Two tech-supported options for class discussions outside of class

If you'd like to have students be able to communicate about assignments outside of class, or respond to and discuss a question you provide, there are two simple and commonly-used tools you can try.

For School Loop users, there is a Post Discussion/Blog option that accompanies every assignment, which teachers can initiate, or which any student in a class can start (teachers are part of the thread, too). This can be a great way for students to support each other by answering each other's questions or providing clarity on an assignment. Teachers can also ask a question and require students to reply either to the question or to other students' answers. All posts happen under students' real name, so attribution is not an issue.

You can also start a discussion for a group, rather than through an assignment, from the Groups page in School Loop.

Teachers who prefer to use Google Classroom also have the "question" option under the Classwork tab. This can be a graded or ungraded assignment. Students can simply respond to the question, or you can allow them to reply to each other and start threads as part of the discussion. As with the School Loop option, students' real names are listed.

Encyclopedia Britannica for educators

All California public schools now provide online access to Encyclopedia Britannica, the reputable general-knowledge source. It has all the features you would expect from an online encyclopedia --  searchable, printable, citeable -- as well as a number of additional research supports, like related articles and websites, primary sources, and leveled reading access.

Encyclopedia Britannica also supports educator uses, allowing teachers to search content by different standards, create resource packs

Here's an example of a resource pack supporting a unit on The Crucible (teachers may need to set up a free account to view materials).

Organizing your Google Drive

First, to keep things organized:

Google Drive is a great tool for staying organized, but with lots and lots and lots of content, sometimes things get misplaced. Here are some tips for using Google Drive to its utmost.

1. Use folders
Try to house your files in folders, rather than just “My Drive”. You can make folder structures that are very deep to stay organized. If you want your files to be in a specific order, add a number prefix or a symbol to move them to the top of your list. You can select multiple files with the “ctrl” key or drag and drop files.

2. Name your files carefully
Be detailed and specific with your file names, especially files you expect to share. You can use special characters to draw attention to special files, or use [template] for documents you copy frequently. *Add a star to documents you use all the time.

3. Color code your folders. 
Right-clicking on your folders in Google Drive gives you the option to change a folder's color. That visual cue can make it much easier to find a folder within a list.

4. Share folders instead of just documents
For shared work, try shared folders instead of just shared documents. Then there’s no need to remember everyone in the group, or add new members to a number of documents -- the folder does the work for you.
It’s also possible to share folders as "view only." You can make any file within the folder editable, but sharing as “view only” keeps everything from being editable by default.

5. Use shift + z to add files to a folder
If you want to add a file to the shared folder AND keep it in your files, use "shift + z." Use this shortcut to ADD a file in multiple folders (not copies of a document, the actual document). Now you can keep files organized using your personal system AND put it in a shared folder (sadly, this doesn't work in a Team Drive).

6. Don't ever look at Shared With Me
If someone shares something with you that you plan to use again, choose the "Add to My Drive" option and then organize it in a way that makes sense to you. Especially for Google Classroom users, Shared with Me is overflowing with documents that you may or may not ever need. If you need it, keep it in My Drive and don't ever look for things in Shared with Me.


** If you are doing a lot of sharing, think about a Team Drive. With Team Drive, the team owns the files, not a person (important when team members leave) and it's another way to keep specific documents and folders organized for a specific purpose. **


When you are trying to find something specific, use Recent or Starred to help. Although a deep file structure is great for understanding where things are, there's no need to click through ten folders to find a document you use frequently, or just edited. Recent and Starred help with that.

If you are trying to find a non-Google doc through Backup & Sync, or File Stream, you can also search using the browser version (and then use Locate in My Drive).

Finally, right-clicking on any folder in Google Drive gives you the option to search within just that folder.

You can do it!

Changes to Google Classroom

Google Classroom has made some updates! There are a few things to get used to, but overall these are functional improvements that make Classroom even easier. 

New CLASSWORK tab
Here's where most of the action happens. From the Classwork tab you can create an Assignment or a Question, make a new Topic or add Material, or reuse a Post from a different class. You can also now use a "move up" or "move down" feature for topics and assignments. 

NOTE: When you assign something to a topic, it will appear with that topic; uncategorized posts appear at the top. If you want to see the most recent posts, go to the STREAM tab.

The STREAM tab is just that -- a stream of announcements, student posts (if possible) and replies. There aren't any topics, just posts in chronological order. CLASSWORK is the place for organization, but STREAM can make sure you don't miss anything.


The PEOPLE tab is also more logical. Here's where to add teachers, invite parents, and manage individual students (contact, mute, etc.). The only thing that feels missing from here is the class code, which can be found under SETTINGS.



The SETTINGS feature makes better sense too. By clicking the gear icon in the upper right corner, you can see the class code, the details of the class, the permissions for the class stream and for viewing deleted items, and how parent/guardian summaries are structured. 



Sadly, the ABOUT page has gone away, but in its place we got the Material option on the Classword tab! So if you want to post your syllabus or other kind of resource, you can post it as Material either in the topic where it belongs or with a topic like "Class Resources". Another option is to post a link to a shared folder full of documents, or a document with links to those same resources. All different ways to get to the same end. 


One last BIG update is to the grading features. You are now much more easily able to:

• switch between students
• switch between multiple files submitted by one student
• re-use commonly-needed comments through the comment bank
• add a private comment to a student while you are grading

Everything can now be done in the window where you are doing the actual grading -- a much more streamlined process. 

 

Finally, Google has recognized all the work you've put into your Google Classrooms of the past and given us the ability to copy an entire Classroom! From the three-dots menu, COPY is now an option, which will duplicate everything you've done in a prior class, but in draft format, so you can modify and publish as needed. 

Online classroom conversations for students

Sometimes it's necessary and beneficial to have students carry on conversations or discussions outside of class. There are a number of tools that we have access to with our G Suite account, and other options as well.

The quickest for teachers using Google Classroom is the "question" post option. You can have students respond to a question you post, as well as to each other's responses. You can even allow students to post messages to the classroom stream, and use those as discussion questions. This is a quick and easy way to get and keep the class talking even after the class is over.

Another option through G Suite is a Google Hangout. Using your class group, you can set up a Google Hangout that students can join as an online project group, study session or informal support. It can be a scheduled event or always open. With you as a member of the group, you'll know what the group is discussing and can participate as needed. Here's how to get started with a Hangout.

Padlet is another online tool, similar to a virtual Post-It wall, that allows students to post and respond to questions, and which allows a digital archive of interactions.

Interactive discussions allow for a great range of participation from voices who may not always be heard. They also empower students to seek their own answers, while "slowing" the conversation to allow teacher intervention where needed.

Google Tool of the Day: Voice Typing

February and March are full of short tech training options. One highlight from today's lunchtime session on Google Docs included Voice Typing. For students who struggle with getting their initial ideas down on paper, Voice Typing can be a very helpful tool. Just go to the Tools menu and choose Voice Typing. It works with Chromebooks and most other devices with microphones that support Chrome.

Although its voice recognition is not perfect, it's reasonably accurate and can be easily edited with the keyboard once the bulk of the content has been dictated. 

Check the calendar below for other trainings coming soon!

Highlighting Tools for research and writing

Teachers and students who still love paper often cite the need to highlight and annotate hard copies of articles, rough drafts and other documents. However, there are many free and easy tools available that provide the same flexibility and usefulness as a beautiful set of highlighters.

One of these is the the Highlight Tool, a very useful Google Docs add-on for students and teachers. Users can set up libraries of highlighter colors (pink for thesis, yellow for supporting evidence, green for subjective opinion, etc.) and maintain different libraries for different assignments or classes. Users can also copy just their highlighted text into a new document, either by color or by how the text occurs. This can be used for extracting essential information from a reading passage, or evaluating one's own written work.

Teachers can also set up a set of standard highlighter colors and export it to their entire class.

Here's how it looks in action:

(To install a Google Doc add-on, go to the Add-ons menu in any Google Doc, click on Get add-ons and then search for the title or feature you want. Once the add-on is installed, you can access it every time from that same Add-on menu.)

For annotating different documents for research, like websites or PDFs, there are also a number of extensions and tools to try. One easy-to-use option is the Chrome extension Weava. Weava lets you select text on any website and apply a variety of highlight colors, as well as take notes directly on the page for organizing and exporting later. Here's what it looks like:

(To install a Chrome extension, go to the Chrome Web Store and search for the title or feature you want. Then access that tool from the right of your Chrome URL address bar.)

Both tools are worth exploring!

Quick Tip: Search within Google Drive folder

Searching for a document in your Google Drive is easy, but occasionally you want to search in just a specific folder. You can do this in one of two ways.

The first is to use the drop-down menu in the search bar. You can not only choose the folder you want to search in, but use other advanced search limiters like type of file or date modified. Click on the folder next to "location" and choose the folder you want to search in.

The quicker way is to just right-click on the folder in your Google Drive and choose "search within <folder name>" to get to the documents you want.  

Complex Math with Google

For math and science teachers, representing complex mathematical equations in Google products has been challenging, especially if you have been hoping to use Google Forms and its quiz function with students.

However, a more robust tool out this year is EquatIO, which lets you create complex math equations in Google Forms (and all other GSuite products), and can be downloaded on all devices OR used as a Chrome extension for maximum flexibility. Find EquatIO in the Chrome Web Store to try it. Equations can be entered through an Equation Editor, through LaTeX (familiar to math teachers), or even through handwriting or voice recognition!

The premium version of EquatIO (formerly g(Math)) allows for equation creation and edits directly in Google Forms, and teachers are entitled to a free premium version; check out the features and if you are interested, you can sign up here.

Here's a intro video on using EquatIO in Google Forms:

Of course, if you just want to use Google Docs without any extra bells and whistles , try the Equation Toolbar, which you can access at View > Show equation toolbar.

To create your equation, click New equation and begin filling it in with operations from the insert function dropdown menus. Even for simple equations, the New equation feature will also neatly format and group equations.

Have fun!

Teaching with Technology training series

Welcome back to school! In case you missed it, the district is offering a new learning opportunity for teachers called Teaching with Technology, designed to provide a comprehensive foundation for teaching effectively with technology in the classroom. This series is ideal for any teacher interested in having students use digital tools for collaboration, assignments and assessments, especially through the use of Chromebooks.
Teaching with Technology is designed for all teachers at any level of experience, but will be especially helpful for those who haven’t had the opportunity to take a deep dive into the use of technology as an enhancement to instructional purposes, or those who have dipped their toes in the water, but would like to learn more before taking the plunge. Check out more on each session, ask at the library with any questions you may have, or click here to sign up.

Session Details:

Going from Traditional to Transformative: Lesson planning frameworks to move from paper to digital - Lead: Lisa McLeod Tue Jan 30, 2018 4-6pm

Designing and leveraging your digital classroom for student success Your physical classroom is designed to maximize learning; your digital classroom should be too! Use digital tools to differentiate, connect and increase organization and efficiency - Lead: Amity Bateman Thu Feb 15, 2018 4-6pm

Deep Dive with Google Drive: Google Apps and Google Drive are foundational to our work as teachers and for students.  Get an in-depth look into how to use this toolset for collaboration, student work, and the hidden secrets to make your life easier - Lead: Amy Ashworth Thu Mar 8, 2018 4-6pm

Online Group Work: Student collaboration can yield powerful results, and we’ll teach you how to navigate the digital landscape and leverage it effectively for common tasks such as Checks for Understanding, Formative Assessment, and Group projects - Lead: Dana Kuhlmann Thu Mar 29, 2018 4-6pm

Critical Thinking: How to deepen student understanding using online tools and resources.  Push beyond to higher order thinking skills to help promote student growth - Lead: Laura Utile Wed Apr 11, 2018 4-6pm

Wrap Up: Putting it all together for your classroom Thu May 3, 2018 4-6pm