Google alerts

Posted on December 30, 2020 by admin

Google describes Google Alerts as a “content detection and notification” service. Think of it as a search service that does searches on a scheduled basis and sends you the top results that have changed since the last search. I would describe it as an RSS system based on the entire web and not sites that you specify. It is a great way to follow topics over time.

Google alerts (https://www.google.com/alerts) works like this. From the Google address (provided to the left), you enter a term you want to follow and then set parameters using the pencil icon associated with that term. You can see I have multiple alerts working.

The settings provided by selecting the pencil icon will bring up a sample listing that will be provided. You can use this sample to make adjustments to your settings. My demo search was for Minecraft

At the interval you specify, the content found will be sent to the email address you provide. You will need a Google account.

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Bad passwords

Posted on December 28, 2020 by admin

I had a bad habit when it came to passwords. It was not that the password I used would have been easy to guess, but I used the same password on many sites and sooner or later some company would have a breach. Those looking to breach accounts would be most likely to then try these passwords on common sites to see if they would work.

We have been using LastPass now for months and all of my main accounts have been shifted to unique and strong passwords. I still do use a common password when I investigate sites requiring that I create an account because there is a bit of a hassle when creating a new password in LastPass, but I do fix this if I decide to stick with a service.

I listen to the EdTech Situation Room and they described a service allowing you to determine if a password was among those the service had been able to find on the dark web. The service is called PWNED Password. I tried a couple of my old passwords and did find that one of them was available to others somewhere.

I have tried to investigate this site as you have to enter a password to determine if it appears somewhere else, but I don’t know how else you would go about providing this service. The service does not ask about services associated with the passwords and all of the info I can find suggest it is a useful service.

BTW – just because the system does not already have a password in a database does not mean that it is not out there somewhere.

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EdPuzzle

Posted on December 28, 2020 by admin

This is an updated version of a post from 2019. I thought it relevant for educators still faced with teaching online when the new year begins. EdPuzzle allows the addition of elements to existing videos.

I haven’t written about layering tools for some time. I have spent time generating tutorials for multiple layering tools and explaining multiple ways in which layering tools can be used to design educational experiences by building on existing online content. What I have not done is to offer examples from K12 classrooms. In retirement, I no longer work directly with many educators.

I noticed in reviewing the video I created in 2019 that EdPuzzle looks a bit different now. When using the service as a Chrome extension, you first open the video and then activate the EdPuzzle extension from the browser menu bar. The options for question (open-ended, multiple-choice, and comment) I describe in the video appearing above now look like this. So, you play the video to reach the point at which you want to add one of the question options and then select the desired option. Note – the image that appears below is a screen capture so the play icon is not active.

I came across this classroom example provided by Wesley Fryer. He describes lessons he has developed using EdPuzzle to improve elementary students’ use of Gmail. His lessons take advantage of EdPuzzle to add quiz items to instructional videos.

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Photopea

Posted on December 28, 2020 by admin

I have had to recently change the software I use to rework images I screen capture or take with a phone or camera. I used Adobe Elements, but the last OS upgrade to my Mac would have required that I purchased a new version. I ended up with PixelmatorPro for $40 instead (on sale today for $20). My requirements are not sophisticated so paying for Elements or Photoshop did not make much sense. Mostly I have to resize image or crop images and occasionally attempt to improve a photo that was under or overexposed, but I seldom work with layers or filters even when such capabilities are available in software such as Pixelmator.

Finding something I could use on my Chromebook required I explore some options I could run within a browser. Based on reviews I read, I ended up using the ad supported version of Photopea. The features seem very similar to Pixelmator and again provides far more capabilities than I need.

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Are the kids alright?

Posted on December 26, 2020 by admin

This a recommendation for a specific episode of a podcast from “Your undivided attention”. Are the kids alright? explores the connection between adolescent depression and social media use within the broader context of digital activity. The discussants reach a conclusion on the topic and recommend a school-based activity in response that is more an effort to describe an experiment that would provide some answers.

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Diigo Tagrolls

Posted on December 26, 2020 by admin

I collect online resources using Diigo. This is one of those online services that keeps adding capabilities that I tend to ignore. I have long been interested in social bookmarking services as a way to both offer the resources I am collecting (public) and explore what others I follow have collected. I don’t think many others do this and perhaps it was a capability that most have abandoned if they ever used it at all. As is often the case, there are unique capabilities that end up being lost to Internet time.

Aside from visiting the public version of a site (mine), it turns out you can share your Diigo tagrolls and linkrolls. Here is my tagroll.

diigo My Diigo Tags

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