Tech Tip: Cheezburger

Making this meme was much much quicker than I expected. I am glad I explored this tech tip option, as I might use it again in the future just for fun! :) Also, no watermark! Woohoo!

Cheezburger website: Link

Typing Game Tech Tip

For this tech tip, I played the Ninja Cat typing game! It's a cool fun typing game suggested in the tech tip list!

I officially learned to type way back in computer class in elementary school. I grew up with family members who had a thing for computers, so I also learned to type in my own way at home. I played tons of computer games with my brothers, so the computer was not a foreign place for me. To this day, I type with my left hand in the normal home row position, but with my right hand, I only use my index finger! Despite this seemingly inefficient way of typing, my typing speed is not bad at all! The last time I checked my WPM (words per minute) score, on Ratatype, it was around 75 WPM. I would attest that higher than average typing speed to all the games I played and all the time I spent on a computer growing up.

I currently work in a position where I type a ton in doctors' offices, so I'm staying on top of my typing speed and am always trying to improve it! The aforementioned typing game was a much cooler one than the other ones I've seen. I'd recommend it to typers of any capability.

Tech Tip: Blogger Favicon

Setting up a favicon for this class was cool! I actually used a website to just draw my own using shaded cells. As you can see above, I used "LJ" because those are my initials, and those two colors because they are my favorite combo. Before exploring this website, I had a limited idea of what favicons are and where they're used. I just sorta thought they were an avatar or mini-icon to be used somewhere: on forums, websites, apps, etc.

Having set it up now on my blog, I love the small touch of personality I was able to give my blog. I hope to continue learning about nifty lil tricks like this in the future.

Tech Tip: Canvas Notifications

Setting up Canvas notifications was easier than I expected! I've set my mail app to send out push notifications 15 minutes after the fact, so having the Canvas app there to get exam grades to me in a more timely manner is awesome. I didn't realize Canvas had the capacity for text notifications, so that was also cool to learn about. Hopefully fine-tuning all these settings will help with mailbox clutter!

Techtip: Canvas Profile

The only thing I ended up changing was my profile picture! I had customized almost everything else to reflect what I would like others to see on my Canvas profile. The image I chose was a picture from a popular game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I like the look of my canvas profile a bit more, now. I'm not sure if I'll keep it the way it is, or end up changing the avatar again. But, I am glad I did this techtip and explored the capabilities of Canvas a bit more.  

Tech Tip: Canvas Gradebook

For this tech tip, I explored my Canvas grade book! I didn't realize that I could effortlessly switch between grades from different courses. It just simply did not occur to me to click that course drop-down and switch it up! That will definitely quicken the time it takes to get an update on all my grades. This is still suuuuuch an upgrade from D2L, and I'm glad we switched over.

Tech Tip: Canvas Dashboard

I love using the Canvas dashboard! Being more tech inclined, I jumped at the opportunity to color code my classes, edit their names, change their visibility, etc. I'm glad Instructure has made this LMS the way they did. It's a huge improvement over D2L in many ways. One recommendation I have is for the student to be able to change their courses' pictures. I know that right is reserved for the instructor, but they just don't always utilize it!! 

Tech Tip: Canvas Calendar

I never thought to use the calendar on canvas. I like the idea of Canvas having a calendar, however, its implementation/usage is just kinda poor. As it turns out, I only have calendar events for Myth and Folklore! I think if instructors utilized them more, as Dr. Gibbs does, I think students would see it as a more helpful tool. I didn't even realize that we could export the calendar feed and open it up in our own calendars, which is a nice tool I may tinker with in the future.

Tech Tip: Canvas Mobile App

I already had the Canvas app installed on my iPhone, actually. I had no problems with the installation if I remember correctly. Since getting the app, I've used it to browse course materials, view my grades, and do quizzes! That last one was a more recent functionality that was added much to my delight. :)