Six Resume Tools for Teens

One of the important skills that students need to have prior to graduating from high school is the ability to create a resume. Ideally, they will create a resume in high school and continue to update it beyond graduation. Creating a resume from scratch can be overwhelming, but these resources will help students understand what elements need to be included.

• Career Kids- This site does not require an account. Students simply input their information, and click a few boxes to generate a resume. The resume that is created is basic, but this site is very easy to use. 
• Google Docs resume templates- This is an easy and straightforward way to create a resume directly inside of Google Drive. Just select one of the resume templates to get started.
  
• Resume Generator- Designed to be used by high school students. It contains written and audio tips to help students through the process.
  
• MyFuture Resume Builder- In addition to a resume builder, this site has examples of resumes, checklists, and articles and advice about careers.
  
• About.me- While this is not a traditional resume, it is a good place for students to create a positive digital footprint. This site does collect personal information and is not intended to be used by students who are younger than 13.
  
• VisualCV for Students- This site allows students to create a digital resume to share online. This site has lots of examples and ideas that students will find useful.

Applications for Education

Students can use these sites to create a solid resume. These sites can also be used to create fictitious resumes of characters from books or of historical figures.  

Experience Performing Arts in 360 Degrees

Performing Arts, part of the Google Cultural Institute, is a website that allows you to experience music, opera, theater, and dance in in 360 degree images and videos. Imagine being able to listen to the Philadelphia Orchestra perform at Carnegie Hall or step on the stage at the Royal Shakespeare Company and listen to an actor deliver a powerful monologue. This incredible website includes behind the scenes tours, videos, stories of dozens of performances.

Applications for Education
Performing Arts allows students to experience world class music, acting, and dance performances regardless of where they live in the world. Teachers could use this site to introduce students to a specific performance or they could allow students to explore on their own.

Five Gmail Extensions to Increase Productivity

Gmail is a robust tool on its own, but it's even more more powerful when used with extensions. These extensions will allow you to up your Gmail game and possibly even save some time!

• Boomerang for Gmail- Write an email now and schedule it to be sent at a later time. You can also use this extension to to remind you to follow up within a specific time frame and schedule emails to return to your inbox when you are ready to read them.
• Sortd-  Turn your inbox into a flexible set of lists that allow you to drag and drop your messages into lists. It is a great way to handle emails that you aren't quite sure what to do with.
• Gmail Notes- Add digital sticky notes on your emails to help you remember something. You can keep the notes for yourself or email them to someone else.
• Email Templates for Gmail- Choose from a gallery of email templates for business, personal use, or just for fun. Create announcements, invitations, and newsletters.
• WiseStamp- Create a custom stamp to add to your email signature that includes your social media profiles, blog, and company logo. 

How to Avoid a Common Google Calendar Mistake

Google Calendar has many fantastic features for keeping track of appointments, to-do lists, and for scheduling meetings. Using the event invitation feature is Google Calendar is a great way to schedule meetings and phone calls. However, there is one element of Google Calendar invitations that can cause some confusion. That is the automatic addition of Google Hangout links to your invitations. If you don't intend to use Hangouts, having that link included in your invitation can be confusing to the recipient. In the video embedded below I demonstrate how to avoid this confusion by removing the Google Hangout link from Calendar invitations.


Learn more about Google Calendar and all of its features in my online course, Getting Going With G Suite.

What Parents Like About Digital Portfolios

Last week I had the opportunity to talk with the founder of SeeSaw, Carl Sjogreen, about digital portfolios. In our conversation, recorded in the video below, we talk about what parents like about digital portfolios, what to include in a portfolio, and the differences between a blog and a portfolio.


Disclosure: SeeSaw is an advertiser on FreeTech4Teachers.com