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