Edmonds Digital Learning

Sometimes, try as we might, there is no way to achieve a goal without a little help. Sometimes this can be the case for computer programs, too! Here's how to curve text around an image in Google Slides with a little -- okay, a lot -- of help from Word. 1. Open a new Word document 2. Click on the 'Insert' tab 3. Toward the right-hand side, click 'WordArt' 4. Select your favorite design! Changing the size, font, and colors are all possible, but in this post, we'll be focused on curving the text. 5. After you select the design, it will show up in the text field. Click on it and then write your message. 6. To get the curve, click the 'Text Effects' icon that looks like a white letter 'A' with a blue border 7. Move your cursor to the bottom of the menu and hover over 'Transform' 8. There are four options to curve the text. In this post, I'm choosing 'Arch Up', but choose whichever makes your text look bes...

Rolling out sugar cookie dough and using cookie cutters sure is fun. But, guess what? You can use digital cookie cutters on pictures you insert in Google Slides! Please refrain from using real cookie cutters as these may damage your computer screen 😊 Here's how: 1. Open a new Google Slides presentation (or use an old one) 2. Use the Explore tool to search for and insert a picture (click the link for these steps) 3. Click and drag the image to wherever you want it on your slide 4. Click the 'Mask image' tool (the dropdown next to the cropping tool) and select the shape you'd like to use to cut your picture 5. Voila! Image from:  https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=14088&picture=cute-kitty

Adding images to Google Docs can be a powerful resource for all students and can make documents look sharp. Here are the steps to quickly add pictures to your documents. Insert a Picture 1. Open a new Google Doc 2. Give the document a name so you will not lose it 3. Put the cursor where you'd like to insert the picture 4. In the lower right-hand corner, click the 'Explore Tool' icon (see below) 5. If you've already started typing in your document, Google will guess the topic and make suggestions for you. Otherwise, click the box that says 'Search your docs and the web' and type the subject of the image you're looking to include in your document. 6. By default, Google will provide some general information about your topic. To find pictures, click 'Images' 7. When you find a picture you like, hover over it and click the '+' to insert it into your document Crop the Picture 1. Sometimes the image you selected...

Sometimes software updates can be good, other times not so much. Unfortunately, this is a case that falls into the latter category. Creating a parent distribution list in GMail used to be easy, then Google Contacts was updated, and now easy is no longer the right word to describe it. I'll leave picking a new adjective up to you, but here are the steps, starting with getting parent email addresses from Skyward. Instructional Video for Part I 1. Sign into Skyward with your district username and password. 2. Follow the links to open your gradebook. For secondary teachers, click the blue gradebook for the class you want to get the emails, for elementary teachers you can select any of your gradebooks. 3. Click the 'Reports' menu at the top of the screen and select 'Class Roster'. 4. Choose 'Student Name & Student Info', and then click 'Clone Template'. 5. Give your new template a name, such as 'Parent/Guardian Email Addresses...

Ever want a little more organization in your life? Who doesn't, right? Well, why not start with your email? You can create filters to label your emails as they are sent to you. This way, you could create a label for emails from supervisors, parents, instructional technology coaches, and more. Really, the sky's the limit. Here's how it's done: 1. Open GMail . 2. Hover over the menu on the lefthand side, scroll to the bottom and click '+ Create new label'. 3. Type the name of the label and then click 'Create' 4. Find your label in the menu on the left, hover over it, click the three dots, hover over 'Label color' and select a color for the label. 5. Click the drop-down arrow in the search box at the top of the page. 6. Type the name or the email address of the person whose emails need labels and click 'Create filter'.  7. Check the box that says 'Apply the label:' Then, select the label and click...