Posted on

Organize your Drive without Folders!

If your Google Drive looks like mine did a week ago, you probably see hundreds of random files below your hundreds of folders. This mass amount of digital clutter makes it difficult to find the files you are looking for and can cause you to feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Thankfully, Google introduced the Priority feature to Google Drive this year.

Simply stated, the Priority feature lets you organize your files into workspaces (based on topics) without using folders! These workspaces are easy to access making the process of finding a file quick and painless.  To set up your workspaces, follow these few steps:

1. Click on the “Priority” tab   

2. Click “Create Workspace”

3. Give your Workspace a name

4. Click “Add Files”

5. Choose the files from your Drive you want to add!

You can create multiple workspaces for multiple topics! If you no longer need a workspace, you can remove or hide it!

Posted on

Student Selector via Google Classroom!

Did you know that Google will help you randomly call on your students? If you have the Google Classroom app for IOS, you can use the Student Selector feature to ensure that you are engaging students equally.

To get there, open the Classroom app on your IOS device and choose the class you are working with.  On the bottom of the screen, launch the “people” tab. You will see a set of three squares and a diamond in the top-right corner… click that!

From there, you will click “start” to launch the student selector.  Students will appear in a randomized order to help you with calling on them or putting them in groups.  If a student is generated that you don’t want to call on, you have the option to “call later” or mark “absent.”

There is no need to write names on popsicle sticks anymore, just open your Classroom app!

Posted on

Google Classroom Locks Down Quizzes

If you are hesitant to administer Google Forms as an assessment piece because you are afraid students will navigate elsewhere to find answers, you are in luck.  Google Classroom has just released a beta update that resolves this apprehension.

After you have created a quiz using Google Forms, you can attach it to an assignment for your students to complete.   You now have the option to click “Locked Mode on Chromebooks.”  This feature does just that.  Once students open that form, they are not able to navigate anywhere else.

Moreover, if a student does exit the form and log back in, it will send an email notification to the teacher and add a clock icon to their score in your classroom grades.

Please note, if you want your students to be able to navigate elsewhere to find answers, they still have that option.  Simply do not click this new feature and your students will be able to Google as they wish!

Posted on

KEEPing up with Students!

 

If you find your desk, planner, and/or computer covered in sticky notes, you may want to check out Google Keep. Google Keep is a note-taking, list-making, memory-saving application that is part of our G Suite.  Recently, Mrs. Betley developed a way to use Google Keep to help the teachers she works with work efficiently with students.

Like most teachers, Mrs. Betley has the privilege of working with co-teachers, educational coaches, and specialists every day in her classes.  However, these people see many students each day and remembering names, faces, classes, and educational information about each student can be challenging.

To make it easier for all, Mrs. Betley first made a note in Google Keep for each student. She then added a picture of each student on their note.  Finally, she colored coded her notes by class period.  From there, she shared each note with her co-teachers. By simply adding these three elements, her co-teachers can now quickly sort students by the class and put a face to a name.

But, that’s not where this ends. Now that each teacher who works with these students has access, they can add information that is good for the other teachers to see directly on the note.  Not only does this help keep track of what interventions are currently in place, but it also is a nice resource that can be shared with that student’s future teachers.

Wait, there is more!  When a student still needs help with a certain concept, Mrs. Betley and her co-teachers hashtag the term (example: #theme).  Why do this?  Now, the teachers who have access to these notes in Keep can type that hashtag directly into the search bar, and only the students who have this information added to their notes will appear.

Help yourself and your coworkers stay updated and check out Keep!

 

Posted on

Getting to Know Google!

Do you find yourself confused from time-to-time when someone uses a Google-related term in a conversation?  Do you know what some applications do, but wouldn’t know where to start with others?  You are not alone.

Click here for an introduction to the basic functions of just a few of the applications you have access to in your G-Suite! Moreover, please reach out to one of our district tech coaches (Dan Stitzel and Molly Kloder) if you want to dive deeper into launching these amazing tools!

Posted on

Using Google Slides to tell a “Story!”

It is not uncommon to hear a student ask a friend, “Did you see my story last night?” Chances are, they are not talking about a published book of their life. Rather they are likely referring to their Snapchat or Instagram story in which they posted pictures and captions to let others in on their actions and thoughts. So, why not use this in the classroom?

By simply adjusting the page layout and adding a few text boxes, you can create templates in Google Slides that mirror those of the social media stories that students know so well.  While students read a text or learn about new lands, they can add to their stories to show important events and concepts rather than just adding the information to a traditional slideshow.

Below are just a few ways this could be used in classrooms:

ELA: Have students assume the role of a character and “snap” or add to their “Insta-story” during conflicts, important plot events, or to show a lesson learned. Students can then comment and hashtag to show the feelings of the character during this event.

Social Studies: While learning about an ancient civilization or exploration of a new land, students can travel back in time to add to their stories to show and describe the battles, discoveries, architecture, or roles of the people.

Math: Students can personify a mathematical operation (+,-, x, ÷) and create a story in their perspective.  Examples: Division is always separating people/things, addition can’t get enough, etc.  Comments and hashtags can be used to really show the amount of work these operations go through daily.

Science: Students can create a story to show the scientific method of a lab that includes hashtags to show their understanding (or modifications made) of each step.

Music/Band/Choir: Students can create a story from the perspective of a composer or songwriter that shows the steps of the composition process. To take it a step further, students could add real videos to show how this is not a one-step process.

Art: Students could create a story of a gallery walk in which they add pictures and captions of different art movements or of a specific artist.

Living Skills: Students can create a story to show the steps of cooking a dish or meal.  Students would start with images to show the planning/shopping stage all the way to the finished product!

There are so many ways the format of social media stories can be added into all classes to show understanding of a concept. Rather than assigning students to one more traditional slideshow, why not give them the opportunity to show their creative side in a “story?”


And, I promise they are very enjoyable to grade!

Posted on

What do Molly and Dan do?

You’ve seen the emails about the two new tech coaches in the district. But, what can they do for you?  As instructional coaches, our job is to facilitate the integration of technology in your classroom.  Our job is NOT to give you more work.  Rather, we are there to help you take what you have already created and enhance it with technology or show you technology that will engage your students and make your life easier!

Found something on Facebook or Twitter that another teacher is doing, but you don’t know how? Reach out to us! Do you want to try something that the teacher down the hall is doing, but you just aren’t sure where to begin? Email us! Have you heard that Google has many awesome tools for education, but you just don’t know what they are? Call us! We want to help you, so let us!

When can we work together?  We are available every day to work one-on-one or in a group setting.  We can be reached via email, or you can select an appointment slot on our coaching calendar.  To do that, click here!

We hope to hear from you soon!

-Molly and Dan

Posted on

Use Google Docs to Support ESL and ELL Students

I was recently having a conversation with a friend who has a student that just moved to The United States from a Spanish speaking country. As I listened to my friend tell me how they were copying and pasting worksheets and documents (line-by-line) into Google Translator to help this student, I almost feared to tell them the following statement: You can translate an ENTIRE document in Google Docs with just six simple clicks of a mouse.  Here’s how…

Click 1: Open the document you want to translate.

Click 2: “Tools”

Click 3: “Translate document…”

Click 4: “Choose a language”

Click 5: The language you are translating the document to.

Click 6: “Translate”

After the final click, a new document will open with your original document completely translated!

¡Espero que esto ayude!

Posted on

Improve Literacy with Read&Write

Have you noticed a little purple puzzle piece decorated with the letters “rw” appear while you are navigating on Google Chrome? That puzzle piece is the Read&Write Google Extension that has been added to all Chromebooks, grades k-12, in the Streetsboro City Schools.

So, what does this extension do? Read&Write is a software created by Texthelp that offers the support that many students need with their reading and writing.  This tool has over 80 features that help student literacy including text-to-speech, a picture dictionary, translators, and various study skill aides.

To learn more about how you can maximize usage of Read&Write in your classroom, click on the following links for resources from Texthelp.

Read&Write Introductory Video

How-To Guide for Students

Read&Write Accommodates Every Learning Style

How To Create A Dynamic Reading Experience

Psst…Math teachers… Don’t feel left out!  Texthelp also has a math program, Equatio. To learn more, click here!

Posted on

“Keep” Yourself On Track

If you are like me and need to check tasks off to prove to yourself you are actually done, Google Keep is a great tool for you. If you are also like me and fill your planner and calendars with assignments, birthdays, family events, and everything else going on in your life, Google Keep is for you.

I recently started using Keep as a weekly checklist/ pacing guide to keep my classes on track.

It’s simple. I add a list for each week in the quarter. I then color-code the quarter so that I can easily find where I am in the year. From there, I add the tasks that need to be completed each week with my classes; this eliminates my mind from wandering to everything else going on in life! When I’m done with a task, I simply click the box to check it off! If I don’t get something  done that week, I simply move the task to the next week. If I think of something I forgot, I just add it!

This tool has really helped me stay on track.  Keep has also helped a few of my students who get overwhelmed balance workloads from multiple classes.

Simply look for the Keep icon in your Google waffle grid and start making lists!  I can truthfully say there are very few things that feel better at 3:00pm on a Friday than a Keep list that is completely checked off!