Episode 207: Tips and Tricks for 2026: Chrome and Gmail

Welcome to the EdTech Throwdown. This is episode 207 called “Tips and Tricks for 2026: Chrome and Gmail” In this episode, we’ll talk about some of our favorite tips for surfing the web with chrome and sending or receiving emails in Gmail. Hopefully these hacks can help make your day a little easier. This is another episode you don’t want to miss. Check it out.

Segment 1: Lost but Now Found

• Restore lost or accidentally Control Shift T Command Shift T on a MAC
• Zoom in and Out
• Control +/-

Segment 2: Edtech Tips and Tricks

Google Chrome Tips and Tricks

Nick

1. QR Code
2. Go to the site > Three Dots > Cast,Save, and Share > Create a QR Code
3. Smart PDF Highlighting
4. Use the "Link to Highlight" feature in Chrome. Right-click any text on a webpage and select "Copy link to highlight." When students click it, they are taken exactly to that sentence on the page.
5. Use Google Lens to grab text from images. Go to the 3 dots > Search with Google Lens > drag around the image with the text you want > choose Copy Text

Guise

1. Add Tab to Group (Right click on a tab, hit add to group)
2. Send Tabs Across Devices
3. If you find a recipe on your laptop but want to take it to the kitchen on your phone, right-click the tab (or the address bar) and selectSend to your devices.
4. It pops up as a notification on your other device instantly..
5. Make the site an APP: Go to the site > Three Dots > Save and Share > Install page as app. It will now have its own icon in your Taskbar/Dock and won't get lost in your tabs.

Gmail

Nick:

1. Find Large Attachments
2. Type larger:10m in the search bar to find every email taking up more than 10MB. It’s the fastest way to clear storage space.
3. Schedule Send Later
4. Templates (Canned Responses)
5. Enable this in Settings > Advanced. Save your standard "Late Work Policy" or "Meeting Request" as a template. To use it, click the three dots in a new draft and hit "Templates."

Guise:

1. Undo Send
2. Go to Settings > See all settings > Undo Send and change it to 30 seconds. It’s the ultimate "safety net" for typos.
3. Archive
4. The "Plus" Addressing Hack
5. If your email is teacher@gmail.com, you can use teacher+newsletters@gmail.com to sign up for sites. Gmail ignores everything after the +, but you can create a Filter to automatically label or skip the inbox for anything sent to that specific "plus" address.

Edtech Throwdown:

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Episode 206: Google Vids vs Canva Video and WeVideo

Welcome to the EdTech Throwdown. This is episode 206 called “Google Vids vs Canva Video and WeVideo” In this episode, we’ll talk about a new-ish Google app called Google Vids and how it stacks up against other popular classroom video creation tools. This is another episode you don’t want to miss. Check it out.

Narrative: Have we ever solved the problem of fast and easy screencasts? A teacher asked me that this week and I realized I didn’t have a great answer.

ScreenPal has an extension, but the increased tools make it slower

WeVideo has an extension, but it is clunky and not free

Screencastify still exists, but have to pay after 10 videos

Released: Google Vids was first announced and released in preview during Google Cloud Next in April 2024, with a wider rollout to all Google Workspace users starting in November 2024 as an AI-powered video creation tool for work.

What is it? It is a video editing platform that feels more like creating a Google Slide than a video editing platform. Is this a positive thing … not sure yet.

Free Basic Version: All users get access to the web-based editor, allowing recording, importing clips, using templates, and basic editing.

AI Extras (Paid): Advanced AI tools, such as AI-generated clips from prompts, AI avatars, and enhanced script/outline generation, require paid Google Workspace or AI plan subscriptions.

What can it do?

• Screen records with or without webcam
• Converts slides to video
• Upload your own photos and videos for editing
• Has video templates with title slides, animations, etc.
• Multiple layouts: landscape, portrait, square
• Has stock audio from Youtube audio library - good music!
• Has most, if not all, typical video editing tools: playhead, video preview, splitting, multiple track editing, etc.

Benefits:

• Integration: Works directly within...

Welcome to the EdTech Throwdown. This is episode 205 called “Edtech Resolutions for 2026” In this episode, we’ll talk about our edtech tips and edtech tools that we are excited to explore in the new year. This is another episode you don’t want to miss. Check it out.

Segment 1: Goodbye 2025 and Hello 2026

Narrative: Life was challenging in 2025… Welcome 2026!

Segment 2: Tips, Tools, and Resources

Nick’s

An Edtech Tip for 2026

• Building Blocks in Google Docs to templat-ize my doc writing

An Edtech Tool for 2026

• Noteobook LM - so many new tools, I have a feeling there is more to come

An Edtech Resource for 2026

• Canva Cheat sheets

Guises:

An Edtech Tip for 2026

• Simplify Tasks
• Group tasks to maximize saving time
• Boost Engagement
• Reflect on what your students like and make changes to your teaching
• Streamline Workflow
• Make templates based on your core teaching philosophy

An Edtech Tool for 2026

• Canva Code for gamification

An Edtech Resource for 2026

• Guise’s Guide to Gemini Gems

Make a PACT with your Gem:

• Persona: Give it a job title.
• Action: Give it a verb (create, grade, simplify).
• Context: Give it the boundaries (grade level, standards).
• Template: Give it a structure (table, list, email format).

Edtech Throwdown:

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Segment 3: Where to Find EdTech Throwdown

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