In my Digital Snacks: Breaks for Students’ Brains presentation, I explain that there are plenty of good reasons to give students brain breaks. Quick pauses in learning can ease stress, reduce cognitive overload, break up monotony, and build social connections. These short mental recesses give students a chance to reset so they can refocus and re-engage.

I’ve been curating my Digital Snacks collection for a few years now. To earn a spot as a digital snack, an activity must be:

• Free

• Browser-based

• No login for students

• Low prep

Digital Snacks are sorted into categories: Relaxing, Cognitive, Physical, Creative, Sensory, Social, and Humor. Each category includes online activities and YouTube videos.

Everything is organized on a Padlet with voting reactions turned on. Please give a 👍 to your favorites—and if a snack’s a flop, go ahead and give it a 👎. The lists are sorted by rating, so the best ones rise to the top.

This list has been a lifesaver when I’ve stepped in as a substitute teacher. It’s made it so easy to give students meaningful breaks that keep the day running smoothly.

Destiny Wagner, Chief Education Nerd at EdTech Nerds, attended my Digital Snacks presentation at GaETC 2025. Afterwards, she was kind enough to share the slides from her presentation, Calm the Chaos: Brain Breaks that Work. It’s full of great ideas!

Thanks to Destiny, I added several new digital snacks to my Padlet.

• Blob Beats
  A rhythm game from Google Arts and Culture where you hit notes in time to remixed classical music.

• Patatap
  Tap keys or click the screen to trigger sounds and matching animations.

• Body Synth
  Use your webcam to make music through body movements.

• Radio Garden
  Spin the globe and tune in to live radio stations from any location.

• Hopper the Penguin
  Drop a dancing penguin anywhere on Google Maps.

• Cat Bounce
  Click and drag to bounce cats around the screen.

• Drench
  Use the color buttons to flood the board. Turn the entire screen one color in fewer than 30 moves.

• Scrobbly
  Draw a character and watch it mirror your movements using your computer’s webcam.

• Jackson Pollock
  Drag your mouse to create splatter art. Click to change colors.

• Online Spiralgraph
  Choose gears, adjust settings, and generate colorful spirograph designs.

• Fridge Poem
  Drag and arrange virtual word magnets to build poems or fun phrases.

• Explore Live Webcams
  Watch live animal and nature cameras from around the world.

Try it out. Click this link and you’ll see the prompt already typed into Gemini’s prompt bar and Guided Learning mode is activated. Students can edit, add to, or refine the prompt before submitting.

Once the prompt is submitted, Guided Learning steps in and walks the learner through the topic with explanations, examples, and follow up questions.

Imagine using this trick to jumpstart the process of studying, reviewing, reflecting, or building background knowledge.

How do you build a URL that does this?

First, start with:

https://gemini.google.com/guided-learning?query=

Then add your prompt directly after the equals sign. I know it’s weird to include spaces in a URL, but each space will be converted to %20 in the browser’s address bar. So a completed link looks like:

https://gemini.google.com/guided-learning?query=Explain how compound interest works using easy examples.

It will change to this in the browser:

https://gemini.google.com/guided-learning?query=Explain%20how%20compound%20interest%20works%20using%20easy%20examples.

My example doesn’t include a grade level, but when you use this with students, adding the grade level to the prompt helps Gemini tailor the response.

Most of the time, I’d probably make a Gem for students rather than rely on long URLs, but this is a handy option when you want a quick way to get prompting started without setting up a full Gem.

If you’re not into “hacking” URLs, you can use this vibe-coded tool: Gemini Chat Starter. Just enter the prompt you’d like pre-filled and then click the Copy button. Easy!

What about ChatGPT?

While ChatGPT has a Study and Learn mode that is similar to Gemini’s Guided Learning, it does not support preloading a prompt through the URL.

You can still have a regular ChatGPT chat open with your prompt already typed in by adding it directly after the equals sign:

https://chat.openai.com/?q=

When someone follows your link, the message box is already filled with your prompt, and they can edit or add to it before submitting. Give this ChatGPT link a try.

Teachers are always looking for ways to make review time more interactive and engaging. One tool that consistently lights up classrooms is Factile, a Jeopardy game maker that turns lessons into a lively game show experience.

Factile helps teachers review content in a way that gets every student involved. And now, Factile has rolled out new features that make the whole game-show experience more engaging and easier to use.

Here are a few classroom favorites:

🔔 Buzz-In Shuffle

In buzzer mode, the same team can sometimes dominate. Factile’s new Buzz-In Sequence Randomizer changes that! With one click, you can shuffle the order of who buzzed in, keeping the game fair, exciting, and giving every student a chance to shine.

📄 Jeopardy Games from PDFs

Got a reading passage, unit guide, or worksheet in PDF form? Upload it, and Factile’s AI (called AutoGen) will generate questions and answers straight from your material. You can even select specific pages, perfect for comprehension checks or targeted practice.

✏️ Redesigned Game Builder

Creating custom Jeopardy games is now easier than ever. The new edit page has been completely redesigned with a fresh, intuitive layout, making it simple to fill in questions and answers, organize categories, and build engaging review games.

🤖 Smarter AI with GPT-4.1

AutoGen now runs on OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 model. That means clearer, more accurate, and grade-appropriate questions, saving teachers valuable prep time.

You can try Factile for free today. Every new account includes 500 free AutoGen tokens to test the AI feature, and there’s a 7-day no-hassle refund policy on paid plans.

Privacy note: Factile protects all district, school, teacher, and student data. Data is never for sale, never used to train AI, and always kept secure. Factile complies with FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, and state privacy laws.

Over the summer I’ve led quite a few AI workshops and trainings. The tool teachers consistently respond to and often call their favorite is Brisk Teaching.

Brisk offers a browser extension for Chrome and Edge that streamlines many AI tasks by working with whatever is open in your tab. One of my favorite features is the ability to generate a Google Forms quiz directly from a YouTube video.

Brisk Teaching has 6 core tools:

• Create instructional materials such as podcasts, quizzes, slide presentations, and more.

• Give Feedback on student work, tailored to your rubric or focus.

• Inspect Writing with a step-by-step playback of a student’s revision history.

• Change Level of any online text or PDF and translate to 58+ languages.

• Brisk Boost transforms any online resource into an AI-powered chat experience.

• Brisk Next serves as a central hub for insights, resources, activity management, and next instructional moves.

Brisk Next is the newest addition, and it’s your one-stop AI hub on the web for teaching. You can find your recent work, view student learning insights, generate multiple resources, and manage activities —all in one place. It even provides personalized recommendations based on your classroom needs and standards. Think of it like a teacher’s For You page! You can access Brisk Next anytime by heading to app.briskteaching.com or clicking the Home button in the Brisk menu.

If you’re new to Brisk, Brisk Bites are short video tutorials that help you learn the platform quickly. A recent Brisk Bite shows off Brisk Next: watch on YouTube.

Brisk’s Forever Free plan gives you access to 30+ AI tools. Premium access, available through Schools & Districts, adds features like unlimited use, images in Google Slides, advanced student insights, and turbo AI.

Most teachers begin with 14 days of Premium access, but you can extend that to 3 months free with my link:
brisk-teaching.com/tony-vincent.

Privacy note: Brisk protects all district, school, teacher, and student data. Data is never for sale, never used to train AI, and always kept secure. Brisk Teaching complies with FERPA, COPPA, GDPR, and state privacy laws.

• Canva: The Canva AI presentation maker is especially popular with teachers because it is built right into the Canva dashboard. Just choose Design for me and type in your topic. Canva AI will generate a slideshow with layouts, text, and images you can edit right away. Since many schools already use Canva, this option makes it easy to create a polished deck without starting from scratch.

• Brisk Teaching: A Chrome extension that instantly builds a Google Slides presentation from the page you are viewing.

• Prezi: Instead of linear slides, Prezi AI generates a zoomable presentation on an open canvas.

• PowerPoint: Microsoft Copilot designs presentations from your prompt and can pull content from your files.

• NotebookLM: Add sources and NotebookLM produces a narrated video overview, which is more of a video slideshow than a slide deck.

Out of all of these, Gamma often produces the most polished presentations.

Why Teachers Like Gamma

Gamma makes creating a presentation quick and easy. You can:

• Upload a PDF and let Gamma turn it into slides.

• Describe your presentation topic, and Gamma will generate an outline you can edit before it creates the full slideshow.

It is fun to watch the AI presentation generator in action as it types out the slides. Once the deck is ready, the Gamma editor lets you tweak text, adjust layouts, and replace visuals. Since AI does not always pick the perfect images, I like how simple it is to swap icons, illustrations, and photos.

Gamma also gives you flexible ways to share and use your work:

• Invite collaborators

• Share with a web link or embed code

• Export as PDF, PowerPoint, Google Slides, or PNG images

For a test, I asked Gamma to build a presentation called Deep Dive into Prompting an AI Chatbot. I gave it a water theme and asked it to start simple with the RAFT approach before diving deeper. The first draft was solid and ready for me to refine.

More Than Slides

Gamma is not only an AI slideshow maker. It can also create webpages, documents, and social media posts.

Pricing and Credits

• Signing up for Gamma gives you 400 free credits. A typical AI presentation uses about 40 credits.

• With Gamma Plus ($8/month or $96/year) you get unlimited AI presentations and up to 20 slides per deck.

• If you sign up through my affiliate link, I receive a small referral fee. 😉

Final Thoughts

I actually do not rely on AI to design my own presentations and keynotes. My style is big text, simple visuals, and slides that act as visual aids rather than complete handouts. Creating my own slides helps me think through a topic and refine my ideas. My presentations would not be as good if I relied on AI to generate them.

That said, Gamma is one of the best AI slideshow generators for teachers who need a quick slideshow, a starting point, or a spark of inspiration. For quick decks and fresh ideas, Gamma is worth a try. And if you like it, upgrading to Gamma Plus is reasonably priced.

I imported this blog post into Gamma and embedded the initial slide deck below. All I had to do was paste in the blog post’s URL, and Gamma handled the rest!

Think-Pair-Share pushes participation even further. A 2021 study found that adding a pairing step before sharing increased hand-raising and overall engagement compared to whole-class questioning (ScienceDirect).

Recently I was in a session with Dr. Carol Lippert, who described Think-Pair-Share as covert and overt. I instantly liked the word covert. “Think covertly” feels more engaging than “think silently” or “think by yourself.”

Students can picture themselves on a secret mission, holding onto their ideas until it is time to reveal them. First comes the covert thinking. Then comes the overt sharing.

Here’s a short description of the session:

Want to make your lessons more engaging without a ton of prep? Tony Vincent shares practical, research-backed ways to spark curiosity and boost motivation for any lesson. You’ll explore how surprise, anticipation, and prediction can help students stay focused and excited to learn. Along the way, you’ll get hands-on with FigJam templates that turn these ideas into easy, interactive activities. From silly warmups to mystery reveals, you’ll leave with ready-to-use resources that bring brain-friendly strategies to life.

I set up my tripod and recorded the presentation. Although I wore a wireless microphone, the Expo Hall’s hustle and bustle made it hard to hear my voice clearly. I uploaded the video to Adobe’s Enhance Speech v2 tool, which uses AI to isolate and boost spoken audio.

Check out the 23-minute video, the FigJam file I used during my presentation, and Figma for Education’s amazing collection of templates.

Manuel S. Herrera captured my presentation in this cute and colorful sketchnote summary.

You can try to prompt the AI to sound more casual or creative, but the next time it writes, it tends to slip back into its default style.

I put together a graphic that highlights some of the common signs of AI-generated text.

Just because a piece of writing has a few of these traits doesn’t mean it was written by AI. And on the flip side, AI can write in ways that feel surprisingly human. It depends on how it’s prompted, how much it’s edited, and a bit of luck.

Quizizz sent me a piñata with their new name hidden inside. Watch as I smash it open in slow motion.

I definitely had too much fun filming this!

Quizizz is more than just quizzes. That is one of the reasons for the name change. I started using Quizizz about 10 years ago, not long after it launched. I remember Skyping with one of the founders and being impressed by how responsive the company was to teacher feedback.

I used Quizizz regularly during the 2018–2019 school year when I was in the classroom, but I have not followed every update since then. Now the platform includes a wide range of features. I recently completed their certification activity, and it was a great way to get caught up. It introduces the basics, quiz design, lesson and live modes, AI tools, real-time and post-quiz analytics, and more.

The certification takes less than an hour. If you have time, I highly recommend completing it.

AI chatbots are continually being updated and tweaked. Last month OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, faced criticism after an update caused the chatbot to become excessively agreeable and flattering. This “sycophantic” behavior was intended to improve GPT-4o, but it led to over-the-top praise. ChatGPT would agree with the user, even when the human entered incorrect or irrational information into the chat.

OpenAI rolled back the GPT-4o update, making ChatGPT less sycophantic. However, bias toward human input remains an issue. Chatbots don’t tend to push back on the user, opting to dutifully agree with the human.

Depending on the task, it might be a good idea to ask an AI chatbot to push your thinking. To avoid the trap of an overly agreeable chatbot, ask it to challenge, reframe, and critique your ideas.

Push Your Thinking with AI

Refine

Strengthen your thinking by adding clarity, depth, and impact.

• What’s missing that would make it stronger?
  Identifies gaps and areas that need more support.

• How could this be made more inclusive?
  Ensures more people feel represented and considered.

• What assumptions are being made here?
  Helps surface bias and hidden premises.

Reframe

Explore new angles and make your ideas clearer and more relevant.

• What’s another way to frame this?
  Helps you look at your idea from a different perspective.

• How can this be made more relevant?
  Connects the idea more closely to your audience or purpose.

• How could this better capture attention or spark interest?
  Improves engagement by making the idea more appealing.

Reexamine

Test your thinking by finding weak spots, risks, or blind spots.

• Find flaws in this.
  Helps improve the idea by identifying what doesn’t work.

• What would an expert disagree with and why?
  Encourages deeper reasoning and anticipates pushback.

• What might be misunderstood or misinterpreted?
  Helps you clarify confusing parts or misleading wording.

• How could this idea backfire?
  Reveals potential risks or unintended consequences.

I made a poster with 10 ways you can invite a chatbot to stretch your thinking and strengthen your ideas. You’re welcome to download it as a PDF.

ChatGPT can remember details about your writing style, work, and projects from past conversations. If memory is turned on (under Settings → Personalization), it keeps track of what you’ve shared so you don’t have to repeat yourself. You can also manage what it remembers—deleting anything you’d rather not keep. Under Personalization, you can add custom instructions, or you can simply tell ChatGPT what you want it to remember.

Since ChatGPT can pull from past interactions, I decided to ask it something interesting:

"Everyone in the world is best at something. Given all that you know about me, what am I best at?"

I saw this prompt suggested on TikTok, and I was curious to see what ChatGPT would say. Its response made me smile:

“You’re best at making technology feel approachable and exciting for educators. You have a unique talent for taking complex tools—whether it's AI, Google Forms, or digital creativity apps—and breaking them down in a way that makes teachers not just understand them but want to use them. Your ability to engage educators through workshops, presentations, and newsletters shows that you're not just an expert in edtech—you’re an expert in teaching edtech in a way that feels fun, practical, and personal. Plus, your knack for clever wording and alliteration makes your content uniquely you.”

I appreciate how ChatGPT pulled together what it knows about me to form an insight like that. But I didn’t stop there—I tried a few more prompts to see what else it could reflect back at me:

• “Based on what you know about me, tell me something that I may not know about myself.”
  This response was similar to the “What am I best at?” answer, reinforcing my strengths in making tech approachable.

• “Based on the writing I’ve submitted to you, explain my writing style.”
  ChatGPT described my writing as clear, direct, and personal—with a friendly, conversational tone. It also pointed out my love for alliteration and clever phrasing.

• “Given all that you know about me, roast me. Don’t hold back.”
  Now this one? Ouch—but in a fun way. ChatGPT playfully called me out for being deep into edtech and leaning hard into my nerdy interests.

• “If I had a personal motto, what do you think it would be?”
  ChatGPT instantly generated: “Create, innovate, and educate—with a smile.”

• “What’s something I seem to avoid or not talk about much?”
  I really felt seen in this response: “You also seem to avoid buzzwords and hype, preferring straightforward, useful advice over trendy edu-speak. And while you use AI extensively, you don’t overpromise what it can do—you keep things realistic and teacher-friendly.”

If you’ve got a great prompt that taps into ChatGPT’s memory, drop it in the comments. Based on everything you know about me, you know I love discovering new ideas!

Kids have stories to tell—big ones, small ones, funny ones, and deeply personal ones. Be An Author Month is all about giving students the tools, time, and confidence to turn those stories into something real—something they can share.

That’s why I’m partnering with Book Creator to help spread the word and provide resources that make student publishing easy and exciting. March is already packed with literacy celebrations, from National Reading Month to Listening Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to help students find their voices. And what better way to do that than by becoming authors?

Why Authorship Matters

Turning ideas into something tangible gives students a sense of accomplishment. When students know their words will be read by others—whether it’s classmates, families, or the world—they rise to the challenge. Writing suddenly feels more real, more important, and more exciting.

And here’s the thing: stories don’t have to be told with just words. Some students might prefer to draw, record audio, make videos, or even code their ideas into an interactive experience. The goal is to give them space to express themselves in ways that feel meaningful.

Tell Your Story Competition

Book Creator is hosting a writing competition with three categories: Elementary, Middle, and High School. A winner will be selected from each, with entries judged on originality, design, communication, and literacy skills. And yes, there are prizes—including a class pizza party!

• 📅 Competition Dates: March 5 – April 5, 2025

• 📖 Entry Requirements: 5–30 pages, created in Book Creator

But you don’t have to wait for the competition to open to get started! Book Creator is providing a Teacher Guidebook, student workbooks, and story templates. The screenshot below is from the Tell Your Story Workbook for Grades K-5, which takes students through the writing process—including collecting peer feedback.

More Ways to Inspire Young Authors

Beyond the contest, Book Creator is offering:

• 🎤 Webinars for teachers on using digital tools for storytelling

• 📚 The "Authors Studio" webinar, where students hear from real authors

• 📝 A daily writing journal with prompts for every day in March

Get Started with Be An Author Month

Ready to help students tell their stories? Head over to Book Creator’s Be An Author resource hub and start exploring!

Book Creator gives teachers one library with up to 40 books, accessible by an unlimited number of students. Premium subscribers can create unlimited libraries, store up to 1,000 books, use real-time collaboration tools, and access premium apps.

Did you know you can use Canva presentations without an internet connection? It’s a lifesaver when Wi-Fi isn’t cooperating. Here’s how to enable offline access:

1. While you have an internet connection, go to your Canva homepage and find your presentation.

2. Click the More (•••) icon on the presentation’s thumbnail.

3. Select "Enable offline presenting" and confirm by clicking Continue.

Once enabled, your presentation will appear on your homepage, saved to your device and ready to open, even without internet. Note that embedded media, like YouTube videos, will not work without an internet connection.

Enhance Presentations with Live Drawing

Canva recently added a Draw on Page tool in presentation mode. Clicking the tool brings up five options: a thin marker, thick marker, highlighter, eraser, and color picker. Simply select a tool, choose a color, and start drawing.

It’s easiest to draw with your finger or a stylus, but if you’re using a non-touchscreen device, you can still draw with a mouse or trackpad.

Your drawings stay on each slide as long as you remain in presentation mode. You can move between slides, and your annotations will remain. However, once you exit, they are gone forever. If you want to keep your drawings, you'll need to take a screenshot before leaving presentation mode.

Ways Teachers Can Use the Draw on Page Tool

• 📝 Annotating diagrams, charts, and pictures – Label parts of a plant, highlight trends in data, or mark up an image for discussion.

• 📍 Highlighting key points – Emphasize important terms, main ideas, or student contributions.

• 🔢 Solving math problems – Work through equations, show step-by-step solutions, or demonstrate number patterns.

• ✅ Marking off completed tasks – Check off steps in a lesson, cross out completed objectives, or track progress.

• 🗺️ Labeling maps – Identify countries, states, landforms, or historical locations.

• ✏️ Filling in blanks as you present – Add missing words, numbers, or responses during live instruction.

By enabling offline access and using the Draw on Page tool, you can make your Canva presentations more flexible and interactive—whether you're online or off.

You can search for SVGs on websites like Pixabay and FreeSVG.org, both of which offer free vector image downloads. The Noun Project is another great source for SVGs, and their images can be used for free with proper attribution.

SVG images can be inserted into PowerPoint, Keynote, and Canva. However, Google Slides does not support direct SVG uploads and will return an error if you try.

I enjoy using SVGs in my documents because I can easily change their colors to match my design.

Editing SVGs in PowerPoint: After inserting an SVG into a PowerPoint slide, click the "Convert to Shape" button under the Graphic Format tab. Once converted, you can click individual shapes within the image to change their fill color. Since SVGs are often grouped, you may need to ungroup or double-click to select specific shapes.

Editing SVGs in Keynote (Mac): After adding an SVG to a slide, right-click the image and select "Break Apart." Then, right-click again and choose "Ungroup." This allows you to select individual shapes within the image.

Editing SVGs in Keynote (iPad): After inserting an SVG, tap the Format menu and, under the Arrange tab, tap "Break Apart." Then, tap "Ungroup." You can now select individual shapes within the image and adjust their colors in the Style tab of the Format panel. Be aware that some SVGs with many components may not break apart completely in Keynote.

Editing SVGs in Canva: When you add an SVG to a Canva design, the image’s colors appear as swatches in the top toolbar. Clicking a swatch opens the Color side panel, where you can change the color. However, some complex SVGs with multiple colors may not be editable in Canva and no color swatches will appear.

Workaround for SVGs in Google Slides: Although Google Slides doesn’t support direct SVG uploads, you can use a workaround. Follow the steps for editing SVGs in PowerPoint or Keynote, ensuring you convert them to shapes or break them apart. Save the presentation as a PPTX file and upload it to Google Drive. When opened in Google Slides, the SVG will remain editable.

SVG images not only display crisp and clear, but they also allow for easy color adjustments to fit your design. I use this feature frequently with QR codes. I generate QR codes at goqr.me and download them as SVGs. When I insert them into my presentation, I can adjust the foreground and background colors directly in the app I’m using instead of generating a new image.

I saw a physical puzzle with pieces that look like the letters Y , E, and S. The puzzle is available as a 3D printer file. The pieces can be arranged to form a shape that is symmetrical.

It’s somewhat easy to form a shape that is symmetrical using the Y and E since those shapes already have lines of symmetry.

I recreated the puzzle in Google Slides and PowerPoint. The first two slides introduce the puzzle, and the puzzle with movable pieces is on Slide 3.

Here are the instructions:

• Arrange the Y, E, and S pieces in a way that has a line of symmetry running through it horizontally or vertically.

• Each of the 3 pieces must be touching another piece with no overlaps.

• Rotate pieces by 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees.

• Do not resize and do not duplicate any pieces.

• After you think you’ve solved the puzzle, draw a blue line over your shape to show the line of symmetry.

The solution is on Slide 4 and can be revealed by deleting the rectangle that covers the answer. Teachers may want to delete Slide 4 before sending a copy to their students to control when the solution is revealed to the class.

Headers can feature text, images, or design elements that enhance your form's visual appeal and align with its purpose. Whether you're creating a survey, quiz, or feedback form, a well-designed header grabs attention, reinforces the theme, and guides respondents.

To add a header, click the Customize Theme button in the toolbar while editing your form. Although you can upload an image of any size, the recommended dimensions are 1600 x 400 pixels. After upload, you will need to set the image to have a 4:1 aspect ratio.

Unlike Google Classroom headers, Google Forms does not dim or crop your image for viewers, ensuring it displays at full brightness and original proportions.

I design my headers using Google Slides or Canva, saving the final design as a PNG or JPG for upload.

Adding Titles and Themes

The form's title is always displayed below the header, so including the title in the header itself is optional. However, embedding the title in the header lets you customize its color and style.

Teachers often use headers to include elements such as Bitmoji, logos, photos, instructions, lesson numbers, dates, encouragement, school mascots, due dates, humor, or themes.

Animated Headers

A header image can also be an animated GIF, adding a dynamic touch with moving, blinking, or changing imagery.

To create animated headers in Google Slides, duplicate a slide, make a small change, and repeat. When played in succession, the slides create an animation. Once complete, download the slides as a PDF and convert them into a GIF using the EZgif PDF to GIF tool.

In Canva, you can design an animated page and save it directly as a GIF.

Keep in mind that large GIFs can significantly increase download times. To optimize your GIF, keep its file size under 2MB. EZgif’s optimizer tool is a great way to reduce file size while maintaining quality.

Customizing Your Theme

Google Forms automatically pulls colors from your uploaded header image to customize the form’s theme. You can then select one of these colors to set as the background color for a cohesive and polished look.

Conclusion

Adding a header to your Google Form is an easy way to make it stand out and communicate your message. Whether static or animated, a thoughtfully designed header enhances your form's visual impact and usability. Tools like Google Slides or Canva can help you create headers that reflect your style and purpose.

Creating animated headers is part of my Funky Forms presentation, which can be a in-person or virtual conference presentation or a hands-on workshop. Contact me for details.

Nothing beats a handwritten thank-you card, but when you’re a teacher, you might have an overwhelming number of cards to write. If you’re like me, your handwriting becomes harder and harder to read the more you write. If you’re okay with typed messages, then let me show you how to use Canva to design, personalize, and print a set of personalized thank-yous.

This is going to involve Bulk Create, an app inside Canva. Bulk Create requires a Canva Pro or Canva for Education account. Qualifying K-12 teachers can get Canva for Education free. Bulk Create does not work in Canva’s mobile apps. You’ve got to be using the desktop version.

Create a new design

1. Go to Canva.com and create a new Custom Size design.

2. Change the units to inches and input 11 for the width and 8.5 for the height.

3. Click the Create new design button.

Divide the page into fourths

1. Click the File menu, choose Settings, and click Add guides.

2. Select Custom. Change to 2 columns and 2 rows. Set the gap and margin to zero.

3. Click Add guides.

4. Purple lines are visible on the page, but they are not part of the design. They won’t be visible when you download and print.

Design the front

Design the front of the card in the top right quadrant. Insert a Canva template or combine texts, shapes, and elements to make your own creation. I like to include the recipient’s name on the front of the card. I enter a name—a name that is the longest I might input. That was if “Christopher” fits in the text box, I know all the other names will also fit.

After you’re done working on the front of the card, do a Select All (Control or Command + A) and drag the rotation handle to turn everything upside down.

Design the inside

Add separate text boxes for the date, recipient’s name, and message. Write a sample message that will be the longest that all of your cards will contain. That way you know that everyone one of your messages will fit within the text box.

Also add a closing. You might sign your name by drawing with the pen tool or using a handwritten font. Or, you might consider leaving the signature blank, leaving space for you to sign after it has been printed.

If you’d rather skip the above design steps, you can make a copy of my Thank You Card template in Canva, make any changes, and continue the process below.

Compose messages

Create a spreadsheet in Google Sheets, Excel, or Numbers. Create columns for Date, Name, Dear Name, and Message.

Each row will eventually be turned into a printed thank-you card.

What’s with the Dear Name column? When we use Bulk Create, we must replace all the text in a text box. So, this column contains the entire greeting. For example, you would type out “Dear Christopher,” making sure to include the comma so that the commas make it into the text box.

After you’ve entered a row for all of the thank-you cards you intend to make, save the spreadsheet as an XLSX or CSV file to your desktop. You will be uploading this file to Canva.

Tip: If it’s easier for you, you can create a Google Form with questions for date, name, and message. Then, send it to create a spreadsheet for the form.

Bulk create

1. While inside your Canva card design, click Apps in the side bar.

2. Type “Bulk create” and press Enter or Return on your keyboard.

3. Click the Bulk create icon.

4. Click the Update data button.

5. Choose the XLSX or CSV file that you saved to your desktop.

6. Right-click the date text box in your design, choose Connect Data, and click the Date field from the pop up box.

7. Right-click the Dear text box in your design, choose Connect Data, and click the Dear Name field from the pop up box.

8. Right-click the message text box in your design, choose Connect Data, and click the Message field from the pop up box.

9. Right-click the upside down name text box in your design, choose Connect Data, and click the Name field from the pop up box.

10. Click the Continue button in the side bar and click the Generate designs button.

11. A new Cava design opens. Each page of the design is a different thank you card.

Download and print

1. Click the File menu and choose Download. Change the File type to PDF Print.

2. Click Download and save your PDF.

3. Open the PDF in whatever app views your PDFs.

4. Print the PDF.

Fold each card

1. Fold the paper in half, with the printed sides on the outside.

2. Fold in half again to complete the card.

Yes, is does take several steps to bulk create a batch of thank you cards. After you do it once, you can use your design over and over again, saving you time. And, the bulk create feature can be used in a similar way to produce certificates, personalized learning materials, and student-specific assignments.

Social media expert Rory Marles recently shared seven key strategies that content creators use to make their thumbnails more compelling:

1. Creating curiosity gaps that make viewers want to know more

2. Using a limited palette of three colors for visual impact

3. Challenging viewers' existing beliefs to spark interest

4. Following the "three element rule" for balanced composition

5. Including recognizable faces and personalities

6. Employing strong color contrast to stand out

7. Testing different versions to see what works best

As educators, recognizing these techniques can help us teach media literacy and critical thinking skills. Next time you and your students browse YouTube, try spotting these strategies in action—they're everywhere once you know what to look for.

For detailed examples of each strategy, you can find Rory's complete analysis on Threads. Boost media literacy skills by recognizing these techniques.

To use Burst mode, press and drag the shutter button (the white circle) to the left in the Camera app. The camera will take a rapid series of photos until you release the button. This feature works with both the front and rear cameras.

In the Photos app, you’ll find the burst labeled with the total number of photos taken. Tap the Burst button to review and select the best shots. With any luck, you’ll capture the perfect pose or freeze the action at just the right moment.

Before you begin: Switch your Google Doc to Pageless format, as cover images are only available in this mode. Simply open the Format menu and select "Switch to Pageless format."

To add your header:

1. Click the Insert menu

2. Select "Cover image"

3. Choose either "Choose from stock images" or "Upload from computer"

Design tip: When creating your own header image, use dimensions of 1920 x 480 pixels—the same size used in Google Forms and Classroom. Since the image will automatically adjust to fit the document width, some cropping may occur. Add extra margin on all sides to ensure important elements remain visible.

Accessibility matters: Don't forget to add alt text to your cover image by clicking the image and selecting the "Alt text" button. This ensures that the image can be described to those using screen readers.

Pro tip: If your document uses tabs, you can set different cover images for each tab, making pages visually distinguished from one another.

I made an example document so you can see a cover image in action.