Google Slides - Creating Newsletters (guest post by Jeremy Badiner)

By -
This is a great post by Jeremy Badiner over at Badiner Bytes & Tech Tidbits.  It is a great alternate use of Google Slides, can make your newsletter an active archive at the same time it updates wherever you share it (i.e. embedded on your website, shared as a link to parents, as part of your email signature...)

Here's Jeremy's post - thank you to him for agreeing to let me cross-post it here :-)

Newsletters Using Google Slides



Communication is important. One of the easiest ways to keep parents informed is to send out weekly newsletters. Although it is easy to create fancy newsletters (especially with all the templates available in MS Office) those of us who live in a Google World have often been left in the cold without all the formatting options (text boxes, image placement, etc.). There is an easy workaround that also includes all the benefits of a Google file (collaboration, ease of online availability), as well as the ability to see all previous editions.

Create a Newsletter:
  1. Create a new Google Slide.
  2. Change the page format:
  • Click “File” then “Page Setup”.
  • Click on and choose “Custom” and then type in 8.5 by 11 and click “OK”.
  1. Create your newsletter format with text boxes, images, and links as you want.

Share Your Newsletter:
  1. Click “File” then “Publish to the web…”.



  1. Click “Publish”. I would suggest leaving all the boxes unchecked so it doesn’t autorun.
  1. Click “Ok” on the popup that asks if you are sure you want to publish.

  1. Copy and share the link or use the embed code to embed on your class website.





Create the next week’s Newsletter:
  1. Click on the top newsletter slide.
  2. Either Control+D to duplicate or click “Slide” then “Duplicate Slide”.
  3. Edit the top slide to be the current week. This will allow parents to see previous newsletters that may have important information for them.

By keeping the most current newsletter at the top, it allows parents to just click the link to see the one they want to see. If they want to see previous all they have to do is move through the slide deck.


If you want these steps in a Document click HERE!

Popular posts from this blog

Google Script - Create a Drop-Down List from Spreadsheet Column

By -
Image
(Updated on 3/21/2017 - triggers have been moved!) ( I just created a new related post on how to create a multiple choice  question on the form that a bit simplified - takes the "other" answers in a multiple choice question on a form, and updates the multiple choice options with those as options.) I guess it was only a matter of time before I ended up dabbling with Google Scripts.  Today I was asked by a teacher how he could populate a drop-down list on his Google Form from data on a spreadsheet - and have it update as he changed the data.  Not finding an add-on for this (why recreate the wheel? :-)  I explored creating a script.  And...discovered that this task is not too hard! To do this yourself - 1. Create your form.   Really important step.  Make sure to create your drop-down item and give it a title, but you do not need to add any options to it (because later you will populate it from the spreadsheet). 2. Create the spreadsheet where your list will reside. Yo
Read more

Google Calendar - How to Share Your Calendar Via Link

By -
Image
Google Calendar provides a couple ways you can share your calendar.  The first way you will see below provides a link that lets another person subscribe to your calendar.  They will need to be logged into their Google account, and it will display YOUR calendar along with their own. (Personally, I find this method the best for adding my kids' and husband's events so I see our families events all in one calendar.)  The second method displays your calendar in a browser window.  This is probably the preferred Teacher method for sharing with parents. (Here is a video on How to Share Your Calendar Via a Link .) When in your Google Calendar: Click on the Options menu (stacked dots) for the calendar you want to share - Select Settings and sharing - Click on Access permissions on the left side - Click on the Get shareable link - Note that who can see the calendar with this link depends on the access permissions you have set right above.  For example, with the setti
Read more

Google Mail - Create Calendar Event that Includes Email Message

By Anonymous -
Image
There are many time I get an email that I want to make into an event on my calendar - both to make sure I block out the time, and to move the information out of an email in my inbox into the event.  There is a feature called "Create event" that let's you do this - it is available in the More options when you are viewing the message.  Once you select create event, Google opens up a new window, loads your calendar, and creates an event with the message subject as the name of the event, and the body of the message as the description within the event: You are then able to edit the date/time as needed to finish creating the event.  One caveat...it adds everyone that was part of the message to the Guest list (see above in red box), so unless you want it to be a group event you will need to click the x next to everyone's name but yours.
Read more

Google Documents - Creating Page Anchors (aka Bookmarks)

By -
Image
There are times in a Google Document you want to provide links to specific areas within the page and  a table of contents doesn't fit the bill. (See how to create & use a table of contents here .)  When this happens, you will need to employ the use of page anchors. Anchors basically make a linkable spot on the page.  They are pretty easy to create, and can be linked tho both within the page and from outside the page.  Within a Google Document these are called Bookmarks. Here is how to set them up: 1. Put your cursor where you want the anchor/bookmark 2. Go to the Insert Menu, select Bookmark - this will add a little blue flag to the location That's it!  You can create as many as you need in the document. To get rid of an anchor/bookmark that you no longer want: 1. Click in the location you added it.  A pop-up should appear 2. Click Remove To use an anchor/bookmark within the document: 1. Type the text you want linked to the anchor/bookmark 2. Hi
Read more

Google Contacts - Newest Area to Get Some "Google Love"

By Anonymous -
Image
Be ready!  Your Google Contacts is about to update its looks.  I don't know about you, but I don't go to Google Contacts often.  I just don't like it.  If you need a refresher, this is what it looks (looked) like - Looked & felt very...dated.  This morning in going to one of my Google accounts, I got the pop-up window in my contacts.  Here is a screenshot of the new look - Hoping that the Google Love includes more than just the interface.  If there are any big changes that make Contacts more easily managed & navigated, you can be sure to see another blog post or two about it!
Read more