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Force Copy: A Teacher's Best Friend

  Tired of students accidentally editing your original Google Doc or Slide Deck? Or maybe you want to provide a template for your colleagues without risking unwanted changes? The "force copy" function is your new secret weapon! What is Force Copy? Force copy is a simple trick that turns your shareable Google Doc or Slide Deck into a template. Instead of allowing others to directly edit your original file, they're prompted to make a copy for themselves. This preserves your master copy while giving everyone their own version to work on. How to Force Copy It's easier than you think! Share your document: Make sure your document is shared with "Anyone with the link" or "Public". Grab the link: Copy the shareable link to your document. Edit the link: Replace the word "edit" at the end of the link with "copy". For example, if your link was originally https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hf12345/edit , you would change it to https://d

Enhancing Teaching Efficiency with Google Chrome's QR Code Feature

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 In the dynamic landscape of education, the integration of technology continually shapes our teaching methods and resource dissemination. One remarkable tool that I've found incredibly beneficial is the "Create QR Code from Browser" feature in Google Chrome. This simple yet powerful feature enables swift sharing of web pages, articles, videos, and interactive resources with your students, transforming the way we can deliver content in the classroom. Seamless Sharing in Six Simple Steps 1. Access the Web Page: Begin by opening the desired web page you wish to share with your students. 2. Navigate to the Address Bar: Click on the address bar at the top of your browser window. 3. Locate the "Share" Icon: Look for the square icon with an arrow pointing upwards. 4. Select "Create QR Code": Click on the "Share" icon and choose the "Create QR Code" option. 5. Instant Code Generation: Voilà! A QR code representing the webpage appears on you

A Digital Solution for Pocket Money: SquareOne App

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Kia ora, fellow educators and parents! Today's blog post takes a slight detour from our usual content to introduce a game-changer for teachers who are also parents, especially those with younger children. Meet SquareOne , a Kiwi-created app designed to revolutionise the way we manage pocket money. As a teacher and a parent preparing for an upcoming family trip to Australia, I found myself on a quest to instil financial responsibility in my 12 and 14-year-olds. The challenge was to discover a digital tool that not only facilitated money management, but also made the process engaging and educational. SquareOne emerged as the answer to my quest. This New Zealand-developed app allows parents to set chores and allocate corresponding amounts to their children. The beauty lies in its simplicity – kids submit completed chores, and parents approve payments through the app. The real magic happens when the money is transferred from the parent's account to the child's account. SquareOn

Tech Tip Tuesday: Creating Hassle-Free Sharable Links in Google Docs

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Kia ora, fellow educators! 🌟 Have you ever eagerly clicked on a hyperlink, only to find yourself stuck on a 'share request' page? Annoying, right? Let's tackle that inconvenience and make link-sharing a breeze. Clicking on a link that leads to a 'share request' page can be frustrating for both the document creator and the person trying to access it. But fear not, there's a simple solution to avoid this digital roadblock. Prevention is Key: Adjust Sharing Settings Before creating links, ensure your documents are ready for sharing. You can modify the access settings for individual documents or go big by making an entire folder sharable. This way, any docs linked from that folder will automatically grant access without the pesky 'share request.' Quick Steps to Share without Stress: 1. Open your Google Doc (or any Google app). 2. Click on the 'Share' button in the top right corner. 3. Adjust the access settings to either 'Anyone with the link

Engaging Students with Gimkit: Gamifying Classroom Learning

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We've all used Kahoot, right?  But have you used Gimkit yet?  If not, this post will change your teaching world... Gimkit, a digital quiz game (similar to Kahoot, yet soooo different), offers a dynamic approach to introducing, reviewing, or assessing various subjects. It brings an element of fun and engagement to even the most challenging topics. Gamification blends game elements into non-game contexts, making learning tasks more enjoyable. It adds elements of competition, challenge, and reward. Gimkit embodies gamification with features like: - Competition: Students compete to answer questions correctly and earn points. - Challenge: Questions can be tough, but students can earn power-ups to help them answer correctly. - Reward: Students earn virtual currency for right answers, which they can use to buy power-ups or compete in other games. Source: re:ed tech Gimkit can be used for: - Introducing New Concepts: Use it to introduce topics in a captivating way, like teaching cell parts

Google Applied Digital Skills: Supporting New Zealand Teachers in the Digital Technologies Curriculum

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Let's chat about Applied Digital Skills , a sweet program by Google. It's all about arming students with the digital skills they need to shine in school, work, and life. The cool part? It's aligned with New Zealand's Digital Technologies curriculum, and it's here to lend a hand to our Kiwi teachers. Applied Digital Skills has got your back, with a bunch of resources to support you in implementing the New Zealand Digital Technologies curriculum. Here's what's in the toolkit: * Lesson plans: You'll find a variety of lesson plans that match up with the New Zealand Digital Technologies curriculum. These plans are a breeze to follow, complete with step-by-step instructions, along with resources for both students and teachers. * Digital tools: It's in cahoots with Google's digital tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. That means you can easily integrate these digital tools into your lessons, giving your students hands-on experience. * Professiona

Unleashing the Power of Google Lens for Classroom Excellence

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  Kia ora! In today's post, we'll unveil the versatility and practicality of Google Lens, a tool that has the potential to reshape the learning landscape for both educators and students. What is Google Lens? Google Lens is a remarkable visual recognition application that harnesses the power of your smartphone's camera to identify objects, text, and landmarks. This technology has the potential to revolutionise the classroom experience by providing instant access to information, fostering curiosity, and promoting interactive learning. Features for the Classroom Google Lens offers a plethora of features that can be leveraged to enhance teaching and learning in a variety of ways: Text Translation: Google Lens can seamlessly translate text from one language to another in real time, offering students a dynamic way to explore languages and broaden their horizons. Plant and Animal Identification: In science classes, Google Lens can act as a botanical and zoological guide, facil