Lemon Tech Tidbits

Sometimes, all we need to do to liven up a worksheet or Google Doc is a cool title. It can catch a student's eye and set the tone for the entire worksheet. Instead of spending a lot of time trying to design a spicy title, simply type in the words using textgiraffe.com ! Once you enter in the words for the title, the site will display it in many different designs. If you find one that you like, simply click on it. You will be prompted to choose a small, medium, or large logo. Once you make your choice, the words will appear as a png. Drag it onto your desktop and then insert it as an image into your Google Doc. Bonus: To change the color, click on the image in Google Doc. Next, go to Image Options and finally select Recolor. It’s that easy. Below are just a few of the different designs available:  

A new update (actually restored tool) in Google will allow users an easy way to add, format and manage citations within the document itself. Using this new feature, you can add citations in APA or MLA format. To get started, simply go to TOOLS and then select Citations. Next, select the source type and type in the information needed into the boxes. When you are finished, you simply select Add citation source. All of the citations will then appear in a menu on the right-hand side. When you are finished, you simply need to select Insert Bibliography. Here is a quick video on this new updated feature: https://youtu.be/Pe9ZpjxDjbU Other updates Google Drive trash items will be automatically deleted after 30 days. There has been a tweak to make things look better on line spacing due to different fonts. Sharing now provided with people who do not have a G account. They will be able to view, comment, and edit using a pin code.

Google recently announced the addition of new fonts called Lexend. These are available if you go to Fonts - More Fonts and then do a search. There are many different ones available to choose from. Once you select the one you like the most, it will be available for you whenever you want to change your fonts. SO WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL WITH LEXEND FONTS?  Lexend fonts were designed by Thomas Jockin to help improve reading speed and proficiency. To learn more about the research, see here for more details . For this post, I am using the Lexend Exa. You can compare it to the other fonts to see the difference in how it looks. One thing you may notice is a slightly larger spacing between the letters. The others Lexend fonts are Lexend Giga, Lexend Mega, Lexend Peta, Lexend Tera, and Lexend Zetta.

One of the lessons I learned from my high school days was a trick in proofreading a paper before submitting it. This trick was to have someone else read it to you as it was sometimes easier to hear the mistakes and corrections that needed to be made. But what do you do when there is no one around?....you use the add-on Speakd! Speakd is a free Google Doc add-on created to read your documents aloud to you. The voice is in a very robotic tone which is not the best but it is very easy to use. All you have to do is simply press play. This add-on can be used for students who struggle with reading and comprehension as well. Once the document is uploaded to Google Drive, it can be converted into a Google Doc . Once it is in a Google Doc, this add-on can be deployed. BTW: there are many different accessibility features available in Google and Chrome. One of those features is called Google Docs Screen Reader which does exactly as it sounds. The only difference is this feature will read ever...

One of my favorite tricks in Google Docs is to insert a table, adjust the size, and then hide the lines so the text and images are aligned in a nice fashion. However, I hate when I am adjusting the rows, I have to just guess if they are even or not. But not anymore! Soon, when you are using a table, on the left-hand side you will see your table structure highlighted in a vertical ruler on the screen that matches the horizontal ruler. This will make it easier for you to adjust the height of the rows in a table. This is a slow rollout meaning not everyone will see this new update at the same time. See the example from Google

QUICK ACCESS SIDE PANEL in Google Docs, Sheets & Slides Google recently announced they have once again moved some of the tools in a design to make it easier for you to use. This time, they created what they call a Quick Access Panel to allow you to integrate other popular G Suite products without having to leave your tab. Currently, there are three products in this quick access panel: Google Calendar, Google Keep, and Google Task. I have raved about Google Keep before as one of the G Suite products I can not live without. I have also shared how students can use Google Keep in research for note taking . Now, it is even easier to use. To see the Quick Access Panel, open up an existing or new Doc, Sheets or Slide. Take a look on the right-hand side and you will see this new update feature. Give it a try. To see it in action, watch this short video: http://bit.ly/2QDOQR9

MENU UPDATES IN GOOGLE DOCS & SLIDES Google just announced a slight change in the menu or toolbar for both Google Docs and Slides. The goal is to make finding and using certain tools easier to use. Many of the changes reflect nothing more than a name change. In other cases, Google has changed where items are locating trying to make the drop-down menu more streamlined. Below is a list of some of the changes. 1. Adding in a page or column break: Before: Insert > Page break or Column break. After: Insert > Break > Page break or Column break 2. To change a shape or use an alt text in slides: Before: Select shape > Format > Change shape. After: Right-click on the shape and make a selection. (Right-click on Mac and on Chromebooks is 2 fingers on touchpad at the same time).

CHANGE YOUR DEFAULT FONT IN GOOGLE DOCS Do you hate having to change the font and type in Google Doc whenever you create a new document? I mean really, who uses Arial 11 point on a daily basis? What happened to 12 point? And why Arial? If this has been a daily problem for you, follow these steps by Jake Miller to change your default settings in Google Doc. Type some text. Change the style of that text to what you’d like your default to be. Click the Text Styles dropdown, go to Normal Text (of whichever you’re changing). Click “Update Normal Text to match.” Optional: Repeat 1-4 to change any other text styles (i.e. Title, Subtitle, Heading 1, etc.) that you’d like to change. Click the Text Styles dropdown again. Go down to options and select “Save as my default styles.” For a handy step-by-step video, visit: https://goo.gl/UHdvrh (and be sure to follow Jake Miller on Twitter. He’s great)

G SUITE UPDATE Image Function You can now insert images more easily in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawing. Before, when you clicked on the Insert - Image search, a box would open with many different options. The problem was the box would open up on top of what you were working on. With this new update (soon to be rolled out to everyone), the choices of where to find the image will be from a drop-down box. Any searches of images will create a menu on the right-hand side of your screen making it easier to use. See below: While we are talking about G Suite updates, did you notice the change in the Revision History ? You can now easily name the different Revisions right from the toolbar. This is great for those doing research. They can name their revisions Draft 1, Draft 2, Final Draft, etc. See more: https://goo.gl/imz1DW

SIDE STUDY FOR TEACHERS:  A new Add-on for Google Docs This Add-On lets a teacher easily create custom assignments with automatic grading and embedded videos and reports. How it works is like this. The teacher uses the teacher side of the add-on to create a customized assignment as part of a Google Doc or Sheet. The assignment can contain instructions, helpful tips, and resources. Once completed, the assignment is shared with the student through Google Classroom. The student uses the student version of the add-on to complete the assignment. Sounds pretty simple right? So why is it so cool? Because this add-on lets you remake a boring Google Doc assignment into an interactive assignment complete with video, small quizzes, response areas, and more. To see how it works, visit: https://goo.gl/2HvyrA To watch short videos on how to use Study for Teachers, visit: https://goo.gl/5WUm1e

G SUITE TRAINING APP From the blog Free Technology for Teachers - Richard Byrne comes an excellent short article about a Chrome extension called GSuite Training. This extension provides you with a searchable list of tutorials over many of the different apps such as Docs, Sheets, Sites, Classroom, Gmail, calendar and more. Like Richard Byrne says, it is “ almost like having a Google coach sitting right next to you. “ Click here to read the blog post: https://goo.gl/lpXB Click here for the extension: https://goo.gl/rgs0hC

GOOGLE DOCUMENT URL TRICKS By TONY VINCENT We all use Google Documents such as Google Slides, Docs, Sheets and more. And we all know how we can share these G Suite files with others. But did you know there is an easy way to change the URL settings to customize HOW that file is shared? In this blog post: https://learninginhand.com/blog/google-document-url-tricks Tony Vincent shares how changing the URL of the share link can create some nifty tricks. For example: Share a clutter-free view of your document → Replace /edit with /preview Force others to make a copy before viewing your document → Replace /edit with /copy Share an easy-to-copy template of your document → Replace /edit with /template/preview Share a direct download of a PDF version of your document → Google Docs & Sheets: Replace /edit with /export?format=pdf → Google Slides & Drawings: Replace /edit with /export/pdf

TEMPLATES IN GOOGLE DOCS & SHEETS Google recently announced they were going to be changing the templates available in Google Docs and Sheets. Before, Google would create templates over popular documents and sheets to help save time with formatting. At the same time, 3rd party developers were creating Add-ons to help customization of the same forms. So Google thought…..why not combine the two? Now, when you access some templates, you will see a small icon on the bottom letting you know there is an Add-on that will help make the template functionality. When you click on the template, the Add-on is automatically included. An example of this is the MLA Report Template. When you click to use this template, it will automatically attach the EasyBib add-on. Try it out. Click here for the Google Doc Template Gallery: https://goo.gl/vui5V8 Click here for the Google Sheets Template Gallery: https://goo.gl/Q7zfjT

Google Keep + Google Documents Together at last Okay, I admit I am slightly old-fashioned when it comes to making list &/or notes. I have a pile of scrap paper on my desk in which I like to grab to jot down a note or two while I work. In most cases, this system works very well as the notes serve only a temporary purpose. Once I am done, there is something intrinsic about throwing this scrap paper away. But there are times when I find myself hurriedly stuffing these small pieces of paper in my computer bag or purse as time runs out or the days become hectic. This results in a huge mess as these small single pieces of paper just beg to get lost. Enter  Google Keep .... Google Keep  is an easy to use platform designed by Google as a way to store your lists, notes, doodles, and much more. For some, it was useful but having to open up a separate browser or app wasn’t that convenient. Today, that’s no longer a problem. Google Keep is now integrated within Google Docs wi...

Using the  Highlight Tool Add- On  in Google Docs There are many wonderful add-ons available to be used within the Google Suite. One that is making a lot of news lately is called the  Highlight Tool . What this tool does is provide a way to highlight different text within a Google Doc using a variety of colors. But what makes it such an asset comes afterwards.... you can export the highlighted text into a separate document by either sequence or color. This may sound familiar as there are other add-ons that do the same but the difference here is  the Highlight Tool is FREE! To see how it works, watch this short 6 min. youtube video from Josh Harris:  https://youtu.be/tGRRCvbY3kw There are many ways this add-on can be incorporated into Language Arts, Social Studies/History, or anywhere else that requires research and using information. But that is not all,  Eric Curtis shows how youcan use this add-on for Math problems. Be sure to check out his...

Google Doc Tips and Tricks  Below is a list of a few of my favorite Google Doc tips and tricks. Changing Fonts: In Google Docs, the top fonts are displayed at the very top. But most students do not realize they can find more if they click  More Fonts  at the bottom of the drop down menu. If you want to see all of the fonts in an easy menu, head over to  fonts.google.com . What is great about this site is not only can you see the fonts in all of the different versions but it will give you recommendations as to which fonts go together. There are many different fonts to choose from but it is best to only use 3 or less in your document. Use Hidden Tables: Sometimes, you find yourself wanting to have text in a document in more than three columns. Or, you want some of the text in the middle of the document to be in columns while the rest is in a regular paragraph form. To do this easily,  insert a table.  Decide how many columns you want to use. Onc...

It’s Back! Quickly and easily cite sources in Google Docs Around September, Google replaced the Research tool with a new one called  Explore.  Explore was designed to provide suggestions to help the user in creating a better final product. But educators quickly discovered the Explore tool was lacking some critical components students and teachers came to depend upon. One of those was the ability to quickly and easily cite sources as well as create footnotes in the Google Doc. Recently, G Suite has released many new updates including the return of citations as footnotes being a part of Explore. You can change the format of your citation from MLA, APA, and Chicago. (hint : Explore does bring websites & images based upon what has previously been typed in the document but I still find it’s best is to teach students how to use the search bar at the top and do their own advanced Google search to find exactly what they need from a reliable source.) For more informati...

5 Excellent Google Doc Templates for Teachers I am always a firm believer in sharing of resources so no one has to spend time “reinventing the wheel” so to speak. This includes using resources that have already been created and then customizing them for my own purposes. This is why I always search for a  Google Doc or Sheet template  before I start from scratch. There are many wonderful templates available online that can save you a lot of time.  In a blog post by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, is an article titled  5 Excellent Google Dos Templates for Teachers .    Here are the top 5 templates: Newsletter Project Proposal Lesson Plans Brochure Class Notes To access any of these Templates, go to  Docs Gallery  and click on the Template Gallery on the top right-hand side and scroll through the different templates.

Work in Google Docs Offline  Last week, our school ran into some internet issues. It happens to the best of us. You are working on a document in Google Docs or Sheets and suddenly, you lose connection to the internet. However, what most people forget is you can continue to work in Google Docs offline as long as you have it selected in Settings  and you are using Google Chrome . Here is how: Go to your drive account ( drive.google.com ) In the top right, click on the cog icon  Go to  Settings Make sure to put a checkmark in the box under  Offline . This will allow you to work offline and allow the documents to sync when the internet returns. That’s it! It is not perfect and there are some bugs with working offline such as not being able to use all of the functions (like use the Explore feature) a nd you do need to have Google Drive already opened in your browser before you go offline  but it does work in a jiffy if you need it. For Mo...

Improve Reading Comprehension with Google Docs "Black Out" This idea was shared on the G+ for Education Group by Eric Curtis from his blog titled  Control Alt Achieve . Basically, he heard about a way for students to identify main ideas, and summarization skills to help with their reading comprehension called the “Text Reduction Strategy” by Andrea Heick in a post at TeachThought.  (link to original article:  https://goo.gl/8Rs0Xe Here is how it works. Students are given a piece of text and a black marker. They are instructed to read the article and to decide what information is critical and what is not. Then they re-read the article and black out all text that is not critical leaving behind just the main ideas. In the original article, Andrea Heick suggested giving students a magazine article and a black marker. However, Eric Curtis suggested sharing a Google Doc with the students and having them use the highlighting feature that is built into the program. ...