You know that moment when you go to a Google tool and something new appears or disappears?
You either say "Hmmm, what does this do?" or "I swear this was here yesterday". Features in various Google tools change on a daily basis.

​Here is a brief recap of some of the changes in the G Suite this school year.

Google Docs
Google has expanded the font catalogue in Docs and Slides to support 62 languages, including additional new fonts. To find these new fonts and others, simply click More fonts at the bottom of the Fonts menu. There you’ll also find suggested fonts, based on your document’s language.
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Google Keep
Keep now integrates with Google Docs and Slides! Within the app, click on tools and then click Keep Notepad. You can drag your Keep notes over and they the text will copy!

Approximately 250 Jeffco Educators spent the weekend of November 4th and 5th at the Colorado Summit featuring Google for Education. Of those 250+ educators, 192 were from Jeffco's Title I schools. These schools were given the opportunity to send interested educators to the summit to learn how to build on the 1:1 technology initiatives that are happening in many of Jeffco's Title I buildings.

This summit was one of the best to date; it was overflowing with hands-on breakout sessions, inspiring keynote speakers, ignite sessions, and a dynamic demo slam! The summit offered a range of sessions that spanned from beginner to geeky. Participants attended compelling learning on apps in the G Suite, digital portfolios, digital solutions, and cutting edge best practices in educational technology and pedagogy. Many Jeffco educators also engaged in creating or building their professional learning network as they connected with other educators within Jeffco, in other districts and across the world using Twitter! ​#edtechteam

Learning is our main thing. There was energy exuding from Jeffco educators during the summit and that energy has proven to continue as teachers are already implementing what they learned at the summit in their buildings. Our teachers embraced a growth mindset as they engaged in this professional learning opportunity and continue to do so, as is evident in their willingness to share this new learning with their staff and students.

Our learning, as a community of Jeffco educators, ties into the Jeffco Generations vision. Everything that was learned and is now being transferred into Jeffco classrooms connects back to a leaf on the Jeffco Generations Skills  tree. 

Did you take away an amazing idea from the Colorado-Ed Tech Summit that you are excited to share? Add that learning to our Padlet (click here or scan the QR code) under the Generations skill that it embodies!

As you create lessons that connect to Jeffco Curriculum, we also encourage you to add them to Jeffco's Bridge to Curriculum to share across the district!

Lastly, we would encourage you to present your new learning and any additional technology integration ideas you have at our very first Get Your Tech ON! event on January 5th! You don't have to be an expert, you just have to be willing to share what you have tried and what you have learned along the way! Visit our Get Your Tech ON website to sign up to present or to attend (sign up coming soon). 
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 Be Internet Awesome is a campaign launched by Google in June 2017 to support parents, educators, and students with the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety. 
Designed for students in 3rd-5th grade, the campaign focus on five fundamentals: 
     Be Internet Smart: Share with Care
     Be Internet Alert: Don't Fall for Fake
     Be Internet Strong: Secure Your Secrets
     Be Internet Kind: It's Cool to Be Kind
     Be Internet Brave: When in Doubt, Talk it Out 

Video is an ever evolving form of educational technology; however more often than not, the way educators have used video in their classrooms has not evolved quite as quickly. One component of video tools that you should get on board with is live streaming or broadcasting. A live broadcast takes the components of a regular recorded broadcast, but adds the capability of interacting with your audience in real time, easily sharing your videos with very little lag time, and allowing you to save your broadcast for others to view later.

Chrome devices run on Google’s Chrome operating system, and they deliver applications over the internet. This means that software is primarily web-based and does not need to be installed. They provide easy access to all the G-Suite tools so work can be collaborative, apps can be integrated and work is saved continuously to the cloud. Chrome devices boot up quickly so very little class time is wasted waiting on a device. Chrome devices, unlike Windows devices, actually get faster with age as new operating system updates get installed.  But let’s face it, the best thing about Chrome devices is the budget-stretching low price.

Jeffco is now offering many different flavors of Chrome devices for purchase, so how do you match the right device to the right instructional purpose? The key is to begin with your learning goals and teaching vision in mind, and then choose the device and tools that can help teachers and students achieve those goals. Look through the slide deck for details about each device type.

What do you need to know if you are making a change to Chrome devices from Windows devices or iPads?  Chrome devices do not run “installed software” like Microsoft Word or Smart Notebook and they also do not print. This can be a shift, especially for teachers currently using a Windows laptop as their primary device.  For students or teachers moving from iPads, the new touchscreens on Chromebooks and flips can ease the transition. Not all iPad apps are available for Chrome devices. Although this might take a little exploring to discover a Chrome app, extension or web tool that has a similar functionality, new apps are added daily.

Do you ever have students hold up whiteboards to show their answer? Maybe put student work under the doc cam? Do you ask students to share a document with you so you can share it with the class? Now you can do all of these things with a Chromebook and a projector. The ability to cast with a Chromebook is now here for Jeffco. Similar to using an iPad with Air Server, Cast for Education lets you share your computer screen from one Chrome browser to another.

Teachers invite individuals or groups of students to cast by selecting individual email addresses or   by inviting classes that are set up in Google Classroom. Students have the choice of casting one tab or their entire browser. Teachers will be prompted to accept or deny the requests. Sharing ideas and thinking digitally is easier. Now teaching and learning can happen anywhere in the classroom. 

Are your work and personal spaces cluttered with sticky notes reminding you what you need to get done? Do you ever wish you could easily collaborate on your to-do lists or keep them all in one handy place? If so, Google Keep might just be the tool you didn't know you needed.

• Add audio, drawings, photos, lists and checklists to your "stickies."
• Keep is available on your computer and other mobile devices (smart phone and iPad).
• Set time and location reminders so you don't miss a thing! 
• Collaborate on a individual "stickies" by adding another person's email address. When another person is added, you can see their changes in real time! 
• Change the color of your "stickies" to highlight important lists. 
• Filter your notes by different attributes to find things quickly.
• Archive old "stickies" so you can refer to them again, without having them take up space on your screen. 
• Copy your note to a Google Doc for even more options! 

Watch this quick tutorial to learn how to get started with Keep! Finally, don't "Keep" this great tool to yourself, show it to your students so they can collaborate and stay organized, too! 

Isn’t it time you started creating e-newsletters? Watch this video and, you will learn how to use Google Slides to create striking and informative newsletters that can be displayed on your classroom website (using Google Sites) or shared via a link using email. Be prepared to learn techniques that will:

• Quickly communicate what is happening in your classroom.
• Inform parents of upcoming events.
• Share moments captured electronically.
• Allow you to design a flexible newsletter format.
• Allow you to maintain an online newsletter archive.
• Allow you to work collaboratively with your teammates.

Link to video: How to Create Classroom Newsletters using Google Slides

Have you been hearing the hype or seeing the badge and wondering what this means? The Google Certification program is designed for educators to demonstrate proficiency in integrating the G Suite for Education tools into their teaching practice.

The Google Educator Level 1 status indicates that an educator is able to effectively implement G Suite for Education into their teaching practice to enhance teaching and learning. 
The Educator Level 2 status indicates that educators are able to effectively integrate a wider base of Google and Web 2.0 tools to transform learning.

Google also offers Google Certified Trainer and Google Certified Innovator programs.

2016 marks the 5th anniversary of the Colorado Summit featuring Google Apps for Education at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado. Google summits are presented by Ed Tech Team Inc. and feature sessions from leaders in educational technology from across the globe. These summits "... are high intensity two-day events that focus on deploying, integrating, and using G Suite for Education (formerly Google Apps for Education) and other Google Tools to promote student learning in K-12 and higher education." - Edtechteam.com/summits

This year's summit took place on November 5th and 6th. More than 400 educators were in attendance, with Jeffco representing over 90 of those attendees. These educators spent their weekend collaborating and learning about new and innovating ways to integrate technology into their work with students.