Play Youtube Videos Without Ads or Recommendations

 

Have you ever been leery to play a Youtube video in class or share them with students because you are afraid of the chat comments, ads, and recommendations that come along with showing it? 

There's a simple solution, simply copy the URL and put a "-" between the "t" and "u"in the address (see example below). Sharing and/or clicking this new link will display the videos without ads, recommendations, and comments that you have little control over. It's a safe way to show videos in the classroom on the fly. Of course, it is always recommended that you preview all videos for appropriate content. However, since we cannot control Youtube's algorithm, you can use this trick to view view Youtube videos safely. 

Here's an example. See the DASH?

https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=-XjND2ZXNjU

Another trick is to add the videos to a Google Slides presentation. You won't get any ads or comments. My experience indicates you might get recommendations, however, so test it out yourself first. 

The Best Collection of Templates I Know Of

Matt Miller, a teacher and edtech leader, has developed some wonderful resources over the years under the moniker Ditch That Textbook. The movement originated as a way to move teachers and students passed the textbook to higher-level DOK activities. 

Last week, I shared out a shared folder of his graphic organizers. He has many other amazing resources he shares freely with educators. Check them out here! They are easy to modify as needed and assign to your students. They are a huge time saver and definitely worth a look.

Celebrate Student Success with Confetti Cannon

 

Here is a fun Chrome Extension to celebrate student achievements in class. Simply install this extension and hit the extension button on your toolbar to fill up your screen with confetti. I suggest you pin the extension to your bookmarks bar. 

The install page has a warning about it being no longer supported. However, the extension works fine and will continue to work for the foreseeable future. 

Click here to install the Confetti Cannon Chrome extension here: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/confetti-cannon/dminbokeajnkkikeiepfhlgijfjjmdkf

Add a Password to a Google Form Quiz

Here's a clever use of the data verification feature in Google Forms to add a password to a Google Form quiz so students don't start the quiz until you are ready.  Post the quiz right away. Announce the password in class. You can even change the password after the class enters the quiz so that you can use a different password for each period (e.g. middle school). 

This tip comes courtesy of Dr. Jordan Cotten on TikTok. If you are not following teachers on TikTok, you are missing out. Let me know if you have questions. Maybe I can do a workshop on this soon. 

@cottentechcoach Great option and so many reasons to put a password on a #google form 🔥🔥 #teachers #teachersoftiktok #teacherlife #teacher #edutok #edu ♬ Peaceful Mind - neozilla

A New World of Graphic Design with Canva

Canva offers an easy way to create engaging graphics and video in an unimaginable number of ways. Using built-in content elements, such as clipart and video, you can create super amazing flyers, Google Classroom banners, videos, Instagram posts, and much more. Professionally designed templates make it easy to find colors that look fabulous together and communicate your message effectively, Designs can be easily resized to meet your needs. Plus, you can use the Image Generator feature to create AI-generated images that will blow your mind! I created my blog banner (above) with Canva. What I have described is just the tip of the iceberg. Go ahead, dip your toes in!

All staff and students at Hart-Ransom already have a premium EDU account. Just login with your school Google Account. Teachers can create a class and give assignments to their students. Take your assessments to a higher DOK level and get students' creative juices flowing! You can push the assignments to Google Classroom. It's great for extended learning opportunities. 

BADGE OPPORTUNITY: SCOE offers a digital badge for Canva. Demonstrate some key skills and you can boast to others that you are a Canva Creator.

If you are interested in a session on getting started with Canva, reach out to me. 

Here's a series of posters I created in Canva for my classroom. The kids love them and they get the message. 

Here's a short video tour of my classroom with clues about me so students could get to know me better. I took the video on my phone, imported in into Canva, and created this short, no-frills video. The students appreciated the video so they could be a better look at the items highlighted. 

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Mr. Somers Clues by gsomers

Save time with Gmail templates

If you find that you are repeating yourself in your Gmail responses, try creating a template that you can call on again and again. Once you have selected your template, just customize it as needed for the recipient's needs. 

For example, try a template you can use to respond to parent/student questions regarding your late assignment policy or how they can get support with a concept. Send an email to remind parents of an upcoming parent/teacher conference or requesting volunteers for an upcoming special event. I often use a template to send updated grade summaries to parents with follow up information on seeking support. Basically, anytime you waste time saying the same things by email over and over, consider making it a template. 

To enable Gmail Templates, you will need to turn on this feature in the Advanced settings in Gmail. Once you hit the SAVE CHANGES button, you are ready to take any email and save it with a name as a template. To call it up again, simply select it from the Templates menu. 

This video shows you how to enable Gmail Templates:

This video shows you how to use the Gmail Templates feature:

BONUS TIP: Save common text threads you use repeatedly in Google Keep, Google's notes app. Very handy!

Tech Professional Development

We all have areas of growth with how we use technology to do our jobs, including educators and veteran teachers. It's healthy to have a growth mindset. If you are not sure where to start, here are some ideas for you.

1. Google Teacher Certifications - These online training materials are free and work-at-your-own pace. It's easy to fit into your schedule. The certification tests are very inexpensive and are a great way to to show your knowledge. The material is geared for the needs of teachers with content provided by teachers. Start with Level 1 and add Level 2, Trainer, Coach and Innovator levels as makes sense to you. Personally, I have Level 1 and 2 certification so I am happy to help answer any questions about the process.
2. Stanislaus County Office of Education Badge Project - If you work/teach in Stanislaus County, you can earn and collect virtual badges as learn about the apps and technologies most relevant to you. Learn and submit an artifact that demonstrates the knowledge identified for that badge. I have over 20 badges highly recommend this program for differentiated learning that most benefits your needs. There are LOTS of badges to choose from. Plus, it is FREE! 
3. SCOE ETC! Conference - Each February, SCOE hosts a local conference in Turlock. It's a Saturday chock full of great speakers, hands-on demonstrations, and vendors. Look for a "Black Friday" deal to get half off of the registration (normally about $80) in November. It's a great way to connect to amazing teachers doing amazing things in the classroom. I hope to see you there! Check out the promo video below. 
4. Need more ideas? Reach out to me. It's what I am here for.