Give Google Drawings Some Love

Google Drawings is one of those hidden gems that is an essential classroom tool.  We all talk about using Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets, but what about Google Drawings? Google Drawings can open a wealth of ideas for use in the classroom.

Drawings is not apparent when one clicks the "New" button in Google Drive.  You have to dig a bit deeper to get to it.  After sliding down the tab to "More," it is only then you see Google Drawings.

Drawings is as useful as your imagination and creativity will allow.  And, needless to say, like its Google Drive brothers, it allows the classroom to go paperless--woohoo!  I've used Google Drawings a few different ways this year and am looking forward to exploring new ways I can integrate it into my classroom.

Here are some of the ways to incorporate Google Drawings into your class:

1. Introduce Yourself
Google Drawings can be used as an introduction tool.  I ask the students to tell my about themselves using Drawings.  They copy and paste pictures from the web, draw representations of likes and dislikes, and write about their family and other things using text boxes and shapes.  Google Drawing is a blank canvas that unleashed student creativity using technology and the web.

2. Newspaper
Students create newspapers about certain time periods.  You want your students to summarize a time period?  Assign a newspaper assignment to the class.  Students create a name for their newspaper, headlines, and insert pictures and write articles about the topics of the time period.

3. Timeline
Students can create timelines of events in Drawings.  Grab the lower right-hand corner and drag the canvas to the right to expand it, making more room for the timeline.  Students can not only put dates on their timelines, but they can include colorful text boxes chalk full of information and pictures for each event as well.

4. Poster
I ask students to create posters describing different topics.  For example, they create biography posters about different historical figures.  Students are asked to scour the web for pictures, quotes, and resources to include in their poster.

Get Interactive with Google Slides Q&A

After hearing about the new Q&A feature in Google Slides and knowing I was going to give a Google Slides presentation the next day, I knew this was a great opportunity to try it out.  I'm happy to report, all went swimmingly well!


If you haven't heard, the new Q&A feature in Slides enables viewers to ask questions while you're delivering your presentation.  Now before you say, "What's the big deal, why not raise your hand and ask a question?" Well, it's not so much that you can ask a question, but how Q&A enables the participants to do so.  And in a classroom environment, Q&A sets those shy students free to ask questions at their will.

Oftentimes, a participant has a question during a presentation, but the presenter may only take questions at the end, asking them to hold onto their question until the end.  Unfortunately, when the time comes to ask questions, the participant has forgotten what they were going to ask.  Q&A solves this by letting questions be asked as soon as they strike someone's fancy.

To enable the new feature, open your Google Slides presentation and click on the down arrow next to the "Present" button.  From there, click on "Presenter View."  Make sure you're on the Audience Tools" tab and click "Start New."  Above your presentation will appear an address from which your students can ask a question regarding your presentation from their preferred device.  The question can be asked anonymously by clicking a check box.

While presenting, you can see the questions as they're being asked.  Participants also have the ability to choose which questions they like and want answered the most.  So, at the end of your presentation, you can see which questions were more popular and address those first.

In my high school classroom, I found that students are much more actively engaged during a presentation than they otherwise would be, having to really pay attention to ask relevant questions.  And, as I mentioned before, those students that are too shy to raise their hand have been set free to ask questions to their heart's content.

There's another reason why today's high schooler might be more excited about a presentation--they get to use their cell phones!  The glee in their eyes when I asked them to take out their cell phones and go to the listed address to participate could have brightened up a room.  I told each of the students to come up with at least two questions and to vote on at least two others.

The new feature in Slides is great and I know I'll use it often.  Check out this video to see Q&A in action https://youtu.be/nFMFXSvlXZY.

Current Events for the 21st Century

A great way to keep your students informed and help make them a knowledgeable and productive citizen in our society.

As a social studies teacher, I think it's important that my students are kept up-to-date on current events.  In the days prior to internet streaming, I would list a couple of current events on the board and elicit a discussion about those topics.  Or, I would ask the students to bring in current events and share them with the class.  Those arcane ways of staying on top of current events are no longer necessary.  Today, I have the power of the internet!

I use CNN Student News to stream daily current events to my class as my opening activity.  The news stream is designed for students in junior high and high school, so you don't have to worry about fluff or subject matter that may not be appropriate for your students.

Now before you say, "wait a minute, CNN is biased a certain way," I assure you that it's straight reporting with no commentary.  It's presented in simple language that kids will understand.

Each segment is about 8-10 minutes long and usually consists three or four current news stories.  In my case, most of my students looked forward to the news each day.  But, in order to keep the kids more engaged, I'll preview the day's news report and create a few questions that the students will answer as they view the stream.  I have my students keep the questions as part of a weekly news log.  On Friday, after the news, I ask them to pick one of the topics of the week and write their thoughts about their chosen topic.

Again, I can't recommend CNN Student News enough.  It's a great way in today's visual society to keep your students abreast of current events and help make them an informed  citizen in our society.

A Puzzle Maker Worth Owning

Ok, so here's the scenario:
You're getting ready for the day when you realize that you need to fill about 10 or 15 minutes at the end of your class.  What do you do?  Well, I can recommend an iPad app that will help you while having the kids practice their vocabulary.
It's called "Make Your Own Puzzles."  It's a crossword and word search puzzle maker for iOS that's quick and easy.  Simply enter the words for a word search and the puzzle maker will fashion a word search to your specifications or...enter the definitions of the words for a quick crossword puzzle, again built to your specifications.
After your puzzle has been created, you have the option of printing out just the puzzle page, a puzzle page with a key, or, in the case of a crossword puzzle, a puzzle page with hints.
"Make My Own Puzzles" can be found on the iOS App Store for $1.99.  If you need a crossword/word search puzzle maker, this is the one to get.
One thing to remember, the app makes puzzles that are intended to be printed out.  It is not intended to make puzzles that are playable in the app.

Autocrat: Sheets and Docs Playing Together

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Well, in my case, necessity was the mother of desperation. You see, I recently gave a presentation on Google Classroom to my colleagues. Each of the participants had a Chromebook with which to participate in the session (you'll see why this was a good idea in a second).

At the conclusion of the session, I wanted to send the attendees a certificate of completion but wasn't exactly sure how I could quickly do that. The operative word being "quickly." I didn't want to invest a bunch of time writing their names into each individual document, and then mailing it to each individual, one by one.  Then I remembered "Autocrat."

I had heard of Autocrat some months ago but didn't truly appreciate the power of it until I attended a Google Summit session on Autocrat. I thought, *I could use Autocrat to generate a certificate and email it to the attendees! This is great! I could continue to show the power of Google apps for education long after the session was over!*

To those not familiar with Autocrat, it can best be explained as being a Google Sheets add-on that can take data from a Google Sheet and merge it into a Google Doc.  If you're familiar mail merge, then you get what Autocrat is all about.

At the conclusion of the session, I had asked the attendees to fill out a Google Form on the session (this is where the Chromebooks came in handy). Some of the more important information I could use in order to send the certificates were their names and email addresses. Using that information and Autocrat, I prepared the certificates and wowed my attendees.

One of the cool things was that after telling them how I put together the certificates, many became even more interested in using Google Apps such as Docs and Sheets in their classroom.

If your looking for an easy way to merge information from a Google Sheet into a Google Doc, Autocrat is the way to go!

Google Slides and Google Classroom: Note-Taking At Your Own Pace.

Most of us have been there. You're lecturing on the topic at hand, using your particular presentation software of choice and a projector. You've thoughtfully put together each slide, detailing what the students need to know, when, after clicking to the next slide, you hear, "wait!" Another student exclaims, "you're going too fast, please slow down!" 

I was reminded of this after reading the article "My kid needs a teacher, not a Chromebook," http://goo.gl/n873yL.  The article discusses the value of taking notes, whether its done in the classroom or whether they're taken out of the textbook. It goes on to say that the introduction of Chromebooks have all but negated note taking in the classroom. I agree with the notion cited in the article that when students write information down, they're more apt to remember it. 

This is where Slides and Google Classroom come in.  Instead of presenting the slides to the students in the classroom as a whole, a teacher can put the notes on Google Classroom.  Students can then write the notes down, at their own pace, on a piece of notebook paper. 

Let's face it, we all write and comprehend information at different speeds. And it can be frustrating for not only a teacher, but for some students as well, when a few students slow the class down because it takes them a few more moments to write down the notes. And, coupled with Google Forms, you have yourself a great little note-taking exercise. 

By marrying Google Classroom with traditional note taking, a teacher can have the best of both worlds. The students are taking notes in a traditional way, writing them down on a piece of notebook paper, and at their own individual pace. The teacher can take the note-taking one step further with Google Forms.  After taking down the notes, the students can complete an assessment of the notes using Google Forms. The students will use their notes to answer the questions in the form. 

So there you have it! Technology and traditional note-taking, old school and new school if you will, living in harmony.

The Chromebase is a Good Option for Schools

Chromebase computers are a good option for educational institutions. No, that's not a typo. I did say "Chromebase," not "Chromebook." 

First, let me describe what a Chromebase is. It runs the same Chrome OS that Chromebooks run. So, if you're familiar with a Chromebook, you know what a Chromebase is all about. The one thing that differentiates it from a Chromebook is that it's a stationary desktop computer. It's an all in one, with a 21.5 inch screen. It comes with a wired keyboard and wired mouse.

So why is the Chromebase a good option for schools over the Chromebook? First of all, it's a great option for computer labs and research centers. In most cases, students use the computer lab to conduct research using the internet. A Chromebase would be a cheaper option for schools rather than maintaining and purchasing new Windows machines. If a student needs to create a document or presentation, they can simply use Google Docs or their Microsoft Office online account. The school doesn't have to worry about kids downloading malware as Chrome OS won't install executable programs. 

The Chromebase is also a good option for a classroom. In some instances, Chromebooks are tethered to desks or tables for fear of them being removed from the classroom without permission. Also, instead of settling for a lesser powered Chromebook model, a Chromebase comes equipped with an Intel processor. As with Chromebooks, the Chromebase is easy to set up and maintain. And, as I said earlier, the institution doesn't have to worry about a student downloading malware or putting a virus on the system. As Chrome OS use continues to grow, I suspect we'll see more and more Chrome OS based desktops in education.