Virtual Summit – Reopening: Innovative Tools & Strategies for Anywhere Learning - August 17-20, 2020

Teq is hosting this free virtual summit to discuss innovative tools and strategies for reopening schools — whether in a traditional, hybrid, or distance learning format.

We would like this to be an open forum where communication is encouraged to get a true understanding of the needs of each school. As always with Teq, there will be opportunities for virtual product showcases throughout the summit and our PD team will be available to answer specific edtech questions.

Sessions will be presented live using Zoom and are 45 minutes (30 minutes with 15 minutes for discussion and Q&A). Here are some of the topics to be addressed at the summit:

• Effective Organization of Google Drive and Google Classroom
• Supporting Teachers during Distance Learning with PD
• Rube Goldberg and Minecraft for Remote STEM Learning
• Keeping Students Safe in Any Learning Environment (with Gaggle)
• The Virtual Tech Coach
• Using Microsoft Teams for Remote Learning

For more information and to register for the summit, please click on the link below.

https://www.teq.com/events/virtual-summit-reopening-innovative-tools-strategies-for-anywhere-learning/

Top 5 Posts of July

What was everyone reading in July?  Take a look below to see the top five posts from last month.  Catch up on what you missed or reread a post.

         Digital Exit Tickets        Turn any video into an assignment        Creating an easy Works Cited Page        Did you know you could do these 3 things in PowerPoint?        Giving online quizzes or homework assignments

Easily make screen recordings (with or without your face)

Screencastify if one of my favorite screen recording tools. A few quick notes before I talk about it more; you have to be using the Google Chrome browser, have a Google account and the free version has a recording limit of five minutes.

 

To start you'll visit the Screencastify web page and install the extension.

Once you have installed the extension, you will see  pink arrow that represents Screencastify.  To get things going you will have to click on it and activate your account.  You will have to agree to some permissions and then you'll be ready to go!  

You have three options to making a recording: desktop, tab or webcam.  Desktop and tab recording are similar.  In both cases you will be recording your screen.  The desktop option allows you to record everything one your screen no matter what window it is in.  The tab option gives the option to record just one tab in your browser.  This means that anything that doesn't happen inside that one tab won't be in the recording.  For both of these, you have the option to add in your webcam in the bottom corner of the screen.  This allows the view to see you as well as your screen.  The last option is webcam and this is what it sounds like.  You will be using your webcam and anything in front of it will be recorded.

Once you are done with your recording it will be saved for you in Google Drive.  Now you have the option to share it with others, embed the video, do some simple editing or download it to use or edit elsewhere.

Now that you know how to make recordings, what will you record?

How add Text Effects to your Word documents

Text effects are a way to elevate your text.  I made this short video for my students as a reference and wanted to share in case it could be useful to you or your students.

How to use Screencastify for free screen recording

Screencastify is a Chrome extension (meaning that it only works on in the Chrome browser) that allows you to record what is happening on your computer screen.  While there are a number of other screen recording tools that you can use, this one is my favorite.  Let's take a look at its features:

• you can record a browser tab, your whole screen or just your webcam
• you can add your webcam into a browser tab or whole screen recording
• it can record offline!
• drawing tools to annotate
• spotlight tool to call attention to something
• highlights your mouse clicks
• recordings save in Google Drive
• option to upload directly to Google Classroom or YouTube
• export recording as an MP4 (video file) or an animated GIF
• basic video editor

As I mentioned earlier, this tool is free, but there is a limit of 5 minutes per video.  If you want the ability to record longer videos the paid version is $29 per year.  In addition to the extended recording time the paid version also give you additional editing features. 

It's honestly a very easy program to use and I think you can figure it out by just playing around with it (that's what I recommend for most things), but they do have some training resources that you check out as well.  Plus you can earn a fun badge and certificate if you take the whole training courses. 

Quizlet Teacher is available for Free through June, 30, 2020

During the current outbreak of COVID-19, Quizlet’s goal is to support teachers and students in all impacted areas. To help with remote teaching and student engagement while schools are closed, they are providing free access to Quizlet Teacher through June 30, 2020.

Quizlet Teacher includes Class Progress, a formative assessment tool that can help track students' progress. You'll also get access to advanced content creation tools, such as diagrams and audio, which enable you to create custom study materials for your class.

For more information on how to create better, more dynamic sets or use Class Progress, check out our Help Center.

How to Distribute a Page in OneNote

Below is a quick video on how to distribute a page in Microsoft OneNote.  Let me know if there are any other tips your need a quick video on.  You can check out my whole playlist of Microsoft Tutorials or my channel of EdTech Videos.