What's New in Google - February 2022

Catch up on everything new in Google Workspace for Education from February 2022, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our February 2022 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda with all the awesome resources and Google updates from the last few months. This includes lots of new Google updates and Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Connect Google-using educators
• Share the latest Google Workspace news and features
• Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
• Share best practices of how Google Workspace is being used within schools
• Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the February 2022 meeting:

Free Webinar: Marvelous Mote Activities for Schools

Mote is an excellent Chrome Web Extension for teaching and learning:

• You and your students can record your voice and add that recording to websites and web tools including Google Docs, Slides, Forms, Classroom, Gmail, and more.
• You can view engagement details for your voice notes to see which students have listened to your recordings.
• And although the free version is great, there is also a paid version with premium features including transcription, translation, STEM mode, and more.

I presented a free 1-hour webinar called "Marvelous Mote Activities for Schools" recently. The webinar covered an overview of Mote, how to install it, and then lots and lots of practical ideas for using Mote with Google Docs, Slides, Forms, Classroom, and more.

See below to watch the recorded webinar, access all of the session resources, see practical examples of uses for Mote in teaching and learning, get special access to the "Unlimited" version of Mote, and get a certificate of completion for the session.

Free Webinars: Teach with Chrome Series

I am excited and honored to be presenting two sessions in Google's "Teach with Chrome Series" on behalf of Kiker Learning. The series started in February and will run through March.

Google gives an overview of the series as such:

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Join our upcoming Teach With Chrome Series to learn about the latest in Chrome devices and Chrome OS for education.

Hear about our more powerful, secure, and sustainable Chromebook devices for educators – along with updated programs, resources, and Chrome OS advances – all purpose-built for education.

We’ll have Google experts and partners running demo-based training and presenting educational use cases in 30-minute sessions complete with Q&A.

Whether you’re a teacher, an administrator, or an IT leader, all of the sessions are designed to help you get the most out of Chrome. Can’t watch live? All sessions are posted right after the livestream finishes each day – just register to watch them on demand.

Attend a session and we’ll email you a customizable certificate of completion after the last session concludes. 

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You can see the full schedule and register to get links to the sessions emailed to you prior to each event at the "Teach with Chrome Series" website at: 

• https://events.withgoogle.com/teach-with-chrome-series/

See below for details on the two sessions I will be presenting.

My NEOTech 2022 Sessions

I am excited and honored to once again be presenting at the NEOTech 2022 Conference in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on March 15th.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

The conference is FREE, runs from March 14th through 16th, and can be attended in-person or virtually.

You can learn more about the conference and register at: http://neotechconference.org/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at NEOTech 2022, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

My NCTIES 2022 Sessions

I am excited and honored to once again be presenting at the NCTIES 2022 Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina this March 3rd and 4th.

I always look forward to an opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

You can learn more about the conference and register at: https://www.ncties.org/

And view the full conference schedule at: https://ncties2022.sched.com/

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at NCTIES 2022, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

Self-Checking Translation Quiz in Google Sheets

I have always wanted to improve my proficiency in other languages. Back in high school (many, many years ago) I took four years of French. I can still say "I have a red pencil" … "J'ai un crayon rouge" … but not a whole lot more.

Thankfully Google has a lot of great translation tools that can help you when learning a new language, from the Google Translate website, to the Google Translate extension, to the Google Translate mobile app (Android or iOS), and on and on.

However, I was wanting to find a tool that could be used as a self-checking translation quiz when practicing a different language. I ended up creating this tool with Google Sheets. This sheet allows you to test yourself on translating words or sentences into a different language, and gives you hints as needed if you get stuck.

This could be helpful for an English Language Learner to enter words in their language and then practice translating into English, or for an English-speaking student to test themselves on a language they are learning in school, or for anyone to practice any other language.

See below to get your own free copy of this self-checking translation quiz template, as well as a short 9-minute video tutorial on how to use it, and some written directions.

Control Alt Achieve Newsletter - February 2022

Each month or so I send out an email newsletter to those who have subscribed, as an easy way to keep folks up to date on the latest content from this site, as well as other resources I have come across.

The newsletter typically includes the following sections:

• Output - What I have been creating - See my most recent blog posts and training videos
• Input - What I have been consuming - See some of the best resources I have come across recently
• Connect - See how to stay connected and a list of some of my upcoming event and PD opportunities

To view my newsletter for February 2022, use the link below:

• https://mailchi.mp/controlaltachieve/9q6ttmhq5h-14620337

If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter (for free of course) you can do that here:

• https://www.controlaltachieve.com/p/newsletter.html

Post by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts

Podcast Spotlight: EduTechGuys

When I attended FETC 2022 in Orlando last week, I had the privilege of being a guest on "The EduTechGuys Podcast". 

The hosts, David Henderson and Jeff Madlock, spent the week conducting over 60 interviews with conference presenters and other amazing educational technology leaders.

David and Jeff describe their podcast as:

"EduTechGuys is a high-intensity rollercoaster ride of super fun which takes mortal form in the two distinct entities which are David Henderson and Jeff Madlock. Crafted in the fires of Mt. Wannahockaluggie, these two self-proclaimed high priests of edtech first started navigating the world of educational technology on the web through a podcast, over a ravine in a rainstorm in 2015 (Sharkbait, ooh ha ha). Since then the two have traveled the nation bringing their joy for silly puns and more importantly sharing the journey of each educator they encounter."

See below to listen to my 12-minute episode with them, where of course I discussed all things Googley, and you can also access all 60+ interviews they did this year at FETC.