Year: 2018

This week’s tip builds on a previous one that Kristie Hughes did on Pixel Art. I highly recommend that you read Kristie’s tip when you get a chance, but the TL:DR version is this: You can use conditional formatting in Google Sheets to color cells to make pictures. This is called pixel art, and it used to be done manually using graph paper. Here’s an example of a Mario character that is done as pixel art:

I have been helping the second grade classes at Montpelier Elementary School to learn more about using Google. Since the holidays are coming up, I wanted my last class before Christmas break to be a fun and engaging one (teachers, you know all too well how the kiddos can be right before a break!). So I decided to combine pixel art with math facts and it was an awesome activity! read more

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Before exploring some useful Chrome extensions for students, what are extensions?  Extensions are software programs that extend the functionality of your browsing experience. Each user can install extensions to personalize their workspace. This customization allows for each user to create a browsing environment that works best for them.

You can search and install Chrome extensions from the Web Store. To do this, follow the below steps:

Click on the colorful APPS button

Select Web Store
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Last time we looked at the ART of Gmail and learned how to Archive – Respond – ToDo. Now we are going to dig a little deeper and see how to further refine the system to make Gmail work smarter for us.

Our first ninja trick is to have our messages automatically labeled for us. We talked briefly about labels when discussing Archiving. A label is attached to a message and groups them together. What is the difference between a label and folder? A message can only be in one folder whereas a message can have more than one label. read more

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In the first in our series, we looked at Curating Bookmarks. In the next installment, the focus was on Google Drive. This week we look at curation of email and how we can unclutter our digital inboxes and stay on top of our email.

Like it or hate it, email is a daily chore for anyone in education.

Gone are the days when we would enjoy the occasional email from fellow educators and enjoyed a SPAM-free existence.

SPAM accounts for almost 50% of email worldwide. That’s right almost half the email sent in the world is SPAM. We block this before it arrives in your email so you never see most of it. read more

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Many people use Google Sheets to add numbers, create a budget, keep track of items, etc. However, there is a creative way to use Google Sheets that even preschools can take advantage of…Pixel Art!

This idea was found from the Google Apps for Littles book by Christine Pinto and Alice Keeler, and can be applied to any grade level.  The idea is that you use conditional formatting to change the colors of the cells. When a certain number is entered into a cell, that cell turns the color that you designate. For example, based on the picture below, if the number 4 is entered in any cell, once you hit your return key, that cell will turn green. read more

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