The transition from Word or Pages to Google Documents often prompts a lot of questions about formatting settings. In the video embedded below I address three formatting questions that I am frequently asked about in my email and in my workshops. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesA Quick Tip on Google Docs FormattingInsert Images Into Google Slides and Docs on Your iPad or Android TabletReady or Not...The New Google Drive UI is Coming to You 

I enjoy some of the TED-Ed lessons so much that I have an alert on my phone that goes off whenever a new TED-Ed lesson is published. How X-Rays See Through Your Skin is the latest TED-Ed lesson. I found the lesson fascinating because it not only explained how modern x-rays and CT scans work, but it also explained some of the history of x-ray development. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesThe Math of Michael Jordan's Hang Time10 Resources for Teaching and Learning About WeatherThe Physics of Soccer (Football) Banana Kicks 

If you have ever hit send too early on an email and wished that you could take it back, now you're in luck. As announced on the Google Apps Updates Blog, beginning today Gmail has setting for all users (previously only available to Gmail Labs users) that allows anyone to un-send an email up to 30 seconds after it has been sent. "Undo Send" is a setting that you can enable in your Gmail/ Google Apps mail under the general settings panel. You can find that panel by opening the gear icon in the upper-right corner of your inbox. Click image to view full size.  This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesVideo - Three Google Docs Formatting TipsA Quick Tip on Google Docs FormattingChanging School Districts and Want Offline Copies of Your Google Data? - Use Takeout 

Last week I received an email from Travis Towne in which he described how he is using Symbaloo arrange and share Google Drive files. I thought it was a great ideas so I asked Travis if he would be interested in writing a guest post. One of the problems I run into when trying to find documents, videos, or folders that I have saved in my Google Drive folder is trying to find them again quickly without having to dig through the myriad of my created folders. I also want the ability to quickly share with my students folders that have documents or videos without having to send them a link to each one. With these concerns in mind, I felt that combining one of the best visual web resources (Symbaloo) with one of the best storage resources (Google Drive) was the best way to go. The video below describes how documents and folders can be linked to a Symbaloo webmix, the importance of groups, how images can be used to visually enhance Symbaloo tiles, and how to share the link or embed the webmix in a Learning Management System (LMS) or in a document. Click the examples for several ways that Symbaloo has been combined with Google Drive. 1. Useful Technology Webmix 2. AH1 Unit 1 Webmix Here are a few other Symbaloo Webmixes that I have created but don’t use Google Drive. They are however examples for how the tiles can be organized and images added. 1. AH1 Unit 1 Biographies 2. Historical Places Webmix 3. ACA 122 Webmix All of these webmixes can be added to your own Symbaloo account by clicking the "Add this webmix" button. *Note: Several of these webmixes are larger than the gallery view so in order to see the full webmix with all of the tiles, you would need to add it to your Symbaloo.* I’ve listed some additional helpful hints below: 1. Think through how how want your websites to be labeled and listed. Leave space between different sections if possible or sort the tiles by color. *Note: Sometimes it is easier to see it "on paper" so there are many times that I have spent time just moving around the tiles until I’m happy with the results. It probably won’t be perfect the first time you try to organize your sites.* 2. Organize your Google Drive into easy to remember folders. This way you can link either folders or individual documents/videos. *Note: The great thing about Google Drive is that if you move documents to a different folder or change the document, it automatically updates the link.*Use the Symbaloo grouping options as much as possible to help organize documents and websites. 3. Make sure that all Google Drive links have shared permissions (either "Anyone with the link can view" or "Anyone at ‘your organization’ with the link can view"). If not, the documents will not be able to be accessed. 4. Use the Symbaloo grouping options as much as possible to help organize documents and websites. *Note: Remember that groups can hold up to 16 tiles. You can also increase or decrease the webmix size to adjust amount of tile space available.* 5. Take advantage of the unlimited amount of webmixes that can be added to your account. All webmixes can be quickly accessed in the menu bar. *Note: It is helpful to use the webmix icons and colors to help you quickly locate specific tabs. I color code my by unit and give specific icons for each type of webmix.* 6. Spend the extra time choosing images that will be recognized quickly and label the tiles with easy to read wording. *Note: It is helpful to save these images in your Google Drive so you can always access the same ones used previously.* 7. It is helpful to use the Copy/Move feature for both the entire group and individual tiles. This keeps the same image copied in a tile so that you don’t have to keep uploading an image. 8. You can link other webmixes to your original webmix. *Note: This is a great option if you have found another webmix that you like or created one that is a supplement to your original.* 9. Utilize the Symbaloo embed feature when possible (in a LMS) to help keep everything in a central access point. If embedding is not possible, create a hyperlinked title that is easily accessible. *Note: I use Moodle as my LMS and you can click here to see a folder with some example of how I have embedded a Symbaloo into my course. Other LMS options that I have used the embed features are Blackboard and Canvas. Also, I have used the embed option on my school-based website* 10. Remember that Symbaloo does not automatically send out updated changes so you must click the update button in order for others with the link to see any changes you have done. 11. Students usually have good results with using Symbaloo and I actually have several assignments that require students to create their own Symbaloo and link Google Drive documents to it. It is an easy way for them to organize their resources especially if we are dealing with a research based project. Lastly, I am primarily a History teacher so most of my focus is towards this area and I freely admit that history does lend itself to specific topic areas which can be easier to section out. I know, however that several of my peers have used Symbaloo in combination with their Google Drive in Math, English, and Science classes. It can work with any class structure and I know of several teachers that use this resource to help them organize their individual units. Hopefully, you can use these tips and tricks to enhance your classroom environment and please feel free to share any additional ways that you have used Google Drive and/or Symbaloo in your teaching. About Me: I teach American History, World Issues, and Life Skills at Johnston County Middle College in Johnston County, NC. I am a digital learning coach for Johnston County and have developed several online courses for the school system. I also teach College Transfer Success at Johnston Community College. I have a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lee University and have taught for 10 years. I also served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) with the Arizona Army National Guard as an Aviation Operations Specialist. I have been married for 16 years and have 3 daughters. I can be contacted at travistowne@johnston.k12.nc.us. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesSet an "Undo Send" Grace Period in Your Gmail AccountVideo - Three Google Docs Formatting TipsKnoword - A Fun and Challenging Vocabulary Game 

Wideo is a nice tool for creating Common Craft-style videos. You can create animated videos on Wideo by dragging and dropping clipart and text in storyboard frames. You set the position and animation sequence for each element in each storyboard frame. When you have completed your storyboards Wideo generates a video for you. This week Wideo added a new feature that allows you to build interactive buttons into each frame of your video. The buttons can be hyperlinked to any webpage that you like. When people are watching your video they can click the buttons to be taken to the webpage you want them to land on. For example, clicking the buttons in the video embedded below will take you to the website of my favorite animal rescue organizations. Applications for Education Wideo can be a great tool for students to use to bring their creative short stories to life. Wideo could also be used by students to create animated explanations of historical events, to animate biographies, or to teach other short lessons. By adding interactive buttons to their videos students can direct people to websites where they can learn more about the subjects featured in their videos. The free version of Wideo limits video length to 45 seconds. 45 seconds is long enough for a lot of video projects. Discounts are given to educators who want to purchase the capability to produce longer videos. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related Stories5 Online Tools for Creating Picture Books11 Helpful Hints for Combining Google Drive With SymbalooSet an "Undo Send" Grace Period in Your Gmail Account 

Yesterday's post about the new (to some users) Gmail setting called "Undo Send" prompted a few questions to appear in my inbox. To address those questions I recorded the following video containing an overview of three helpful Gmail settings for students and teachers. The video covers using Gmail offline, setting the "undo send" grace period, and setting the "reply v. reply all" default function. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesSet an "Undo Send" Grace Period in Your Gmail AccountVideo - Three Google Docs Formatting TipsA Quick Tip on Google Docs Formatting 

Over the weekend I published about five tools for creating picture books online. Two of the tools in that post were accompanied by tutorial videos. I'm putting together tutorial videos for the other tools in that list. First up is a tutorial on Jellybean Writer. The video is embedded below. Jellybean Writer is a free tool for creating picture books. Students can import pictures from their computers then write captions for each image. All stories can be saved online or downloaded and printed. If picture books are too simple for your students, they can skip using pictures and select one of the text only templates for the pages in their books. As you will see in the video below, teacher can create and manage student accounts in Jellybean Scoop. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesJellybean Writer - An Online Tool for Creating Picture Books5 Online Tools for Creating Picture BooksMay Flowers - A Writing Lesson 

If you're looking for some new books to read this summer, take a look at the Open Library  which is a part of the Internet Archive. The Open Library is a collection of more than one million free ebook titles. The collection is cataloged by a community of volunteer online librarians. The ebooks in the Open Library can be read online, downloaded to your computer, read on Kindle and other ereader devices, and embedded into other sites. Some of the ebooks, like Treasure Island, can also be listened to through the Open Library. Applications for Education Much like Google Books, the Open Library can be a great place to find free copies of classic literature that you want to use in your classroom. The Open Library could also be a good place for students to find books that they want to read on their own. The audio option, while very electronic sounding, could be helpful if you cannot locate any other audio copies of the books you desire. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesNearly 700 Art History Books to Read Online for FreeHow to Create a Picture Book Online With Jellybean WriterThree Helpful Gmail Settings for Students and Teachers 

Six months ago I started to organize the screencast videos that I've made over the years. I called the list Practical Ed Tech Tips. Since I started that list I've made an effort to add one or two new screencasts to it every week. The Practical Ed Tech Tips playlist now contains 118 videos covering all kinds of resources. Some of the topics covered in the playlist include Gmail settings, creating backchannels, digital portfolios, blogging tips, and building educational games. In the playlist you will also find videos about tools for flipping your classroom, videos on managing workflow, social media tips, search strategies, and media production. The entire playlist is embedded below. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related Stories11 Helpful Hints for Combining Google Drive With SymbalooHow to Create a Picture Book Online With Jellybean WriterThree Helpful Gmail Settings for Students and Teachers 

Summer is here (in the northern hemisphere) and it is a great time to dive into some good books. If your students need help finding a new book to read, the following three websites will provide recommendations based on their interests. Of course, they can always ask their local librarians for recommendations too. The Book Seer is a neat book recommendation engine that I discovered few years ago through Kristen Swanson's Teachers as Technology Trailblazers blog. The Book Seer is very easy to use. To get a book recommendation just type in the title and author of a book that you've recently read and the Book Seer will spit out a list of related titles and authors that you might enjoy. I tested the Book Seer with four different titles. The more obscure titles that I searched for, Snow in the Kingdom, and A Good Life Wasted didn't yield any recommendations. When I searched for The World Is Open and Hatchet plenty of recommendations appeared. Your Next Read is a neat little site that provides you with a web of book recommendations based on the authors and books you already like. Here's how it works; type in the title of a book you like or author you like and Your Next Read will provide you with a web of books that might also enjoy. Click on any of the books appearing in the web to create another new web. Compared to the Book Seer and Your Next Read 2Titles takes a slightly different approach to making book recommendations. On 2Titles you answer a series of eight questions about your personality and interests before answering questions about books you've previously read. 2Titles will try to prompt you to create an account, but that is an optional step that you can skip if you can find the "skip" link. This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers if you see it elsewhere, it has been used without permission.              Related StoriesActive Reading Strategies Using the DocHub Chrome AppUse the Love Reading Map to Find Good Books118 Practical Ed Tech Tips Videos