Monday, February 29, 2016

Secrets of a Google Ninja

I love finding Google's "hidden" products. Most of these do not require a GAFE account (but I'd always recommend one) and are completely free.

Over the past few years, I've compiled my favorite of Google's hidden treasures into the Secrets of a Google Ninja (now a searchable database, too). And, today I was going to add Kiddle to it. However, in doing some reading, it appears it is not supported by Google. While powered by Google results, it is not supported. For products like such, I turn to Common Sense Media who does an awesome job of rating and reviewing similar sites.

For a complete directory of Google's other products, check out fennvoation.org.

Friday, February 26, 2016

#YourEduStory - bring #gafe to your school


This week's topic: Google tools in Education - how do you bring extra functionality and open your students eyes up to the possibilities using Google Core Tools?

As a disclaimer - I've been a Google Certified Trainer for over four years and a heavy Google Apps users since the tools first entered schools. So, I'm a bit biased. 

That said, I think it's about more than bringing GAFE to your school. It's about bringing the 4Cs to your school (communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking). 

I used to shun Office 365 and all that it stood for. And, while I'm still loyal to GAFE, I no longer shun it. Within education, we express loyalty to different companies rather than loyalty to the ideas behind those companies. What I missed was my loyalty to creativity; my loyalty to collaboration; to critical thinking; to communication. 

So, over the past year, I've tried to steer away from the possibilities with Google's core tools. Instead, I've moved toward the possibilities with innovative pedagogy. The tools don't have to be Google. While Google has many tools that fit a more innovative pedagogy, it is not the only one. There are Spheros, Ollies, drones, Raspberry Pis, Arduinos, Makey Makeys, and so many more tools that engage students in innovation. 

The goals is never - how do I fit this tool into my class? It's how can this subject best be learned? And, sometimes, that involves integrating a tool. That tool may be a GAFE tool. It may be robotics. 

For my students and teachers, I want them to think about innovation and problems before they think about tools. When they think about those concepts, the tools will follow. 

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Be creative with Chrome

When teachers ask me what they can do with a Chromebook, I reply - everything. But, it involves a different way of looking at programs. In the past, we've thought about traditional, install-based programs. With a Chromebook, it's all about Web versions of a program. And, since there are so many to choose from, it's about finding the right fit.

There are definitely some that work better than others, but I generally aim for free. And with the plethora of apps available, it's not difficult to switch from one to the next. The exception - movie editing. So far, the only true movie editor I have found for relatively "free" is Movie Maker. And while I like it, you are limited on the basic features. There are many that will make slideshows and animations, but few that will edit video for free.

That said, I've compiled some of my favorite applications available on the Chromebook - for free - for creation. Check out Chromium Creativity for creativity in Chrome and explore fennovation.org for all other things Chrome.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Defining Your Brand #BeYouEdu

In case you've missed the #BeYouEdu blogging experience created by +Dr. Will Deyamport, III , it's not too late to join! This month's topic: defining your brand.

This is, perhaps, the most important topic of them all. By nature, many educators want to do it all or be involved in it all. We buy supplies for our classroom, food for our students. We attend our student's games, recitals, and more. We eat together. We share together. We grow together. However, when it comes to a professional presence, we have to pick and choose. We cannot do it all. We need to share.

This year has been a year of learning for me. I left a district where I was involved in "it all" and was stressed out. And, I arrived at a school where I had to pave my own way. I had to figure out what my brand was.

I'm one to jump at the prospect of certifications. When Google began offering Google Certified Trainer statuses several years ago, I applied immediately. I continued to apply to every certification. I was everything and nothing all at once.

I was a Google Ninja. But, that meant nothing at my  new school. It was then that I realized it wasn't a brand. It was loyalty to a company (though, you can argue it is also a way of thinking). I was great at giving tutorials at products. And, perhaps my brand was simply that - giving tutorials - but I wanted it to be something more. Giving tutorials wasn't the only reason I got into this field.

Throughout this year, I've thought about what makes me happy. What do I want to do in my free time? What do I get excited about? This should be my brand.

I have always loved creating. When I get stressed, I want to create. When I get home, I want to create. In the classroom, I oddly loved creating lesson plans. I enjoyed creating new project ideas for students.

I am a creator. I am a crafter.

This year, I increased my focus on makerspaces and started a maker program at my school. I realized that I am a crafter, but have plenty of room to grow in the area of high tech maker. I have been a repurposer.

In remembering my passion, I found room to grow. And, it became overwhelming. How could I be an expert at all things and still learn more in my passion field? I can't. I don't need to.

That's where sharing comes in. We need to share intellectual wealth. As an educator, I need to focus on my passion and wear it with pride. I also need to let others wear their passion. I need to support them and encourage them. I need to use them as a resource.

So, what's my brand? It's a creative brand. Sometimes it involves using Google Apps to bring and foster creativity. At other times, it is  found in creating renewable energy sources. The tool may vary, but the theme is the same: creativity. I also remind myself to focus on learning things in my passion area. Though I want to learn it all, I can't. I can, however, wear my passion with pride.

To find your brand, you have to find your passion, your niche, your swagger, and your successes. They are all part of your brand.

My advice to educator-innovators - focus on your passion and wear it. Avoid getting involved in it all. Share the intellectual wealth. We need passionate educators far more than we need expert educators.

Your brand should be based on your passion. Own it.


Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Bring in the girls

Two years ago, I put on a hackathon at our school library for students to come and learn to code. It was poorly attended, but one girl did attend. At the end of the week-long event, she asked if we would like to sponsor a chapter of Girls Who Code. Our female CS teacher, our librarian, and I agreed to help her for next year. When the next school year started, we discovered that the student has the program ready to go.

For the course of the year, we served as sponsors for a student-run club. Every Monday for 90 minutes, the student and 15 other girls met to learn computer science 1.

This year, the girls took it a step further and started their own non-profit, Connect(ed), to teach coding to area elementary school students.

Sometimes, even when you don't think something is successful, it is. The message: keep trying to get in the girls. No step is too small.

By 2020, we are going to have over 1 million unfilled jobs in the CS industry. Be need to fill that hole. If girls equaled the numbers of boys, we would fill that number. Imagine the difference we would see...

To help get you started, I've compiled my favorite programs that you can join or host your own to get girls into STEM. Check out Girl Power and fennovation.org for all things STEAM. Enjoy!



Monday, February 22, 2016

Infographics - key to concise writing

When I taught high school English, I asked my students to write a full essay on a persuasive, current topic of their choice. We'd review it, critique it and edit it. Eventually, when they thought it was final, I'd ask them to transform it into an actual letter to the editor. They were required to choose a local paper of their choice, find the word count required, and cut their words to meet the requirement. They moaned. They groaned. They became concise writers.

When you are challenged to state your argument in fewer words or in another medium, you force your brain to think creatively and critically. You cannot afford to waste space on words without impact.

Infographics are a great way of setting up this challenge. An infographic must state an argument in words, pictures, and engaging design. When creating an infographic, you are challenged to meet your audience's needs. This is not to say there is no purpose for a full essay. But, there is something to be said for writing in multimedia.

To show that point, I've transformed by Infographics presentation of my favorite resources into an infographic! I used Piktochart to create the infographic, but Canva to create many of the presentation slides.

Check out fennovation.org for more writing tips. Enjoy!





Thursday, February 18, 2016

EdTech - is it a "thing"?

This post originally appeared in my Chasing Life's Lilies Blog.

Last night, I had the privilege of being a panelist for the General Assembly and Teach For America event (EdTech - Taking Stock and Forging Ahead) at Austin's WeWork Co-working Space.

Prior to attending, we were asked to rate our opinion on five different questions. During the event, the audience was polled on those same questions and we were asked to explain our opinions.

Each time I present or engage in conversation with other educators, I am filled with new questions and arguments. Last night was no exception.

The premise was on EdTech. As the conversation moved forward, it was clear we all have different views of what EdTech is. Is it a business? Is it a way of thinking? Is it a subject? Is it a set of tools? Frankly, I don't know. And, that's why I don't think it should be a "thing."

In every area, there is the mainstream and there are the innovators. Within education, EdTech were the innovators to me. However, the idea of EdTech is no longer new. It should not be considered another pathway. Rather, it is mainstream, regardless of whether or not it is fully integrated. Though we don't all have SmartPhones, it would be unusual to say that SmartPhones were not mainstream. EdTech as a pathway is education.

As a business, edtech has been around for a while and will probably continue to be a "thing" for a while. We use technology for our infrastructure and what better name for it than - educational technology.

We do need to get away from the idea that EdTech is tools. Or, maybe it is...If it is, then we need to get away from EdTech. I'll admit that I've been that company girl. I jumped into various company-given certifications immediately, partly because I love a challenge, but also because I was excited about a product. That was five years ago, though. Now, I'm excited about ideas. I believe in ideas, thinking processes, and pedagogy as the means for change. The technology will fit into those thinking processes. Unfortunately, when I attend conferences and when I listen to others, I hear tools mentioned. I don't see as much on thinking processes. I see limited information on how to change the way we ask students to think. We forget that technology is already there. It continues to change. As it changes, the way we interact with it changes. The way we need to think about it changes. Yet, we continue to teach the same thought processes. This is what we need to focus on.

Companies like Google have created services on some of these thought processes. In fact, Google offers a computational thinking course that is completely free. There are Maker Faires across the globe. There are even maker schools - or design-based schools. These thought processes do exist in schools, but they are limited. Rather than focusing on these processes, we look for tools to fix them.

There is a huge push for computer science in schools. And, I am one of the ones trying to making computer science and STEAM programs available to more students. However, last night, my boyfriend who has a computer science degree and is a Web Developer for a living, told the panel audience that he is not a supporter of making computer science mandatory for all students. Several gasped at the "absurdity" of his statement. His point - not everyone loves it. You could argue that not everyone loves science or English, but they are required to take it. But, instead of making it a separate course - another thing to find time for - integrate the principals of computer science, the thought processes behind it, into other classes. Use computational thinking methods in English; in history. What are the reasons making it mandatory? Can they be solved by integrating it into the curriculum, by changing the way we think?

There is no tool that will solve it all. There, I said it. There is no magic tool. Last night, I brought up my belief that it is the pedagogy that surrounds education that glues it together. So, an audience member asked if there was a tool I'd recommend for easing the demand of teachers in pedagogy. My answer - no. We need to stop looking for tools to fix education. We need to look at educators, parents, students. We need to ask who is making the tools? Are we adopting tools that have been created for us and then, figuring out how to use them in the classroom? Or, are we making solutions for our needs?

This is a hazy area. I'm a Google Ninja (or Google Nerd - probably the latter), but I admit that they are a company. They created a product and I found a way to use it in the classroom. They need educators to survive (GAFE does, at least). Yes, they are responsive to teacher requests, but they are the ones who developed it. Educators fit it into the curriculum. We need to provide more support to grassroots change. The more we ask educators to take a product and fit it into their curriculum, the more we make this about tools and not about people.

My former girls coding club decided they were not satisfied with the girls coding programs around the globe. So, they made their own non-profit and are now providing training to area elementary schools. This is a needs-based edtech company. They have a need and they are providing support for it. One trend is classroom teachers moving out of the classroom to train for edtech companies or start their own. And, while this is needed for the best training, they can also lose relevancy. So, who do we look to - we look to our students. What are the needs they have? Let's support those needs.

Another audience member brought up a point I've noticed after switching to a private school this year. At first, I was shocked by the lack of technology at my private school. I thought they would be in abundance. But, they were not. The focus is different than that of the previous schools I worked at. Disparity in income - disparity in how tech is used. His point - lower-income schools throw a lot more technology at students in a consumption-manner than higher-income students. At first, I disagreed because my private school is lacking in technology. But, after thinking - I believe the difference is not in the tools; it's in the community. At my current school, many students come from households where the parents are heavily involved in their education. The parents understand the technology and the material their children bring home. In lower-income schools, this is not always the case. Parents may be working more, which makes them less involved. They may also not know how to use technology in creative ways. Most students have access to a SmartPhone at home - regardless of income - but in lower-income homes, the devices are used in a consumption manner far more frequently. Therefore, when those students enter school, they are lacking the creative thinking that goes with those devices. This is the backbone of the disparity. We need to find more ways to support communities.

So, is EdTech a "thing"? What is it? Our communities have advanced enough to where EdTech is just education. We are not all there yet, for sure. However, that doesn't mean that it is not education. Even though we have not all caught up, there is no denying that it is not a necessary part of the education umbrella. So, rather than treating it as separate, let's accept it. Let's change our way of thinking. Let's work on the pedagogy and focus on humans.

More Chrome Apps & Extensions...say what?!

You didn't think it was possible, but...I've found a few more apps and extensions that are of note.

Additions include:

  • Sortd - a gmail task list that turns your Gmail into a task list. Thanks to +Juan Orozco for the share!
  • Scrible - a screen annotation tool
  • Journey - helps you create and online journal
  • Sticky Notes - just as it sounds - it adds sticky notes to your desktop and supports speech recognition!

I've added them all to the Let's Get Chromified presentation. However, you can find a full directory listing (created by the Awesome Tables gadget) at fennovation.org.

Have recommendations? Send them to me at @christyfenne! Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

#YourEduStory: 5 things you most love about education jobs

This week's topic: What 5 things do you love most about your job in education? (for the love of Valentine's Day)

For everything I love about education and my job in education, it can also be a deterrent to others. 

I think there can be a difference among how you view your role in education, your actual role, and what you want your role to be. I know I face this conflict often. 

I view my role as something important, which generates my passion. However, I have to convince others of its importance frequently. And, at other times, I find myself thinking of what my role should be, but isn't due to constraints on budgets, mindsets, and more. 

So, in thinking about what I love, I have to separate those three "jobs" because all are very different. It's the difference in those that can lead to brownout or burnout. It's also what can create immense growth. 

I've divided my five loves into my actual roles - the one I think I have, my actual one, and the one I think I should have.

My actual role:
  • I can create anything. The sky is the limit in terms of creation.
  • I can oversee change

How I view my role:
  • I can make change

What I think my role should be:
  • I can learn all day
  • I can be flexible

Some of the loves cross, but many don't. It's a helpful reflection piece to think about what we want out of our jobs. 

What are your loves?

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Spring into coding!

So, STEM is not entirely about coding, but coding can be a great introduction into the field. And, with a projected 1 million surplus of CS jobs by 2020, there's a huge demand for more students!

If that is not enough motivation to try your hand at coding or the integration of STEM into other fields, check out my list of favorite computer science agencies and resources. It's not all about the learning tools, but the support tools!

Check out fennovation.org for more STEM resources!

Enjoy!

Friday, February 12, 2016

Yes, Sites can be beautiful

Last week, I presented at #tcea16 about revisions and hacks I have done to Google Sites to make them, well, respectable.

So, until Google Sites gets the makeover it's long since needed, check out these steps to give your Site the facelift it needs. No more ducking from others when your Website is mentioned. Stand proud about that Site now!

Check out my Set Your Sights on Sites: Advanced and check out fennovation.org for all of my resources, including beginner tutorials, on Google Sites.

Enjoy! Let's make some beautiful Sites!


Thursday, February 11, 2016

Digital Learning Day is next week! Resources for you! #dlday

Next week is the fifth annual digital learning day on February 17.

To get ready for it, here is my school's digital citizenship program - a perfect time to start up a similar one at your school!

This year, we started a focus group that meets once every month or two to plan for future events. On the first Wednesday of every month, all advisories choose a "d-day" (for digcit day) activity of their choice to discuss or complete. Many are current events with the goal to promote discussion and awareness in this first year. We held a chapel in the fall for all students and are organizing a student panel and chapel for the spring, featuring current students who have a positive online presence. We have also held monthly parent talks since November focusing on creative active digital creators rather than passive digital consumers.

We will hold a week long celebration of activities for digital learning day, starting with a hands-on parent activity on Monday. Parents will complete the Makey Makey challenge, among many other activities promoting active learning.

Check out the full line-up here of our plans.  Want some resources for digital storytelling? Try out the ones in this chart. Sadly, some do require purchasing...

What are you doing for digital learning day?

#YourEduStory: Empowering student voice

This week's topic: Empowering student voice: how to foster an environment in education to empower students voice, freedom and expression?

In my current role, I don't feel I have as great of an impact on student voice. However, I believe maker education is one solution. But, this also involves us restructuring education. 

The idea that we are creators - we are makers - is behind maker education. It's paired heavily with design thinking. Unfortunately, though, I have sat through design thinking workshops and, often, the focus is on the verb and not the process. This is not to say that design thinking is not beneficial, but, it should be about the process, not the words. 

Recently, I sat through a workshop on the "making of a makerspace." The presenters tried to go through the design thinking process, but in the event, they killed all creativity and freedom of expression. 

Personally, I am at my most expressive and most creative when I am allowed to experiment and then, refine my work - not the other way around. Often, we ask students to go through the refinement before they've ever had the chance to create. 

As a former high school English teacher, I know the importance of storyboarding and brainstorming. But, to a point. In education, we tend to stifle creativity during this step if we are not careful. Sometimes, it's best to get our hands dirty and then, clean up after. The focus should be on refining the process and documenting the process as we go through it - not on going through a written process and then, creating it. 

We can empower student voice when we give them the chance to create and to experiment before asking them for deeper meaning. Learning comes in playing. I watch my three-year old niece. She learns everyday through play. She learns through other measures, no doubt, but the basis of her learning is in play. 

For me, I learn and feel most free when I can create outside. For others, they like a more structured space. We need to focus on metacognition. We need to ask students to reflect on their own learning and thinking - when do they feel most creative? Then, we need to do our best to provide a similar space. We can empower students in giving them voice in their learning space.

Once we open up the creative bowl, we provide immediate access to student voice. 

The key to empowerment is through creativity and play. 

How do you empower student voice?

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Hacking Google

Google Apps have a lot of great built-in features. However, to get the most out of it, it's useful to perform a few "hacks." For instance, when I make a Google Site, I completely bypass Google Site's built-in editor and insert Google's other products (like Docs) so the Site can run itself. It's things like this that Google does not tell us to do, but leaves it up for us to try.

I've included some of my favorite "hacks" to improve your Google experience in Google Apps Hacked.

What are your favorites?

Check out fennovation.org for more things Googleicious.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

TCEA 2016 in review

It's been a long time since I've actually attended a conference. There, I said it. I've been to many and presented at many recently. However, I read so much in my own time that I find it hard to be surprised at a conference. And, recently, I have been presenting so I've been too fatigued to actually attend. 

This year, though, I attended. 

I wonder how many others who present actually attend. Most, like me, gain their information from their own personal learning. However, it's beneficial to not always be the one leading - to be the one following. I'm so used to leading that I find it difficult to follow and I find it difficult to sympathize - at times - with followers. But, following is necessary at times. To be a leader, you have to be a follower.

So before I sum up my highlights and learning challenges, I challenge all those stuck in the presenter circuit to attend. To take a break from leading to be a follower. I plan to do it more this year. It was refreshing even though the content was not unique. It's the act of following that is important. 

To kick off TCEA 2016, I went to the opening session of the STEM Academy. Keynotes and opening sessions are usually a lot of talk and no action. In fact, many sessions are. And, attendance in my own sessions is up when it is a lot of talk and little action. We, like our students, are trained to be receptacles of information. This needs to change.

Cindy Morris led the keynote with a fast-paced, high energy talk. She gave us about 20 seconds to turn to a partner to talk. Though, in a large room, this is a reluctant task. Again, we are trained receptacles. I argue that more sessions need to be structured in a maker format - more around creation. 

That said, I left with a confirmation. It was not necessarily anything new, but it was confirmation of my beliefs. 

My favorite take-aways included: 

STEM Academy Opening Session: Using technology to engage students in problem solving
  • Cindy Moss - @stemboss, Cindy_moss@discovery.com
  • STEM is a culture, not a class
  • It’s for ALL kids
  • 70% of hs graduates wouldn’t qualify with lowest level of military b/c lack problem solving skills - says it’s a matter of national security
  • Every 18 seconds, some student drops out of hs
  • Banks hire 90% math majors & would hire 3 times as many if they could find them
  • Stemconnector.org - sign up for Stem Daily
  • 768,000 new stem jobs in Texas by 2018 - must get kids ready for this
  • Change the equation - sign up for this email in organization
  • 75% of all jobs will be 75% stem in a few years
  • Many stem jobs you can get with little to no college jobs
    • Graduating with a ton of debt does no one any good
  • We need to be honest with kids about the job market
  • Kids aren’t afraid of STEM - teachers are, but we need to help them not be
    • Don’t pass on fears of math & science to kids
  • Be a STEMINIST! - Girls should have opportunity to go into STEM
    • Project STEM - by Duke university
    • STEM is one of few industries where women make as much as men
    • DOUBLE # of girls in STEM!!!!
  • Students make decision to go in math & science by 6th grade
  • You can’t be what you can’t see - why Google Cardboard is so great - show kids jobs they aren’t seeing
  • STEM jobs are changing - 71% of jobs that need to be filled are in STEM, million jobs open in US because we can’t fill those jobs
  • Behind music services is a whole bunch of statisticians - making at least 80,000/year
    • Algorithms - developing these for companies - makes a lot of $$
  • We need 80 hours of high quality, ongoing PD over two years - most fields have this
    • We need 160 hours of high quality, ongoing PD over three years to change culture
  • 4Cs - we need to teach these!!
    • STEMformation Continuation - standards!
  • We need these under a transdiscplinary theme - we don’t say we’re doing 2 hours of literacy, 2 hours of math, etc.
  • FAIL - first attempt in learning
    • Angry Birds creator - took 10,000 tries to get it!
  • Reading like a scientist
  • Give kids problems to solve & make them figure it out
  • STEMtastic Staturday - play being a Stem person
  • discoveryeducation.com/STEM - a whole lot of free resources - STEM Camp
  • The more diverse the people solving the problem, the more robust the solution

The Making of a Makerspace
  • Jason Harron - @jrharmon - jasonharron@utexas.edu
  • Maker movement started around 20016 - with idea that we are all makers
    • White House supports
    • Bill passed by colleges & school educators calling for need in K-12 education
    • 1200+ hacker/makerspaces around US
  • The 4Cs are what we want- these are the qualities we want in all professions
  • Tortillas/Cookies under laser printer to engrave thigns
  • Montessori schools - hands on -
    • Constructionism - different than constructivism - final product you can see, hear, touch - and learning is physical in world
  • New UT building has 10,000 sq. ft. of maker spaces available
    • ATX hackerspace - has full car lift
    • TechShop
  • Agencybydesign.org - design thinking principal - broke it down into four steps - maybe use this for maker class
  • FabLearn conference - held Oct. 14-16 - need to attend! - buff.ly/1RGcyZI
  • SX Create - Mar. 11-13 - Maker aspect of SXSWedu - don’t need SXSW wrist band & it’s free!!! At Palmer Events Center
  • Go beyond banana piano
  • Use Arduino to code teddy bears
  • Drimmel tools - more child-safe, Skill also has tools for lighter materials with guards

Leading Innovative Change

  • George Couros - @gcouros
  • Innovation - invention or iteration - something totally new or a reiteration of something existing
  • We expect innovation in everything outside of what we work in
  • What innovation is and isn’t
    • What is it actually changing vs. changing for changes sake
      • Taking out candy of vending machines & replacing it with good stuff is not innovation
      • Saying that kids will figure it out is not always right - not all are proficient so - do need an adult guidance and the longer you wait the more afraid you’ll get - “the suspense at the top is what freaks you out”
      • Don’t fit people into job titles - find great people & give them titles
  • Competitive collaboration
    • We’re missing notion of competition - no one wants to be the weakest, but someone always is
      • We push each other to get better, though
      • We don’t want “mind your own business learning.” We want to ask - what is tech allowing us to do that we couldn’t do before - we must collaborate
  • 5 elements of leadership
    • Strength-based leadership
      • Best people to teach this are these passionate educators - and have them go to places they love
    • Powerful learning first, technology second
      • Business vs. Education - don’t base what we use vs. what makes sense for business. For instance, don’t use Office 365 just because the IT dept. feels comfortable with it
        • Ask - what is best for kids, how does this improve learning, if we were to do ----, what is the balance of risk vs. reward, is this serving the few or the majority.
        • Power is about what you can control, freedom is about what you can unleash - our jobs as teachers is to get others to unleash
    • Creating meaningful learning
      • Teachers should be responsible for their own learning now
      • To innovate, disrupt your routine
      • How do yo move people from their point a to their point b
      • How do you disrupt the routine of other
        • Stop giving meanings with handouts - if they say they have to use paper, show them how to print
        • Less is more - paradox of choice - TED talk to walk - a lot of people can’t make choices
          • Literate - adaptive - trans-formative
          • Focus on just a few and know them inside out
        • Move to meaningful creation
    • Embrace an open culture
      • When kids leave school, they should be well-Googled - you need to develop your Google footprint
      • We live in a world where everyone can have a voice - but how are we using it
  • We are data-driven - but need to think about - what are we really good at and why
  • I think, I question, I design, I create, I struggle, I collaborate, I try, I solve, I invent, I reflect, I LEARN
  • You can’t ignore change-makers - they push human race forward. The crazy ones...

Using Add-ons in GAFE? You should!

As we near summer, be sure to check out some add-ons that can make all the difference ind Google Apps. For me, I cannot live without DocHub. I've saved so much paper and toner because of it. Someone sends me a PDF to sign. Now, I can just sign it this way. Or...even better: Someone gives you a hard copy. You can scan it with the Drive app on your phone (currently only Android only) and save it as a PDF in your phone. Then, you can use DocHub to sign it and edit the document. Boom! No more paper and much easier to search and find.

Per an earlier post:

Google Apps can do a lot on their own, but to really get the benefits, you need to use the Google Add-ons available in Forms, Docs, Sheets.

Check out Add-ons make the world go round for a listing of some of my favorite add-ons. Some add-ons are also legacy scripts that you can get from the old Google Sheets.

More Google-iciousness is available on fennovation.org.

Enjoy!