Tuesday Tips, October 23, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Translating a PDF document

Several people have asked lately about how to translate PDFs.  One of the best (and quickest) method I've found is to use Google Translate.   To begin, go to Google Translate and then click on Documents from the top.

Next:

• Upload the file
• Select which language is the original then which language you want it translated into
• Hit Translate

As with any translator, it is not perfect.  We have found that the text attached to any images does not translate.  

BOOK TIP:   Speech Team by Tim Murphy

  In Speech Team by Tim Murphy, four middle aged friends, former high school speech team members, decide to go on a road trip and confront their former teacher for his transgressions against them in high school.  It is a road trip book, it is a book about memories and the power of a teacher, in both good and bad ways.  But it is mostly a book that reflects on what kind of adult you want to be, can you escape the teenager you once were?

Tuesday Tips, September 26, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Doing a Pen Stroke in Google Slides

You can now add a pen to your Google Slides presentations, allowing you to be interactive with your slides as you present.  You can circle important items, highlight details, etc.  To turn on the pen, click on the three dots in the lower left corner and then pick Turn On the Pen.  Any pen strokes you make during presentation will NOT be saved.  

BOOK TIP:  Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

   Dragons and fantasy is not usually my genre, but this book is all over social media and has been on the best-seller lists for weeks, so I had to give it a try.   Fourth Wing is the story of Violet as she tries to become part of the elite team of dragon riders of Navarre. Fourth Wing also has vibes of Harry Potter, so if you are missing that series, I'd give this one a go.   Fast paced, unique and fun.

Tuesday Tip, September 13, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Google Doc translate

This came up in my IL group and not everyone knew about this feature, so here it is!  

If you have a Google Doc that you would like to translate into another language, it is very easy to do.  Open the doc (and it must be a Google doc, not a .docx file in Google Drive), go into Tools, then Translate document.  

Then select which language you want it in and it will prompt you to rename it and Save.

BOOK TIP: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

When people ask me what my favorite book is, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese is ALWAYS on that list.  It took a long time for him to come out with another book, but it finally came out this summer!  The Covenant of Water is a big book, one you might want to save for a vacation read, but it was worth the wait.  An epic story following generations of family, so beautiful! 

Tuesday Tips, September 5, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Grading Categories Added into PowerTeacher

The three grade categories that teachers are being asked to use this year (Habits of Work, Formative and Summative) have been added into PowerTeacher as defaults, so you don't have to add those categories yourself.  You will need to customize the weighting for these categories, however, based on your grading system.

Here are the categories:

BOOK TIP:  Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

  Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano was one of my favorite books of the summer!  It is centered around the question of can love make a broken person whole?   The Padavanos are a happy bustling family of four sisters.  The family takes in Julia's boyfriend, Walter, into their lives and he is overwhelmed to be a part of such a group.  When his past threatens the family, will it break them apart for good?  Beautifully written, I cried.  

Tuesday Tips, October 3, 2023

 TECH TIP:  Google Jamboard alternative: Figjam

It might be a bad memory, but lots of us used Google Jamboard during the days of on-line school.    However, Google recently announced that is shutting down Jamboard as of December 2024.  If you have any Jamboards you want to keep, follow these directions on how to export and save those files.

Figjam is a good alternative to Google Jamboard.   Explore this list of 20 things you can do with Figjam to get some ideas for your class.

BOOK TIP:  The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

   This is an incredible true story of shipwreck, survival and human depravity.  David Grann is also the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, another great work of non-fiction.  In this book, The Wager is a British ship that sets off in 1740 as part of a secret mission during Great Britain's war with Spain.  And once they set sail, if anything could go wrong, it does go wrong.  Most notably, the crew is shipwrecked off the coast of Brazil and this sets off a time of mutiny, murder, and deception.  While a work of historical non-fiction, this reads like a thriller at times.  Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction!