Transform your Classroom into a Game Show

The ever popular TV game show Jeopardy can provide an enjoyable way of reviewing content with students. At a recent Google workshop, I divided participants into teams and we played the game. Immediately, the participants’ eyes lit up and everyone was actively learning together.

I created the Jeopardy game using Flippity. Flippity is a great service that offers a handful of templates for creating interactive games that you can use in the classroom. There are 11 tools that you can select from:

• Flashcards
• Quiz Show
• Bingo
• Hangman
• Spelling Words
• Random Picker
• Mix and Match
• Badge Tracker
• Progress Indicator
• MadLibs
• Certificate Quiz

Each tool has a link to a demo page, so you can see it in action, and a link to the step-by-step instructions for the tool. In addition, each tool also has a Google Sheets template that you can make a copy of and then fill in with your own information.

Steps for Making Your Own Game Show

If you want to make your own Jeopardy quiz show, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Modify the Google Spreadsheet Template
• Make a copy of this template. (You’ll need to sign-in with your Google account.)
• Edit all the Quiz Show Questions (and answers and categories) to fit your content.
• Do not edit any cell with a blue background and don’t delete rows or columns.

Step 2: Publish Your Spreadsheet
• Go to File, Publish to the Web, and then click Publish.

Step 3: Get Your Flippity Link
• Click on the Get the Link Here tab of the template (at the bottom).
• Click on the Flippity.net link to test out your game.

Step 4: Bookmark, Share, and Play
• Make a shortcut or bookmark to get back to the game whenever you want to play.
• Share the game with your colleagues and have them try it out.
• Play the game with your students.

Flippity Add-On

This past November, the Flippity Add-on for Google Sheets became available. Now it is easier than ever to create games. With this add-on, even your students can create review games with Flippity.

To get the Flippity Add-On:
1. Open a new Google Sheet and click on the “Add-ons” menu.
2. Search for “Flippity” and click on the blue “Free” button to install the add-on.
3. Allow the add-on to connect to your Google account.
4. Go back to the Add-ons menu and click on Flippity–>Pick a Template.
5. After you select your template, your Google sheet is reformatted and you are ready to enter your data.

Conclusion

Flippity can be a great learning tool for students. I think it is a powerful and fun way for them to review content at home, too. The fact that they can use the review games on their phones and/or tablets makes Flippity even more appealing. Turn your classroom into a game show by giving it a try or by having your students give it a try! It’s certainly a fun way to prepare your students.

Please share your creations in the comments below.

This blog was originally published at http://www.tcea.org/blog.

Quick, Draw! with Google

At the recent TCEA Convention and Exposition, I learned about an experiment from Google called Quick, Draw!. Quick, Draw!, which launched last November, is a game built with machine learning. Players are prompted to sketch an object on a 20-second clock using the mouse or touchscreen. While the player doodles, the neural network throws out its best guesses of the subject, stopping mid-sketch if it guesses correctly.

How Quick, Draw Works

I gave it a try on my laptop and my iPhone. However, I have to admit, I’m not very good at it. My first time playing on the laptop, I only got two out of six. My iPhone try went a bit better, but that’s probably because the objects were fairly simple.

An interesting feature of Quick, Draw! is the insight players can gain about how the network works. After you complete a game, just select one of the drawings and you’ll see two sets of results. Let’s use my pathetic attempt at a bee as an example (try not to laugh). First, you see what kind of object the computer thought you were going to draw.

Scroll down and you’ll see the images that  the neural network thinks a bee looks like.

Give it a try and see how many of your doodles can be recognized.

Classroom Uses of Quick, Draw!

So, I asked myself, how can this be used in the classroom? I was quickly reminded of the Quick Draw strategy, where students are asked to respond to a piece of text (literary or expository) through illustrations. Students are encouraged to quickly draw as many simple sketches as possible. The notion is for students to capture as many details as they can during the time period.

I can easily see Quick, Draw! being used with English Language Learners, especially those who are at the low-beginning to mid-beginning levels in writing English as their second language.

Some ideas for classroom application include:

• Have students summarize one of their illustrations, describing what they just drew through a voluntary share aloud or a Timed RoundRobin.
• Ask students to screen capture one of their images and write a story about it.
• Have students listen to the words the computer is guessing to see how many they recognize.
• For images that weren’t recognized, have students identify and define the images the machine thought they were drawing.
•  During whole-class sharing, allow students to speak about one of their illustrations that couldn’t be guessed and have the entire class share details of how they would have drawn the image.
• Allow the students to explain some of their illustrations that might have special connections in their lives.
• Let students make predictions or inferences about their illustrations.

In Conclusion

Quick, Draw! by Google is a fun and quick way for students to learn. Share in the comments how you are incorporating drawing in your classroom.

Researching and Sharing with Google Tools

“How do you activate engagement, motivation, and interest with research tools?” Researching and sharing meaningful findings can be daunting for students. That’s why two tools, Google Scholar and Tour Builder, can be used to create a virtual tour of student learning.

During a recent TCEA Google Educator Level 2 Bootcamp, participants learned ways they can use some lesser-known aspects of Google’s suite of tools available to students to enhance engagement. “If students are not paying attention, they are not engaged; and, hence, they are not learning” (Pat Wolfe, as cited in Digital Media in Today’s Classrooms). If students are not engaged, they simply report facts and information without real meaning (Source). Google tools like Scholar and Tour Builder make learning more engaging for students of varying ages.

Teachers say a top priority in today’s classrooms should be teaching students how to “judge the quality of online information.” A significant portion of the teachers surveyed report spending class time discussing with students how search engines work, how to assess the reliability of the information they find online, and how to improve their search skills. (Excerpt from Pew Research study How Teens Do Research in the Digital World)

Tool #1 – Google Scholar

Not familiar with Google Scholar? Scholar can be a boon to high school students keen on researching a topic. It provides one virtual space where they can find scholarly literature and locate documents through the library or via the web. Furthermore, publications, authors, references, and citations can be searched and accessed. Google Scholar boasts a detailed set of support documents for learners.

Sample Search: Immigration Reform

One potential big question an educator might pose is: “How have immigration policies changed from the 1950s to present?” With Google Scholar, students can do a simple search on immigration reform and then work through the results to develop a portrait. They can also focus results through a range of years:

Scholar offers students access to high quality research, a level above a traditional Google search. Combine this approach with an information problem-solving approach (e.g. Big6, Super 3) or Guided Inquiry Design (shown below).

Image Source

Tool #2 – Google Tour Builder

Students can interact with research data in a different way. They can learn to situate research within a geo-spatial context. Tour Builder enables students to create a virtual tour of their research data, adding photos, text, and video as needed. This map-based approach enables students to organize their research according to location and impact, which is appropriate for a topic like African immigration in colonial America. They can combine research, life stories, images, and video to make a compelling case for their research thesis.

Visit Google Tour Builder

Conclusion

As you can see, Google Scholar and Google Tour Builder together can provide access to sources and offer a way to create interactional research conclusions. The next time you consider creating a research assignment, move beyond more traditional approaches.

Hyperdocs in the Elementary Classroom

At a recent TCEA Google Certified Trainer Bootcamp, I had the opportunity to introduce participants to Hyperdocs, a new way to house tools and resources.

Purpose of Hyperdocs

A hyperdoc scaffolds student communication, heightens inquiry, and structures student exploration of a topic. The purpose of hyperdocs is to bring all types of multimedia resources under one roof. These multimedia resources can include images, videos, audio, text, and of course, hyperlinks. You can also include graphic organizers and any tool you can link to. In addition to combining multimedia elements, the hyperdoc can be used to enhance a specific learning topic for students engaged in cooperative learning, flipped learning, or directed instruction. Hyperdocs are stored in Google Drive and often formed as Google Docs.

Hyperdocs may sometimes be compared to Multi-Media Text Sets (MMTS), a term coined by Lisa Highfill. Both hyperdocs and MMTS remind me of Bernie Dodge's and Tom March's webquests and Internet treasure hunts. Whatever you call them, it's time to revisit how easy it is to frame student learning opportunities.

Elements of a Hyperdoc

Hyperdocs take advantage of tables in Google Docs. The table may include the following elements:

• Shaded cells and rows
• Instructions students can follow
• Formatted spaces for students to respond to questions or prompts
• Hyperlinks from YouTube
• Images from Google Image Search
• Citations and links to articles in Google Scholar

Sharing Your Hyperdoc with Students

If you are using Google Suites for Education, then you can either share the hyperdoc with your students via the Share button or you can take advantage of Google Classroom to share it. Lance Yoder, educational blogger at Engaged.net, has some simple steps for sharing hyperdocs via Google Classroom:

1. Create a Google Drive folder with a copy of your hyperdoc for each group. The hyperdoc is a regular Google Doc.
2. Rename each Google Doc to match the name of your student groups (e.g. Group 1, Group 2, Group 3).
3. Add each document to a Google Classroom Assignment. Recent updates to Google Classroom make it possible to assign hyperdocs as assignments to each group of students. What a powerful enhancement for Google Classroom!
4. Set each document as "can edit" and assign.
5. Turn students loose to collaborate.

Best Times to Use Hyperdocs

There are many instances in which you might want to use hyperdocs. Below are just a few:

• When you want students to collaborate to create content.
• When you want students to interact with content, exploring it at their own speed and following their interests.
• When you need to include live content links from numerous sources that the user can interact with, including Google maps and numerous other sites.
• When you want students to focus on content rather than formatting.

Examples of Hyperdocs in the Elementary Classroom

There are many ways in which you can use hyperdocs in the classroom. Many hyperdocs are structured to help students engage, explore, explain, apply, share, and reflect, as well as enable extension of learning. Watch these hyperdocs-related videos to get started. Take a look at a few elementary examples below:

• The Amazing Race
• Novel Hyperdoc Example
• Pleasanton History
• Writing Persuasive Arguments
  
  

And here is a chart of hyperdocs organized by grade level.

Give It a Try

If you have access to Google Docs, but have never created a hyperdoc, I challenge you to give it a try. Many tutorials exist, and you can find some hyperdocs templates. If you use hyperdocs in the classroom, please share in the comments below.

Slide into the New Year with Student eBooks

If you are looking for ways to slide into the New Year with your students, why not have them create ebooks using Google Slides? I can’t think of a better way to have student demonstrate their learning than by having them create an ebook.

eBooks

Sample eBook Cover

eBooks are defined as a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, that are readable on computers, laptops, or other electronic devices, such as iPads, Kindles, etc. However, a broader definition includes PDF files, which only require a web browser to read.

With Google Slides, students can create a simple ebook that includes text, photos, videos, and links. They can even create or select themes, templates, and layouts for their book.  Once created, the ebooks can be shared with other students, both locally and around the world, for feedback.

Classroom Ideas

Because a PDF ebook is incredibly easy to create, having students make them is an excellent option for all kinds of projects. Today, many businesses create PDF ebooks; therefore, assigning them to students gives them additional skills needed for the future. A few ideas that come to my mind for ebook classroom projects include:

• Children’s books
• Book reports
• End of unit books
• Portfolios
• How-to manuals
• Reflective journals
• Memoir books
• Family histories

Creating eBooks with Google Slides

Below are four quick and easy steps on how to create an ebook in Google Slides.

Step 1: Customize the Slides

The first step in creating an ebook is to change the default widescreen format in Slides to a custom page size. This will allow the reader of the book to read it in portrait view.

To customize the slides:

1. Go to File, Page Setup
2. Select Custom in the format dropdown
3. Enter 8.5 x 11 inches
4. Select OK

If you want, you can now select a theme or customize your own, apply different slide layouts, or change the background. Consistency is always best when creating ebooks.

Step 2: Add Content

The next step is to begin adding content to your ebook. Some things you can add include a:

• Cover page
• Header
• Footer (with page numbers)
• Table of contents
• Conclusion page/credits page

Don’t forget that you can make your ebook interactive by adding links to videos and other resources.

Step 3: Download as a PDF

Once your ebook is complete, it is now ready to be saved as a PDF. To save your ebook as a PDF:

1. Go to File
2. Select Download as
3. Select PDF
4. Save the PDF or upload it to your Google Drive

Step 4: Share the eBook

The final step is to share your ebook with other students, teachers, administrators, or the world. If you upload the book to your Google Drive, you can then share it with others, which will generate a shareable link. Consider posting the link on your classroom website or blog.

Try It In Your Classroom

As you can see, it is very simple to create an ebook with Google Slides, and it doesn’t have to take up a ton of time. Start the New Year off by having your students give it a try.

If you use ebooks in your classroom, we would love to hear from you. As always, please share in the comment section.

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This blog entry was also published at http://tcea.org/blog.

Doing More with Google Forms

There are many ways you can move beyond just the basics and do more with Google Forms. One of those ways included the use of add-ons.

If you aren’t familiar with add-ons, they are small programs built by third-party developers that can be installed to bring more functionality to your forms. Form add-ons allow you to add extra features to your forms, get customized notifications, turn your form entries into documents, and much more.

Finding Add-Ons

To find Form add-ons, click on the More button (which looks like three little dots in the upper right-hand corner of your form) and then scroll to Add-Ons. You can browse through the add-ons and install the ones you want. You’ll then get a new puzzle piece icon in Google Forms, with a menu that lists each of your add-ons.

Most Google Forms add-ons run in a popover on the right side of your form, and they may also include an options pane that opens in the center. To open an add-on, just select it in the add-ons menu, which looks like a puzzle piece. To manage or remove add-ons, just open the Add-ons pane again under the More button, find the add-on you want to remove, click the green Manage button, and then select Remove in its menu.

Useful Google Forms Add-Ons

Below is a list of some useful add-ons to get started with.

Choice Eliminator 2 – This add-on eliminates options from multiple-choice, list, or checkbox questions if they’ve already been selected. It’s a great way to make a signup form.

CheckItOut – This add-on lets you check in or out items with a form. When the items get checked out, the items move to a section of the form titled Check In. When they return the item, they can check it back in, which moves it to the Check Out category.

Form Notifications – This add-on sends custom email notifications to you and, optionally, to form respondents, with details about the form results, as well as a thank you message.

formLimiter – This add-on limits how many times your form can be answered. It can watch for a number of responses, a date and time, or a set value in your results spreadsheet, and then will disable your form once that number is reached.

formRecycler – This add-on lets you recycle questions from other Forms in your Drive. Just pick the Form in the popup window and it will populate with the questions from that Form. Select the ones you want to insert and the formRecycler will automatically insert them at the end of the Form.

As you can see, Google Form add-ons can save you a lot of time, as well as make your forms more functional. The next time you create a Google Form, give some of these add-ons a try.

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This blog entry was also published at http://tcea.org/blog.