GOOGLE SLIDES - Record Slideshow

 Lights, Camera, Action! Get ready to RECORD SLIDESHOW in GOOGLE SLIDES!

All you have to do to access this great new feature in Google Slides is click on the Record button that now appears in the upper right corner of every Slides presentation and then click on Record New Video. After you enable the camera and microphone on your device, you'll see yourself in the camera view in the bottom right corner of the presentation. Click on the big red button to start recording. Google will display a window for you to click on Allow and then the countdown will begin before the recording starts. When you're done, click on the big red button again and recording will stop. You'll have the option to save the video to Google Drive or to re-record. The video will also be saved in the Google Slides presentation. Just click the Record button in the Google Slides presentation and you'll see the video listed.

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - FEBRUARY 2024

 You're going to LOVE the new feature to RECORD SLIDESHOW in GOOGLE SLIDES!

GOOGLE SHEETS - Column Stats

 You'll be amazed at what COLUMN STATS in GOOGLE SHEETS can do!

Column Stats is an amazing feature in Google Sheets! All you have to do is select a column and then click on Data and Column Stats. The rest of the work is done for you! You'll see a Column Stats graph appear on the right in a panel. The graph will give you a great visual representation of the information in the column. You can also scroll down below the graph and see a count breakdown of the items in the column. All of that work is done for you! In the Column Stats panel above the graph, you can select the number of rows that you want to ignore and you can change the column, if you want. When you change the column, the Column Stats in the panel will change to match the new column that you've selected. Column Stats really is amazing!

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - JANUARY 2024

 Start the NEW YEAR off right by using COLUMN STATS in GOOGLE SHEETS! You'll be amazed at what it does!

GOOGLE SLIDES - Add GIFS and Stickers

 Check out this great new GOOGLE SLIDES feature - ADD GIFS AND STICKERS!

Amidst all of the debate about how to pronounce "GIF", Google Slides has added a new feature to be able to Add GIFs and Stickers. It's so easy to insert GIFs and Stickers into your Slides presentations. All you have to do is click on Insert, hover over Image, and click on GIFS and Stickers. When the navigation pane opens, type what you're searching for and you'll have a good selection to choose from. After inserting, you still have edit options. You can move the GIFs and stickers around, resize them, and even crop them. In the example, I cropped my GIF to a shape (circle). Check out this great new feature. It's easier than figuring out if you pronounce GIF like "Jif" or like "gift”!

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - DECEMBER 2023

 The new feature to ADD GIFS AND STICKERS in GOOGLE SLIDES is a real GIFT!

GOOGLE DRIVE - Mix Folders and Files

Now you can MIX FOLDERS AND FILES to organize your GOOGLE DRIVE in a new way!

This new feature in Google Drive is awesome! It's great to have the option to "Show Folders" in a different way by mixing folders and files. If you have your Google Drive organized a specific way, you should select "Mixed With Files" to see what it does to your Google Drive. You might like having your folders and files mixed and it might make your Google Drive even more organized. If you don't have your Google Drive organized (you know who you are), you should also select "Mixed With Files" and see if it helps you get more organized. If you don't like the way your Google Drive looks with folders and files mixed, you can always go back to the default setting of showing folders "On Top". All you have to do to choose either option is click on the 3 dots in the upper right corner of your Google Drive and make your selection.

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - NOVEMBER 2023

 I'm so THANKFUL that we have the option to MIX FOLDERS AND FILES in GOOGLE DRIVE now!

GOOGLE DOCS - Custom Building Block

 You can create a CUSTOM BUILDING BLOCK in GOOGLE DOCS now! This is a great new feature!

Building Blocks are a really useful feature in Google Docs and now you can save your own content as a Custom Building Block. This is a great new feature in Google Docs! You can save custom blocks of text, tables, and chips and then reuse them over and over again. You save the content as a Custom Building Block with a name so that you can insert it again using the name. After you save the Custom Building Block, you can insert it using Insert > Building Blocks > Custom Building Block > click on the Saved Name. You can also insert it using the @ symbol. When you type @, a list of Building Blocks appears and below it is a list of your Custom Building Blocks. Just scroll down until you see the name of your saved Custom Building Block and click on it. There's also an edit feature (pencil icon) and a manage feature to edit and manage your saved Custom Building Blocks.

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - OCTOBER 2023

 Being able to create a CUSTOM BUILDING BLOCK in GOOGLE DOCS is a great TRICK and a real TREAT!

GOOGLE SLIDES - Annotate

 You can ANNOTATE now in GOOGLE SLIDES! Check out this new feature!

Annotate is a new feature in Google Slides and it's awesome! When you're in Slideshow, you can annotate over any slide. This can really add to your presentation and it's so easy to use. Once you turn on the Pen and click on it, you have 4 colors to choose from. After you select the color that you want, you're ready to annotate on the slide. You can add multiple annotations to a slide or just one, depending on what you need. If you want to erase the annotations, just click on the Eraser and click on Erase All. The annotations will be gone but you'll be free to annotate again on the slide or annotate on any other slides in your presentation.

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - SEPTEMBER 2023

 Just in time for BACK TO SCHOOL, now you can ANNOTATE in GOOGLE SLIDES!

GMAIL - Confidential Mode

GMAIL has a CONFIDENTIAL MODE for emailing sensitive information.

If you have to email sensitive information, using Confidential Mode in Gmail is a great option. The recipient will not be able to forward, copy, print, or download the email that you send. The printer icon does appear in the received email but when they click on it, the recipient will get a message that the email can't be printed. You can also set an expiration date so that the email will no longer be available to the recipient after the expiration date. Also, if a sender deletes a Confidential email, the recipient will no longer have access to it. For even more protection, you can require a passcode. If you require a passcode, you (the sender) will need to provide a cell phone number for the recipient. When you click on Send, you will see a window asking you to enter the recipient's cell phone number. When the recipient receives the Confidential email, they will see a message that says a code will be sent to their cell phone. They will have to enter the code before they can open and read the email.

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - AUGUST 2023

 Sending an email in CONFIDENTIAL MODE is as EASY AS ABC with GMAIL!

GOOGLE DOCS - Insert A Timer

 This is amazing! Let's celebrate! You can INSERT A TIMER in GOOGLE DOCS now!

One of the newest Smart Chips options is being able to insert a timer in a Google Doc. This can be done by typing the @ symbol and selecting Timer in the list under Smart Chips or by clicking on Insert > Smart Chips > Timer. Inserting a timer is an awesome feature and can be used so many ways. It's really easy to start, stop, and reset the timer so it can be used over and over. I really like being able to format the timer with a different font, font size, and font color. You can even use a highlight color. All of these things can make your timer really stand out. If you want to use any formatting, you just have to set your formatting first before you type the @ symbol or click on Insert > Smart Chips > Timer. Then, when you insert your timer, it will have the formatting that you chose.

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - JULY 2023

 You can INSERT A TIMER in GOOGLE DOCS now and it will make you want to CELEBRATE!🧨

GOOGLE SLIDES - Publish to the Web

 Make your GOOGLE SLIDES presentation visible to anyone with PUBLISH TO THE WEB!

Publish to the Web is in a new location. It used to have its own spot on the main File menu but now it's hiding under Share. Technically, Publish to the Web is a way to share your Google Slides presentation, so it makes sense that it's under Share. People who have used Publish to the Web before might have trouble finding it but it has definitely not gone away. It's such a great tool for making your slide presentation visible to anyone on the internet. Also, if you update your slides presentation after you've published it, the presentation will automatically be updated and you won't have to post a new link or get a new embed code. Look for Publish to the Web in its new location and try it out!

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - JUNE 2023

 It's NO SWEAT to PUBLISH TO THE WEB in GOOGLE SLIDES and make your presentation visible to anyone!

GOOGLE SHEETS - Conditional Formatting

 You have so many options when you use CONDITIONAL FORMATTING in GOOGLE SHEETS! Here is an example.

Conditional Formatting is a great tool in Google Sheets and has so many uses. This example was to find specific text and format it with a color. In addition to other options for finding text, you can also find empty cells, dates, and numbers that are greater than, equal to, or less than a specific amount. You can even use a custom formula. There are lots of options for the formatting, too. You can choose to bold, italicize, underline, or strikethrough cell contents. In addition to choosing a cell color, you can also choose a font color. The example showed the single color option but there is also a color scale option, where you can choose 3 different colors. There are so many possibilities when using Conditional Formatting!

TECH TREAT of the MONTH - MAY 2023

 Everything really is coming up ROSES when you use CONDITIONAL FORMATTING in GOOGLE SHEETS!