LABS:
- Open GMail
- Click the Gear icon, upper right
- Click Settings
- Click Labs
Here are a few of my favorite labs that will help make GMail a little more friendly for some users.
Our District has been using GMail for about a year and a half now. Don't be afraid to experiment with settings and labs in GMail - you can always change things back if you decide you don't like the way things look. LABS:There are a number of ways to make GMail work a little bit differently for your personal preferences. Some of these features can be found under Labs in the Settings Menu. Here's how to find them:
Labs are simply experimental features that Google makes available to the masses. Feel free to poke around and try out any of the Labs you find interesting - just click Enable and Save Changes to start using them. If you don't like the Lab, click Disable and Save Changes to get rid of it. Here are a few of my favorite labs that will help make GMail a little more friendly for some users. Preview PanePreview Pane splits your screen to show the entire contents of your Inbox in one column and the readable message in another column, which is handy for smaller screens. Alternately, if you're on a larger screen or desktop computer, click the button at the top of the screen to split your screen horizontally, showing the most recent items in your Inbox at the top with a readable view of the selected message below. Google Calendar GadgetI used to live in Outlook - having my email, calendar, contacts all in one virtual place life a lot easier. Google separates things out a bit more than liked at first. The Google Calendar Gadget added a daily agenda on the left side of my screen to help me see my next appointment(s) at a glance. Unread Messages IconThis little gadget simply places the number of unread emails in your Inbox over the GMail logo in the browser tab. Handy, and especially appreciated on those rare occasions when that number reads "0"! Remember to Save Changes when you make changes to this screen. You can always come back and Disable these labs if you decide you don't like the changes!
A few lesson-planning resources for the upcoming 9/11 Day of Remembrance & Service
Galesburg CUSD #205 is pleased to partner with ROE 33 to offer FREE Professional Development to area educators! Registration is now OPEN for the following 3-meeting series of Foundational Services workshops. More will be offered soon! (see ROE 33 PD Calendar) Close Reading (ELA Shift Kit) with Susan McKeeThe Close Reading Kit was designed to give administrators and teachers some background information on what is expected for student achievement with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the area of Close Reading. Contents of the kit include: An introduction and definition of Close reading and the need for rigorous instruction across content areas; Presentation materials to build capacity at the school level; Research based articles supporting the strategy of Close reading; and Instructional resources responsive to the demands of the CCSS. This is a 3-part Foundational Services series.
Please register for each part of this series that you can attend
Google Docs got a little more awesome recently.
For now, I've tested it on a Windows 7 desktop, a WIndows 8 laptop, and a Chromebook. It seems to work about the same so long as the device has a working microphone. The room does need to be fairly quiet - background noise, fans, etc., seem to confuse things a bit. RIght now, it only converts voice to typed text, though it does do punctuation and at least 1 very basic navigation command: To start a new paragraph, just say "New Line." ("Backspace," "Delete," "Go Back," etc., don't work at this time.) Reports from teachers indicate that it does not work well at this time with non-English language conversion. Also, it is only available in Google Docs - no sign of it in other Google Apps for Education like Slides, Sheets, or Forms. Despite these limitation, this is still a nice addition to the functionality of Google Docs If typical Googley Goodness prevails, users can expect to see further enhancements and improvements soon! I learned about the Google Docs Voice Typing enhancement from The Google Gooru blog.
It is IMPERATIVE that students change their passwords IMMEDIATELY and regularly. Schedule time during the next week to help students change their passwords, and develop a plan to do this at regular intervals - once per quarter, for example - to keep student accounts secure.
Resources to Help Students Create Strong Passwords: Here's how to make the change:
It's really important that we keep Chromebooks up to date. Students who are not appearing in Hapara or cannot access other local resources may need to apply updates. How will I know if an update is needed?Google pushes out updates about every 6 weeks, and generally they tend to download in the background when ids are connected to our network. When you see a small white upward-pointing arrow near the time display (usually in the lower-right corner of the screen), simply click it. Find and click the words "Restart To Apply Updates." In less than 30 seconds, the device will restart and kids will be back to work. This short video describes this simple process: Can I Force An Update?Yep! Here's how:
Follow our updates on Facebook!Follow Us on Twitter!Parents and guardians: I want to make you aware that there is a relatively new social media app called “After School.” After School is designed for Apple’s iOS, which means it can only be accessed through Apple mobile devices, such as iPhones, iPods, and iPads. This app allows students to post messages anonymously for anyone within that group to see. Currently, there are several junior high and high school students that use this app and are posting anonymous messages, some of which are extremely inappropriate and intentionally hurtful. We are asking that you help us by monitoring your child’s social media use so that we may provide the best learning environment we can for our children. Thank you, Mr. Arthur CUSD #205 Superintendent ResourcesArticle: After School Is The Latest Anonymous App Resulting In Student Cyberbullying And School Threats. TechCrunch. Published 12/03/2014 Article: After School Is Back On The App Store, But With Changes To Curb Cyberbullying. TechCrunch. Published 12/04/2014. Article: Michigan educators warn of bullying on 'After School' app. Detroit Free Press. Published 12/03/2014 Please note: Many apps allow similar interactions, including YikYak, Secret, Whisper, Ask.fm, and others. Many have reporting capabilities and age restrictions in place to help curb inappropriate activities, but many students appear to continue to use apps like these and After School for cyber-bullying, threats, and intentionally hurtful behaviors. We hope you will join our efforts to continue educating students and our local community about appropriate use of Internet resources.
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Tech Resources for D205Ongoing listing of resources for technology and education apps for Galesburg CUSD #205 teachers. Archives
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