This week was my final week in my current graduate class, and for my final project, I was assigned the task of creating a Google Site. This was perfect for me since I desperately needed to update my teacher website.
My school is a G-Suite for Education School, so I have an educator Google account. But even if you aren't at a G-Suite school, you can still create a site with a regular Google account. Click here to start building your site now.
Building a site can usually be pretty overwhelming, but it really is simple and easy with the updated version of Google Sites. You can simply click and drag to move things around on your site for example. Check out this tutorial from Teacher's Tech for more specifics.
Using this tutorial, I was able to create my own site. Here is a look at my home page.
I was able to really personalize my site with an embedded Google Calendar, photos, items from my Google Drive, links, and even a customized search engine. I also added different pages to address different topics on my site like Math, Reading, and Science.
Another thing I chose to include was my Twitter feed. I like to use Twitter to connect with parents and other educators to showcase what we are doing in the classroom. Here is a tutorial on how to embed your Twitter feed on your Google Site.
I am excited to push my site out to parents! I think it will be a great way to keep lines of communication open while also providing resources for extra practice or enrichment.
This week I learned more about using Google Earth and Google Tour Builder in the classroom. Both tools can be marvelous ways to show students the world from their seat in your classroom.
Google Earth
Google Earth allows users to click anywhere in the world to see it and learn more about it. My husband describes it as "a more powerful version of the globe that came with a pen that you could point to places." Remember those? Our kids might never know that gem, but being able to see images of places all around the world is a much more powerful way to engage students.
My favorite part of Google Earth is the Voyager tool. Clicking on the captain's wheel will bring you to several premade tours like Lewis and Clark and even layers like weather radar.
Check out this video to learn how to use Google Earth.
Another great resource to show students the world is Google Tour Builder. This tool allows you to guide students to specific locations in order to teach your content. You can embed photos and videos into your tour locations and even include street view. You could use this to show significant locations in the American Revolution, or you could show the important points along the Oregon Trail.
Check out this brief tutorial to learn more about using Google Tour Builder in the classroom.
Both Google Earth and Google Tour Builder are great tools to use in the classroom, but I think for now I prefer Google Tour Builder. I like the ability to easily integrate photos and videos and have a sequence for my lesson.
YouTube is Google's largest service, so it's no surprise that teachers are seeking to use YouTube to help enhance their classroom lessons.
YouTube allows you to subscribe to channels that can offer professional development like one of my personal favorite's, Teacher's Tech.
You could also create your own channel by uploading videos to YouTube. This is a great tool especially if you are interested in implementing a flipped classroom. Check out this link for instructions on how to upload a video.
If you like using videos in your classroom, check out my demo on how you can make YouTube work for you. Create playlists, omit distractions, and edit a video's start time.
This week I learned a little more about using Google Calendar and Google Photos.
Google Calendar
If you are like me, you may have been using Google Calendar for several years. I love using it to coordinate my family's schedule quickly and easily. I can easily add events to my husband's work calendar, like Parent Conference Night. Then he can prevent others from scheduling meetings later on those days so he can get home in time to take care of our kids while I work late. (Clearly, he needs to accept my invite! Luckily, he also has the ability to view my calendar, so anything I add is always noticed!)
You can also use calendars to communicate events with parents, plan lessons, and even schedule those conference appointment times on conference night.
Check out this video from Teacher's Tech on some useful tips on using Google Calendar more effectively.
Google Photos
The next awesome feature I learned more about was Google Photos. This is an excellent resource to store and backup photos without using all of your computer or phone storage. I always knew about that feature, but as I am an Amazon Prime member, I didn't see a need for it since all of my photos back up to Prime Photos.
However, I was WRONG! Using Google Photos can be a great way to easily share a large collection of photos with parents from a class field trip or special event.
Additionally, you can use Google Photos in the classroom. For instance, if you taught your students about states of matter, you could add them as collaborators to your album. Next, students could upload photos they take of those states of matter.
Check out this video to learn more about Google Photos.
It just goes to show that even if you think you really know or understand an application, there is almost always something new to learn about.
I've posted briefly before about my love for Google Drive, but today I want to focus more on Google Forms. It wasn't long ago, that I started dabbling in Google Forms. Forms are an amazing way to collect information, whether it be a professional development survey, a student quiz, or a student questionnaire form. If you read my previous post, you might recall my student information form I created to collect data from parents at the beginning of the school year.
This form has been a LIFESAVER! All of my student information was collected into one easy-to-use spreadsheet! I use it often to easily access parent phone numbers in order to quickly make phone calls home. I can even access it from my phone, which means I can make calls on my long commute home, when necessary. (Don't worry, I talk hands-free!)
Self-grading quizzes
Forms are also an amazing way to create self-grading quizzes to assess student learning. Check out this video from Teacher's Tech for a tutorial.
Here is a self-grading quiz that I recently created about animal habitats.
docAppender
I also just learned about a useful Add-on to Forms called docAppender. This tool takes the information from Google Forms and sends it to a Google Doc of your choosing instead of creating a Google Sheet. This can be super helpful for information that just doesn't fit well into a form. For example, on my student survey, I could filter out the questions about a student's strengths and weaknesses to a Google Doc instead of storing it in a Google Sheet.
Check out this video from The Techy Teacher's Tech Tips that explains how to record student observations using Google Forms. Paperless observations? I AM IN!
These are just a few of the ways that Google Forms can streamline your teaching. What are some ways you use Google Forms?
Many of us have a Gmail account, but if you are like me, you may not be using it to its full potential! Here are some useful tips I have learned to enhance your Gmail experience. Also, you will find a useful trick to help your students with their research by creating your own custom search engine.
Undo
If you are like me, you may have had a time or two where you forgot to add an attachment or you realized you wanted to reword something. Enter the Undo feature in Gmail to save the day! When activated, a small window pops up after an email has been sent. You simply click on the word "undo," and like magic your email comes back!
You can adjust the length of time you have to Undo an email. Simply go to Gmail settings under the general tab, and click the drop-down menu to select a different time.
Assign Labels
This feature allows you to easily sort your email and keep your inbox clean! If you are like me, you simply cannot immediately respond to all emails. Plus, there are many that you might want keep for later reference.
Simply go to the left side of the screen and scroll below the inbox. Click on the arrow for more, then scroll to the bottom to create a new label.
After you have created a new label you can even assign it a specific color.
Check out more on creating labels with this tutorial.
Create a custom search engine
Have you ever had your students doing a research project, and just wished you could filter out some of their results? Even using kid-friendly search engines doesn't eliminate unwanted results. Next time, try to create your own search engine that goes specifically to sites you choose.
Check out how to do it with this tutorial:
Here is my new search engine to help second graders research animals for our big animal research project. Type in an animal below and check it out for yourself!
Hello! It has been a while since I have posted, but I am back and excited to be learning and sharing more about technology in the classroom!
Currently, I am in a course called Google Tools for Educators. That means I will be able to share lots about how to use Google (my favorite search engine) and all of its resources.
For instance, even though I am an avid Google Chrome user, I was unaware that the search bar is actually called the Omnibar and can do more than just a simple search. You can skip opening the calculator app and just type in your simple equations into the Omnibar. Voila! Grading made easier!
Google extensions
This week, I also learned all about a few Google extensions, and I must say I was missing out before! All of these are available in the Google Chrome Web Store.
Some of my personal favorites are:
Tab Resize - This is a fast way to split out a tab and work from two windows. Really useful for when you want to follow along with a tutorial online.
Turn Off the Lights - This tool allows you to black out everything but the YouTube video you are showing in class. It helps eliminate the potentially inappropriate video suggestions as well as the "Click on ____!" shout-outs.
Nimbus - this useful tool makes taking screenshots even easier than they already are. Plus there are some added features like cropping tools and blurring features that make it even more user-friendly.
Want to learn more about Nimbus? Check out this tutorial!
Google Keep
This week I also learned more about Google Keep. This is a note-taking program that syncs on Google Drive. You can use this to keep track of all types of notes in a very user-friendly way. Notes can be shared with other users, and everything can be saved and backed up on your Google Drive. This is a great way to take notes, share notifications, or give reminders. These are just some of the ways teachers could use it in their classrooms. Check out this video for more information on Google Keep.
Thanks for reading! Hopefully you learned something new! It's good to be back!
It is so much fun to see my little second graders conducting research on a topic they enjoy.
The thing is, they are second graders. So typically Google is a little advanced for them. There are so many results with several advertisements. And so many of them are not at all geared toward a second-grade reading level.
Well, I found a way around that.
Let me introduce you to a couple of kid-friendly searching sites that provide safe and appropriate content.
KidRex
KidRex is powered by Google, and offers a way for kids to search safely online. It looks a lot like Google with a cute little dinosaur, that just makes it more fun. Check out this video to learn a little more about it.
Kiddle
Kiddle is another kid-friendly search tool that is also powered by Google. This one has a fun little robot, and again, allows you to just type in what you are looking for in the search bar.
This is probably my favorite of the two because I like its larger thumbnails that show up when you search.
Additionally, Kiddle prioritizes information with the most kid-friendly sites listed first, down to sites that still have appropriate content, but will be at an adult reading level.
Hopefully these sites will help spark some new projects in your classroom!
Social media seems to be everywhere we look these days, so why not in the classroom?
This week, I am going to show you a few social media tools that you might want to try with your students.
But first, here is a little video I created using Adobe Spark's video feature about why you might consider using social media in education.
Here are some tools you should check out for your classroom if you aren't already using them.
Symbaloo
This is a great resource to use with your staff or with your students. Symbaloo is a way to collect all of the sites you or your students frequent and have them organized visually so they can easily click where they need to go. Also, you can share your Symbaloo with others, so it can be super interactive. I started one that teachers in my building could use. Here is what it looks like:
Need help getting started? Check out this tutorial:
Symbaloo also has a new feature called Lesson Plans or Learning Paths. I haven't created one of these myself, but it seems like a great way to have an entire digital lesson plan available for your students to access. I am thinking how convenient this would be to have available for when you have a substitute! Then you are still able to teach the lesson and provide access to things you would like students to view or complete, but the substitute just has to tell them how to start!
FlipGrid
FlipGrid is a video response platform that allows you to have discussions with your class. During my online courses, I have frequently used FlipGrid in order to record my reflections of my learning. I envision using FlipGrid as a way to give short presentations, explain and show steps to solve a math problem, and even provide fluency practice so students can then play back and see how they are doing. I also see this as a great way to allow staff members to provide feedback and have discussions. We all know that teachers aren't exactly jumping for the chance to share during staff meetings! 😂
Here is a video explaining how to use it!
Padlet
This is a fun tool that allows teachers to provide links to content all in one shared location. I have a unit on Wild Weather that I teach to my second graders each year. With Padlet, I can offer one page where all of my weather information is posted so my students can easily access it. You can also require that students respond with a comment or question about what they have read. Here is a screen shot of my Wild Weather Padlet, or you can view it here.
Want to learn more about creating a Padlet? Check out this tutorial.
Social media really can be a fun and engaging way to teach. Happy posting!
This week is all about planning and organizing. It's what teachers do. We plan, plan, and plan some more. So if someone tells me a way to make lesson planning easier, I say sign me up! The first tool I learned about this week was Flippity. Flippity.net lets you turn Google Sheets into quiz shows, flash cards, memory games, and more. What's better is that you just use their free templates that they provide to you. Then you have a quiz saved that you can use again and again! Check out this how-to video to learn more about creating a quiz show on Flippity.
One teaching essential we covered this week was lesson plans. My go-to site for lesson plans is Teachers Pay Teachers.
You can find lesson plans for all curriculum, grade levels, and price points. I find that many of the teaching blogs I follow also link up to their store front on Teachers Pay Teachers so you can buy the resources you are reading about. Here is a cool lesson that I am thinking of buying for my second graders who need some math enrichment.
Another great resource I like to use is PBS Parents. While it doesn't initially sound like it could be meant for teachers, there are some cool lessons that tie into video clips of PBS shows. Here is great STEM activity that teaches children about the importance of modifying designs.
Finally, here is a short little list of some essential timesaving tools. I used Adobe Spark again, but this time I made a gorgeous page for you to visit. (Yes, Teachers Pay Teachers is on there again. That is how much I love it!)
This week I got to spend some time exploring Google Drive, Google Forms, and Google Drawing for my class. Let me tell you, I definitely came away with some awesome ideas for the classroom. Probably my favorite feature of Google Drive is the ability to easily share access with others. Plus, Google has come up with various levels of access. For example, you can require users make a copy of your document so that they are not mistakingly making edits to it when you do not want them to. You can also alter the level of access someone has to a document. This would be great for sharing documents and other mediums with students.
Something new that I discovered this week is that Google offers several different templates. Within Google Drive, go to the plus sign as if you are creating a new document, sheet, or slide. Hover over the arrow next to the file type of your choice and "From a template" should pop up.
There are so many cool templates to choose from, but the one that seemed most interesting to me was the book report option in Google Slides. Everything is set up, so all a student has to focus on is the content instead of the design! Here are some of the templates available in Google Slides.
If you check out this video by dottotech, he walks you through the book report template. Additionally, he gives some basics on how to create files and share access with others.
While I love the accessibility of Google Drive, the COOLEST feature is its Optical Character Recognition, or OCR. This means that you can upload a PDF, a scan, or even a photo of text. Open the document within Google Docs, and the text will be converted into a document that you can edit. This works as long as the text is clear. Think of how drastically this can change researching and writing in the classroom! Here is a video from Teacher's Tech that further explains how to use OCR.
And finally, let me leave off with some features I am already planning on using next school year; Google Forms and Google Drawing. With Google Forms, you can create surveys, questionnaires, even graded quizzes with the ease of a few clicks! I made a form for my parents to complete at the beginning of the year that tells me about their child. Now that is one less paper parents have to worry about!
And Google Drawing allows you to create beautiful projects like my graphic organizer for sequencing.
I hope you have fun exploring all of the fabulous features Google Drive has to offer. Please share if you come across something exciting!
Have you ever heard of a Learning Management System (LMS)? If the names Edmodo, Schoology, or Google Classroom come to mind, then you probably have. Essentially an LMS is an application that allows teachers to administer and track courses.
Using all of these systems, you can give assignments, link to media, lead discussion questions, and give feedback on student work.
While all of the systems are similar, they do have some differences that might help you decide which one you would like to use in your classroom.
First of all, I will start with Google Classroom, which is something I have now. This is a really nice feature that Google has added, but you have to be a member of a school that has signed up for the Google Apps for education. For example, I have to sign in using my educator account, and all of my students have their own Google accounts tied to my school district.
I love how streamlined Google is, which you can see below. Here I have a document posted that I had my students download into Notability (an iPad app) so that we could use it in class.
You can get started with a Google Classroom by going here.
Click here for a great link describing some Google Classroom basics.
Another system that is really helpful is Edmodo. This site interface reminds me a little bit of Facebook, so it looks familiar. Students must each have their own accounts, but it is not necessary that your school be a member. Like Google, you can post assignments and set up discussions. However, what I like the most about Edmodo is that you can set up groups within your classroom. This instantly makes it easier to differentiate for your students. Additionally, Edmodo has a gradebook feature, and you can use it to do some pretty cool things in the classroom even in second grade.
Here is a screenshot of my Edmodo classroom for professional development. You can see that I have set up a discussion post for other students (educators in this case) to respond to.
Additionally, I have embedded a TED talk video so my students can view the video without leaving Edmodo.
If you are like me, I first felt overwhelmed by the idea of using some of these sites with my second graders. It is a learning curve, but they can do it! Here is a really good video explaining some different ways to use Edmodo in primary grades.
Finally, Schoology is another useful LMS. I find it to be most similar with Edmodo in its interface. Schoology does have a really great resource library and, like Edmodo, it has a gradebook feature. However, unlike Edmodo, it does not have the ability to make groups within your class. Go here to sign-up for a free Schoology account.
Overall, you will have to explore the various learning management systems to see which one is the best fit for your needs.
If you are a teacher, you have heard about professional development. I don't know about you, but my mind instantly thinks of sitting in the library of some school in my district for long meetings that may or may not be something that inspires me as an educator.
Guess what? You don't have to just wait for your district to HOPEFULLY give you a session you are excited about.
Enter Professional Learning Networks.
A Professional Learning Network (PLN) is a way for you to connect to other educators from all over the world. Here is a fun image that lists the benefits of PLNs that my graduate school teacher included in our class this week.
There are many types of PLNs including message boards, facebook, linkedin, but my all-time favorite is Twitter.
Before this week, I would call myself a Twitter dabbler. But now I am IN LOVE! I took this opportunity to update my educator account, follow some inspiring teachers, and I really started learning more about some cool resources like #edchat.
Edchats are scheduled chats on various Twitter groups. They have a moderator whose job it is to ask specific questions on a topic. I really liked the chat I found on #learnlap (Based on the new book Learn Like a Pirate). It was a really great topic about student motivation.
Now I know what my summer reading will be! Interested in learning more? Check out their weekly discussions on Monday nights at 8 p.m. CST.
I also think I will focus on using Twitter next school year to really include my parents. I can use my account as an extension of our classroom uploading photos and videos so they can see what we are up to all day!
Another reason I like Twitter is that I can easily follow other teachers and find current ideas for my classroom. I follow teachers in my district as well as teachers from across the country, like the famous Ron Clark. Interested in following me? Find me! @Mrs_Bailey_HI . (The HI is my school's logo in case you were wondering.)
Finally, I will leave you with an amazing tool to help you organize all of the fun things you will surely find!
Diigo is a tool that helps you bookmark websites via the web browser, so you can access your bookmarks anywhere you use the internet. Therefore, it does not matter which computer I am on to access my bookmarks. Additionally, I can join groups and share bookmarks easily!
Another feature of diigo is the highlighter and sticky notes tool. This is fantastic for conducting research because it allows the user to take notes on the page and saves that page. No more opening a separate word document or printing off pages!
Finally, I learned from the diigo blog that you can now import all of your highlighted material from your kindle so that you can sort and organize it on diigo. Where was this tool during my undergraduate courses?
Here is a great video explaining diigo basics. Maybe you will love it as much as I do!
