Hey there!

I’m ​Victorie Penn​, teacher technology  

leader and 3rd grade teacher from Oak Hill Elementary. 
I have been with Newton County for 5 years now.  
In my time here, I have collected an assortment of tech  
tips that will help make your life easier! Feel free to share  
my presentation with others by using this L ​ INK​. 

TIP #1

Bit.ly is a URL shortener. It is CaSe sENsiTiVE. 

Uses:  
● Give shortened links to parents, teachers, and students. 
● Students can use to give presentation link to their peers. You can also share your 
presentations with students so they can follow along. 
● Innovate your sub plans- leave a Bit.ly link to a Google Doc of your plans so that your sub 
can click the links. 
● Link a page on your Instagram or Twitter. 
Tried-and-True Example:  
● When we worked on a collaborative Google Doc, I used Bit.ly so students could access the 
document without having to log into Canvas first. 
Pros and Cons: 
● Pros- Free, no sign up necessary (but it is free if you want to keep your links) 
● Cons- Using caps/shift can be difficult for younger students 
 
 
 TIP #2  

Your Student Share Drive or K: Drive is an 

awesome tool for desktops! 
Uses:  
● Gives students and teachers a common place to save. 
● Students can save their work from within the Microsoft Office platform here so 
that you can access it.  
● Teachers can give students links to click on during certain activities. For example, 
links can be placed in Daily 5 and Math folders for students to complete during 
those times. 
● A great place to leave a template for student projects. 
Tried-and-True Example:  
● As a final step in publishing, my students type their work in a Word document and 
save on the K: Drive in a class folder. I can leave comments for them to edit their 
document if changes need to be made. When their papers are complete, I print 
them to the grade level printer. 
Pros and Cons: 
● Pros- On every desktop in the school, no sign up, free 
● Cons- Requires making folder, students must be trained 
 TIP #3 

Symbaloo allows you to store, bookmark, and organize 

your favorite sites from across the web! 
Uses:  
● Customize a Symbaloo page for each subject or unit you teach.  
● You can use this as your everyday links page (for things like IC, the curriculum 
map, school morning show, DE, etc). 
● Students can create their own Symbaloos as an element of digital projects. 
● Teachers can use as a portfolio system for keeping track of student 
assignments. 
Tried-and-True Example:  
● I place a link in the K: Drive so that students can access my Daily 5 Symbaloo 
page during their listen to reading rounds. I make this a requirement for their 
weekly assignments. 
Pros and Cons: 
● Pros- Free, lessens chances of students being in the wrong program  
● Cons- Requires some “back work,” free subscription has ads 
 
 TIP #4 

Use the Google platform…  

it will make life easy for you and your students! 
Uses:  
● Students and teachers can work collaboratively on projects. 
● Giving feedback is easy with the “comments” tool. Rubrics can be easily added 
for grading. 
● Since work is automatically saved, there is no fear of students losing their work. 
● Students can share their work with you by entering your email address. 
● Students can use copies of templates that you have created. Just delete where it 
says “edit” in the URL and replace with “copy”. 
● Make housekeeping tasks simple with Google Forms.  
Tried-and-True Examples:  
● For a research presentation, I wanted my students to use a Google Slides 
template. I replaced edit with copy in the URL and used Bit.ly to shorten it so 
they could type it in.  
● Open house form 
Pros and Cons: 
● Pros- Free, gives students experience on a collaborative platform, you can 
access it from any computer anywhere 
● Cons- It takes students awhile to get acclimated to the login process, requires 
“back work,” login issues must be circumvented until fixed by STA or librarian 
(if this happens, you can create a template with public access) 
 TIP #5 

NCSS Logins for Google 

 
Student Login: ​carrmv0128@newtonstudents.org​ computer 
login + @newtonstudents.org  
 
Student Password: 000123456  
three zeroes + lunch number without zero in front 
 
Teacher Login: ​penn.victorie@newton.k12.ga.us  
NCSS email 
 
Teacher Password: ne3ton16  
first time login and change to password of choice 
 TIP #6 

The Snipping Tool is your best friend!

Uses:
● Create interactive and paperless flipcharts to enhance your lessons.
● A great alternative to printing- students can snip their online
achievements and save them to their H: Drive.
● Snip the pieces of your data that you need when compiling reports.
● Snipping, copying, and pasting is more efficient than saving
unnecessary pictures.
● Need tech help? Screenshot your issue and attach it to an e-mail.
Tried-and-True Example:
● In a Google Slides ​lesson on plagiarism​, students snipped the piece
of text that they were practicing paraphrasing with.
Pros and Cons:
● Pros- Free, on all desktops
● Cons- Workarounds are necessary for Chromebooks
(ctrl+shift+switch window)
 TIP #7

Be an innovator with your DOCUMENT CAMERA! 

Uses:   
● Show students just about anything (math manipulatives, flashcards, 
student/teacher read alouds, crafts, cut and paste activities, student 
share their work). 
● Science uses- magnifier, set to time lapse for investigations on weather or 
plant growth. 
● Students can scan in their answers to Illuminate tests for immediate 
feedback! 
● Record student presentations or directions for activities. 
● Your document camera also functions as a webcam. 
Tried-and-True Example:   
● I use my document camera DAILY for interactive notebooks, especially if 
the piece we are putting in requires cutting, pasting, and folding in a 
particular way.   
Pros and Cons: 
● Pros- Document cameras are available in library, user friendly 
● Cons- Sometimes lighting is an issue if it is overcast outside, may need 
software installed (IPEVO Presenter) 
 TIP #8

 
Android devices having trouble connecting to Wi-Fi?  
Here’s a quick fix. 
 
1. Make sure “Wi-Fi” is turned on. 
2. Connect the device to the “Guest” network. 
3. Open the device’s internet browser. 
4. Type in 1.1.2.1 in the address bar. 
5. This should link to the Guest Acceptable Use Policy, allowing the use of 
the Wi-Fi. 
 
 
 TIP #9

Edit PDF’s like a pro with Sejda! 

 
Uses:  
● Sejda allows you to edit, add text/images, delete, merge, and extract 
pages from PDF’s. 
● Have an amazing PDF to share with your teammates? Extract only the 
pages you need and email it to them. 
● No need to print a PDF form, fill it in, and scan it- just edit and save it 
using Sejda. 
Tried-and-True Example:  
● I used Sejda to edit a PDF assignment on Canvas. I would have had to 
retype the entire document if I was unable to edit it! 
Pros and Cons: 
● Pros- Free with a teacher’s email (takes about 12 hours) 
● Cons- Sign up is slow, files are not saved on Sejda 
 
 
 
 
 
 TIP #10 

 
The ActivBoard can be your saving grace for 
organizing your day! 
Uses:  
● Create interactive flipcharts using the activinspire software 
● Find flipcharts on classflow 
● Use the snipping tool to create sorts that you don’t have to print 
● Organize your schedule- center rotations, Daily 5 check in, checklists, etc 
● Students can create their own flipcharts on desktops 
● Use the ActivExpressions devices to hold interactive polls and have math 
fact practice 
Tried-and-True Example:  
● I used a flipchart to organize my Daily 5, math centers, and who I need to 
meet with.  
Pros and Cons: 
● Pros- On every desktop, free download at home 
● Cons- Can be “buggy” and shut down if files are too large 
 TIP #11+ 
Miscellaneous Workarounds 
● Student can’t login to Google? Create a template for them in 
your Google Drive and set the security to “public” so they can 
edit. This way they can still work while their login issues is 
fixed. 
● Want kids to join your group in Canvas? Make your course 
public and share the link. If it’s too long, use​ ​bit.ly​. Also, you 
can add students by their NCSS email address.