10-1-2024 Tuesday Tech Tips

   

In today's edition, read all about ways to create your own Wordle and Connections games (and even play one we made for you- with prizes!), news on Jamboard being sent out to the great Digital Pasture in the Cloud, how to create Google Calendar events right in Gmail, and more. ➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tip 💡 Did you know there are two ways to make setting up meetings easier right in Gmail? You can “Create an event” from an email, or use the new “Let’s Meet” feature, where you instantly choose available times and email them to someone for them to make an appointment. Check out all the details HERE.

Do you have a tip or idea for the Tuesday Tech Tips? Or a request for a topic or question you'd like to know more about? Please let us know! You can email us at joseph.lombardo@greececsd.org with your submission.

________________________________

Make your own Wordle-esque games for your students with Word Rodeo, linked HERE. Puzzles can be be as short as three letters and as long as ten letters. More options include adding a hint, and allowing up to twelve guesses. Languages include English, German, French, and Polish.

You can also make your own Connections puzzles, or even have your students create their own, HERE. Connections is a word game that challenges players to find themes between words. Players are given sixteen words and find groups of four items that share something in common.

We made a Greece Central-themed example puzzle for you. Try your skills at our Connections game HERE!

Did you solve our Connections puzzle? Send us a screenshot to joseph.lombardo@greececsd.org by October 4 for a chance to win great* prizes! Need a reminder on how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook? Just refer back to the "Quick Tip" in our 100th issue of the Tech Tips HERE.

*We've taken some liberties with the word "great." We mean, ya know, like stickers, pens, tchotchkes...things like that...

Credit to Tony Vincent for sharing some of these tools on Twitter!

________________________________

A moment of silence as we remember Jamboard, and all the kids that messed with our Jams during remote learning.

Jamboard will become view-0nly today, 10-1-24. You will no longer be able to create new or edit existing Jams on any platform. You will no longer be able to access the Jamboard app or files after 12-31-24.

Your ITT team is working on identifying tools with equivalent functionality, and will communicate alternates to Jamboard in an upcoming Tuesday Tech Tips, so stay tuned!

________________________________

For assistance with these topics, or anything else related to instructional technology, please click HERE to book an appointment with your building's ITT.

________________________________

'

9-10-2024 Tuesday Tech Tips

  

Welcome to the 6th year of YOUR Tuesday Tech Tips!   In today's edition, read all about our Summer Tech Camp results, making your emails more effective by adding a signature, handwriting fonts in Google Workspace, creating GIFs in WeVideo, and more. ➡️ ➡️➡️

💡 Quick Tip 💡 Want to check  on any changes made to your files in Drive, and keep track of who made those changes? It's not just edits to text- you might notice changes when someone: Edits or comments in a file Renames a file or folder Moves or removes a file or folder Uploads a new file to a folder Shares or unshares an item Check out all the details HERE.

Do you have a tip or idea for the Tuesday Tech Tips? Or a request for a topic or question you'd like to know more about? Please let us know! You can email us at joseph.lombardo@greececsd.org with your submission.

________________________________

Thank you to all who participated in Summer Tech Camp 2024! We hosted twenty-one sessions with 16 hours of possible PL.

Over 300 staff members joined us to learn about topics such as Google Workspace, Interactive Panels, Digital Wellness, and other great ways to integrate technology meaningfully for staff and students. Please reach out to your ITT if you’d like Professional Learning customized to your needs and available for PL credit!

________________________________

Sign Here, Please

This is a suggestion for everyone, and especially all news GCSD employees. But really, everyone. It's crucial that you have a signature in your emails. When sending an email to anyone, especially someone in the district, it's helpful for the recipient to know who you are, what your role is, your location, and possibly an extension to reach you by phone.

Directions on how to create a signature in Gmail can be found HERE.

While not included in those linked directions, we also recommend checking this box when setting up your email signature:

You may even want two signatures- maybe one with your phone extension for internal recipients, and one without it for external recipients. The directions linked above show how to do that!

________________________________

Speaking of signatures, there are new Handwriting Fonts in Google Workspace!

This GIF was made in a flash with WeVideo.  Want to learn how you and your students can
create GIFS?  Click HERE, or reach out to your ITT!

Are you working with your students on handwriting in the new school year? Check out the 51 new handwriting font families just added to Google Workspace Edu tools.

Based on research, they aim to help teach students how to write by hand, and even include regional nuances. This font is called "Rochester." Seriously.

Read more about it HERE.

________________________________

_

For assistance with these topics, or anything else related to instructional technology, please click HERE to book an appointment with your building's ITT.

________________________________

'