StoryWeaver looks like an amazing site that is designed to create and translate children’s books into a ton of different languages and make them accessible online for free. Users can translate books on the site into different languages or easily create their own books. It’s also a great site for students to write for an authentic audience. ELL teachers and their students could get a lot out of the site, and it seems to me that other language teachers could have their students use it, too.
Tech support scams are an industry-wide issue where scammers use scare tactics to trick users into paying for unnecessary technical support services that supposedly fix contrived device, platform, or software problems.
Kapwing is a free video/image editing tool that allows you to create and edit gifs, memes, add subtitles, add audio to video, etc. The end product will have a little kapwing watermark on it but is not very obtrusive. Click on the link above to find out more about this awesome tool.
LANSING – The Innovative Educator Corps (IEC) is seeking applications for new members who teach in Michigan and help prepare their students for 21st Century careers in innovative ways.
An online application for the IEC’s second cohort is available at http://tinyurl.com/IEC-Spring19 April 1-May 5, 2019, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and program co-sponsor Genesee Intermediate School District (ISD) jointly announced today.
Having trouble with printing from the Chrome web browser? Try using Ctrl + Shift + P to print. This will take you to the Windows print dialogue (instead of the Chrome print dialogue), where you can print using Find Me Printing. Please see the tutorial below for additional information and images. If you have any trouble, feel free to submit a service request.
Administrators, just like teachers, your plate is full, and if your plate isn’t full, you are spinning multiple plates at a time. The promise of technology can be real when it saves you time and frustration in ways that it can keep you organized. The following Google Slide deck was presented at MACUL 2019 and contains GREAT ideas and tools to help you in your important roles in our schools.
Keep in mind that your local friendly Tech Integration Specialist (Matt Smoot or Rick Coughlin) can be sequestered to your office by appointment to assist you with any of these tools you think would help you! Visit the deck here: goo.gl/WLndyc
Google Slides has launched a new feature to make presentations more accessible for everyone with automated closed captioning. When you present with Google Slides, click the CC button in the lower left corner or press the Ctrl or CMD+Shift+C shortcut to enable closed captioning. Then keep your laptop close by, and as you talk, your mic will pick up everything you say and add it as closed captioning on the bottom of your presentation. Here’s the Google Support page on this feature: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9109474?hl=en
Google Slides closed captioning supports spoken English, using Google Chrome on a Mac or PC for now, and captions aren’t stored at the moment. You can, however, record your screen while presenting then save the finished video with your captions recorded as well. And soon, Google hopes to expand closed captioning to additional languages and devices to make all presentations more accessible. Check out 6 Ways to make the most of captions in Google Slides for more ideas on why this is so important!
This is PERFECT for a blended learning tool in your classroom! Using Screencastify or WeVideo to screencast automatically takes your whole group lessons and allows you to employ them in a blended or flipped learning environment. Want to learn more about Blended and Flipped learning, this site is a great place to start: https://www.blendedlearning.org/basics/
Google has partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to launch The Crown Jewels Caper, the first in a series of Carmen Sandiego games in Google Earth. It plays just like the old Carmen Sandiego PC games you remember: visit different landmarks, talk to the locals, and figure out Sandiego’s next destination from their clues.
Though the game is made for promoting the animated Netflix show, it’s still a great collaboration, combining the fun, adventurous aspect of Carmen Sandiego with the immense 3D map resources of Google Earth.
While our youngest students under 13 do not have access to Google Earth on our network, it’s certainly worth checking out how you might use Google Earth as a resource on your interactive white board or SMART interactive flat panel in your classroom. If you haven’t visited Google Earth lately, you don’t know what you are missing!
The Be Internet Awesome curriculum gives educators the tools and methods they need to teach digital safety fundamentals. The materials developed by Google in partnership with iKeepSafe enable educators to bring the most critical teachings—and the excitement of Interland—into the classroom.
Included in the curriculum are lesson plans for the five topics, with activities and worksheets that were designed to complement Interland.
Do you get eye fatigue? Would it be easier to read emails if the font was different or just a bit larger? Did you know that you can customize the settings on your Chromebook to make it easier on your eyes… Here is a short video on how to easily customize some features on your Chromebook to make it more eye friendly. https://youtu.be/v-NfA4pHsUc?list=PL5aqr5w5fRe7QWzXhqxrilIVduWEmLHM2.
-Heather Weaver, Assistive Technology Consultant, P-CCS