GSuiteEdu – Page 6 – Jake Miller

AutoPlay & Loop in Google Slides

Need slides running on loop during an Open House or other event? Here’s how to do it!

It’s super simple!

File > Publish to the Web
Link (not embed)
Select the amount of time between slides (unfortunately, all slides have to be same length. Need some slides to show for longer? Duplicate them so that they show twice.)
Decide if you want it to start playing as soon as you open it.
Decide if you want it to loop (restart).
Access the link. Hit the full screen button. That’s it!

Note: If you’d like it to be a slideshow of pictures that are in your drive, I recommend the Drive Slides extension (by Matt Miller & Alice Keeler) for getting those images quickly into a slideshow. It’s limited to 50 images/slides, but you could always make separate slideshows and then import the slides from one into the other.

Note: if this is for a permanent hallway display or sign, you should try out Chrome Sign Builder.

You can also select embed to easily embed the auto-playing, auto-looping slides into a non-Google Sites webpage, like this:

Continue reading AutoPlay & Loop in Google Slides

Private Google Docs in New Google Sites

Google Sites are an awesome tool for teachers to make sites, for students to make digital portfolios, for students to create projects and more! One of the best features is the ease of embedding Google files into them. The most important thing to keep in mind when doing so, is to make sure that the Doc, Slides or whatever you’re hoping to embed has the appropriate sharing settings. If they don’t, they might not be seen by your audience. Check out in the GIF below what happens when you embed a private Google Doc onto a public Google Site.

Note: In the animation, I use an Incognito Tab to test the site. If your site is intended for the public, this is a great way to make sure it’s set right!

On Twitter, Micah Carlin-Goldberg reminded me of a great way to make sure that your docs are always “Anyone with the Link Can View” prior to putting them on your site:

I prevent the problem by adding (Shift+Z) all website items to a folder that has anyone with the link permissions. Because Drive permissions of a folder apply to the contents adding them to the folder makes them visible on the website.

Update the Master Slide in Google Slides

One function in Google Slides that most people don’t notice is there is “Edit Master.” This option is great for adding branding to your slides and much more. Here are some of the things that you can do in there, followed by a GIF of how to do it:

Change the font style for all of your slides
Add a logo or watermark
Change background colors
Make all slides match the theme of a lesson or presentation
Change the layout (find that you’re always moving the title up to give more space to type? Do it here)
Add new slide layouts (need a 3-column layout?)
Change layout of all of your slides at once
Lock objects in place (the pictures become part of the background!) for activities with students
Create layouts for certain uses (i.e., Yearbooks, eBooks, etc.)

Change your Default Font in Google Docs

Arial 11!? Seriously, Google!? Does anyone like their Docs to be typed in Arial 11?

Here’s how to change your default font style so that it’s what you typically use, so that you don’t have to do it each time. In the GIF below, I show how to change your “Normal Text.” Note that you can follow the same steps to change the default formatting for titles, headings, etc.

Here’s the animated process, followed by the step-by-step directions

Continue reading Change your Default Font in Google Docs

Representing the Writing Process with the Version History

Note: I’ve heard this mentioned elsewhere, so I’m not claiming to be the originator of the idea. One place I heard it mentioned was in Episode 21 of the Google Teacher Tribe Podcast. Another is in this great post by Eric Curts. I am, however, the creator of the GIF below.

I’ve gotta admit, I was apprehensive when Google renamed my beloved Revision History as the Version History. I thought “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But there is an added value in the format change – and that value rests mainly in the Writing classroom, but it applies in any classroom.

Now, you can name the versions in the Version History. Pre-writing, First Draft, Peer Revision, Second Draft, Teacher Feedback, Final Draft, Published Version, you name it. Students can now represent the stages of the Writing process with the names of their document versions. With Writers’ Workshop being the trend in our writing classrooms, this seems like a no-brainer.

Embedding Slides in “New” Google Sites

When I recommend Google Sites to people, it’s typically because it’s so easy to embed so many of the things that we regularly use. Google Slides is no exception. Here are a few notes about it, followed by a GIF animation of how to do it.

Be sure that the Google Slides file has sharing settings that will allow the appropriate people to see it on the site. If your file is private and someone goes to your site, they’ll see a blank box where the slides should be.
You can set the slides to auto-play when the site loads!
With auto-play on, you can set the slides to auto-loop and modify the amount of time that each slide plays for.
You can change the size and position of the embedded Google Slides presentation.

Google Drive Folder Basics

Organization can help relieve stress. One great way to organize in Google Drive is to create and utilize folders. Here are the basics . . .

Creating folders:

Folders can be created by selecting New > New Folder
Folders can also be created in some locations by right-clicking & selecting New Folder
Folders can be nested (folders inside of folders)
Folders can be color-coded (pretty!)

Putting Content into Folders:

Drag & Drop
Use the Move To button in the top toolbar
Use the Move To button in the right-click options
Hold down shift to highlight more than 1 file and then move them together

Put Files in More than One Location

Check out this post to see how you can have your Google Drive files in more than one folder.

FormRanger Add-On

I love me some Add-Ons. One of my favorites is FormRanger from New Visions Cloud Lab. It can be used to pull in a column of information from a Google Sheet as multiple choice or dropdown options.

This is nice for quickly creating a lot of options for a multiple choice or dropdown question, but what takes it from nice to awesome is . . . you can set it to automatically update based on changes made to the spreadsheet. Whaaaaat!? I know, right?

There are two main cases for use: Continue reading FormRanger Add-On

Locate your Collaborator by Clicking on their Icon

Wait, what page are you on?
I’m confused. What slide are you referring to?
Ugh, what cell are you in!?

GSuite’s tools make collaboration–both between adults and between students–a piece of cake, but it can still be tough to keep up with one another, especially in lengthy Docs, Sheets or Slide decks. Did you know that if you click on their icon it will jump you right to their location? You’re welcome.

Check out the two GIFs below . . .