Google Docs and Slides Tips!

It's been awhile since the Tech News Blog had a new post. I hope you are ready for some awesome new tips for Google Docs and Slides - teachers, this is for you!

Google Docs

Set Default Font

1. Open a new Google Doc
2. Type something
3. Highlight and change the font of what you typed to what you want to set as default
4. Click the "Normal Text" dropdown
5. Hover on "Normal Text" and select "Update Normal Text to match"
6. Click the "Normal Text" dropdown again
7. Hover over "Options" and select "save as my default styles"
8. Now when you create a new Google doc, it will use the font you just set as your default!

Video Previews

1. Open the Google Doc 
2. Paste the video link in the doc *Note: You will be prompted to replace this with a smart chip, which will automatically update the link to be the title of the video*
3. To play this video in the same window as a video preview, hover over the link and select "Open Preview"
4. You can now view the video right in your Google Doc window!

Embed Drawings

1. Open a Google Doc
2. Click Insert > Drawing > New
3. Create your drawing or paste your drawing in the box
4. Click "Save and Close"
5. You can now double click and edit the drawing right in the Google Doc!

Google Slides

Maximize space

To allow your slides to show better on your screen, you can hide the menus. There are two different ways to do this:

1. Click "View" and uncheck the "Show Speaker Notes" and "Show Filmstrip"
   
2. Click "View" and select "Full Screen" *Note: Press ESC on your keyboard to exit Full Screen*

Live Captions

While presenting, you can turn on Live Captions for students to see the subtitles for what you say.

1. Open a Google Slides file
2. Click "Present" 
3. In the bottom left corner, click the 3 dots menu button
4. Hover over "Caption Preferences"
5. Click "Toggle Captions"
6. You can also change the location and size of the caption text in the "Caption Preferences"

Publish to the Web

If you want to share a Google Slides presentation, but don't want it to show with all of the menus, you can publish to the web and get a link to share only the slides.

1. Once your Google Slides presentation is complete, click "File"
2. Select "Publish to the Web"
3. Click "Publish", then "OK"
4. You will now have a link to share your slides in a web view without the menus!

New Google Tools & Features!

 There are some new tools and features on Google for Education that are available NOW!

Google Classroom/Google Meet

• Students can't join if the host isn't on the meeting
• Only students in Google Classroom can join the meeting
• Anyone outside the class roster has to ask to join
• Co-teachers in Google Classroom are automatically made co-hosts of the meeting
• Pin or unpin presentation or other tiles for display
• Turn off all videos at once

Google Docs

• Checklist with clickable checkboxes

                        

• Smart Chips
• Use the @ button to tag a person, attach a file, a calendar event or a date

• If you add a calendar event with the smart chips, it will give you the option to create a meeting note template and also add the note template document to the calendar event!

Tasks

• To-Do Lists 
• Show on the side of Gmail
• Add a date to show in Google Calendar - make sure the Tasks calendar is enabled

Hopefully these amazing features will help save you time and effort! 

Google for Education Updates

Google has been working hard to give new and improved features to Google for Education programs, such as Google Classroom, Google Meet, and Google Drive. They used feedback from distance learning during the pandemic to update and create some helpful tools. 

Below is a list of some new features available now and coming soon!

Google Classroom Updates

    Coming Soon

• Schedule assignments to multiple classes at the same time
• Student engagement and activity tracking
• Use offline in the Android app, then submit when back online

Google Meet Updates

    Available

• Identify and notify a person if they are causing an echo

    Coming Soon 

• Students can't join if the host isn't on the meeting
• Only students in Google Classroom can join the meeting
• Co-teachers in Google Classroom are automatically made co-hosts of the meeting
• Pin or unpin presentation or other tiles for display
• Improved hand raise sound and icon (shows list  in order and automatically removed when done speaking)
• Turn off all videos at once

Google Workspace Updates

    Available

• New fonts available!
• Google Docs
• Smart Chips - Tag people or files
• Checkboxes for lists
• Grammar suggestions (including inclusive language suggestions)
• Google Drive
• Make files available offline
• Google Sheets
• Intelligent formula suggestions
• Google Forms
• Automatically save responses to return to later
• YouTube
• Students set to under 18 no longer able to create videos or comment
• Search
• Safe Search enabled for users under 18 if using Google Chrome and logged in (even if using incognito mode)

    Coming soon

• Google Docs 
• Tables with voting
• Meeting note templates
• Table templates
• Google Drive
• Embed Microsoft Office files in Google Files
• Google Forms
• Simplify settings with a new "Settings" tab at the top
• Chromebooks
• 6-Digit Pin login

Hopefully these changes will help you and your students this school year! As always, if you have any questions, contact the Tech Department.