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Everything Teachers Need to Know about Google Spreadsheets

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I have received several requests on how to perform certain tasks on Google Spreadsheets and since I am really out of time to answer each of these requests I deemed it important to share with you these useful tutorials.

Working on Google Spreadsheets is a little bit tricky but practice makes better. My advice is to try out these tips each at a separate activity and then after a couple of days do it again and see how much you can remember.

You can also check our Spreadsheet section here in Educational technology and Mobile Learning to explore several other tutorials .
Without further ado, I ll let you explore the tutorials I brought you from Learn Free. Click on any title to access the correspondent tutorial. Enjoy

1- Getting started with Google Spreadsheets


In this lesson, you'll learn about the different ways you might use spreadsheets and how to navigate the Google Spreadsheets interface. You'll also learn the basic ways to work withcells and cell content, including how to select cells, insert content, copyand paste cells, and more.
2- Formatting Cells

In this lesson, you'll learn how to modify the size, style and color of text in your cells. You will also learn how to set text alignments, and how to addborders and background colors to your cells.
3- Working with Multiple Sheets

In this lesson, you'll learn how to create, rename, move, delete,and duplicate sheets.
3- Creating Simple Formulas

In this lesson, you'll learn how to create simple formulas that will add, subtract, multiply, and divide values. You will also be introduced to the basics of using cell references in formulas.
4- Creating Complex Formulas

In this lesson, you will learn how Google Spreadsheets follows the order of operations to solve complex formulas. You will also learn how to createcomplex formulas
5- Types of Cell References

In this lesson, you will learn about relative and absolute cell referencesand how to create and copy formulas that include them.
6- Working with functions

In this lesson, you will learn the basics of how to insert a function into a sheet by typing its name and by using the Functions button. You will also learn how to access the list of available functions.
7- Sorting and filtering data

In this lesson, you will learn how to sort data to better view and organize the contents of your spreadsheet. You will also learn how to filter data to display only the information you need.

6 Tips Teachers Should Be Able to Do on Google Docs

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Following the Google Docs guides I have been posting here, I received several other tips to add to these guides. I know it is impossible for me to cover all the details of these web services but some of these  tips are really important and should not pass incognito. As I told you before, this blog is a fruit of a collaborative work between me and you and I do learn a lot from you as you do from me.

Now here is a round-up of the new hacks you can do on Google Docs\ Drive.

1- Preview Docs
A couple of months ago, Google Drive introduced the option of previewing your docs before you open, share or download them. To preview your doc, click on the check box next to it and right click on the file name then click on preview, see snapshot.



2-  Open Word docs files in Google Docs
To open a Word document ( Docx) that is uploaded in your Google Drive all you have to do is tick the box next to it , right click on the file name, select " open with " then click on " open with Google Drive "


3- Automatically convert files to Google Docs format
To automatically enable Google Drive to convert any document you upload to Google Docs format, you need to click on the sprocket  icon on the upper-right  side, click on " upload settings" then select " convert uploaded files to Google Docs format".
(click on the pic for full view )


4- Organize  your uploaded files
To make it easier for you to  find the files you have uploaded to your Google Drive, you can use the " sort" button top right hand side. See screenshot

5- Create a PDFs from your docs
To create a PDF using Google drive all you need to do is to click on " create" , "select document".
Write your content then when you are done click on " file" ,  " download as" and choose " PDF. You can also download it into different document formats such as : plain text (.txt). rich text format (.rtf), Microsoft Word (.docx) and so on.



6- Use Google Docs offline
To be able to access and edit your uploaded docs in Google Drive, you need to enable the offline option. This is how to do it
Log on to your Google Drive account and click on " more " menu

Click on " offline" .If you already have the Drive Chrome web app installed all you have to do is to click on " enable" .

10 Excellent Digital Citizenship Tips for Your Students and Kids

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Now that you have understood the basics of Digital Citizenship and have read the digital footprint guide, you night be in need of a handy graphic to share with your students to wrap it up all. Well, I have one for you.

The graphic below features some wonderful tips and pieces of advice on how to develop good manners online. Look at it as a code of online ethics to recommend not only to your students but to your kids as well. You can also print it and hang it on your classroom wall to constantly remind students of what is expected from them while using the world wide web. Enjoy


Knowthenet presents Manners Matter source: www.knowthenet.org.uk

Google Teacher Academy is Accepting Applications Now

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Applications for this year's Google Teacher Academy are now open and you can submit yours in no later than June 10. By attending Google Academy that will take place on 32-24 in Chicago, participants will become Google Certified Teachers. Here are some more info about Google Teacher Academy, you can also visit this link to learn more about it.

Applicants 
Approximately 50 innovative educators from around the world are selected to attend each GTA based on the merits of their online application. Applicants include classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, technology specialists, librarians, administrators, professional trainers, and other education professionals who actively serve the world’s primary and secondary teachers and students.
Participants are selected based on their professional experience, their passion for teaching and learning, and their successful use of technology in school settings. We are particularly interested in educators who actively provide mentoring or training for other teachers.
Participants must provide their own travel, and if necessary, their own lodging. The GTA is designed to create a strong professional community of educators who support each other over the course of a year, so if you are not local, you must be willing to be resourceful with all technologies to facilitate communication and collaboration with your fellow Google Certified Teachers. 
Application Requirements
All applications to the Google Teacher Academy must be submitted using our online form. We will only accept applications submitted before the deadline. The application includes short answer questions and a video. For many of you, the school year is over soon, so please do consider what footage you may want to gather soon.
The original one minute video must be on one of the following topics: "Motivation and Learning", "Classroom Innovation," or “Positive Change in My Community.” Be as creative as you like, but make sure you follow copyright laws. Once you create the video, you must post it on the Web to YouTube, then paste the specific URL for your video into the appropriate field on the application.We will not accept videos by email, and we will not watch more than one minute of video. We realize that you may not have produced a video before and that you may not own video equipment, but we are confident you can find a way to meet this requirement. You do not need to be in the video, but please do not submit videos produced for another project or videos created by others. Do not include any copyrighted images, footage, or music.(For more information visit the copyright education site on YouTube.If you have applied to the GTA in the past you can reuse the same video if you wish.

Top Student Doodles of 2013

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Two days ago Google announced this year's winner of Doodle 4 Google competition and the prize went to Sabrina Brady from  Sparta High School, Wisconsin, 10-12. I am sharing with you her doodle below together with the other finalist Doodles I selected for you. But before that, let me provide you with some brief information nuggets on what Doodle 4 Google is all about.



What is Doodle 4 Google ?
Doodle 4 Google is a competition open to K-12 students of U.S. schools to create their own Google doodle. This year’s theme for the doodles is “My Best Day Ever…”
Why is Google Doing This Competition ?
Doodles are meant to surprise and delight people when they visit the Google homepage. Who better to surprise and delight than talented and creative young artists! Google would not exist today if it weren’t for creativity, passion, and imagination so we love to celebrate and promote these values in our younger users.
What are the prizes for the winners ?

The National Winner for Doodle 4 Google in 2012 was Dylan Hoffman, a 7 year old from Caledonia, Wisconsin. Dylan’s design was selected from more than 114,000 student submissions from all over the U.S.
  • The National Winner’s doodle will be featured on the U.S. Google homepage for 24 hours on May 23rd, 2013. He or she will also get a $30,000 college scholarship, a trip to New York City for the final awards ceremony on May 22nd, 2013, a Google Chromebook, a Wacom digital design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it. We’ll also award the winner’s school a $50,000 grant towards the establishment of a computer lab or technology programming.
  • Each of the other 4 National Finalists will win a $5,000 educational grant to be used at the school of their choice, a trip to New York City for the final awards ceremony on May 22nd, 2013, a Wacom digital design tablet and a t-shirt with their doodle printed on it.
  • Each of the other 50 State Winners will win a trip to New York City for the final awards ceremony on May 22nd, 2013, a t-shirt with their doodle printed on it, and their doodle–along with those of the National Finalists and Winner–will be featured in a special exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History.
  • Each of the other 250 State Finalists will receive a certificate and see their artwork featured on the Doodle 4 Google website.

Here is Sabrina's winning Doodle



Here are some other State Finalists and if you want to see all the finalist Doodles , visit this Page

K- 3





Grade: 4-5




 Grade :6-7




Grade : 8-9




Grade : 10-12



Awesome Graphic Featuring 12 Learning Skills for 21st Century Learners

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I just came across this awesome graphic from User Generated Education and want to share it with you as well. I have been posting several educational graphics on the 21st century skills for students and teachers  here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning but this the one below is a bit different. The attributes this graphic features are not digitally focused and apart from the one involving collaboration across different networks, all the other skills relate the students social, emotional, and personal construct.
I am not sure to what extent you would agree with this classification of learning skills but personally I find them really interesting, yes they don't emphasize the digital component but learning is not all about digital skills. We are teaching human beings and not machines after all.

Have a look at this graphic and share with us your feedback. Enjoy


8 Digital Ways to Wrap up The School Year

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The end of school year is just around the corner. It is about the time of the year excitements mounts up and students start counting for their summer vacation. A couple of weeks ago I shared with you here a post featuring some useful end of school year worksheets and printables and today I am sharing with you some digital tips to use to wrap up the school year. Check them out below and share with us what you think of them. Enjoy


 1- Memory Book
This is an end-of-school-year activity, a book your students can make. This is a wonderful book students can make, telling about themselves, their friends, and their favorite classroom events. Here are some digital tools to help you and your students create memory books :
Use Google Docs or the Microsoft word or any other word editor that can allow you to convert your final document to a PDF.
Now that you converted your document into a PDF you can then upload it and turn it into a nice book using :


2- Creating posters
This is a good way for you and your students to highlight and capture those memorable events that took place in the class during the year.

3- Bulletin Boards
Use the tools below to invite students to contribute in creating a class board where everyone gets to share what they learned or anything else they feel like saying.
4-  Gather student Feedback
One important way to inform your teaching practice and informally assess your teaching is to ask students to give you feedback and comments on your teaching strategy, how comprehensible your lessons were..etc. Tell them to submit their feedback anonymously.
5- Create digital portfolios
Invite your students to create portfolios to showcase what they have learned during the school year. They can, for instance, include their favorite writing pieces to document their  writing growth from the beginning of the year till the end.
6-Create a photo scrapbook
Students love scrapbooking and this could be a fun activity for them. Pick a tool from the list below and show them how they can use it to create a pic collage or photo scrapbook featuring pictures from previous field trips,  class parties...etc
7- Create short movies
Use the tools below to show students how to create a short video clip in which they highlight ideas like : what they learned during this school year, reasons why they need to transition to another higher grade, and probably even give pieces of advice to future students .


8- Slideshows 
Get students to use one of the tools they are familiar with from the list below to create slideshows with music or any soundtrack playing in the background. This could be used to  for several purposes including showcasing what they have learned.

A Wonderful Graphic on Flipped Learning

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The last time I posted  about Flipped Learning  I got an email from an " angry" reader telling me that the concept of flipped learning is not new and that it  was first coined by Dewy and Socrates long before it was rediscovered recently. Well this was a new piece of information for me. I asked the guy to send me any reference to substantiate his claim but unfortunately I did not get any answer back. I did some research online and in my university library but was not able to find this fact anywhere . I am hoping that somebody would send me a reference if there is any.


For those of you who are still struggling to come to grips with what flipped learning is all about, I invite you to explore the various resources I have compiled in my : Flipped Learning Section here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning.

I am also adding to this resource this awesome graphic I found in this website. Enjoy


flipped learning

3 Easy Ways to Create A Google Plus Hangout with Your Students

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Upon the multiple requests I received regarding this topic, I decided to create an easy visual step by step guide to show you how you can create a hangout on Google plus with your students. Just a reminder, Google Plus hangouts allow users to video chat with up to 10 people in real time and for free. Users can see each other in small boxes while the person who is speaking appears in a large window top. This is a great way for teachers to hold online classes with group of students who need help. They can also arrange for online chatting sessions to discuss topics of relevant interest. I have listed the three ways to do it, use the one that suits you the best.


The first way

 1- Start a hangout
Click on " hangout party" on the bottom left of your Google Plus page then click on " start a hangout "

 2- Post a hangout invitation
Provide the description of the hangout and type in the emails of your students or whomever you want to participate in your hangout.


3- Once the hangout invitation is sent, participants will need to click on the link to accept it and join in. Here is what you can do in the main hangout page :

 A- Chat
Click on " chat " to activate group chat. A small box will open up on the right hand side of your screen where you can chat with participants.
B- Share Screen
You can share your screen with others by simply clicking on " Share screen". This is great if you are walking them through a tutorial process.
C- Google Effects
If you want to have some fun, you can use these effects, for instance , to put a silly hat on or wear a big mustache...etc
D- Watch YouTube together
To activate this service you need to click on " YouTube" button as shown in the screenshot below and then grant access to it. All participants will be able to see videos in your play lists and watch them together. You can even search for videos right from the search panel displayed on top of the screen.


The second way

 You can also access Google Hangout right from YouTube provided you are already logged in. Just click on " Upload" and select " Google hangouts" and then go through the same process as explained above. What I like about Google hangout from YouTube is the fact that your hangout is automatically recorded and broadcast on your  YouTube channel.
The third way

 This works for those of you who have already created Google Plus communities for their class. If you haven't and are interested in creating one, here is a step by step guide to help you out.
Head over to your Google Plus community page and click on the " hangout" icon and follow the same steps mentioned in the first way.


10 Awesome Handwriting Apps for Your iPad

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Digital immigrants are still trying to come to grips with all the digital innovations that are unfolding in today's world. And even for those who have succeeded in making the digital transition, they still have an urge for the old days of pen and paper practices. That is probably why even with the prevalence of touch screen devices, some people still prefer to use a stylus when working on their tablets. While stylus does satisfy the craving for holding a pen in your hand, it still does not function as expected.
So if you are one of those people who like to use their fingers to take notes on iPad, the list below will be of great help to you. I have curated several useful apps that will allow you to experiement with your handwriting right on your iPad screen.

1- Smart Writing Tool


Smart Writing Tool - 7notes HD Premium is a smart writing tool optimized for iPad.
With this app, mixing your handwriting with digital texts is easier than ever before

2- Penultimate

The original and most popular handwriting app for iPad. Penultimate gives you the natural experience of writing on paper, with the added power and availability of Evernote. Take notes, keep sketches, or share your next breakthrough idea -- in the office, on the go, or at home on the sofa.
3- Notability

Notability powerfully integrates handwriting, PDF annotation, typing, recording, and organizing so you can take notes your way! Discover the freedom to capture ideas, share insights, and present information in one perfect place on iPad.

4- Ghostwriter Notes

Ghostwriter Notes for the iPad gives you the power to take notes, collect & store information, and take it with you wherever you go! Download this ultra-useful app & experience the future of note-taking today! Want to know more? Click “More” & discover Ghostwriter Notes right now!

5- Remarks by Readdle

Write down your thoughts, capture ideas and information, annotate documents and outline notes anywhere from university class to sofa at home.

6- Paper by fifty three

Paper is where ideas begin. It’s the easiest and most beautiful way to create on iPad. Capture your ideas as sketches, diagrams, illustrations, notes or drawings and share them across the web. Try it free—buy additional tools from the in-App Store.

7- Note Taker HD

Note Taker HD is a powerful app for writing and organizing handwritten notes, diagrams, etc., on the iPad. It can also be used to annotate PDF files. It can shrink your writing so you can easily fit a lot of text on a page. You can read the reduced-size "ink" as if you had written those letters with a very fine pen. It gives you solid functionality and control to produce the pages you need.

8- Notes Plus

Notes Plus is a powerful note-taking tool that supports handwriting, typing, audio recording and PDF annotation. It offers close-up writing mode, stroke smoothing, vector shape auto-detection, palm handling, complete folder structure, images, PDF exporting and emailing, automatic backup to Dropbox and more.

9- Noteshelf

The most beautiful note-taking app ever designed for the iPad. Noteshelf is the handwriting note taker that features super natural digital ink, a stunning UI and a comprehensive toolset that will increase the benefits of owning an iPad by leaps and bounds.

10- Goodnotes

GoodNotes lets you take handwritten notes, sketch diagrams, mark-up PDFs and organize them on a beautiful bookshelf. Turn pages with a swipe, highlight or add notes to any page, and share your notes with anyone. GoodNotes will automatically save your notes and has full backup function to prevent data loss.