normal?

-Lisa

Dear Lisa:

Thanks so much for your kind words and feedback. As you know, we work hard to create resources educators can use right away. One way to do that involves using Google (a.k.a. G Suite EDU) templates. My goal for this blog entry is that you will know what to do when you encounter some of the many shared Google Docs online.  For example, Hyperdocs.co is one online space where these are shared.

Here are a few TCEA blog entries that share Google templates:

Wait, wait! I bet you are planning to click on these links. But are you ready to receive? Let’s explore how you can embrace all of this awesomeness in an informed way.

Watch the Video

You can read the blog entry, or watch this short video tutorial.

Check out even more resources online via this link; scroll down to see them

First Things First: Be Ready to Receive

Please note that templates need you to first log in with your G Suite EDU or Google account. That is, in your browser (e.g. Chrome or Chromium-based), you should have logged into a Google account. This can be a work (G Suite EDU) or personal (free Google account as part of your Gmail) account.

TCEA Responds

Sharing Options

Anyone who has a Google account has sharing options. We can choose to share individual templates with the options shown below. If we have a LOT of templates or documents, we can share an entire folder in Google Drive. Let’s explore what each of these look like and what you can do to get what others offer.

Steps to Take

To get these templates for your own use, you will need to take these steps:

1-Log in to your Google account (school or personal)
2-Click on the links above for what you want, such as the Google Slide Scavenger Hunt link

When someone shares a Google Doc/Slides/Sheets document with you, you often have the option to go to FILE->MAKE A COPY. It looks like this:

TCEA Responds

People who share Google Docs want to make it easier for you. They don’t want you to go hunting for FILE->MAKE A COPY. They want you to get their file in one quick click. Where does the copy end up? It ends up in your Google Drive.

When someone wants to share a Google Doc/Slides/Sheets document with you, they can save it in several ways.  For the links you click on, you are likely to encounter one of these three options.

Option 1: Make a Copy

When somebody shares a “MAKE A COPY” link, they are trying to save you a step. The person sharing assumes you want a copy of the document. So they take the traditional SHARE link and change one word. Instead of edit, they type in copy.

Original Share Link

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SO_iWam1VQ33WU082Rj3BRsQj5PzkrC8kZ-uyLvujkM/edit?usp=sharing

TCEA Responds

In this image, you are in VIEW mode. To get a copy of this document saved to your Google Drive, you will need to go to FILE->MAKE A COPY. You can change the name at the moment you decide to make a copy, as well as save it to a specific folder in your Google Drive.

TCEA Responds

Revised link for Make a Copy version

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SO_iWam1VQ33WU082Rj3BRsQj5PzkrC8kZ-uyLvujkM/copy?usp=sharing

You can see that the ONLY change is adjusting the link to reflect the word copy instead of edit. You can see from the screenshot underneath each that you get a different result. In the image shown below, you will not see the content of the page, only the option to make a copy. This eliminates a few steps outlined above. The goal is to make the process easier on you to get a copy of this document saved to your Google Drive. Keep in mind though that this doesn’t allow you to preview the template/document before downloading a copy.

TCEA Responds

That’s it for Option A: Make a Copy. You should now have a copy of the template in your Google Drive.

Option B: Use a Template

This is another way someone who wants to share a Google document with you can use. The benefit of this option is that before you click on “USE TEMPLATE” button, you get to see a preview. This preview assists you in deciding if you are getting what you want.

This is like Make A COPY. Notice what the link appears as. As you can see, instead of the whole copy or edit area, you see template/preview. This is the key to make your own Google documents available as templates that others can get.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_he0bPcUnPbs4FLxGbHYUMcZT0ZNu-GWsL6JEvha76I/template/preview

When you click on the link, you will see the following:

The result is the same as the previous option though. When you click on USE TEMPLATE button, you will get the chance to save it in your Google Drive.

Option C: Folder/Directory of Documents

What happens when the person sharing with you has a folder (a.k.a. directory) of content to share with you in Google Drive? It may look like this:

TCEA Responds

Or, if you are NOT logged into a Google account, like this:

TCEA Responds

When you go into the folders, you will see individual documents. For example, you can see a list of infographic templates for Google Slides. There are so many documents, you may not want to grab them one at a time. What you want is the entire folder.

When you encounter a folder share like this, you will need to get a copy of the entire folder. Here’s how to do that:

TCEA Responds

As you can see, you can choose to ADD TO MY DRIVE an entire folder of documents.

These three options make it easier to get a copy of the templates shared. Remember, you must first have a Google account. You will need to log in before you click on a link to a Google Document you want to get. Once you click, realize you will encounter one of the three options discussed above. This primer on getting copies of documents should make getting TCEA templates easier.

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TCEA Responds: Printing Google Drive Documents

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

What’s the easy way to select Google Drive documents and print them all? Is there a way to select more than one and print without having to open each individual document?

-Ross

Dear Ross:

There are several ways to do this. Let’s explore two options, depending on the type of file you want to print. Before we do that, let’s review a few key things about file-saving, organizing, and more. You never know when this info will come in handy.

Types of Files

printing

As you know, there are various file formats you can store in Google Drive. Did you know you can store individual files up to five terabytes in size? But there are some file limits you need to be aware of:

  • Google Docs-formatted files cannot exceed 50 megabytes.
  • Images inserted into documents cannot be greater than 50 megabytes.
  • You can insert JPGs, PNGs, and non-animated GIFs.
  • You can’t convert any presentation file larger than 100 megabytes.

You can view many file types in G Suite. Of course, you can save Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files and you can also open and edit those files. To make MS Office Suite an unnecessary install, try the Chrome extension, Office Editing for Docs, Sheets and Slides.

You can find a list of file types that Google lets you view; here are a few of the complete list that you might want to print:

  • TXT
  • DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX
  • PDF
  • PAGES
  • TIFF, SVG

Unfortunately, for Microsoft Publisher users, PUB files are not available. Neither are ebook-format files such as ePub. Most file printing focuses on MS Office and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files stored in Drive. Adobe’s PDF files have become universal storage repositories for our data. Consider how many people save their Gmail to PDF files just because they want a hard copy.

Saving Gmail to PDF in Drive

While not many people save their Gmail as PDFs, there are some times when it might come in hand. This might be when you need to capture content for an open records request or for documentation purposes. It also works great when you want to print a large group of Gmails. CloudHQ offers a Chrome extension that you can use, Save Emails to Google Drive. Need to save Gmail file attachments to Google Drive? Try an IFTTT recipe or app for that.

Finding Files in Drive

A common complaint that precedes most print jobs is how to find files you need in Google Drive. While you can get better at organizing your Google Drive (as well as for others), there are options. One possibility is to use Quick Search for Google Drive. This extension makes it easy to use your omnibar in your Chrome/Chromium browser.

You type “drive” and then whatever you are looking for in Drive. Even if you’re not in Drive, but logged in, you can search. It looks like this when you type “drive,” press space, and then your keyword(s):

printing

Another search tool you can use is OmniDrive, which works in a similar way. Solutions like Google File Stream make it easy to use your desktop’s search tools to find files.

Printing Files Stored in Google Drive Files

If you are in a work environment (e.g. G Suite EDU), then you may have the need to print files you have stored in Google Drive. These are files that you have not converted to the native Google document format (e.g. Docs, Slides, Sheets).  This approach will only work with MS Office suite native-formatted files (e.g. DOCX, PPTX, XLSX), images (e.g. JPG, PNG) and PDFs.

If you are in a Windows environment, you can use Google File Stream. Select the files via Google File Stream, then right-click and choose PRINT. Your printing problem is solved.

Printing Google Document-Formatted Files

If you need to print Google document formatted files such as GSHEET, GDOC, or GSLIDES, then take advantage of Kami’s Split and Merge tool. You can access it via your browser.

Your goal is to create a single PDF file of ALL the files you want to print in Google Drive. Kami allows you to select the files you want; then you can click their EXPORT ALL button to get a single PDF file. You’ll be able to save that PDF file to your computer or Google Drive.

Step 1: Login to Google via Kami’s screen, then let it to access all your Google Drive files. 

printing

Step 2: Select all the files you want to merge into one PDF. It won’t matter if they are GDOCs, GSHEET, or GSLIDES. You’ll also be able to add files from your desktop or Google Drive.

Step 3: Export All

Once Kami has put all the files together, it will ask you to pick and choose what specific pages you want to combine (see image below). This can be great if you want to create a customized file with elements from various files. You drag the pages you need into the grey bar below.

If you don’t need that, then keep it simple and click the EXPORT ALL (red button) in the top right corner of the web page. It will then give you a file you can download to your computer or save to Google Drive. Or you can open it in Kami Split and Merge for further manipulation.

Printing documents from Google Drive doesn’t have to be a tedious job. Use these tips to get you going quickly.

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Google Sites header with a gold bell and red whistle.
Google Tips and Tricks

Google Sites Bells and Whistles

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

For the longest time, Google Sites did not get much love from its developer. Updates and new features were rare. And let’s face it — the classic Google Sites was not user friendly.

Oh, how things have changed since the Google Sites was released in 2016. The new Google Sites R-O-C-K-S! You get a lot of bang for your buck (or no bucks, if you have a G Suite for Education domain) as new bells and whistles are being released all the time

Below you will find seven stupendous additions to Google Sites. I have also created a Google Site to highlight and explain each bell and whistle. Check it out here.

Table of Contents

If your website is quite long and you want your user to quickly jump to sections, set up a table of contents.

Steps:

  1. Make sure you are at the top of your page
  2. Under Insert, click the Table of Contents
  3. As soon as you use the Headings format in a text box; this will appear in your table of contents section.

You have the option of hiding words when the eye-shaped icon appears, allowing you to customize your table.

Add a Button  

Use a button for your users to access a URL or a page within your site.

Steps:

  1. Under Insert, click on button. 
  2. Name your button.
  3. Copy/paste your hyperlink.

You have a choice of filled or outlined buttons, and the button will be the color of your theme’s check-marked color.

Google has provided the Image Carousel to show multiple images in one space.

Steps:

  1. Under Insert, select Image Carousel.
  2. Next, select your images.
  3. Click the gray + button (you must have two or more images).
  4. Resize your image carousel.

Under the settings gear, you can show the “dots” that represent each image so that the user can cycle through your images manually, too. You can also show captions, program the carousel to auto-start, or change the transition speed.

Add a Divider (or Two or Three)

If you need to separate your horizontal sections, use a divider. It’s a common and useful tool and very easy to use.

Steps:

  1. Click on the section of the Google Site where you wish to place the divider
  2. Under Insert, select Divider

Add a Favicon

A favicon is the small icon associated with a URL which is displayed on a bookmark list. A favicon helps you locate a website quickly if you are using your bookmark bar. 

Steps:

  1. Click on the three vertical dots on the menu bar.
  2. Select Add Favicon.
  3. You will need to upload your image and then X out.
  4. Publish the website.
  5. Bookmark the website and you should be able to see the favicon.

Not every image will work with a favicon. Keep in mind that they should typically be small and without too much detail.

Add a Custom Map

Custom maps can be a nice addition to your Google Site. First, you will need to go to Google Maps to create your custom map before inserting your map in the Google Site. 

Steps: 

  1. Go to: https://www.google.com/maps/about/mymaps/.
  2. Click on Create a New Map.
  3. Click on Untitled Map and give your map a title/description.
  4. Click in the Search bar for a location.
  5. Click Add to Map.
  6. Now you can change pin color and icon.
  7. Repeat steps 4-6 to add more locations.
  8. Go back to your Google Site and insert your map.

Collapsible Text

This is the newest trick on the block. If you have a large body of text and you do not want it to take up space on your website, collapsible text is now available.

Steps:

  1. Under Insert, select Collapsible Text. Automatically a heading and normal text box will appear. 
  2. Enter your text in the appropriate places.

Now your user will be able to expand and collapse text boxes on command. 

No longer is Google Sites the outcast of G Suite! Go forth and create amazing websites with the new Google Sites bells and whistles. Plus: Google is constantly adding new features — so be on the lookout!

Featured Image designed by author.

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google tools
Google Tips and TricksLibraries

Google Tools for Your Library

by Nancy Jo Lambert, Guest Author
written by Nancy Jo Lambert, Guest Author

Google is a common tool in education. But are you getting the most out Google’s suite of applications in your library or media center? Here are some top tips for putting Google to work for you — and your students.

Google Drive Basics

Many students and educators use Google Drive every day. As a Google for Education Certified trainer though, I have noticed how many of us fail to use some of the basic features of Google Drive that can make our lives easier.

  • Priority: This is a relatively new feature of Google that I have been using this school year. I am still tweaking my workspace, but I find this useful for things that are more of an on-going project or task.  
  • Recent: I access my recent category quite often now when I am looking for something I was working on recently, but have closed that tab and need to access again. This has saved me on keeping so many tabs open, too.   
  • Favorites: I systematically add things to my favorites and then remove them when I am done accessing them on a regular basis. In some ways, the new Priority workspace has helped me alleviate some items from my favorites, but I still use Favorites regularly.
  • Search: Many people don’t utilize the advanced features of Google Drive search, but they should. When you click on the drop-down carrot in Google Drive search, you can search by type of file, owner, location, date modified, and various keywords. Incredibly helpful when you are looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack.
  • Open in a New Window: I have found that people don’t know the difference between viewing a PDF or other file in Google Drive, and opening it in a new tab. When you open in a new window, PDF or image, you are given the actual link in Google Drive that you can manipulate or share.

Google Sites

As a school librarian, I have been using Google Sites for a long time. Google Sites affords me the opportunity to build-out websites for a specific purpose. Here is a video with uses for Google Sites in education. My digital learning coach and I have built many Google Sites together through the years. Here are a few examples of sites Katrina Stroot and I have built for class learning activities and projects:

Google Keep

Google Keep is one of my favorite Google productivity tools. I use Google Keep every day, all day on my desktop, laptop, and phone. For many years now I have completely given up paper. I scan in documents, cards, flyers, or other information I need to a note on Keep. Google Keep is what makes it possible to add to my notes from anywhere at any time. Here is a video of me showing how I use various Google Keep notes for organization and productivity. 

Google Drawings

Google Drawings is a powerful tool for educators that is underutilized. I use Google Drawings to create digital displays, like this Library FAQ or Printing FAQ, as well as signs and posters I print out for library displays. You can access all my designs from this school year here. 

Tips

In June of 2019, I presented a Google Session at ISTE in Philadelphia. The session, “Google Tools You Aren’t Using in Your Library But Should Be” allowed each of us to focus on things about Google that we were passionate about. For my part, I focused on some Chrome extensions and some features of GSuite for Education products that I use regularly.

For our full site with information from James Allen, Sherry Gick, myself, Nikki D. Robertson, and Tiffany Whitehead, visit bit.ly/googlelibtools. For great how-to videos from Google for Education, check out the EDU in 90 Playlist. 

Google and the School Library

Google for Education and GSuite for Education offer so many useful tools and resources for educators. School librarians are in a unique space to use the tools and resources Google offers differently. I hope you will share how you use Google tools in your library on social media and tag @TCEALibSig when you share!

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make-up work
Good Teaching

Keeping Up with Make-Up Work

by Tiffany Barton, Guest Author
written by Tiffany Barton, Guest Author

I saw a juggler once who could juggle over 100 items at once.  It was awe inspiring and mind boggling. He was vastly entertaining and seemed to bend time and space to accomplish this seemingly impossible task.  

Did I say juggler? Oh, I’m sorry. I meant teacher.        

I know how many balls I have in the air every day, and I don’t have near as many as a few of my colleagues! One of the issues I juggle, and struggle to keep in the air, is make-up work.  

Why Students Miss Class

Recently, I have had quite a few students out with sports, competitions, and unfortunately, concussions.  While it is frustrating to have to keep up with who is missing class for what event and when, or who has or has not turned in an assignment or taken that test from two weeks ago, I know my ultimate goal is for the students to learn, not to follow my perfect schedule.

I want them to be able to participate in sports, theater, ag, and band. Students participating in these activities learn all the lessons that come from being involved – including how to manage their time and efforts.  But I also want them to learn academic knowledge, keep up with their assignments, of course, and love English more than anything in the whole world (a teacher can dream…).

As teachers, we see absences as a loss of instructional time, an occurrence with far-reaching implications.  However, our students do not view the classroom as the only place or time that they can learn.  From their point of view, classrooms shouldn’t have walls or time constraints.  The instructional time is not lost — just moved — to a time and place of their choosing.

Keeping Things In Motion with Make-Up Work

I put together a short list of tips and tricks where technology can help manage all the missing assignments and make-up work — or at least help you keep this one ball in the air. If you have mastered this particular issue, maybe you can share these ideas with someone who doesn’t have eight hands.

  1. Utilize your LMS (Learning Management System). Use Edmodo, Google Classroom, or Schoology to set up an online place where students can access files, handouts, instructions, etc.  Absent students can access all their resources online and won’t have to ask you to make them copies. 
  2. Keep an accurate calendar online.  Make sure students and parents can access your schedule of upcoming (or missed) lessons, homework, quizzes, and tests.  Edmodo, Padlet, Schoology – wherever you want to put it, but this will help your sanity and theirs. You don’t have to think about what a student missed.  Just tell him to refer to the calendar.
  3. Create instructional videos.  Use Screencastify, a Google Chrome Extension, to record a lesson.  Click the link for a short three-minute example video I made last year to introduce my faculty to this great tool. If it is a long lesson, make shorter videos of micro-lessons.  You can post these on your LMS for absent students or email to parents. This might take some time at first, but ultimately, it will save you time since you won’t have to re-teach an individual lesson to multiple students. You can save them and use again for next year!
  4. Record audio explanations in PowerPoint presentations.  If you teach with PowerPoint, you can easily add audio clips of your voice explaining information on each slide.  Tips: put the microphone icon that indicates an audio clip in the same place on each slide so students know where to look. Also, keep audio clips short. Students are more likely to listen if they are less than two minutes each.
  5. Send personal messages with Edmodo and Remind. I never remember that a kid has been absent the next day. When I realize someone is absent, I will send a quick note through Remind or Schoology to just give them a quick rundown of what they missed.  “We missed you today – here’s what we did… 1. 2. 3. ” I don’t always have time to do this, but I do try. Parents appreciate the communication and students know they can’t fly under the radar and hope I won’t remember they were gone.  If I can’t message them right then, I write myself a note to get to it later.
  6. Keep a class blog. If you don’t have an LMS, a blog is a very easy way for students and parents to get a summary of what you have done each day during class. Simply write a quick summary of what was done in class each day. You could even assign a student helper to keep up with this. As an added value, you could print these summaries and turn them in as evidence of your teaching for evaluations. 
    • For example: Friday, Nov. 1st, College Prep English I: Today, in class, we read Book 2 of The Odyssey.  We divided into groups to discuss the similarities and differences between the graphic novel and the prose version. At the end of class, we turned in the Venn diagram. Homework is to read Book 3 on your own and prepare for a Socratic discussion.  
  7. Communicate frequently. You will need to train students and parents as to where they can locate missed assignments, handouts, etc.  Include a link to this information in all class emails, on the bottom of your newsletters, or on your homepage.  You can also create a QR code and post in the front of your room. Then when a student asks, “Did I miss anything?” simply welcome them back and point to the code.

Learning to Juggle

One of the benefits of adopting digital tools to manage make-up work is that it puts the responsibility back on the student.  One of our goals as teachers is to empower students to take ownership of their learning. If your classroom has no walls or time constraints, there is nothing to stop them from accomplishing this.

In real life, I wish I could actually juggle. I can’t even juggle two balls, much less a hundred.  And I am certainly no better at it in my classroom. The fewer items I have to juggle the better!  

What tools or methods do you use to keep up with make-up work? Let me know in the comments!

unsplash-logoPhoto: Alexis Brown
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audiobook
Google Tips and TricksMicrosoft

From Google Docs to Audio Book

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Ever wish you could turn student-created ePub files into narrated audio books? Or make any ePub into an audio book? You can on your Windows 10 computer, by taking advantage of the Freda ebook’s built-in audio reader. Before we go through the process, let’s take a moment to revisit how you can create an ePub-formatted ebook for free.

Creating ePub Formatted eBooks

Use Google Docs as an easy tool to create an ePub-formatted ebook as I shared in this blog entry.  EPUB is the most widely-supported file format for publishing accessible documents and digital books, allowing people to consume long-form content in their preferred apps on a diverse range of screen sizes and devices, including smartphones, tablets, and ereaders.

To make it easier for authors, publishers, and academic institutions to create works that can be consumed digitally, they now offer the ability to export Google Docs files as EPUB publications. Simply go to the File menu > Download as > EPUB Publication (.epub) (Source). Now that you know how to use Google Docs as an ePub creation tool, we’re ready for the fun stuff.

Get a Free eBook Reader for Windows 10: You can use the Freda app on Windows 10 to read any non-digital rights management (DRM) ePub ebook. Free Reader, or Freda for short, provides a wide variety of options that include reading EPUB books, changing type size, font, spacing, margins, layout and color scheme, along with being able to customize the controls and gestures. You can also add bookmarks along with highlighting and annotating sections of text. The application allows you to search for words or phrases within a book, and to search online for definitions, translations (great for those wanting to learn a second language), and information related to any text element you may select.

Free Ebook Reader and Audio Recorder

First, save your Google Doc file as an ePub file on your computer. Then, open the file using Freda ebook reader. Once the file is open, have Freda read the file to you.

When you first ask Freda to read an ebook to you, you will see the following. You will want to choose READ ALOUD:

You can choose several voices (Microsoft David, Zira, or Mark) when having Freda read the ebook to you, as shown below:

Try out the different voices to see which you prefer. Further below, I will share how you can get additional voices for your Microsoft installation.

What Audio Recorder Should I Use?

Use Audacity. Per their website, “It is a free, easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. The interface is translated into many languages. You can use Audacity to record live audio, record computer playback on any Windows Vista or later machine, and edit sound files.”

The next question to consider is how to record Freda reading the ebook to you. To accomplish that, you’ll need to get the free, open source audio editor Audacity. Once you have it installed on your Windows 10 computer, you will need to adjust some of its settings by putting in the preferences as shown below:

Make sure to change the Recording settings to ENABLE “Sound Activated Recording.” That way, you can turn on Audacity and have it record once you turn on Freda to read aloud.

This will allow you to record audio from your Windows 10 computer as the Freda ebook reader reads the book aloud to you. Here’s what that looks like:

Listen to Microsoft David read About Carroll.

Wait, what if I have a PDF that I want read aloud?

If you have a PDF document that needs to be read, find your way to the Natural Readers website. Using their free voices for unlimited reading time, you can have it read a PDF to you at no cost. Use Audacity as shown above to record the audio from the Natural Readers reading of your PDF book.

Add More Voices to Windows 10

Are Microsoft’s voices for David, Zira, and/or Mark not getting it done for you? There are many more you can add on, including in other languages. Here’s a short list:

Text-to-Speech languages and voices available in Windows

Language (Region) Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 Windows 8 Name Gender
Chinese (Hong Kong) Y N Tracy Female
Chinese (Taiwan) Y Y Hanhan Female
Chinese (People’s Republic of China) Y Y Huihui Female
English (United States) Y Y Zira Female
English (United States) Y Y David Male
English (Great Britain) Y Y Hazel Female
French (France) Y Y Hortense Female
German (Germany) Y Y Hedda Female
Italian (Italy) Y N Elsa Female
Japanese (Japan) Y Y Haruka Female
Korean (Korea) Y Y Heami Female
Polish (Poland) Y N Paulina Female
Portuguese (Brazil) Y N Maria Female
Russian (Russia) Y N Irina Female
Spanish (Mexico) Y N Sabina Female
Spanish (Spain) Y Y Helena Female

How to Add a Voice

Want to add more languages and voices? You can follow the steps outlined on this Microsoft Help page. One easy way to get started involves you going to your Windows 10 Start button (the Windows flag icon in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen), then going to Settings (represented by the gear icon). Select Time & Language. Then, go to Region & Language to add a language (e.g. Spanish), then go to Speech to select your default voice. There may be a slight delay as Microsoft adds a language to your computer. On my SurfaceBook, the process took about five to ten minutes. Speed may depend on your internet connection.

Final Tips for Moving from Google Docs to Audio Book

Here are some final tips to keep in mind before you start recording. Freda ebook audio reader will turn itself off if it detects no one is there. So be sure to do the following:

  • Make sure to turn off your screensaver.
  • Disable your power off for display (it’s OK if you turn off a computer monitor), hard drive, or internet connection.  This will have the same effect as telling Freda that you’re not there listening and it will shut down.
  • Press the RECORD button in Audacity before switching over to Freda to tell it to start the read aloud.

You can continue to use your computer, just be sure not to play any other audio or it will be recorded. If you don’t want to listen to the audio read aloud while you are working, you can turn off your speaker using the Volume Mixer.

Enjoy!

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runner at ready
Google Tips and TricksProfessional Learning

Become a Pace Setter: Google EDU in 90 Seconds

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Keeping up with the constant changes in technology can be difficult. According to a Gartner survey, keeping up with the pace of change ranks as one of the top five leadership issues. Twenty-four percent of organizations, says Gartner, reported no plan of action for staying current. It reminds me of John Kotter’s story, Our Iceberg Is Melting. In this blog entry, we’ll revisit the fable and explore ways for Google EDU districts to stay in the know.

A Tale That Never Grows Cold

In Kotter’s fable, a group of penguins lives on an iceberg. One of them notices that the iceberg is melting. Unfortunately, no one wants to do anything about it. They fail to appreciate the urgency because they’ve grown comfortable, insulated from slow moving, long-term change factors.

In schools today, we face similar challenges. The way things work changes quickly, right under our feet. How do you stay informed and afloat? Let’s explore one fun way.

G Suite EDU? Come Learn This Way

One of my favorite ways to keep up to date with G Suite EDU changes includes reading their blog. Another has me watching their ninety-second, short videos.

EDU in 90 is a video series from Google for Education, with new episodes three times each month.  In each episode, they focus on an important topic. These videos provide updates for educators, administrators, and school leaders.

The series, EDU in 90, shares news and resources for educators and school leaders. Let’s take a look at some of the latest news items for schools.

#1 – G Suite Enterprise for Education

When this was first announced, technology directors said, “It’s the end of G Suite EDU free services.” However, that is very untrue. G Suite EDU remains free, making it one of the best value propositions available to K-12 schools. G Suite Enterprise for Education does, however, offer MORE services at a cost. This for-pay enhancement offers features such as security management, advanced collaboration, and data analytics.

Watch the Video

#2 – Chrome Extensions to Stay Organized

Wish you had an easy way to stay organized? In the G Suite EDU environment, you can rely on Chrome extensions to provide an assist. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use Chrome extensions such as Wakelet, One Tab, Google Keep, and Extensity. These crowd-sourced tools make it easy for you stay organized while browsing. The video features the use of URL shorteners as well. To make things easier for you, click the links to explore TCEA TechNotes blog entries about each.

Watch the Video

#3 – Chrome Extensions to Save Time

In a hurry? Who isn’t? Use these tools to make saving time easier. Here are a few crowd-sourced insights:

  • Tab Scissors – Use this to split your Chrome window into two.
  • Save to Google Drive – Quickly save web content or a screen capture straight to Google Drive with a right-click option.
  • Cluster – This extension makes it easy to manage multiple open tabs and windows. It enables you to restore closed windows and jump around from one to the next.
  • Share to Classroom – If you use Google Classroom often, you can save content you encounter to your Google Classroom for students to view.

Become a Pace Setter: Watch EDU in 90

Feeling pushed around by the pace of change? Then become a pace setter in 90 seconds or less. Watch a few of these videos to get up to speed.

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