Add to Your Teacher Toolbox

*Made in signbot

Finding time to learn new things for ourselves can be challenging. Today, I actually had some time to sit, read, and catch-up on some of my instructional technology blogs, tweets, articles, and newsletters that help me keep up-to-date with what is going on in the world of instructional and educational technology.

If you have not had a chance to check out Alice Keeler's website and use Google Apps in the classroom, I encourage you to check out a few interesting (and totally useful) blogs from her:

• For Science Teachers: Adding PhET Sims to Google Classroom
• For Any Subject or Teacher who uses Google Forms: Google Forms: One Form for All Periods
• For Teachers who use Google Classroom and have an Android Device: Google Classroom Student Chooser Feature
• I tried this one on my android phone. It is so cool! 😎
• For any class that writes: Google Slides Essay
• For Math Teachers: Open Middle: Equivalent Fractions Activity
• You can find out more about this website in our online newsletter.

Turned In, Missing, Late, or Graded?

Individual Views in Google Classroom for the Teacher and Students

Having several classes, subjects, and teachers, it can be a challenge for students to keep up with all the work, when it's due, etc. Google Classroom has several ways for students and teachers to quickly view an assignment(s) status.

Individual Student View Options

• From the Classroom Dashboard: Click on the Clipboard, and a list will open showing what is missing, graded, turned in, or late. 

• From the ABOUT Tab in Classroom: Click on Your Work. Students can view their assignment(s) status. 

Teacher View Options

• From the STUDENT Tab in Classroom: In the roster, click on the student's name to view the student's work page. 

Features in Google Classroom and Padlet

You can Like, Star, Vote, or Grade posts in Padlet. This new feature is located under Reactions in the Modify section.

Students can view all comments for an assignment all at one time. Go to the About Section.
Click on Your Work: 

A list of all assignments will be displayed in the main panel of the classroom screen. From this list a student can quickly see which assignments are turned in, missing, late, or assigned. Click on any assignment that has a comment box out to the side: 

The panel will open and all comments made will be shown below: 

What's New in Google?

Recent Updates

Google Keep 

• Keep is my all-time favorite note taking app. Now, I can organize and color code my notes with 4 new color choices: dark blue, purple, pink, and brown. 

Google Classroom

• Display your class code.
• View Individual Student Work to view in one screen what that student has turned in or is missing.
• Drag and Drop the Class Tiles to organize and arrange your classes on the Home Screen.
• Have a mobile device such as a tablet or phone? Install the mobile version of Google Classroom today. Using the mobile version allows Classroom users
• to add handwritten annotations to docs or PDFs.
• quickly take and insert a photo or video. 
• set up new notifications - vibration or sound

Android - Play Store Link

iOS - iTunes Link

Google Slides

• You can now integrate your Google Keep notes into your Slides.  YEAH!
• Toggle between Film Strip View and Grid View!
• No longer delete slides that you still need, but SKIP them to tailor your presentation for various audiences.
• Slides now have add-ons available to add more functionality to your presentations.

Google Sheets

• Create custom headers and footers

Google Classroom - Add-ons and Extensions

Tech Tip Tuesday

Google Classroom offers so much more than just helping classes go paperless. It is a tool that fits perfect with TTESS since it's all about the students. Google Classroom can store vital classroom resources, is appropriate for diverse learners, and offers students a way to think critically, be creative, collaborate, and communicate. 

Here are a few extensions and add-ons to help teachers and students get the most out of Google Classroom. 

Share to Classroom is a Chrome extension that makes it easier for students and teachers to share web sources with each other. 

These next add-ons and extensions are from Alice Keeler. If you haven't visited her website, do so now. It is a must. She is a Google Classroom guru. Mrs. Keeler has also co-written two books on everything Google Classroom. When she realized Classroom didn't do all that she needed it to do for her and her students, she learned to code and started scripting add-ons and extensions. Here are a few that are specific to or work well with Google Classroom. 

Extension: 

Screen Split - It will split the Google Classroom and student work into side-by-side screens enabling students to view assignment directions and resource links while working. 

QuickShare - Screenshot: Enables teachers to quickly give feedback to students. 

Add-On: 

RubricTab - *Mrs. Keeler also has a rubric template that can be used with this add-on. 

Group Maker - Randomly assigns students to groups. 

Don't forget to join us for one of our webinars today featuring Google Classroom. 

4 PM EdTech Talks - saisd.org/edtechtalks 

7 PM PD in your Pajamas - saisd.org/pdinyourpjs

Discover More with Discovery Education

Website Wednesday

Discovery Education provides many resources and activities for teachers, parents, and students. 

If you are interested in accessing and using all that Discovery Education has to offer, contact us at techtraining@saisd.org We'll send you a campus code to get your started. When your ready to add your students, contact us once again, and we'll get them set up.  

Teachers can download and use videos, images, audio files, lesson plans, interactive activities, and much more. Using the Builder Tools, teachers can create assignments, quizzes, boards, and writing prompts. With the classroom management, teachers can assign assignments, quizzes, interactive games, writing prompts, and resources to their students. Teachers can also share links of any video, image, quiz, writing prompt, or interactive game to their Google Classroom. 

Once you add your students, they can have access to all the information that Discovery Education offers, plus work on anything a teacher assigns, play educational interactive games, participate in programs and contests or create a board to show their learning of a certain topic or objective.

In the DEN, Discovery Education Network, teachers have access to Puzzlemaker, Virtual Trips, Discovery Now programs, and much, much more. 

Don't wait! Discover More at Discovery Education.

**Must See** New Google Classroom Feature

EdTech with Howard and Feck couldn't wait to share this new, fabulous feature with all SAISD Google Classroom Users.

You can now assign questions, announcements, or assignments to individual students or a whole class.

Do and Learn at the Same Time with Training for Google Apps

Late night working, assignment needs posting by morning, all help lines are closed for the night, and you need HELP.
You're not sure how to reschedule an assignment in Google Classroom, set an expiration date on a shared doc, or change the owner of a file. Don't worry the answers are an extension away.  

Training for Google Apps is a free extension that offers interactive lessons while you work on various Google Apps such as Classroom, Docs, Slides, Sheets, or Forms.



This useful tool is quite handy. It has answered many of my last minute questions. All you have to do is download the extension from the Chrome Web Store, open a Google App and click on the extension icon found to the right of the share button. A list of topics will pop-up, click on any topic and begin learning. It's that easy. Training for Google Apps answers many how-to questions through short, interactive, step-by-step videos. Now learning and doing at the same time is quick and easy.

Math & Google Classroom

Math was never my best subject. Maybe that's why I sometimes struggle with ways to integrate technology and math. Don't get me wrong, there are some great apps and websites out there that help make it easier, but when I started working with Google Classroom I was at a loss for using this tool in the math classroom. 

Thank goodness I don't have to figure all of this out on my own. Technology provides us so many ways to gather and share information so always have others to help. Alice Keeler (@alicekeeler) recently posted 60 Ways Math Teachers Can Use Google Classroom on her blog. It's an excellent resource for math teachers that are interested in using technology to be more efficient and engaging in the classroom. While we're at it, here's another post from Alice - 5 Ways Students Can Use Google Docs in Math. 

If you're a math teacher and you have some great integration ideas, please share!