How to Use Bookmarks in Google Documents

Long documents?  No problem!

Learn how to organize your lengthy Google Documents with the Bookmarking tool!

Searching through long documents to find just the right part sounds exciting.  Scrolling through pages and pages of (useful, yes) information or long essays seems like an effective use of time... right?  Let’s be serious:  “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”  Luckily, Google is in agreement when it comes to reading and writing long documents.  One very useful feature of Google Documents is the Bookmarking tool.  This tool is like a shortcut to a specific place in a document.  Bookmarks can be very useful when you want to jump directly from one part of the document to another.  Bookmarks are also perfect for creating a table of contents inside of a document.  Lastly, the Bookmarking tool is such an easy way to organize long documents, so readers can navigate through documents without having to scroll up and down multiple times.  Indeed, Google has made our lives easier once again!  Let’s learn how to insert Bookmarks in a Google Document! 

Before you get started, it will be important for you to have a few key materials:  a computer with internet access, a Google account, and open a document with text already in the document.  This could be an essay, a report, a list, a short story you are writing, or any other such document.  And if you are not already familiar with Google Docs, you should take a minute to locate the “Insert” tab and the “Link” tool, located on the top of your text document.  

When you’re ready to insert a bookmark, the first thing you’ll want to do is highlight the text, or area of the document that will be directly linked.  You may also just place your cursor exactly where you’d like the bookmark to be placed.
  

Next, use the toolbar at the top of the screen to find the “Insert” tab.  Click on “Insert” and choose “Bookmark” from the drop-down list.  Select “Bookmark” by clicking.  Once you have clicked “Bookmark,” a small blue icon should appear next to the words you highlighted, or where your mouse cursor was.  This is the actual bookmark, or placeholder, in your document.  

Unfortunately, the bookmark doesn’t do any good if it’s not linked to a certain area of your document.  In order to make your bookmark useful, scroll back up to the top of your document, or to whatever piece of text you’d like associated with the bookmark, and highlight the words.  After that, find the “Link” icon in the toolbar and click it.  The “Edit Link” box should appear.  Inside of this box, look for the “Bookmark” choice, and again click on this option.  Following this, choose the bookmark you created and select it.   

If the previous steps have been done correctly, you should see a clickable link appear that will take you directly to the part of your document where the bookmark is located.  The bookmark link should look like the picture below. 

     One important thing to keep in mind:  as you add more bookmarks in your document, it will be necessary for you to check carefully which bookmark you are linking to.  It is very easy to select an incorrect bookmark when there are many listed.  A simple way to avoid error is to look closely at the title of each bookmark.  You can also test out the bookmark link after you’ve selected it, as a double-checking measure. 

     Finally, you can continue to add as many bookmarks as you’d like.  For extremely long documents, bookmarks can make finding certain pages, topics, or chapters simpler and less time consuming.  Additionally, the Bookmarking tool helps organize your writing so that it appears sleek, sophisticated, and expertly produced.  Google Documents Bookmarks are the way to go when you want to save your readers (and yourself!) some time!

If you found these directions to be confusing, or not helpful enough, take a few minutes to watch the video tutorial below.

Useful Resources:

Google Drive Directions:  Using bookmarks in a document

Free Technology for Teachers:  Google Tutorials

Techie Experts Interview

What do other "techie" experts say about literacy technology?

     While it seems like there is a new website, a fun new tool, and an increasing amount of useful YouTube videos that pop up everyday, sometimes it's not that easy to know what will be a good fit for reading and writing instruction.  With so many options, it seems like finding technology to teach these important literacy skills should be a breeze.  But technology can be overwhelming and a bit challenging to learn at times.  So how do teachers go about these obstacles?  Reach out to the experts, of course!    

     I'm very fortunate to work in the Plymouth Community School Corporation because there are so many experts in technology all around me.  Additionally, I know I can also fall back on the numerous professors and classmates I've met in my MSU graduate program.  The great news is, I don't have to learn to be a "techie teacher" on my own! 

Meet Janice Curtis...

Mrs. Curtis is currently the K-12 Instructional Technology Specialist for Plymouth Community Schools.

I asked Mrs. Curtis to share some of her thoughts on technology used for literacy learning.  Here's what she had to say:

1.  What impact does (or will) technology have on literacy learning?

Mrs. Curtis:   "I believe literacy will be enhanced with technology through easier research, becoming aware of the reliability of resources,  having an avenue to become globally aware of current events and information, and curating information that is important and relevant."

2.  What are some of your go-to technology tools for reading and writing instruction and/or practice?

Mrs. Curtis:  "I love Diigo to organize information.  Curating information by highlighting and commenting is easy and can be shared with others.  [The] Kindle app is the same, with the ability to bookmark and highlight important information, as well as take notes.  

And, of course, you can't beat a good blog to get kids writing.  I think they are more aware of what they are writing, knowing their post will be published and read by many people.

I also love forums and discussions on Moodle and My Big Campus.  They are great ways to get student thoughts out there, and again, with a captured audience, they are more aware of their writing skills."

3.  Teens are seemingly obsessed with social media for personal uses.  How can social media tools be used as a literacy learning tool?

Mrs. Curtis:  "Connecting with people of like interests can spark thought and conversation, as well as resources they can use for their education."

4.  On a more personal note... when you read, do you prefer to do so by reading actual books (with covers and paper pages!), some type of e-reader (Kindle, iPad, Nook, etc.), on a computer, or some other form?  Why?

Mrs. Curtis:  "I read from the Kindle apps and paper pages.  I have to admit, I love to hold that book and physically turn pages.  However, I have found that I can read and skim through words more efficiently with the Kindle app... I wonder why that is?"

5.   What is your favorite book of all time?  

Mrs. Curtis:  "I absolutely loved reading Gone With The Wind.  All the details of landscape, the horrors of war, the romance, the character development, and all the American history of that time period fascinated me.  As much as I loved the movie, I loved reading the book even more!"

In addition to interviewing Mrs. Curtis, one of my instructors for my graduate classes at MSU shared her thoughts on the same questions.  

Meet Candace Marcotte...
Ms. Marcotte is the Middle School Technology Facilitator in Glenview, Illinois.  She also is an Assistant Instructor for Michigan State University's Master of Arts in Educational Technology Program.  Take a look a what she had to say on the topic:

      I found it very interesting that both Mrs. Curtis and Ms. Marcotte find Diigo a useful tool for literacy skills.  While I have tested out this site on a few occasions, I feel like I need to make more of effort to use this useful tool.  I really liked how Ms. Marcotte mentioned she loves Google Docs; we use Google tools all of the time at school!  And lastly, I was so happy to discover that both "techie" women still love the feel of an actual book in their hands when they read.  I feel the same way!  Even as new technology tools are developed each day, I doubt that anything can ever take the place of really reading.  

     A very special "Thank You" to Janice Curtis (@CurtisJcurtis) and Ms. Candace Marcotte (@canmarcotte) for taking time out of their busy schedules to take part in this interview.  It's always a wonderful opportunity to learn from experts in the "techie" field! 

SMS Generator: "Texting" in class!

Creating fictional text messages using SMS Generator

What is SMS Generator?

     SMS Generator is an online tool (created by Russel Tarr) that allows users to create fictional text messages.  This fun and creative tool does not require a log in and can be easily used immediately upon visiting the site.  The text message generator can be used to create messages between fictional, historical, or real people.  To create a conversation, users click on the gray or green speech bubble and type away.  There is no limit on how long the conversations can be.  Once entered, the text can be edited or rearranged.  The finished conversation can be easily shared through an embed code, URL link, or it can be turned into a QR code.  

Give me an example.

     I was so excited to try this tool out with my 8th graders because they love to text!  Currently my students are reading the play, The Diary of Anne Frank by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hacket.  In order to enrich their reading experience and help them relate to the characters a bit more, I asked them to pretend Anne Frank could text.  They were asked to put themselves in Anne's shoes and "text" another character from the play, using details from what they had read to create a mock conversation.  The directions for their assignment can be located HERE.  Some of my students were very creative and wrote humorous and entertaining conversations.  A few examples are below.     

 

Want more ideas?
      Students could use Classtools SMS Generator to create 21st Century-like conversations between characters in a book, important historical figures, or take part in creative writing.  I could also see this working well for foriegn language classes or ESL students to practice translating or communicating in a new language.  This tool allows students to consider point of view, and to consider what others are thinking. Overall, it's a fun way to make literacy more techie and relatable to students who often do not engage in reading and writing assignments!

Resources
"Create a Text Message Exchange Between Fictional Characters" - Free Technology for Teachers
"SMS Generator" - Seomra Ranga: Resources for the Primary School Teacher 
"Faketext SMS Generator" - World History Teachers Blog

Strip Generator: Comics in the Classroom

Strip Generator: An Online Comic Creation Site

What is Strip Generator?  

     Strip Generator is an interactive comic strip creation tool that allows users to easily drag and drop an array of cartoon characters, objects, symbols, and speech bubbles into comic strip outlines.  This comic strip generator is free to use and offers many options for story lengths.  There are prefabricated strip outlines to choose from, or users can create their own custom outline.  While the characters and objects are black and white, there is an extensive menu to choose from; creativity does not get lost in this tool!  When the comic strip is completed, Strip Generator allows users to print their comics, link to it, or embed it in a blog. 

Give me an example.  

      One way I have used Strip Generator is to represent data from a survey I conducted with my students.  Often times, students have a hard time understanding (or caring about) results from surveys, assessments, or other data related to their learning.  By creating a comic strip, the data becomes more student friendly and visual learners can grasp the numbers/percentages part of data.  Here is an example comic strip I created after I conducted a survey about my students' excitement related to beginning to blog:

Want more ideas?
     Comics created with Strip Generator could be used for writing short stories, summarizing chapters from a novel, or sharing a reflection on what students learned.  A fellow 8th grade English teacher created a reference guide to the characters in A Mid-Summer Night's Dream to help her students keep track of the large cast of characters.  (Thanks Kelly Hanson!)

A Midsummer Night's Dream by hansonk6

This could easily be incorporated in Social Studies classes to visually represent events from history in a more modern way.  Strip Generator would also be an excellent tool for foreign language students or English language learners as it provides an opportunity to interact with word in short sentences or phrases, combined with interesting visual images.   

   
  If you're looking for even more ideas on how to incorporate comics in the classroom, check out S. Hendy's slideshow "Tap Into the World of Comics."  

Want to get started right away?  

     Use this simple video tutorial to get started making your first comic strip using Strip Generator! 

 

Resources:

"Strip Generator - Drag and Drop Comic Creation" - Free Technology for Teachers   

"Get Your Students Stripping:  A Simple Review of Online Comic Creation Websites" - Contemplating Education in the 21st Century

Promoting Another Blog

Promoting Another Techie Teacher Blog

  

What did I just watch? 

     The embedded video you just watched was created using Voki.  Voki is a free web tool that allows users to create speaking avatars.  The final versions of the avatars can be embedded in blogs, wikis, or easily linked in other websites.  The cool thing about Voki is that users can choose from many different avatars, backgrounds, and text-to-speech voices.  If preferred, the user can also record their own voice in place of the computerized version.

Where did you find this?

     I first learned about Voki (and other audio tools for blogs) from the blog Free Technology for Teachers.  FreeTech4Teachers is written and maintained by Richard Byrne.  Because I didn't always feel comfortable learning about and using technology in the classroom, this blog helped make the process much smoother.  This blog is easy to read, has an invaluable number of resources, and he always includes how the technology can be applied to the classroom.  Free Technology for Teachers isn't just geared towards middle school or high school teachers, but there are excellent resources for elementary teachers as well.   

A few more things...

     Another reason I enjoy following Free Technology for Teachers is because Richard Byrne often invites guest bloggers to add to his site.  For example, a really useful post that delves into Voki a bit further was written by a teacher and technology trainer named Shelley Terrell.  In her guest post "Engaging Students With Voki" she provides many different ideas on how to use Voki in educational settings.  

     Additionally, posts on Free Technology for Teachers are short and sweet; they get straight to the point!  There are almost always videos, screen shots, and tutorials on how to use the new technology tools.   Teachers don't often have a lot of free time, so this blog is the perfect solution!

So if you're looking for a cool new technology resource, or you just have some time on your hands, be sure to travel on over to Free Technology for Teachers and click around!

      

Xtranormal Animated Movies

Xtranormal: Creating Animated Videos from Text

What is Xtranormal?

     Xtranormal is a video creation tool that uses text-to-speech technology.  Users can create a video by choosing characters, a background, and then typing the dialogue to be read aloud by the computer program.  Animations and sound effects can be easily dragged and dropped into the text boxes to add to the dialogue.  

The site easily allows for videos to be shared to popular social media sites, provides embed codes and a link directly to your video, and it also is easy to publish your completed videos directly to YouTube from the site.  

There are both free and paid plans available for this video creation tool.  There are even education plans available for teachers and students.  The main difference between the paid and free plans are the number of choices for story settings and characters. 

This post, Xtranormal Intro, is a great resource for learning how to get started with Xtranormal. 

Give me an example.  
      One way I have used Xtranormal in the classroom is by creating videos to introduce my students to new topics and content in a more engaging way.  Here is an example of how I introduced narrative essays.

     
     Students could easily use Xtranormal to create narrative stories, recreate scenes from a novel being read in class, or they could use it for reflective learning to share what they have learned.  One very unexpected, but useful aspect is punctuation affects the way the characters read the lines.  Students will find it useful to use proper grammar and punctuation in order to have the characters correctly say what is intended.  Users will quickly realize if sentences are not punctuated correctly, the meaning can be easily lost.  Yay for hidden literacy lessons! 

Want more ideas?
     Students could use Xtranormal in so many ways! Videos could be created to introduce themselves to the class, present information they learned on a certain subject, explain a concept, learn the importance of dialogue, show character traits of from a characters in a novel, give a summary... the possibilities are endless!  

THIS SITE has even more great ideas on how to incorporate Xtranormal into the classroom; there are even ideas for multiple subject areas.  And because Xtranormal videos can be created with languages other than English, it would be perfect for foreign language learning! 

Resources:

Box of Tricks: Technology and Education - "Xtranormal in the Classroom"

Digital LiteracyNH - "7 Ideas for Using Xtranormal in the Classroom"

Free Technology for Teachers - "Xtra Normal: Type to Create a Movie"
ICTAcross Curriculum 2012 Wiki - "Xtranormal"

Word Clouds with Tagxedo

Creating Word Clouds with Tagxedo

What is Tagxedo?

     Tagxedo is a free site for creating word clouds.  Users can take words from any source, including blogs, tweets, news articles, and turn them into appealing visual images. 

Tagxedo's technology highlights and emphasizes how frequently words are used in the text.  Tagxedo, unlike other word cloud generators, allows the clouds to be customized by color, shape, and designs. Additionally, this site allows you to exclude words from your cloud.  

 

      

Give me an example.
      One way I have used Tagxedo is to visually represent data from an informal survey I gave to my students.  When trying to learn about my students' attitudes and feelings towards writing, I asked them to provide 3 words they associated with the word "writing."  Their responses were placed into a spreadsheet, but unless I looked at every single column and response, I could not get a good feel for the general theme of their thoughts.  With Tagexdo, I was able to copy and paste all of their words into the text box, and then the word cloud highlighted and emphasized the most common words used by my students.  It was much simpler to determine if my students held positive or negative beliefs about writing in general by looking at the larger, bolder words.  Below are two different variations of my students' responses about writing. 

Want more ideas?
     One way students could use Tagexdo in class is to edit and revise their writing.  Because Tagxedo emphasizes the most frequent words, this would be an excellent tool for having students examine their word choice.  Students would easily be able to see what words or phrases they were overusing, and then return to their writing to replace redundant words with more creative choices.  
     Tagexdo could also be used when learning about main idea.  Students who struggle with determining main idea or theme could create a word cloud from an article of piece of text they were assigned to read, and Tagxedo's cloud generator would show in bold the words and ideas presented most often in the literature.  This could also be used as a final project after students have read a novel or set of related articles in which they demonstrate the main idea or themes they found while reading. 
     Lastly, students could use Tagxedo as an "About Me" tool at the beginning of the year.  Because there are so many customizable options, students could create and post a word cloud that describes and visually represent their unique qualities and personalities.  Rather than having presentation after presentation, students could post their individualized words clouds for others to examine and reflect on.  

 

Other Sites Similar to Tagxedo:

ABCYa Word Clouds for Kids

Tagul

Wordle

Word It Out

Yippy Cloud Creator

Resources:

All Things Tagxedo:  101 Ways to Use Tagxedo

Ezine Articles:  Good Writing - Using Word Clouds to Determine the Main Point of an Essay

Free Technology for Teachers: Tagxedo - Word Clouds with Style

Megan's Education Technology:  A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words