Mar 27, 2015

Two New Videos: Google Tools for ELL and Publishing to the Web

Just sharing...


Two new videos have been uploaded to my YouTube Channel:


Google Tools for ELL / ESL


Google Docs:  Publishing to the Web


Mar 25, 2015

Create Maps for Learning using Google Maps and Google Forms

The deeper you dig into the world of Google, the more you discover.  After attending several workshops on Google Apps, I ran across some information regarding Google Maps.  Using your gmail account,  you can go to http://maps.google.com/mymaps and you can create your own Maps that allow you to integrate data collected in a Google Forms Response Sheet or any Google Sheet.

Here are a few tips on how to use this in your classroom:


Mar 14, 2015

Tests, Quiz, and Review with Live Results

In the past several years, many different web tools have developed to help teachers administer tests and quizzes in the classroom. As schools advance further toward 1:1 computing and as schools go BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), administering tests has become easier.

Two of the best I have found for classroom use are discussed here:

Socrative

Socrative started out as an independent testing tool and was quickly snatched up by MasteryConnect.  It provides a free, simple to use interface that allows teachers to create and deploy their own tests.  Students can connect to assessments using any web enabled device (class computer, iPad, Chromebook, phone, etc...).

When you create your account, Socrative provides a Room number that students connect to.  From there, you can deploy pre-created quizzes/tests, or as a quick question on the fly.  Best of all, with Quick Questions, you can also allow students to vote on the best answer to create discussion.

 

Kahoot!

This site is great for stepping up student engagement.  If you've ever been out to a restaurant and you played trivia on the TV monitors supplied by the chain, then you'll get the idea of this tool.  We recently started using this during lunches to draw students into the cafeteria.  
Kahoot allows you to create your own question sets, or choose from over 1 Million public question sets over a wide variety of topics.  You can find something for everyone, ranging from Trivia Crack to Math and Science.  
Students can use cell phones or computers to engage with content.  A Game PIN is provided when you launch a question set and students join in by entering the PIN and a nickname.  A leaderboard shows the top 5 point earners to create a competitive spirit.  Great for reviewing for tests!

Google Forms for Discussion and Assessment

Google Forms were originally developed to survey or gather information from respondents.  But with this easy to use tool you can quiz your students, flip your classroom, or create a discussion tool.

Forms for Assessments

If you'd like to find a quick way to create quizzes without the hassle of hand scoring assessments, try using Google Forms with the Google Sheet Add-On Flubaroo.  Watch this video to see how it works:



Flip Your Classroom

If you've recently made the switch to a flipped classroom, Google Forms can make your life a bit easier.  To ensure that your students are watching your videos as homework, add a short Form with a few questions as a check for understanding.

Just as you can insert questions, time, date, etc... you can also insert videos into a Google Form.  Watch this video to see how:


Discussion Tool

Finally, many teachers want the ability to create the feel of a discussion forum.  Google Classroom has made some great new additions to allow teachers to post questions, but if you aren't a GAFE district user, you'll want to use this tip.   Try using a Google Form as a discussion tool instead.  You'll need a website to post your form for a discussion, so I would suggest using a Google Site so you can embed your form there.  


  1. First, create your form with questions.  
  2. To add your form to your Google Site, go to the page where you want it to appear.
  3. Click the Edit button.
  4. Click Insert>Drive>Form
  5. Choose your form and click Select
  6. Edit your preferences and Save.
  7. Save your page.

Here's my form.  Fill it out and provide your own answers, then see what others are doing with Google Forms by scrolling down to view the Response Sheet.




Then, to allow everyone to see the responses of others, you can embed your Google Response Sheet on your Google Site.


  1. From your Google Site, click the Edit tool to edit your page.
  2. Click Insert>Drive>Spreadsheet
  3. Choose the Responses sheet for your Google Form.
  4. Click Select
  5. Edit your preferences and Save
  6. Save your page.



As each new respondent submits, their answers will show up in the posted sheet so everyone can see and discuss.  This is a great way to create an archive of answers that future learners can benefit from.