Adobe Spark and Google Classroom

If you want to explore Adobe Spark and Google Classroom, check this blog post from Tanya Avrith.

Google Classroom for Parents

Here is an edited version of Alice Keeler’s presentation on Google Classroom for parents ( I deleted the last slide about Schoolytics).  It might be useful for some of your first-time users.

Google Classroom Handout for parents

If you are a Google Classroom user, you might find this Alice Keeler handout useful. I think I would open it in Kami and make some modifications but it is a good start.

Formatting in Google Classroom

Rich text formatting options are now in Google Classroom! You can add bold, lists, and more!

For additional information, please see the blog post from Alice Keeler.

Helping students find their work in Google Classroom

Google Classroom has a series of tools to help students find their work (and to find what is missing!).  Please see this blog post from Alice Keeler- I feel you could use it with your students.  Please click here for the details.

Google Classroom Videos

Google just recently shared this comprehensive list of Google Classroom tutorials.  These are not the basic yet more advanced topics (how to give meaningful feedback is one example).

More Ideas on organizing your Google Classroom

Vicki Davis (CoolCatTeacher- you sign up for her newsletter here) recently shared her ideas for organizing topics in your Google Classroom (she was talking about the 100 topic limit).  Here are Vicki’s suggestions:

The simplest way to fix the limit on 100 topics in Google Classroom is one of these options.

Option 1: organize OLD items by month.

Make a topic for a month that is past – like December or November – and move everything in there in order.

Option 2: Organize OLD items under Archive – prior semester.

Or just make one and call it Archive. And move everything in there for last semester and start again for this semester.

Option 3: Streamline topics.

What I’ve started doing is having a today, tomorrow and yesterday for a day and then prior to that I’ve been making weeks and putting the items in order by week.

Remember you can just click the 3 dots and rename the days to do this and you can delete old topics you no longer need.

Here's a video on how I do this in my classroom now - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jkOz0K2PEvdHiqgv-vReZsilpzQJE5IX/view​

I’m doing option 3 because it means I won’t have a problem with the topic limits because I’m organizing as I go.

ScreencastifySubmit + Google Classroom

If I’ve been in your classroom the past few weeks (or if you have attended Thirsty Thursday this year), you have heard me rave about Screencastify Submit.  And now it has gotten even better.  

The integration with Google Classroom is complete.  So you can add your Submit assignment into your classroom even easier.  Please see the blog post here for the details!

Google Classroom ideas

Here’s a short post from Maggie Brennan with suggestions for Google Classroom.  There are several good suggestions (but I wasn’t wild about the Talk and Comment extension- I think the voice quality was poor).

Google Classroom Prime Real Estate

I was in the middle of watching one of Matt Miller's Ditch That Textbook Summits sessions (this one was on how best to use your learning management system aka Google Classroom for many of us).  He was talking about the best spots to post and share information (and one of those being the banner).  In the next email, I saw this video from Kasey Bell (Shake Up Learning) on adding Zoom to the header.  Now, I know we aren’t using Zoom, but the method works if you want to add anything to the header.  As Kasey mentions, it will not be clickable (like the Meet lin) but your students can copy and paste!

If you are recording grades in Google Classroom

You might want to take a look at this add on from Alice Keeler.  Using the data in Google Classroom’s grade’s tab- you can create a progress report for each student.  This is something that might be useful to Parent-Student-Teacher conferences.  Please click the link here.

Using the private comments in Google Classroom

Here’s an interesting application using private comments- it comes from Melody McAllister and she shares a suggestion from Alice Keeler.  Rather than have the students submit a document- ask a question and have them respond using the Private Comments.   Here is the video.

Getting from paper to a digital journal

Sarah Kiefer recently shared an informative blog post (and a Google slide deck) with suggestions on how you could have paperwork submitted online.  It provides a template where students can insert a photo- and she even has a slide that explains that process!  In this digital journal, she provides additional slides as well as instructional slides for the students.

If you need to start a new Google Classroom

 

Marking periods will be closing shortly and depending on the classes you teach, you might want to start a new Google Classroom.  While not everyone needs to do this (if you teach a full year class for example), I think it is still a good idea to pause and re-evaluate your classroom.  Sarah Kiefer shares her suggestions here for the optimal Google Classroom.

Google Classroom App

Using the Google Classroom app on your phone?  Take a look at Alice Keeler’s suggestions for the three dots.  Her post is here.

Feedback in Google Classroom

I truly believe one of the greatest assets of Google Classroom is the ability to provide real-time feedback.  Please see this blog post from Sara Kiefer as she shares her strategy for feedback.  Remember, feedback after the grade is not as effective (and that works for us as well!).

Parents and Google Classroom

Here is a thoughtful blog post from Sarah Kiefer looking at Google Classroom from a parents’ view.  Her suggestions will help improve communications between school and home!

Take a look at your Google Classroom

Sarah Kiefer has shared her suggestions for organizing your Google Classroom from a student viewpoint.  Please click here to read her post.

New Google Features (Part 2)

Here’s Google’s take on their new offerings- but just a reminder that we don’t have the Enterprise version of G Suite-so many of the new features will not be coming to us.

New Google Classroom Features

Google has announced a few updates in Google Classroom including invites, a review tool,

as well as a knock feature in Google Meet.  Please see Richard Bynre’s description here.