Removing the Navbar from your Blogger Blog

By default, Blogger puts a "Navbar" at the top of your blog. This is great if you want to find other blogs. There is even a "Next blog" link, which will take you to a random blog. Wait a minute! You may not want your students or their families to click on this link and be unpleasantly surprised. Here is how to remove the Navbar from your blog.

1. Go the layout settings of your blog

2. Click "Edit" on the Navbar box

3. Scroll down and select "Off"

If you forget how to get to your blog settings, just go to blogger.com while you're signed in.

Docs Tip: Restart Numbering in Google Docs

Often when using numbered bullets in Google Docs, I find it necessary to split up my bullets.  This may be because I am adding content to different cells in a table, adding images, or simply adding text content used to clarify a statement. 
When this happens, Google Docs numbering defaults back to 1.  

It is possible in Docs to restart your numbering at the number that you choose.
Simply choose 

Format -> Lists -> List options -> Restart Numbering.  

Then choose the number that for which you would like to restart.

Google Drive Shortcuts

Here are some useful keyboard shortcuts that might help make your use of Google Drive more productive.

• Ctrl+Home: Go to the top of the document
• Ctrl+B: Bold
• Ctrl+C: Copy
• Ctrl+E: Center alignment
• Ctrl+Shift+F: Full screen
• Ctrl+L: Back to left
• Ctrl+Shift+L: Bulleted list
• Ctrl+J: Full justify
• Ctrl+K: Inset link
• Ctrl+M: Insert comment
• Ctrl+H: Replace
• Ctrl+V: Paste
• Ctrl+Z: Undo
• Ctrl+Y: Redo
• Ctrl+Shift+Space: Insert non-breaking space
• Page Down: Move down one screen
• Ctrl+Shift+F: Full screen
• Page Up: Move up one screen
• Ctrl+Space: Remove formatting
• Ctrl+: Heading style 1.
  Change the "1" to any number 1-6 and get the corresponding header
• Spreadsheet specific
• Ctrl+End: Go to the last cell in data region
• Ctrl+Home: Go to the first cell in data region
• Shift+spacebar: Select entire row
• Ctrl+spacebar: Select entire column

To view all keyboard shortcuts: 

• On Windows, press Ctrl + / 
• On Mac, press ⌘ + /

The above information was borrowed from http://www.gthisgthat.com/google-tips-students-teachers/

WGBH/NSTA Stem Teacher Video Challenge

Are you interested in creating a video for the WGBH STEM Teacher Video Challenge?

By taking the challenge, you have a chance of winning an iPad or document camera.  The winner will be announced at the 2015 NSTA National Conference.  

To take the challenge, simply create your own STEM video and submit it before February 1, 2015.  Information about the challenge can be found at the end of this video produced by WGBH.



Watch as NOVA's Anna Rothschild, producer and host of "Gross Science," offers practical tips for composing a beautifully edited educational video. 

Google Apps for Education Upgrade

The following was posted by Ben Schrom (PM Google Apps for Education) on his Google for Education blog on September 30th.  This is some exciting news, including unlimited storage!  

Drive for Education will be available to all Google Apps for Education customers at no charge and will include:

• Unlimited storage: No more worrying about how much space you have left or about which user needs more gigabytes. Drive for Education supports individual files up to 5TB in size and will be available in coming weeks. 
• Vault: Google Apps Vault, our solution for search and discovery for compliance needs, will be coming free to all Apps for Education users by the end of the year. 
• Enhanced Auditing: Reporting and auditing tools and an Audit API easily let you see the activity of a file, are also on the way. 

All of this comes with the same world-class security that protects all Drive users. Every file uploaded to Google Drive is encrypted, not only from your device to Google and in transit between Google data centers, but also at rest on Google servers. As always, the data that schools and students put into our systems is theirs. Classroom, which recently launched to Google Apps for Education users, makes using Drive in school even better by automatically organizing all Classroom assignments into Drive folders. And Google Apps for Education remains free to nonprofit educational institutions with no ads or ads-related scanning.

We want educators and students who use Google Apps for Education to be able to focus on the learning experience—not the technology that supports it. With Drive for Education, users can put an end to worries about storage limits and more easily maintain a safe, effective and compliant learning environment.