Visualize Classroom Noise for Students with these Tech Tools

While there is nothing like a classroom full of students working together and talking out problems, there are times when quiet conversion turns to students talking over the groups around them.  And while using CHAMPS clear voice levels....sometimes students have a tough time understanding what a Voice Level 2 (Quiet Conversations) sound like.  To solve this problem are a couple of noise meter tech tools that can help.

Bouncy Balls is a free online noise meter than shows the volume of the noise in a room by displaying a set of colorful bouncing balls (or emojis) on your screen.  The louder students are, the higher and more frequently the balls bounce on the screen.  Simply go to the website (www.bouncyballs.org), click "Begin Bouncing" and then click on the microphone icon to allow the site to access your Chromebook's microphone.


Zero Noise Classroom is a noise meter and countdown timer that is built into one convenient Chrome app.  After you install and launch Zero Noise Classroom, you can set the timer and adjust the goal for the volume of noise in your classroom.  When the countdown timer expires a chime sounds and the percentage of time above the volume limit is displayed.  Give it a try....it's actually pretty slick.


On a side note....be aware that most of the districts Smart Carts don't have microphones hooked up them so you will need to access the sites via your issued Chromebook and display it that way.

Adding Icons to a Chromebook Shelf

So now that we have moved from staff laptops running Windows to Chromebooks, I've gotten the question, "How do I add shortcuts to my desktop?"......and the answer is, that you can't.  And although I talked about adding bookmarks to your bookmark bar in a previous post, here is another option for you.  Right in the Chrome web browser it allows you to pin a shortcut right to the shelf that is loaded at login.  By clicking the triple dots in the upper right corner of Chrome (sometimes referred to as the snowman) and choosing More Tools --> Add to Shelf you can add a "quick launch" icon to your app shelf.  If the website uses a favicon, that logo usually shows up for you as a great visual.  If you click and drag the icons on the app shelf, you can rearrange them so that are in the order that you use them most.  Looking for the quick tutorial video?  Click here to watch it on my YouTube channel.

QR Codes in the Classroom

Looking to get started with QR codes in the classroom?  If your first question is....what are QR codes, you are not alone.  These little blocks of data are a lot more common than what we think.  They are probably already on your worksheets, flyers or information that you are giving to students.  So what is a QR Code?  Consider it a website shortcut.  A quick way of launching your web browser to a specific website or webpage.  If you have ever tried to get a student to type in a specific web address, you know why these little things were invented.  Scan the code with a QR Reader and you are sent off to whatever page it is linked to.  It can be a page, a form, a video, even a game.  Looking for an engaging way to get students to information without having to give them a web address.  Next time, look no further than a QR Code.  Below are some of my recommendations on QR Code Creators as well as Scanners.

QR Code Scanner for Chromebooks

QR Code Scanner for Android

QR Code Generator - Extension for Chrome

QR Code Generator - for the Web

Inserting a Text Box in a Google Doc....Kind Of

One of the biggest complaints that I have gotten about Google Docs since we started using it years ago is it's inability to insert a text box.  And although there are a few work-arounds....I don't like any of them.  I think the mindset is quite backwards.  Rather than trying to find ways to get the job done in Docs, just use a product that already has the ability to insert a text box.  Google Slides and Google Docs, if set up correctly, work better than a Doc.....and dare I say it.....maybe better than Microsoft Word.  If you are using Google Classroom, you can assign the Slide or Drawing file to each student, who can then complete and turn in their digital file.  No more.....I lost my handout, I left it in my locker.....or my favorite, it was done, but my mom threw it away.  Slides and Drawing are great tools, let's starting giving them the attention that they deserve.

Looking for the video outlining out to set up Slides and Drawings to act more like a Doc with the ability to insert a Text Box....look no further.  Click here to watch the tutorial.

Using Google Hangouts in the Classroom

I recently gave a presentation to our upper elementary staff on how to use Google Hangouts.  And while the focus was on how they can use it professionally to connect with teachers in other buildings or for some "just in time" support without an actual trip to their building, like all great teachers they wanted to know, "How can I use this in my classroom?"  So rather than simply respond with an email, I figured I would create a post.  Below are a few ways how teachers can find a way to use Google Hangouts in their classroom with their students.

Guest Teacher:  How about having a guest teacher for a lesson?  My guess is that students might be pretty excited to have a teacher from within our own school district be a "guest teacher" for a specific assignment or lesson?  Is there a teacher from another school building that is an expert on earth formation?  Why not invite them to present the lesson to everyone.  And if they don't know who the teacher is, they probably know a student or two in their class.  Students from 12 different classes getting the benefit of a teacher that is passionate about a specific subject area.

Form a Virtual Book Club: Classes that are reading the same book or materials can discuss novels together and recommend books to one another. Before the Hangout, have each class brainstorm questions they want to ask their book club partners. Then, send the questions to the other class before the meeting date to allow students ample time to construct their answers. When the classes meet, they each take turns asking and answering one another’s questions.

Participate in a “Mystery” Hangout: In this activity, two classrooms video-chat with each other, but do not reveal their individual locations. Before meeting online, both classes research facts about their own state and create clues about their location. Then, each class takes turns asking “yes” or “no”-type questions in a race to solve the mystery. To find classes to connect with yours, visit the Mystery Location Calls Google+ Community or reach out to members of the Connected Classrooms Workshop Google+ Community.

Work on Projects Together:  While most posts talk about connecting with students from another class, why not start with the people that we know?  We have grade level classes that are spread across 4 different elementary buildings.  Why not use a Hangout to connect classes within our own school district?  How about 4th grade students at Lincoln Park working with 4th grade students at Churchill?  Or 5th graders from Campbell working on a collaborative project with 5th graders from Ross Park?  No longer do we have to have "partners" in our own class.  Talk about a real world example of collaboration.

Invite Guest Speakers: Inviting a speaker into the classroom has never been easier … or less expensive. Video-calling enables anyone from around the world to “visit” a school. Also, as an added plus, Google Hangouts has the ability to handle up to 25 people in a video call using an Education domain. So rather than having a guest speaker into a single classroom, we can invite them to speak to all of our classes at the same time.

If you have any other ideas on how to use Hangouts in the classroom, feel free to share them in the comments below.  If you need more information, here’s a quick “Get Started With Hangouts” guide from Google.

The list above was copies/adapted from an original 2015 post from WonderTechEdu.

30 in 30: Day 31 - Rearranging the Icons in the Google Apps Launcher

I know, it was supposed to stop at 30.  But I figured there are 31 days in January so I might as well just go ahead and create a bonus post for those few that are actually following this series.  Have I told you that I love me some Google?  I've been using it for nearly a decade as a teacher.  I created my first Google account in 2008 to use with my newspaper students and had them create their own accounts as well.  I saw the power that they had harnessed with collaboration and sharing and needed to use it in the classroom.  As the G Suite has evolved, so has my love for Google and all of the products that they offer me as a teacher and to our students.  Some of the Apps I use every day, like Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets while others I only use occasionally.  What I like is that Google allows me to move my apps around in the launcher so that the ones that I use the most often I can move to the top and arrange them how I like.  Just click and drag them around and drop them where you want them.  Click here to watch it in action.

30 in 30: Day 30 - Google Plus....not just another social media site

The final day in the 30 in 30 series is going to hopefully provide some clarity and information on what Google Plus is and what it can be used for.  Google Plus was released on June 28, 2011 as Google's answer to the social media giant Facebook.  It saw the potential social media had how users were connecting and interacting.  And although it had some potential with it's use of "circles" it just couldn't lure people away from where they were and it never really got the momentum that it needed to get the average user to sign up.  But with the evolution of Google Apps for Education (GAFE) and now to G Suite for Education, Google Plus has become a social media for schools and educators.  And although people in the technology world have migrated to using it, the average educator has not.  There are quite a few Communities and Collections already available for technology users, but might take a little bit more work to find a specific subject area.....or it might take you creating one.  I think that we have teachers that are ready to lead the way with a Community or Collection.  So the next time you are looking for that resource, rather than asking Google, may I suggest first searching Google Plus.  Connect with a few Communities and explore a few collections.  You might be surprised how helpful this social media tool can be.  I have found a ton of useful tools, tricks and tips of my own by asking questions to Communities.  People in education love to share their knowledge and resources, even to strangers.  That's just who we are.

Looking for a video tour of Google Plus?  Take a look here.  Google also has a great Help Center.  You can find it here.

30 in 30: Day 29 - Paste without Formatting

Day 29 in the 30 in 30 series is a "nice to know" feature.  I don't use it a lot and you probably won't either, but it sure is nice to know when you need it.  While I think everyone who is on a device realizes that you can copy and paste information (day 19 post on shortcuts), most of the time when I am pasting I don't want the formatting to follow the content that I am copying.  That is where this little menu item (or Ctrl+Shift+V shortcut) comes in handy.  Lets say I have some information that I want to copy from my Google Doc to a Presentation, but I want to keep the formatting of my text box in my presentation....paste without formatting.  Lets say I want to take some information from a webpage and use it in a Document that I am going to share with my class, but I don't want the text to be white with a black highlight.  Rather than pasting and having to change the formatting...just paste without formatting.  While this feature is nice to know in Docs and Slides, Google Sheets takes it one step further.  Try checking out the Paste Special option.  Lots to choose from when working with a spreadsheet.  Want to see what I am talking about?  Click here to see the video of this in action.

30 in 30: Day 28 - Voice Typing... for Student Feedback

Day 28 in the 30 in 30 series is going to address an underutilized feature that Google released nearly a year ago.....the ability to type with your voice.  That's right, just say what you want to and leave the typing to Google.  This cool little utility that is already built into Google Docs just hasn't gotten the attention that it has deserved.  You can find it in the Tools menu by choosing Voice Typing...  You will get a pop up utility (see image below) that you click on and start to talk.  Oh, and it does so much more than that.  You can also use your voice to edit and format your document. For example, "Select paragraph," "italics," or "Go to the end of the line."  Looking to see the voice command in action?  Click here to watch the video.  For the Google Support page that documents all of what the utility does, click here.

30 in 30: Day 27 - Images to Text with Optical Character Recognition in Google Docs

Day 27 in the 30 in 30 series is going to BLOW YOUR MIND.  Google has the ability to convert an image into text via a powerful Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature.  This is extremely powerful for those old documents that are sitting in an actual file cabinet somewhere that haven't been converted to digital yet.  All you need to do is take a picture of whatever document that you have, upload it to Google Drive (lots of ways of getting it there, but the easiest way is probably the Google Drive app for your mobile device (click here for iPhone ~~~ click here for Android)) and then choose the Open with --> option in Drive.  Google does it's thing in the background and after a few seconds, will open a Google Document with an image converted to text.  After a little bit of editing, you have a digital document that is ready to be shared via Google Classroom (or whatever your preferred LMS) and delivered to students.  If you are looking to see this in action, click here to watch the tutorial video.

On a side note, the orientation that you take the picture will be important.  If it is sideways in drive, the text will show up as a scrambled mess.  If that is the case, turn your phone the other direction and take the picture again.  I've found more success by holding my phone (iPhone running iOS) sideways rather than up and down.

30 in 30: Day 26 - Text Selection using Shortcut Keys (Ctrl + Shift + Arrow)

Day 26 in the 30 in 30 series is going to talk about a shortcut that I don't use that much, but is a "nice to know" sort of feature.  It's the Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys to highlight text.  This is especially useful when trying to highlight a small or large chuck of text that just doesn't want to cooperate with you.  I think that we have all been there.  I've got a little click and drag going on to select a few words, but I just can't quite get it.  Rather than selecting the next letter, it selects an image or I accidently open a link and have to start all over.  By placing your cursor where you want to start and using the Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys you are able to select words at a time or an entire paragraph.  Not quite sure what I mean?  Take a look at the video here so see it in action.  Happy Highlighting.

30 in 30: Day 25 - Add-ons for Google Docs, Sheets & Forms

Day 25 in the 30 in 30 series is going to talk about an underutilized feature with Google Docs, Sheets and Forms.  This feature is the ability to run add-ons within the Docs, Sheets and Forms that you already use.  These are "installed" from the Add-ons menu in each of the programs that you are already using.  There are quite a few to choose from with each serving a single or multiple purposes.  Looking for a quick and easy way to create equations, graphs or stat displays?  How about installing gMath for Docs.  How about converting that Google Sheet data into a more easily to read Doc?  Try the Save as Doc add-on.  Have a Form and want choices to be eliminated as users select them?  I've found the Choice Eliminator 2 to be quite a time saver.  Take a look at the video on where to find each of these menus and how to run and uninstall these Add-on features.  Have a Google Add-on that you like?  Feel free to leave your comments below.

30 in 30: Day 24 - Deleting and Managing Apps & Extensions

Day 24 in the 30 in 30 series is going to to be a follow-up from yesterday.  In Day 23, I talked about the difference between Apps & Extensions.  And usually when teachers get introduced to them and see everything that is available, they become a little install crazy.  If it is your first time at the Chrome Web Store, you are like a kid in a candy store without a budget.  "Look at all of these free tools....I'll take one of these, and one of these.  I'll try this and I'll try that.  Ohhhh.....and this, this, this and this."  Before you know it you have 16 Apps and 300 Extensions all on and running at the same time.  Trust me, we have all been there.  And after awhile I find that I'm only using 2-3 apps and a handful of extensions on a regular basis.  And if you have too many extensions on an running in the background, your Chrome experience becomes quite bogged down.  Some don't like to play together in the sandbox either.  So let's get rid of what we aren't using.  Apps can be removed by right clicking on the app in the launcher and choosing "Remove from Chrome".  Don't worry, you can always go back and re-install.  In order to disable/enable extensions, you will have to click on the triple dots in the upper right hand corner of Chrome and choosing More Tools --> Extensions.  From this window you can check/uncheck the extensions you want running in the background or even the ability to delete it.  And don't worry, you can always reinstall the extension in the future if you want it back.  Looking for the video on how to manage Apps & Extensions, click here.

If you are an Extension junkie like I am, you might want to consider installing the Extensity extension.  I know....install an extension to manage extensions?  Yes, seems redundant, but it is a great one for enabling and disabling within Chrome.  I highly suggest it.  Click Here for a link to the Extensity extension at the Chrome Web Store.

30 in 30: Day 23 - Google Chrome: Apps vs Extensions

Day 23 in the 30 in 30 series is going to take a look at the difference between an app and an extension in Google Chrome.  If you are like me, at first they can be a little confusing.  In short (to quote chromebook.mobi), Apps are maps and Extensions extend the functionality of Google Chrome.  Apps are maps (URL's) to interactive web pages.  If you want to think about it in basic terms, they are no more than a bookmark.  Just an easy and convenient way (through the Apps Launcher) to get to another website.  Sometimes they are fully integrated with Google, and other times not.  But all are web based.  Meaning that you will have to be on the Internet for these products to work.  And on the other side of the isle are Google Chrome Extensions.  These tools extend the functionality of your Chrome experience.  Think of extensions as a mini software program that increases the functions of the websites that you already use.  These usually include an icon that installs to the right side of the omnibox (web address bar) on the Chrome web browser.  For the video tutorial on the difference between Apps vs Extensions, click here.

For more information on the difference between apps vs extensions, visit the 2010 Chrome Developer article.

30 in 30: Day 22 - Taking Screenshots on a Chromebook

Day 22 in the 30 in 30 series is going to address a simple question that I get asked at least once a week.....How do I take a screenshot on a Chromebook?  And the answer to this question is usually another question....Do you want to take a screenshot of the entire screen or just a portion of the screen?  Both questions will be answered here and both require a combination of keystrokes.  To take a screenshot of everything on your screen you will hold down the Control button and press the Window Switcher key (see image below).  If you are looking to just grab a portion of your screen and save it as an image or have it copied to your clipboard, you will hold down Control + Shift and the Window Switcher key.  Your screen will go dark and your cursor will turn into a + symbol.  Click and drag the portion that you want and viola....screen chunk saved.  And finally the follow up to all of this is.....well where did it go?  It's actually in your downloads saved locally on your Chromebook.  And how do you see them to move them to your drive?  Click the App Launcher icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen. The App Launcher opens.
Locate the app icon for Files and click it.  If you are looking for the video tutorial, click here.

30 in 30: Day 21 - Google Chrome Tab Options

Day 21 in the 30 in 30 series will address a few Google Chrome tab options.  When working in Chrome there have been times that I needed two of the same page or wanted to mute the volume on a page while listening to music on another.  Never fear, Right-Click is here (not everyone will get my Underdog reference).  When working in Chrome, right-clicking on a tab will bring up a few pretty useful options that include: Reload, Duplicate, Pin, Mute, and a few others.  Too many words to try and explain what each of them do, so I put a video together giving you a visual of how they work.  Feel free to explore the options, or watch the video here.  PS - I'm a Right-Click JUNKIE.

30 in 30: Day 20 - Chromebook Shortcuts

Day 20 in the 30 in 30 series going to be a follow up from Day 19.  So we talked about some of the most commonly used shortcuts, but I got this new Chromebook that has some new keys.  I used to have a CAPS LOCK key that is now replaced by a magnifying glass key.  And I'm also missing some keys....like, where did my delete key go?  It takes a little time to figure out how to access some of what I used to have on my old Windows keyboard, but once you get the hang of it, there are some pretty cool shortcuts.  One of the coolest ways to find the shortcuts is to use the Ctrl + Alt + ?  This will bring up an interactive visual window.  Press the CTRL key and it will show you where each of the other Ctrl shortcut keys are (the image below is an example of what you will see).  Press the ALT key and it will show you where each of the other Alt shortcut keys are.  Same goes for Shift or Search although most of the shortcuts reside in the Ctrl or Alt menus.  If you are looking for a complete list, you can find it at the Chromebook Help page.  Hope this helps to get you a little more comfortable and quicker using Chrome OS.

Chrome OS Cheat Sheet.  After a Ctrl + Alt + ? you will
be able to view an interactive window.  Pressing Ctrl, Alt,
Shift or Search you will see where each of the shortcuts live.

30 in 30: Day 19 - General Keyboard Shortcuts

Day 19 in the 30 in 30 series isn't going to have any WOW factor.  Nothing new.  Nothing that you haven't heard of before, but it is worth spending some time on.  What is it?  Just some good old fashioned shortcuts.  While there are a few that I think most of the population of technology users know, like Cut, Copy & Paste (Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V) there are a few that I use often, like Ctrl+A for Select All that would come in handy at times if you knew what was available to you.  This post is going to challenge you.  Take a look at the list below.  How many do you know?  How many do you use?  Refer back to this post as often as needed.  The challenge is....learn one new one a day and put it to use.  You will find over time that they will not only save you some time, but will make you more productive, especially when shortcut button isn't available.  Great example: did you know that you can undo inside of Gmail even when the undo button isn't available?  Not to be confused with Undo Send....that is for another day.  Have a shortcut that you use often that isn't on the list?  Leave it in the comments section below.

• Ctrl + Z = Undo
• Ctrl + Y = Redo
• Ctrl + X = Cut
• Ctrl + C = Copy
• Ctrl + V = Paste
• Ctrl + A = Select All
• Ctrl + F = Find
• Ctrl + B = Bold
• Ctrl + I = Italics
• Ctrl + U = Underline
• Ctrl + S = Save
• Ctrl + P = Print
• Ctrl + T = Open New Tab
• Ctrl + Backspace = Delete 1 Word at a Time (instead of a single letter)
• Alt + Tab = Switches Between Open Programs
• Spacebar = Start & Stop in most audio/video programs....like YouTube

30 in 30: Day 18 - Ctrl + Click to open in a New Window

Day 18 in the 30 in 30 series going to address a little trick that I have been using for a few years that really comes in handy.....holding down the Control key while clicking on links to open them in a new window.  While this might not seem all that purposeful, I use it quite a bit when browsing websites or clicking on links while I am reading an email. I can even click on bookmarked icons (click here for the previous post on Managing Bookmarks) to load them in the background while continuing to work in my current Chrome window.  Click here if you want to watch the video of this tool in action.

30 in 30: Day 17 - Searching Google Drive more Effectively

Day 17 in the 30 in 30 series will take a look at how to search Google Drive more effectively.  One of the nice features of Drive is the ability to use Google's search box to find your Docs, Sheets, Slides or any file that you have saved in your Drive.  And while most know that this search box exists, not many use all of the search features that are available. Rather than just searching for what you think that name of the file is that someone shared with you.....or was it something that you created?  Hmmm.....didn't find it.  Maybe I called it something else?  Did I even save it here?  These are all questions that I hear when helping teachers.  Let's refine what we are looking for to help narrow those search results from Drive.  You do this by clicking on the down arrow in the Drive search box.  This will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to specifiy what you are looking for and bring back more specific and relevant results.  The image below is an example of what you will find.  If you are looking for the video to help explain searching Google Drive, you can find it here.