New and Notable Microsoft Forms Features

Mike Tholfsen is my go-to person for all things Microsoft Edu. This week he released a new video highlighting nine new features in Microsoft Forms for 2023. A couple of the updates are what I would call mostly cosmetic. The rest of the updates are definitely worth noting and trying if you haven't already given them a try. 

The new Microsoft Forms features that I'm excited to try include the option to add images to multiple choice answer choices, instant polling in Teams, and using images in polls in Teams. There's also a new option for adding background music to a Form. I think that's neat, but I'm not sure I'd use it in my classroom. Watch Mike's new video to learn all about the nine new features in Microsoft Forms for 2023. 

27 Google Drive Tips and Tricks

I'm in the process of organizing my YouTube channel to be more than just two big playlists of Practical Ed Tech Tips and Google Tutorials. To that end, this morning I went through my channel and put my current and relevant Google Drive tutorials into one playlist. 

My new Google Drive tutorials playlist contains twenty-seven videos covering everything from the basics of getting started with Google Drive to creating QR codes for your files and a whole bunch of other ways to get the most out of Google Drive. Some highlights of the playlist are included below. 

Getting Started With Google Drive - Settings and Uploads



How to Use Google Drive to Comment on Videos



How to Create QR Codes for Audio Files in Google Drive



How to Set Expiration Dates for Google Drive Folders and Files

Why You Should Clean Your Phone

When was the last time you looked at your phone? According to my site analytics there's at least a 55% chance that the answer to that question is "right now." But when was the last time you looked at all the stuff that's on your phone? How many files do have you that downloaded (knowingly or unknowingly) that you needed to look at just once? What about that app you thought you'd use all the time that you haven't used in months or years? The point is, we all have things cluttering up our phones that we don't need.

Three Benefits of Cleaning Up Your Phone

• It could run better without all of those little files that don't need to be on it. Cumulatively, they could be hogging up a bunch of space on your phone.
  
• Removes security risks. If you have some apps on your phone that you haven't used in a long time, there's good chance that you've forgotten what kinds of permissions you've granted it. And if it's an app from a small developer, it might not even be supported anymore which means they're not paying attention to permissions and security either.
  
• Preserve your battery by removing apps that you don't use that might be running in the background and eating away at your battery.

On a related note, last week I reminded you to do an audit of the add-ons you've installed in Google Forms, Docs, Slides, and Sheets. The reasons for doing that are similar to cleaning up your phone. Here's my video on how to remove add-ons from Google Forms. 

Gray Whale Migration and More Felt Mapping Ideas

Felt is a multimedia mapping tool that I started using late last year. It has quickly become one of my preferred tools for creating multimedia maps. In fact, at this point I think I like more than Google's My Maps. The aesthetics of Felt are great and it has a great selection of easy-to-use features. Those features include the ability to upload and overlay just images, easily draw paths and routes, and add text directly on your maps. All three of those things were used in the creation of a map titled Most Gray Whales are Capricorns. 

Most Gray Whales are Capricorns is a map created by a Felt user who goes by RJ. The map depicts the annual migration of gray whales from the coast of Alaska to the coast of Baja California. The creator of the map added some fun elements to it by making some comparisons to the travel of gray whales in December to the travel of Santa's reindeer in December. The creator of the map also included some links to additional information for readers. 

Applications for Education
A map like Most Gray Whales are Capricorns is a nice example of what students can make with Felt. Felt has more ideas for educators right here and has an active Slack group for educators.

Video - Felt Offers a Great Way to Create Custom Maps



Video - Two Cool Mapping Tools on Felt.com

Dozens of PowerPoint Tips & Tricks

On Saturday I shared my playlist of Google Slides tutorials. This morning I have a PowerPoint tips playlist to share with you. Over the years I haven't made nearly as many PowerPoint tutorial videos as I have Google Slides tutorial videos. That said, my PowerPoint tips playlist still includes more than two dozen tutorials. 

Some of the highlights from the playlist are featured below. 

Create a storyboard template in PowerPoint



How to Remove Image Backgrounds in PowerPoint



How to Add a Timer to Your PowerPoint Slides



How to Enable Automatic Captioning of PowerPoint Presentations



How to Add & Edit Alt Text in PowerPoint Presentations