Over the summer Eric Curts updated and added some great posts and one of them was this great post about some very helpful hacks for Google that will help with your productivity and organization. I personally love #4 on the list.

Chromebooks have become a common tool in schools, but are you and your students getting the most out of them? In this session we will explore powerful Chromebook features including screen capture, screen recording, and screencasting, using the camera for photos, videos, and scanning documents, helpful keyboard shortcuts, managing multiple desks, extending your capabilities with Android apps, offline access for Drive, Gmail, and Calendar, built-in accessibility tools, and more.

From Eric Curts' Control Alt Achieve, he outlines how to use Google Docs' new create a dropdown feature to help students do close reading. It is a fairly simple idea with some great applications across content areas. Basically, copy a paragraph of text, remove the important words, and make a color-coded dropdown. It is a quickly assessed formative assessment that lets the teacher use any text they desire.

Digital Breakouts are an engaging, educational version of Escape Rooms that can be used in any subject area to explore content, encourage collaboration, and develop critical thinking skills. In this session we will try out a demo breakout, and then learn how to use tools including Google Sites, Google Forms, and many other online technology tools to build a digital breakout.

Google Meet has changed a lot over the last year and added tons of new features for teachers to meet the needs of their students. Eric jumps in and shares all these features both on his website and in an accompanying 30 minute video. There are some wonderful new updates and he has some great ideas on how to utilize them.

Jamboard is a collaborative, digital whiteboard that makes it super easy for teaching content, brainstorming, annotating images, drag and drop activities, student check-ins, and more. Learn how to use all the features in Jamboard, create your own Jams, and access countless pre-made templates and activities online.

Everyone knows about Google Docs, Gmail, Search, and other common Google tools. But there are also loads of smaller, lesser-known, but powerful tools that can be used for teaching and learning. Learn about 70+ hidden gems such as nGram, Trends, AutoDraw, Chrome Music Lab, Toontastic, Landlines, Meme Buddy, Reverse Image Search, Instant Search Cards, Semantris, Grasshopper, Art Palette, Timelapse, Data GIF Maker and more.