It’s Madness: The Biggest Players In Tech

There’s a lot of chatter this year about basketball, brackets and top-seeded teams but we’re more interested in some of the standout players in the EdTech field. 

These two champions are always coming up with new products, tips and updates to help administrators and educators effectively do the job of teaching students.

Reigning Champs

Microsoft Education has been at the forefront of EdTech since the beginning. The company and its partners are consistently updating products and providing tips for users. For example, Microsoft Education recently released 10 learning tool updates for the new year which includes adding Translator in the Immersive Reader, combining step-by-step solving in Math Assistant and reading aloud in Immersive Reader and page colors in Word Desktop.

Some other Microsoft products that are moving and shaking are,

• FlipGrid – As more schools and classrooms connect through FlipGrid, #GridPals, a spin on penpals, help engage students with peers around the world. This awesome dynamic helps students learn from others, share their love of learning through books and offer support.

• OneNote – Custom tags are now in OneNote! Users can now name the tag and select an icon to create a custom tag that will sync across devices and show up in app search results. Brilliant!

• Skype Classroom - Skype in the Classroom is unveiling all sorts of different PD options educators can use to get more out of the product. The best news is the courses are FREE!

The Cinderella Team

Google For Education has become a major player in the EdTech world. Its powerful yet affordable Chromebooks have helped make technology accessible to all students. Its GoogleEdu YouTube channel regularly hosts product updates and EdTech know-how, like the new gradebook in Google Classroom and lock mode for quizzes in Google Forms on managed Chromebooks. 

Some other Google For Education product updates and tips include,

• Gmail – Customizable keyboard shortcuts, how are we not already doing this? Make your Gmail work for you by creating your own keyboard shortcuts. A couple quick clicks in Settings can change your entire day.

• Google Drive – No Internet, no problem. Google Drive allows users to access stored files without Wi-Fi or any other type of Internet. You can work on the go, edit Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and more when you’re in the dark.

• Google Classroom – Google is rolling out new features in 2019, including allowing teachers to create and assign a forms quiz directly from classroom. This saves time and streamlines the entire process.

The good news is you don’t have to pick a team. Microsoft Education and Google for Education have tons of programs and products that seamlessly work together making the fans the real winners.

How to Be a Google Certified Educator

Tech tools for education are as essential today as pencils and paper. If you’re an educator that knows how to use tech like Google Apps for Education in the classroom there are programs that offer certifications for this ability. One of the most recognized is the Google Certified Educator program, which was designed for educators and classroom teachers who demonstrate proficiency using Google for Education tools.

Why should you be a Google Certified Educator?

The Certified Educator program not only validates learning, but it offers several other benefits as well. Being a Google Certified Educator means:

• You gain confidence with digital learning strategies and Google tools.

• You gain access to content that’s focused on classroom integration.

• You can create a paperless classroom.

• You can increase student digital learning.

• You can measure your impact.

• You can engage in professional growth and leadership.

• And, you can increase efficiency and save time.

Now that you’ve decided become a Google Certified Educator, the next step is determining the level you should obtain certification in.

What level of Google Certified Educator should you be?

The Certified Educator program is offered at four levels, a Google Certified Educator Level 1, Level 2 and Google Certified Trainer and Innovator. Each level requires varying degrees of dedication on your part. According to Google For Education,

• Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2: Level 1 status indicates that an educator is able to successfully implement G Suite for Education into their teaching practice in order to enhance teaching and learning. The Level 2 status indicates that an educator is able to successfully integrate a wider range of Google for Education tools and other technologies in order to transform their teaching practice.

• Google for Education Certified Trainer: Google for Education Certified Trainers are passionate and driven education professionals with a desire to help others transform classrooms with technology. Whether you are a school’s go-to technologist, a stellar classroom teacher or an enterprising consultant, anyone is welcome to apply for membership in the program.

• Google for Education Certified Innovator: This is designed for education thought-leaders who create new and innovative projects using Google for Education tools.

Once you decide what level fits your teaching style and time commitment, the next step is to study and take the exam.

How do you finally become a Google Certified Educator?

Each of the four levels has a course and exam you must pass to gain certification. Google for Education Certified Trainers and Innovators must also submit an application.

• Google Certified Educator Level 1: Work through the Fundamentals course and take the GCE1 exam.

• Google Certified Educator Level 2: Finish the Advanced course and take the GCE2 exam.

• Google for Education Certified Trainer: Go through the Trainer Learning Center, take the Trainer Essentials exam and submit an online application.

• Google for Education Certified Innovators: Finish the Advanced course, take the GCE2 exams and submit an online application.

You can either work on your own to go through these levels or work with a Google Certified Trainer for face-to-face instruction.

Deciding to take that next step to become a Google Certified Educator can help you take your classroom and learning experience to the next level and show your dedication to ed tech. How many levels have you gone through? Tell us in the comments below.

Professional Development 101

Professional Development is hardly one-size-fits-all because every one of your teachers has different needs that must be met. Tackle professional development in a new way by thinking outside of the box. Try these ideas, based on what districts across the United States are doing: 

• Unconferences
  An unconference is a grassroots conference where the content is provided by the attendees, not outside experts. Don’t think of them as unofficial events, rather bring unconferences in-house as the official professional development.

TIP: Have the MIEE and GoogleEIs at your institution do the talking, not the administrators. Have breakouts using Google Sheets and Google Hangouts.

• Personal Learning Community

Personal Learning Communities, or PLCs, are a group of teachers with a shared interest or mutual commitment. Administrators can choose the focus, like hybrid teaching models, and allow teachers to sign up for the PLCs they align with most.

TIP: Use Google Team Drive, to keep everyone in the loop. You can drop information in about each PLC and share with your team.

• Choice Boards

Choice Boards offer a menu of professional development options for teachers to pick and choose from; the amount would depend on your district. This method allows you to meet your teachers’ individual needs, instead of addressing them in a group setting.

TIP: Create a DIY bingo board with Google Sheets or Docs. Or, go old school and draw it up on a white board then use Microsoft Office Lens to digitize it. This app trims and enhances to make notes on whiteboards and blackboard readable on your mobile device.

• Personal Action Plans

Personal Action Plans allow individual teachers to set their own learning goals, including an action plan to achieve them.

TIP: Try Microsoft Sway. This digital storytelling app helps create professional, interactive designs with images, text, videos that can be easily shared with just a link.

• Peer Observation

With peer observation, your teachers take advantage of the best source of professional development available to them, each other. Teachers shadow then follow up with colleagues about applying what they’ve learned in their own classrooms. The best part is if they have questions, the answer is down the hall. 

TIP: Suggest Microsoft OneNote to take notes or draw up quick ideas. This tool has a variety of ingenious uses and each note is stored on a phone, pad or laptop and accessed from anywhere

Got some great professional development ideas? Share them with us and include which tech tools you used to knock it out of the park.

Go-To Tools for Presentations: When to Blog and When To PowerPoint

The goal of a presentation is to effectively convey information that allows the audience to remember what has been said. That being said, there are several options as to how to give a presentation, specifically for a final project. For students, presentations can be given as individuals or groups, or for educators in seminars. The best tool for the job depends on whether the presentation will be visual or verbal. 

When to Blog 

Blogs are definitely the ideal verbal tool for presentations. They are becoming increasingly popular for e-portfolios, offering students the opportunity to review, communicate, assess, archive and display their work - including blogging for projects and presentations. Google has a great Keyword Planner tool that allows the writer to enter seed keywords and receive a list of suggested search terms. Microsoft’s Windows Open Live Writer is another solid option.

There are several pros to using blogs in presentations:

• Blog writing is informal, unlike academic writing. This style takes the pressure off students and also allows them to speak their audiences’ language. Blog, or web log, style is typically relaxed, which makes it comfortable and easy for students.

• Blogs allow for comments. Students can get feedback from peers, educators and even parents about their blog.

• Blogs are published. The students’ work is online and can help educate others about their opinion.

• Blogs can easily be linked to social media. Blogs are almost made for social media. A student’s project can easily be shared or linked to the school’s social media account.

There are also some cons:

• A blog doesn’t allow the student to practice his or her speaking skills. In today’s world - where it is a struggle to compete with online and handheld distractions for students’ attention - there aren’t as many real-world opportunities for students to practice their speaking skills.

• Blogs aren’t conducive to group projects. It can be hard to track who-did-what if only one blog is uploaded. Presentations give an entire group the opportunity to participate, even those that aren’t the strongest writers.

When to PowerPoint

When the presentation goal is to be visual, the presentation needs to be done in PowerPoint. Microsoft’s presentation software allows users to create fluid, cinematic motion in one click. Slides can be duplicated, morphed together, moved, etc. 

There are definite pros to PowerPoint: 

• PowerPoint is the standard when it comes to professional settings. It’s been offered in Microsoft Office versions for more than a decade. It’s highly-recognizable.

• PowerPoint can improve presentations. The software’s ability to use animations and images is a definite plus. Even basic shapes can enhance data and help get the point across.

• PowerPoint slides can be easily distributed. The slides can be printed or emailed. They can be uploaded to the cloud or saved on a flash drive.

Yet, there are also some cons to PowerPoint:

• PowerPoint requires some time to learn. There are a lot of options, which can seem overwhelming to users. Also, novices could put too much information on slides, ruining the entire purpose of using PowerPoint – which should be to enhance a presentation. No one wants to sit and read slide-after-slide. 

• PowerPoint could be riddled with technical difficulties. The computer could stop working, power might be lost to the outlet or the overhead display doesn’t work right. These might seem like conditions that can be avoided, but you never know what can happen in a space that is unfamiliar.

Follow us @AreyJones for more great tech tips.

Google Gold: 7 Nuggets You Didn’t Know Existed in the Google Suite

G Suite--what most of us first knew as Google Apps for Work--is one of the most powerful cloud-based collaborative and productive tools on the market. It’s no secret why it has become the fastest go-to for schools, business, and personal use. The trick is how to make the most of it.

Here we’ve broken down our favorite hidden gem for each product in GSuite (so far). We’re finding more ways to use these tools all the time, so check back often for more tips!

Gmail Tip: Get the Group Together

Use Contact Groups to get your team, your classroom, and your students’ parents all on the same page. By creating separate groups for each, you can email the group without fear of forgetting anyone important, and you can easily manage additions and edits. To avoid the awkward accidental Reply-All moments, put your own address in the “To:” field and use “BCC:” for your group.

Google Forms Tip: Form an Opinion (Poll)

This underutilized app can help you take a quick poll, give a test, get to know your students, and reach out to parents right where it’s easy for them--online. The Google Form generator is easy to use and intuitive, you can choose from text answers to multiple choice, check boxes, lists, sales and schedule options.

Google Scholar: Use Your Resources

Google Scholar performs your query against an index of scholarly publications. It works the same as a Google Search, only it filters everything out but academic papers across an array of disciplines and formats.

Google Drawings: Chart Your Heart Out

Whether you use it as a literal drawing board for collaboration or as a place to create customized charts and graphs, Google Drawings can bring your documents, presentations, and imaginations to light. As part of the Google Docs package, it’s easy to use, integrate, and share.

Google Docs: Improve Your Image.

Within Google Docs or Google Slides, you can insert a variety of royalty-free images to give your paper or presentation the wow-factor you want.

Google Drive: Slash Your Search Time

If searching for your files is taking longer than just creating the doc itself, keep reading. You can perform a filtered search in Google Drive by simply clicking that tiny black triangle to the right of the field. You can filter your search by date, words, and how it was shared.

Google Everything: Find Your Shortkeys

Use the Ctrl+/ combo to quickly find available keyboard shortcuts--and then commit them to memory, so you save even more time.

What “Google Gold” tip has saved you more than once so far? We're always looking to add more to our resources here at Arey Jones.

6 Tools in Google Docs To Help Write (and Grade) Term Papers

We’re in the throws of March Madness, and productivity across American businesses--and classrooms--is taking a nosedive. (Research shows that employers lose an estimated $4 billion in revenue due to the paid time lost in managing brackets, discussing team matchups, and watching games.)

And your students aren’t immune.

While college basketball teams are gearing up for the culmination of the season, high-school students across the country are prepping for midterms, term papers, and research projects. To stay ahead of the game, they have to stay on the ball--and Google Docs is a fan favorite.

1. Choose your Add-ons wisely.
   There are several Google Doc add-ons that can help you write--and grade--an effective paper. Word clouds, editing tools, a worthy thesaurus--all of these can improve your language and flow while demonstrating your knowledge of the material. Before you start adding a bunch, however, start with Extensity, an add-on that makes sure extensions and additional add-ons play well with each other.
   
   Try: Pro Writing Aid, Kaizena, and Easy Bib

2. Get a second opinion.
   Having another set of eyes on your paper is always a good thing. An unbiased proofreader will catch unclear phrasing, grammar, and flow problems, and they may be able to offer insight on specific context you could be missing. Use the Chats and Comments functions within Google Docs to make sure you and your friendly editor are both on the same page.

3. Find supporting research.
   Just like you can use the CTRL + K function to create link text, you can also use it to find likely resources--and sources— for your material. Simply type out the topics you are researching, highlight, and hit the shortkeys, and Google will give you some suggestions. Make sure to cite!

4. Use your Tools to Explore
   Another excellent resource in the Google Doc toolbox is the Explore function. Hidden in the Tools menu, Explore opens a side tab in your doc and gives you additional ideas and sources that support your paper based on the phrases, topics, and ideas you are talking about. It pulls from other Google services, like Google Scholar, Google Images, Google Quotes, and Google Dictionary.

5. Harness collaboration.
   With Google Docs, you can pass around thoughts, edits, suggestions, and formatting questions with relative ease. You can also sneak back into past revisions if a tossed idea ends up being relevant again. These commenting tools are also crucial for teachers who want to encourage deeper research or call out worthy sentences.
   
   Tip: Make sure you understand the difference between the Editing and Suggesting modes in active collaborating. Determine who has the final say before ideas start to swarm.

6. Minimize distractions.
   While not a specific function of Google Docs, it’s all-in-house ability to focus a student’s efforts can help funnel creativity in a purposeful, productive way. There’s no need to have multiple tabs open (including ones with live updates of the games); there’s just you and the page, and all the time and tools in the world to fill it.

What add-ons are you using in your Drive? We would love to know.

How To Save Work Offline In Google Drive

When they say Google Drive is everywhere, they mean it. Not only is it in the cloud, providing you access whenever and wherever you have an internet connection, but it can also live right on your hard drive, giving you access to the files you need, even when you’re offline.

Uses for offline Google Drive:

• When driving or flying (as a passenger!)

• When poor internet connections keep interrupting your workflow

• When traveling to areas of unknown or insecure internet

Students can also take advantage of this when they're at after-school practices without reliable connection, but want to get a head start on their Chromebook homework. To take advantage of the most useful aspects of Google Drive, you should access it through the Chrome browser. Installing it on your computer is pretty straightforward; just go here and follow the download instructions. If you don’t have a Google or Chrome account, get one (it’s worth it, and it’s free), then follow these instructions.

1. Download all the Google Drive onto all of your devices.
   If you want to edit your Google Doc (or worksheet, presentation, etc) from anywhere, all of your devices need to be on the same page. The Google Drive app is available on Android and Apple; download it on the devices you’ll be using for access. You’ll also need to download the Google Drive app onto our computer.

2. Log into Google.
   Signing into your Google account usually triggers automatic offline access so you’ll have instant access to the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

3. Enable offline access.
   If you use Google Apps for Education or Google Apps for Work, you’ll have to manually enable offline access, which is as simple as going to google.com, click on the menu icon, and select Settings. Find “Offline Sync” and toggle it to “on.”

You’ll know you’re working offline in Drive when a gray circle with a lightning bolt appears next to your page title. Here's how to do it for Google Docs.

Remember, in offline mode, you can create, edit, and write until your heart is content, but you won’t be able to sync those changes to the online file or see anyone else’s contributions in a collaborative document until after you return to wireless. Syncing will happen automatically once your computer detects a familiar network. 

Did you learn something new today? How about getting to know us more?

10 Ways To Geek Out Over Google Docs

Google Docs has reshaped the way we write, edit, collaborate, and comment, but it can do so much more than we often give it credit. How many of the following ten cool features are you actively using?

1. Type with your voice.

Google Docs allows you to say it like you mean it—literally—with its voice typing technology. This is great for those of us who like to multitask and for those of us who don’t necessarily love typing all the time. This feature includes punctuation (comma), as well as commands like “select paragraph,” “new line,” “all caps,” and “underline.” View the full list of Google voice typing commands here.

How To Voice Type in Google Docs: Head to “Tools” and then “Voice Typing” to get started.

2. Notify your team.

Need to assign a task or pass the baton in a collaborative document? Just create a comment and tag a teammate using their email, and then check the box to assign the task to them. The team member will receive an email notification that something in the document requires their attention. 

How To Assign a Task in Google Docs: Create a comment and type “+” with the desired email address. Follow the remaining prompts. 

3. Find a previous version.

Google Docs automatically saves every version of your document, so if too many hands in the pot have ruined your delicious prose, you can reach back in time to your preferred paragraphs.

How to find previous Google Doc versions: Head to “File” and click “See revision history.”

4. Easily source links.

Google Docs makes very light work of sources and resources when it comes to creating live URL links within a document. Simply highlight the text you would like to link and hit CTRL+K; Google docs will find the most relevant link for you. You can also copy and paste the URL if you want.

How to create a link within a Google Doc: Psst. Read the above.

5. Translate into another language.

While not infallible by any stretch, you can get a head start on creating documents in many other languages by using the Google Doc translating tool. Make sure to proofread, though. A lot. 

How to translate a Google Doc into another language: Click on “Translate document” under the “Tools section.

6. Create a digital signature.

Parent consent forms could get a lot easier and emails more personal if you used the drawing tool for signatures. This feature uses the Google Doc drawing function, which is also useful for drawing diagrams and sending handwritten notes.

How to create a digital signature in Google Docs: Open the Drawing tool in the Insert menu. Select “line” and then “Scribble.” Autograph, save, close, and insert as needed!

7. Free faxing!

We’ve all had that weird situation when someone asks us to fax a document. I mean, who has fax machines anymore? Luckily, Google Docs allows you to fax up to 5 pages for free through their online system; as long as the file is in an accessible folder, you’re good!

How to fax via Google Docs: Click the “Fax This” bookmarklet, type the phone number, and away you go.

8. Add an outline. 

Document outlines not only help with organization, but they also can serve as a table of contents when building a large document that may not be otherwise easy to navigate.

How to make a table of comments in Google Docs: Head to “Tools” and click “ Document Outline.” All headers will be listed automatically, allowing you to navigate your pages quickly.

9. Explore your options.

The Google Docs “explore” feature lets you work and search at the same time, be it additional articles for research, more images, video and more. 

How to learn more about your topic in Google Docs: Head to that trusty “Tools” section again and hit the “Explore” menu item. A right sidebar will pop up, offering the information you’re looking for (and probably more than you need).

10. Work online and offline. 

Contrary to common belief, don’t need an internet connection to work on a Google Doc, but you do need an active sign-in to Google Chrome. You can view, create, and edit existing files as needed, and all the changes will sync up as soon as you plug back into the interwebs. Remember, you won’t be able to actively collaborate, but you can create your comments and tags in the meantime.

How to work offline in Google Docs: Click on “Settings” and then find “Offline Sync” to turn it on.

Google Docs is impressive right out of the box, and it doesn’t stop there. It offers tons of free add-ons that are specific to the tasks you need. Easy Bib, for instance, makes light work of bibliographies. HelloFax allows you to both send—and receive—faxes online. You can also use the apps to encrypt your document, shorten URLs, launch a conference call around a document, and more.

Have another hack you’d like to add? We're all ears.