Trello: A Great To-Do List

I am a "To-Do" list person. If it is on a list, I "might” get to it! There are lots of tools to help create lists, but Trello can top many. It allows multiple lists, drag-and-drop movement from lists, and collaboration! With the free account, you get 10 boards (think of these as a desktop with lists on them). Give Trello a try and start organizing your life!

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Create an Account:

1. Start by heading to https://trello.com. 

2. Click “Sign In” and choose your method of signup.

3. You will; be asked to create a Team. This is just the name of your Trello Collection.

4. You will then be shown that you can get a free “Trial”. No need for this. Scroll to the bottom and click “Start without Business Class”. The free version gives you 10 boards.

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Create a Board:

1. Click the “+” icon in the top right corner.

2. Click “Create board”.

3. Title your board.

4. You can choose an image or background color (from Trello’s library).

5. You can name each list and add items to them by clicking “Add Card”.

6. If you click the words of an item, there are a lot of options to add to each item.

• Add a Description: Some details about this list

• Members: Invite others to collaborate

• Labels: add color to the item for easy visual sorting

• Checklist: add and check off items on a list

• Due Date: create due dates for list items

• Attachment: add a Google Drive file or upload from a device or other program

• Cover: add an image to this list item from a library

7. You can click-and-drag items from one list to another.

8. There is an extension (List Highlighter for Trello) that allows you to color-code all your lists as well. Here is an example of mine with the extension installed (see how each list has a color background).

Give Trello a try and see if you can get a handle on all those To-Do lists!

If you want these directions in a Document click HERE!

Jamboard: A Collaboration Tool

Teachers are always looking for ways to plan, brainstorm, and organize their ideas. These activities even get better when they are collaborative. Google created Jamboard with this in mind. Jamboard is a touchscreen monitor, but you do not need all that expensive hardware to use the tool. You can install the app from Google Play or iOS App Store on your mobile device or just go to Chrome and use the web-based platform. The boards you make live in your Google Drive and can even be shared with others. The best part, these can be live collaborative projects! Even better, Jamboard is integrated into Google Meet! Give the mobile version or the web version a try and start planning!

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Using Jamboard:

There is a lot that you can do with this tool without the expensive board. Give some of these activities a try.

1. Create a new board:

• Go to jamboard.google.com: Click the + icon

• In Drive click “Create”, “More”, then “Google Jamboard”.

• On the Google Waffle click on “Jamboard”.

• If you are using a Google Meet the is a button to create a Jamboard and share during your meeting!

2. Explore the tools on the left side:

• Pen: Draw lines and shapes with different styles and colors (pen, marker, highlighter, brush).

• Eraser: This is used to clear small areas on the board.

• Sticky Note: This is where it gets cool. Add notes, choose a color, resize, rotate, and drag them anywhere you want.

• Image: Add an image from the web, your device, or Drive then resize and rotate.

• Shape: Easily choose between 8 pre-designed shapes.

• Text: Add text to your board and set its size, alignment, color, and rotation.

• Laser Pointer: If you are presenting this board you can point things out with a disappearing laser tail pointer.

• Set a Background: Make the background of your board what you wish. Choose from the presets or upload your own image as the background t= make this an interactive activity.

• Clear the Frame: Clearing the board is quick and easy with the click of this button.

• Add more “Boards”: Do you want more room or pages to work on? Add more! On the top, there is a place to add more frames.

• More Settings: Rename your Jam, save the board as a PDF or image, or remove a frame.

• Share this board with others: You can share a Jamboard just like a Google file and share it by right-clicking in Drive and sharing or clicking the big blue “Share” button.

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Mobile Version:

There are differences between these two versions. The mobile version does everything the web version does, plus the following:

1. Allow for handwriting to turn into text.

• This is pretty cool. Write letters and they turn to written text if you choose the Aa button.

2. Allow for drawn shapes to be cleaned up

• This takes hand-drawn images and “perfects” them into a clean drawing. This will happen if you have the shape tool turned on

3. Share Drive files.

• Any Drive file can be added to the board for collaboration.

Whether you are using the mobile version or the web version, you will find many uses for Jamboard. Dig in, create a board, and explore all the possibilities! 

If you want these directions in a Document click HERE!