Lemon Tech Tidbits

Google Sheets already has the ability to easily take the data and present it into a chart that is customizable. The chart or charts can then be added to a Google Doc, Sheet, Slide, and/or Sites while being linked to the data. This means if you change some of the data on the spreadsheet, the chart will automatically update accordingly.  You can customize the charts how you want but to be honest, it can be challenging. This is why I am so excited about the new update that will be rolling out to everyone in a few short days. “Now you can click directly on data labels, chart titles or legends and drag to reposition them. Or you can easily delete these elements using the delete or backspace keys.” - Google “Why you’d use it? : These features give you more ways to control the look and feel of your charts. For example, you can now easily reposition data labels that overlap to avoid clutter and ensure that key data points stand out. Or you can reposition the legend inside the chart are...

Many times, students will find a website containing a list or table of data while doing research and simply give it a cursory glance. But one of the important learning tools is to teach students to analyze the data they find to make their own conclusions. In this blog post by Alice Keeler, http://bit.ly/2ZltXhQ , she explains how using a formula will automatically take the data from a website and import it into a Google Sheet. From there, you can use combine other data from other sites, view the data in different ways, and add in a visual chart making it easier to analyze and use the data. The whole trick is to start the formula using IMPORTHTML followed by the website. Alice Keeler provides step-by-step instructions on how to use this formula but goes a step further by providing a Student Guide in Google Docs which makes it easy to share with students.  You can access it here: http://bit.ly/2Uz89eX

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

GOOGLE SHEETS UPDATE: Checkmarks! With the end of the year fast approaching, the need to create and manage lists of items is more important than ever. If you have a lot of information or data, a Google Sheet that can be shared with multiple people is ideal. To help make things easier, you can now make check marks in Google Sheets to help keep track of your data. In this blog post by Alice Keeler, http://bit.ly/2qX0r1u , she walks you through step-by-step on how to use this new feature. Be sure to check it out! Image from Alice Keeler

LESS IS MORE - GOOGLE SLIDE STYLE Every person in education understands there is a need to compile, use and share data. This can easily be done with Google Sheets or Excel. However, many times the data in Sheets or Excel can be hard to understand with a quick glance. A quick slideshow, created by Darkhorse Analytics, shows easy steps to take the data and make is easier to understand in a clear visualization format. Take a look: http://i.imgur.com/ZY8dKpA.gifv

FLIPPITY: An Google Sheets Add-On With Flippity, you can turn a Google Sheet of information into an online quiz show, flashcards, matching games, Mad Libs, and more.  Flippity is FREE and works by changing the function of the Google Spreadsheet. In addition to being an add-on, Flippity is also a series of web apps. To share your creation with your students, you simply give them a link generated by Flippity in Google Classroom. To start, open up a blank spreadsheet in Google Drive. Go to Add-ons and install Flippity. You can now use Flippity with the spreadsheet as well as with any other spreadsheet you already have created. When you select Flippity from the drop-down menu, it will ask you what type of template you would like. Select the one you desire and modify the information. When you are done, make sure you select File - Publish to the Internet. Now you are ready to share it with the class. To watch a short instructional video about Flippity by Richard Byrne, click ...

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

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