Deb Norton Tech

Google is Treating us with a Few Time-Saving Tricks  Here are a few updates from Google that can make your work more efficient and save you some time. #1 - New Shortcuts Google recently added shorter time-saving tricks to create docs, forms, sheets, sites and slides. Simply go to your URL (omni box) and type in one of these urls: Docs:  doc.new, docs.new, document.new Forms:  form.new, forms.new Sheets:  sheet.new, sheets.new, spreadsheet.new Sites:  site.new, sites.new, website.new Slides:  slides.new, deck.new, presentation.new #2 - Whose Viewing My Google Docs? The activity dashboard in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides is getting a new look (interface). If you haven't used the activity dashboard yet, it is a way to check to see who has viewed a file and when they viewed it. To view the activity dashboard, open a file and click on Tools and then on Activity Dashboard. The new look will make it easier to find data and to collabo...

This week has gone so fast. I’ve been busy with a full plate. Just the way I like it! Here are a few things that have been a part of my week as well as some resources I’ve shared with teachers. We flew our drone !  The students were extremely excited to experience this advanced form of technology. Our drone has gesture controls such as a palm launch and facial recognition.  The students quickly realized that it takes knowledge and skills to be able to capture quality videos and photos with the drone. Are you looking for a classroom spinner? I recommended this one to a fellow educator.  You can edit the spinner and then save the unique url for your spinner. Do you ever have a few minutes left of class and you need a quick way to engage your students? I love this site . Every time you refresh your screen, a new prompt will appear.  Use think-pair-share, journaling or sticky notes to record responses. If you are a Quizlet user, you might want t...

This post is inspired by one of my colleagues who invited me into their English class and gave me the amazing opportunity to teach the students how to create engaging and informative slide presentations. We've all been there. The audience member of a typical slide presentation created by students (or adults).  They typically look like this one.  A lot of text on a slide with bullet points. A few pictures. And presenters that read the slides word for word.  To prevent us all from having to endure the painful monotony of sitting through these types of presentations, I'm suggesting that we teach students how to create better presentations and also how to effectively present. CREATING BETTER PRESENTATIONS Here is a great resource on Design Tips and Tricks for Google Slides.   Use Diagrams --Instead of bulleted lists, I like to suggest that students to use the diagram tools that can be inserted into the presentation. Simply click on Ins...

I have so many great things to share this week! This week while I was teaching a lesson, the students were very quiet and hesitant to share or respond to any questions or comments.   I wish I would have had something like these speaking goal cards .  Just having students think of a goal and a purpose for sharing might have improved their participation. Google Slides has a new feature coming soon. Captioning in real time! This will be useful for students who are taking notes during a presentation.  This feature is being rolled out in a gradual release, so it may be a few weeks before you see it in your account. Writer Igniter is a fun web application that will create randomly generated writing prompts. The prompt will include a character, a situation and a prop along with a setting for your story. This one’s for all the music teachers out there.   And this one is for all teachers everywhere. A shareable whiteboard space. Share your week...

Those who know me, know that I am a very positive person who likes to spend my time focusing on the good. Lately, there have been some events and situations that have left my mind unsettled.  Whether it be student behaviors, negative conversations or facing difficult obstacles. Before I know it, I find myself in a funk focusing on negative thoughts and in a bad mood. As a reflective person, I am quick to recognize that I need to turn things around and take action to get back to focusing on the good. Here are a few things that help me to get back into a positive mood. 1.  Podcasts from Positive People -- I've been listening to podcasts on my commute. This week I've listened to Cult of Pedagogy, The Danger of Teacher Nostalgia ,  from Jennifer Gonzalez.  The timing of this episode was perfect. It was just want I needed to hear.  I also love listening to any episode from Awesome with Alison  anytime I need to laugh or feel empowered. Another podcast th...

Welcome to October Everyone! Here are some beautiful October backgrounds for your devices. I frequently create Google presentations and so do many of our students. I found this site helpful for finding some free and well designed templates to use. A PowerPoint template can be converted to a Google Slides presentation. In Google Drive, click on the gear icon and then on settings and then on convert files upon upload. Then upload the PowerPoint file into your Google Drive. On October 16th , the new version of Gmail will officially replace the old version of Gmail. Personally, I’m loving the new Gmail and I especially am impressed with the smart compose feature! Everyday I try to be the best version of me that I can. Lately I have been finding inspiration in quotes from others . I found  #10 is one I particularly like for preparing my mindset to start new or difficult tasks. Curricular Connection Draw.io This is a fantastic FREE site for creating flo...