Five More Add-Ons for Google Docs

Inspired by Theresa's post from last week, and Greg's post from March, here are five more add-ons for Google Docs. Just like add-ons do in G-Forms, they allow you to extend the use of Docs and make it work hard for you.

Scroll to the bottom to learn how to get and use add-ons in Google Docs.

Easy Accents

Allows you to easily insert accents for different languages from a sidebar in your Doc.

MathType

Allows you to type and hand write notations for mathematics and chemistry.

Doc To Form

Allows you to quickly and easily create a form text in a Doc.  Teachers can turn a paper test into an online test with just a few clicks.

HelloFax

I know it's 2018, but some people still like faxes.  This add-on allows you to add a fax number and cover page to a Doc.  Click send, and the add-on sends the fax!  You even get an email when it arrives.

DocuTube

Users can embed videos in Google Slideshows, but not Docs.  But with this add-on, now you can!  Add videos to Google Docs that you share with your students, so that students no longer need to leave the doc to watch a helpful video.

How to GET add-ons in Google Docs

In Google Docs, click Add-ons > Get add-ons, then look for the add-on you want.  Once you find it, click the blue button to add.

  

How to USE add-ons in Google Docs

In Google Docs, click Add-ons > the add-on you want to use.

What add-ons do you use??  Let us know what else is out there in the comments.

WeVideo

When students (or teachers) work on video projects, they often turn to WeVideo, the non-Apple answer to iMovie.  WeVideo works directly in your browser, so students can use their Chromebooks to make incredible videos with ease.  The web tool also offers a Google single sign on (SSO), so it's easy for students and teachers to access quickly.

Up until last month, we were just utilizing the free version. Now, the free version is good.  But the paid version is better.  So WRSD purchased WeVideo school licenses for up to 500 users.  Let's explore that.

If you would like to utilize WeVideo licenses, contact Liz Brobst for the group link and access code.  These work for both teachers and students; you need them access the premium features.

In addition, to the perks listed above, WeVideo makes it SUPER easy to use the green screens we have around our buildings.  All students need to do is film in front of a green background (or any solid color background, really), and then they edit it out in WeVideo.

If you would like to utilize WeVideo licenses, contact Liz Brobst for the group link and access code.  These wors for both teachers and students; you need them access the premium features.

I've been working on tutorials for WeVideo: here are two for you use to use and share with students.  The first shows you how to use the color keying effect (for green screens), the second shows you how to add audio to your video.

There are so many things you can do in WeVideo, just click around and explore.  I'll share more tutorial videos as they are created, so you can watch those too.  And as always, if you have further questions, just ask your friendly school librarian.

If you would like to utilize WeVideo licenses, contact Liz Brobst for the group link and access code.  These wors for both teachers and students; you need them access the premium features.

Saving class time with typing shortcuts

One gripe that I have heard a lot about students in the past five years is the lack of typing skills and the way that this interrupts instructional time.  While our district has taken steps to add to the time focusing on building these skills, there’s still only 24 hours in a day, so I thought I might share some ways that you can limit the typing for students or allow them to work on these skills during free time.

1. Use the shelf on the chromebooks or create webpage icons on the iPads.
2. Bookmark pages that students will visit frequently.
3. Use a URL shortener like goo.gl or tinyurl.com.
4. Share to them in Hapara/Drive/Email and tell them where to find the link.
5. Also in Hapara, push out a link to all students.
6. Create a Symbaloo page for your class with all the links you need.  Students can have a shortcut to that, and then just click the tool they will use that day.
7. Use QR codes to login (Greg is working on this for Elementary).
8. In Chrome, use the App Launcher.
9. In iOS, Air Drop to your students.
10. Allow students to use one of varying typing skills websites, such as typing.com or nitrotype.com, if they finish their work early.

If you have questions or need help with these items, please let me or one of your building tech helpers know.  We will always be glad to help.  Together, we will make 21st century learners that know where to find the W on the keyboard.

Nearpod and VR

As education moves towards a focus on authentic learning (thank goodness!), there is also a push to move beyond the classroom walls.  One way that teachers are doing this is through virtual reality.  Many teachers are already taking advantage of the virtual reality headsets available in the middle and high school libraries.  Our students have “left” the classroom to experience coral reefs, Mars, Versailles, Machu Picchu, and other places otherwise unavailable to us.

Nearpod is now offering this opportunity embedded into what is already an interactive lesson when using their software.  Teachers interested in using it, make sure you sign in with Google!  Their program, available across all devices, allows you to direct what is showing on the screen and collect formative assessments from students throughout the lesson.  One of these options can now be a 360 degree view of places around the world...and the universe!

Let’s try it out!  The lesson below is a ready-made virtual reality lesson from Nearpod which is free and it goes through different types of Native American Housing.  They recommend this lesson for grades 4-9, and students can work through it on a chromebook, with a mobile device, or with a VR headset (for the full immersion experience).

When you create your own lessons, you can choose to include a few VR experiences (known as a field trip) for your students in that lesson.  Or, you can choose from the pre-made lessons from Nearpod.  Many, but not all, are free.  They are all of a very high quality.

If you are interested in trying it out, make sure you redeem the free 6 month subscription to Nearpod Gold Edition by following these steps:

1. Create an account (with GOOGLE!) if you have not already done so.
2. Go to nearpod.com/redeem and enter the code PETE&C17.

That’s it!  See your building techspert or me if you have questions!

Google NEXT '17 Highlights for Teachers

Google recently held a conference in San Francisco entitled Google NEXT ‘17.  While I wasn’t there, I have been reading a lot about news and announcements coming out of this event.  There are lots of exciting things going on, so I thought I would share some of them with you.  I am certain that they will impact your teaching in some way in the next five years.  

1. Team Drives - Greg has already shared this one with you, which allows you to create a shared space in Google Drive for teams that work together often.  This could be departments, grade level teams, or classes.  Any file that is placed into this area can be manipulated by any member of the team, so plan accordingly.  For more information on team drives, watch this video.
2. Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat - Google Hangouts is getting an overhaul.  If you use this to collaborate with colleagues, you may have noticed a number of changes over the past few years and none of them seemed efficient.  This is an attempt to compete with a company known as Slack to create a place for whole teams to collaborate in real time.  There are improved video features, too.  I just want the original extension back, but I’m ready to try it out!
3. GMail Add-Ons - You may use some add-ons in other G Suite products, such as Doctopus or Flubaroo in Sheets.  Now you will be able to add functionality to your email with add-ons for GMail.  Right now they are just announcing that developers can start creating, so once something great comes out, we will let you know.
4. Jamboard - Will the next interactive whiteboard be mobile?  All other classroom tech is.  This whiteboard comes on a stand and can be used by a whole team at once, to allow for seamless collaboration.  I would love to get my hands on one, but they price at $4,999.00!

I’m beginning to feel like every blog post I make has a list.  I hope you appreciate lists, cause I’m definite a list creator.  Check these things out because they will definitely impact your working in the future!

Using Discussion Boards Effectively

With the use of new learning strategies that combine online and face-to-face communication, discussion board posts have become more common in the classroom.  The high school teachers have come to use resources like Google Classroom as an essential part of their routine.  With that in mind, I thought it might be a good idea to share some pros and cons and activity ideas.  Please feel free to respond with tips or tricks that you have found to be effective in your classroom.

Discussion boards can serve a lot of purposes in any content area.  Here are some of the general benefits:

• Builds a classroom community
• Allows time for reflection before responding to a prompt
• Allows students to reflect on each other’s work
• Develops writing skills

When preparing to use a discussion board, it’s important to make sure it’s effective.  Questions related to discussion boards might include:

• How do you grade participation in a discussion board?
• What requirements do you outline in advance for the students?
• How do you ensure that students do not wait until the discussion is wrapping up to participate?
• How do you keep students on topic?
• How often should a teacher respond to posts?
• Should students have to cite their sources in a discussion post?

I completed my masters online through Clarion University.  Discussion boards were usually used as a question prompt, and I had to answer the question and respond to two classmates.  While I know this may have been beneficial, I did not always feel we were making the most out of the discussion board.  Some other activity ideas include:

• Ask Experts - Invite someone who knows about the topic to answer questions from your class on the discussion board.  This allows them to participate from any location.  There are plenty of online or community experts who would love the opportunity to answer questions posed by the students and a greater opportunity to participate in the classroom.
• Debates - While this is something that you may already do face-to-face, it would certainly be possible to use this as an online tool as well, allowing students who might not participate as much in person to craft convincing arguments and think in depth before preparing their rebuttal.  It could be done as an extension or as a side activity while working on a different unit or a different project, so that students could come back to it in their spare time.
• Polling - In the new ISTE standards from 2016, asking students to gather and analyze data is emphasized.  This is something that is used in a variety of career settings and would be beneficial for them to gather real-world data and then discuss the results on the discussion board.  Google Forms is a great way to start, but there are other web resources, such as PollCode for creating a survey.
• Role Play - Asking students to role play encourages them to see a new side of a topic.  Having students respond as their “character” lets them consider a new viewpoint.  Another version of this might be de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, which could be used in conjunction with NEWSELA.
• Peer Review - Student’s view each other’s work and leave constructive criticism on how they did, allowing for student growth.  They will gain new ideas and see new opportunities by sharing.  In this way, technology broadens the audience of a student’s work.

Learning is social.  Discussion boards have been and will continue to be a basic but effective way of creating learning opportunities for students.  If you have other ideas to add or if you want more resources on the topic, please email your friendly building librarian!

References:

[Chromebook with speech bubbles]. (2013, November 8). Retrieved from

https://www.usnews.com/cmsmedia/80/262f3dff4f667d3009b189975e0aa0/49555FE_DA_discussionboardnewl.jpg

de Bono, E. (n.d.). Six Thinking Hats. Retrieved March 1, 2017, from The de Bono Group

website:http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php

Finley, T. (2014, August 21). New Classroom Questioning Techniques for the Best Year Ever.

Retrieved March 1, 2017, from Edutopia website:

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/new-classroom-questioning-techniques-todd-finley

International Society for Technology in Education. (2016). 2016 ISTE Standards for Students

[PDF].Retrieved from

http://www.iste.org/docs/Standards-Resources/iste-standards_students-2016_one-sheet

_final.pdf?sfvrsn=0.23432948779836327

TeacherStream, LLC. (2010). Mastering Online Discussion Board Facilitation [PDF]. Retrieved

From https://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/stw/edutopia-onlinelearning-mastering-online-discussion-board-facilitation.pdf

Feedback vs. Grades

Joe gets 100% on his project.  Sara got a 60%.  What is the difference?

Within the classroom, I have seen teachers that give back scores and allow time to meet with students to discuss and give feedback on why they received the score that they did.  We are moving into an age where instead of the percentage being the focus, the feedback will be the focus.

Giving continual and consistent feedback is much more time-consuming than giving a percentage grade, but it is also much more meaningful.  It encourages the student to grow, seeing the skills or concepts where they are proficient and focusing their efforts on the areas where they are struggling.

Project-based learning lends itself to assessment via feedback.  It allows for a continual process of improvement, getting input from the teacher, making small edits, growing into the best and most polished example of the student’s ability.  This also strengthens the student’s “soft skills:” communication, collaboration, adaptability, reflection.

Have you ever told a student that they are really smart?  I’m guilty.  But this feedback isn’t enough.  How are they smart?  What made me believe that?  Is intelligence able to be ranked?  Instead of giving this general feedback, what else could we say?  See this link for some ideas.

We have some amazing examples of teachers already implementing this idea in our district, from the World Language Department using proficiency-based grading (see below for resources), to the standards-based report cards at the elementary level, to the shift from quizzes and tests to project-based learning.  

As the workplace becomes an environment that focuses on “projects” and collaboration, I hope you will continue to feel inspired and encouraged to move away from traditional assessment and embrace a more modern and meaningful approach by giving feedback.

For some ideas, check out this article from Edutopia.

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Language department proficiency based “grading” system resources

PBGS Parent Letter

PBGS Explanation

Language Proficiency Targets