No Red Pen: Recent Episodes
Tom Mullaney
No Red Pen is the podcast for teachers who want to make the most of technology in the classroom. Host Tom Mullaney was a classroom teacher. Now he helps teachers meaningfully integrate technology in their classrooms.
Google for Education held their annual The Anywhere School event on June 7, 2022. Listen for a recap and my reactions to the updates.
Links from the episode:
- The Anywhere School 2022
- Google Classroom Anywhere School Updates
- Google Classroom - Preview and Add YouTube Videos
- Video made with Screencast on a Chromebook
- Read Along Android App on a Chromebook - Works Offline
- Figma
- Figma on Chromebooks
- Apply for the Figma Chromebook Beta
- Google Meet for teachers can automatically transcribe lessons into a Google Doc
- Cast moderator interest form
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Google Workspace has a new font for emojis. Listen to this episode to learn why Noto Emoji are better than conventional emoji in Google Docs and Slides for students.
Links from the episode:
- Noto Emoji Font For Google Docs, Drawings, Sheets, and Slides (3-minute video)
- Emojipedia
Google Docs recent Smart Canvas updates are turning this word processing app into an interactive digital experience. Listen to learn more about Emoji Reactions and Dropdowns, and how they can help amplify student voice.
Links from the episode:
- Amplify Student Voice With These Two Google Docs Features
- Google Docs Emoji Reactions
- Google Docs - Dropdowns
- Episode 9 – Beyond Hyperdocs with These Google Docs Tips
- Google Docs Smart Chips and Preview Panels
- Google Classroom - Students Can Edit File
- Google Classroom - Reuse Post
What happens when a Google Classroom expert dives into Canvas LMS? Listen to learn about Canvas’s positives and negatives, and how it compares to Classroom.
Links from the episode:
- Ashlee Espinosa’s YouTube Channel
It’s February so let’s get our mind off winter with some fonts fun! We’re talking all things fonts and Google Workspace.
Links from the episode:
- Teachers: Please Use This Font
- Google Fonts For Any Era
- Install Google Workspace Fonts (2:12 video)
- Google Fonts
- Google Fonts Icons
- Google Fonts Knowledge
- Seasonal Fonts For Google Workspace by Peggy Reimers for TCEA
- Clean and clear: making reading easier with Lexend (Google Design)
- Shirley Chisholm Unbought, Unbossed, and Unlocked Digital Escape Room
- More information on Bungee Fonts
Are the Google for Education Certified Educator Level 1 and Level 2 exams too easy? The exams are now 35 multiple choice questions each with no scenarios or separate testing accounts.
This episode shares what you need to know about the exams and whether or not they are too easy.
- Register for the Google for Education Certified Educator Level 1 and Level 2 Exams.
Inspired by Steve Martin on SNL, here are twelve wishes I have for Google Workspace and Google improvements.
- Multiple Chrome Profiles on Chromebooks
- Students unable to rename Google Chat Spaces and remove members
- The ability to embed Expeditions in Google Arts & Culture on websites
- Links to specific scenes in Expeditions in Google Arts & Culture
- Google Drive videos playing in Google Doc preview panels
- Smart Chips and Preview Panels for Forms, Jams, My Maps, and Google Earth Projects in Google Docs
- Lexend fonts in Google Forms and Google Jamboard
- See all Jamboard Jam frames in the Google Classroom feedback and grading screen
- Jamboard option in Google Drive advanced search
- See all Jamboard frames in Google Drive preview
- Ability to add Google Slides and YouTube videos to Jamboard Jams
- Insert Google Slides slides and Jamboard frames into Jamboard
BONUS Wish: An improved rich text editor in Google Classroom and rich text editors for Google My Maps and Jamboard sticky notes.
What do you think? Are these worth wishing for? What are your Google wishes? Please let me know by commenting below or tweeting me, @TomEMullaney.
My eight favorite Google updates in 2021. Can you believe these did not exist at the start of this year?
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Google Sites Custom Themes
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Use Google Maps in Google Calendar
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Annotate Images in the Chrome OS Image Editor
-
YouTube Previews in Google Classroom Search
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Checklists in Google Docs and Sheets
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Google Expeditions is now web-based in Google Arts & Culture
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Use Your Webcam in Jamboard on the Web
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Google Docs Smart Chips
What do you think? What did I miss? Please let me know by commenting below or tweeting me, @TomEMullaney.
Two of the best edtech tools are invading each other's turf. This episode breaks down how teachers will use updates to edpuzzle and Screencastify.
Links from the episode:
- edpuzzle
- edpuzzle Google Chrome extension
- Screencastify Google Chrome extension
- Screencastify Makes Video Quizzes Easier with Interactive Questions Feature - Eric Curts YouTube video
- Amazing features for teachers using Edpuzzle - Flipped Classroom Tutorials YouTube video
Use recent updates to make Google Docs that engage students. Links from the episode:
- 7 Tips for Teachers Using Google Docs
- Platform Learn 2021 EdTech Top 40 List
This episode: updates about Cursive, Playspace, and a possible Tour Creator replacement - 360 Schools.
Links from the episode:
- Cursive
- Google's Cursive App for Chromebooks - First Look
- Some Thoughts on Cursive - Google's New Handwriting App for Chromebooks (Chrome Unboxed)
- Playspace
- Google Workspace acquires Playspace, a video, screenshare, & whiteboard collaboration tool (9to5 Google)
- Google Acquires Playspace in Hopes of Making Your Workspace More Fun and Interactive (Chrome Unboxed)
- 360 Schools
- Kathryn Greene's tweet praising 360 Schools
The Mote Google Chrome extension is a wonderful tool for teachers to add audio to digital content and student feedback. Listen to learn what teachers can do with the free version of this tool.
With the Delta Variant running rampant, might schools find themselves in remote and hybrid learning again?
In this episode, Tom looks at the blog post he wrote at the start of the pandemic to give teachers ideas for a possible return to remote learning. These strategies apply to students with devices both in-person and remote.
Google Expeditions lives - on Google Arts and Culture's website. I tell you everything you need to know to get started. Please see the accompanying blog post at tommullaney.com.
My reaction to updates shared at Flipgrid Live. But first, some Google updates including Expeditions and YouTube video smart chips.
Google for Education's The Anywhere School event is done and we have updates to Google Classroom, Google Workspace, and Google Forms to dive into.
This week starts with a deep dive into using Google Jamboard in the classroom, continues with one big issue in the otherwise great Immersive Reader, and concludes with the plusses and minuses of checkboxes in Google Docs and Sheets.
Next week - news and reactions to Google for Education's Anywhere School event.
More information about the Google Expeditions situation:
- Lessons Learned from Loving and Losing Google Expeditions
The Google Docs tweet:
- @JakeAnbinder on Twitter: "Something interesting I've noticed teaching is Gen Z just does not use Microsoft Word, period. When you ask them to submit .doc files they're all converting them from Google Docs or Pages."
Welcome to No Red Pen, a weekly edtech podcast hosted by Tom Mullaney.
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