Office 365 Days of the Year

Office 365 and it's complete suite of amazingness is now online at www.office.com You can access office.com and all of their applications on any device 365 days a year!! No longer are you bound to the downloads on each device and only having access in one place! The world is your oyster!

Keller ISD you also have access in KCloud! Simply go to your KCloud and search for the app Office 365. I made it a favorite by right clicking and selecting “Add to Favorites”. Then it will appear at the bottom on the favorites bar! Your login credentials are the same as your Google Credentials. Easy Peasy.






All of your fave apps are on Microsoft Online right on your dashboard. 

You can find even more by clicking on the icon on the bottom.



Keller ISD offers Microsoft Onedrive Cloud storage so your documents save automatically in the cloud and you can access them from anywhere on any device that has internet access. Not only do you have access to the oldies but goodies like Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc.; you also have access to some great applications for education. These are just a few of my new faves!

One Note

One Note now has Class Notebooks where educators can create an interactive notebook to use with their students. Not only can teachers access all of their students’ notebooks, they can push content, and embed so many tools! 

 

Teams

The new way to communicate is with Teams! Meeting will never be the same! Send messages through their chat feather, start a virtual meeting with video, or assign content using teams! See what Microsoft has to say:

Sway

I am not trying to SWAY you to the side of new, but Microsoft has created a new application for sharing interactive content. PowerPoints and other slide services cannot compare to the new bells and whistles Sway brings. Visit Microsoft’s support page to learn more!


https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/getting-started-with-sway-2076c468-63f4-4a89-ae5f-424796714a8a

IN the Know with @EdTechKISD's INSTA

 

Are you a visual learner? Do you enjoy learning by way of video? (Don't we all?) Isn't it nice to be able to rewind, pause, and slow down a video? If you are on Instagram and not following @EdTechKISD, you are missing out! About once or twice per week, @EdTechKISD posts short 30-second or less videos called reels on topics including Canvas, Seesaw, Google, Mac, Windows, and more!  Teachers are reporting that the learning that can happen from only 30 seconds is helpful and often timely. 

If you are not on Instagram and are not interested in signing up, all reel videos are also posted on EdTechKISD's YouTube channel (see their Reels playlist).

Here is a sneak peek of a few things you will learn:

Level Up Your MAC: Level 1

Are you a new MAC user? Or have you never really done anything on your MAC beyond accessing an internet browser and word processing? Time for you to level up your MAC knowledge with some cool customizations for your computer!

Level 1: GO!

Mission Control

Have you ever lost a window? I have been working in multiple applications and had various windows open only to lose what I need. Simply press the F3 button to access Mission Control and see all open windows on your desktop. (This does not count for minimized windows, those are next to your trashcan.)

Split Screen

Take those windows and split your screen work double-time! Productivity booster to the max!

Full Screen without Taking Over Your Screen

Need your window to stretch the whole screen without actually having it take over your whole screen?? Simply double click on top of the window to stretch it to the whole screen.

Create a Folder

Need to do a little spring cleaning of your desktop? Make some folders. Simply right click anywhere on your desktop and choose “New Folder”. Name your folder by simply typing. Drag those files into folders and you are on your way to a simpler time.

File Views

Did you lose that file? Use the various file views in Finder to scope out files and find the one that got away. You have the choice between viewing files as icons, a list, columns, and gallery view.

First, go to your handy, dandy Finder to access your files.

In Finder view, click on the icon representing types of views.

Icon View

List View

Column View

Gallery View

Stacks

Keep your desktop clutter free by stacking your files. See how at https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/organize-your-desktop-with-stacks-mh35846/mac

#ThankfulThursday

Surprise! We are dropping into your blog feed today on the original #ThankfulThursday, Thanksgiving itself. 

It has been a BIG year for Educational Technology in Keller ISD and we wanted to share with you a few things we are thankful for! 

#️⃣1️⃣ We are THANKFUL for TEACHERS who graciously gave up time during the summer or during PLCs to receive and become acquainted with a new laptop. Our KISD secondary teachers received a new Microsoft Surface Book during the summer rollout for teaching and managing their classes this year. Our KISD elementary teachers are currently in the middle of a MacBook laptop deployment.

#️⃣2️⃣ We are THANKFUL for GENIUS TEAM STUDENTS who worked tirelessly this summer to get all of these devices ready for rollout and who spent countless hours orienting Keller ISD new hires to their district equipment and teaching secondary teachers about the Surface Book.

#️⃣3️⃣ We are THANKFUL for the amazing support of the entire TECHNOLOGY team who managed purchases, imaging, tagging, enrollment and distribution to make these projects look easy. It truly takes a village to switch out 2,500+ devices! 

Our hope is that you are celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family today 
and enjoying a much needed time of rest. 

As always, find our resources at www.kellerid.net/KIC or contact us at edtech@kellerisd.net.

Become a Big MAC User with Shortcuts

 

Become a Big MAC User with Shortcuts

If I can find a shortcut in life, I will take it! Good thing Mac OS has plenty of shortcuts to make your life easier and often better! 

The first thing you need to know if you are new to a Mac is the “⌘ command” key because it pairs with so many shortcut variations, it will be your go to key!

• Shortcuts similar to a Windows devices are:

•  

• Command + C: copies any highlighted content 

• Command + V: pastes 

• Command + Shift + V: pastes without formatting

• Command + X: cuts (erases) any highlighted content 

• Command + A: selects all items or content on a page

• Command + Z: undo previous action

• Command + Shift + Z: redo the previously undone action

• Command + K: add a hyperlink to highlighted text

• Command + F: find specific words in your document

•  

If you want to take screenshots, record, and have the screenshot options menu, these shortcuts are for you!

Command+ Shift + 5 - opens screen record options & screenshot options

Command + Shift + 3- full screen capture
Command + Shift + 4 - take a partial screenshot

These next few shortcuts make some of the every hour of every day things easier.

Command + Q - quits the application or window you are on

Command + Tab - while holding Command, press tab to tab through the apps you have open.

Command + Space - opens Spotlight to search for anything on your computer.

Command + Control + Q - lock your device 

 

Finally, I saved the best for last! Who doesn’t need some more emoji in their life!

 

Control + Command + Spacebar -open the Character Viewer to use symbols and emojis

 

All MAC and No Cheese

 

Teachers in Pre-K through fourth grade are receiving new MacBook Air devices this semester.

After many years, the teachers will turn in their Dell laptops and receive a shiny, new Mac! These Macs are built to last and perform without the 🧀 CHEESE! 🧀

As we noted in our previous post, the MacBook Air will integrate well with the other Apple products, such as the AppleTV, the iPad (and stand), etc., being installed in the classrooms.

If you are a teacher that has not been through the process, here are a few helpful tips:

🧀 Be sure to back up your documents to Google Drive or OneDrive

🧀 Know that the transition will take two days

💻 Day 1: you will be asked to log into your new laptop and leave it with the technicians to finish installing software.

💻 Day 2: you will receive a MacBook Air training with added time and support to test out your laptop with the classroom AppleTV

🧀 Because you will undoubtedly have additional questions, we have created a helpful page of resources for you here on our KIC website

🧀 If you are not able to make the training, check out our EQ course in Canvas or our YouTube Mac playlist

🧀 The technicians will be removing old equipment such as old monitors, webcams, and unnecessary cables. Be on the lookout for an email from your principal for this information.

Although this isn't MacBook Air related, you might be wondering how to use an iPad stand (mentioned above). We have you covered (no... not with cheese sauce! 🤣)! Seriously. here's how!

Let Your Writers Become Authors with Book Creator

 As teachers, we know that writing is one way students demonstrate an understanding of concepts. What if a student could write about a concept (or even explain, elaborate, defend, reflect, support) and bring that work to creation with visuals, drawings or media that could then be shared with others or even a real-world audience?

Well, that my teacher friend, can happen with Book Creator! And from now through the end of the semester, you have school & district access to allow your students to create books that show their learning and can be shared with other students, family members and more if you choose. 

📘 How to Use Book Creator:

Book Creator utilizes student friendly tools.

Use the + button to add media and graphics to your book.

Use the i menu to customize your media.

Use the Play Menu to view, play and share your book.

It's that EASY!

Even cooler, Book Creator allows for real-time collaboration between students and/or teachers.

📗 Use Book Creator PK-12th Grade:

Book Creator isn't just for elementary students. It can be used from PK-12th grade to allow students to create and show their learning.

👩‍🎓👨‍🎓 Click the book image below to read more about using Book Creator with upper level students.

    👧👦 Working with littles? Start from a template! 

👩‍🏫👨‍🏫 And what's even better than a template? Start with a REMIXABLE shared from other educators like YOU! See Book Creator Remixables here.

📙 Share Books:

🌎 Book Creator lets student share their work with a real-world audience by:

• 🔗Publishing Online - Get a unique, secure URL for the book to be viewed on any device.
• 🚃 Sharing the Book- Export as an ePub file and share in multiple ways.
• 📖 Printing the Book- Export as a PDF and print the book if you wish.

📕 Start Using Book Creator TODAY:

☝ Access the web version at app.bookcreator.com, choose TEACHER SIGN IN, sign in with Google, and confirm that you are part of the Keller ISD pilot.

✌ Name your TEACHER LIBRARY and share the LIBRARY CODE with other students and teachers. They’ll be able to create books in the library and read each other’s books.

👌 Students access the web version at app.bookcreator.com, choose STUDENT SIGN IN, sign in with Google, enter a Teacher Library using LIBRARY CODE, and then begin creating BOOKS📚!

Note: If you are not a teacher in Keller ISD, find information about Book Creator's 40 Books Account (FREE) and more here.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Google Sites Custom Themes

Choose Your Own Adventure: Google Sites Custom Themes

Choices make the world a better place, and when Google gives you the choice to totally create and brand your own Site, even better!! 

One of the new updates Google has rolled out recently is the ability to create your own custom theme! You are no longer limited to the few choices of colors, fonts, and images! The world is your stage, and you are free to act on your whims! 

Go to sites.google.com

Start a New Site by clicking on the colorful plus sign.

On the right side of your screen, Click on Themes.

Now you have the power to click on the Plus sign to add your own custom theme!

Name your new and improved theme!

You have the option to choose a premade color palette or you can go rogue and completely choose any color scheme you want by clicking on Customize Color. 

Choose your fonts and like magic, create a theme!

Your custom theme will now be housed under the themes tab on the navigation bar on the right. You can continue to adjust colors, text, images, navigation, and components to your liking until you have created the perfect Google Site!

Now the adventure truly begins.