Importing Grades in Google Classroom

In case you need another awesome reason for using a Google Form for a Quiz- now Google will import the grade into your Google Classroom.  Here’s a screenshot as well as  brief video!

Happy Fall and Halloween

I spend some time in kindergarten yesterday afternoon with ChatterPix.  Ms. Greene’s students created an illustration (aka self portrait)  and then we recorded their thoughts.   We also had time to explore Quiver and brought out pumpkins to life. Here is their first movie!

Do you know Pegman?

No, this is not the latest Halloween costume.  It’s the little guy from Google Maps and Google Earth. Check out Richard Byrne's post here for ideas for the classroom.

Keep and more!

Alice Keeler shares three Google Doc tools in this blog post.  While I do like the outline feature, I think Voice Typing and Google Keep  I really the way to go. In fact, I didn't type this blog post. I spoke it using voice typing!

Make your own Wonder poster

I loved this novel when I first read it- and now with the movie premiere next month, you can create your own Wonder poster.  Choose face shape, features and even a quotation.  How could you use this in your classroom?

HyperDocs

I saw this post from Richard Byrne on HyperDocs the day I got home from the NJ Science Convention (and I had just presented on this topics).  This is a nice summary (and something I will add to the next presentation).  If you think a hyperdoc is simply a doc with links, you need to read this article for a better understanding of this interactive educational tool.

Do you have a magic hat?

This past week the district held the first TEQ training sessions.  Special thanks to Tom Schwartz from TEQ his SMARTBoard expertise.  The next day, Judy Perone shared these photos of her students playing a game she had created in class!    “I love the magic hat for names- the kids all waited to see whose name popped out!  Such fun!”  

Do you tab?

Do you know what the tab key do for you?  Check out this post from Alice Keeler with her suggestions (clearly using it for forms is the way to go!)

Not Hi- C

And not the 4 c's of gem purchasing.  But rather the educational four C’s- how are they reflected in your lesson plans?  If you need some suggestions on ways to add Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity to your day, please see this post by Alice Keeler.

Science for the K-5 world

Twig Science Reporter  is a free site that provides weekly science content geared to the younger set.  Create your account and you will have access to videos, teaching suggestions, and more!  For more information, please see the TeachersFirst blog post here.

Well, they are not really two minutes

But 2 Minute Geology is a series of short videos designed to grab your students’ attention.  Here’s one on petrified wood.  For more information and additional implementation suggestions, please see the TeachersFirst post here.

Multiple Correct in Google Form Quizzes

Now you can use the checkbox feature in creating your Google quiz to allow for more than one correct response.  Eric Curts will walk you through the process in his blog post here.

Learning shortcuts (and losing the mouse)

While I am good with the Ctrl V and C- but I really should learn Ctrl L-check out shortcuts from Alice Keeler here.

Making geography fun (grades 2-6)

Globetracker is a choice your own adventure weekly series.  Have your students unravel the clues and votes for the next adventure.  The weekly updates start later this month.  This is a feature of TeachersFirst.

Google Earth is now in your browser!

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One of the summer changes involves Google Earth.  Not only is it easier to navigate, but now it is available in your browser using this website.You can get a quick preview in this video:

For the complete review,  please see the post here from Richard Byrne's Free Technology for Teachers. For more on Google Earth Tour Builder- please see Eric Curt's post here.

What would the Bard think? Is that Hamlet?

In this week’s TeachersFirst email, the focus was on comics.  One of my favorites was Stick Figure Hamlet- select the act and begin! For the complete write-up, please click here.

Voice Typing

Have you ever tried typing using your voice?  Google Voice Typing (you will find it in tools) can work for a variety of learners. See Shake Up Learning´s post here for suggestions for your classroom.

Visit the Arctic

Expedition Arctic will take you on an arctic tour without leaving your classroom.  You can explore sites via the map, meet the team, and observe the artifacts.

For more information and additional implementation suggestions, please see the TeachersFirst post here.

Google Classroom Assignments

Just a quick reminder- you can share the same assignment (or announcement) with more than one class.  See Alice Keeler´s post here.

Google Drive Short Cuts

Can you rename a file with one click?  How about one button sharing?  See these shortcuts in Alice Keelerś blog post here.

Storyboardthat and Trick or Treat

Storyboardthat has shared a new series of lesson plans for Halloween.  If you need accounts for this year, please see your media specialists.  I've already booked a few classes for Halloween comics!

Are they ready for the future?

In his recent blog post, Matt Miller outlines 5 straightforward ways we can help prepare our students for the future. Number 4 is my favorite! What can your students create?

Committed to Google Keep

This year I adopted Google Keep (think an online- all devices post-it notes that serve as my to-do list).  Now, I can import my Keep notes (or images) into Google Slides (it worked on Google Docs a while ago).  In her post, Alice Keeler has several suggestions for student uses.

The key to Google Toolbars

I guess I wasn’t really paying attention (or I’m very adaptable) but in truth, I didn’t realize the toolbars had changed until I read this blog post from Alice Keeler. Since it is icon driven, it is pretty easy to figure out the changes.  You might want to share this with your students.

Math tools for the chromebook

Richard Byrne shares a variety of math tools for Chromebooks in this blog post on Free Technology for Teachers.  While I had seen some of them before, Math Vocabulary Cards was new to me.  This would be great as a station or a SMARTBoard.  It allows you to select which box you want to uncover- either the word, the visual description or the synonym. Here’s a screenshot.

Making a Screencast

In this informative blog post from Matt Miller (Ditch the Textbook), you will see how easy it is to create a screen recording (screencast). He also has suggestions for student participation.

Better than flashcards

Since I know the district subscribes to several online math programs,I was a little hesitant to post about XtraMath.  This free online program provides basic (+,-,/,*) skill practice.  One of the features I liked best was the easy setup.  You can create your class and then using one device (as a station) easily rotate your students thought the activity. There is also an app with the same features.  They recently added support in other languages as well as a Google sign in feature. While the students do need to remind a PIN to sign in- it is pretty straightforward.  For more information, please see this blog post from Richard Byrne at Technology for Teachers.

How many seeds in a pumpkin?

This is one of my favorite Jen Wagner projects (and I’ve been invited to several classes over the years and it is always fun!).  If you teach PK-30 join this project,  All the directions and registration is here.  The project runs from October 22 to the 31st.

Everything you want to know

About forms are right here on Alice Keeler’s blog.  You will be on the lookout for the 3 dots as well as the triangle.

Place those commas!

So where do all the commas go?  TeachersFirst recently shared these resources.

Grades 6-12	Copy Edit This!	Become an editor for the New York Times! This 10-question quiz includes passages from articles with one grammatical error each. Click on the word you believe to be incorrect.
Grades 2-8	Punctuation Campground	Use game-based learning to motivate your students to learn punctuation. Although basic, this site offers many opportunities for students to practice punctuation. You have the option to start over, try again, and even get a hint.
Grades 3-12	noredink	Personalize the writing and grammar experience for your students. Practice proper use of apostrophes, subject-verb agreement, comma issues, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, commonly confused words, and more. See our full review for more details!
Grades 2-5	Comma Confusion	Get gamified with punctuation! Help Dr. Igneous sort out confusing messages (missing commas) to save the villagers from an erupting volcano. Share this interactive on your whiteboard and then allow students to practice on their own. Share on your website.
Grades 1-4	Alien Punctuation	Help Max and Molly "talk to the aliens" and correct their punctuation. There are three levels of difficulty. Topics vary by level and include: capitalization, periods, question marks, commas, quotation marks, and more.

Google Classroom + Youtube

If you are looking for ways to integrate YouTube into your classroom, Shake Up Learning has posted several interesting ideas here.  From writing prompts, hyperdocs, and announcements- there is something for everyone!

Not PB&J

If you interested in implementing Project Based Learning in your classroom, you will want to check out the resources from the Creative Education here.  From design elements to classroom strategies, everything is here.

Things I missed in PowerPoint

While I am all Google, I have to admit there were a few things I missed from PowerPoint.  The grid feature (where you could see all you slides in one view) as well as the ability to insert drawing graphics.  Now Google has added these two features (along with new Add ons and Keep) to Google Slides.  For a complete description, please read Richard Byrne’s Free Technology for Teachers post here.  Here’s the blog post from Google if you would like more details.

Google slides with a twist

Until I read this post from Alice Keeler, I wouldn’t have thought to use Google Slides as a quick (and creative method) for quick Do Nows or a formative assessment.  I liked the way she used the rename version method to keep track of each class.

How many ways can you show borrowing?

In this blog post from Alice Keeler, she shares her suggestion in Google slides.  It reminds me there are many ways to get to the correct answer!  

It’s never too early to plan for Pi Day (or Poetry Month)

Eric Curts has shared a creative way to create a Pi poem using his Google Template (Please click here for the complete post including the template).  In his post, he walks you through the process to create a poem based on the number sequence in Pi.  I bet you could think of ways to modify his template and create poems based on other number or dates.

Visit ancient world

Learning about the culture in MesoAmerica?  Visit the ancient world at The Ancient Web (you will find a variety of ancient cultures (African, Asian, Egyptian, and the Near East).    While there are some ads on the site, they are related to the content. For the complete review, please see Teachers’ First here.

Mathigon- textbooks come to life!

I came across Mathigon this summer- looks like an interesting variety of elementary and secondary math resources.  Here’s their video overview.

If Colorforms were digital

Imagine creating a pumpkin with colorforms or stickers.  You could select the eyes, shoes, hands and really customize your work!  Using a template shared by Eric Curts (Control Alt Achieve), you can share this experience with your students (and they will learn how to copy, paste, and draw in Google Slides). They can then describe their pumpkin.  Please see Eric’s blog post here for the directions and templates. I’ve shared mine as a sample.

Race to Discovery!

So how long did it take Nellie Bly to circle the world? (Remember she left from Hoboken and returned to Jersey City.) And how long would it take today?  Check out A Race to Discovery!  For a complete description, please see Richard Byrne's blog post here.