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“A deep and abiding sense of courage is a quality that separates good leaders from great ones. Research shows that professionals who demonstrate courage in the workplace not only perform better, but influence their peers to act with bravery and drive organizational success” (Gavin, 2020).

What does it mean to be a courageous leader?  If you ask 20 different people, you may get 20 different answers.  I believe there are 3 overarching topics or themes that would continue to surface over and over no matter who you asked:  lead by example and with passion, take risks, and delegate to your staff.  Let’s dive in a little deeper. 

Tip #1: Lead by Example and With Passion!

Being a courageous leader implores you to lead by example. Why would anyone on your team follow your lead if you, as their leader, aren’t leading by example? Recently, I was watching “The Last Dance,” the Michael Jordan documentary and he spoke about his leadership style as the leader of the team.  One thing that he stated that stuck with me was that he would never ask anyone on his team to do anything that he wouldn’t be willing to do. I think we can all agree that he was also very passionate about not only the game of basketball, but about his growth and leadership as a member of the team. He was respected by his coaches and team as a result of this.  

“Passionate leaders are fully engaged and committed to achieving their goals while helping others achieve theirs” (Ray, 2019).  Isn’t that what we want as leaders?  To be fully engaged and committed and help others to do the same along the way?  As educators, we thrive when we are around fellow passionate educators and leaders.  It pushes us to live in our purpose and walk in our greatness.  When you lead by example and with passion, you’ll see that your staff begins to do the same!

Leadership Expert, Michelle Ray, shares 12 traits that separate passionate leaders from regular leaders and they are too good not to share with you!

1. Passionate leaders rise above naysayers.
2. Passionate leaders have a profound understanding of people. 
3. Passionate leaders are outstanding communicators.
4. Passionate leaders have clarity of vision. 
5. Passionate leaders see opportunity in adversity. 
6. Passionate leaders are fueled by positive energy. 
7. Passionate leaders have compassion. 
8. Passionate leaders are resourceful. 
9. Passionate leaders anticipate rather than react.
10. Passionate leaders take action. 
11. Passionate leaders are lifelong learners. 
12. Passionate leaders believe in themselves. 

Imagine that these 12 traits served as a passionate leader evaluation.  Where would you grade yourself on leading with passion?  Take a few minutes to reflect.

Tip #2: Take Risks!

If you, as the leader of your school, are open to taking risks and trying new things, your staff members will feel more comfortable to do the same.  The leader of that building has to be the one to foster that risk taking spirit!  Can you imagine standing in front of your staff and declaring a dream so big that they all stare back at you with wide eyes thinking, “Is he/she crazy?”  What if that dream included having your staff foster a relationship with every single student in your school?  Or putting together a plan that would create a community around your school so strong that your students actually wanted to come to school?  How about a dream that involved each member of your staff feeling so confident, that they too, took risks, and in doing so felt 100% supported by you and their colleagues enabling them to live and work at their highest potential?

Your attitude and the environment of risk taking that you create is what will make the difference for your staff to feel free to do the same.

As the leader of your building, you are in a unique situation to pour into your staff.  To see bigger dreams for them than they can see for themselves.  I think back to August of 2004 when I interviewed for my first teaching position.  My hiring principal sat across her desk from me during that interview and said, “I see something in you.  You’re going to make me proud.  I’m going to take a chance on you and you’re going to be my star baby.”  I remember it just like it was yesterday.  Had she not taken a risk on me, a non-certified person with a passion to become an educator, I wouldn’t be where I am today.  I am forever grateful to her for seeing more in me than I could ever have dreamed possible for myself!

Tip #3: Delegate to Your Staff!

Courageous leaders delegate to their staff.  By doing so, you show that you trust your staff to execute your vision and sometimes even take chances and risks by being innovative with the tasks that you’ve delegated to them.  Delegating to your staff will develop and build leaders.  These leaders become more invested in the mission and vision of your school and will begin to lead with passion and take risks, both within their classrooms and with their peers.  This also encourages team building and cooperation. This ultimately helps to build your school’s culture.  

Of course, when you delegate to your staff there are some things that you should think about.  Here are a few to consider:

• Delegate to the right people.  Lean on the strengths of your staff.
• Make your expectations of the tasks that you are delegating clear.  Give them the opportunity and comfort to ask any and all clarifying questions that they need to give you the result that you’re looking for.
• Make sure that you have provided those that you are delegating to, everything that they need to be successful at the task.

Being a courageous leader will require you to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.  The things that you try are not always going to turn out right the first time.  Your staff may even question why you are doing the things that you’re doing.  By leading with passion, taking risks, and delegating to your staff, you are creating a staff full of leaders that will push you to do more and dream bigger!

Dr. Natasha Rachell, a passionate educator, is an alternatively certified high school science teacher turned edtech enthusiast! Currently, Natasha is a Digital Learning Specialist for Atlanta Public Schools.  Natasha has immersed herself into the instructional technology space and has earned several certifications, awards and accomplishments, some of which include:  Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Google Certified Innovator (MentorMeEdu) and Trainer, Apple Teacher, Surface Master Trainer, and Flipgrid Ambassador.  She has a Bachelors in Biology Pre-Med, a Masters in Education Administration, a Specialists in Curriculum and Instruction and is finishing her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Effective Schools.   Natasha was selected to take part in the first cohort of Our Voice Academy through EdTechTeam, a group of minority educational technology leaders from across the nation.  Natasha has presented at both the local and national level.  She is ecstatic to lead the work as we transition into 21st century classrooms through blended learning opportunities, BYOD, professional learning for instructional technology and digitally connected classrooms.  You can learn more about Natasha by following her on Twitter @apsitnatasha, on Instagram @natashabrachell or by visiting her website at www.natasharachell.com.

One of my absolute favorite things about watching others teach is to see different ways things can be done. I love learning big ideas from others, but I swear, often times my biggest ah-ha moments are when I watch someone else use a hack to save time. I love hacks. I hoard hacks. They save time and make my life easier, so I use them whenever I can.

And the more I talk with other educators, they’re in the same boat: time is precious. Mental bandwidth is hard to come by. We all need to do anything we can to make our lives easier. So, I want to share the wealth. I have chosen 7 of my favorite simple, yet powerful Google hacks to share with you to save you time and make your life easier. Be sure to get to the end for a bonus hack! I may have saved one of my favorites for last.

Hack #1: Reopen Closed Tab

Speaking of learning from others, have you ever worked so hard to get to a certain webpage (go to this site, click here, scroll, hover, then click…), only to accidentally hit that pesky “x” on the right of the Chrome tab and lose it all? It can be so frustrating! But oh so easily fixed. Enter “Reopen Closed Tab.”

I’m starting with this hack since it is always a favorite in my sessions, and this Chrome option recently moved. So if you were already familiar, I want to be sure you don’t freak out, thinking it’s gone (like I did). 

All you need to do to quickly reopen any tab you’ve closed is to right-click on a blank space on your tab bar in Chrome (see screenshot).

 

 

 

 

 

Right-click, then click “Reopen Closed Tab” and voila! Chrome will open the most recently closed tab for you, in just two clicks. But wait, there’s more! This feature has a history to it, so if you go and right-click and click “Reopen Closed Tab” again, Chrome will open the second-to-last tab that has been closed…and so on. It keeps a history of your tabs. It’s a super handy feature and can save loads of time. I use it all the time!

Hack #2: Chrome History (on multiple devices!)

Speaking of Chrome history…this leads me to my next hack perfectly: Chrome History (and on multiple devices!). Let’s say you’re looking for a site you visited yesterday. Reopen closed tab isn’t efficient because you’ve been to countless tabs since yesterday. This is when you turn to Chrome history. Chrome History is located in the Chrome menu, found when you click on the 3 dots (or snowman, as some call it) in the upper-right corner of your window. See screenshot:

When you hover over History, a drop-down of about 8 of your most recent sites visited will appear. If you click on History, you’re taken to your complete Chrome History, where you can see all sites visited over time, organized by date. You can search your history, and my favorite, you can even see your History from other devices (where you’re logged into Chrome under the same account). See screenshot:

I use this feature ALL the time. Often times I’ll start reading or working on something on my phone, realize I need more space, so I head over to my computer or Chromebook. Accessing my phone History on my computer allows me to open the Chrome tab right away, without missing a beat. Try it. You won’t regret it.

Hack #3: Copy multiple files in Drive (my hack for new Google Sites templates!)

I find all sorts of reasons to quickly copy a Google Drive file, and as a teacher, even if you have access to Classroom, you may find yourself in a position where you need multiple copies of a particular file. Quickly. I find myself in this position with the new Google Sites quite a bit. You can’t “make a copy” of a new Google Site for each student in Google Classroom. Site Maestro and true templates are only for Classic Sites (at this point). So what are we to do? While it’s still not the most efficient process, making copies of multiple files in Drive can help save quite a bit of time.

Let me tell you more about what I mean. When you’re in Drive, if you right-click on a file, one of the options on that menu is to “Make a copy.” See screenshot for reference.

Well, this handy feature also pops up if you’ve selected multiple files at one time. In the screenshot below, you can see that I have 4 new Google Sites selected before right-clicking. Side note: you can select multiple files by holding down the Shift button when clicking.

When you click “Make a copy” with multiple files selected, Drive will make a copy of each site for you all at once. It takes a moment since Sites are larger files, but it’s still quicker than right-clicking and copying on each individual site! Here’s a screenshot to show you what my Drive looked like after I clicked “Make a copy” in the scenario above, with 4 sites selected:

If I were doing this for an entire class, I would then select all 8 sites that I now have, and copy those. Then I would have 16 sites…and so on. It doesn’t matter how many sites you’ve selected, you can create a copy of all of them in just two-clicks (and a little patience as Drive works hard to copy them as quickly as possible).

You can see that the names of the copied sites aren’t the prettiest, but don’t let that deter you. If you try this process even one time, I bet you’ll come up with a quick way to sort out the names of the sites. One idea is to have all of the Sites in a shared folder, and your students can go in and choose one to rename. Or, you could take a quick couple of minutes and rename each Site – up to you how you do it!

And remember, making copies of multiple files at once isn’t just limited to new Google Sites files. I have just found this feature super handy with the new Google Sites. I’d love to know ways you’ve used this feature with other files in Drive – please comment below!

Hack #4: Control to open in new tab

When I’m on a website, and I want to click a link to open a new page, oftentimes I want to keep my current page open. I want the link I click to open in a new tab. There are multiple ways to open a link in a new tab, but the way I find myself using the most – since it’s the quickest, is to hold the Control button (Command on a Mac) down when you click on a link. 

Holding the Control button down when you click a link tells Chrome to automatically open that link in a new tab. That way, you’ve preserved your original tab while still opening a new tab. Still with just one, single click. It seems small, but I bet once you start using this hack, you’ll find yourself using it all the time.

Hack #5: Control + Shift + V – Match destination formatting when pasting

When you paste copied text using the two most popular methods of pasting: either right-click or use Control +V (Command on a Mac), it can take 10+ clicks to get that text to match the formatting of its new destination. Think: 2 clicks for each – font, size, color, highlight, and then add in bold, italicize, underline…the list goes on. I think you’re getting the point. Clicks equal time, and nobody has time for all of that! 

This is why I am constantly using Ctrl + Shift + V to paste text. It automatically matches destination formatting without all of the extra clicks. It’s a massive time saver! Check out the GIF below to see what I mean. You obviously can’t see the keyboard in the GIF, but after I’ve selected the text in the original Doc (where it’s black), and copied it using Ctrl + C, I head over to the new Doc with purple, larger font, I just hold Ctrl+Shift+V to paste, and voila! The pasted text matches the formatting of the new destination.

Hack #6: Google Search Settings & Tools

Do you ever conduct a Google Search and hope the most recent articles will rise to the top? Or in Google images, do you spend a bunch of time looking into the copyright of each image you wish to use? Or most importantly, do you cross your fingers like crazy when you or your students are searching, hoping desperately that the district filter is working and nothing inappropriate pops up?

All of the scenarios above equal time, and in some cases, stress! If you’re unaware of what Google’s Search Settings and Tools can do for you, please do yourself a huge favor and read on. 

First off, where are Google Search Settings and Tools? They live just underneath the search bar. If you don’t see them, conduct your search, entering your term in the box, and then you’ll see search options pop up on the results page.

You’ll see that you can quickly filter your search down to just include images, Videos, News, etc. And each of those areas of Google have their own set of Tools. For this post, I’m going to talk about the Settings and Tools for your general Google Search, but please remember that there’s more Tools to find in Images, Videos, etc.! 

First off, let’s take a look at our general Google Search Tools. This is where you can specify the date of your results. I use this all of the time to find the most current information on a topic.

When you look at Tools when you’re in Google Images, that’s where you can search for images based on copyright. This was a game-changer for me!

Back to your general Google Search area…did your ears perk when I mentioned filtering inappropriate content earlier? If so, you’ll want to be sure to check out Google Search Settings. Under Settings, you’ll find the option to Turn on SafeSearch. 

If you manage accounts in your school, be sure to check out how to Lock SafeSearch for devices & networks you manage.

To be honest, this hack is actually a boatload of hacks all wrapped up into one. Hopefully, now that you’re aware of the Settings and Tools areas in Search, you’ll be inclined to click around and find out what other awesome time-saving options are there for you!

Hack #7: Force Copy Link

Have you ever had a Google file that colleagues and/or students frequently copy? If so, how many “Request for access” emails have you received? If we were together in person right now, I feel like so many of you would be giving me a confirming head-nod. For some reason, it can be very difficult for people to figure out how to make a copy of a Google file, whether it be a Doc, Slideshow, Sheet, Drawing, and so on. 

The hack I’m about to show you has saved me and my colleagues countless clicks and confusion, and it’s saved my email inbox from unnecessary “Request for access” emails.

This hack is all in the web address for your Google file. All Google file links end in either /edit or /view – it’s okay if there are letters or numbers after. 

The simple version of this hack is to just delete the word “edit” or “view” and all of the text after, and then put the word “copy” in its place:

And when people visit this link, the one that ends in “copy,” they will see this:

All they have to do is click “Make a copy,” and they’re all set! Super easy.

Sometimes people appreciate being able to preview the file they’re copying. If that’s the case, you can create a template link that allows users to do just that. Instead of replacing the end of the link with “copy,” you’ll use “template/preview.” When you use this link, you’ll see a preview of the file with a “Use Template” option in the upper-right corner. Again, super easy and direct for people looking to make copies of Google files!

Your inbox and students/colleagues will appreciate if you use this hack to simplify the copying process!

BONUS HACK: Backwards search in Explore for citation

This is something I discovered, sort of in desperation. I was up against a deadline, and I had finished all of my writing and research, but I needed to properly cite a few of my sources. If you’re like me, while you adore the Explore tool in Docs, sometimes you find yourself conducting your research in a new tab in Chrome, away from the Explore tool completely.

Since I had used websites outside the Explore tool, I couldn’t create a citation in just one click – probably my favorite feature of Explore. (If you’re unaware of this hack, click here to learn more. It’s amazing.) And the websites I had used for my research were not coming up in the Explore tool, no matter how I worded my search. This is when I got creative.

I went to the tab that had the site I referenced. I copied the web address for that site, then I went back to my research Doc, and I pasted the web address into the Explore tool search box and hit Enter. Alas, the first result was in fact the site I had used! I then hovered over the result to find my beloved quotation button that allowed me to cite my source in one easy click.

I created a quick GIF to try to show you what I mean. 

You’d be surprised how often I use this hack. I absolutely love it.

Okay, I am going to stop myself now! As you can probably tell, I love hacks. I couldn’t even narrow it down to 7. I had to sneak a bonus in there. What hack will you try first? And what hacks do you have to share? Please comment below!

Looking for free distance learning resources? Check out our Distance Learning Resource Hub for free webinars, online courses, guides and more!

 

Katie Christie is a Google Certified Educator, Innovator, Trainer, and past LearnZillion DreamTeam member. She currently works with the EdTechTeam as a Spotlight Speaker, Online Lead, Keynote, and Blogger. In 2015, she worked as a partner with Google to help rewrite the Google Certification Training Center content. Katie most recently worked as the Technology Integration Specialist at Runyon Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado. She has nine years of experience in the classroom. She spent her first 4 years of teaching in Shaker Heights City Schools in Ohio, a district known for its academic excellence and cultural diversity. Then she had the incredible experience of teaching and learning in a 1:1 Linux-based netbook 5th grade classroom in Littleton, Colorado for 4 years where Google Apps for Education was integrated seamlessly into the curriculum. Katie has been a Lead Learner for the Google Teacher Academy (now known as the Google Innovator Academy) numerous times and helped with the selection process for each Academy. Katie enjoys sharing her passion for effective technology integration in the classroom by networking with other educators, whether the connection happens online or face-to-face.

EdTechTeam partner Screencast-O-Matic recently released an intuitive Android screen recorder app. The Android screen recorder adds to the company’s multi-device suite of video creation tools making it easy for teachers and students to create videos using Screencast-O-Matic on Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS, iOS and Android devices.

The new release means more opportunities for your students to get hands-on experience with video in the classroom and endless opportunities for students to express their creativity, as well as exercise student voice in the way they demonstrate their learning.

The new Android screen recorder allows students to record their mobile screen with options to add audio narration and Facecam. There are numerous ways students and teachers can use this app in the classroom and here are a few of our favorite ways: 

•     Create video tutorials – Students can create their own video tutorials and then share them easily.
•     Showcase student portfolios – Have students record projects using editing tools such as speed and rotation.
•      Quickly create recordings on the go – Publish video updates while outside of the classroom and use the crop tool to resize and share videos.
•     Easily give meaningful feedback – Connect with students quickly and utilize options for communication, including overlaying Facecam comments on student recordings.

Once the app is installed, students can easily begin recording their mobile screens. Students have the ability to trim their videos, change the playback speed and rotation, crop for easy sharing on social sites, and overlay a Facecam.  There is a Premier Plan option, which allows students and teachers to automatically transfer recordings and other imported videos to the Windows or Mac desktop video editor. This is a great option if students create a project on their phone and need to transfer for a presentation. Recordings can also be mixed with other content and edited to create engaging videos.

With the Android release, Screencast-O-Matic is fulfilling its mission to make video creation available to all students and teachers regardless of platform. The company has helped millions of users worldwide share and collaborate ideas and messages in education. Learn more about these features over on the Screencast-O-Matic blog.

Guest post by Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is a screen capture and video editing platform that takes visual collaboration to the next level. It allows individuals, educational institutions and companies to create video solutions for learning and sharing information. To explore team plans for education, visit https://screencast-o-matic.com/education.