Mentions in Google Docs

It is always awesome stumbling upon a feature that instantly enhances your workflow, regardless of what medium it is in. Maybe you found a new way to get that last little bit of toothpaste out of the tube or overheard someone talking about a new app that is *exactly* what you're looking for.

In this case, adding mentions in Google Docs is that awesome feature: It calls attention to the user and sends an email informing them of the comment. It is useful for shared Docs between large groups or two users. 

To create a mention, simply add a comment to a doc by clicking on the Comment icon in the Docs toolbar.

Before you add your comment, type the plus key and enter the recipients Bay Path email address. In the example below, I used +vchavis to ensure the comment mentioned Val.

An email is automatically generated from the commentator (you) to the recipient. Clicking on the top link (in this case, EXT099 Course Redesign - November 2015) will take the user directly to the comment in question.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to let me know!

The Writing On The Wall

Reply All is a show about the internet. They have stories about people who buy up URLs and make payments in a very public forum, but this is not one of those stories.

The description of this show from their site: "Yik Yak is an app that allows users to communicate anonymously with anyone within a 10-mile radius. At Colgate University in upstate New York, the anonymity brought out a particularly vicious strain of racism that shook the school."

I recommend everyone take the time minutes to listen to it. Pretty powerful stuff that can start some great conversations here at BPU.

Creating Digital Books

Want to create a textbook for your students? Looking for an alternative way to present information? With this week's release of the Kindle Textbook Creator as a jumping off point, here are a few links to get you started on creating books for mobile devices.


For Kindle:

https://kdp.amazon.com/edu

For iOS and Android:

http://www.redjumper.net/bookcreator/

For OS X and iOS:

http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author

Stick Around. For Free.

I stumbled across a free iOS app that I'd like to share with everyone: Stick Around.

"Unlike most learning game apps, Stick Around is open-ended; it isn't limited to the content it comes with. Stick Around is all about empowering teachers and students to make puzzles with their own information, images, and drawings. Stick Around can be used over and over again for just about any topic or grade level. "
(http://learninginhand.com/blog/2014/12/14/make-learning-stick-around-infographic)

It looks like an app that has way more potential that a cursory view gives away - Download it now and give it a try. It appears to be deeply integrated with Explain Everything, so depending on the use of that in your course, some really neat stuff could be created!

Note: It is only available for free December 15 and 16.