Each week of the term, we’ll feature a tech tip that can make your life a little easier. If you’re a newbie to technology, or need a refresher, these tips will help!
This week we’re focusing on Google Earth Voyager and Google Drive. You’ll also learn how to find important documents quickly in Google Drive with “starred” files.
Google Earth Voyager
Google Earth is a powerful mapping application that offers a wide variety of features. These include satellite imagery, 3D buildings and objects, maps of major cities and landmarks, street views, and other information about the planet’s surface.
Google has revamped its map service and added a feature called Voyager, which lets users explore destinations around the globe on a virtual journey. These tours are authored by a range of partners and cover travel, nature, culture, history, sports, education, and science.
The new Voyager section includes in-program tours presented by scientists and documentarians, and also offers Knowledge Cards, which provide facts about the places you are visiting, and Postcards, which allow you to share images taken in Google Earth. The latest version of the app also includes a new feature that randomly transports you to a destination on the globe by clicking on a die-like icon in the top menu.
It’s a fun way to feed your wanderlust and pretend you’re somewhere else. And it’s a useful tool for teachers who want to help students get out of their office cubicles and learn more about the world.
There are a lot of great themes for Google Earth, including ones that show architecture that is native to a specific region or unique to a culture. There are also themes that showcase ruins and other historical structures, as well as futuristic buildings and landscapes.
You can even use Google Earth as a teaching tool, with its measuring and mapping tools. This allows your students to compare distances, calculate the height of mountains and learn about geographic principles.
While the desktop version of Google Earth is more robust, the browser-based version is more convenient for use with students and provides a wide variety of resources for teachers to access. These include classroom activities, maps, and lesson plans, all based on the program’s high-quality tours.
Google is also working on a project that would let users create their own virtual trips, according to Reuters(opens in a new tab). But even if this project isn’t ready for public use, it might prove valuable for educators.
Google Drive
Google Drive is an online cloud storage service that lets users upload and share files, freeing up space on their computers or smartphones. The service is easy to use and works well with many different devices.
It can also be used as a backup solution. The service allows users to back up their devices’ data, including text messages and call logs, as well as their app data and settings.
The service offers 15GB of storage for free, which is more than enough to hold the files that most people need. However, if you need more, you can purchase additional space through Google One.
Another great feature of Google Drive is its ability to search for files by name or keyword. You can also filter your results by location, file type, owner, shared with, date modified, and more.
In addition, the service’s optical character recognition technology can help you find files by scanning through saved documents. This feature can be useful for historians and researchers looking for specific information.
You can also download files to your phone or computer, allowing you to access them offline. This feature is especially helpful if you’re traveling and don’t have an internet connection.
If you’re looking for a way to save more space on your Google Drive, consider sorting the files by size. This will allow you to easily see which files are taking up the most space and remove them.
Aside from storing and backing up your files, Google Drive is also an excellent platform for collaborative work. It offers integration with other productivity tools, such as Salesforce and Slack. Its advanced security features, including 256-bit encryption and two-factor authentication, ensure the safety of your data.
Its voice typing feature makes it easier to create documents on the go, saving you time and effort. The service is compatible with a wide range of devices, and it syncs across your computer and phone, so you can use the same file on both.
If you have an Android device, you can also use the Google Drive app to backup your messages and call logs on the go. This feature is especially useful if you travel for work.
What’s Going on in This Graph?
A graph is a fancy way to display data. It is also a fun way to teach students about statistics. The New York Times and the American Statistical Association have teamed up to create a free, weekly online feature that allows students of all ages to see if they can recognize some of the coolest graphical displays.
Most Thursday afternoons throughout the school year, a previously published New York Times graphical display of the week is released. Students and teachers are encouraged to see if they can name the data displayed on the graph and a few tidbits of information about it.
The WGOITG website features a “reveal” which includes a free link to the article that included the graph, highlights from the online discussion, additional questions, shoutouts for the best student headlines and stat nuggets (in my opinion), a concise definition of some of the statistics used in the graph and how they are applied to the real world. Moreover, there is an ever-growing list of graphs and associated content available in the archive.
This is an excellent resource for K-12 classrooms, particularly those that have a heavy dose of statistics in the mix. Whether you’re teaching the next generation of statisticians or just want to see some graphical whizzery, be sure to check out the newest edition of the WGOITG site, as well as our other aforementioned tech tip of the week features. We’re all about a well-rounded education that will prepare students for the 21st century!
Gmail
Gmail is a free email service that allows users to access their messages through a web browser. The service is offered by Google and currently has over 1.5 billion active users worldwide.
It has many useful features, including the ability to send large file attachments. These files can be uploaded to Google Drive or saved to a local device, as well as shared with other users.
You can also set up conversations in Gmail to keep track of all emails replied to back and forth between you and others. This can help you avoid sending an email to the wrong person or accidentally deleting one that you need to refer to later.
If you’re looking to sort through your emails quickly, you can use the search chip feature to display only emails with attachments, old emails, or messages sent by a specific person. These search filters are available for all accounts, not just G Suite ones, and they can be activated by clicking on the chip.
Another great way to manage your email is to “snooze” it for a specific time. This can be a real lifesaver when you’re dealing with a heavy load and don’t have time to read it right away.
You’ll find these settings under the Reading Pane tab on the main Gmail screen. You can even make the message preview appear on top or below your inbox.
In addition to these settings, you can also customize the inbox layout with icons to help you see a quick overview of all your unread messages. This can be especially handy for people who share an inbox with you, as it’ll make it easier to keep on top of what needs to be dealt with.
There are many hidden features that most Gmail users don’t know about. So, we’ve rounded up 15 of our favourites to help you get more from your inbox.
