Clear up the Google Sheets with One Quick Trick

Our district reading specialists are doing a great job by creating individual profiles for all of our elementary students. Those are shared via Google Sheets with other staff so we can best tailor instruction to each child's needs. With that comes a lot of clutter to Google Sheets in the "Shared with Me" section. Add in the fact that I am at four schools and it can get really messy.

I just discovered this trick though. In the search bar simply type "-" and the person's name sharing the multiple files. Everything they have shared with you disappears from the list. You can even type several names if you are trying to de-clutter even more.

I love that information is being shared to tailor education, sometimes I just need it out of the way in order to find the sheet I am currently needing.

The best part is that nothing is actually deleted, just hidden temporarily.

By subtracting certain owners, their shared documents are temporarily hidden.

CS First: Code your own Google logo

Google's CS First program has introduced countless numbers of learners to coding and computer science through Scratch.

One of CS First's newest offerings is a module that teaches you and your students how to "Create Your Own Google Logo" like the Google Doodles that change daily on Google's search page.

The module starts with a plain Google logo and then takes you through a number of ways to modify it and make it more interactive, just like the daily doodles do.

All of the coding is done in the Scratch editor and if students have accounts, the projects can all be saved and modified later.

According to Google, the project should take about 30-60 minutes. This is highly dependent upon the user's previous experience in Scratch though. 

The activities are a great way to use the CS First resources without committing to the full curriculum.

Opportunities Abound in Relationships with Educational Vendors | MACUL Community

One late summer evening I was enjoying the company of several other educators who were all presenters at the next day’s large edtech conference. Somehow a little friendly razzing found its way in my direction. The other teachers in the group were giving me a hard time about all of the “corporate” ties I have.

Check out the whole article at the new MACUL Community: Opportunities Abound in Relationships with Educational Vendors | MACUL Community