An Overview of the New Google Images Search Options

Earlier this week Google updated and simplified the way in which you can find Creative Common licensed images through Google Images. I wrote an overview of those changes yesterday.

I made this short video to bring a bit more clarity to the new way in which you can find Creative Commons and public domain images through Google Images.


A few years ago Dr. Beth Holland and I hosted a free webinar all about copyright as it pertains to students and teachers. If you're not sure how copyright applies to your classroom, take a look at the recording of the webinar that Beth and I hosted.

How to Change Your Google Account Profile Picture

One of the ways that I can mark the start of the new school year is by the types of questions that get in my inbox. Like I do every year, this fall I've gotten a bunch of questions about customizing personal settings in G Suite. That includes how to change your profile picture. I made a video about this a few years ago, but Google has changed the user interface in G Suite a bit since then. That's why I made this new video to demonstrate how to change your Google account profile picture. Take a look.

Short Lessons on the History of Labor Day

This coming Monday is Labor Day in the U.S. For most of us it is a three day weekend. It is the traditional "end of summer" in the minds of many of us. If you're planning to answer questions about Labor Day or teach any lessons about it, here are some short videos to add to your list of resources.

Why Do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day? is a TED-Ed Lesson about the origins of Labor Day. In addition to learning about the origin of Labor Day students can learn a bit about changes in labor regulations over time.


History of the Holidays is a series of videos from History. Each installment explains a different holiday. The Labor Day video is embedded below.


PBS Kids offers a short animated overview of the history of Labor Day. It's not nearly as detailed as the two videos I've listed above, but it's probably adequate for elementary school kids.


For more resources for teaching about Labor Day, take a look at this list compiled by Larry Ferlazzo.

Google Updates and Simplifies Finding Creative Commons Licensed Images

When looking for public domain and Creative Commons licensed images to use in multimedia projects I generally recommend going to sites like Unsplash, Pixabay, and Photos for Class instead of Google Images (my full list of recommendations is available here). The reason for that recommendation is that in the past Google Images hasn't been terribly clear about image licensing even when the "labeled for re-use" filter has been applied to image search results. Fortunately, Google is taking some steps to change that.

Google has simplified the "usage rights" menu in Google Image search results. The menu now has just three options. Those options are "all," "Creative Commons licenses," and "Commercial & other licenses." For most classroom projects you'll want your students to use the "Creative Commons license" option.

The other significant update to Google Image search results appears when you select an image from the search results. Now when you select an image you will see an option to get license details and a clearer link to the image source. Clicking on the "license details" link will take you a page on CreativeCommons.org where you'll be able to find more information about how you can or cannot use the image.

Applications for Education
Whenever it is possible it is best to use your own pictures in your slideshows, videos, and other multimedia projects. By doing that you know that you haven't accidentally infringed on anyone's copyright. That's why this blog post has a seemingly random picture of a leaf I took yesterday. It's not always possible to use your own pictures. That's when we'll turn to the Internet to find a picture that is in the public domain or has a Creative Commons license.

How to Use Flipgrid With Students Who Don't Have Email Addresses

Last week I shared a tutorial on how to get started using Flipgrid. That tutorial included the perspective of a teacher and a student. The student perspective that I showed featured a student who has an active email address. It's important to note that you can use Flipgrid with students who don't have active email addresses. That's exactly what I demonstrate in this new video.


Applications for Education
Having students record short videos in Flipgrid can be a good way to have them virtually introduce themselves to their new classmates. For more Flipgrid activity ideas, take a look at this list.