Mentimeter

This is an interesting site I read about in Richard’s Byrne’s blog (Free Technology for Teachers).  Mentimeter reminded me a PearDeck (you create the questions, share with the students via a code, and then see the group’s response).  Unlike PearDeck, this is not a Google Add-On but rather a website. In addition, you can use presentations created by other users (think Kahoot! Or Quizz).

Learning about the Oceans

If you teach grades 5-8, you might want to check out these resources from National Geographic for Oceans Month.  In addition to the breathtaking videos, there are also a dozen activities for your students.

More uses for Google Forms

From EDU in 90, here’s a quick look at some interesting uses for Google Forms.  I really liked the newsletter idea.

If you are cleaning house in Google Classroom,

Now is the season to clean up and be ready for the fall.  While some may only archive their Google Classrooms, if you really want to remove everything- please see this blog post from Richard Byrne. His video will walk you through the process of deleting materials.

Using the Measurement Tool in Google Maps

I was inspired by this blog post from Richard Byrne!  While I’ve been walking at the track or the park (where there are mile markers along the route), I was interested in what a mile loop would look like in my neighborhood.  Enter Google Maps and the measurement tool (it is all explained in a brief video in the post). Richard also mentioned Tom Barrett’s Math Map blog (it has several interesting projects).

Online Crossword puzzles

In my quest to find interesting applications for digital escape rooms, I stumbled across a Crossword Generator in ClassTools.net.  When you share the link with a student, the puzzle created might not be the same format as their neighbor.  (Now, as with all ClassTools.net applications, you must save the url and password once you have entered your data.  Failure to do so will mean you will be unable to access the puzzle for any editing. Can you make all the words turn green? (Here’s a hint- if you have one incorrect letter- you need to re-enter the whole word).  Here’s the link to my sample.

It’s all about the thinking (math, that is)

In this blog post, Alice Keeler shares a Chrome extension you can use in combination with Desmos to allow your students to share their thinking.  If you are graphing with your students, this might be the way to go!  (Not using Desmos? Check out their site for free graphing tools!)

Google Books online

Google Books  has recently undergone some changes- please see the excellent blog post here by Richard Byrne (Free Technology for Teachers).  His video will walk you through the process along with suggestions on how students could use the site.

Playing Math Games with Google Sheets

Want to play Connect 4 remotely?  Alice Keeler has just the solution in this blog post.

Google Game with AI

Look at the block of words- what can you enter that will eliminate

the most number of words (and earn you the most points)?  

The game is Semantris (a word game powered by Google).

 I saw it in this blog post from Eric Curts (please click here

for additional information on this and other lesser-known Google tools).

Ditch the spelling test?

How do you feel about spelling tests?  I can tell you I always did well on the tests yet my spelling is horrible!  Many think (as Alice Keeler suggests in this post) that tests do not indicate spelling ability.  What do you think? Is it time to make a change?

NYT Picture Prompts

While many of the New York Times Learning Centers sites are geared for older students, the photo prompts would work for all students.  Here’s the link to the daily picture prompt.

It’s getting to be that time

Time to think about (and take action) as we close this school year.  Yes, I know it is still early, but now is the time to reflect (see step 1) and really get organized for next year in your Google Classroom.  Kasey Bell (from Shake up Learning) has posted a list of items you might want to consider. I think her suggestion (#5) to save a class as a template (I think of it as a master file) would be a great idea.

Yahtzee

My sister and I used to play this by the hour when we were kids.  Who knew it was a masquerading as a math game! Alice Keeler has shared some great ideas for using a Google Spreadsheet for Yahtzee!  Please click here for her post (which includes suggestions and ideas for implementation).