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Showing posts from January, 2019

Google Slides: Layer Transparent Images

Sometimes, after scouring the entire Internet landscape in a desperate quest to locate the perfect picture, you still come up short. Dejected with determination drastically waning and success seemingly unattainable, you hang your head unsure of where to look next. But don't give up! Success could be at your fingertips! You can find transparent images and layer them in order to get exactly what you want. Here's how to do it! 1. Open your slideshow, document, or whatever it is where you're going to display the picture. 2. If you haven't found a transparent image yet, click this link , to find directions for how to do that. 3. If you are in a Google app, such as slides or docs, click the 'Insert' menu, hover over 'Image', and select 'Upload from computer'. 4. Browse your computer for the image, click it, and then click 'open'. 5. Move the image where you want it to be in your slide or document. 6. Import

Google Docs: Organize with Folder Icon

Want to avoid the gigantic digital trash heap of loose files that can become your Google Drive? Of course, you do! The fact that you don't need to save work in Docs can be a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because you are never going to lose those files. It's a curse because you're never prompted to save those files so they can be almost impossible to find! One thing you can do is use the folder icon when you finish working on a document so you can move it to a location you'll always be able to find. It can be a good habit to do this whenever you wrap up that doc! Here's how: 1. After you finish working on the document (or before you start working or in the midst of working), click the folder icon to the right of the file name.  2. A menu will open showing all the folders in your Drive. You can choose one of them for the location of the doc by clicking the name of the folder and then clicking 'Move'. 3. If

Google Docs: Spell Check!

Great news! Google Docs now comes equipped with a button to spell check your documents! Here's how to do it: 1. After you complete typing your document (or halfway through or after every line), click the icon with an A and a check mark just to the right of the 'Print' icon. 2.  On the right-hand side a box will open showing the misspelled words and will give you the option to change the one word, change all the words that may have been misspelled the same way, to ignore the word, or if you have an unusual name like 'Aillaud', add that puppy to the dictionary!

Google Tools.new

Save time with this new tip from Google tools! You can now open any of the Google Tools by typing the name of the tool and .new into a browser tab. So open Chrome and type: - docs.new for a new document - slides.new for a new slide show - forms.new for a new form or quiz - and sheets.new for a new Google sheet Or watch the video to see the shortcuts in action. Credit to the Google Docs Twitter account for inspiration. 

Google Slides: Make pictures worth 1000 words

Who wants to watch a presentation with 1000 words of text on each slide when you could replace it with one amazing image? Use the Explore tool in Google Slides to make those images pop and say goodbye to boring presentations! 1. Open your Slides presentation. 2. At the lower right, click the icon that looks something like a sparkle in a text bubble. 3. Search for an image you'd like to add to your presentation and press 'Enter' on the keyboard. 4. Click 'Images'. 5. Scroll down to search through the images, hover over the one you want, and click the '+' sign to insert. 6. Click the arrow pointing left to go back on the Explore tool until you see the word 'Layouts'. The image will be in your presentation at this point. 7. Select the layout you like best. Don't worry if it's not exactly right, you'll be able to adjust. 8. In my case, I sele

Find images without backgrounds for presentations

You're busy working on an awesome slide show presentation. You've got your background all picked out, you've found the PERFECT font, and now you're ready to add pictures. The problem is that any photo you find has an annoying background that doesn't match your color scheme, appears all boxy, and just doesn't look that great. What you'll need is to search for images that have a transparent background. Here's how: 1. Go to google.com to start a search. 2. Type whatever you're looking for into the search bar. 3. Click on 'Images'. 4. Click 'Tools'. 5. Click 'Color'. 6. Select 'Transparent'. 7. Left-click the image to open it in the browser. 8. Right-click the images you like and select 'Save image as...' 9. Name the file something you can easily remember, in a place you can easily find it. Click 'Save'.

Create a signature line in GMail

Sometimes, after composing a long email, you just want to be done with the thing. But then you realize, "Rats! I need to add my job title, employer, phone number, my favorite website, and my company logo!" Wouldn't it be great if this could be done ahead of time so you never had to worry about it? Well, great news, it can! All you have to do is create a signature and it will appear at the end of all of your outgoing messages. Here's how: 1. Sign into GMail. 2. Near the top right corner is an icon shaped like a cog or gear. Click it! 3. When the menu opens, select 'Settings'. 4. Scroll down until you see ' Signature:' 5. If the 'No signature' button is selected, click the button below to create your signature. 6. Signatures can include anything you want, but your name, job title, employer, and contact information are important to include. You can also import an image if you'd like. 7. When you're happ

WeVideo: An awesome online video editor

Are you looking for a new way to make dazzling presentations? Are you renewing or obtaining National Board certification? Are you thinking about making homework help videos to post to YouTube? Look no further than WeVideo ! Many of you may have noticed that Movie Maker is no longer available on Windows 10 PCs. This is because it was old software that has been discontinued by Microsoft. The good news is WeVideo is an outstanding replacement! Edmonds School District staff and students have access to premium licenses on WeVideo , but be sure to sign in with Google to access yours. Here are the steps: 1. Go to www.wevideo.com 2. Click the red circle with the 'G' to sign in with Google 3. If this is the first time you've signed into WeVideo, it may ask for access to your camera and ask to be allowed access to your Google Drive. Be sure to accept both prompts. 4. To create a new video, start by clicking the plus sign in the black box under 'Create a new