Create a FREE "Linktree"-Style Landing Page Using Google Slides!

I’ve noticed that several accounts I follow on Instagram use tools like Linktr.ee to create these mobile-friendly landing pages with links to other relevant personal sites, shops, social media profiles, and YouTube channels. Linktree solves the problem of having limited hyperlinks in a bio by having one link that takes a viewer to any/all other relevant links.

So, I was thinking about making a Linktree account of my own, and started researching what’s out there. Most of these tools are “freemium,” which means that you can use the service with limited functionality for free, but if you want to use certain features (like advanced customization and removing branding) you’ll have to pay. Monthly. If it was a one-time thing, I may have actually considered it, but I already have too many monthly subscriptions, with services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, Paramount +, WOW Network, HBO Max, and Google storage plans... Oof. 

I devised a way to create an incredibly similar type of page - fully customizable - but without some of the fancy analytics and tracking, which I honestly don’t need, using Google Slides! Here’s how I made it happen:

First, I opened a new Google Slides file, and set the “Page Setup” size to 9”x16” - this creates a vertical slide that is good for viewing on most mobile devices. 

I found an image that I liked to set as a background. You can use a number of free stock photo websites for this, like Pixabay, Unsplash, or Pexels. You can also use a tool like Canva to create an interesting background graphic or pattern yourself and then download it. 

Then, I used Flaticon (You can also use a site like the Noun Project) to find some social media icons that I can link out to my associated social media channels. 

I also inserted a profile pic and my name (I like to use “Insert-Word Art” to do this because I have greater control over the size and placement.)

I then used the “Insert Shape” tool and chose a rounded rectangle shape and filled it with a color that complimented my design. If you’re having trouble choosing colors, or want suggestions, try a site like Coolors to find some great color palette suggestions. 

The trick to getting your linked buttons all even and symmetrical is to create ONE button just how you like it, then copy/paste it to create additional buttons the same size. If you select all of your shapes at once, you can line them up perfectly by using “Arrange - Align - Center” command. “Arrange - Distribute - Vertically” will take your shapes and spread them out evenly with the same spacing! Try it out, it’s amazing! You can have as many or as few buttons as you want because it's YOUR custom page!

If you haven’t already, double-click on the button shapes to add text, indicating where the button will link out to. I have a number of different websites, so I had one that went to my professional development site, and one that went to the book I illustrated, among other things. Then, link the shapes to the corresponding sites. 

At the very bottom of my page, I added attribution for my icons via Flaticon. Be sure to do that if you use those sites! 

NOW… You will PUBLISH your slide to the web by going to “File - Publish to the Web” and click the yellow “Publish” button. I don't even mess with any of the other settings. Just copy the published URL!

Go to a URL shortener (I use bit.ly) and paste your URL to create a shortened/custom address. I chose bit.ly/LebanLinks for mine!

Your bit.ly URL can now be used in your bios on websites like Instagram and Twitter, so that if someone checks your bio, they’ll now have access to ALL of your relevant links! Be sure to test all of your links out first before sharing it with the world.

I’m so proud of my custom landing page! It cost me ZERO dollars to make, no recurring subscription fees, and it’s 100% my own custom design. And because it was made with Google Slides, I can go back in and change/update it at any time and it automatically syncs - no editing of links in bio necessary. #Winning! 

- Jen

Digital Business Cards and Visual Resumes

Hey all, long time no see. Like many of you, I've been really overwhelmed with... everything. We don't need to go into it. But I'm finally feeling a little more inspired lately to create new things and have more fun. Well, slowly but surely. It comes and goes in waves. I think you know the feeling. 

In any case, I'd like to share something fun I've been working on, inspired by a mini-assignment in my Google Certified Coach cohort through the Illinois Digital Educators Alliance (aka IDEA). We were tasked with creating a Google Slide to introduce ourselves, and it dawned on me how useful this could be for things like Twitter chats or email signatures as a sort of digital version of your business card... I mean, it's not like I've been giving away too many of my paper ones lately... !!!

This is pretty simple and fun to do... just lay out your design on a Google Slide by inserting a pic (or Bitmoji), your contact info/social links, any pertinent badges, logos, or professional affiliations... and then File -> download as -> your preferred image file type! 

PRO TIP: I like to use Insert -> Word Art for my name, as it gives me greater control over the color, outline, and sizing. 

Now, if you really wanna level up your game, you could save this slide as a .pdf so that any/all links are functional - making your digital business card a landing page out to all of your other related work and contact channels! My friend Beth did this on hers and it was pretty dang impressive. 

Yet ANOTHER option would be to add and save your final digital business card as a .gif! Then you could add a fun animation or other attention-grabbing element to your design. 

So, this assignment got me thinking about other opportunities to represent yourself visually... I decided to try out something similar with my Twitter banner/header. My goal was to create a visual resume of sorts, highlighting the things I would typically include in a written resume:

(Haha I just realized that at the time, I was only ONE person away from 6000! Help me out, y'all!) 

I was thinking, if someone had no idea who I was, and they were to click on my profile, what would my profile say about me? Twitter bios are quite limiting in size, so how could I get a whole bunch of info out there quickly? Using my iPad and my favorite app, Procreate, I created this collage of images:

You could create something just like this using free tools, like Google Slides/Draw, too!

My previous banner was our group photo from the Google Innovator cohort, so it was important to me to keep that as a prominent item, but I wanted to add information about being a presenter and PD provider, too. So, I added a series of pics of me highlighting these experiences, along with a photo from the Illinois State Teacher of the Year banquet where all of the finalists got to meet the Governor. I then layered ambassador badges, credentials, and other professional affiliations related to the pictured roles near each photo. I even snuck in the Coding to Kindness book cover on the screen of the last photo! 

I've been thinking a lot about re-designing my digital presence lately... this is just a start. I also am playing around with a new blog header, and possibly re-vamping some YouTube channel art and things like that. 

Do you get the urge to re-design your profiles and webpages every so often? Got any tips or tricks on what's worked for you?

- Mrs L.

FREE: School Library Social Media Calendar

One of my favorite, most relaxing things to do right now is to draw. If I can combine this habit with doing something productive, then so be it. One of the things that I spent some time on is a social media calendar for school libraries. 

If you have an Instagram account for yourself or for your school library, this un-dated calendar is full of ideas and prompts for posts throughout the course of an entire month! You could follow each day as listed, or pick and choose items as they are relevant to your situation. My thought was that if you have a rotating calendar of prompts, you can schedule posts ahead of time, or create content in bulk so that it's ready to go later on. 

Maybe you're lucky enough to have a volunteer or assistant that can help you run your school library account? Or, maybe your school has a social media club? This calendar would be a great way to give some structure or direction to someone else so that they can help out!

Click the image above to access a printable .PDF version of this school library social media calendar for FREE!

- Mrs L.

I'm Turning 40 Next Week...

Hey all, sorry I don't get around to updating over here as often as I'd like. I've been super preoccupied with my Google Innovator project, ResetEDU, and you can always check out and keep up with what's going on over there! Have you seen the latest video, my first-ever collab?!

My stretch goal for 2019 is to reach 1000 followers on YouTube, and I'd love to have your support! My 40th birthday is next week (eek!) and you can give me an awesome FREE gift just by helping to spread the word about my project.

Since my birthday is April 9th, here are NINE ways that you can help:

1. Subscribe to the ResetEDU channel on YouTube.
2. Hit the "like" button on any/all the videos to help get me more views!
3. Make a comment on any/all of the videos - this also helps with algorithm stuff and getting views!
4. Follow ResetEDU on Twitter
5. Follow ResetEDU on Instagram
6. Re-tweet/repost any and all of the posts that you see on social media! Here's one you can RT right away!
7. Make your own posts on social media about ResetEDU! Tag #ResetEDU and/or @ me so that I'm sure to see it! 
8. Tell a friend about the channel. Send them the link to a specific video you think they'd enjoy. 
9. Contact me to be a part of an upcoming ResetEDU project! 

Thank you! :)
- Mrs L.

Tips For Creating a Good Tweet

Recently, my district has begun to leverage social media to help showcase positive aspects of our students, schools, community, and teachers. That’s awesome! Yeah, it’s a little tardy to the party, but at least they made it.

One thing I’ve noticed across several districts is that they love to post about professional development. Stuff like:

"Look at this special guest talking to us about assessment and data!"
"Check out our math teachers working on common core!"
"Hey, here’s some administrators watching a Powerpoint at the district office!"

(Not a tweet from my district; faces have been blurred to protect the identities of the innocent)

Typically, these kinds of tweets are accompanied by a photo from the back of a room, showcasing adults sitting at tables. They might be looking up at a screen (so you get that back-of-the-head view), or you might see them in profile looking at each other. Most importantly, neither the text nor the image makes it look the least bit exciting or engaging:

(Not a tweet from my district; faces have been blurred to protect the identities of the innocent)

Argh. The sheer fact that you tweeted it out does not make it GOOD!

So, I thought I’d share some tips for how to increase the quality of your tweets:

1. Showcase who is there, and how much FUN you are having. Do you have a guest speaker? Take a selfie with them (like here!), or have a teacher give the ol’ thumbs up and pose with him or her. Don’t just stand there with a neutral expression - make it look like you’re having a good time! 
2. Or, highlight a detail of something actually HAPPENING. Did people get up and walk around? Did you create collaborative charts or posters? Were there high-fives? Laughter? Did you have a book discussion? Take a close-up picture of one of those things, and talk about a specific detail, rather than an umbrella-like generic tweet. 
3. Another option is to create a whole collage of photos to show the variety of happenings during your professional development sessions, as in this really nice tweet below: 





(Not my tweet; check out the variety of activities being showcased!)



4. Tag people in your tweets! Include the handles of people featured, or guests present. This increases the likelihood that your tweet will be shared and liked, and therefore gain a wider audience. 
5. Share something that you learned. A useful take-away or tip for the people who see your tweet is always nice. They couldn’t be there, but they can still share in the goodness. 
6. Hashtags! Use them. Hopefully, your district has a common hashtag for use, or even a building level hashtag, but be sure to include broader hashtags, too, like #edtech or #makerspace. Not sure what to use? Here’s a whole list of hashtag ideas in this blog post.





Not my tweet; I assure you this girl is just as happy underneath the smiley emoji! Isn't that the kind of attitude you want to advertise in your organization? 


As a general rule of thumb, before you post an image to social media, step back, take a look at your image, and ask yourself:


"Does this look like a picture of somewhere I'd want to be?"
"Is this an image that I'd like to know more about?"

...and if the answer is no, re-take that picture before publishing it to social media!  


- Mrs. L.

Chromebook How-To: Reverse Image Search

Have you ever watched an episode of the TV show Catfish? Each episode details the story of a person who thinks that they have found love online. Over time, they begin to have doubts as to whether or not the person they're talking to is who they really say they are. The results of each show vary, but the investigation pretty much always starts out the same: with a reverse image search!

Knowing how to do a reverse image search is the first step towards identifying fake profiles on social media. I made a video directed specifically demonstrating the different ways to do this on a Chromebook:

Out of all the options, I think that my favorite way to do the reverse search is the simple "right click" method in Chrome! All you have to do is right-click the image, and select "Search Google for Image!" Ridiculously simple!

My 8th graders watch an episode of Catfish as part of our digital citizenship and internet safety unit. We have several essential questions to ponder:

• How does the anonymity of the Internet allow you to be someone other than yourself? 
• Do you ever find yourself doing this to any extent? 
• How would you feel in the shoes of this show's victim? Of the guilty party?

Our lesson ends with going over some tips for spotting a catfish, and about how to take some steps to try and keep our information private. We then try out reverse image search, so we have some strategies for doing our own Catfish-style investigating when communicating online!

What are your favorite tips and tricks for catching a catfish? Do you have any catfish stories of your own?

-Mrs. L.

How I Use Pinterest Boards for Professional Development

I've been using Pinterest personally for years now... to save images of pretty homes, recipes, fashion, shopping wishlists, and the like. You probably have, too.

But it recently dawned on me that a Pinterest account - a "professional" Pinterest account, devoted solely to teaching - could be incredibly valuable for saving and organizing all of the great articles, websites, and resources that I access all of the time for teaching. It's also an awesome starting point for brainstorming new ideas and lesson plans, especially when it comes to using new technology and tools. Why re-invent the wheel if there are already a TON of awesome ideas to use as launching pads for using our class' Spheros, or Makey Makeys out there (and, for the record, there are!)?

Ok, some of you are probably thinking "uh, I've been doing this for AGES already..." in which case, sorry that I'm tardy to the party! One of my professional goals for the future is to move into an instructional tech coaching position, and I think that having all of my resources saved to different boards, organized by subject matter, makes information and idea gathering SO much easier! Even if I'm not currently teaching math, having a whole board of relevant resources about teaching math makes life easier in the future if I need to help out in that area and brainstorm some ideas. I'm not operating out of a total vacuum.

As I've mentioned before in previous posts, one of my passions in education is learning spaces and design for learning. Pinterest is a HUGE wealth of resources about this very topic! I love how simple it can be to find current content on the subject, as well as links to places to buy equipment, or DIYs to "hack" your own classroom space.

Check out my board on this topic here:



I'm also working on boards for specific subject areas: Math, ELA, Science, etc... and (as a former art teacher) I'm making sure to include "elective" areas, too! I've also got boards going for tech- and maker-space-related topics like tech tools, coding, LEGO, and video production.

Now, when I need to quickly come up with some ideas, I can reference a board that I've already been saving ideas and tips to in order to speed up the brainstorming process!

If you're on Pinterest, be sure to head on over and give me a follow so that I can find and follow you back! I'd love to swap ideas and inspiration with you!

-Mrs. L.

Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Elective Teachers

My husband and I are both teachers. We did a presentation at the IAEA (Illinois Art Education Association) conference in 2015 all about social media for art teachers. I revised our presentation for Fall 2016, with a focus on ANY elective area teacher, because I strongly believe that social media is a great way to:

• Advocate for your program 
• Stay connected to parents, students, and the community
• Connect with fellow teachers in your subject area - discover your personal professional PLN!

I've embedded our (revised) presentation below:

 

In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of using social media as an educator is to consider your audience. Depending on what level you teach, you will have a different audience of parents vs students. Once you've determined who your audience is, choose your social media services accordingly. For example, my middle-schoolers are so "over" Facebook and Twitter... but they're pretty into Instagram and Snapchat. Ask yourself, "Is there a way to use these services to help enhance learning for my students?"

Of course, regardless of your student/parent audience make up, every level will also have an audience of fellow teachers to communicate with, too. I cannot put into words how important my "internet" colleagues are to me, and how grateful I am for all of the help and inspiration that I've gotten from them!

I am a firm believer of the "Think Big, Start Small" philosophy - if social media is new and scary and you don't know where to start, I always recommend Twitter as a launching point. Start there, and hopefully you can slowly build upon that later!

-Mrs. L

IAEA Presenter 2015

I am going to be a presenter at this year's IAEA Conference on Friday, November 6th, 2015, in Lisle, IL. Mr. Leban and I will be giving a presentation called "Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Art Teachers" - which is super cool, as it ties in both my art expertise and my current technology position beautifully! Although this presentation is geared specifically towards art teachers (it IS an art teacher conference, after all), the content of our presentation is applicable to ALL elective teachers. ...Probably any teacher, actually!

So, I wanted to see if anyone out here had any specific questions or topics that you would like to see covered in our presentation? Feel free to leave a comment here, or contact me directly via e-mail. My husband and I will do our best to address concerns, questions, and topics from all of you as part of our presentation!

For more information visit the website for the conference here. Hope to see you there!

- Mrs. L.