Welcome back to Season 3 and Episode 11! We have been away from the recording studio for several weeks due to the COVID-19 Outbreak and today are excited to be recording our session from home. Thank you Zach and Asha for your production work behind the scenes.

In this episode, we are focusing on the Pear Deck add-on available for Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint.  Many educators and presenters in the business world share their content using Slides and PowerPoint which certainly helps by providing supporting visuals, charts, and text.  The thing is - the audience is passively receiving the information with barely any interaction with the presenter.  Yes, laughs, nods, and gasps count as interaction - but there is no interaction with the speaker in terms of questions, comments, agreements, and other responses.  

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
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• Twitter
• Email

Digital learners of all ages, students, teachers, parents can and dare we say, SHOULD extend the power of their Chrome browser by installing Extensions from the Chrome Web Store. In today’s episode, we are sharing our favorite extensions that fall into  4 categories: accessibility, productivity, creativity, and presentation.  We challenge you to explore our top 20 extensions and even share your favorites and add to the collection.

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

There are many options for cloud storage but if you are a G Suite user, Google Drive should be your go to. Google Drive is of course your cloud storage but to make full use of your drive while keeping it organized, there are some tips and tricks that can help.

Welcome to episode 9 of Somethin’ to Tech About where we are discuss some ways for making Google Drive even better than it already is!

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

In today's episode we welcome Google Drawing expert, Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand! His latest project, Shapegrams, engages learners as they gain proficiency in a multitude of digital skills.   Get ready to dive into Google Drawings and accept our challenge to complete Shapegram 1, 2, and 3!

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

Create instructional videos with ease using Screencastify! In today's episode, we share Screencastify's new features as well as ways to integrate screencasts into your instruction. Are you looking for more ways students can show Digital Evidence of Active Learning? A screencast may be the answer!

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

As a global community, we are hearing of k12 schools, universities, and businesses, experiencing the impact of COVID-19 or more commonly known as the coronavirus. Many are staying connected through virtual communication. With this in mind, we are sharing our top three suggestions for connecting home, school, and work during extended absences. If you are a business, school, or university planning for extended absences, here are some things to consider.

Be mindful of technology limitations.  The home environment is often differently equipped with technology in comparison to work and school.  Be sure to consider variables such as:

1. 1. number of devices per family 

   2. number of family members needing devices

   3. types of devices 

   4. data plan limits

   5. Internet access. 

   6. tech savviness

Consider the social and emotional impact. Whatever has caused the extended absence will affect each household differently. 

1. 1. Be reasonable with expectations. 

   2. Set soft deadlines

   3. Reduce the typical completion rate

   4. Encourage and participate in daily/weekly check-ins 

   5. Be aware of possible increased responsibilities

Stick with familiar communication platforms. This is not the time to teach a new tech skill but an excellent time to reinforce digital communication skills, such as posting comments, responding with video, and composing an email.  Choose one regular route of communication and stick with it to avoid confusion.

1. G-Suite

2. Office 365

3. Flipgrid

4. SeeSaw: The Learning Journal

5. Remind

6. Class Dojo

7. Newsletters

8. Weekly teacher Emails

Below you will find ten general technology resources that parents, students, and teachers can use to support classroom standards. 

1. Visit your online library to check out ebooks -  in Savannah Live Oak Public Libraries

2. Take a virtual field trip to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

3. Listen to educational podcasts from Common Sense Media

4. Practice keyboarding skills with Typing.Com

5. Travel with Google Earth or Google MyMaps. 

6. Submit photos to teacher of workspace, math worksheet, art work

7. Create video explaining a day in your world Flipgrid Screencastify

8. Teachers,  create a playlist for students on YouTube

9. Visit BrainPOP’s free resources and Wonderopolis  to learn more about something that interests you. 

10.  Learn more about computer science and coding by participating in a Free course at Code.Org

If you would like to hear the accompanying podcast, offer suggestions or resources please visit somethintotechabout.com

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

In today's episode we welcome Google Drawing expert, Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand! His latest project, Shapegrams, engages learners as they gain proficiency in a multitude of digital skills.   Get ready to dive into Google Drawings and accept our challenge to complete Shapegram 1, 2, and 3!  

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

In the world of education, data is huge. Using Google Sheets to collect and manage that data can be a real benefit for educators. Beyond that students can collect Science data, track their grades, and more. Today's challenge will have you manipulating some data to practice just some of the features of Google Sheets. 

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

Google Slides have features that can turn your presentation into more than just a presentation! Creating interactive slide presentations immerses the learner into the learning. Challenge 4 offers a template for getting started. Are you up to the challenge?

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email

​Google Docs is probably one of the most used Google apps in the classroom. Although popular, many of the built-in features are unknown or overlooked.

In this challenge, we discover some of those features that will increase productivity for educators and students alike.

Listen to the previous episode on Google Docs here.

More resources:

• ISTE Standard(s) for Educators and Students
• Newspapers In Education
• Common Sense Media

Find out more about Somethin' To Tech About at:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email