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The%20Best%20Chrome%20Extensions%20for%20the%20classroom. 5 Great Things You Can Do With Google Sheets. Spreadsheets can be intimidating to a lot of teachers and students. I have to admit that at one time working with spreadsheets was a daunting task for me too. Fortunately, Google Sheets has made it much easier for the average computer user to work with spreadsheets. Once you get the hang of working with Google Sheets there are a lot of great ways to use spreadsheets as a teacher or as a student. Here's a run-down of some of my favorite things to do with Google Sheets in the classroom. Map spreadsheet data: One of the overlooked and or misunderstood features of Google My Maps is the option to import spreadsheet data. Provided that your spreadsheet contains at least one column that has location information in it, you can have the data in the spreadsheet displayed as placemarks on a map.

StoryMap JS is a nice tool for creating mapped stories. Guided/ Automatic Data Visualizations: The Explore function in Google Sheets will help students see and understand data sets in new ways. Sharing is Caring. Resource: “Sharing is Caring: 50 Collaborative Google Apps Activities” (conference session resources from Ditch That Textbook) 1. Graphic organizers (Google Drawings) Drawings gives users a blank canvas where they can add text, shapes, lines, etc. When done, they can save their work as image files or PDF files and can add those images to documents, slides and spreadsheets. Hexagonal thinking practice drawing Blog post: 15 free Google Drawings graphic organizers — and how to make your own Admin application: Hexagonal thinking in a Google Drawing lets staff brainstorming happen anytime and anywhere. 2. Tables of contents can make a large document more manageable. Practice document with TOC Admin application: A document like this can let everyone on staff share info/notes/etc. without having everyone digitally step on each other’s toes as they modify the document. 3.

Who’s the smartest person in the room? Admin application: Gather staff/parent/community opinions. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. How to Create a Rubric in Google Sheets - Video Demonstration. How to Create a Rubric in Google Sheets - Video Demonstration. Great Ways to Use Google Docs - Presented Visually | Cool Tools for 21st Century Learners. Google Apps for Learning: 9 Best Practices. Starting March 3, educational technology specialist Jennifer Bloomingdale launches three exciting courses on Google Apps. Google Apps may be similar to traditional productivity tools. But look a little closer, says Jennifer Bloomingdale, you’ll find they are so much more. A few years ago when I was first introduced to Google Apps, I was not convinced it was such a great thing, I loved using my traditional products and I didn’t want to change anything. That was…until I got a classroom set of netbooks and began teaching in a 1:1 environment. 1. The most powerful feature of Google Apps is the ability to collaborate with colleagues, both synchronously and asynchronously.

There are three ways to do this: Work on a project in real time. 2. One thing to keep in mind when collaborating on a document or project with someone is that at times you will be editing someone else’s work. 3. In order to collaborate with others, you will need to share your project. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. About Google Docs 101. Creating Narrated Slideshows with Google Tools. This week I am hosting some guest bloggers. This is a guest post from Mike Petty. Last fall our high school purchased Chromebooks and the new principal set high expectations for more project-based learning and technology integration in all subjects. As the instructional technology coordinator for the district, this was great news for me! This school year was a ton of work, but we’re now wrapping up what was certainly the best one of my career.

Over the past several months I’ve often been asked by teachers for presentation options beyond PowerPoint. The process uses Google Slides and WeVideo and can be completed using Chromebooks or laptops. Here is an example of one of these narrated slideshows. And here are the steps, each with a video tutorial showing the process. Step 1: Create your slideshow in Google Slides and download each one to your device.

After using this process with several classes I’ve learned a few tips. It helps greatly if the teacher works through the entire process first. Creating Narrated Slideshows with Google Tools. This week I am hosting some guest bloggers. This is a guest post from Mike Petty. Last fall our high school purchased Chromebooks and the new principal set high expectations for more project-based learning and technology integration in all subjects. As the instructional technology coordinator for the district, this was great news for me!

This school year was a ton of work, but we’re now wrapping up what was certainly the best one of my career. Over the past several months I’ve often been asked by teachers for presentation options beyond PowerPoint. The process uses Google Slides and WeVideo and can be completed using Chromebooks or laptops. Here is an example of one of these narrated slideshows. And here are the steps, each with a video tutorial showing the process. Step 1: Create your slideshow in Google Slides and download each one to your device. After using this process with several classes I’ve learned a few tips. It helps greatly if the teacher works through the entire process first. Student Created Videos: Google Slides and Screencasting. This week I am hosting some guest bloggers. This is a guest post from Jonathan Brubaker.

Right place at the right time. The place was Edcamp Palm Springs. The time was a session on video in the classroom led by Jessica Pack. This perfect moment pushed me to provide opportunities for students to use video in their projects. Since my students have Chromebooks, I decided to use Google Slides to design content and screencasting extensions to record video. One of the first projects my students completed was a screencast of a Google Slide presentation. Next, I had my students create a Public Service Announcement after a unit on brain research. Finally, my 8th grade students had to create a children’s book for a performance task after completing a unit on Frederick Douglas. In the future, I would like students to create tutorials on how to use common web tools as a resource for other students. I am middle school teacher in Beaumont, CA. @mrjbrubaker. How to Create, Edit, and Share Notes on Google Keep. 32 Ways to Use Google Apps in the Classroom - Google Slides.

50 Little-Known Ways Google Docs Can Help In Education. Google Docs is such an incredible tool for college students, offering collaboration, portability, ease of use, and widespread acceptance. But there are so many options, both hidden and obvious, that there’s a good chance you’re not using Google Docs to its fullest capability. We’ve discovered 50+ great tips for getting the most out of Google Docs as a student, with awesome ideas and tricks for collaboration, sharing, and staying productive. Access your documents from anywhere: Whether you’re in your dorm room or the school library, you can access your Google Docs. Tips Every Teacher should Know about Google Docs in Education ( Great Easy Guide ) Here is a list of some of the best features of Google Docs that teachers need to know about :It is free and very easy to useIt has a user-friendly interfaceIt lets you create Google documents, spreadsheets, and other file types and collectionsIt lets you upload, manage and store files and foldersIt allows you to share Google Docs, files and collectionsYou can preview your docs and files before you open or share themYou can also view images and videos that you have uploaded to your document listIt lets you search for items by name, type and visibility settingIt allows users to collaborate on documents in real timeIt also offers a chat functionality for collaborators to use while working on docs.Google Docs Templates for teachers Many Google Docs users are unaware of the fact that they can breathe life into their documents with templates.

Google's new templates for Google Docs make it fast and easy to create all kinds of documents. I- Documents : Click on any title to read the tutorial. Using Google Docs in the Classroom. Track & Rate Skills Directly in Google Drive. Track & Rate Skills Directly in Google Drive One of my favorite tools for providing feedback in Google Drive is Kaizena, which allows you to leave voice comments on documents. Today Kaizena launches an enhanced feature: tags. Tags allow you to track and rate skills, saving your comments for future use. Not only does this provide effective feedback for students and a means to track skill development, it’s a real time saver for grading papers.

Here is a summary of what these new features in Kaizena can do: Track and rate skills - tags can be rubric criteria, common core standards, your local state, region, or country’s standards, learning objectives or outcomes…anything. Voice comments saved educators time while enabling better student outcomes, and tags continue this legacy: Better student outcomes Knowledge of strengths and weaknesses is a prerequisite for improvementTransparency: showing the evidence behind a rubric score builds trust between educators and students Save time Like this: 10 Mind-blowing Google Drive Tips & Tools for Teachers. My List: A Collection on "Googletools" (Google,apps,tools,for,education)

8 Free Apps and Web Tools for Staying Organized in the New Year. The start of a new year is a great time to think back and reflect about what really worked for you and what isn't quite cutting it. When it comes to staying organized, there is no one-size-fits-all. It's really all about finding the system that works for you, picking apps or tools that you will actually use, and remembering that there are lots of options to choose from as you figure out the best fit. As you sort through the following list, don't try them all out at once.

Pick one or two, put them into practice for a month, and then reflect on how well something is helping you stay organized. You may choose to add that website or app to your tool belt as you explore another resource, or you may decide to scrap that tool and try out something completely new. Here are a few apps and web tools that might help you stay organized in the New Year. 30/30 (iOS - Free; upgrades available) This super useful task manager is perfect for teachers with a long to-do list. And a Few More. . . How to Search Google Like a Pro: 11 Tricks You Have to Know. Google is a powerful tool, but you’re missing out on a lot of that power if you just type words into it. Master Google and find the best results faster with these search tricks. Whether you’re an inexperienced user or a seasoned professional, you’ll probably find at least one search operator you weren’t aware of here.

Many of Google’s search operators aren’t very well-known. Exact Words and Phrases One of the most basic and widely known search tricks is using quotation marks to search for an exact phrase. For example, perform the following search and you’ll only get pages that contain the word “Hello” followed by the word “World.” “Hello World” This same method now works for exact-word queries. “mining” Excluding a Word The minus sign allows you to specify words that shouldn’t appear in your results. Linux distributions -ubuntu Site Search The site: operator allows you to perform a search in a specific site. Site:howtogeek.com windows 7 You can also use the site: operator to specify a domain.