U5 Instructional Technology Tips

 In this week's edition of the U5 Instructional Tech Tips:

• Reply to Student Comments from Google Classroom right from email.
• Using Google Citation Tool.  Thanks John Langley! 
• Google Meet Waiting Rooms for P/T virtual Conferences. 

U5 Instructional Tuesday Tech Tips

Here is your U5 Tuesday Tech Tips! This week, take a look at the forgotten Smart Driver tools you can use even without using Smart Notebook. Who Knew?  ELA Creative Halloween Activities, and Google Classroom Originality Reports and PDF to Image. 

Don't forget to look back at September for some fun filled ideas for tech!  

Google Classroom Practice Sets

Google Classroom practice sets are a great way to review material from lessons, getting ready for an assessment, or just challenging those students who finish early who need something else to elevate their learning. Using practice sets will allow time for students to practice skills needed in order to become more efficient in the tasks they learning in class.  Lessen time for teachers to grade each items since it is already created with the correct answer.  Student check themselves as they move through the practice set to get immediate feedback and correct their answers along the way.  Teachers will get summaries of their classes by problem and can identify which concepts need to be reviewed by whole class or small groupings. You can also, practice on the student side before sending it out to students to make sure all questions and answers are what you created. 

Let's get started with Practice sets:

• Go to Google Classroom
• Click on the upper left corner (Hamburger)
• You will see Practice Sets 

• Click on Practice Sets and start creating. 
• OR Find them on the Assignment Dialog Box when creating a new assignment within a class.  

Check out this video on how to use practice sets in your classroom. 

November Instructional Tech Updates

When I get asked how my year is going, I generally say "Supercharged."  It's a great way to say it's going really fast and just when I think I get caught up, something else comes up to throw a wrench into things.   I am excited to get you the November Instructional Tech Updates.  There is a lot in there, so enjoy!  Happy PAY DAY Friday!  Enjoy the Weekend! 

 

Google Classroom Originality Reports

Google Classroom originality reports is an in-house plagiarism checker for students which has been around since January 2020. Since Unit 5 is a Google for Education Enterprise District, we have originality reports as an unlimited option for students to run before they turn in their papers, but teachers can also run it for student-to-student plagiarism on turned-in material.

Teachers must turn it on for any assignment they would like the student to run the originality report. Take a look at this video to learn more. 

Google Workspace for Education Updates to Google Products

Google Workspace for Education has been very busy!!  Take a look at all the new items which are or will be available in Docs and Classroom! 

First - you may have noticed the comments icon has expanded to include comments, emojis, and suggested edits. 

Emoji's in Docs

Second - Start a Google Meet from a doc, sheet and presentation.  This will automatically share the document with the participants so everyone is working off the same information. 

Join Google Meet from Doc

Third - Google Docs has an new option called Dropdown.  Simply key in @dropdown anywhere in the doc and the dropdown menu will appear.  You will see the various options for this tool when using it for a project status for groups of students or as a team of teachers. Take a look and see how you would use it. 

Dropdown Menu

Fourth- Classroom has finally added the schedule from multiple classes!  This one was a long time coming and many teachers had been upvoting it.  Well it is finally here.  Take a look at the ease of assigning an assignment across multiple classes at different times!!

Schedule Across Multiple Classrooms at Different Times

Fifth - Google Classroom will be releasing the availability to create practice sets within Classroom. Student can get feedback as they answer questions and teachers can get immediate information on how students are learning. Take a look at this new feature coming soon! 

Practice Sets

As with any Google update, we don't know exactly when it will hit our domain.  Most of these are ready for your use, and practice sets should be up and running this fall. 

Google Workspace for Education Updates Google Classroom Part 2

Google Classroom  has added many new features to its list of updates for the 2021 year. You can read the full article on the Google Blog here.

Add-Ons:  Classroom will have Add-Ons will be added to an assignment and when students open the assignment they will be able to use the add-on without opening any other tools. 

Rich Text: When entering in instructions for assignments you will now be able to add some of these rich text features.  This means you will be able to Bold, Italic, Underline, etc.. 

Unlimited Originality Reports:  This rolled out earlier this year, but deserves another look. As a Google Workspace Plus district, we have access to unlimited originality reports which is a great way for students to check their work for potential plagiarism and will roll out in 15 languages in 2021. 

Student Engagement Tracking:

Teachers will have engagement tracking inside of classroom.  This will allow teachers to see which students are interacting with Google Classroom each day, and submitted assignments.  I’m looking forward to seeing how this one works. 

Classroom Mobile App:  Offline capabilities are going to be available with IOS and Android apps.  Students will be able to start work offline, open drive attachments, review assignments, create assignments in Google Docs all without an internet connection. Submissions will have to be done online. 

Attach/Take Picture Submissions:  Classroom is making it much easier to take/attach a photo to submit for an assignment. The photo app will be built into the Add part of Google Classroom.

Roster Sync:  Setup Classroom for teachers ahead of time, so they don’t have to send out an email or generate a code for students to join.

As with all updates, some will hit our domain earlier then others, but many of these will roll out later in 2021. For an easy to use guide take a look at the graphic created by John R. Sowash of Chrmbook.com.

Did you miss Part 1? Google Workspace for Education Updates Part 1

PBS Learning Media Resources for K-12

Did you know that PBS LearningMedia has digital learning media that is great for in person and remote learning?  It also has Teacher Planning kits for PreK-12 for New School Routines.  You can Download these for free!

PBS LearningMedia has a plethora of great resources available for use. Sign in with your Google Account and filter by Subject, Grade, and Standards. Once it takes you to the topic, you can dig deeper into the discipline and the type of activity you want; such as Video, Interactive, Lesson Plan, Media Gallery, Audio and Images.   Pick the lesson you are interested in and read the About, Supporting Materials and Standards sections.  

Under Support Materials you will see multiple docs you can use, select the Supporting Materials Teaching Tips.  This doc has many resources and helpful hints on teaching the lesson. Students will use the interactive material to take notes, highlight, organize, write and highlight and comment.  The BEST part about these, is they are FREE!

Take a look at the videos on how to get started: Part 1

The Launch: Part 2

Getting started through Google Classroom, and Submitting the work in Google Classroom. Part 3.  Remember all work generated throughout the lesson is saved in MyWork and can be printed as a PDF and uploaded to Google classroom.  Take a look at the video below to learn more. 

Here are a couple to try:

• Rounding to the Tenths Place - Elementary
• Why Summer Days Have More Daylight - Middle School 
• DNA and the Science of Genetic Engineering - COLLECTION - Middle/High

iPhone Users - Notes as a Scanner

Did you know.....

If you are an iPhone or iPad user, you can use the notes app to scan a document and send it to whoever you want.  This has been a lifesaver for our family, as there have been several things lately we have needed to print, scan and send off.  Watch the screen record to see how easy it is. 

Rubric Grading in Google Classroom: New for Fall 2018

Problem

I have many assignments that I deliver via Google Classroom that need to be graded by using a rubric.  I will have even more of these as we continue to move towards Standards-Based Grading.  I've heard people talk about Orange Slice or Goobric/Doctopus, but it sounds like a lot of technical up front work that I am not comfortable with.  I need something simple, quick, and efficient.

Solution

Attaching a Google Doc version of your rubric to an assignment and choosing to Make a Copy for each student will enable a form of rubric grading that is flexible, fast, and powerful.

Rubric Grading and More with Goobric and Doctopus

Have you ever wanted to...

• Add audio feedback to a student's Google Doc assignment?

• Seemlessly move from one Google Doc assignment to the next when grading?

• Grade a Google Doc using a shared rubric that is visible and able to be manipulated on screen?

Check out our new series of videos focusing on the use of Goobric/Docotopus (Google addons and extensions) to incorporate rubric grading into your use of Google Classroom.

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Student Late Work Form Submission - Google Forms

On Tuesday, September 6th, Tera Pendleton a NCHS Business Education Teacher, talked about the form she makes the kids fill out if they have submitted late work.  Since she doesn't visit those assignments in Google Classroom after they have been check, she directs the student to fill out a Late Work Submission Form through Google Forms. Once a week on Thursday's, Tera goes through the submissions and reviews late student work.   

This process is geared for student accountability.  They fill in their names, class hour of assignment, assignment name and WHY it is late.   Thanks for sharing Tera.  

Here is the link.  If you think it is something you want to use, just make a copy in your Google Drive. 

Google Classroom: Fall 2016 Updates

Many exciting new features have arrived in Google Classroom for the start of the 2016-2017 school year!  Check out all of the details around course summaries for parents/guardians and organizing your course by topics below!

Full GAFE Blog post

Google Classroom: Scheduled Release and Parent Access!

Two big updates are coming to Google Classroom; the ability to schedule the release of your assignments (available now!) and the ability to keep your parents in the loop (fall 2016).  Here are the details from the Google team...

Quick Polling Has Arrived in Google Classroom!

Cross Posted from the Google for Education Blog

Posted by Brittney Fraser, Google Classroom Software Engineer 

Google Classroom helps teachers and students communicate and learn together. Today we’re making the learning process even easier with a new polling feature that helps teachers quickly check for understanding, gather feedback or gauge interest. Here are four creative ways teachers are using polling in their classrooms.

Engaging students in an Early America Blended/Discovery Learning Unit

Goal:  Create a blended/discovery learning environment for students to engage in interactive lessons and activities while learning material and making connections between the past and present.

Look out students of the 21st century!  I decided it was time to think outside the box to get students more engaged. I needed all students answering questions and making connections, not the few who raised their hands. My classroom needed to be upgraded to a more blended and discovery experience. So, I did a little research to find programs that could get students more involved in their own learning.  

YouTube for Students: Instructional Ideas

With YouTube now open for students, a treasure trove of educational opportunities present themselves.  Here are a few ideas to get help you leverage this wonderful tool for your classroom.

Learning in New Dimensions with Google Classroom and GeoGebra

Originally Posted by Mark Kaercher, Shaker High School Math Teacher to the Google Apps for Education blog.

Editor's note:Mark Kaercher teaches mathematics at Shaker High School in Latham, New York. He is also one of his school district’s Instructional Technology Resource Teachers. Here, Mark shares his experience with using Google Apps for Education alongside GeoGebra, available as an app for Chrome and now as a native Android phone app. 

Every so often, over the course of a long teaching career, we find a special tool or resource that makes us wonder how we ever taught without it. Personally, I’ve had a lot of success with GeoGebra, a free mathematics program for teachers and students. GeoGebra lets me build and share interactive worksheets that demonstrate geometry and algebra concepts. Along with relying on it myself, I’ve helped other educators use GeoGebra by creating how-to videos and leading training sessions.

Google Cultural Institute

 The aim of the Cultural Institute is to preserve and promote culture online

If you have not had a chance to browse the Google Cultural Institute, I highly recommend it.  Outside of simply navigating the art museums and  wonders of the world, you can examine primary source material on major historical events in history.

Finally, if access through our district Google accounts, you can create your own personal lists of personal collections that you value, curate your own galleries, and even push all of this material to your Google Classroom courses!

This is a powerful tool, and one that can be incorporated in to a wide variety of curricula.  Check out the YouTube Channel dedicated to the Institute.  Go explore today, and make sure to share your experience with your peers!

Sean Mullins | Instructional Technology Coach

Instant Peer Feedback with Google Forms

Peer feedback can be a valuable tool during the learning process.  It can be done before a final product is crafted, or as a way for students to provide commentary and suggestions on a final product.  Facilitating this feedback can be accomplished in a variety of ways, from verbal "sandwiches" to hand written slips of paper and many other techniques in between.  But often you have to choose between immediacy and anonymity when deciding on which method to use.  A verbal form of feedback puts the students giving feedback in the situation of modifying their comments due to the public nature of the forum.  Anonymous paper slips require collection, distribution, and time on the feedback receiver's end to rifle through the slips to get an idea of the feedback given.  This leads to delay in reflection, and the longer it takes to reflect, the less effective the reflection is.  Using Google Forms and an add-on called docAppender, you have the best of both worlds!

Overview

With this feedback method, students will be filling out a Google Form to provide feedback to their peers.  The feedback will then instantly appear in a Google Doc that the the original student can see and reflect upon.  This system allows for anonymity and instant feedback, two things that are vitally important for students.  But as the teacher, you can always see who provided what feedback so that you can manage anyone who is critical without reason.  Here's how it works...

Setting Up the Google Doc Template

First, we need a file that will belong to each student and collect their feedback.  We will create one in Google Docs and then push it out to all of our students via Google Classroom.  Here is a sample of what this template can look like...



In this example, the template includes a prompt and space for the student to reflect on the feedback that they receive.

Feedback Form

docAppender Add-on

Create a new Google Form.  Navigate to the top of the form where you will see a menu that is called Add-ons (Note: currently [9.18.15] the new version of Forms does not have the ability to use Add-ons.  Revert to the old version if needed.).  Open the Add-ons menu and choose Get New Add-ons.  Search for the docAppender Add-on and add it by clicking on the +Free button.  Finally, make sure that the Add-on sidebar is running.  You may need to go back to the Add-ons menu > docAppender > Open Sidebar.  In the end, your form should look like this.

Creating the Form

With the sidebar open, we can now finish creating our form.  First, we need to add a question that will allow students to choose the person to whom they are providing feedback.  That question is typically best as the "Choose from list" question type (see Question 1 in the image above).  Second, we create feedback questions for the rest of our form.  These typically follow a rubric that you have previously provided to students.  Lastly, we follow the steps outlined in the docAppender sidebar.

1. Choose the folder which holds all of the Google doc templates that your students have opened through Classroom.  This will be the assignment folder for the assignment that you created in Classroom to push out the template to your students.


2. Choose the question that determines which document the feedback is appended to.  This is the "Choose from list" question that we created earlier.  When you click "Save and populate selected question", docAppender creates an answer option to choose any of the docs that are present in the folder that you identified in Step 1.


3. Choose the questions on your form that you want to be appended as feedback for the students.  This allows you to, for example, require that every student provide their own name when giving feedback, but not push that name out to the presenter who is receiving the feedback.  This way students can be anonymous to their classmates.  But because you require everyone to provide their name on the form, the name will be displayed to you in the spreadsheet attached to this form.  That way, you can allow for anonymity and still track responses if anything inappropriate occurs.


4. Choose how the feedback will be displayed to students.  I recommend "Rows in a single horizontal table".

Now you can make the form available to your students by putting the live form link on your CMS, Google Classroom, or web page.  Below is an example of what the finalized feedback document would look like for a student.



This is an extremely valuable and flexible feedback system that has been universally praised by every teacher who I have worked with.  If you are interested in trying it out, I highly recommend contacting your instructional technology coach to help walk through the process and provide support.

Sean Mullins | Instructional Technology Coach