Get Efficient with Keyboarding Shortcuts

keyboard pictureHave you longed to be a keyboarding ninja? If so, consider mastering a few keyboarding shortcuts. In the school computer lab, 1st trimester, students in grades 2-6 will learn/review the shortcuts for copy, paste, print and save.  Additional shortcuts are taught as needed with activities. While many key combinations abound,  I’ve found those listed below to be the most useful.

 

Tabs & Windows

  • Ctrl + N (open a new window)
  • Ctrl + W (close window)
  • Ctrl + Shift + Q + Q (shut down Chromebook in 3 seconds)
  • Ctrl + Shift + T (reopen a closed tab)

Pages

  • Ctrl + P (print page)
  • Ctrl + S (save current page)
  • Ctrl + R (reload current page)
  • Ctrl + + (zoom in)
  • Ctrl + – (zoom out)

Browser Settings

  • Shift + Alt + S (open status area in the bottom right corner of the screen)

Text Editing

  • Ctrl + C (copy selected content to the clipboard)
  • Ctrl + V (paste content to the clipboard)
  • Ctrl + X (cut selected content)
  • Ctrl + Z (undo last action) or use the left pointing arrow
  • Ctrl + K (insert a hyperlink)
  • Ctrl + A (select everything on the page)

Visit the links below to learn more.

Miss Anderson’s Google Slide Show

200 Keyboard Shortcuts

Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts

A Pinterest Collection of Shortcuts


#KeyboardingShortcuts #KeyboardingNinja #keyboarding

Using Padlet to Showcase Student Work

Our 6th graders will create a Piet Mondrian inspired artwork during the first trimester. Piet Mondrian’s work is easily recognized by his use of primary colors, the use of horizontal and vertical lines, and the primary values of white, gray and black. It was a form of art he called Neoplasticism. Students will use Google Drawings to create their art and then share it on the digital canvas shown below. I deliver their assignment through Google Classroom once all students have joined my classroom. It’s an awesome way to organize and collect student work.

Made with Padlet

Increasing Engagement with Thinglink

This interactive graphic was created through Thinglink for Tri County Wildlife Care (TCWC). Thinglink allows users to annotate images and videos to increase engagement.  This Thinglink takes TCWC followers to more information about opossums. Viewers simply hover their cursor across the photo to reveal numerous hyperlinked icons. Some of these links connect to a quiz, video, or photos/illustrations about the opossum’s skeletal structure, anatomy, and diet. Additonal links lead to related stories and provide a direct link to Tri County Wildlife Care’s donation page and web page featuring Gold Country Critters.

Thinglink is also a great way for students to demonstrate learning, enabling them to add their own icons and links to additional, relevant resources. Students can share their projects with peers to further learning and collaboration. Sharing through social media links moves student work beyond classroom walls, giving students a real audience for their work.

A Teacher Pro account runs $35/year; a Teacher Premium account is $120/year and includes the 360 degree editor. Both accounts include classroom management.


#Thinglink #TCWC #SavingWildlifeSavesUs

Creating Games with Google Drawings & Slides

This summer I started following Alice Keeler on Twitter. Her blog, Teacher Tech,  is always loaded with great ideas. I recently came across her tweet to her blog post: Play Connect 4 Asynchronously.  The basic game is made in Google Drawings because it offers the distribute tool, which is unavailable in Slides. The distribute tool is used to quickly organize and space the circles, which become openings in the “gameboard”. After the game is made, it’s downloaded as a png and uploaded to Google Slides as a background to prevent players from accidentally deleting it. With the background complete, I then created the game pieces in Slides. These are the only objects easily moved on the screen. I kept my page setup in Drawings the same for Google Slides; otherwise, the board and pieces looked distorted.

Connect 4 gameboard

Connect 4 made in Google Drawings, downloaded as a png file.

connect 4 game in slides

Connect 4 shown in Google Slides with player pieces