ERS Library Featured Service: Free Tech Tools Sessions

Tech Tools Sessions are provided FREE of charge to all staff at districts/sites with an active 2022-23 ERS Library Media Services Agreement. Staff members are encouraged to register for as many sessions as they like. All Tech Tools sessions are virtual and will be held via Zoom.

There are eighteen sessions in the 2022-23 Tech Tools series. The remaining seven sessions occur in March – May 2023. They include Google Sites, Microsoft Sway & Whiteboard, Blogger, Code.org, EdPuzzle, and Scratch.

If your schedule does not allow you to attend a live virtual session, you can register to receive a link to the session recording. This will be emailed to all registrants one week after the event. The recordings are for your viewing only; please do not share any link(s) you receive.

For a list of upcoming 2022-23 Tech Tools sessions and registration links, visit: https://erslibrary.tcoe.org/tech-tools

Registration is open for April/May "Tech Tools" sessions -- Join us for Blogger, Google Classroom, Screencastify & more!

The Tech Tools virtual sessions are provided FREE of charge to all staff at ERS Library Media Services contracting sites. Due to the ongoing need for virtual & distance learning, these sessions are intended to replace our previous Tech Tools Voucher classes. Site staff are encouraged to sign up to attend as many sessions as they like. All sessions will be held via Zoom. The currently listed April & May sessions will be our last for the 2020-21 school year.

In the event you are not able to attend a LIVE virtual class, or if you would like it for reference, you can register for a recording of each session to be emailed to you following the LIVE session. This recording is for your viewing only; please do not share the link(s) you receive. You will have two weeks to view each recording before access expires.

Please use the following link to view and register for these sessions:

https://bit.ly/TechTools2020-21

Technology Tips - March 2021

                                                                                                          by Steve Woods, Instructional Technology Specialist

Never Forget Again with Google Keep

Find yourself forgetting to run an errand? Has your partner or friend asked you to get something five minutes after checkout? Let me introduce you to Keep, one of Google's little-known productivity tools.

Google Keep is a free and collaborative notetaking, list-making, task reminding powerhouse in a simple to use online tool. Keep is located via web browser at https://keep.google.com, as well as via the free Keep app (Apple and Android devices).

Once you open Keep, you'll find a simple interface, with a single box to begin a new text-based note. Hidden in plain view in that box are choices to create a list with checkboxes, a note based on an image, and if you're using the Chrome Browser, an option to even hand draw your note. No matter what type of note you begin, you can always add images, checkboxes and drawings from there.

On the left-hand side of Keep's browser-based tool, you'll find a Reminders tab for notes that leverage powerful date/time and even location-based reminders. Tie a shopping list note to your local Staples or Office Depot, and the free mobile app will give you an alert when you get near the store.

Want to stay organized? Create labels to categorize your notes and tie one or more categories to your notes. Search by label to find all related notes quickly. You can even use the paint palette icon on each note to create a background color, visually sorting your notes and making them stand out from each other.

Advanced features include a built-in image reader to copy text straight off an image in a note, adding collaborators to your notes, and even launching a Google Doc straight from a note if you'd rather continue there. Everything from your note will be carried over to the Doc.

Keep is one of those tools I highly recommend you consider for your personal life. You're bound to fall in love with its ease of use and versatility. Use your imagination to make your personal life more efficient, and Keep will naturally lend itself to your office, library, or classroom environment.


Want to learn more and see screenshots of Keep? Visit this Slides presentation.

Technology Tips - February 2021

                                                                                                                            by Steve Woods, Instructional Technology Specialist

Since the Pandemic began, I'm sure that you have learned about a variety of methods to record your screen, to perform a virtual book reading, provide technology tutorials, or communicate with your learning community. If you'd like to branch out your screen recording repertoire, you might want to give Loom a glance.

Loom is a free resource that allows you to record all or part of your screen, while adding you and your voice while presenting. Loom's interface is minimal and easy to use, allowing you to choose what you want to record (just your screen, a portion of your screen, and even your face). You can pause during recordings, and then start right back up when ready.

You can choose to keep your Loom recordings online, or download them to your machine, which is our preferred method, as there are storage limits on Loom.com. Upgrades will allow you to have a highlighter follow your cursor when clicked, as well as a do-not-disturb feature which turns off bothersome screen notifications during recording.

Looms can be shared directly from their website via hyperlink, Gmail, Facebook or Twitter, while downloaded recordings can be put into Google Drive or YouTube for further sharing.

To download the free Loom application, visit the educator's version at https://www.loom.com/education and click Get Loom for Free. Create your free account using your school email account, then visit the link again, and click to verify you are an educator. You'll be asked to input the email address you utilized to create the account, the name of your campus, and your school's website. Loom may take up to a week to verify your campus account, after which your account will indicate you have a free educator's level account. Educators receive additional storage space on the Loom servers for recordings you wish to keep online.

Please note that a verified educator's account is not necessary to use Loom, and there are ways to bypass their online storage limits, as listed in our Google Slides presentation on Loom.

2021 Virtual Learning Resources & Tech Tools Sessions

Educators at ERS Library contracting sites are invited to attend 45 minute virtual sessions designed to highlight the ERS Portal digital resources in support of distance learning AND two-hour Tech Tools sessions covering a multitude of educational technology resources, at no charge.

Sessions are currently scheduled throughout the month of January 2021.

Click here to view available sessions and register.

Bitmoji Classroom

                                                                                                          by Steve Woods, Instructional Technology Specialist

Have you heard of Bitmoji Classrooms?  With distance learning taking over our current educational landscape, teachers and librarians are looking for interesting ways to grab their students' attention. Enter the Bitmoji Classroom...

Leveraging the fun social-shared emojis that mimic real-life people, Bitmoji Classrooms combine Bitmojis with the ease of Google Slides. Virtual classroom slides are created using a variety of wall and floor backgrounds, along with images of desks, couches, lamps, whiteboards, movie screens, bookshelves and even houseplants. Once these are in place, the additional features of Slides are put into play in order to control a student’s experience in Google Slides. These features, in effect, allow the slideshow to function much like a website. Students jump from “room” to “room” in order to access multimedia resources on a variety of subjects.

Bitmoji Classrooms are not just for teachers. Librarians have discovered the fun and ease of creating them, providing access to multimedia including education-rich websites, YouTube-based reader experiences, gaming and coding sites. The sky is the limit!

Want to learn how to create your own Bitmoji Classroom site? There are numerous resources on the Web, including Facebook groups like Bitmoji Craze for Educators, which has over 500,000 members. There are also a variety of great YouTube-based tutorials on Bitmoji Classrooms. With so many resources out there to help you begin, why not consider adding another educational tool to your toolbox?

Our technology team also provides an ongoing technology class on Bitmoji Classrooms.

Visit https://bit.ly/TechTools2020-21 to find out when the next one is scheduled! 

ERS Library FREE Tech Tools Sessions

The ERS Library's Tech Tools virtual sessions are provided FREE of charge to all staff at ERS Library Media Services contracting sites. Due to COVID-19 and the ongoing need for virtual & distance learning, these sessions are intended to temporarily replace our previous Tech Tools Voucher classes. Site staff are encouraged to sign up to attend as many sessions as they like. All sessions will be held via Zoom. Additional sessions will be added to the registration form throughout the school year, so be sure to bookmark the link and check back often.

Please use the following link to review the currently available sessions and register:

https://bit.ly/TechTools2020-21

If you are unable to attend a LIVE virtual session or would like a link for later reference, please register to receive a recording of the session(s).