Miscellaneous

Google Workspace for EDU Video

My school district was honored to have been featured in this video about Google Workspace for Education Plus for their partner CDW Amplified for Education (formerly Amplified IT).

UPDATE November, 2023: Unfortunately, the video was removed so I removed the embedded video. It was a really neat experience though.

Edit Auto-Generated Subtitles on YouTube

Sometimes the auto-generated YouTube subtitles / captions need a bit of tweaking. Here is how to do that:

  1. Sign in to your account at https://studio.youtube.com
  2. Choose Content from the left sidebar.
  3. Hover over the video for which you wish to edit the subtitles. Click on the pencil icon to go to edit the video’s details.
edit the details for a video

4. In the right sidebar, click the pencil icon on the Subtitles button.

click the pencil icon on the subtitles button

5. Edit the subtitle text and/or adjust the timings. Save your draft frequently or you could lose your work. When everything is as you wish it to be, click DONE.

subtitle editor

The Power of NOT Done

I began my journey as a doctoral student at The University of Memphis back in 2014 and have finally reached the “done” state. There have been many obstacles along the way but with the support of many fabulous people, I have finished.

I’m not going to wax poetic because that is not my way but I did want to share a few things on my mind since yesterday’s graduation ceremony.

The speaker gave a fairly typical speech that encouraged the graduates (most of whom were in their twenties) to look forward to what their future had in store. I don’t remember who gave that speech when I graduated with my first college degree back in 1990 but I have no doubt I let my mind gravitate to what my future might be.

Yesterday, not so much.

I’m only a handful of years away from retirement and, while I know I have plenty of living left to do and plenty of impact left to have on the world, I know more and more how limited time is. I have lost many precious souls in the past 29 years since I heard my undergrad commencement speaker – including my father. I’ve lost friends / family to accidents, illness – including cancer, suicide, and even murder.

Don’t get me wrong. I feel quite celebratory in finally completing this degree. While I am not changing jobs (because I really LOVE my job), I am thinking about what extra gigs I can take on so I can have a greater impact on the world in the time I have left (and so I can pay off these new student loans!). I hope that time is a nice long block but I know, more than ever, that time is running out. It is true, I have finished my manuscript (save for minor revisions) but I am NOT done with trying to make a difference. I am NOT done with sharing things I’ve learned.

The Takeaways – #ISTE2016 Day One

I figure since I am at ISTE in Denver and have been spending bunches of time in the Blogger’s Cafe, I should probably write a blog post while I am here. I am going to use my favorite question floating around the venue as my prompt.

“What are your biggest takeaways?”

Related to the conference itself, my biggest takeaway is that I absolutely made the right choice to not pack my schedule full of sessions. In Atlanta at ISTE 2014, I let FOMO rule my schedule. I bounced from one session to another, often standing in lines for hours to make certain I got it. I have chosen a few sessions to attend (mainly for the people presenting rather than the topics) and have left myself open to go with the flow – to follow the breadcrumbs, as I heard someone say. Because I followed that path I was able to:

  • be a part of team playing a brand new Digital BreakoutEDU game while sitting in the Blogger’s Cafe with one of the game designers and while we had a live audience. Yes, we broke out, and yes it was totally cool.

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  • attend an impromptu sketchnoting session given by the incredible Sylvia Duckworth. I learned so much about Procreate (iOS, $5.99) and how to bend it to my will. I feel more empowered know that I know the tool. Now I know I need to focus on the transference of what I hear into concise nuggets and then transfer those nuggets into images (I will likely use icons, especially those from The Noun Project, to begin). I am not an artist but I can trace and Procreate allows for that quite easily. Finally, it made me so much better to hear Sylvia say she traces as well. Tracing has too often felt like “cheating” to me. No longer!

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  • go through the new BreakoutEDU bus with three complete strangers who have now become a part of my PLN. Our team, “Once Strangers, Now Friends” had the fastest escape time for Day 1. Go team!

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  • spend two hours volunteering at the BreakoutEDU bus, giving back to the community that has given me so much over the past year. It allowed me to connect face to face with many of my PLN AND be a part of sharing the BOE movement with more people.
  • attend the EdCamp organizers meet-up where, again, I was able to see my digital PLN come to live before my eyes. (Are you sensing a theme here?)

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  • sit in a quiet hallway, charging my phone and decompressing a bit. That soon led to a conversation with some who recognized me from Twitter. A conversation that would have never happened with the previous ISTE strategy.

And all of that (and more) was Day One!

Day Two is half over and the trend continues (another blog post will share my takeaways after the day is done). As a matter of fact, as I sit here typing, I took a break when someone (I hadn’t met face to face) introduced themselves and we had a great chat.

THIS is what ISTE is about for me this year. The gadgets are cool; the sessions, informative (and a chance for many of my friends to share their awesomeness); the activities, well, exhausting but also entertaining because of the people attending. And, now, I will get off my computer and, well, do something. Not sure what yet but I have no doubt, it will be awesome.

awesome

A Busy Summer Ahead

Here in the Memphis, Tennessee area, we are entering our final week of the 2015-16 school year. For me, that includes finalizing plans for summer conferences and professional development offerings. As usual, I have overpacked my schedule and adding graduate school courses to the mix is probably going to push me over the edge. However, most of the conferences at which I am presenting involve sessions I’ve done before so they only need a refresh. Many of the gatherings will have me on the other side of the podium which is far more relaxing that overbooking myself with presentations. I am super excited to be able to see (and, in some cases, meet for the first time face to face) so many in my PLN.

Here is where you might run into me over the next couple of months:

North Alabama Featuring Google for Education – June 2 & 3, Florence, AL (Presenting: Gobs of Goodies from Google; BreakoutEDU)

Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Teacher Academy – June 6, Memphis, TN (Attending)

LSS Technology Session – June 8 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Drawings)

LSS Technology Session – June 9 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Slides)

Illinois Summit Featuring Google for Education – June 15 & 16, Homer Glen, IL, outside Chicago (Presenting: Gobs of Goodies from Google; Build Your Own Chrome Extension; Getting Started with Google Apps Script)

LSS Technology Session – June 21 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Docs)

LSS Technology Session – June 22 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Forms)

PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator Summit – June 25 & 26, Denver, CO (Attending)

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2016 – June 27, 28, & 29, Denver, CO (Mostly attending. Will be presenting “Hands on Activities w/Google Drawings” at the ISTE Google Playground (Table 3) on June 28 at 2 pm.)

LSS Technology Session – July 6 (Presenting: Become a Google Apps for Education Guru)

EdCamp US Department of Education – July 8, Washington, D.C. (Attending but hope to facilitate a session)

Tennessee Educational Technology Association (TETA) Summer Institute 2016 – July 12, 13, & 14, Collierville, TN (Presenting: Gobs of Goodies from Google; BreakoutEDU)

TETA Summer Institute 2016 Teacher Day – July 15, Collierville, TN (Presenting and Event Chair)

LSS Technology Session – June 19 (Presenting: Hands on with BreakoutEDU)

LSS Technology Session – June 20 (Presenting: Hands on with Google Classroom)

Tech Day at West Carroll / McKenzie Special School Districts – July 21, Atwood, TN (Presenting: Google Classroom; BreakoutEDU)

Google Geo Teachers Institute 2016 – July 25 & 26, Mountain View, CA (Attending)

In and among all of that I will be spending some time visiting family and taking my last two pre-dissertation courses through The University of Memphis: IDT 8600 – Seminar in IDT Research; EDPR 8562 – Designing Qualitative Research.

I hope to run into you at one of these events. I am very much an introvert and quite shy but love meeting folks from my PLN and talking about education and all things techie. If you see me, please say hi.

 

 

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