Technology Thursday is a weekly linky dedicated to all things technology related. Share reviews of websites or apps you've tried, tech tips that make your {teaching or personal} life easier, and helpful tutorials. Our hope is that this linky provides a place for teachers to share and learn new ways to use technology and engage students!
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Rule #1: Include the image above and a link to our blog somewhere in your post.
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Rule #3: This linky is not intended for product promotion. You may include products you've created in your posts, but they should not be the sole focus of the post.
I absolutely love, love, love shortcuts. I always look for a way to work smarter- not harder and shortcuts are a great way to ensure the "smarter" you is in charge!
PowerPoint has a lot of great shortcuts. Here are a few of my favorites.
(Reminder: I am a PC kind of girl and I am working on Microsoft Office 13.)
Inserting a Text Box
This is "mouse" down my all time favorite shortcut for PowerPoint!
I really insert a lot of text boxes into PowerPoint. I mean a lot! I went searching for the shortcut and finally found it.
Press ALT, then N, and then X. In that order. You don't have to hold them down.
Next, click your left mouse button, and your text box will appear with the cursor inside.
Use the Keyboard to Access the Ribbon
Every time you take your hands off of the keyboard to touch your mouse, you lose time. And who wants to waste time? Not me! You can actually access sections of the ribbon right from your keyboard.
Ready for the trick.....
Hit ALT. Yep. That's the trick!
Little black boxes with letters in them will appear on your ribbon. These are the letters to access that part of the ribbon.
Hit the letter to match the selection that you want!
For example, I am on the Home Tab. I want to Insert something. I press ALT and then I see a black box with the letter N by Insert. I press N and I am now on the Insert Tab. Now I can hit "P" to insert a picture.
No need to remember all of the letters...they are displayed for you!
Group and Ungrouping Shapes
Select the shapes you want to group by using Control and clicking on the objects.
Hold down CTRL and G to group items.
Hold down CTRL, SHIFT, and G to ungroup items.
Select All
This is a great tip if you are wanting to save a design you have made as a picture. To do this you have to select all of the graphics at one time. You can click, hold, and highlight with your mouse but sometimes things move or you miss an object. This shortcut takes care of all of that.
Hold down CTRL and A. Awesome!
Show a Grid or Guide
Okay, I must admit...I didn't even know there was a guide or a grid...but great for centering things!
Hold down ALT and then press F9. Press again to remove. This gives you a guides (horizontal and vertical line).
Hold down SHIFT and then press F9. Press again to remove. This gives you a grids (smaller squares).
Display the Context Menu
Hold down SHIFT and then press F10.
Great if you want grids and rulers.
Old Standbys
Cut Selected Object: CTRL + X
Copy Selected Object: CTRL + C
Paste Selected Object: CTRL + V
Undo Last Action: CTRL + Z
Redo Last Action: CTRL + Y
Copy Formatting Only: CTRL + SHIFT + C
Paste Formatting Only: CTRL + SHIFT + V
Now you are probably wondering, "How am I ever going to remember all of these?" Check out my previous blog post giving you a quick and easy tip on
how to learn shortcuts!
The top wishlisted item at Cassie's Funky in Fourth store is her Layers of the Earth Unit. Buyers love all the graphic organizers and the included lab activities!
Most wishlisted at Juliet's store, Tech Crazy Teacher is her Island Treasure Map project. In this fun and engaging activity, students use many different map skills to create their own island and hide a treasure on it! Includes everything you need, even antique paper, and a rubric for easy assessment. 
#2 from Chalk & Apples is my Word Work for Big Kids! I created this product out of a need in my own classroom for some challenging word work activities that I could use over and over with our vocabulary words in my 5th grade class, and I still use it daily! PS - It's also included as a freebie with my Growing Vocabulary Roots: Morphology Word Study Unit 1, so don't buy it twice!
Second from Funky in Fourth is Cassie's STEM Challenge Series Bundle. This bundle is still in progress, but will include TEN great STEM activities by January. Each challenge includes complete lesson plans, student recording sheets, and tips.
Juliet's second most wishlisted item is her Rapid Words Sight Word Fluency Program. This complete program provides fun and engaging weekly homework for practicing sight word fluency throughout the entire year! Everything you need is included. 
This one is HUGE, so I've been waiting for a sale to buy it... I can't wait to get Blair Turner's Interactive Math Notebook Bundle for 5th Grade! It is chock full of interactive notebook templates & lessons for everything we teach, and I can't wait to start using it with my fifthies! 
Cassie can't wait to start using The Brown Bag Teacher's Reading Response Letters. These look like such a great way to start conversations with each student about the books they are reading! 
Juliet is looking forward to challenging her students to think more deeply about what they've read by using Anna Brantley's HOTS Reading Response Sheets. I love them too... if she made them for 5th grade, they'd be on my wishlist in a heartbeat. What's on your wishlist? Head over to Ideas by Jivey to link up!
