Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Hour of Code

It is that time of year again...time for HOUR OF CODE!! This year’s week of Hour of Code is December 3-9. As always, Code.org makes it VERY easy for students of all ages to explore and learn about coding. They have collected many easy to do, no/low prep activities for your kids (and you) to explore coding. All you need to do is set aside a 60-minute block during that week to have your class explore. Explore with them and see what coding is all about.


Get Started:
  1. Explore this site to get more information on how to utilize Hour of Code to its full potential: hourofcode.com/us/how-to
  2. Tell your class that they are going to learn to code with some easy step-by-step game style levels. I recommend playing a game on the screen with the class first to show them how to click, drag, and explore the site and tools.

  3. Have them go to code.org/learn (or use the awesome "Share to Classroom" Chrome extension and push the site to them).
  4. There are many activities to choose from. To help students narrow this down, have them choose an activity in their ability level using the devices they have available.

    Filter at the top for age and ability level.



    Filter on the left side for devices, topics, activity type, length, and language.



  5. Most importantly...Have FUN!


After your class participates you can even print certificates for them here: code.org/certificates. Students will also see a certificate when they complete an Hour of Code tutorial, but some students won’t make it to the very end in an hour — and that’s okay...you can still print them a certificate that they did it!
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If you are looking for more activities beyond Hour of Code, check out these awesome student friendly coding sites:


Most importantly, just have fun!
Explore, experiment, and learn!



If you want these directions in a document click HERE!




Friday, November 9, 2018

Locate and Move Downloaded Images and Files on Chromebook

Finding all those downloaded images, screenshots, camera pics/videos, and files is easy on a Chromebook once you know where to look.




Locate downloaded  files:
  1. Click the App Launcher icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen.

  1. Locate the app icon for “Files” (blue folder icon) and click it. Files will open in a window.

  1. Click on “Downloads” on the left.



To move files to Drive:

  1. Find the downloaded files you want.
  2. Drag them into “Drive” on the left.
    • If you want files in specific folders, click the arrow to the left of the word “Drive” and open up the Drive folder you want to move them into.
    • Drag the images into this folder.




If you want these steps in a Document click HERE!



Thursday, November 8, 2018

Multiple Chrome Sign-Ins

One of the most overlooked (and often incorrectly done) features of Chrome is the use of multiple accounts. Often time users just sign out of the web page (ex: Google) and add more Google Accounts in the same Chrome browser. This often has issues (cross-account access, accidentally using the wrong account via another tab, and many others). The easiest (and safest) way to do this is to have multiple Google Profiles on your device. What does this mean? You will run multiple versions of Chrome…one for each account you have on your device. This will save you from being in the wrong account or even opening up your personal account to FOIA (Freedom Of Information Act). Yikes! Not to mention, it will keep your school bookmarks and passwords with your school account, and your personal bookmarks and passwords with your personal=account! Win-Win! The simple rule is this: Every Google Account needs its own version of Chrome. Below are the steps to get this set up correctly.



Setting Up Multiple Accounts: You will want to set up a Profile for every Google Account you use on your device.
  1. Click the Profile Icon in the top right.


  1. Click “Manage People”.


  1. Click “Add Person”.

  1. Enter in your account info.
  2. Do this for each Google Account you want on your device



Switching Between Accounts:
This is easy to do and will keep you in the safe and clear!
  1. Click your account icon in the top corner.



  1. Click the account you want to use.



This will open a version of Chrome signed into that account, including all bookmarks, passwords, and access!



Guest Mode:
You can use Guest Mode to allow others to use your Chrome without having access to your account and not saving their data on your device!
  1. Click your account name in the top corner.



  1. Click “Open Guest Window”.



  1. Have them use this version of Chrome as they need to (sign in, access mail, etc…). When they are done just close this window and all their data is deleted!



Helpful Tip: Choose a different theme for each Chrome Profile to easily identify which account you are in!





If you want these directions in a Document click HERE!