DT With Mrs B

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...

In the fast-paced world of education, teachers have a lot on their plates. From lesson planning to grading and meetings, their days are often filled with various tasks. One aspect that can be particularly time-consuming is scheduling meetings with parents, students, colleagues, and other stakeholders. However, with Gmail's new "Find a Mutually Convenient Email Time" feature, teachers can efficiently manage their schedules and ensure everyone is available for important meetings. The Convenience of Gmail's Scheduling Tool Gmail has long been a reliable platform for email communication, but its additional features make it an invaluable tool for teachers. The "Find a Mutually Convenient Email Time" feature simplifies the process of scheduling meetings, taking the headache out of coordinating multiple people's schedules. Here's how it works: 1. Access the Gmail Compose Window: Open the Gmail compose window, just like you would when drafting a regular emai...

Utilising Google Chrome's Reading Mode for Educators Kia ora, fellow educators! Today, let's delve into a handy tool that can significantly benefit both teachers and students: Google Chrome's Reading Mode. This feature allows you to strip away distractions from web pages, making the content more accessible and engaging, which can be particularly advantageous in an educational setting. Why Should Educators Embrace Reading Mode? 1. Enhancing Accessibility Reading Mode enables educators to customise fonts, font sizes, line spacing, and text/background colours. This flexibility makes it easier to cater to students with dyslexia or other learning needs, ensuring that reading materials are tailored to their specific needs. 2. Focusing on Core Content Reading Mode helps students concentrate solely on the essential text by eliminating distractions like ads, images, and sidebars. This proves invaluable for easily distracted students or those struggling to stay on task. 3. Boosting R...

Kia ora, fellow educators! It's Motivation Monday, and today we're diving into the exciting world of stop motion animation. Whether you're just curious about adding a dash of creativity to your classroom or looking for a fresh approach to teaching, I've got you covered. What is Stop Motion Animation? First things first, let's break it down. Stop motion animation is a captivating filmmaking technique where you bring inanimate objects or drawings to life, frame by frame. It's like making magic happen on screen! Getting Started with iPads and iMovie I teach in a fully-spec'd out Media studio, complete with green screens, and tonnes of tripods, iPads and macbooks.  So for a while, I've been using iPads and iMovie to teach stop motion animation. It's user-friendly and perfect for beginners. If you're fortunate enough to have these resources then here's a quick overview: 1. Preparation: Gather your materials - iPads, objects to animate, and a tripo...

Hello to all you amazing educators out there! 👋 If you're all about making the most of technology in your teaching journey, Google Docs is like your superhero sidekick. It's not just for tech whizzes – it's a tool that every teacher can use to bring some digital magic into their classrooms. Let's dive into three Google Docs features for busy teachers: 1. Teamwork Made Easy: Real-time Collaboration Picture this: Your students are working together on a group project, each with their own ideas and typing speeds. Instead of chaos, you can have harmony with Google Docs. Start a new document, click the "Share" button at the top right, and invite your students to join in. Everyone can type, edit, and brainstorm in real-time, all in one doc. It's like having a digital whiteboard that never gets cluttered. And don't worry about losing work – Google Docs saves everything automatically. So when your students are busy creating, you can step in to guide and suppor...

Today, I'm going to share with you the magic of using practice sets in Google Classroom. Trust me; it's a game-changer! These nifty tools are like virtual worksheets or quizzes that you can create and assign to your students quickly. Here's how it works:  1. Create Custom Practice Sets: You can craft personalised practice sets tailored to your lesson. Add questions of various types – multiple-choice, short answer, or even file attachments. The best part? You're in control, so you can make it as fun or challenging as you like. 2. Assign with a Click: Once your practice set is ready, it's time to share the knowledge! Just hit that "Assign" button, and Google Classroom takes care of the rest. 3. Instant Feedback: Here comes the real magic. As your students work on the practice sets, Google Classroom provides instant feedback on their answers. Students know right away if they're on the right track or need some extra help. 4. Adaptive Learning: This is wher...

Creating short films can support students' understanding of DDDO and computational thinking in a number of ways. For example, students can use short films to: Explore the different ways that data can be collected, stored, processed and used.   Learn about the different types of digital devices and systems.   Break down problems into smaller steps, and use logical thinking to solve them.   Come up with new ideas, and use digital technologies to bring them to life. Work with others to solve problems, and to create new things.   In addition to supporting students' understanding of DDDO and computational thinking, creating short films can also help them to develop their creativity, innovation, and collaboration skills. These are all essential skills for success in the 21st century, and they are all skills that can be developed through the process of creating short films. The possibilities are endless, and the most important thing is to encourage students to be cre...