Tech Tip Tuesday #18

Today's Theme:

Learn about, or level up your knowledge of, Gmail Labels. 

In Computer Skills last week, we had a lesson about Gmail. The feature that seemed to surprise this group the most was labels. Labels are a major part of my email organizational routine. 

Wait, what are Gmail labels?

Labels are sort of like folders in Gmail. You can organize your emails into labels that you create. You can add emails to more than one label too. Watch this short (~90 seconds) video to learn more: How to Create and Use Gmail Labels.

So, I have heard of labels, now what?

Update your labels to match what you would actually use. Imagine this, look at your email inbox and imagine printing all these emails out -- imagine, don't actually print, I don't need Bill coming at me! Then imagine sorting those emails into different piles. What piles do you have? Those are your labels. Check out this post in the Google Help Center to add, edit, and delete your labels: Create labels to organize Gmail. 

[Still stuck with where to start? You can steal mine for now and adjust as you go. I have a label for "This School Year" with emails that I reference regularly like the Academic Eligibility spreadsheet and the Mask List. I have another couple labels for different committees, one for Tech Tips, and one for Work to Grade.]

Can't Gmail automate this process for me? 

Yes!!! This is where labels became a game-changer for me. In my work Gmail, I have a filer set up to tag any email with the words "Dollars for Scholars" with a label. In my personal Gmail, I have a filter set up to automatically mark all emails with discounts from places like Kohl's to be marked as read, archived, and receive the label "Deals." Then they are not cluttering my inbox but are still available to me when I want to go shopping. Learn more about this process here: Automatically label and sort messages. Or schedule a Tech Integration appointment with me and we can work on organizing Gmail together, click this link to access my calendar or send me an email. 

What labels will you create? 

Tech Tip Tuesday #17

 

Today's Tip:

Use technology to share with others!

Yesterday was absolutely epic! Hopefully, everyone attending EPIC was able to fill out the evaluation form to provide the planning team with feedback for next year. Let's take a moment to continue the conversations and collaboration today by sharing the epic-ness using technology! 

Visit bit.ly/EPICShare2022 and add your "one thing" to the board. You know, the one thing that you learned that you brought back to your classroom today or this week. It could be something big, small, or whatever. It could be something you just learned or something you have always known is awesome and just want to share with the world. Read what others post, comment, and let's continue to learn from each other! 

Want to use this idea in your classroom?

Click here to get a blank template.

Click the three dots and select make a copy.

What was your "one thing"?

Tech Tip Tuesday #16

 

Today's Theme: Updates to GoGuardian

[I am assuming you have some prior knowledge of GoGuardian. If that is not the case, check out this video and/or this slide deck on GoGuardian. Please let me know if you need help setting up your GoGuardian or have questions.]

Student Groups

While you can only create student groups during a live session, GoGuardian does save these groups for future use. This is an awesome feature for allowing students different levels of access within the same class session. For more information, read this tutorial NEW - Student Groups and/or watch this video GoGuardian Teacher: Your Favorite Scenes Are Now Better with Student Grouping.

Unblock for Class

If you have a scene that is blocking all websites except those you allow, you can quickly add a website to that list by clicking the Unblock for class option. For more information, read this tutorial Allowing Access to Blocked Sites for Students.

Calendar View

This was new at the end of last school year, so it may or may not be new to you. The calendar is helpful for checking to make sure your scheduled sessions are set up correctly and for removing sessions on non-school days (like the upcoming MLK Day). For more information, check out Calendar View in GoGuardian Teacher.

​What questions do you have about GoGuardian? What additional supports would support your use of GoGuardian?

Tech Tip Tuesday #15

I love the "fresh start" of a new year! I like to take time to reflect on the previous year and plan goals for the upcoming year. While I am not big on New Year's resolutions (I do #oneword instead), I do have some technology goals for this year. My inspiration came from #ImpactConference, many people on Twitter, and this blog post New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers in 2022.

Amanda's "Tech" Goals for 2022

1. Collaborate with more teachers for tech integration in their classrooms. (I've collaborated with Google Skills and Hour of Code already this year.)

2. Read 4 books about education/teaching/technology. 

3. Create Retrieval Practice Grids for Pre-Algebra.

4. Use videos recorded during distance learning to experiment with math centers in the classroom. 

5. Continue to connect with educators -- here at East Central and also through ECMECC, Twitter, and hopefully another ISTE trip this summer.

What are your technology goals for 2022?

Take some time to think about how you would like to use technology in both your personal and professional life.