Comet Tech

G Suite just got that much sweeter (read it out loud, its a pun!). Now, within in the G Suite Apps you can upload templates for anyone within the Coloma Community Schools to be able to use. The old template gallery is going away in 2017, but the new one is very useful and will be a great addition to the G Suite. It is really simple to do and allows for students to easily get a template for group work activities without having the students needing to make a copy! To get started, go to any of the following websites: docs.google.com , forms.google.com , sheets.google.com , or slides.google.com . Once you are at the chosen website, the steps are all the same. For this example, I am using the Google Docs side of things. At the top of the page, you will see an option that says "Templates Gallery" near the suggested templates at the top of the page. Go ahead and click on that area. Next, you will see the option for "General" or "Coloma Community Schools....

I know that I frequently find myself wanting to use the "Home" and "End" keys on my Chromebook to quickly get to the beginning or end of the text that I may be working on. Every time I look over the keyboard, I can't find the key. This week's shortcut is how to replace the "Home" and "End" keys on your Chromebooks. To start, you will should be working on a text document. When you want to return to the beginning of the line, you simply use the shortcut "Ctrl + Alt + Up arrow" and to go to the end of the line, you replace the up arrow with the down arrow. If you have any questions about this, please let me know. 

Google Forms just received a subtle update, but a big one nonetheless. Now, staff and students will be able to submit files via Google Forms. This is something that is really cool, but also something that you will have to pay attention to. In order to do this, simply create a new Google Form. Then, add a question to the form. When you see the file choice option, simply select “Upload File” from the options on the form. Once you have done that, you will see a warning message. DO NOT IGNORE THE WARNING MESSAGE! You will be responsible for the files that are uploaded to your Google Drive. This is not something that you should ignore, but it is also something that you should not worry about if you follow a few steps. If this is for a class, collect student email addresses. You can also restrict the file type and size in order to ensure that you are keeping your drive space clean. This is a feature that while could potentially be used for bad, the possibilities are endless. It wi...

Slide(ing) Into the Deep End - Google Slides Using Google Slides Google Slides is probably one of my favorite tools in G Suite. I love all the possible things that you could do with Google Slides. When I look at Google Slides, I look at it as a replacement for PowerPoint, but also Publisher. You can even create movies in it. I love because it is really a multitool when it comes to what it is capable of. Google Slides is available as part of the G Suite through the Google Waffle or at slides.google.com . Grabbing Templates from the Templates Gallery and Outside Sources There are lots of templates that available to you. Going to slides.google.com will provide you with many options for slides to use. There are also third-party sites, such as Slides Carnival that will allow you to use cool templates for free (as long as you give credit where credit is due). The Old Template Gallery also has options for you to use. In many cases, if you find a template for PowerPoint, you can us...

Swimming at the Doc - Deeper Dives in Google Docs Using Google Docs Google Docs is a powerful tool that allows us to create meaningful, beautiful documents. The web interface is incredible and the constantly saving option is awesome. The fact that you can log onto any computer and pull up your documents and files is what I think sets Google Docs and Google Drive apart. While there are limitations of the web interface, they are minor and constantly being updated. Google Docs has been my primary word processor throughout graduate school and I have not come across any difficulties using the service. In fact, it has been extremely handy. Grabbing Templates from the Templates Gallery There are quite a few options for creating really sweet, beautiful documents with the touch of a button. There are a few places where you can find these templates easily. Best of all, most of them are free. The New Google Docs Template Gallery The Google Docs Template Gallery is available for you w...

On Tuesday, Tonya and I were able to attend the miGoogle Conference at Lake Fenton High School in Linden, Michigan. This conference was a collection of nearly 500 passionate Michigan educators who came together to discuss the impact of technology on our students and how we can better serve their needs. Overall, the day was a very informative one. Anthony Buza of the Genesee ISD was the keynote speaker. He focused on many different things that impact education, but the main take away was the importance of relationships with students. He provided an example of a relationship that he had with a student, learning about some of his interests. He brought these interests to the other teachers to try and better serve the needs of the student in the schools. He reiterated that fact that we have to trust ourselves and persevere over difficulties that happen in our professional and personal lives, realizing the great impact that we can have on students everyday. Finally, he finished the...