Terry's Tech Tips

Gmail has over 1.5 Billion users according to the latest statistic Google published in 2019.  The average American worker receives 126 emails per day ( Radicati ).  That means a lot of users with a lot of emails.  Google just introduced search chips .  They help you refine your search within Gmail to locate emails more quickly. Search Chips When you place search criteria in the Gmail Search box, search chips will automatically appear underneath.   Courtesy of the G Suite Updates Blog Click on the search chip to further refine your search.   Some search chips have options to refine the search even further.  The Any time search chip gives options to narrow the search within a specific window of time: Clicking the Has attachment search chip automatically adds options for searching for specific types of attachments. If you still need the extra power of  Advanced Search , you will find it to the far right ...

Google always innovates and changes.  They have just added three new features to help you efficiently respond to email.  You will want to check them out! Schedule email: Next to the Send button while composing an email, you will notice a small arrow .  Click the arrow, and you will have the option to schedule the time the email is sent. From the G Suites Update Blog Why would you want to schedule your emails?    Have you ever emailed a parent, student, or colleague and they answered your email immediately?  You respond, they respond back, and before you know it half of the time you scheduled to do more important tasks is gone.  Email efficiency experts suggest you answer emails two or three times per day at a set time.  (For example, I respond to email first thing in the morning, after lunch, and right before I go home.)  They also suggest scheduling email responses to send during a time when you are scheduled to lo...

Google released a new feature within the past week to help you deal more efficiently with your emails. I often see emails in my inbox that I know precisely what action to take without the need to open them.  I might need to apply a label, move the email, type a one-word reply, or search for a different email from that user.  Now everyone can easily do that right from their inbox! While viewing your Gmail inbox, hold down the Control key and click your trackpad.  (This is equivalent to a right click on a PC.) Without opening the email, the following sub-menu will appear: Perform any of these actions without the extra clicks to open the email and select the appropriate action!

Around this time of year, the iconic Sound of Music song ' These are a Few of My Favorite Things ' always seems to be playing in my head.  For the second year, I'm publishing a list of my favorite things that help me do my job faster or better.  I use many of these daily. Keyboard Shortcuts 8 Days per Year Would you be interested if someone showed you how to save eight days a year working?  Of course, you would!  Without question, teachers nationwide name lack of time as a top (if not THE top) obstacle they face in their professional practice. Keyboard shortcuts are a way to gain more time.  Watch this video to learn how the time savings were calculated by BrainScape, an education platform that provides flashcards based on brain research.  Or view the formula below: [2 wasted seconds / min] * [480 min / workday] * [240 workdays / year] =  64 wasted hours / year! (2 seconds is the amount of time it takes to move yo...

Google Classroom is a great communication and assignment management system.  Google Classroom emails you every time a student turns in an assignment or resolves a comment.  This is a great communication feature, but it can also drive you crazy due to the high volume of emails it generates! If you would like to unclog your inbox, you have a couple of options: Manage your Google Classroom email notifications within Google Classroom (More control with this option.) Manage your Google Classroom notifications within Gmail with a filter Manage your email notifications within Google Classroom You do have options within Google Classroom to manage your notifications.  These options allow more granular control of which notifications you see.  (Although this method isn't always 100% foolproof.)   Within Classroom, click on the  three horizontal lines  located on the top left.  (Raging debate:  Are they ho...

If you have been responding to email today, you may have noticed something new.  As you type, you may see some greyed out text that completes your sentence or thought.  What is that? Smart Compose! Smart Compose is designed to help you draft emails from scratch more quickly.  Using Artificial Intelligence, Google will suggest an ending to a thought or even an entire sentence.  (Like 'Have a nice weekend!' if it's Friday.) If you like the suggested text, simply press your Tab key, and the text will be entered into your email!  Continue typing, and the suggestion will go away! Smart Compose provides huge potential time savings for anyone using Gmail for work!  As with anything powered by Artificial Intelligence or machine learning, it will just get better the more you use it while drafting emails!  The impact over the course of a year could result in hours or days of found time! Smart Compose works in conjunction with the Gmai...

Google has been working hard on a Gmail revamp.  They have cleaned up the interface to look more crisp and modern while letting you do more without leaving your inbox.  They have added some new features like ' Snooze ', ' Smart reply ',  and ' Nudge ', along with some upgraded security features.  The Gmail upgrade should be available to us in the next few weeks (or days!). Upgraded Inbox Google has created a 'cleaner' look with updated and easier to find buttons.  Along with the visually cleaner interface,  you can now access more Google apps you use like Calendar , Keep , and upgraded Tasks through a sidebar without leaving your email.  Click here for a 'Cheat Sheet'. You can also find attachments quickly, access commonly used button more easily, or Snooze an email.   What does  Snooze do?  Let's say you receive an email which requires more time than you currently have.  You might...

If you feel overwhelmed by your email, you are not alone! 95.2 GB    Space to store my email  28%   Time in the workweek spent handling email.  (1) $10,000.00 Cost of an average worker per year due to email distractions. (2)  38% The percentage of emails that are "important".  (3) Email overload is a real problem, both in the business world and in Education.  The costs above are a little astonishing.  This research highlights the real cost of interrupting your concentration to check your email, impairing your decision making and leading to stress.  Many studies suggest that once interrupted, it is difficult to immediately return to the task you were working on, and some conclude that you can lose up to 40% of your productivity. (4)  The good news is that efficiency experts are suggesting strategies to overcome email overload.   The strategies are based both on 'habit of mind' and effec...