Monday, July 19, 2021

Tech Support Site Tour

Recently, I've seen many requests from educators as to how to best support their colleagues in the world of technology support.  One thing that has worked really well for my school is creating a Technology Support Site.

Now, we didn't start off with this.  I started off with emails coming in, and responses being sent out.  It only took me a little while to figure out that, like with our students, many people have the same wonderings!  So I started a resource tab on the teacher side of our school's website.  That sort of worked, but it required teachers to go someplace else to find what they were looking for.

Next we shifted to a folder in Google Drive that I shared with staff.  Since everyone is always logged in to Google, it was easier than the school website.  This worked... for a bit.  It ended up being clunky and challenging to keep organized. 

So once again, we switched things up and created a dedicated tech support site using Google Sites.  This allowed for me to share videos that weren't just mine, since I often like to link a video from YouTube if that answers the question instead of recreating the wheel.

It was super easy to set up since everything was already in my Google Drive.  The best part is that it even easier to organize and keep organized.  Teachers can access it from a bookmark or from their Google Drive.  And, since the site is internal only, I am able to be very specific with my responses!

If you are a Google School, I highly recommend Google Sites.  Not a Google School?  Worry not!  There are so many other tools out there you can use to create your a tech support site!  Check out Weebly, Blogger, Wix, Word Press, and even Shutterfly!


Friday, July 16, 2021

New Stuff = Summer Fun

I have been laying low the past two weeks after that super-intense wrap to the school year.  In my case, though, laying low means tech fun for me!  Among other things (more details as the sentences form in my summer brain) I am learning how to use Instagram Reels.  

I made my first one yesterday.  

It was way more complicated than I thought it would be.

When it comes to trying new things, I tend to dive in headfirst and read directions later.  Well, that didn't work for me this time around!  Thankfully, I'm participating in a Reels for Educators Challenge that I joined via Clubhouse (another post for another day, just know that Clubhouse is awesome and if you want an invite, just let me know!)

This challenge, co-hosted by Lisa Dabbs, Deborah Osomo, and Lobna Tarek is fantastic because it's walking participants through the how-to of creating Reels and it's doing so in an education focused way, which is perfect for me.  Following their instructions and examples, I'm learning how to use this new-to-me media format.

Humbled.  That's how I feel right now.  This challenge is a great reminder to me at how people feel when they are learning something new, whether it's adults learning tech skills or kids learning in general.  

So, without further ado... head over to Instagram and check out my first Reel! (Volume up for this one!)

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Wednesday Wit

 Some more wisdom and wit from my favorites!  Bill Watterson was a genius with these two!