Home Tags Posts tagged with "G Suite EDU"
Tag:

G Suite EDU

Schoology Hacks
LMS

Five Ways for Google Educators to Hack Schoology

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“How do you put popular tools like EdPuzzle, Google Forms, and Google Slides into Schoology? What about Flipgrid?” If this is the kind of question you have had about Schoology, then this blog entry is for you as I walk you through five Schoology hacks that G Suite EDU educators need to know. And, if you are into Bitmoji, there’s something at the end for you as well. But before we jump into Schoology, let’s first find out what embedding content involves.

Did You Know?

TCEA offers a Schoology Educator online course. Here’s what one participant had to say after completing it and earning a digital badge, certificate, and 12 CPE hours: “I am very thankful for this course! I have gotten a great start on my classroom and I will be able to use what I have learned to help others.” Learn more.

Embed? What Is That?

Embedding content is a simple copy-and-paste process. You copy the “embed code” which is available at a content source page (e.g. Flipgrid, EdPuzzle, YouTube). You then switch to the code view where you want that code to appear. You can grab the embed code (a.k.a. iFrame code) from many sharing websites. Here’s what that looks like in Flipgrid:

Schoology Hacks

Want a YouTube embed code? View a YouTube video. Then, click on SHARE to view the code. The embed code will look like this:

Schoology Hacks

You can then take that copied embed code and paste it into Schoology. Here’s an overview of the process:

Schoology Hacks

Want to embed other content? Use one of the following two options:

  • The first approach is to switch to HTML Source Code view, then paste the embed code where you want it to appear.
  • The second approach is to INSERT MEDIA button on the toolbar.

Here’s a short video of the process:

Wasn’t that easy? Now, let’s take a look at how to connect sources to Schoology.

Connect Sources to Schoology

There are several sources you can insert that Schoology supports. Those include Google Drive, YouTube, OneDrive, and Dropbox.

Schoology Hacks

Ready to connect your Google Drive to Schoology? To get that done, follow these simple steps:

  1. Go to Schoology Resources page.
  2. Click Apps.
  3. Add Google Drive Resource App.
  4. You will need to allow Schoology to access your Google Drive.

Here’s a quick video overview of that process:

Now that we know how to embed and connect, let’s take a look at how to do that in Google and/or Microsoft Forms.

Did You Know?

TCEA offers bundled Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2, as well as Google Classroom and Sites, online, self-paced courses. And, it also has Microsoft 365 online course.  Be sure to check these inexpensive, online courses out.

Hack #1: Google Forms and Microsoft Forms

As you might imagine, putting a form into Schoology can be as easy as linking a picture or text on the screen. Or you can drop the whole Google or Microsoft Form right in.

As you’ll see in the video below, some content embedded via INSERT MEDIA option in Schoology will fail. The better approach with inserting an iFrame code is to use the HTML Source view approach.

What does this process look like for Google Slides and PowerPoint? Let’s find out.

Hack #2: Google Slides and PowerPoint Online

As you might imagine, Google Slides and PowerPoint Online have more possibilities. I have to admit that I see how much easier it is to embed the former into Schoology. Google Slides makes it possible to create hyperslides for navigation. PowerPoint Online? Not so much.

That aside, I can still create a thumbnail of a PowerPoint slide and then link it in Schoology. For either, you can click on the slide deck and it will jump you out to full screen slide show.

Want to create a navigation menu for your Schoology course? Google Slides is the way to go. You can take the embed code from “Publish to Web” option in Google, then drop that code into Schoology. Be sure to check the bonus hack at the end of this blog entry for hyperlinked Bitmoji books.

Hack #3: Clickable Choice Boards in Schoology

Need to copy a multimedia text set or choice board and embed it in Schoology? If you’re using Google Docs, it’s not that hard to do. In this blog entry, I explore digital choice boards and offer various ways to make them.

Embedding clickable choice boards in Schoology is easier than you may think. You make the choice board options clickable, or hyperlink them, in Google Docs or Slides. Then, put the embed code into Schoology.

Let’s watch a short video see how well Docs, Slides, and Drawings work when embedded in Schoology.

Hack #4: EdPuzzle Embedding

One of the favorite student comprehension assessment tools for video is EdPuzzle. You can’t go wrong with this versatile tool and setting up an account is easy to do. In this video, we take an existing EdPuzzle video with multiple choice questions and embed it in Schoology.

Wow, it doesn’t get much easier than that to assess student comprehension.

Hack #5: Schoology Materials Menus

One of the challenges people face when working with Schoology is navigation. While you can use Schoology’s built-in navigation scheme, some may prefer something easier. What could be easier? Age-appropriate images that students can use to navigate the course. Imagine creating an easy navigation system for your students in Schoology.

What’s even more fun, you can design the whole experience in Google Docs or Slides. This gives you greater control over the design process. That is, you don’t have to mess with HTML except to drop in the embed code into a Schoology page.

But wait, there’s more Schoology Hacks for G Suite EDU educators; check out this bonus hack for the Bitmoji Classroom.

Bonus Hack: Embed Your Bitmoji Classroom

Since Schoology makes it easy to embed Google Slides content, you can do a lot. One thing that I saw was sharing a few of your favorite books. You can do that by creating an interactive, Bitmoji classroom with a bookshelf whose books students can click. Each click takes them to engaging content about that book.

Schoology Hacks

Here’s an example I stole from RIYL Libraries (thanks!) and adapted for TCEA.org. See how I did it below.

Want to learn how to make your own Bitmoji Classroom? Why not take TCEA’s Bitmoji Classroom online, self-paced course for $29? You’ll be engaging your students with Bitmoji classrooms in no time.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
remote learning
Good Teaching

Tech Tools and Best Practices with Remote Learning

by Crystal Fuentes, Guest Author
written by Crystal Fuentes, Guest Author

As educators prepare for going back to school, some may still feel uncertain as to what our upcoming year will look like — and most importantly, how it will start. In March, we were all thrown into the deep sea of remote learning regardless of whether we were tech-savvy enough to swim or not! It is safe to say though that teachers now have a wide variety of tech tools under their belt.

Here are eight tips on using tech tools that enhance best practices for remote learning and even traditional settings. Whether your district will follow a hybrid model or full remote model, the following digital tools and examples from additional resources will help you be ready for whatever comes your way.

Digital Organization for Remote Learning

Being organized can help to reduce stress and focus on what’s most important, allowing more time for teaching or facilitating the learning of students, while also helping them access resources easily. Google Classroom has a fairly new feature where assignments or questions can be categorized by topics for efficient organization.

Creating hyperdocs is another way to keep tasks and assignments in one document where students are provided hyperlinks and instructions for a self-paced lesson. Google Sites is a great tool that is free and available for Google users to set up a digital classroom where students can visit to access resources, assignments, important upcoming dates, and other materials all in one place.  

Increase Student Engagement

In order to increase student participation during remote learning, we must keep them engaged with interactive lessons. Nearpod is a teacher favorite that focuses on learner participation with a wide variety of activities embedded, such as open-ended questions, fill-in-the-blank, Flipgrid, and matching pairs, available for feedback and assessments.

Content media can easily be included in the lessons as well, such as videos, VR field trips, 3D objects, and Sways. This tech tool is constantly evolving to meet teacher needs in order to keep every student engaged while delivering a live lesson for synchronous learning or a student-paced lesson for asynchronous learning.

Nearpod has a full library of already created interactive lessons that are aligned to state standards ready to be assigned to students. Classflow is a cloud-based software that allows for effective lesson delivery and you don’t necessarily need an interactive display. Pear Deck is a Google Slides add-on that helps teachers create interactive lessons with different activities and assessments for students to participate in during a live lesson.

Finally, Edpuzzle is a life saver when it comes to assigning videos to students. This tool allows teachers to embed questions, narration, or notes throughout any video to check for comprehension and ensure students are fully engaged. 

Facilitate Student Learning

Become a facilitator and encourage students to take ownership of their own learning. You can create and assign a hyperdoc for an entire week, allow students to complete it at their own pace, and set a due date for students to submit all of their work. You can use Google Docs or Google Slides to create those interactive lesson documents with hyperlinks and resources. 

Timely Student Feedback

Timely feedback from students in real time allows the opportunity to monitor and adjust instruction immediately to meet their needs. You can empower every student with a voice by actively participating using collaborative Google Drawings or any other Google tool, interactive assessments with Quizizz, fun synchronous assessments with Kahoot, and game-based quizzes using Time to Climb activities in Nearpod.

Another amazing tool that allows for students to have a voice is Flipgrid. While you effortlessly engage learners, you also provide the opportunity to boost their confidence. 

Student Collaboration

Collaboration among students not only increases their confidence and keeps them actively learning, but also allows them to problem solve with peers while developing one of the critical skills needed in the real world.

Padlet is a digital platform where teachers can create beautiful collaborative boards for students to contribute with a variety of media. They can post content such as text, hyperlinks, images, and videos.

Nearpod also has a collaborative activity where students can post ideas or resources to one digital board. Teachers can also share templates they create in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings, granting them editing rights to work synchronously in real time to complete a task or assignment as a group. 

Limit Screen Time

Just because students are learning remotely does not mean all of the work needs to be done digitally. Students can be given a project-based assignment and be asked to reflect  or present it to peers using a tech tool, such as Flipgrid or Seesaw. Within both of these platforms, students can record a video of themselves and safely share with peers. 

Video Recording

Video tutorials are one of the best ways to teach anything while showing visuals or using a digital whiteboard, especially on YouTube! Screencastify or Loom will allow you to record yourself explaining a concept while sharing your desktop screen and simply uploading it to YouTube to share with students. 

Communication with Students and Parents

Communication is key. One of the best interactive tools to openly communicate with students, parents, and even colleagues is Google Sites. As mentioned in the first tech tip for best practices, Sites allows the user to organize any content and media in pages and personalize it to make it fun.

The site can be shared and viewable to not only students but parents as well to create a centralized digital location for all important classroom information and resources for student success. Think of it as a digital open-house for the entire year! 

Photo by Thomas Kolnowski on Unsplash

0 comment
1 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
g suite edu
Good TeachingGoogle Tips and Tricks

Planning Google Workspace EDU Use for Special Needs Children

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

How does your school or district address supporting students with disabilities, especially during remote learning? Remote learning was a sudden shock for most educators. Silence was often the reply when asked, “What are you doing with your special education children?” Remote teaching appeared a logistical mountain. There are, however, ways we can navigate these challenges using G Suite EDU and Chromebooks.

Wondering how to approach Special Education in remote learning and remote teaching ? Sign up for TCEA’s Special Needs Educator online course.

Per National Public Radio, families with special needs children rarely received support during distance learning this spring. In the report, the following is asserted:

Four in 10 say they are not receiving any support at all.

Just 1 in 5 report that they are receiving all the services their children are entitled to.

35% report that their children are doing little to no remote learning, compared with 17% of their general education peers.

And, 40% of parents of special needs children are concerned about their children’s mental health, compared with 23% of parents of other children.

A more recent study reinforces these findings, and noted that “35% [of families surveyed with children in special education] report that their children are doing little to no remote learning, compared with 17% of their general education peers.”

Special education efforts were tough to put in place. Many questions focused on, “How do we make special education teachers our co-teachers?” The answer to this simple question involved complex responses. Understanding a number of different aspects of G Suite EDU while managing effective remote learning can be hard.

A Useful Resource

Google provides some tips, neatly organized and rich with information. Since April 2020, they offer Guardian’s Guide to Tools for Children with Disabilities during Distance Learning. In their introduction, the authors point out the following (edited for readability):

Students with a specific need or disability get more support in the classroom. How do you do that via remote learning? We recognize that you may be looking to fill in some of the gaps now presented. Schools have chosen many types of technology for distance learning. Some of those include Google. G Suite and Chromebooks which have accessibility features built in to them. Google designed them to help each child learn in a way that works for them.

The Guardian’s Guide covers a variety of topics, including:

  • Accessing Accessibility Settings on Chromebooks and G Suite
  • Children Who Are Low Vision
  • How to Create Your Google Account
  • Children Who Are Blind
  • Children with Limited Motor Skills
  • Executive Functioning Challenges or Difficulty Focusing
  • Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
  • Children with Dyslexia

As you can see, there’s quite a bit of great content included in the twenty-eight page guide.

Video Tutorials and Tips

The guide includes links to video tutorials and many tips that parents can use to set up accessibility options for their children.

Guardian’s Guide is a must read for G Suite EDU schools and organizations. This is important if you are sending Chromebooks home with students. Take a moment to read and reflect on the guide.

What’s your experience with remote education for special education students? What best practices, tools, or techniques have you found? Let us know in the comments!

Photo: Google Chrome on YouTube

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
blue door
Google Tips and Tricks

Amazing Google Workspace for EDU Templates

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Looking for G Suite educational fun? Then you’ll want to come along on this blog entry featuring amazing G Suite templates. The takeaways come from the Teachers Using Google Suite for Education group. I always learn something new and thought I’d share some of those takeaways with you.

G Suite Template #1: Meme Generator

Need a way to enhance the modality effect (.55 effect size) in your classroom with visuals? Use a meme generator. You may recall I wrote about meme generators before. In my blog entry, ESL/ELL Playing with Words, I said:

To help…students with vocabulary development, have them construct memes. A meme is a cute photo or picture with humorous words. The more popular memes quickly become Internet sensations. Memes can be ideas, values, or behaviors that are contagious. Pair quotes with pop culture images and you get a meme that must be shared. Meme quote generators help students engage in language play. Deepen their experiences with interpretation, reasoning, and inferential thinking.

 “My students and I frequently use memes to reflect on our learning experiences,” says Steve Wick. Steve Wick (@wickededtech) has put together or developed these using Google Drawings. The idea is quite clever, as Steve has put several backgrounds into Drawings. You may want to set aside time to explore Steve’s collection of Google Drawing templates. 

Students/staff just need to drag the image over, then adjust the text. Get access to Steve’s Meme Generator II Template for Google Drawings. He includes some fascinating directions and an activity.

G Suite Template #2: Dog Bones

“This template is PAW-some,” says Kris Szajner (@kszajner). The purpose of this template is to support addition and subtraction. Students add or subtract bones to the presentation to match a changing number.

How could you encourage simple math with G Suite EDU tools?

G Suite Template #3: Slides Timer

Need an easy way to add timers to your Google Slides? ClayCodes.org offers a free extension, Slides Timer. It “brings timers to life when it appears on presented slides.” You can use text placeholders (e.g. <<0:00+, <a rel=”noreferrer noopener” href=”http://<5:00->, <) to insert a timer where you want. This means that if you want a five-minute count down, you would type <a rel=”noreferrer noopener” href=”http://<5:00>. 

While it’s easy to open a Google Search window with a timer or view a YouTube video, this offers another fun option.

G Suite Template #4: Animal Research Project

“The template is perfect for newer researchers,” says Sarah Kiefer (@kiefersj). Intended for younger students, the template offers a nice, easy to navigate space that students can use to organize their research. 

Looking for more templates like this one? Be sure to visit Sarah’s Templates for Teachers website.

G Suite Template #5: Build Data Dashboards with Google

Need to build a data dashboard, but not sure how to use a high-powered tool? Dr. Wanda Terral (@wterral) offers up this Google Slides template. In her presentation, she suggests that we do something different with our data by turning our data into informative dashboards and reports. The Google Data Studio is free and available online.

If you are looking for even more G Suite templates, be sure to check out these.

There you go; five amazing takeaway templates you can use to get started. Each opens a door to what is possible with G Suite EDU tools. Time to walk on through the door.

0 comment
2 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and Tricks

Explore Chromebook-Friendly Audio Recorders

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Recording audio is so easy, isn’t it, on a computer or an iPad? But what about having an audio recorder on a Chromebook? As schools embrace Chromebooks for students, one of the best tools is unavailable. The tool? Vocaroo.com (although a beta site is now up). In this blog entry, we explore several alternatives.

Why Use Audio in Teaching and Learning?

While this seems like an obvious question, we have access to text and video. Both are popular mediums. Audio presents some more opportunities, especially when combined with text and images. Some assert that audio is best used when explaining or “talking through” materials that are presented with text. The text may take the form of mathematical equations or reproductions of paintings, graphs, or statistical tables. It can even be a discussion of physical rock samples (Source).

Features of a Web-Based Audio Recorder

When decided on which web-based audio record to use, consider these seven questions.

  1. Will the web-based audio recorder work without Adobe Flash? This is important because it ensures compatibility with a wide range of devices. Since our priority is Chromebooks, this is a key feature.
  2. Can audio files be stored on Google Drive? Again, since we are discussing Chromebooks, it would be best to save any files to Drive.
  3. What format is the recorded audio stored as? The best answer is MP3 audio format. This is because you can insert MP3 audio files into Google Slides now.
  4. Does the audio recorder provide audio editing features? While it is easy to record audio, web-based audio editing (like Audacity) is harder to find.
  5. Can you share the audio file as a recording with an embed code? In other words, can you save the audio file on the recording site and share it? Vocaroo had this as one of its features.
  6. Will you be able to save (get or download) the audio recording as a file on your device? Sometimes, if you can’t save audio to Drive or share it with embed code, downloading is the only option.
  7. Will K-12 students be able to record audio without account creation? Students in primary grades may find it easier to record audio and then share it with others as they may be too young to log in to G Suite EDU or other system.

Those are some of my web-based audio recorder questions. Be sure to share any you have in the comments below. Now that we’ve explored questions that guide selection, let’s take a closer look at a few. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order.

Audio Recorder #1:  Audio Voice Recorder

The Voice Recorder and Audio Recorder Online describes itself as free and simple. You can use your computer to record sound with your microphone and then save it as an MP3. It also offers the privacy assurance that it does not store any data on its servers. As you can see from the screenshots below, the interface is simple.

Before recording:

After recording:

Audio Recorder #2:  Online Voice Recorder

The Online Voice Recorder has similar features to the first recorder on this list. It is free, simple, and assures privacy. Online Voice Recorder also saves to MP3 file format. Since it is Flash based, it offers some extra features. Those features include auto silence trimming. This can be handy since it detects and removes silent fragments. What’s more, you can crop your recording to limit the audio recording.

This website provides access to an online audio cutter, joiner, and converter. This means you can trim audio tracks, as well as join audio files into one. The Audio Joiner aspect of the website allows you to access some free features that other editors (e.g. Twisted Wave) would expect payment for. The Audio Converter feature (shown below) supports over 300 different audio formats. This makes converting files created on smartphones or tablets easy. What’s more, saving to cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox) is easy.

Audio Recorder #3: SpeakPipe

Hoping for an audio recorder you can use to save as a link and email to others? SpeakPipe will get the job done for you provided you don’t need more than five minutes to have your say.

Once you have recorded the audio, you have the option to save it on their server. When SpeakPipe finishes processing your under-five-minute audio, you get a link. You also can share via social media or embed on a website.

Overview of Audio Recorders

Wish you had all the information in a quick reference chart? Here’s a table outlining their features.

Audio Recorders->

 

Criteria:

 Audio Recorder Online Voice Recorder SpeakPipe Beautiful Audio Editor
Requires Flash? No No No No
Save to Drive? No No No Yes
Save to MP3? Yes Yes Yes Yes
Audio editing? No Yes No Yes
Share as link or embed code? No No Yes Yes via Drive
Save to device? Yes Yes Yes Yes
Account creation required? No No No No

Finding web-based audio recorders can be difficult. While Chrome extensions and web-based apps like Beautiful Audio Editor have promise, you may need a simpler tool. These three web-based audio recorders may make it easier for you. What’s that? You want to see what Beautiful Audio Editor can do? Try it out online.

recorder

Need More Choices? Give These A Try

In the Chrome Web Store, you’ll find Hablacloud.com’s ChromeMP3 Recorder. It’s free but only works on Chrome OS. If you’re on an iOS device, give Hokusai Audio Editor a try. It’s one of my favorite audio recorders and editors on iOS, but you will have to pay a few dollars to get more content. Trust me, it’s worth it. If you simply need an audio recorder that cloud storage compatible, try Voice Record Pro. It’s free and allows you to do simple audio editing.  Android user? There are a lot of choices, but one I have found reliable, free, and easy is the free, open source Audio Recorder. These recorders won’t let you down.

This blog entry was updated with more information and content July, 2021.

1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
G Suite EDU
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and Tricks

Overcome Five Challenges in G Suite EDU Classroom

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Looking for G Suite EDU goodness? Then you need look no further than this blog post. In it, we’ll explore a few ways educators are using G Suite EDU tools to resolve classroom challenges. Let’s take a moment to review some of the main challenges that educators face.

A quick list of challenges includes:

  1. Providing individualized feedback to students
  2. Encouraging collaboration with experts and peers
  3. Learning Google Classroom
  4. Viewing educational YouTube videos in the classroom
  5. Locating top Chrome apps and extensions

Ready to get started? Here we go.

G Suite EDU Challenge #1: Individual Student Feedback

In this video, Sean Thompson shares how educators can more easily provide individualize feedback to students who then review the feedback and then hold formative, reflective discussions one on one with you.

The video uses two tools you may be familiar with, along with a third you may not. The third tool is one you may be unaware of, the Autocrat extension. Autocrat features a simple description that belies great functionality:

Autocrat is an easy to use, flexible document merge tool. It makes creation of PDF or shared Documents from a spreadsheet straightforward. Autocrat is a multi-purpose document merge tool. It allows you to take data from a spreadsheet and merge it into a document via a template.  Tell Autocrat which fields to merge via <>. Then, let Autocrat mass-generate personalized documents.  You can also send the documents as email attachments.  Or, when new forms are submitted, let Autocrat automation take over. This automation means less oversight from you, making your job easier. (Source: Adapted from Autocrat G Suite Marketplace)

The other two tools include Google Forms and Sheets. You may want to watch other videos in this series.

G Suite EDU
Image Source

G Suite EDU Challenge #2: Foster Collaboration via Expert Cards

Wish you could have students self-identify as guides on the side for other learners? You might want to try this approach that Zak Kolar suggests. He writes:

I used these “expert” cards with 5th graders for a Google Sites project last year. Students who are more experienced place “expert” cards on their desks. That signals to other students they can answer questions related to a certain area. Those areas include inserting images, creating links, changing layouts, etc.

Zak points out that this approach frees him up to circulate and answer tougher questions. Adapt the approach for both technical and content-related challenges. Teaching students self-assessment can be helpful. When students learn to check or assess their own learning, this can be quite powerful. As such, you can see a gradual release of responsibility when students own their learning. They may begin with you checking for understanding, but as they gain confidence, they move on to self-checks. As they gain knowledge, they can becomes aides to others.

You can see specific ways in these links:

Why make the effort to empower students to self assess? John Hattie explains that students are accurate at self-assessment. As their own critics, they set goals and want to achieve them. To do this, students might follow a specific process that culminates in expert cards:

  1. Students set goals for themselves. Teachers provide descriptive feedback to help them know what they need.
  2. Pupils predict their performance before they begin a task or series of tasks. For a quiz or test, students compare their actual performance with their prediction. 
  3. Learners then reflect and reconcile the difference between the two. This enables students to gain insight. Are they meeting their set goals on a specific assessment? (Source: Chris Bettiol) 

Self-reported grades empower students. Zak’s expert cards appear as the visual acknowledge of student expectations well-met.

G Suite EDU Challenge #3: Learn Google Classroom

Every time I use Google Classroom, I’m amazed at the new features. As you might imagine, the wealth of new features makes keeping up difficult. Let’s explore three miscellaneous questions that have come up about this tool.

Question #1:  “If a person gets added to Classroom later in the term, does he/she receive all the assignments? Does the new person get earlier assignments and stuff?”

Response:  “Yes, that person will have all of the stuff that everyone else in the class has.” (Source: Heather Dawson)

Question #2: “I am a robotics teacher at 4 schools. I have a different Google Classroom at each school that I access with an email address for that school. I have created a quiz at one of the schools. Is there a way to move that quiz to each of the other classrooms without entering the information again?”

Response: “Make a shared drive or a shared folder that all of your email addresses have editing access. Then anything you put in that folder will be accessible to each classroom.” (Source: Laurie Anastasio)

Question #3:  “How are you using G Suite EDU to maximize efficiency? That is, when creating standards scales, data/standard tracking (teacher & student)?”

Responses: 

  • “I made a standards based “gradebook” for my 3rd grade co-teacher. Used Sheets. You could make a master copy for yourself and import the formulas. This will make an individual one for each student and share that with each student and parent. You can also use Autocrat to have the info pulled from your sheet into a google doc. Then, have it share with students and parents.”
  • “Two videos on grading with rubrics (Video #1: Create Rubrics | Video #2: Grading with Rubrics).”

Challenge #4: View YouTube Videos in the Classroom

How can my students watch YouTube videos without advertisements? That’s the substance of questions I’ve received. Another G Suite EDU user asks the following: 

“I have a set of videos a teacher has asked students to watch from YouTube. I can access them as an administrator, but for students, it says the video is unavailable. “This video is restricted. Try signing in with a Google Apps account.” Student attempted with both GAFE and personal accounts and still could not access. Any ideas?

There can be several responses that result in a positive outcome. Most rely on what your school district’s policy is on YouTube. For example, some schools may put a block on YouTube for students when accessed via wireless (a.k.a. WiFi). Teachers may have to submit those web links to allow for access.  Unfortunately, another possibility may include student honesty. Jennifer Brower states the following:

This happens to students under 13 who have signed into YouTube and give their real age. Hooray for them not lying, but it means YouTube now restricts them from a lot, even if we have approved the video. Tech hasn’t found a way to get around it as it is YouTube’s policy that under 13 isn’t supposed to have access.

Other educators may choose to use websites like Viewpure, Safeshare. Another possibility for ad blocking includes a Chrome browser extension Video Adblocker for YouTube. Want an alternative solution that is cost-free? Use Wakelet to create a video playlist. Learn more about this solution via this Wakelet on creating a YouTube Video Playlist. Learn more about Using YouTube Videos in the Classroom.

Challenge #5: Top Chrome Apps and Extensions

Want to start a fight in the teachers’ lounge? Ask “What are your top Chrome must haves for approved student apps and extensions?” and you will be sure to get it started. Here are some responses in alphabetical order from other educators. How would you rate this list? What would you include or remove?

Note: Descriptions excerpted from the Chrome Web Store.

  • Clever: Clever is a Chrome extension that enables students and teachers to log in to their applications.
  • Draftback: Draftback lets you play back the revision history of any Google Doc you can edit.
  • Fun Text: Applies fun effects to your text, such as Rainbow, Growing, Upside down, and much more. 
  • Goobric: Facilitates rubric-based assessment. Includes two different Chrome extensions and works in collaboration with the Doctopus Add-on for Google Sheets.
  • Grammarly:  From grammar and spelling to style and tone, Grammarly helps you eliminate writing errors and find the perfect words to express yourself. You’ll get suggestions from Grammarly as you write.
  • Insert Learning:  Insert instructional content on any web page. Teachers can insert questions, discussions, and insight directly into any website. When students go to that website, they can respond to those questions and discussions. They can also take their own notes.
  • Kami: Allows you to take any existing document and enhance it in your browser. Annotate scanned PDFs, as well as write, draw, type, comment, augment.
  • LastPass Free Password Manager:  LastPass saves your passwords. It then gives you secure access from every computer and mobile device. Only remember one password – your LastPass master password. Save all your usernames and passwords to LastPass. It will autologin to your sites and sync your passwords everywhere you need them.
  • LucidChart Diagrams: The easiest way to draw flowcharts, mockups, UML, mind maps and more.
  • PearDeck:  Pear Deck is an add-on for Google Slides that will allow teachers to ask students questions. Students will be prompted to answer your questions as you advance your slides. Read these TCEA blog entries featuring PearDeck.
  • Read and Write:  Offers text-to-speech to hear words, passages, or whole documents read aloud with easy-to-follow dual color highlighting, and more. Read this TCEA blog entry. 
  • Screencastify:   Capture, edit and share videos in seconds. Read TCEA blog entries featuring Screencastify.
  • WriQ:  WriQ helps teachers assess student writing, provide valuable feedback, in Google Docs.

Looking for more ideas? John Sowash has a nice list online. And here’s my list. Remember, avoid Chrome extension overload for yourself and students by introducing a new extension when needed and not before.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
runner at ready
Google Tips and TricksProfessional Learning

Become a Pace Setter: Google EDU in 90 Seconds

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Keeping up with the constant changes in technology can be difficult. According to a Gartner survey, keeping up with the pace of change ranks as one of the top five leadership issues. Twenty-four percent of organizations, says Gartner, reported no plan of action for staying current. It reminds me of John Kotter’s story, Our Iceberg Is Melting. In this blog entry, we’ll revisit the fable and explore ways for Google EDU districts to stay in the know.

A Tale That Never Grows Cold

In Kotter’s fable, a group of penguins lives on an iceberg. One of them notices that the iceberg is melting. Unfortunately, no one wants to do anything about it. They fail to appreciate the urgency because they’ve grown comfortable, insulated from slow moving, long-term change factors.

In schools today, we face similar challenges. The way things work changes quickly, right under our feet. How do you stay informed and afloat? Let’s explore one fun way.

G Suite EDU? Come Learn This Way

One of my favorite ways to keep up to date with G Suite EDU changes includes reading their blog. Another has me watching their ninety-second, short videos.

EDU in 90 is a video series from Google for Education, with new episodes three times each month.  In each episode, they focus on an important topic. These videos provide updates for educators, administrators, and school leaders.

The series, EDU in 90, shares news and resources for educators and school leaders. Let’s take a look at some of the latest news items for schools.

#1 – G Suite Enterprise for Education

When this was first announced, technology directors said, “It’s the end of G Suite EDU free services.” However, that is very untrue. G Suite EDU remains free, making it one of the best value propositions available to K-12 schools. G Suite Enterprise for Education does, however, offer MORE services at a cost. This for-pay enhancement offers features such as security management, advanced collaboration, and data analytics.

Watch the Video

#2 – Chrome Extensions to Stay Organized

Wish you had an easy way to stay organized? In the G Suite EDU environment, you can rely on Chrome extensions to provide an assist. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use Chrome extensions such as Wakelet, One Tab, Google Keep, and Extensity. These crowd-sourced tools make it easy for you stay organized while browsing. The video features the use of URL shorteners as well. To make things easier for you, click the links to explore TCEA TechNotes blog entries about each.

Watch the Video

#3 – Chrome Extensions to Save Time

In a hurry? Who isn’t? Use these tools to make saving time easier. Here are a few crowd-sourced insights:

  • Tab Scissors – Use this to split your Chrome window into two.
  • Save to Google Drive – Quickly save web content or a screen capture straight to Google Drive with a right-click option.
  • Cluster – This extension makes it easy to manage multiple open tabs and windows. It enables you to restore closed windows and jump around from one to the next.
  • Share to Classroom – If you use Google Classroom often, you can save content you encounter to your Google Classroom for students to view.

Become a Pace Setter: Watch EDU in 90

Feeling pushed around by the pace of change? Then become a pace setter in 90 seconds or less. Watch a few of these videos to get up to speed.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
robot
Google Tips and TricksMicrosoft Tips and TricksTechnical Support

TCEA Responds: Google and Student Data

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Dear TCEA Responds:

I’m reaching out to you with a question on Google and student data.  In your opinion, how safe are we with sharing student names and assessment data on Google?  We have a strict policy of not sharing student PEIMS data, but are we safe to assume we can save student names and assessment info?

-Jill

Dear Jill:

As you may know, G Suite for Education employs a higher level of security than the consumer version of Google Suite. Google employs encryption to protect your data while it is stored on their cloud servers. On that count, it is unlikely that your data will be breached by G Suite EDU. However, should a user’s account be compromised (e.g. a successful phishing attack is one common approach), then access to any data stored in the cloud would be in danger.

Two-Step Verification

That is why ensuring you have two-factor authentication (a.k.a. two-step verification) in place is so important. Even in the face of a successful phishing attack, no one would be able to get access to the shared data. Without that in place, it is best to encrypt files or data stored in Google Drive. This, of course, would defeat the convenience G Suite EDU provides. So, I STRONGLY recommend putting two-factor authentication in place.

Encryption

If you have Word or Excel files that will need to be stored in encrypted form in Google Drive, but have no need for others to work on it, then you can use a free cross-platform solution like Cryptomator. If you intend to share a Google Sheet with student names and info, then you are far better off considering two-step verification to protect account login/password and then using G Suite EDU. A solution like SysCloud offers on-the-fly encryption.

Shared Drive Settings

Another key point to keep in mind is that G Suite EDU makes it easy for end users to SHARE data for collaboration purposes. Improper SHARING approaches (e.g. sharing a file/folder to anyone with the link and public on the web) can put sensitive data at risk without any nefarious intent from anyone.  Putting confidential data in a SHARED DRIVE (Team Drive) would make it viewable and accessible by all who have been granted rights to that shared drive.

A Response

To respond to your question, you own the data you store on Google and decide how to use it. So long as Google safeguards the data (which it does), then you own the responsibility for protecting it when the only access is via a user account. If you have taken sufficient precautions to protect user account logins/passwords and provided sufficient professional development to staff so they don’t make sharing errors, then there is no reason why you cannot store sensitive data on Google Drive’s encrypted cloud servers.

Did You Know?

TCEA is available to meet your professional development needs. We can provide friendly, education-specific professional learning on cybersecurity and cybersafety that enhances the work of faculty and staff. Reach out via phone at 800-282-8232 or via email to Lori Gracey (lgracey@tcea.org).

Google and Student Data

Protecting student data is even more important today given the many data breaches that have occurred. You must make every reasonable effort to secure student data while maintaining a balance. Fortunately, you need not work alone to accomplish this. Build capacity on your team. You may find the following resources to be of interest.
0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail