4 Lesser-Known Google Tools You Should Try Today

There are many Google tools teachers are using in the classroom, such as Google Drive, Google Classroom, and Google Hangouts. However, there are quite a few Google tools that aren’t as widely used or publicized. Learn about a few below and how they can be used in your classroom today.

#1 – Google Keep

Google Keep is a note taking application that allows you to create lists, color code notes, set note reminders, and share notes with others. You can even create voice recordings, which are then automatically transcribed into a note. If you are a fan of to-do-lists like I am, Google Keep allows you to convert text notes into checklists. You can access Google Keep online or by installing the app for iOS and Android.

In the classroom -

• Students can quickly save what’s on their mind, write down homework, take brief notes, record their ideas, or take pictures of information.
• Students can color code homework notes by subject area, for example, all blue notes could indicate math homework.
• Students can set up reminders about their notes in order to get instant notifications about homework or projects.
• Students could listen to voice notes that you create in order to practice pronouncing words or just study vocabulary.

#2 – Google Sky
Google Sky is a part of Google Earth that allows you to explore space and star systems. It allows you to view a collaboration of some of the best images from NASA satellites, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the Hubble Telescope. Google Sky is a great way to view the planets, constellations, birth of galaxies, and other items in the universe.

In the classroom -

• Students can write poems about the stars.
• Students can discuss objects in the solar system and depict differences between them.
• Students can create stories about the night sky.
• Students can build presentations about the history of the planets.
• Students can discuss the atmosphere of the Earth and how it protects life on Earth.
• Students can create videos about the importance of the sun or climate change.

#3 – Google Art Project
Google Art Project is an online platform in which you can access and browse high-resolution images of artworks from over 400 of the world’s greatest art museums. Some of the museums include the Tate Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Uffizi in Florence.

In the classroom -

• Students can take virtual gallery tours with audio and video guidance.
• Students can zoom in on individual artwork masterpieces and discuss them in groups.
• Students can create their own virtual collections or view collections you have created that support their instruction for the day.
• Students can write about images that you choose as writing prompts.

 #4 – Build LEGO With Chrome
Google has partnered with LEGO so you can build with Lego bricks using Google Maps as your baseplate in Chrome. A Google team in Australia first developed this application as an experiment in 2012 and now Google has now opened it up to everybody.

In the classroom -

• Students can build their own Lego cities, highlighting data they have collected about their city.
• Students can build Lego versions of historical landmarks and write an essay about them.
• Students can view what others have built and discuss the various structures.
• Students can screen capture their creations to include in a digital story or video.
• Students can review digital citizenship and copyright by reading the site’s House Rules.

So, how many of these did you know about? If you knew about them and are currently using them, I’d love to hear from you.

Gamification

Are you interested in making your class more engaging for students? Why not gamify your class?

As you know, gamification is the use of gaming principles to get students involved, engaged, and excited about learning. It consists of adding game elements to a non-game situation. It introduces concepts like badges, levels, achievements, and game points to the classroom. Students are rewarded with these concepts when they succeed. By introducing a system of rewards without harsh penalties, students are not afraid to step outside of their comfort zone and fail. By removing their fear of failure, we encourage them to learn.

Gamification Resources

·         Brainscape - Brainscape is a web-based platform that is designed to help students study smart. The program creates flashcards and changes the pattern based on what students know and what they seem to be struggling with.  Site: https://www.brainscape.com/

·         Breakout EDU - Breakout EDU creates engaging learning games for people of all ages. Games (Breakouts) teach teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, and troubleshooting by presenting participants with challenges that ignite their natural drive to problem solve. You create the perfect breakout for your students! Site: http://www.breakoutedu.com/

·         Class Craft - Class Craft is a free online, education role-playing game that teachers and students play together in the classroom. Student can level up, work in teams, and earn powers that have real-world consequences. It provides a layer around any exisiting curriculum in order to transform the way students learn. Site: http://www.classcraft.com/

·         Class Dojo - Class Dojo turns your class into a game of rewards and instant feedback. Class Dojo is a classroom management tool to help teachers improve behavior in their classrooms quickly and easily. It improves specific student behaviors and helps engagement by issuing awards and recording real-time feedback.Site: https://www.classdojo.com/

·         Class XP - Class XP is a grade tracking dashboard for students that integrated game mechanics. Students earn points (grades), gain levels (grades), and in a way, have leaderboards. There are class valedictorians and student are essentially ranked based on points. Site: http://classxp.org/

·         DuoLingo - DuoLingo is a massive online web platform designed to help student learn a given language online. Beginners start out with basic, simple sentences from the web, while advanced users receive more complex sentences. As a student  progresses, so does the complexity of the sentences they are asked to translate. Skill points are earned as students progress through lessons. Site: https://www.duolingo.com/

·         Ribbon Hero - Ribbon Hero is an add-in game, available as a free Microsoft download, to help educate users of Office 2007 and 2010 on how to use the tools available in the new ribbon interface. Once installed, the game can easily be initiated form any of the key Office programs, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Once in the game, the user is presented with challenges which can yield points if completed. Site: http://www.ribbonhero.com/

·         3D Game Lab - 3D Game Lab is a gamified content creation and student tracking platform where teachers can design and share quests and badges to create personalized learning for their students. Students "level up" through the curriculum, choose quests they want to play, and earn experience points, badges, and awards. Site: http://3dgamelab.com/

Ideas to Gamify Your Classroom

·         Foster collaboration - Present the classroom syllabus as a form of a game and have students create classroom goals and rules with you.

·         Provide instant feedback - In a game setting, feedback is essential for students to know how they are doing in the game. If a student makes a choice in a game, it is usually known immediately if that choice was the right one.

·         Make progress visible - Progress bars and levels in games allow students to set goals for themselves and celebrate success once achieving them.

·         Create challenges instead of homework - In games, students are constantly required to meet challenges, such as identify patterns or break codes. The same element can be applied to homework and projects in a fun, yet challenging way.

·         Give students choice and a voice - Games often give students various choices. Instead of simply issuing a test, you can allow student to take different paths to demonstrate their understanding of the material.

·         Offer badges and rewards - Badges or other rewards are a good way of recognizing student achievement and for giving students an incentive to continue reaching their goals.

·         Allow for second chances - When a challenge is failed in a game, students are able to learn from their mistakes and try again.

Try using one of the resources and ideas above to enhance the overall learning experience of your students.

In-Class Flipping with Google Apps

I often hear from teachers, “I’ve tried flipping my class and it just didn’t go very well.” While the reasons varied as to why the flipped approach didn’t work for these teachers, the main thing I kept hearing was “the at-home learning just didn’t happen.”

In-Class Flipping

This brings me to think about the in-class flip model. If you are not familiar with in-class flipping, it keeps all parts of the flipped model at school. Teachers pre-record direct instruction and that recording becomes a station in class that small groups of students could rotate through. While students are at their stations, the teacher could work one-to-one with some students, while others students spend time doing independent activities or group work. Watch this video to learn more about in-class flipping.

Ways to Use Google Tools for In-Class Flipping

If you are looking to try out the in-class flip model, Google Apps for Education can help you along the way. Below are a few Google tools you can use:

• Movenote – With Movenote, you can create a picture-in-picture screencast with you and files from your Google Drive. If you have a lesson you uploaded to your drive or have a lesson you created with Google Slides, it is easy to add video and audio to that lesson with Movenote. Students can then watch you while also seeing the lesson you are teaching.
• YouTube – With YouTube, you can do everything from finding instructional videos for your classes to recording your own. If you want to create your own video, apps such as YouTube Capture make it easy to record your lesson straight from your mobile device. You can then take advantage of editing your video with YouTube’s Editor as well as add annotations to your video.
• VideoNot.es – With the VideoNot.es Google Drive app, students can take notes while they watch your video lesson. Their notes are synced with the video and when they click on a line in their notes, it will jump to that portion of the video. This is a great way for students to make notes about portions of the lesson they didn’t understand so they can go back and watch it again.
• Screencastify – With the Screencastify Chrome extension, you can easily create a screencast for your lesson. The extension will record all screen activity and includes audio as well. All you have to do is press record and the content on your screen will be recorded. Recorded videos can be saved or uploaded to YouTube or Google Drive with a single click.
• Google Forms – With Google Forms, you can easily upload your video lesson and add questions about the lesson. All you have to do is create the form and share the link with your students. Check out this Election Lesson created with a Google Form.

These are just a few Google tools to help you get started. There are many more, such as Google Sites, Google Classroom, and of course, there are a lot more Chrome apps and extensions for screencasting.

So, if you tried flipping and it didn’t work, don’t give up just yet. Try in-class flipping.

10 Tips for Getting Started with BYOD in the Classroom

Has your school implemented BYOD, but you are thinking OMG? Don't panic. We all feel nervous when it comes to starting something new. You’re not quite sure what to expect. Will you embarrass yourself in front of your students? Will you not be able to do it? What will others think of you? It's the anxiety of facing something unknown.

Well, it is possible to get the most from your BYOD environment without going crazy. Try these few tips to help you get started with BYOD in your classroom.

Tips for Getting Started with BYOD

1. You are the teacher in the classroom: keep control of student use and when you or anyone is addressing the class, make sure devices are not in use (on the table with screen down, knees toward me, close the lid) and remember to allow use only when the lesson requires it.

2. Ask three before you ask me: have students support each other as you will not be able to support all devices in the room. 

3. Keep your management plan in place: there should be consistent consequences in your room for any off task behavior.

4. Bring it out only when it is needed: every lesson might not require the use of a device.

5. You do not need to know how to use each and every device, but you should know what it can do: students should be able to use their own device no matter what the lesson is. 

6. Start small: when using technology in the classroom, it is always wise to start with something small.  Millions of apps and websites exist and it can be overwhelming. Choose one or two to start with.

7. Walk around: just like you always do as this helps with on-task behavior and support.

8. Always have a “Plan B”: sometimes tech has issues, make sure you have other ways to support the lesson or a back-up lesson. 

9. Communicate appropriate use: if you are going to let students use devices when they are done with work, make sure you are clear on what they can do with devices, such as: read, work on other classwork, etc.

10. Don’t give up: if your first BYOD lesson doesn’t go as planned, try and try again. Patience produces a great runner, so be happy with small gains. Remember, you’re just beginning but before you know it, you’ll be leading the race.

4 Tips for Keeping Your Data Secure in the Cloud

While presenting on Social Media in the Classroom, I ran into a former colleague. She mentioned a fantastic presentation she attended on Cyber Security in the Classroom. Our conversation soon drifted to a discussion about passwords and how secure our passwords really are, especially with the amount of data we are storing in the cloud.

When you think about it, the amount of information we are storing in the cloud is growing every day. Most of us no longer use USB flash drives to carry our docs because it so easy just to store our information in the cloud. However, we hear about data breaches happening all the time, so how can we be sure our information is safe and secure out there?

Below are a few tips to put into practice to help secure your data in the cloud.

1. Get serious about your passwords
Strong passwords are a critical component of good security. Passwords should be unique and complex to ensure that others can’t guess them or reuse them to access your other accounts. If you set up your password the Snowden way, you will “shift your thinking from passwords to passphrases.” A strong passphrase could include anywhere from 20-30 characters long and includes a combination of numbers, symbols, and capital letters. An example of this type of password would be, “I enjoyed learning at Edcamp 2016” which would equate to “!enj0yedLearning@Edc&mp2o!6.” In addition, don’t forget to change your passphrase regularly and don’t use the same passphrase for all your accounts.

         
On the other hand, you might find that some of your cloud services use two-step verification on top of your login credentials as an added layer of security. In the case for Google Apps for Education, the administrator of your console can enable two-step verification so that a verification code can be sent to your mobile phone on top of just your password. President Obama recently weighed in about password security being so bad.

2. Encrypt your data
Encryption is one of the most effective ways to secure your data. Encryption works as follow: You have a file you want to store in the cloud, you use certain software which will allow you to create a password for that file, you move the password-protected file to the cloud and no one is ever able to see the content of the file without knowing the password.”

By encrypting data you are adding an extra layer of protection and ensuring that your information is readable only by intended parties. Some ways to encrypt your data include using tools like Secret Space Encryptor (SSE) and/or the Chrome app MiniLock.

3. Read the small print
Aside of storing your data, some cloud services allow you to share your data through them with others. Some cloud service providers don’t advertise that they might have the right to use the content you share on the cloud. Make sure to read the provider’s terms and conditions. There’s no doubt that it isn’t the most exciting thing to read but it may contain crucial information you need to know.

4. Think before you click
Sometimes, the security of your cloud data depends on what you do online and what you click on. When using a public computer, do not save your password, and ensure that you logged out of your account after you are done. And always avoid clicking on email links and attachments from people you don't know.

Be sure to keep these few tips in mind when choosing the best way to protect your data. Always remember, your information is valuable, therefore, you need to protect it.

Google Drive Tips

Google Drive has so much to offer so why not take advantage of it? If you asked me to name an application I use everyday, Google Drive would be at the top of the list. It’s one of those tools that’s so useful and so extensive. Did you know you that you can create badges right inside Google Drive? Or did you know that you can access your Google Drive files without having Internet? Learn about these tips and more below.

Tip #1 - Analyze Data in Google Sheets with One Click

With a recent addition of the Explore feature in Google Sheets, you can now analyze your data with just one click. Just highlight the data in your Google Sheet and then click the Explore tab in the bottom right corner to instantly create charts and to see an analysis of your data. If you make changes to the data, the Explore view will update and adjust in real time.

Tip #2 - Gamify Your Classroom with Google Drawing
If you know anything about gamification, you know it It consists of adding game elements to a non-game situation. It introduces concepts like badges, levels, and points to the classroom. Google Drawing is a great tool to use if you have ever thought about creating your own badges. It is simple and easy to use and you can even collaborate with others to get your badge created in no time.

Tip #3 - Find and Insert Copyright-Free Images in Google Docs
One of the challenges in education is finding copyright-free images to use in daily student work. Google has a collection they provide free to anyone. While in Google Docs, click on Insert, Image and then click on the Search link. The option to search Google, Life, or stock images will appear. Google restricts the results to images licenses as Creative Commons.

Tip #4 - Collect Digital Exit Tickets with Google Forms
When you reflect on the day’s lesson, do you often wonder if your students “got it?” If so, collecting exit information from students will help answer this question.  Google Forms is a fantastic tool to use to collect responses from students. Your form can simply be re-used from class to class and contain questions such as “what did you learn today?” or “do you have any questions?”

Tip #5 - Access your Google Drive Files without the Internet
Internet outages shouldn’t prevent you from working. Just set up offline access so you can access and edit your files at any time. While in Drive, click on the Gear icon and scroll to Settings. Under General, check the box next to Offline.

What tips would you share?

Celebrate President's Day with Google Drawings

President's Day is just around the corner. This is a perfect time to introduce students to those who have shaped our nation. It is also a great way to transition to talking to your students about their futures, their dreams, and what they might do if they were President of the United States.

In comes Google Drawings! With Google Drawings, students have a place to write about what they would do if they were president or better yet, they could draw what their first actions would be if elected president.

Check out this If I Were President Template I created in Google Drawings. You can make a copy of it and use it in the classroom with your students.

You might even start out this activity with a discussion about what a president's job entails. However, encourage your students to be creative and come up with ideas for what they want their world to be like. Then have students explain their drawings.

If you want to share all the drawings in one place for the entire class to see, try creating a collaborative Padlet. Students can save their drawings as JPEGs and upload them to the padlet.

Happy President's Day!

Badges for Professional Learning

At the recent TCEA Campus Technology Specialist Academy, I presented on “Promoting Technology Use on Your Campus.” During the presentation, I mentioned rewarding teachers who come to training by giving them a badge. The technology team at Lubbock ISD immediately stated, “Rewarding our staff with badges for completing staff development has really motivated them.” Focusing on positive motivation rather than a fear of negative consequences can really make a difference.

If you are looking for ways to motivate teachers to attend professional development, try incorporating badges. Below are a few resources for creating badges.

Badge Resources

1. Class Badges – Class Badges is one of the more popular badging platforms. Class badges allow the teacher to easily award badges aligned with learning goals.
2. Credly– Credly allows teachers to create badges, upload their own designs, and give credit through the platform. It is available as a web-based version and an iOS app.
3. Create a Badge with Google Drawing– If you have ever thought of creating your own badges, Google Drawing is a great tool to use. Read Alice Keeler’s blog entry on how easy it is to do.
4. For All Badges – For All Badges is an iOS app that works in conjunction with For All Rubrics to align your rubrics with badges. For All Badges also integrates with Mozilla’s Open Badges platform, and allows students (or staff members) to save badges to their “backpack.”
5. Open Badges – Open Badges allows teachers to create and issue badges that do not have to be tied to a certain platform. Take the Badges 101 Quiz to see how it works and to earn your first badge.

With badges, teachers who take the time to learn now have a way to be acknowledged for that learning. And we all know that recognition from our peers is the sweetest reward. Encourage them to include their badges in their email signature or print and post them in their classroom. You can even publicly honor them by “presenting” the badges at a faculty meeting.

Here is Lubbock ISD’s Digital Learning Badge site, a great resource. If you are incorporating badges into your professional development, I’d love to hear from you. Please let me know in the comment section below.

5 Fabulous Formative Assessments For Your Classroom

Teachers are constantly engaged in the process of formative assessment. Without the regular use of formative assessment, or checks for understanding, how are teachers to know what each student needs to be successful in the classroom? Teachers have many strategies and tools from which to choose. Learn about a few below.

Exit Tickets – Exit tickets can be a great way to set up the next day's learning.Before students leave class, they can be asked for an “exit ticket” that provides insight into what they learned from the day’s activities. For a digital exit ticket, try creating a Google Form that asks students about their thoughts on a lesson or have students create a short, three-panel comic strip outlining the day’s most valuable key idea.

Graphic Organizers – Graphic organizers can be used to assess prior knowledge, record learning during a lecture or class reading, or organize knowledge after learning. Some examples include Venn diagrams, word/idea webs or concept maps. Google Drawing, Gliffy, Bubbl.us, and Mindmeister are always great options for creating digital graphic organizers. For word clouds, try Wordle, WordIt Out or Word Mosaic.

Quick Write – With quick writes, you can ask student to respond to an open-ended question or prompt. This can be done before, during, or after the lesson. Some useful tools for this include Chatzy, Today’s Meet, and Padlet.  A few others to check out are Active Prompt and Lino. Don’t forget to remind students to share something unique and not repeat a classmate’s answer.

Quizzes – Quizzes assess students for factual information and concepts. There is usually a single best answer and are great for on-the-fly assessment. Socrative can be used for quick quizzes as well as Kahoot, which lets you build fun into your quizzes.  Students can use computers, cell phones, or other devices to join in and answer the questions.

Recall – Recalling information allows students to list the most important concepts they learned or things that were meaningful to them. Try having students make a list – in words or simple phrases – and rank them in order of importance, like a Top Ten List. Try using List.ly or Listmoz to create digital lists.

Remember that the true value of doing formative assessments lies in what happens afterwards when you take the data and change your teaching strategies and processes to reflect what you’ve learned and to better serve each student.

Take Advantage of the Power of Google Forms for Perfect Rubrics

During a recent Google Educator Level I training, a participant asked, “Have you ever used a Google Form to create a rubric?” No one in the training, including myself, had ever used Google Forms this way.

We all agreed that rubrics are great for students. Rubrics clearly communicate what is expected of the student and they give students the opportunity to do a self-assessment to reflect on their learning process. In the past, I’ve had students evaluate their own and their peers’ performance using rubrics. What I particularly like about using rubrics is that they can be customized to suit any classroom activity. Had I created my rubrics in Google Forms, my life would have been so much easier.

Below are a few ways to create rubrics in Google Forms.

Use Grid-Type Questions

Using grids is typically how most rubrics are set up. When the user completes this type of rubric, he will be presented with a grid of rows and columns and will need to click a single cell to place his response for each row.

To create a grid-type rubric:

1. Create a Google Form and enter a title.
2. Type in your overall question, directions, or topic that will apply to each question in the grid (for example, Presentation Rubric).
3. Then select the grid-type question.
4. For the columns, enter your rubric scale. For example, 4 = Excellent.
5. For the rows, enter your rubric criteria. For example, Student presents information in logical sequence.
6. Once you click Done, you can preview your form.

Click here to see my rubric using a grid-type question.

Use Scale-Type Questions

Using scales in another way to set up your rubric. When the user completes this type of rubric, he will be presented with a scale of values on which to place his response.

To create a scale-type rubric:

1. Create a Google Form and enter a title.
2. Type in your overall question, criteria, or topic that will apply to the scale (for example, Organization).
3. Enter help text, if needed, to help identify point values of the scale.
4. Then select the scale-type question.
5. Add your scale by entering a starting point (0 or 1) and an ending point (up to 10) for your scale.
6. Next, add values for the starting point, such as Disorganized and add values for the ending point, such as Very Organized.
7. Once you click Done, you can preview your form.

Click here to see my rubric using scale-type questions.

Other Items to Add to Your Form

Some other helpful items to add to your form at the beginning include:

1. The name of the evaluator
2. The class period
3. A unique identifier (a code or number assigned to the student who is being evaluated)

Make these required questions by checking the box at the bottom of the question. That way, these questions won’t accidently be skipped.

Collecting Responses

As you most likely know, one of the beautiful features of Google Forms is that it automatically collects responses in a Google Sheet. Once all responses have been collected, you can then add formulas and sort the data in order to analyze it.

Now’s the time to stop using paper rubrics, like I once did. Try re-creating them in Google Forms. If you are already creating rubrics in Google Forms, I’d love to hear from you. Share your examples with me at diana.benner@gmail.com.

BYOD Tools for the Mobile Classroom

As mobile device use in education explodes, it’s no surprise that BYOD (Bring Your Own Device or sometimes Bring Your Own Technology) is a topic that many educators are talking about. However, it takes more than devices for a BYOD implementation to be successful. Interactive and collaborative tools are needed to keep students focused and on track. Here are a few tools that will help you as you begin to embrace mobile devices in the classroom.

• Remind Voice Clips – With Voice Clips, add voice into your lessons by sending students short voice messages straight to their mobile devices. Students can listen to your message instantly through Remind regardless of their mobile device. You can also record questions on Voice Clips to improve oral comprehension or record students’ voices to practice speaking and reading skills.
• Dropbox – With Dropbox, files can easily be shared across devices. Dropbox provides syncing and storage for users with up to 2 gigabytes of free storage space. It’s enough to store hundreds of homework assignment and pictures. Files can be shared with a few clicks, which makes collaboration easy. Dropbox does require an email account to register.
• Google Keep – With Google Keep, students can take notes and gather resources for their projects. It is great for capturing what is on your students’ minds. Reminders about homework and quizzes can be sent, as well as voice notes. It’s free and can even be used offline.
• Poll Everywhere – With Poll Everywhere, you can easily poll your students in order to gather informal assessment data. It’s a great way to gauge if your students are mastering topics so that you can move forward with the next lesson. Students can respond via text from their smartphone or computer browser. The teacher must create a free account.
• MentorMob – With MentorMob, otherwise known as LessonPaths, you can easily share web links with your students. MentorMob is a free content curation tool that allows you to create learning playlists that can easily be shared with students.
• If you need more BYOD tools, be sure to take a look at this list of 51 resources.

 

What tools do you use in your BYOD classroom?