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micro:bit
Coding/Computer ScienceSTEM/STEAM

3D Printing Projects for Micro:Bit

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Ready to explore 3D printing projects for the incredible micro:bit mini-computer? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Learn about micro:bit 3D printed peripherals. Before we jump into 3D printing, let’s take a moment to revisit what a micro:bit is.

Meet Micro:bit

“The Micro Bit (under $24 to start) was designed to encourage children to get actively involved in writing software for computers and building new things, rather than being consumers of media,” says Sebastian Anthony. The process is simple. You could summarize it in this way:

  1. Create code
  2. Save code
  3. Get (a.k.a. download) code
  4. Copy code to the device

You can watch a getting started video series from SparkFun on the device. SparkFun has tons of activities, such as this weather:bit example. Since the micro:bit has been available since 2015, there are many exciting projects and video tutorials available already. The device features its own website, so if you get stuck, you can find assistance. Get the free Microsoft Micro:bit curriculum shared April, 2018.

Want to see a simple project idea? See this Rock-Paper-Scissors game via Matt Moore:

micro:bit

Ready to go bananas over micro:bit? Try this next. As you may have noticed, you will need to learn some coding. Wait, wait, don’t hyperventilate.

micro:bit

The web-based MakeCode editor open on a GNU/Linux computer. See? The editor is cross-platform.

Make Code, Create Magic

Micro:bit is a test kit for various types of coding. Although there are various code editors that work with micro:bit, an excellent choice is Microsoft’s MakeCode. Note that you can use MakeCode, a web-based code editor, on Chromebook and iPad (for iPads, you can use the Bluetooth connection to copy code to the device). MakeCode works in a variety of settings and relies on both block and text editors.  As I mentioned in my Codeate with Minecraft Coding Projects blog entry, MakeCode can be used to build and execute actions in a virtual world. The implications are awesome.

What your students learn in one environment (e.g. micro:bit) are transferable to the other (e.g. Minecraft). For teachers getting started with Minecraft and MakeCode, there’s a course (get the HTML version or OneNote Notebook) written for teachers new to computer science or those who have never taught it. Students learn about events, coordinates, variables, iteration, conditionals, functions, arrays, and more.

Join a BBC:Microbit Community? Are you a teacher and interested in connecting with a vibrant community? Join the BBC micro:bit Facebook group (Hint: The micro:bit has 25 programmable LED lights).

Make Games

“Dad, when I grow up, I want to be a game programmer,” said my son. If micro:bit had been around, the journey might not have ended in failure. From games like FlappyBird to LEGO to Traffic Lights, there are many opportunities for students to succeed (and fail) while making games. Won’t you consider introducing students to coding and making with MakeCode and micro:bit? There are many benefits and the research is just starting to come in.

micro:bit

Photo of Deepah Gandhi’s micro:bit emoji character. This was made at the Microsoft E2 Conference.

Micro:bit and Coding Research

Wondering why even do this? Check out this research from the BBC, which deployed one million devices in the United Kingdom at the seventh grade level:

  • 70% more girls said they would choose Computing as a school subject after using the micro:bit.
  • 90% of students said the micro:bit showed them that anyone can code.
  • 86% of students said the micro:bit made Computer Science more interesting.
  • 85% of teachers agree it has made ICT/Computer Science more enjoyable for their students.
  • Half of teachers who’ve used the micro:bit say they now feel more confident as a teacher, particularly those who say they’re not very confident in teaching Computing.

Creating with the micro:bit and coding editors is possible. You can combine it with other inexpensive technologies like 3D printing.

Micro:bit 3D Printed Peripherals

Now that you’ve had a chance to revisit all the awesomeness that is micro:bit, let’s take a quick look at 3D printed peripherals. Like a naked baby, in its raw form, the micro:bit can be a bit awkward to handle. Wouldn’t it be neat to 3D print a case for the micro:bit? Take a look at some examples below.

micro:bit

Curious about these MyMiniFactory creations? Get the STL file for 3D printing online

You can find these examples online at the MyMiniFactory. Per their website, “MyMiniFactory is a community platform for the sharing of 3D printable files and is the official 3D printing partner for the micro:bit.”

One of my favorite examples includes the egg timer for hard boiled eggs. Like the other examples, you get access to the STL file needed for 3D printing as well as the hex file needed for your micro:bit. Consider these instructions, abbreviated for space.

micro:bitStep 1 : Print your egg timer

Simply download the STL file of the timer on this page.

Step 2: Flash your micro:bit !

You can download the code by clicking on the link below or on the zip file on this page. Click on the button “Compile” to download the code on your computer. Then, drag and drop the file into the micro:bit icon on your computer section.

microbit.co.uk/lwphmuidyq

Isn’t that amazing? Not to be left behind, Thingiverse also features a micro:bit collection.

micro:bit

You can save and open these designs in child-friendly tools like Tinkercad, LeoCAD, or, for older students, AutoDesk’s Fusion 360 or SketchUp Pro (available free via TCEA to public schools). Other tools are available that rely on block coding (just like Scratch and MakeCode), such as BlocksCAD.

Get Started Now

What are you waiting for? The convergence of cheap mini-computers like the micro:bit, web-based code editors like MakeCode with free tutorials, and 3D printed peripherals make classroom learning engaging, educational, and exciting. Perhaps your classroom or school might be interested in creating a smaller version of the micro:bit display shown below?

Featured Image Source

Curious about the 3D printed micro:bit watch case? Learn more here.

Updated: Note that this blog was updated with new resources on 04/05/2018.

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academies
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and TricksMicrosoftProfessional Learning

Get Ahead with Summer Learning Academies

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

If you are like most educators about this time of year, you may have already started counting down the weeks (soon to be days) to summer break. After a year of great lessons and seeing your students grow in skills, you start thinking about what you are going to do differently next year. As you read blog posts and follow Twitter chats, you find new lesson ideas and innovative ways to engage your students and make learning exciting and challenging. To help re-energize you and get you ahead for next year, TCEA has several amazing summer learning events just for you.

Adobe Academy

Do you teach any of the Technology Applications or Career and Technology Education courses where students learn to use Adobe products such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Premiere, etc.? Or do you want to enhance your creative Adobe skills for personal projects and enjoyment? If either of those are true, then you definitely want to attend the Adobe Academy on June 19-20! Besides networking with other creative educators, you’ll have concurrent sessions to choose from in order to gain fresh ideas, polish your Adobe skills, and take your curriculum to the next level. You’ll learn from other Adobe-using educators in this hands-on event. For more information about this academy go to http://academy.tcea.org/adobe.

Microsoft Academy

If you are one of the many Microsoft-using educators, you will find the Microsoft Academy a perfect fit. On July 12-13, you can experience a wide array of Microsoft tools to help you extend your learning and gain fresh ideas of how to use the tools with your students and fellow educators. Whether you are using Office365 in the cloud or are using a not-quite-so-new version, join in on the active sessions and take away new ideas. For more information about this academy go to http://academy.tcea.org/microsoft.

Chromebook Academy

Calling all Googlers! Learn from some of the Googliest educators around at our interactive Chromebook Academy on July 26-27. There will be great sessions for Google Suite administrators as well as for teachers integrating Google Suite in their classroom. You’ll learn about the most current features and how you can use them to maximize your impact with students. Add-ons, scripts, hyperdocs, Slides, Forms, and more will be explored so that you can get what you need to take your students to the next level! To learn more about the Chromebook Academy, go to http://academy.tcea.org/chromebook.

Don’t let the summer go by without taking advantage of at least one of these great events. You’ll be amazed at how much you learn and how much fun you will have doing it. Also, let us know if you have ten or more folks registering and we will extend a discount for you to use. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at bellis@tcea.org or Ashley Weiler at aweiler@tcea.org.

 

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MicrosoftProfessional Learning

Journey to Innovation: 2018 Microsoft Academy

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Are you creating amazement with Microsoft tools in your teaching, learning, and leading situation? Then I invite you to share your expertise with others at the 2018 TCEA Microsoft  Academy. The call for proposals is now open for innovators like you! You can also begin your journey to innovative educator at the Academy.

The Invitation to Share

Please accept our invitation to present at the 2018 TCEA Microsoft  Academy. You’ve earned the right to assist other in learning. You’ve worked with powerful technologies. Your peers look at you as an instructional leader.  Whether you see yourself as a beginner or more advanced, share your takeaways. Bring your “A” game. Share your best lesson plans and your tips and tricks. Be unafraid to share your failures and how you overcame.

Want to Attend for Free?

Get two session proposals accepted and your registration fee is waived.  You can learn more about this amazing learning adventure via the website. It will be held July 12-13, 2018 in Austin at the TCEA Headquarters.

Submit your proposal before March 20, 2018

The 2018 TCEA Microsoft Academy Call for Proposals is open now through March 20, 2018. We hope you will be among the many who present and learn at the Academy!

Learn Together with Microsoft

In addition to sessions that will have an immediate impact on your classroom and use of Microsoft tools, attendees at the Academy will also be able to earn badges. Digital badges will be available in the Microsoft Education Community. Two  six-hour academies will be available. The first is the Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Certified Trainer six-hour session. The second is the Minecraft: Education Edition Certified Teacher.

 

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Twitter takeaways
iOS Tips and TricksMicrosoft

Twitter Takeaways: Microsoft Sway in Education

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Looking for Twitter takeaways focused on Microsoft updates for education? You have come to the right place. In January, 2018, Microsoft unloaded a wealth of updates to its education suite of products. In this Twitter Takeaway, we’ll explore these updates through the lens of Microsoft Sway.

Office Sway is a presentation program. It allows users who have a Microsoft account to combine text and media to create a presentable website. Users can pull content locally from the device in use, or from internet sources such as Bing, Facebook, OneDrive, and YouTube. Sways are stored on Microsoft’s servers and are tied to the user’s Microsoft account. They can be viewed and edited from any web browser with a web app available in Office Online. They can also be accessed using apps for Windows 10 and iOS. An additional app is currently in development for Android. Source: Wikipedia

We will take a look at how others are using Twitter to share their Microsoft Sway creations. Before we do that, let’s take a closer look at MS Sway.

What is Sway?

Not familiar with Microsoft Sway? You may want to read these TCEA TechNotes blog entries about Microsoft Sway. In particular, check out Express Yourself with Sway, Podcasting with Sway, and/or Quick Ideas for Creating an eNewsletter. Each provides an insight into how Microsoft Sway can be used. You may also want to watch Microsoft Sway in the Primary Classroom video (10 mins). Microsoft Sway is available in English, French, Lao, and Spanish. That’s a reported sixty-eight supported languages, making multi-lingual creation a cinch.

My top two features of Sway empower you to record audio, including your voice or other sounds, as well as embed multimedia (e.g. videos, other Sways, and more). This makes it a fun alternative to creating narrated images. See the sway below to learn more about How to Sway.

The best way to gain insight into Microsoft Sway is to use it. Why don’t you give it a try?

Twitter Takeaway #1 – Microsoft Accessibility Features

As mentioned earlier, Microsoft has updated its education suite of products. One of the major changes it has made has been to improve accessibility features across all its products. Mike Tholfsen tweeted out the information about the following features:

  • Accessibility Checker: present in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, and Visio, it analyzes your material and provides recommendations alongside your document. The Accessibility Checker helps you understand how to fix errors and create more accessible content over time.
  • Alternative Text Tool: provides a description for a photo or object so that a person who is blind can understand the context.
  • Automatic Alternative Text: leverages intelligent image analysis to automatically give suggestions for alt-text descriptions for images in both PowerPoint and Word.
  • Color Filters: changes the color palette on the screen and can help you distinguish between things that differ only by color.
  • Edge Reading Mode: removes ads, banners, navigation elements, changing the background to an easier to view color.
  • Other included features include: Consistent Keyboard Shortcuts High Contrast, Keyboard Only, Live Tile sizes, Magnifier, Mono Audio, Narrator, Office Lens, Office Templates, Read Aloud, Seeing AI iOS app (free), Tell Me, Text Scaling, and many more features.

You can get more in-depth information below in the sway:

Twitter Takeaway #2 – Green Screen in the Classroom

DoInk (@doinktweets), the makers of the famous iOS app for creating green screens, shared this tweet. In it, they featured Jonathan Wylie’s Microsoft Sway focused on green screen in the classroom.

Twitter Takeaway #3 – Adaptive Technology

Technology continues to enhance student learning experiences in unexpected, powerful ways. Karen McCall’s (@karleninfo) tweet highlights the needs of special education students. In her tweet, she shares a Sway that highlights Styles in Word: A Primer for Accessible Document Design Online Course. The sway combines videos, images, and text to provide insight into adaptive technologies and resources for educators. The sway was not set up for embedded sharing.

Twitter Takeaway #4 – Digital Newsletters

Quite a few schools and entities are releasing online newsletters as Sways. These appear on Twitter periodically and are easy for others to consume. Check out these examples, including the Abbotts Hall Primary publication (@AHPAcademy) embedded below.

Some more examples that include NA Middle School, Motor Books (tweet), How To Microbit (tweet), and Islington Celebration of Computing 2018 (tweet).

Twitter Takeaway #5 – Summarizing Student Learning

“What did my child learn in school today?” One way to answer that common question from parents involves creating a Sway and sharing it via Twitter to inform them. Check out this example of how one primary school relies on Sway to capture and summarize learning in school. They are not the only ones to take advantage of Sway and tweet the resulting creation.

More Takeaways Featuring Sway

Would you like to see more Twitter-shared Sways? Use the Twitter Search option to help you identify relevant information. For example, you can search on “sway.com” to find more Microsoft Sways. You may also want to listen to my conversation with the Microsoft Sway development team, including Mr. Sway and company.

 

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expand
Microsoft

Expand Classroom Possibilities with Microsoft

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Fundamental transformations to how we approach teaching and learning occur daily. In Office 365 classrooms, the teachers and students have ever increasing opportunities to learn and do more. Teaching and learning are often about inspiring learners. Another key aspect of inspiration is the juxtaposition of new tools that make the previously impossible or difficult less so. For example, consider that just a few months ago, it was unlikely you that students could hear their device read to them in their own language. New updates to Microsoft products now make that a reality.

Let’s take a quick look at updates to three powerful tools (Teams, OneNote, and Immersive Reader) that Microsoft has just announced and how they expand classroom possibilities.

Base: Total Respondents. Details: page 23 in the full report. State data here as cited by Scholastic
This research suggests an increasing need for tools like Microsoft Teams, OneNote and Immersive Reader
that seek to meet the needs of all students.

Expansion #1: Microsoft Teams Adds New Features

Image Source

Given the wealth of learning management systems teachers have at their disposal, standards are high. Microsoft has listened to feedback from teachers to continue improving Microsoft Teams, which replaced Microsoft Classroom at the start of the 2016-2017 school year. As a result, helpful teacher tools (e.g. join codes) have found their way into MS Teams.  Here is a list of existing new features announced earlier:

  • List View of Assignments
    • Teachers can view assignments for an entire class.
    • Students can view assignments for all their classes.
  • Multiple class assignment distribution
    • Teachers in Teams are now able to create and assign a single assignment to multiple classes at once.
    • Once distributed, an assignment sent to multiple classes can be edited and/or deleted within an individual class.

There are even more Teams features!

Here are some of the added features just announced on January 22, 2018:

  • Join Codes for Class Enrollment

    • Students now have access to join codes. Teachers can invite students to a class and the latter can join using a code.
  • Mobile Assignment Viewing and Creation:
    • Students, via their mobile devices, can “now access upcoming assignments, receive new assignment notifications, and turn in their work.”
    • Teachers are able to “create new assignments, as well as review and make edits to existing assignments” via their mobile device.
    • Upgraded assignment search feature for both students and teachers is now available.
  • On Demand Translation
    • Students and teachers can turn content in a chat or in a team channel into the language that their Office 365 tenant (setup) is configured in. The power in this feature is that it allows “teachers and students to converse comfortably in their chosen language,” removing all language barriers.
  • Assignment Analytics
    • Real-time assignment tracking reveals who has viewed or turned in assignments.
  • Reusing a Team as a Template
    • Have a MS Team space setup the way you want it? Teachers can now use that Team space as a template.
    • Team creators can also decide what (e.g. channels, tabs, team setting, apps, and/or users) they would like to copy over.
  • Decimal Grading
    • Teachers can “provide grading feedback in their preferred way using Decimal Grading.”
  • Integration with Powerpoint and Microsoft Stream
    • Teachers can “use PowerPoint to build immersive class content (that includes ink, animations, and audio/video narrations), add Microsoft Forms–based quizzes,” then
    • Publish it to their Stream channel as a video. This makes their content available in their Teams class to distribute to their students.
    • Automatic captioning will also become available in MS Stream, increasing accessibility for all learners.

Microsoft continues to add more features. What feature am I looking for? How to mark assignments with letter grades.

Expansion #2: Microsoft OneNote

expandWhat tool has changed most radically from all others? The answer is, in a word,  OneNote. Curious about what you can do with Microsoft OneNote? Read TCEA’s TechNotes blog entries. In the meantime, be aware that Microsoft OneNote has had over 15 million notebooks created since the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Some welcome improvements include:

  • Page locking in OneNote Class Notebook. This oft-requested features empowers teachers to provide students with read-only access of pages.
  • Assignment integrations.
  • Grade integrations with a variety of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and Student Information Systems (SISs).
  • Interactive math calculators, which includes Desmos interactive math calculators (fabulous tool!).
  • New stickers.
  • Immersive Reader for OneNote for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Expect to see many more additions to MS Teams and OneNote with increased integration.

Expansion #3: Immersive Reader

If you haven’t seen Immersive Reader, you are missing out on a powerful tool for second (or third) language learners. Microsoft describes it in this way:

Immersive Reader, included in OneNote Learning Tools, is a full-screen reading experience to increase readability of content in OneNote documents. Learning Tools is designed to support students with dyslexia and dysgraphia in the classroom, but can support anyone who wants to make reading on their device easier. (Source)

Consider the impact of the following features on language learning in the classroom:

According to Microsoft, Immersive Reader supports an additional 10 new languages. It is also coming to even more platforms in 2018. Immersive Reader appears on Word for Mac, iPhone, Android platforms. The chart below provides some additional insights.

expand

 

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Microsoft Resource Roundup
Good TeachingMicrosoft

Our 2017 Microsoft Resource Roundup

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

It’s that time of year again. The holiday season is here and soon 2018 will be upon us. However, before we jump ahead to 2018, let’s review some of the great Microsoft resources from 2017 on our blog that you might have missed. From Photos to Minecraft to OneDrive and all of the tools in between, these are resource-rich posts that you simply must read!

Our 2017 Microsoft Resource Roundup

Below, you will find a roundup of 2017 blog posts relevant to Microsoft divided into several categories.

Learning in Motion

Supporting Classroom Connections and Creativity

  • Creating Six-Word Memoirs: Student creation of six-word memoirs can help form powerful connections to learning. Discover some technology resources to help them.
  • HyperNotes? Use HyperDocs with MS Office 365: Take Hyperdocs to the next level by creating hypernotes with MS Office 365 or OneNote and ensure that students have access to the information they need.
  • Checklists: Scaffolding Metacognitive Awareness: Available on all devices, Microsoft OneNote brings a host of features to the table. In addition to all the features that Google Keep has (albeit with no reminders feature or grab image text in the free OneNote version), OneNote has many more. Recently, it underwent a radical simplification from OneNote 2016 to the free OneNote app.
  • Creative Commons: Make OER Copyright Simple: Open Educational Resources and Creative Commons licensing have truly opened up the world of publishing and free resources for students and their teachers. Microsoft Onenote can be one of the digital textbook creation tools you and your students use.
  • Podcasting with Microsoft Sway: Podcasting is an amazing way for students to showcase their learning. Use Microsoft Sway and you have a final product that is beautiful and easy to do.
  • Enhancing Parental Access with OneNote Class Notebook: Microsoft listens to teachers and adds three new features. One of the notable features includes enhanced parent access to student work in OneNote.
  • Multimedia ELL Assessments: Using technology for multimedia assessment makes sense. And with OneNote, teachers can easily make Anecdotal Records Assessments for ELL students.
  • Visualizing Our Understanding with Graphic Organizers: Visualizing our learning is a powerful way to ensure retention of what has been learned, and graphic organizers make that happen.

Scaffolding Learning with Minecraft: Education Edition

  • Five Steps to Game-based Learning with Minecraft: If you want to effectively begin using game-based learning with your students and ensure engagement, there’s no better way to start than with Minecraft.
  • Minecraftian Strategies with Marzano: New trends in educational technology can easily work with the research from Marzano on classroom instruction that works and Minecraft: Education Edition.
  • Fantastic Voyage-Minecraft Lesson Planning: Add project-based learning components to these Minecraft lesson plans and see learning and engagement soar in your classroom.
  • Virtual Space Construction Workers: If you are an eligible school district, learn how to get Minecraft: Education Edition FREE for one year with a new Windows 10 device.
  • Creating Worlds of Tomorrow: Wish you had a digital assistant to help you build a virtual world? Now you do. Minecraft: Education Edition (also known as MCEE and in use in 100 countries) now has a mod known as Code Builder, which makes building and creating in the online virtual world as easy as drag and drop.
  • Designing Minecraft Spaces: Encouraging students to design Minecraft spaces allows them to ponder the possibilities of changing their physical world as well.

Tips for Tools You Can Use

  • Seven Keys to Blended Learning: If you’re dipping a toe into the blended learning waters, here are some great ideas to take with you as you help students master core content.
  • Engaging Learners with Microsoft Forms: Dump those old paper rubrics and flip the learning! Empower yourself and your students to use Microsoft Forms for the quick evaluation of academic work. This makes grading easy and simplifies the process for students. Let’s explore some ideas for using Microsoft Forms, as well as review Forms features, in the classroom and/or for professional learning.
  • Windows Tips & Tricks: Want to make your Windows 10 device faster, safer, and smarter? These five tips with assorted tricks will get you started and moving in the right direction.
  • Five OneDrive Tips You Can’t Live Without: Looking for ways to increase your productivity and save time? These five tips for OneDrive, a free resource, can help.
  • Use OneDrive to Back Up Your iOS Camera: Need to backup your iOS photos and videos? Consider using OneDrive as an easy way to store, interact with, and share your camera roll.
  • Get Organized-Productivity Tips for Onenote:  Need help organizing the vast mounds of paperwork generated by your campus? Try using OneNote and the chore becomes a breeze.
  • New PowerPoint Translator Makes Captioning Possible: Accessible learning becomes a reality with Microsoft’s newest offering. See how making same language subtitles make learning accessible.
  • No More Death by Powerpoint: PowerPoint doesn’t have to mean a boring presentation. Learn some new ways to keep your audience engaged and even moved during your presentations.
  • More Free Powerpoint Templates: Find the perfect template to ensure that your presentation is a powerful story that resonates with your audience and achieves your desired goals.
  • Digitizing Paper: In this blog, learn about four powerful tools for iOS to use when you’re ready to digitize the papers in your classroom or office. Office Lens became my new favorite free app, not only because you can scan to a variety of online spaces, but because it now includes immersive reader.
  • Farewells, Docs.com, Hello Enhanced Onenote, Forms and Flows: Learn about the latest Microsoft updates to OneNote, Forms, and Flow and the ending of Docs.com in this must-read blog for MS fans.

Deepening Professional Learning

  • Get Current on Tech Learning: Need to update your college learning? Avoid paying expensive college course fees. In this TCEA Responds, we explore how to make lifelong learning possible, including the Microsoft Education Community.
  • Gamifying OneNote Learning: Take your professional learning to a new and fun-filled level with this game board on OneNote. Gamification makes it easy to master new skills!

Wrap Up

As we move into 2018, don’t forget to stay tuned to more fabulous posts on our 2017 EdTech’s Must-Read K-12 IT Blog! In addition, be sure to join our email list to ensure the hottest new content gets delivered right to your inbox.

 

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Twitter takeaways
Microsoft

Twitter Takeaways: OneNote Class Notebook

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Looking for Twitter takeaways focused on Microsoft OneNote? You have come to the right place. OneNote and OneNote Class Notebook offer time-saving solutions.  Learn how easy they are to use with the five tips shown below.

Note: A great source of tweets about OneNote is Marjolein Hoekstra (Twitter at @OneNoteC)

Twitter Takeaway #1 – Set Up Class Notebook

Curious about OneNote Class Notebook? Learn how to set up Class Notebook with this animated gif.

Twitter Takeaway #2 – New Stuff

Microsoft’s hard work has enhanced OneNote. Watch these tweets to learn more.

Twitter Takeaway #3 – Create Student Lists

Nico Paphitis (@paphitisn) models the creation of a hyperlinked list of all students.

Need to offer students feedback? Create a locked section in the student area for graded work and feedback.

Twitter Takeaway #4 – Back Up Your OneNote

Forget to save backups of your work? Learn how to do this.

Twitter Takeaway #5 – Email Notebook Members

Ready to send an email to all students in your OneNote Class Notebook? Get the job done with these tips.

“Locking” digital ink in place can be made simple with this tip, setting a picture as a OneNote page background.

Bonus:

OneNote TakeAways?

What are your favorite takeaway? Share them in the comments. You can tweet a link to this blog entry. Keep an eye out for the summer 2018 TCEA Microsoft Academy. Can’t wait that long? Coming soon, the TCEA 2018 Convention will host several MS Academies. See you there!

 

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MS Office
AndroidChromebooksMicrosoft

MS Office Goes Chrome, er, Android

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Like many Chromebook educators, I often find myself interacting with Microsoft Office documents in a less than satisfactory way. Fortunately, that experience is about to undergo an upgrade.

Mission Possible: Android Apps on Chromebooks

As Dr. Bruce Ellis reported in his March 2017 blog entry, Running Android Apps on Chromebook, future Chromebooks will run Android apps.

According to the Chromium Projects, starting this year, all Chromebooks that become available are supposed to work with Android. Even if you don’t see your Chromebook on the list, it will still receive updates until its Google-determined end-of-life, which should be about five years after it debuted.

The ability to load Android apps on your Chromebook enables access to a host of Android apps for education. These apps expand the Chromebook’s viability for younger grades and students (source). Teachers will also have access to many Android apps, as well as specially-designed cloud apps. These include Adobe Creative Cloud apps (such as Photoshop Mix, Lightroom Mobile, Illustrator Draw, Photoshop Sketch, Adobe Comp CC, and Creative Cloud Mobile).

Furthermore, one more inducement for some educators and students exists. That is the ability of Chromebooks to run the MS Office Android apps.

MS Office Goes Chrome via Android

Research (via Chrome Unboxed) revealed in November 2017 that MS Office Android apps are working on the following Chromebooks:

Microsoft reports that they “…are partnering with Google to deliver the best experience for Chromebook users and plan to make the apps available on all compatible devices by general availability” (source).

Windows Programs on Chromebooks

If Android isn’t enough for you on your Chromebook, you may want to give another product a try. In my early days as a veteran GNU/Linux and Macintosh user, I often found myself trying to run Windows programs. Those experiments involved WINE (Wine is NOT an Emulator), as well as tools like Codeweavers’ Crossover product. Not familiar with Crossover? Here is a quick overview from their website:

Don’t let dual-booting or a virtual machine slow you down. CrossOver will open your Windows software. Launch Windows productivity software, utility programs and games natively. CrossOver doesn’t have the overhead of the Windows operating system like a virtual machine, which means that Windows programs run at native speed, games play at full fps and you don’t need to purchase a Windows license.

After trying Crossover in various situations, I can say it worked…barely. Now, Crossover is available for Chrome OS:

The CrossOver Chrome OS beta will let you run Windows software on Intel-based Chromebooks and Android tablets. Seamlessly run full-featured Windows software that is not available in the Google Play store alongside mobile apps. Run Windows utility software like Quicken and Microsoft Office, or DirectX games, like Wizard101. Games from your steam library will run with CrossOver Android at native speeds. Get rid of remote sessions and multiple devices! With CrossOver Android you’ll only need one device to run your Windows programs and mobile apps. Watch the video.

In most situations, running Crossover for the lone district administrator or campus staff member was not worth the trouble. You just have to spend the money on a computer that is not under-powered.

Ready to Try?

If you’re ready to give it a try, you have two options for exploring Microsoft Office 365 on your compatible Chromebook. For the occasional user, a Chromebook running Android versions of MS Office may be the solution.

 

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Windows 10 Fall Creators
Good TeachingMicrosoft

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update: Moviemaker Lives

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Are you a storymaker? If so, you will want to take a hard look at Windows 10’s Photos app. In its Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft has finally unveiled the feature-rich Story Remix TCEA reported on earlier this year. “The reimagined Photos app makes it easy to tell your story in video with a soundtrack, transitions, 3D effects, and Windows Ink,” says the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update website. Rather than a separate app, Story Remix is built into the Photos app.

Become a Storymaker

“There are so many different ways lives work out, so many stories, and every one of them is precious: full of joy and heartbreak, and a fair amount of situation comedy,” says Texas novelist Sean Stewart. How can we communicate these stories with a larger audience? Children are swapping stories online via YouTube. Whether we like the content of the stories they swap or not, we can celebrate the fact that these children are becoming familiar with the language of images and sound. So, with that in mind, how can we enhance story swapping in such a way that we take advantage of this media-rich language our children are using online?

There are many tools available online that teachers can use to accomplish this. One tool that many have missed is Microsoft’s Moviemaker. Learn more online about becoming a storymaker.

About the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

With the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, the Photos app offers built-in features that facilitate video creation and sharing. Get a detailed walk through online. The Windows 10 Photos app offers an easy-to-use feature set reminiscent of PhotoStory more than MovieMaker. Still, it offers a wonderful tool for creating videos of still photos and adding audio, filters, and other effects.

The re-imagined Photos app makes it easy to import photos, arrange them in sequence, and add special effects. Then you can export the video as an MP4. This video format can easily be hosted on YouTube and other online locations.

One Example

To explore the features, I combined a few pictures and made them into a video. The process was simple.

Source of Featured Images: TCEA Technology Leadership Summit, which took place on October 11, 2017 in Austin, Texas

Video Overview of Photos:

A New Generation of Hobbyists

“Digital storytelling begins,” says Joe Lambert, co-founder of the Center for Digital Storytelling, “with the notion that in the not [too] distant future, sharing one’s story through the multiple mediums of digital imagery, text, voice, sound, music, video, and animation will be the principal hobby of the world’s people.” As our world becomes more connected through the internet, the importance of learning to use digital tools to share your ideas, your vision, and your stories becomes all the more critical. Microsoft’s revised Photos app makes this all the more possible.

 

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Animated GIFs: Education in Motion

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Animated GIFs function great as short picture tutorials. They play well on social media, like Twitter, too. Creating these engaging picture slideshows can range from easy to hard depending on the tools you choose. Let’s take a look at a few free iOS, Windows, Mac, and Chrome tools to create animated GIFs. We will also explore some animated GIFs focused on the Microsoft Education Community, featuring a few common tasks with which learners have problems.

Example #1 – Tech Tips in 15 Seconds

Looking for ideas on how to use animated GIFs? Educational technologists need look no further than John Bimmerle’s Tech Tips in 15 Seconds.

animated gifs

Here is one animated GIF shared via Twitter focused on OneNote sharing made easy. You can edit the images before placing them in an animated GIF sequence. Include instructions, helpful pointers, and more.

Example #2 – Spice Up Twitterchats

You can also use animated GIFs to spice up your Twitterchat/Tweetmeet questions, as shown below. You can imagine creating your images in Powerpoint (or Slides), exporting the images, then stitching them together using one of the free tools available.

Tools for Making Animated GIFs

Ready to make your own animated GIFs? If so, you may already have the tools on your device. The process involves recording a short step-by-step as a video and then converting that video into a series of pictures. The picture series is then animated and runs as a sequence known as an animated GIF. Here are my top picks for creating animated GIFs:

Subscription-Based Tools

  • Screencastify Premium (Free for 10 minutes; subscription service available): This awesome screencasting tool (view tutorials) works great on Chromebooks or the Chrome browser. You can save your recordings as MP4 videos or as animated GIFs. These can be saved to either your device or directly to Google Drive. There’s even an education version worth investigating. A few features of Screencastify include a focus mouse, draw with pen, embed webcam, and my favorite, crop and trim.  You can also record your desktop screen (e.g. Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux) or a particular tab on your Chrome browser.
  • Gyazo GIF (Free for seven seconds; subscription service available): Gyazo GIF enables you to capture screenshots (pictures of your screen) and then share them online as animated GIFs or save them. You instantly share screenshots faster than any other service by uploading the image and copying the link to your clipboard instantly. Fellow Texan and TCEA member Kasey Bell has a wonderful tutorial worth reading on this resource.
animated gifs

Animated GIF of Storyboarder was created with Screencastify’s Save to Animated GIF feature

No-Cost Tools

  • Storyboarder (Free): This powerful storyboarding tool makes it easy to create animated GIFs (and a lot more). You can export creations to Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, Avid, PDF, and animated GIF formats. You can even print out storyboard worksheets and then draw on them. When done, snap a picture with your phone. Storyboarder will import the boards into your project.
  • GifMaker.me (Free): You can use this web-based tool to create animated GIFs. You can also create video animations with free, online music. Another benefit is that GifMaker does not require an account, which makes it perfect for use in a classroom situation. An alternative browser-based gifmaker is EzGIF.com.
  • GIF Toaster (iOS; Free): Looking for a way to create animated GIFs on the go? Look no further than GIF Toaster. You can take a series of photos (or screenshots on your iOS device), then arrange them as an animated GIF. You can then copy them to your computer using WiFi sharing from within the GIF Toaster app. It will also take a recorded video and save it as an animated GIF. Additional customization is possible with built-in filters, etc.
  • DataGIFMaker: Although not strictly speaking an animated GIF maker useful for tutorials, if you need to play with data, you will want to check out this offering from Google. It allows you to enter a few values and then display them as an animated GIF. You simply enter data points, type in short names for data point clusters, select colors, and then save the animated GIF. See example.

There are many other tools (like Flipgrid!) available for creating animated GIFs. Share your favorite and what you’ve made with it in the comments.

Animated GIFs in the Classroom

Austin Houp recommends students create stop-motion animations as part of their learning activities. He suggests using Google Slides (you could also use MS PowerPoint). Students create a stop-motion slide deck and then export images using the Slides 2 Drive* add on. Then, as a final step, they can combine the entire series of pictures as an animated GIF using GifMaker.me.

*Note: Slides2Drive will kick up some security warnings when you add it since it’s not an official add-on. You need it because creating stop-motion animation will result in numerous slides. Google Slides only allows you to export one slide at a time. With Slides2Drive, you can export all slides as images to Google Drive.

Aside from stop-motion animations, students can create short explanations using animated GIFs. Be sure to check out the Twitter Takeaways blog entries for some examples.

Microsoft Education Animated GIFs

As promised, here are a few animated GIFs featuring Microsoft’s Education Community.

Get a Printable Version of a Certificate in PDF Version

Completed a face-to-face or online course? If you need to get your certificate, you can rely on the animated GIF to walk you through the process. It was created with Screencastify Premium version’s tab recording option.

Get Your Microsoft Public Profile URL

animated gifs

Your public profile URL is often required when you are applying to participate in MIE programs. This animated GIF will walk you through the process of obtaining it.

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