Did you know you can find more fonts in Google Docs? Click on the drop down you would normally use to change the font, at the bottom click on More Fonts, scroll through or filter to see the different fonts you can add, check which ones you like, and they will add to your drop down menu. For even more open source fonts, visit fonts.google.com.
Google Slides: Custom Page Sizes
Did you know you can customize the page size in Google Slides? Click File, Page Setup, Custom and type in your desired dimensions. One creative way I’ve seen this used is for creating ebooks or reports in a magazine or newspaper like format. Some people have even printed them out to keep hard copies in their classroom.
Fake Text Messaging
How might you use fake text messaging in the classroom to enhance instruction? Use this webpage to create dialogue to show understanding, compare formal vs informal writing, teach specific grammar skills, and more. Be creative!
Q & A Sessions with Google Slides
Did you know you can facilitate a Q& A session when you are teaching with Google Slides? In your google slide presentation, click the down arrow next to Present and choose Presenter View. A new window will pop up. In this window under the Audience Tools tab, click Start New. For more on this topic, visit this Google support site.
G Suite Training Extension
The G Suite Training Extension is a helpful tool for all staff and students. What this extension does is provide interactive training directly in any G Suite tool. This extension is very helpful with learning features within tools like Google Classroom, Drive, Docs, Calendar, etc. Have a question about G Suite? Just look for this icon in the upper right hand corner of your screen. Click it and help is on the way! 
Join a Google Hangout from Google Calendar
Did you know that you can join a Google Hangouts video call from Google Calendar? Anytime you create an event in Google Calendar, it automatically sets up a video call. To join any meeting that has been added to your calendar, click on the event, then click Join meeting. This will launch Google Hangouts. You’ll want to make sure you allow access to your device’s camera and microphone. For more information click here.
The Great Google Challenge
This week’s tech tips are a part of the Great Google Challenge. It is a self paced challenge that covers Google Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Drawings, My Maps, Photos, Youtube, Apps, Extensions and Add-Ons. To access the tips, log into Google Classroom and join the Great Google Challenge class with the code 9r5x3r. Feel free to explore any of all of the challenges!
Michigan eLibrary
This week’s tech tool is MeL Teachers. It was launched in August. Be sure to check out this newly redesigned portal for all things MeL K-12. There are 8 centers to help educators navigate and use MeL resources in the classroom.
How to Make Photo Slideshows with Google Photos and Youtube
At MiGoogle, I learned a quick easy way to make photo slideshows in Youtube. Since Youtube and Google Photos all sync with your Google account, the process is very efficient.
- Go to Youtube
- Click Upload
- Choose Photo Slideshow Create
- Select Photos from Google Drive, Google Photos, or Upload Photos
- Next, choose audio and click upload
Change slide duration, effects, transitions if you choose or even explore the advanced editor to add titles and view a timeline.
Here is the final product. Just a tip: Do not use vertical pictures (hopefully my example shows you why)
OER: Open Education Resources
OER or Open Education Resources are resources that are useful for teaching and learning. These resources could be a variety of media and documents that support blended learning. The Office of Educational Technology has a #GoOpen campaign to increase equity of openly licensed educational resources. Michigan has launched the #GoOpen initiative statewide. Some places to go for OER include OER Commons, OpenEd, Smithsonian Learning Lab and cK-12.
