The EdTech Connection

I learned about Msgif from the amazing Eric Curts who I also had the pleasure to meet while at GaETC last week. In his newsletter from last week (Control Alt Achieve Nov 1, 2022), he shared this awesome tool that will convert a message you type into a GIF animation. You can then download the GIF to share in itslearning/Canvas, add to Slides/Power Point, or share anywhere else.

One thing I found when recording my sample is that it really is recording your keystrokes, so if you make a typo, you'll want to start over and redo it. Otherwise, your GIF will include your backspacing. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Nearpod has new badges!

Once upon a time, if you wanted to earn a badge with Nearpod, you had to use multiple platforms and keep track of #allthethings! Frankly, it was all a bit of a pain and the reason I never earned my Nearpod PioNEAR badge.

Well now, when you log in to Nearpod, you will see IN PLATFORM badging, meaning that it's al built directly into Nearpod and you don't have to go anywhere else! They are starting off with just two (Getting Started with Nearpod and Nearpod Certified Educator), but it's possible they will add more in the future, so keep your eyes 👀 on that space!

If you already have your badge with Nearpod, don't worry, it's still good! But I had fun playing with the new badging system and seeing what's new since the last time I really explored the Nearpod library. There's a good chance I'll be double-badged by the time the week is over!

Over the past decade that we've been using itslearning, a LOT has changed! One thing that is 🎶 a change for the better 🎶 is the existence of cloud storage! Now that we are making the move to Canvas, it's time to shift our thinking about files as well. Instead of uploading static files to our courses, there's a better way - it just means some new vocabulary. 😊

We haven't officially gotten to this part of training yet, but so many people have asked, I wanted to go ahead and share the best way to add your files to your Canvas courses. Whether you are adding them to an Assignment or a Module, the best way is to add them as an External Tool, select either Google Drive or OneDrive (depending on where the file "lives"), and then navigate to the file.

This work flow gives two important benefits:

1. The file is a "live" document, meaning that any edits you make are immediately available to students.
2. The file doesn't take up any of your course or account storage space.