The EdTech Connection

Making the connection between ed and tech: 22 Feb 2021

Have a question? Come to my virtual office!

Live chat by clicking here Monday through Friday, 9-4ish

Getting Images the RIGHT way!

Matt Miller of Ditch that Textbook, Tech Like a Pirate, and Don't Ditch that Tech shared an article today that reminded me how often we as educators assume that "educational use" exceptions to copyright apply to anything we want to use in our classroom. Unfortunately, that is 100% not the case. Images can be especially tricky. The article is called "How to get and use free images the RIGHT way in class."

However, we should be modeling appropriate image use to our students as we continue to encourage them to properly cite all of their sources and NOT to plagiarize. Think about it this way: if your image was text and you ran it through the itslearning plagiarism checker, would you accept the work as your own?

Here are some of my favorites from his list (but you can check the full list by clicking the link above):

Insert>Image in a Google File (these are automatically filtered AND no need to open a new tab)
Photos for Class: Age-appropriate images, auto citation, and licensed by Creative Commons.
Unsplash (NOT for students): irrevocable, nonexclusive, worldwide copyright license to download, copy, modify, distribute, perform, and use photos from Unsplash for free, including for commercial purposes, without permission from or attributing the photographer or Unsplash.

Another option that he didn't include (because it is icons, not images) is The Noun Project. It's where I get the vast majority of the icons I use in presentations and on this newsletter! All icons in their collection are available for download regardless of plan, but I have a NounPro Unlimited Subscription that allows me to modify colors and use without attribution.

Chrome Extensions for FCS Teachers

Remember that you need to log in to Chrome for these to work best!

zoom_out_map

Welcome to My Brain!

Last week, I shared "What Angela Wants You to Know: The itslearning Edition." Have you ever wondered what I wish you knew about itslearning that would make your life easier and more productive? Well, wonder no more! Thanks to the kind people that chose the topic, I was able to record it and now I'm happy to share with you! Click the link above to see what I had to say?

Did I miss something? Is there something that you're SURE I can answer for you? Let me know and I'll make sure to update!

G Suite Add-ons for FCS Teachers

All Add-ons for Docs, Slides, Sheets, & Forms must meet student privacy regulations.

Slides vs Jams

Another favorite tool of mine is Slides. I use it for everything, including brainstorming and student collaboration. However, another tool that is highly under-used is Jamboard. They are similar but also serve different purposes. Holly Clark of The Infused Classroom shared an article in October called "How to Use Jamboard: 10 Ideas to Get You Jammin’" but it is just as useful now, especially if you didn't see it then!

She also recently shared the image below as a quick comparison.

BONUS: Did you know that many templates for Slides can be used as a background for a Jam?Let me know if you'd like me to share how to do it.