Google Classroom has added some great new features to make using it even more convenient. With Google Classroom, you now have the ability to do a few things to make life easier.
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Google Newspaper Archive, a Primary Source Paradise
Have you ever struggled with finding good primary source material for students? As an English teacher, I teach a lot of literature. I have always taught a good bit of non-fiction as well, but the reality is, there are times I wish I could teach more of it.
With the advent of Common Core, or College Career Readiness Standards, or whatever catchy name your state has given them, non-fiction text has probably become a much larger part of the expectations. History teachers are expected to pick up a significant share of that load, through the reading of primary source materials.
Using Google Forms for Back to School Night
So, we had our back to school open house. As usual, the school was abuzz with excitement. It’s a treat to be able to meet all of our parents, a treat we really should find a way to do more often.
I decided that I would do away with the old fashioned sign in sheet. It seemed to make little sense to have parents fill out a paper sign in sheet when we are a paperless classroom. We wanted to give them an idea of how their kids are expected to work this year, so we did open house in our rooms paperless style.
Vocaroo and You… Easy Classroom Uses of Audio
Have you ever wanted kids to make a speech? Maybe present a book report? What about getting a bit more daring, and making a sort of radio announcement, maybe a speech for running for student council?
Odds are, you have. Odds are also pretty good that there have been times when a few students didn’t want to do it because they were not comfortable in front of a group. While that is something we need to work through and build confidence for, we can still allow them the opportunity to present their material in a meaningful way.
Screencasting Using Google Chrome and Snagit
Unfortunately, we have been informed that Techsmith is retiring the Chrome extension for Snagit. They are going to keep the desktop versions alive. We will try to get that software so we can review it. (May 17, 2016)
Screencasting. Most people tend to think it’s not a terribly valuable resource. Many think they are troublesome to create. Many don’t want their voice all over the internet. After being asked how to do the exact same thing several times, I made a joke, saying I needed to record myself showing how to do it… then it hit me, I really did need to record myself showing how to do it, I needed to screencast it.
Believe it or not, my 11 year old daughter had been experimenting with screencasting. She knew all about it. She regularly watches screencasts of people doing certain tasks in Minecraft. She had mentioned wanting to make screencasts of her own, and I now saw a need to make them, so we plunged into it together.
The Basics of Using Google Forms
Have you ever seen a horse pushing a cart? Neither have I, and I feel like I put the cart before the horse yesterday with the Flubaroo post. So, rewinding a bit, here are the basics of how to create a Google Form.
First off, head over to your Google Drive. When you get there click NEW then hover over MORE so you see the menu shown below.
Paperless Grading Using Flubaroo, Google Sheets, and Google Forms
To many, going paperless seems like a daunting task. Most teachers have gotten into a comfort zone. They know how things run, they know how long tasks take, they have it down. However, as we progress as educators, we must change with the times. Kids are growing up in a digital age, and it only seems logical that we would teach them the way they are growing up.
The age old pen and paper tests can often be digitized. Let’s face it, many of the tests teachers give are multiple choice. Google Forms is an excellent way to digitally deliver the same test. It saves paper, ink, and grading time. Yes, grading time. One of the chief concerns I hear from teachers is they don’t wish to go paperless because they don’t know how to test and grade tests on a computer. This is where the Google Sheets add-on Flubaroo comes in. Continue reading
Google Certified Educator Level 1
Ok, let me preface this post with the following:
If you are looking for inside information on what is on the test, you have come to the wrong blog spot. You would be better served by clicking HERE.
Now, on to the post.
I took the Google Certified Educator, Level 1 exam this morning. It allowed plenty of time, 3 hours. I went through the online course, and made sure to perform each and every task. Continue reading
Getting to know Google Classroom
It’s summer break for many of us. It’s the perfect chance to experiment with new things. Schools are making the change to including more EdTech. Some districts more slowly than others, but in general, we are getting there. Talking to teachers at conferences and presentations, we often hear the same reasons for not using more technology… Continue reading
Using the Revision History in Google Docs
Everyone has heard, Google Docs is all the craze for collaborating with writing. It’s extremely functional, can save your file in multiple formats, has built in chat, and more. Since writing this POST the other day, I have had a few questions about revision history. Continue reading