Add a co-host to a Google Meet

You can now assign co-hosts in a Google Meet.

Why would you want to do that? Maybe you are presenting to parents or a large group of students and you want somebody else to take the lead in admitting participants, muting etc. so that you can focus on what your the message you are sharing. If this is the case - you need a co-host!

Read more here → support.google.com - Add Co-hosts in Google Meet

Add a watermark to a Google Document

You can now add image watermarks directly into Google Docs. This watermark image will repeat behind the text on every page of your document.

Read more here → support.google.com - Change page settings on Google Docs

Soundtrap Academy

All staff and students in the secondary school at the International School of Geneva - Campus des Nations have access to a Soundtrap account.

Soundtrap is a very capable online application - but should also be your first stop for recording simple audio clips for classes etc.

Soundtrap offers the Soundtrap Academy where you can "learn to use Soundtrap to the fullest, empower your students, and become a Certified Soundtrap Educator."

Is it just me?

It might be...

If you are experiencing a problem with a Google Workspace application it can be worth checking the Google Workspace Status Dashboard to see if it something 'bigger than just you'.

Is it possible to make the internet safe for children?

An interesting listen from the UK based 'The Guardian' newspaper. The nature of the risks parents have to think about, the effectiveness of the approaches which can be used to reduce them, and the possible limitations of any such systems are all discussed in a sensible and balanced manner.

If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised by the podcast - please do not hesitate to contact me at school.

Childnet International Parent and Carers Toolkit

Childnet International is a non-profit organisation "working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children".

The Childnet International Parent and Carers Toolkit provides resources that offer practical tips and advice upon:

• Starting discussions about their online life
• Setting boundaries around online behaviour and technology use
• Finding out where to get more help and support

Does your child have a Nintendo Switch?

Does your child have a Nintendo Switch?

The UK Safer Internet Centre has a useful post about the available parental controls on the Switch.

Parental controls are useful tools as part of a larger discussion between parents and children about gaming console use, screen time and the appropriateness of certain game titles.

Helping your child to 'get things done'

Students have lots of things to juggle - and it only gets more complicated as they get older.

Google Workspace, that all the students at the International School of Geneva - Campus des Nations have access to, has two in-built digital task manager options - Google Tasks and Google Keep.

For those students looking for something a little more evolved I would highly recommend Todoist.

The effective use of a digital task manager takes practice and support. Todoist recently released A Student’s Guide to Todoist which is an interesting read for all older students (and their parents) who are looking for a tool to help them get things done in a deliberate and organised way.

ManageBac subject pages

ManageBac now has 'subject pages' for IB Diploma and MYP.

Our new Subject Pages for IB Diploma and MYP provide searchable, dynamic, curated support, resources, ideas and unit plans to support IB teaching and learning.

managebac.com/blog/subject-pages

Subject Pages are accessible by Teachers from the Curriculum Tab via the Subject Centre Tile.

Read more here → ManageBac - Subject Pages [23 August 2021]

Cursive - a new note taking app for Chromebook users

Cursive is a new note taking app from Google but it isn't an app store app - it is a web-based 'progressive Web App' and that means anyone (with a Chromebook) can use it now.

It is still 'early' in it's life and I will try and share more about it in the future. If you are a Chromebook user - visit the URL cursive.apps.chrome, unleash your stylus and give it a test drive.

Discover how Google Search works

We all use Google Search - regularly! We rely on it to find the answers to our questions. Seeing we are so dependent upon it maybe we should take an opportunity to learn more about it.

Google has recently updated their 'How Search works' website. It is worth a couple of moments of your time.

Mote - recent updates and developments

Mote is a platform that allows you to record audio comments and the like in Google Workspace applications. For example - if you are commenting upon a student's Google Document you can leave audio comments in the comment boxes - rather than texting.

Staff at Campus des Nations who are interested in giving Mote a try - please let me know and I will sort you out with a subscription.

Mote has made the following recent updates:

• Pause recording in Google Classroom and Google Slides
• iOS app
• Extension and iOS app localization into Chinese, French and other languages. Find out how to switch your language.

Google Docs - Smart chips for files and meetings

Google is currently working on a whole set of enhancements to Google Workspace that will make the collaboration and project management even easier.

Smart chips are already available when you mention a person in a document, displaying additional information such as the person’s location, job title, and contact information.

Google have expanded this functionality to include the ability to insert smart chips for files and events.

1. Open a document in Google Docs.
2. Enter "@."
3. Select from the list of suggestions or enter letters, numbers, or symbols to narrow your suggestions.
4. Hover over the smart chip to view related information.

Read more here → Google Workspace Updates - Insert smart chips for files and meetings, create checklists in Google Docs [18 May 2021]

Google Docs - create checklists

It is now possible to add checklists to Google Documents.

1. Click a Google Doc page where you want to add a list.
2. In the toolbar, choose a list type → Checklist.

Read more here → support.google.com - Add a numbered list, bulleted list, or checklist

Add audio to Kahoot! questions

You can now add audio to questions. Just type a short text in one of the supported languages and it’ll be read aloud to players before they answer the question!

Based on Microsoft Azure’s Text to Speech service that converts text to lifelike speech, this media type supports text in the following 37 languages:

Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

Read more here → New: add audio to Kahoot! questions to power up listening comprehension and language learning [14 June 2021]

Replace your background with a video in Google Meet

In addition to replacing your Google Meet background with a static image, you can now replace your background with a video. At the moment, you can select from three Google made videos: a classroom, a party, and a forest — more options will be available soon.

Just because you can - doesn't mean you should!

Google I/O 2021 in under 9 minutes

Google I/O (or simply I/O) is (usually) held by Google in Mountain View, California. "I/O" stands for Input/Output, as well as the slogan "Innovation in the Open".

WWDC 2021 in 9 Minutes

WWDC stands for Worldwide Developers Conference and is held annual, by Apple, (usually) in in the San Jose Convention Center in California.

An update on the Google Certified Educator Level 1

If you have not yet completed your Google certified Educator Level 1 certification, or have let your lapse, this video is worth 14 minutes of your time →

Produced by John R. Sowash who is definitely worth subscribing to on YouTube for Chrome and Chromebook ideas and updates.

Positioning an image in front of or behind text in Google Docs

You can now position an image in front of or behind text in Google Docs.

You’ll see the new option for positioning an image above or below text within the image options sidebar and in the image toolbar when clicking directly on an image.

Read more here → Google Workspace Updates - Create and import documents that contain images above or behind text in Google Docs [24 May 2021]

Present from Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides directly to Google Meet

You can now present content from Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides directly to an active Google Meet call.

Read more here → Google Workspace Updates - Present from Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides directly to Google Meet [18 May 2021]

Google Slides Theme Builder

Google has renaming the “Master” view in Google Slides to “Theme Builder”.

This change better communicates the benefits: to help users quickly customize the font, color, and layout customization for their current theme, ensuring a consistent experience throughout the presentation.

Read more here → Google Workspace Updates - “Master” view in Google Slides renamed to “Theme Builder” [25 May 2021]

Richer information on the edit history of a Document

You can now view richer information on the edit history of a particular range of content in Google Docs. Simply highlight and right-click on a range of text and select “Show Editors” from the dropdown menu. Here, you can view a list of editors and their latest edit along with time stamps.

Read more here → Google Workspace Updates - “Show Editors” provides more context on changes made in Google Docs [3 May 2021]

How to Find Public Google Docs, Slides, Forms, Sheets, and Drawings

Another useful video from Richard Byrne that demonstrates how to use Google's advanced search function to find publicly shared Google Docs, Slides, Forms, Sheets, and Drawings. 

Four new types of citations in Google Docs

Now you can add these four additional citation source types in Google Docs:

• Film
• TV Series
• TV Episode
• Miscellaneous

Read more here → Google Workspace Updates - Add and manage four new types of citations in Google Docs [31 March 2021]

Google Sheets: Every Keyboard Shortcut You Need for Windows and Mac

Useful post listing all the Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts, including a free cheat sheet PDF, from makeuseof.com.

Changing your password(s)

How long have you had the same password? How many of your digital accounts have the same password?

The regular changing key passwords should be part of your 'digital hygiene' routine. As educators we should be modelling such practices to the students we support.

Locking your laptop

It is bad practice to leave your laptop (or any digital device) unlocked in spaces where there are are many others - such as a staffroom or classroom.

If you are moving away from your laptop for any period of time - it is really easy to lock it. Just press the Windows key and L together and your laptop is locked until you enter your password again.

If you are using a Chromebook - either use the lock key (it has a padlock on it) or press the Magnifying Glass key + L on your keyboard.

A digital decency manifesto

Do we need a digital decency manifesto?

Set up Google Meet breakout rooms via Google Calendar

It would seem that this is now available for our @ecolint.ch accounts.

Rich text in now available in Google Classroom

Alice Keeler is worth following for edtech ideas and updates.

Audio tour of an African and Japanese collection via Google Arts & Culture

The virtual exhibition space of Jean Pigozzi’s Pocket Gallery invites you to discover highlights from its African and Japanese collections  featuring 40 of its most important artworks ranging from renowned painter Chéri Samba to emerging new talent. These treasures are frequently lent to museums across the globe, but until now have never had a dedicated building of their own, making this Pocket Gallery a truly unique space.

A new audio guide for our Augmented Reality Galleries

Find the galleries in the Camera Tab of the free Google Arts & Culture app for Android and iOS and jump inside to explore each one from there.

Using Google Chat more for internal communication and customizing notification frequency

Google has added more options for notification settings in Google Chat and Chat in Gmail.

These additional notification settings give you more control over the amount of notifications you’ll receive based on your level of engagement or involvement in specific conversations.

I believe that Google Chat (as a version of instant messaging IM) could have more of a role to play in our internal communication practices.

Chris Baker shares an interesting approach here → We need to talk about e-mail and meetings: Planning your school’s internal communication.

Read more about the changes to Google Chat notifications here → Google Workspace Updates - Customize notification frequency with more options in Google Chat and Chat in Gmail

A guide to Google Meet for parents and guardians

Google has recently released a useful guide to Google Meet for parents and guardians.

Pastoral leaders may want to share th guide with parents. Even though we are not following the remote-learning path currently Google Meets are still being used by staff with students and parents.