#EduDuctTape Mini 013
#EduDuctTape — EduDuctTape.com — @JakeMillerTech — JakeMiller.net — JakeMillerTech@gmail.com
Keven Rinaman
@KevenRinaman
Recorded February 12, 2020
at the OETC Conference in Columbus, OH
#EduDuctTape Live Mini 012: Mike Feldman – Gamified Tech Coaching
In the 12th mini-episode, I talk to technology integration specialist and middle school teacher Mike Feldman about strategies–including gamification–that he used as a tech coach to motivate teachers to try new technologies in the classroom. Mike also talks about his passion for using a wood lathe to craft pens and how it benefits students when they see their teachers as makers.
#EduDuctTape Episode 42: Sarah Thomas, PhD!
In the 20th regular episode of Season 2, I am joined by Dr. Sarah Thomas, ISTE co-author and founder of EduMatch, to talk about growing your professional learning network (PLN), crowd-sourcing solutions to problems, and using tools like Voxer, Periscope, Twitter, Skype, and Flipgrid.
Check out this awesome quote from Sarah’s appearance on the show!
Continue reading #EduDuctTape Episode 42: Sarah Thomas, PhD!
Make #EduGIFs in WeVideo!
For years, people have asked me how they can make #EduGIFs like mine. When I respond and say “I make them in Camtasia,” there’s normally a 2-3 minute delay while they look up the cost of Camtasia. Then, there’s another question:
“Any less expensive options?”
Camtasia is a fantastic piece of software and is 100% worth the cost if you plan to use it a lot. For video creators, I highly recommend it. But I understand why people are looking for a less expensive choice. Unfortunately, I’ve never had a great answer for them. While I have this post that goes over alternative options, none of the free or low-cost options allow much editing. In that very same post, I go over some of the things that I value in Camtasia, and as you can see, the other tools have few (if any) of those features.
Check out my “Awesome Classroom Uses of #EduGIFs Created with Screencastify” post to see 19 ways that you can use GIFs.
Enter WeVideo!
Well, now I’ve got a new tool to suggest. If you have a WeVideo for Education account (they’re currently free until 6-30-2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic school closures), you can now make GIFs within WeVideo!!
Check it out in the #EduGIF below and then, under the GIF, I’ll share some of my thoughts on this new option.
Note: This GIF was created in Camtasia as its still a better tool if you have access to it.
Things that I’m excited about:
The 4 Most Important Keyboard Shortcuts
The EduGIF below shows the 4 Most Important Keyboard Shortcuts. Below the GIF, I’ve got a list of the 4 shortcuts.
- Ctrl + c (or command + c) – Copy selected or highlighted text or objects
- Ctrl + v (or command + v) – Paste copied or cut text or objects
- Ctrl + z (or command + z) – Undo last change
- Ctrl + shift + v (or command + Shift + v) – Paste copied or cut text with formatting that matches the destination’s formatting.
Note: This EduGIF is a new version of one that was originally shared in this post.
Filtering by Color in Google Sheets
Sometimes when I’m working on a project in Google Sheets, I shade cells a certain color to visually organize them. I’ve always wished that there was a way to just see the green ones. Or the red ones. Or the yellow ones. Sure, I could add some kind of indicator in a separate cell that I can filter by, but I wished that I could just do it by color.
Well, now I can! Recently, Google added the ability to filter and sort based on the cell color and the font color. Check out how it works with filtering in the EduGIF below! The step-by-step instructions are underneath the EduGIF.
Before I share the step-by-step instructions, one last note. In the EduGIF, I did not share the process of sorting by color. When sorting by color, you’re selecting the color group (red, green, or white, in my GIF) that will come first. The other colors are then grouped after that. Within the color groups, the values will also be sorted in the default format (largest number to smallest number, in my data set). Continue reading Filtering by Color in Google Sheets
10 Tips for Supporting Students with Special Needs in #RemoteLearning
Over the last month or so, educators across most countries have been scrambling to figure out how to deliver content and assignments to students at home, how to connect with them via live video, and how to make sure they were safe and sound. While we could certainly debate which of these are and are not important, as well as which ones are more or less important, I think that we could also certainly agree on one priority that’s missing from that list:
How can we support learners with special needs in remote learning?
While, certainly, some educators are doing great things to support these students, from my observations, this has taken a backseat to other elements of remote learning. And these students NEED OUR HELP.
Unfortunately, I am not an expert in special education, accessibility features or assistive technology. I am, however, skilled at asking other people to share their expertise. 😃 So, in episode 40 of the Educational Duct Tape podcast and in the 4.8.20 #EduDuctTape Twitter Chat I asked educators one simple question:
How can we support learners with special needs in remote learning?
And they DELIVERED. I mean, the awesome suggestions and resources, all from a perspective of support rather than judgment, POURED in. And so, here they are.
I’ve curated their responses and organized them into 10 Tips for Supporting Students with Special Needs in Remote Learning. Here they are! Summarized, organized, curated, and, most importantly, shared with you. I hope that you can use these to support the learners that you work with! Continue reading 10 Tips for Supporting Students with Special Needs in #RemoteLearning
#EduDuctTape Live Mini 011: David Allan – Chromebook Accessibility Features
In the 11th mini-episode, I’m sharing a discussion that I had with Special Education Consultant David Allan at the KySTE Conference in March. David shares some of the accessibility features available on Chromebooks. Also, I share a special announcement before the interview.
#EduDuctTape Episode 41: Catlin Tucker!
In the 19th regular episode of Season 2, I am sharing an episode with Catlin Tucker, author of Balance With Blended Learning, where we talk about how teachers can streamline feedback during class time so that they have less to do outside of class time. Catlin shares strategies from John Hattie and Mark Barnes as well as a handful of great tech tips to make feedback more efficient!
Check out some of Catlin’s mic-drop quotes from the episode below…
Guest Post: Using Discord for Remote Learning
As educators, schools, and even professionals outside of education evaluated different options for synchronous video chats, a friend of mine was considering an option that I hadn’t heard anyone else mention. When Molly Klodor told me about her experience with using Discord for her Quiz Bowl team, I immediately asked her if she’d be interested in sharing it as a guest blog post. Here it is . . . 
My quiz bowl season was going so well. Both Varsity and JV were confidently buzzing in and having a blast, and my Varsity team was scheduled to go to Columbus for our state tournament at the beginning of March. We were so excited to cap off our excellent season!
Then came COVID-19.
We let ourselves mope a bit at the cancellation of our tournament and the abrupt end to our season, but we needed to move on. I told my team we’d keep practicing, running trivia rounds through a Hangout or something. I said I’d figure something out. But my students, ever wiser than I, suggested I look into Discord. Continue reading Guest Post: Using Discord for Remote Learning