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Schedule Send in GMail

We’ve been waiting for a long time for this new GMail feature. It’s been teased for what seems like months, and finally, it’s here!

It’s schedule send in GMail!

With just one click, you can write an email now and schedule it to be sent at a later time. While many have used extensions like Boomerang to accomplish this goal, now you no longer need additional extensions downloaded. Just click the arrow next to send and your email will be sent at a time of your choosing.

Check out this video to see how it’s done!

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Empowering Our Students with the New Ohio Strategic Plan

via Ohio Department of Education, written by Jonathan Juravich.

Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Education, Each Child, Our Future, specifically speaks to what teachers already know — that each and every student in our classrooms is important and valuable. Their individual success is our priority. It is our role as educators to be sure they are continually challenged, prepared and empowered. This is what encourages me about the new strategic plan — a plan that supports and highlights the excellent work already happening in countless classrooms throughout our state. Continue reading “Empowering Our Students with the New Ohio Strategic Plan”

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Read&Write Reads PDFs

Maybe you’ve been using Read&Write since last February. Maybe you’re just picking up steam with Read&Write this school year. But you might have noticed that some PDFs you scan in don’t read with Read&Write. That’s because the optical character recognition (OCR) isn’t just right. But it’s an easy fix! Follow the steps below to get the best results:

  1. When scanning in a document from the school copiers, click “Scan and Send”
  2. On the right-hand side, select “PDF (compact)”
  3. Select OCR (Text Searchable)
  4. Click OK
  5. Now scan the document and send to yourself!

Once you’ve received the email, add the document to your Drive and post it for your students to use! For best use, students should download the PDF Reader extension.

On the students’ end, they will open the PDF in a new window (screenshot below). Then they’ll select “Open With” at the top of the screen and select Read&Write with Google Chrome.

save image

I know that seems like a lot of steps, but once it’s habit I hope it’ll be very easy. Stay tuned here for more information about Read&Write as we plan for District PD on the topic!

Want more help on getting the best results reading a PDF? Check out the link here.

Want help with tech coaches Dan or Molly? Sign up for an appointment!

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Cultural Connections – Learn About Fika, a Swedish Tradition

Standards Connection

Ohio’s Social Studies Standards, grade 2

  • CS 8: Cultures develop in unique ways, in part through the influence of the physical environment.
  • CS 9: Interactions among cultures lead to sharing ways of life.

What is fika?

via http://www.swedishfood.com/fika

Fika is often translated as “a coffee and cake break”, which is kind of correct, but really it is much more than that.

Fika is a concept, a state of mind, an attitude and an important part of Swedish culture. Many Swedes consider that it is almost essential to make time for fika every day. It means making time for friends and colleagues to share a cup of coffee (or tea) and a little something to eat. Continue reading “Cultural Connections – Learn About Fika, a Swedish Tradition”

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Thinglink your Images

thinglink

So many of my students find it easier to explain their understanding with pictures than with words. My challenge, though, is that I don’t always understand what they might be trying to say with those images. Thinglink is a content platform that allows students to upload photos and add annotations. Those annotations can be text, images, links, other images, and much more. Thinglink images can then be shared via Google Classroom or added to Google Sites or other platforms. It’s a powerful tool that’s easy to use!

Image result for thinglink images

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SlidesCarnival adds Style

slidescarnival

Google has come a long way from the plain white slide format from years ago. But some of the designs lack the panache and wow factor that you may be looking for. Consider using SlidesCarnival to download some fresh templates to brighten up your slide decks. SlidesCarnival is a database of free downloadable templates for both PowerPoint and Google Slides organized by vibe and all named after characters from Shakespeare’s works.

Once you find a template you like, click “Use as Google Slides Theme” and you’re ready to go! To find that template to use again, just click “Import Theme”

Next time you need to dress up your slides, use SlidesCarnival to “but mend the style” (Sonnet 78)