Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is an American holiday (though with different names throughout the world) dedicated to the achievements of American workers. Take today to think about it. Me, I’ll take it literally–labor! A keyboard, three screens, four tasks, and a six-pack of Red Bull. I’m ready!
This post is for Teacher-Authors:
If you’re devoting Labor Day to your writing but need a kick start, last year I posted Wrong Hands plot generator matrice. OK, I know it says ‘Christmas Movie’ but it works just as well for writing:
I thought I’d update this year and was surprised how many plot generators are out there:
OK, seriously, if you’re writing today, maybe you’re doing it on your iPad, so it’ll be more versatile, more portable. Here are some suggestions to make that easier:
- Double-tap the space bar to add a period.
- Double-tap the shift key to turn on CAPS LOCK.
- Double-tap the Home button to bring up all open apps.
- Place two fingers in the middle of the iPad keyboard and flick them to the side. This will split the keyboard making it easier to ‘thumb’ the keys (see inset—notice the half-keyboards on either side of the image).
- Shake the iPad to undo the last word you typed.
- Four-finger swipe in either direction to change apps.
- Five-finger pinch to return to the Home screen.
- Long-hold the period key to bring up extension options (.com, .net, and more). This doesn’t work in all applications.
- Long-hold many keys to get additional options. For example, long-hold the $ for other money symbols.
- Long-hold the Home button to bring up Siri.
- As you type, let the iPad correct your spelling and complete words.
That’s all I’ve got! Have a great holiday!
More on Labor Day (for Teacher-Authors)
Labor Day Thoughts: Do You Really Want Your Job to be ‘Writer’?
How to Write a Book on Labor Day
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
