How to Use Symbaloo – an Awesome Bookmarking Service

If you’re anything like me, you visit 100 websites a day.  Ok, so maybe 100 websites is a slight exaggeration, but it feels as if I visit 100 websites a day sometimes.  I’ve tried several online bookmarking tools to help me keep track of all those URLs, but the one I’ve found to be the […]

Google Sites: How to Add Attachments and Links

This video tutorial reviews how to add attachments (such as Microsoft Office, iWorks, and PDF documents).  Sometimes it is also necessary to add a hyperlink to a Google Site.  These hyperlinks (or just “links”) link to other places on the web.  If you are working on a cool website or have a presentation such as a Prezi you’d like to show, having links […]

Google Sites: How to Edit Navigation

Editing the navigation (links to pages) on a Google Site can be tricky.  Pay attention to this video!  It will show you different ways to customize how links to other pages appear on your Google Site or digital portfolio.

How to Create a Google Account

In order to create a great digital portfolio or Google Site, you must first have a Google account.  If you already have a Gmail address, then you also have a Google account.  Gmail is just Google’s version of email. A Google account includes Gmail, but also many other “Googly” products like Google Docs/Drive, Google Calendar, Blogger, and many, many others.  If you already […]

The Importance of Learning to Code

Some schools do a fantastic job teaching students basic computer programming skills….others, not so much.  If your school offers programming classes, excellent!  If not, how can a student learn to code outside a traditional classroom?  Is it even important we all have at least a basic understanding of computer programming?  Why or why not? Let’s […]

An Introduction to Audacity – Free Sound Recording Software

This quick tutorial shows how to use the FREE software Audacity to record and edit sound. Among other projects, this is a great tool for creating podcasts and recording song. This video is just an introduction to Audacity. The software has many features beyond what is in the video.    

Using Google Scripts – Flubaroo for Quick Grading

Ever heard of Google scripts?  Scripts are snippets of code that can be added to Google products to increase functionality.  Flubaroo is a popular script that can be added to a Google form that allows for quick and automatic grading of assignments.  Flubaroo can also create score reports and email scores to students (or whomever completed the form)….all very quickly and easily! […]

How to Use Google SafeSearch

Sorry kids, this one is for the adults!  Did you know that the world’s #1 search engine, Google, offers a feature called SafeSearch that allows parents to set strict search filters for both text and images?  Even better, SafeSearch allows for password protection so that other computer users (children) can’t change the filter. Check out this video for how to […]

Google Sites: How to Create and Set-up a Google Site

Now that your Google account is created, you’re ready to set up your Google Site/Digital Portfolio.  When setting up your site, you will select a template or theme, site name and URL (web address), as well as decide with whom you will share your site. Deciding how to share your site is VERY IMPORTANT!  If you’re creating a digital portfolio, you do not want your […]

Google Sites: How to Change Site and Page Layout

Once you’ve setup your Google Site/Digital Portfolio, the next step is getting the layout (where things are on the site) where you want them.  There are two types of layout – site layout and page layout.  When changing the site layout, all pages within the site change.  When changing the page layout, the layout only […]