Backup for Teachers, ThingLink, and Instructions on How to Blog [issue 07] 1

This week in the Tekiota newsletter, you will find:

1. 3 Backup solutions for teachers.
2. A ThingLink pointing to Google Apps documentation.
3. Instructions on how to blog from a teacher.

Let’s dive in:

3 Backup Solutions for Teachers

- TIP OF THE WEEK -
[icon name="fa-cc"] STANDARD 4: promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

With the amount of unit calendars, lesson plans, class preparations residing on a typical teacher computer, it is essential to plan for an eventual emergency if anything were to happen to your machine. We investigate 3 backup solutions for teachers.

3 Backup Solutions for Teachers

• 1. Time Machine

Backup Solution #1 Apple Time Machine

On a Mac, this is really the ultimate backup solution. It is simple and yet very effective. All you need is an external hard drive with at least as much available space as 2 or 3 times the amount of data you have. A typical US$75 1TB external hard drive will amply suffice (our suggestion is to get a 2.5″ format to avoid dealing with an extra power supply). Plug your external hard drive and if Time Machine hasn’t asked you yet, go turn it on from your System Preferences.

Once the first Time Machine backup instance complete, you can literally bring your computer back to that exact time and find the files or folders you need. Each subsequent backups will provide for different versions. We like the fact that you can bring your computer back to the exact state you need with this solution.

• 2. Google Drive

Google Drive Cloud Backup

Although Google Drive is not exactly a backup per-se, the ability to upload any file to Google Drive and the fact that Google Apps For Education now offers unlimited storage means that you have a free cloud backup solution at your disposal.

To make things simpler for yourself, you should install the Google Drive App on your computer. This will create a folder which syncs directly with Google Drive online (but be careful not to sync all the very large folders that may be shared with you).

• 3. CrashPlan

Backup Solution #3 CrashPlan

CrashPlan is a dedicated online backup solution which will set you back an annual fee of approximately US$60 for one computer. Once you setup the folders to backup, CrashPlan will automatically transfer your files in the background. The backups are incremental, encrypted, and include multiple versions of your files. This solution, just like Google Drive, is not recommended when you have low Internet bandwidth.

You can also use CrashPlan for free on your own external hard drive, or by backing up to another computer.

Each solution comes with its own set of advantages and inconveniences.

Read the entire article to learn more about those 3 backup solutions for teachers.

ThingLink on How to Use Google Apps

- TIP OF THE WEB -
[icon name="fa-send"] STANDARD 1: facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

ThingLink is a great web app to add interactive elements (text, links, videos, music…) to images. It all but takes 3 easy steps:

1. Choose and image,
2. Add your links,
3. Share your interactive image (see example above).

To navigate the documentation available from Google Apps support pages, Jane Mitchinson created an interactive infographic using Thinglink. Roll your mouse over the various icons and click on the popup links of this embedded Google Apps for Education Thinglink to navigate to each resource.

Jane Mitchinson How to use GMail, How to use Calendar… via Vivian

ThingLink’s offer a very dynamic way to share engaging resources with students. Read the whole post featuring ThingLink on How to Use Google Apps.

Instructions on How to Blog by a Teacher

- TIP OF THE HAT -
[icon name="fa-star"] awarded to gene chagaris
[icon name="fa-cloud-upload"] STANDARD 1: facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

Gene Chagaris is awarded this week’s tip of the hat for instructions on how to blog that withstand the test of time. In less than a minute, Grade 6 Michelle can still pull out all the instructions that Ms. Chagaris gave her last year for writing articles on her website. A very impressive feat considering the sometime ephemeral state of our teachings!

Michelle showcasing her Instructions on How to Blog by Teacher Gene Chagaris

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to checkout Tekiota online if you haven’t done so yet.