I just came across video tutorial on Lifehacker and want to share it with you. The video tutorial is about how to protect your spreadsheets using a password. The process is pretty straightforward and simple to apply.
Applying the hacks learned from this tutorial , you will no longer have concerns as to the security of information embedded in your sheets. In case you want to learn more about how to use Google Spdreadsheet , read this guide to get you started. Enjoy
This is How to Password Protect your Spreadsheets
Teacher's Guide to Creating Facebook Group for Students
After posting about how to create a Google Plus community for your class one of my readers here in Educational Technology and Mobile Learning asked about whether there is a way to do the same on Facebook. Her question got me thinking : how come I have been blogging for all these years and never came into my mind to post a tutorial on how teachers can create a Facebook group for their students. Although it is not on my posting schedule for today, I am not letting the idea go because if if I postpone it I might probably forget about it.
Why create a Facebook page for your class ?
As a teacher, I would not want to add my students to my friend list on Facebook not because of any considerations other than the fact that their feeds would not be relevant to mine. Believe me I tried it before and I ended up regretting it so I had to go back and unfriend all. This is where a Facebook page or group comes in handy. Both you and your students will be able to post to the group and all members will see it.
A Facebook Page for your class is an informal learning environment where you and your students get to extend and enrich the learning experiences started in the classroom.
How to use your class Facebook page ?
Here some of the tips to help you manage the Facebook group for your class :
- From the start, set out clear and strict rules on what to post and share . Make it clear to them that this page is not for personal stuff, the page is for LEARNING.
- Talk to them a bit about digital citizenship and explain to them what makes up a good netizen. Here is a detailed guide for teaching digital citizenship.
- You also need to teach them about copyright issues and how to appropriately credit the sources they might want to cite. Here is a list of important resources to help students learn about copyright.
- If you need permission from their parents, go ahead and ask for it. It might be a good idea to invite parents to join in and observe the learning that is taking place within the Facebook page you create for the class.
Benefits of engaging students in a Facebook page for class ?
First, most students love Facebook so they are already familiar with how it works. In trying to contribute to their Facebook page, students will be drawing on different skills: writing, searching, curating, and sharing.They will also get to learn collaboratively and sharpen their digital literacy skills. As a teacher, your rule is only to facilitate and direct the learning that is unfolding in the page.Additionally, when students participate in such informal learning platforms, they get to develop social and emotional intelligence which is pivotal to their overall personality development.
Here is how to create a Facebook Page for your Class
1- Head over to Facebook/pages and click on " cause or community "
2- Type a name for your community, tick "I agree " then click on " get started "
3- Provide a short description of your community and if you have a website for your class you can link it there too.
4- Upload a photo for your community if you don't have one click on " skip"
5- To make it easy for students to remember the web address , you can choose a simple name or use the one provided by Facebook as is shown in the snapshot below
6- Click on skip to skip advertising options
Congratulations, now your page is up and running. Here is what to do next
7- Send the web address of your newly created page to your students to like it. Or if you have their email addresses , invite them using the " invite by email " option.
8- Customize the settings of your page. To do this click on " edit page " and choose from the drop down menu " edit settings ".
9- Customize admin roles and if you want you can allow multiple admins to manage the page. here are some links to help you learn how to do it :
- How do I add other admins or change admin roles for my Facebook Page?
- What are the different kinds of Page admins and what can they do?
- How many admins can a Page have?
- How do I remove an admin of a Facebook Page?
- Why did I lose admin privileges for my Page?
- Can multiple people use the same account to manage a Page?
- How can I feature Page admins on my Page?
- How can I feature other Pages on my Page?
If you have any problems creating your page, please contact me at med@educatorstechnology.com and I ll be happy to help you.
A Comprehensive Index to Educational Hashtags Teachers Must Know about
If you are still trying to figure out what educational hashtags teachers are using then you do not need to go anywhere else, I got it covered here thanks to Chiew Pang document. Pang created an open document using Google Docs and named it " The Unofficial Index to Twitter Hashtags ". I have gone thorough the entire page and found it really helpful so I thought you might want to have a look as well.
See also : Teacher's Guide to The Use of Hashtags in Education
Here is the link for the entire document that Pang created and below are the hashtags it contains. Besides hashtags the document also features several important tips on how and why to use educational hashtags .
New Handy Chart on The Difference Between Projects and Project-based Learning
I just received this chart on the difference between projects and project based learning and I am sharing it with you below. I have already posted here in Educational Technology and Mobile learning a similar chart on this topic but the one below looks neatier and more pertinent so I am thinking you will find it more print-friendly.
Please for those of you who were having problems printing Bloom's Modern Technology Wheel, I have fixed the link and you can now print the entire wheel in a coloured format if you wish.
If you want to learn more on project based learning or are looking for resources on this topic please check out Project-based Learning Page .
source: teachbytes
A Great Wheel of All The Learning Theories Teachers Need to Know about
I really feel like there are no words that can ever give credit to the phenomenal work put into creating the wheel below. It just amazed me how much time invested in it.
Teaching is a hands-on activity ( unless you are a lecture-based type of teacher ) that is deeply grounded in learning theories. Being able to recognize and differentiate between the different learning theories together with the ability to understand the reasons why you opt for a certain theory to inform your teaching and not the other are key to sound and successful teaching career.
The interactive graphic below will definitely help you clear out the cloud over any confusion resulting from misunderstanding a learning theory, it will also set out clear boundaries and demarcate territories for learning theory. Besides summarizing all the important learning theories together with their learning paradigms , this graphic is also hyperlinked and embeds links to several other equally important resources.
Here is a screenshot of the learning theory wheel . Click HERE to see the original full size
10 Google Plus Communities Every Teacher should Know about
Google Plus has recently rolled out some very impressive updates to its features starting by improvements of the page lay-out to improvements in Google Plus Communities. Last year, Google integrated Google Plus into its ecosystem. Google calls this access to “your web.” So instead of all the public information that is already available to everyone searching via Google, so you can see information that you posted into Google’s new social network and on some of Google’s other services like Picasa Web.
However, what I want to focus on today is a very interesting service offered by Google Plus called " communities". I see this feature as a great way for teachers to expand their personal/professional networks through connecting and sharing resources with a wide audience of like-minded educators and teachers from all around the world.
Teachers can also use Google Plus communities to create classroom communities where students get to learn collaboratively, check out this " 11 Steps to Create A Google Plus Community for Your Class " to learn how you can create one for your class.
If you want to use Google Plus communities to extend your PLN and grow professionally, here are some great communities I recommend for you to follow. Check them out below and share with us what you think of them. Enjoy
1- Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
This is the community I created for this blog. By joining you will be able to stay updated about what I post here everyday and also engage in relevant tech ed discussions. See you there.
2- Google Apps for Education
This is a community of people interested in Google Apps for education. Connection, Discussion, Sharing, Discovery ... with Google Apps for Education.
3- Educational Technology
A community of education professionals, technologists, students, and anyone else interested in sharing discussion of all things tech in education.
4- School Technology Leadership
This is an open space for anyone who's interested in effective technology leadership in P-12 schools. Please share widely and contribute as desired!
5- Educational Leadership
A community focused on educational leadership. Principals, superintendents, central office administrators, professors, policymakers, etc.
6- Connected Learning
this Community will be a welcoming space where learners of all ages, and from all walks of life, can come together to share their connected learning experiences, challenges, and thoughts.
7- iPad Ed
This is a community for educators utilizing or planning to utilize iPads and other mobile devices to engage students and optimize learning.
8- STEM Educators
This is a community where STEM educators can meet to share ideas and experiences. Everyone is welcome here, however, because everyone is involved in the education process. If you have a passion for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics education, you're in the right place.
9- Google Docs and Drive
Welcome to the Google Docs and Drive community, where we discuss new features of Google Drive, discuss about wanted features or concepts, and solve problems for individuals!
10- Technology and Innovation in Education
A community for the intersection of research and practice relating to innovation in teaching and learning.
What You Need to Know about Data Footprints
One of the tasks I have in my to-do list for this month is to write a post on the difference between the digital behaviour of Generation Y and that of Baby Boomers. However today as I was sifting through my Feedly feeds I came across this interesting infographic entitled " Data Footprint by Generations ". Going through its content I found that it, partly, clicks in with the post I am working on.
The graphic provides data about technology usage by the different generations. It particulalry tracks the digital footprint of these 3 generations in terms of their video viewing habits, Internet usage , and connected devices. I think it would have been way better if the designers of this infographic provided some more clarifications on the definitional elements of these 3 generations and not just limit the data on them to age-range.
related :
Source : Wikibon
10 Great Tools to Integrate with your Google Docs
Since Google officially changed Google Docs name to Google Drive and a number of updates have been introduced to improve its overall performance. One very recent update is an increase of cloud storage capacity to 15GB usable across Gmail, Drive, and Google Plus. It is quite obvious that Google is trying to outsmart its immediate competitor Dropbox and I think Google is successful in its strategy so far.
To make Google Drive stand out from the crowd, Google opened it to apps developers and allowed users to select from a wide variety of web apps to integrate into their Google Drive accounts. With the integration of these apps, users can now handle their files and documents ways not affordable by any other cloud storage tool out there.
I have curated for you some interesting apps that are integrated into Google Drive and which you can install right from your Google Drive interface.
This is how o install any of the apps below into your Google drive :
Head over to your Google Drive, click on create, then click on " connect more apps", then type in its name in the search pane and click on " connect "
Here is a list of some great apps to use with your Google Drive :
1- WeVideo
Collect RSVPs, run a survey, or quickly create a team roster with a simple online form. Then check out the results, neatly organized in a spreadsheet. Get answers to your questions Create simple or in-depth online surveys. Share them from a link, embed them on your website, or even right inside an email.
2- PicMonkey
When you install the app, the PicMonkey icon appears in Chrome's app launcher on the New Tab page, along with your other Chrome apps. So you can fire up the Monkey from here, instead of pinned tabs or the address bar. Go forth and photogrify!
3- Google Forms app
Collect RSVPs, run a survey, or quickly create a team roster with a simple online form. Then check out the results, neatly organized in a spreadsheet. Get answers to your questions Create simple or in-depth online surveys. Share them from a link, embed them on your website, or even right inside an email.
4- Lucid Chart
Lucidchart is an HTML5-based visual collaboration tool that makes drawing diagrams fast and easy. Work together with an unlimited number of others to create and edit diagrams in real time, with changes merged and synced instantaneously -- great for team collaboration and working with .
5- PDF Mergy
This WebApp provides a simple way to merge PDF files. You can either select the files you want to merge from you computer or drop them on the app using drag and drop. After that use drag and drop to bring the files in the desired order. The resulting merged PDF file will contain all Documents in the order as they appear on the screen. When done, press merge to initiate merging.
6- Hellosign
HelloSign takes paper out of the equation. You'll never need to print, sign and scan documents again! Simply open your file, add a signature (or text, date, checkmark, etc.) and let HelloSign do the rest. It’s legally binding and takes less than a minute.
7- Docusign
Now, with just a few clicks, you can send any document for signature right from Google Drive. Your customers need only a browser or mobile device to review and sign, and once completed, your signed agreement is stored back into Google Drive. No printing, faxing, scanning, and overnighting required!
8- Heap Note Teacher
HeapNote Teacher lets you easily organize your everyday work. You can manage your schedule, keep track of your students' grades, organize research and assignments.
9- HelloFax
By downloading the HelloFax App, you can have the functionality of HelloFax with any file in your Google Drive folder. Fax or sign any document in your Google Drive by selecting the “Open with HelloFax” in the right-click menu.
10- RealtimeBoard Whiteboard
The app provides you with an endless whiteboard where you collaborate in real time visually and freely, with no limitations. Add images and documents from your device, the web or Google Drive. With markup tools and mini-chats work on your projects and discuss in real time. Access the app wherever you are. That’s extremely helpful for business as well as everyday life.
8 Must Have Tools for Dropbox Users
Now that I have covered most of the important features that teachers need to know about Google Drive through my Google Drive Guides, I am shifting the focus to Dropbox. As you know, there are several ways and third party tools to use with dropbox to amp up your Droboxing experience.
Here are some of the important tools you need to have to tap into the potential of Dropbox :
1- Dropitto Me
This a great web tool that allows users to securely upload files to Dropbox.Once registered with DropitTome, you 'll be given a password protected link you or others can use to upload files to your Dropbox account. This service is free.
2- DropLink
This is another awesome app that I use on my MAC Book Pro. It is a simple software that allows you to sync any file or folder on your Mac with Dropbox.
3- Backup Box
Feel like moving from Dropbox to Box? Or from Google Drive to SkyDrive? Use Backup Box to make the process a snap!
4- Wappwolf
Wappwolf is focused on deconstructing the barriers of the Cloud. By connecting your Evernote, Facebook, Flickr, and other web services / apps to Dropbox. Drag & drop files into a predefined folder on Dropbox and automatically convert and sync to your favorite places.
5- Jotform
This is a form builder that allows you to upload your forms and send them straight to your Dropbox account.
6- URL Droplet
URL Droplet allows you to upload links straight to your Dropbox folders. All you need to do is take a link (this especially works well if the link leads to a PDF or similar document) and paste it into the URL Droplet form.
7- SendtoDropbox
When you don't have access to Dropbox, it comes in handy to have an alternate way to upload files. If you create an account at SendToDropbox.com, you can send files to a custom email address as attachments. The files will automatically appear in your Attachments folder in Dropbox.
8- Host Webpages
Want a website, but don't want to pay for a domain? Want an online portfolio, but don't know HTML? Dropbox can help. By using services like DropPages or Pancake.io, you can create a small and simple website with minimal effort. With Pancake.io, all you need to do is save plain text files in Dropbox, and you can edit them at any time the same way. DropPages is a little bit more complex, letting you add themes and custom URLs. Both services allow you to use Markdown or HTML.
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