TwosDay - Sean - Copying Comments in Docs n Sheets n Slides

Using the “make a copy” feature with Google Docs (or Slides or Sheets) is a wonderful thing. Maybe not as fun at times as a real copy machine, but certainly easier and more powerful. Making comments in Docs is just as wonderful...especially when using it to give students instructions on parts of a template. However, making a copy of that doc wouldn’t allow you to copy over any comments or suggestions...until now.

My Marzano Connection: DQ1E1

TwosDay - Steve - New Kahoot Features

I’ve had a few conversations over the course of the semester with teachers who have been turned off by some of the classroom management issues that tend to surface with a game of Kahoot!  The developers have listened to this type of feedback and have added a few new features to improve your experience with this engaging tool.  The “Name Generator” and “2-Step Join” options might just be enough to draw you back in, just in time for final exam review sessions. Marzano DQ3E14, DQ5E25, DQ6E4

TwosDay - Shona - EdPuzzle Review by Screencasting Slides

Most of us use Google Slides for content or concepts in our classes.  Why not utilize them as a review tool? Within minutes, you can screencast your slides, using screencast-o-matic.com, upload your video into EdPuzzle, and create questions for your students using the edit feature in EdPuzzle.  For those of you not familiar with EdPuzzle, watch these two videos Chris made last year: Setting up EdPuzzle and Note taking using EdPuzzle.   Happy Reviewing! (Marzano Connection: DQ 3, Elements #14, #15)

TwosDay - Bob - Create Bookmarks in Google Docs Using Font Styles

You can jump to specific points in a document by creating links to any text that has a heading style applied to it. This is a nice feature for managing journals or any lengthy document. Teachers can use it in PLT or cohort journals, and students can use it in final exam study guides.

TwosDay - Sean - Whisper Messaging Chrome Extension

When kids are locked in and working through tasks in the classroom, and I have something to tell them, I often worry about disrupting their flow. But at the same time, I need to get them that “one quick thing” that they’ll need eventually. The wonderful people at EdTechTeam just released a chrome extension that allows us to quietly send a message to a class or even a select few students without disrupting everyone’s concentrated work groove. It’s called “Whisper.”

TwosDay - Cory - Hapara Cover Don't Hover

There are definitely times when there are a few students in the class I would like to keep tabs on, but I do not have the time to sit there and watch their browsers for fifty minutes.  Hapara Highlights does not have to be a time thief for you if you can master the Activity Viewer and Focused Browsing.  Discover a few ways that you can have a digital presence for your students in our Chromebook age of (un)accountability. (Marzano Elements #24, #33, #35, #38)

TwosDay - Amanda - HippoVid Screencast Tool For Chrome

A recent assignment in my class required students to screencast, and I stumbled upon a Chrome extension called Hippo Video that allows screencasting, editing, and easy exporting (even with the Free version). The extension is easy to launch from the Chrome browser, allowing students to edit the video and export to Google Classroom, YouTube, and Drive. The extension can also be launched from Google Slides, and students or teachers can easily screencast the slide presentation. There are even annotation options that can be used during recording!

TwosDay - Bob - GClassroom For Student Reflection

The “Create question” tool in Google Classroom allows teachers to give students the opportunity to reflect on the different stages of learning as they interact with new content.  Teachers can use the results of the question they ask to initiate conversations with students who indicate they are not progressing in their studies. By intervening in these situations, teachers can begin to reach the “Applying” benchmark on the Marzano Self-Rating Scale. Click the link to see the video that addresses how to use Google Classroom to organize students to interact with content in stages prior to taking an assessment. Marzano DQ2E7, DQ2E9

TwosDay - Sean - Share Websites With Point

Trying to get someone to look at something you found online is not always the easiest process. While there are definitely links worth sharing via Twitter to a general audience, a fair number of links we share are relevant to a smaller number of people. Emailing is clunky and cumbersome and creates threads that can be easily buried and lost in the coffers of email doom! Enter the chrome extension called “Point!”

My Marzano Connection: DQ2E7/E9, DQ3E15, DQ4E21/E23

TwosDay - Steve - ForMule

Assessing and providing individual feedback to students on their project/presentation/speech can be a cumbersome and time-consuming endeavor.  “formMule” is a Google Sheets add-on that can help streamline this process.  This video will show you one way to leverage its power to provide efficient, timely feedback in the form of a personalized email to each of your students.  Other uses of this powerful tool are only limited by your creativity!  Marzano DQ1E2

TwosDay - Cory - Quick Grading in Goog Classroom

Click Here To Watch Video

HOTSpot- Cory - Quick Grading in Google Classroom

Grading in Google Classroom can become taxing and monotonous when you only need to glance or scroll through a document to assess what your students have done.  All of the clicking and reliance on internet speed for how fast you can make it through a class  of papers is unnecessary.  Try using this preview trick and aligning your Google Drive “Classroom” folder with your gradebook for easy grading on simpler assignments.

TwosDay - Shona - Graphic Organizers

Rarely do we say make a copy.  But this time is different.  When it comes to creating graphic organizers for student notes, crowd-sourcing, or jig saw activities, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.  Use these great resources for creating meaningful Google Drawing notes that are easy to use and share on Classroom.  Control, Alt, Archive, by Eric Curts, and The Tech Lady, by Kim Mattina, will allow you to make a copy of their templates, update, save to your drive, and share.

TwosDay - Amanda - ClassHook

I love to use movie and television clips in my classroom especially for “hooks” at the  beginning of units or lessons. However, the search for those clips at times has led to hours of searching on YouTube and often ends in frustration. The website https://www.classhook.com/  is a great solution. You can search this website for edited and vetted clips relating to most subjects and topics. There are even discussion questions already added for many of the clips. From The Simpsons, Big Bang Theory and My Cousin Vinny, there are so many to chose from. Happy searching!

TwosDay - Sean - Quick Feedback in Google Docs

Providing useful & constructive feedback to students can be time consuming. But, it can be time consuming and overwhelming. There’s a new Google Chrome extension that streamlines this feedback process whether we want to give it to students, or we want students to use it for giving each other feedback on their work. It’s a Chrome extension called CheckMark by EdTechTeam and works very nicely and smoothly. You just need to go into the Chrome store and search “CheckMark” and then add that bad boy in; it’s ready to use.

TwosDay - Bob - G Classroom to Organize Students

Use the description and attachment tools in Google Classroom assignments to organize students to interact with content in stages prior to taking an assessment. Marzano DQ2E7, DQ2E9

TwosDay - Steve - Email Scores in MM

Are you still printing and distributing paper copies of students’ results in Mastery Manager?  Now that each student has his or her own device,  it’s time to “go green” by utilizing the Status feature to send each student an individualized score report via email.  Marzano DQ1E2

TwosDay - Sean - Problem Solving Framework Template

Problem solving and the general skill of being able to interact with, deepen our understanding of, and hypothesize about new knowledge can be taxing on our students’ brains. They are so use to being spoon fed information that they haven’t fully developed a “go to” process for problem solving. Recently, I stumbled across some of Robert Kaplinsky’s awesome work on this topic where he shares his framework for successful problem solving. I took Robert’s framework and created a template, in a very flexible way using google drawing, so you and students can make copies of for repeated use.

*My Marzano Connection: DQ2E6 / DQ3E19 / DQ4E23

TwosDay - Cory - PearDeck and Google Slides

For those of you that may not be intense users of Pear Deck, or you just haven’t been crazy about housing your presentations somewhere other than Google Drive- this may be for you!  Pear Deck has created an add-on that allows you to insert Pear Deck slides into your Google Slides.  It still has to be presented on the Pear Deck platform, but it does allow for an ease and organization that will open the door for a few users to dabble in this engaging approach for the students.

TwosDay - Shona - PowerSchool App Work Around

Those of you who have used the PowerSchool App in the past may have noticed that it is either not working or difficult to navigate.  In this video, I show you a quick workaround for this problem.  The upside to having PowerSchool on your device or iPad, is that you can be mobile while taking attendance, looking at the bell schedules, reading the announcements, or ready for a fire drill if you don’t have your clipboard.  The downside to the app not working, is you have to log in every time with this workaround.  But, until the app becomes more intuitive, this is the best way to use PowerSchool on the move.

TwosDay - Amanda - Video Camera Aver

Connecting your students with experts in the “real world” sounds nice but logistically can be difficult. The Aver CC30 Camera is an easy solution for connecting your classroom beyond the classroom walls. This camera easily plugs into any computer or device, offers a wide angle lens to capture the entire classroom and a wireless microphone to field questions from all your students. The platform I suggest for connecting with your expert is Google Meet. Check out this previous TwosDay video on Google Meet for tips and feel free to stop by the HOTSpot at any time to reserve the camera and to answer any questions.

TwosDay - Steve - Google Appointment Slots

Can't remember which student is coming in for help and when? Looking for a way to formalize the scheduling of your meetings with students? Google Appointment Slots might be the answer for what you’ve been looking!  I’ve found this tool to be an essential part of my classroom procedures (Marzano DQ 2) for the past several years.  I love that I receive an email with my daily agenda every morning; it helps me plan out my day.  While I didn’t have time in the video to describe the behind-the-scenes legwork you need to complete to get started, here is a link to my EdX presentation from last Spring. It walks you through the process one step at a time.

TwosDay - Sean - Google Slides Upgrade

Google slides has always been a pretty sweet tool in the google apps lineup. But recently, it’s gotten even better with some new updates. One allows super smooth integration with google keep (a great collaborative note keeping tool that you should check out if you haven’t already), and the other gives us a new “view” that will make re-ordering a breeze. Both of these bring great new power to student project collaboration, organization, interaction, and productivity. Check it out...
*My Marzano Connection: DQ4 “What will I do to help students generate & test hypotheses about new knowledge?” Element 21 “Organizing students for cognitively complex tasks”

TwosDay - Shona - Quizlet Live Engagement Tool

Quizlet is a great tool for those lower order thinking skills that typically coincide with remembering and understanding.  Most of us have vocab that is an essential building block for our content.  Once those terms are mastered, we can move onto higher order thinking skills like analyzing and application.  Quizlet live allows teachers to create an engaging and collaborative game that, when used properly, can help students apply and analyze their knowledge in a fun, gaming atmosphere.  This tool holds each student accountable (DQ 5: What will I do to engage students. Element 24: Noticing when students are not engaged, Element 25: using academic games, & Element 29: Demonstrating intensity and enthusiasm) in their role as a collaborator and creates a lively platform for engagement with content.

TwosDay - Bob - Google Calendar Workaround

Teachers that have started using Google Classroom and want to continue using Google calendar to post objectives, agendas, and essential questions have probably noticed that only events created in Google Classroom appear on the calendar.  Events created directly on the calendar itself do not show up in Google Classroom. Instead of using Google Calendar to post this information, I make a Google Slides presentation with all of pertinent  information and post it in Google Classroom as an announcement so students have access throughout the semester.  Using Slides as an agenda, along with keeping it posted in classroom, will make the information accessible to students and help you keep a calendar-like record of your semester.

TwosDay - Sean - HW Reflection

“Grading” homework for accuracy just doesn’t feel right to me. Practice is a formative process with my kids that I want them to be able to screw up and learn from. But “grading” it JUST for completion feels empty & let’s them off the hook a bit when it comes to maintaining focus and commitment to learning as opposed to just “getting it done”. So, I’ve come up with a reflective piece for homework that I can have students fill out AFTER completing the practice. This reflective piece is what is graded and keeps the kids locked into thinking about what they’ve attempted, predicting how they did, and identifying where they struggled. It’s done through a Google Form (I feel like “google form” is the answer to most things...that and chocolate) and is a simple process that’s re-usable throughout the entire school year. Check it out…

*My Marzano Connection: DQ2 “Interacting With New Knowledge” → Element 13 “Reflect on Learning”

TwosDay - Cory - Revision Analytics

Revision history is generally used as a warning to serve the purpose of “big brother” for any who may be looking for unauthorized aid.  A simple add-on, entitled revision history analytics, is a super friendly look into a student or group history without having to click through all iterations of the document.  It provides a nice platform to have productive conversations that help a group or individual think through their own contributions and editing habits.  

TwosDay - Amanda - Classroom Guardian Feature

Now that so many people are using Classroom, we’ve received numerous questions regarding the Guardian Feature. The Guardian Feature allows parents to get a weekly summary of the missing work, class activities (including announcements, assignments and questions), and upcoming assignments and deadlines for a class.. If parents have signed up for any Guardian Access, they are automatically enrolled for all Guardian Summaries. If you do not want your class included in the summary, you need to unenroll your class.  If you would like to invite parents to join, we suggest sending a Google Form to all parents to complete if they would like the summary sent. That way you can enter the invite for the interested parents. If you have parents who are still wondering what classroom is all about, send them the video Google Classroom for Parents.

TwosDay - Steve - Import Scores Into PT Pro

Ever tried copying and pasting scores from an external data source into your PT Pro Gradebook?  Although it’s (unfortunately) not that simple, a recent update to PT Pro does allow you to import scores from an external source.  This video will walk you through that process for a single assignment.  For advanced ways to leverage this feature (such as pulling scores from MathXL or importing scores for multiple assignments), come see us in the HOTSpot!

TwosDay - Sean - Columns In Google Docs

Using Google Docs has become the go to for me and so many educators today. But there are still some limitations, compared to Microsoft Word, that require a workaround. Visual organization in Google Docs is a task that’s not quite in tip top shape yet. Creating columns within a page isn’t as intuitive as I’d like it to be, but it’s possible and not all that tough. Check it out...

HOTSpot - Bob - Print Friendly & PDF

If you’ve ever gone to print an article for class or any other reason, you’ve probably discovered it can be a rather messy endeavor. There can be ads, images are out of place, and the last page has only one line of text on it! To help you print articles in a much cleaner way and in as few pages as possible, I want to show you the Print Friendly and PDF extension for the Chrome browser.

TwosDay - Shona - Creating Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way for students to showcase what they know, create an authentic audience, and apply real world applications. Twisted Wave is a great resource that allows students to record on their chrome books, store their podcast in their Google Drive, and share with others. In working with this resource, we found that if a student would like to incorporate their own musical introduction, or have music in the background, they could either use music from the chrome book or their phone if allowed.

HOTSpot - Cory - Image Collecting

Sometimes we have our students producing so many different items that there is not enough of us to go around and take a look at everything. Image collecting allows you to have students simply turn in an image on Google Classroom and then allow an extension called DriveShare to put all those images in a slide deck that is easy for your perusal.

VH HOTSpot - Amanda - Google Calendar and Classroom

As the year begins we’ve received several questions surrounding Google Calendar, especially regarding the calendar options in Google Classroom. Each classroom creates a calendar in which assignments from your stream are posted. However, it is our recommendation that you and your students use the actual “google calendar” link versus the “classroom calendar” link in the about section to view and edit calendars. The other option is to share a Google Calendar with your students. To do this, click on the arrow next to the calendar and select “share this calendar”, select “make this calendar public” and then click on calendar details to find the html link. Copy and paste and you’re all set!

VH HOTSpot - Sean - Google Whitelisting

Being on different Google domains than our students can create challenges at times. However, a feature that allows us to operate in a safe and happy space WITH our kids is available and implemented. This is especially nice on Google Forms which now allows us to automatically collect email addresses from students as they fill any form out, even though they are not on the same domain as we are. This allows us to eliminate a question (and variable) when having them fill out forms by just simply checking the “Collect email addresses” box under setting when you create the form.

Check it out...

HOTSpot - Amanda - Course Surveys with Google Forms

One thing I’ve decided to work on in recent years is using student feedback to improve instruction and to help me reflect on what and why I use certain projects and activities in my courses. Google Forms allows you to easily collect data and customize the questions in order to get this data. The hardest part about creating these surveys is deciding on what questions to use. So here are a few examples to get you started! Gov Survey Example AP Test Example Bio Survey Example Jr. Leader Example.

HOTSpot - Chris - Google Classroom Cleanup

Now that I am in year 2 of total immersion into Google Classroom, having archived my previous year’s classes has come up big as a time saver when pushing out assignments to my students. It has also served as a great way to answer that age old question “What did I do with this lesson last year?” Archiving classes is super easy and will pay dividends for the 2017/18 school year. The most important thing to remember going into this summer is DO NOT DELETE YOUR CLASSROOM FOLDER!

HOTSpot - Cory - Class Checklist

If you’re like me, a good old paper checklist is great to carry around for the end of the semester with all the missing assignments, grades, and specific tasks to take care of. Having a flexible template for each class can easily allow you to adjust categories and quickly print a list that can serve your needs. It’s the age old approach that you can tailor for ease of organization.

HOTSpot - Shona - Podcasts

Want to incorporate listening and comprehension skills AND mix up your lessons? Well, Listenwise is an awesome resource for current podcasts. Listenwise.com teams up with NPR to offer short podcast that are relevant in almost any subject with a focus on ELA, social studies, and science. Although the premium version offers pre-generated quizzes, varying listening speeds, and text to read while listening, the free version offers a wide variety of resources that include language levels, pre-made comprehension questions, discussion themes, T-charts, and various textual organizers for the listener to complete or generate class discussions. You can link the podcast directly to your Google classroom or create a quiz using Socrative. This website really makes it easy for you and your classes to get connected with another literacy tool!

HOTSpot - Sean - Consolidate Docs

This time of year has us in a spot where we’ve got a LOT of stuff. Most teachers AND students are looking to consolidate and clean up before we head out for the summer. There’s a great tool to consolidate Google Doc work into one spreadsheet- for us and our students. Just click here to get the template tool and check this out...

HOTSpot - Amanda - Google Meet

It’s that time of year again when review sessions for AP classes and semester exams begin to fill our calendar. In the past I’ve used Google Hangouts for review sessions but found that it was difficult to have my students join, and it didn’t work as streamlined as I had hoped. Google heard this feedback from numerous people, and they have responded with a Google Meet. You can set up a video call two different ways. The first is by adding it to your calendar. When you create a calendar event it also allows you to add a video meeting link to the event. You can share this video link with anyone you want to join the call, or you can add them to the calendar event. The other way is by going to meet.google.com and creating a new meeting or joining with a link. Google Meet allows you to add 30 people to one meeting. Stop by if you would like help using this tool or hearing about ways I’ve used video conferencing in my classroom.

HOTSpot - Chris - Grading with Digital Rubrics

Now that I have gotten some really good rubrics under my belt (Thanks to the tremendous work of our Lit Coaches), grading my student work has allowed me to give better feedback to my students. With most of my assignments now being push out through Google Classroom, I wanted to find an efficient way to continue to grade with rubrics while not complicating my grading practices. I have found two great ways to grade online work with rubrics and have a hard time deciding which one I like best. Doctopus and Goobric allow me to quickly grade assignments and give student feedback right in the student's documents but requires some setup of the spreadsheet, while simply assigning the rubric through Google Classroom allows a quick and easy turn in process for me and my students. Right now, they both have their place in my grading system; hopefully, at least one of them can find its way in yours.

Give your emails an upgraded look with this simple extension

Check out this recent BetterCloudMonITer post on designing your important emails in Google Doc and then converting them to an email while maintaining all the formatting. You will no longer be confined in design options in Gmail's limited formatting options.

HOTSpot - Sean - AutoDraw

Illustrating is such a great way to demonstrate a concept. Sometimes I want to draw and show something & sometimes I want my kiddos to draw a concept to show how they are picturing it. However, I draw pictures as well as United Airlines draws passenger names “randomly”. Luckily, our friends at Google have tapped into some awesome artists to make a super simple, magical drawing tool that can make anyone look like DaVinci. Just go to autodraw.com and start drawing. Your task options are in the bottom right corner, color options are located in the bottom left and the smart images from which you can choose are located in a row along the top. Once you’re done with your masterpiece, just click the 3 hot dogs in the upper right to get action options where you can download it or share it through a variety of ways, including the simple “copy / paste” move. Enjoy!

HOTSpot - Cory - YouTube in Gdocs

Google Docs is a great place to house so many assignments and graphic organizers, and I recently shared how hyperdoc-ing is a wonderful way to connect a myriad of resources in a lesson. Alas, you don’t always want your hyperlink whisking your students off to Youtube with the endless ads and rabbit trails for them to follow. This workaround is a simple and effective way to keep videos viewable inside the document and avoid the trap of wandering the web.

HOTSpot - Shona - Upping you slide presentation game

It’s important to share information learned at conferences, and I have used this resource as a guide when creating my new slide presentations or updating previous presentations. Here are my notes from the 2016 ICE (Illinois Computing Educators) conference where I learned the psychology and research behind various ways to present content. The notes explain much of the presentation. You can use these guides for yourself or use them for resources for your students when they present to the class. I have also tried to stick to the guidelines for conference presentations.

HOTSpot - Chris - Google Keep Integration in Google Docs

I love using Google Doc for the majority of my assignments, but there is still a part of me that misses adding those reinforcement stickers I used to buy at the beginning of the school year. Well now that Google Keep easily integrates with Google Docs, I’m bring stickers back! Not only does this provide that same positive reinforcement the old fashion, (yes 4 years ago is now considered old fashion in the edtech world) but the new integration between Keep and Docs also allows teachers to easily insert comments instead of having to retype the same ones all the time. I’m sure there will be more ideas people think of with this new connection. If you have some cool ideas, please let me know!

HOTSpot - Amanda - Breakout EDU

At every conference I’ve attended the last few years I’ve seen sessions on Breakout EDU. I was intrigued but overwhelmed about how I would use it in my own classroom. Finally, I decided to give it a try, and I’m so glad I did! The students were engaged the entire time and were so excited to participate, even students who usually “tune-out.” The library has 4 breakout boxes you can check out. They include locks, blacklights, blacklight markers and smaller locked boxes. I made my own lesson for the causes of World War II; however, there are tons of pre-made lessons at Breakout EDU website, and there’s a great Facebook page with shared lessons as well. If you are interested in digital breakout lessons, there are tons of resources out there as well! Let me know if you have any questions and if you would like help setting up your first Breakout lesson!

HOTSpot - Sean - Open ClipArt

I love free stuff, and one thing I miss the most about using Microsoft Office is clipart and the ability to grab any of its amazing, royalty free images while staying INSIDE the document. I know, kind of weird...but it’s one of those things where “you don’t know what you got 'til it’s gone.” There are definitely ways to get clip art for Google Docs, but here’s a cool way for you and your students to quickly get it, for FREE, WHILE staying INSIDE the doc. Check this out...just go into any Google Doc and click “Add-ons” up top. From there, choose “Get Add-ons” and type in “Open Clipart” in the search bar. Choose the Add-on and it will install. To use it, just choose this Add-on anytime you need to use it, and it will pop up on the right hand side for you.

HOTSpot - Chris - Simple Stop Motion Videos

For every conference you’ve attended, you always hope to get at least one good take away to bring back and share. Stop Motion Animator is definitely a gem when it comes to great finds in the free app world. Available on the Chrome Web store, Apple App Store, and Google Play (Android) for free, students have all kinds of options on how they want to use it. What I like most about this app (other than it being free) is that it allows for students to be creative, and it forces me to be open to different project ideas. Hopefully, a little learning happens along the way.

HOTSpot - Cory - Hyperdocs

Google Slides and Google Docs have become powerful tools in the arsenal of any teacher, and it’s encouraging to know that both can become even more dynamic with the idea of Hyperdocs. Hyperdocs are Google documents that are chalk full of instructional material for students to sift through, complete, or collaborate on. So, whether you are looking into some inquiry based learning or flipping a few lessons, keep the idea of Hyperdocs in mind to borrow ideas or create on your own. (What are Hyperdocs?)

HOTSpot - Sean - Pics in Speadsheets

I feel like “use a spreadsheet” is the answer to so many digital questions...whether I’m producing or I’m asking my students to produce. But one big downfall of spreadsheets has always been the inability to easily manipulate images in there. It’s something that we often think we can do, try to do it, but then realize it’s not simple...so we typically abandon the spreadsheet and try to clunk our way through a word doc and tables...ugh. Well, here’s a pretty smooth way of inserting, manipulating, and enhancing pictures in Google Sheet. The answer lies within Google Drawings...lemme show you!

HOTSpot - Shona - LMC Resources

Overdrive and Flipster are fabulous resources that our district offers for students and teachers. Overdrive, an online resource and phone app, is a portal for ebooks and audiobooks while Flipster is an online magazine portal where students and teachers can access Time magazine, The Week, and many others. Teachers can use these resources for Articles of the Week, book projects, current events, and our special education population who struggle with reading. Specifically, Overdrive offers audiobooks for those readers who struggle with reading. Check out a book for reading or listening, browse magazine articles, or both with these awesome district resources. Just hop on to the LMC website, stop into the LMC, or pop into the HOTSpot and we can help you utilize these resources.

Update Your To-Dos with Keep | The G Suite Show

Google Keep came out with some new features recently that might be worth taking a look at.

HOTSpot - Chris - Black Menu for Google

Bookmark clutter has always been an issue for me, and I am always looking for a better way to organize myself to save a little time. Since I utilized Google Apps so often, bookmarks for Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and Keep, they used to be permanent fixtures on my bookmark bar until I found Black Menu For Google. This extension makes checking in on Google Apps super easy and quick. My bookmark bar just lost a few pounds thanks to it.

HOTSpot - Amanda - Photos for Class and Work

Finding photos for projects can sometimes lead students down a… The creators of “Storyboard That” have come up with a solution for finding photos for projects and class. The website photosforclass.com has three excellent features. The first is “age appropriate searches.” If students put in an inappropriate word or search, it redirects them to appropriate options or puppies! The second option is that website includes automatic citation to all photos used. Students don’t have to do any additional steps, and the credit is given to the source. Finally, all the photos on this website are Creative Commons. The photos are licensed for public use, and this teaches students an important lesson of again given credit and following license rules.

Increase your productivity in Google Drive with these keyboard shortcuts

Sometimes learning keyboard shortcuts can seem like more work than its worth but learning a few can really save you seconds that add up to a lot of times saved in the long run. Learning some of these keyboard shortcuts for Google Drive might just be worth it in the end. Check out this blog post from Better CloudMonitor on 6 useful shortcuts for Google Drive.

HOTSpot - Sean - Survive and Advance March Madness

It’s that time of year when I can’t remember winter break break, and I can’t see spring break. It’s the dog days of winter, just trying each day to survive and advance. Luckily, “survive & advance” is right around the corner w/ the NCAA tourney. I enjoy using this tourney to have a little competition in class with our content. Let me show you an example of a contest activity and tool I use in my classes to create our own tourney and spice it up a bit to help get us through this second half of winter. Click here for a link to the spreadsheet that you can make a copy of and use for yourself.

HOTSpot - Cory - Grading With Your Voice

Google Docs provides a variety of ways to make comments and highlight information in order to give feedback to your students, but sometimes it is nice to dole out a little advice without having to type at the same time. With a simple idea and the advancements in Google’s voice typing, it is easier than ever to add a few in-document thoughts without aggravating any arthritis. Be thinking of ways your students could use this one, too! Check out this link for more things you can do with Google Voice.

Quickly identify where email is coming from with Gmail Sender Icons

Technology blogger Amit Agarwal recently released a neat little extension, Gmail Sender Icons, that takes the domain favicon (usually their logo) that the email is coming from and adds it in front of the message in your inbox. This makes it even speedier to scan your email and see who/where your email is coming from. You can download and install the extension from the Chrome Webstore. The extension icon sits in your extension bar in chrome and looks like two little squares layered on top of each other.  The user can easily to show just the domain icons or domain text or both.

HOTSpot - Shona - EdXHighlight

The EdX conference held yesterday was a great way for D128 staff to showcase what they are up to and share their knowledge on an incredible variety of topics. If you were torn between a few sessions, you are definitely not alone. You can always visit the EdX website to view the resources from the presenters. I’d like to highlight a session that used some incredible new technology for our IEP students- Audio Exam Creator. It allows teachers to read their test questions and answers for students who need a reader for tests and quizzes. This allows the student to stay in the classroom during tests instead of being pulled out. This app is best used with the teacher recording the questions because it allows the students to hear a voice that is familiar to them. Check with Lindsay Wilson and Allison Ferrell for use of this awesome new app. They also highlighted a great new extension called OpenDyslexic that changes the font of articles and websites. The weighted font allows dyslexic readers to differentiate letters and keep readers from flipping letters. It is easily turned on by one click.

HOTSpot - Chris - Google Classroom Notifications

Google Classroom has been a game changer in my classroom in how it easily manages documents and due dates seamlessly with other Google Products. Well, Google just came out with an update that made it even more functional. With the newest update to their mobile app, the people of Google really improved the device notifications you can receive both in classes you teach and classes you are enrolled in. These device notifications don’t clutter your email inbox yet still allow you (and your students) to stay on top of things in Classroom. One of the best new notifications they rolled out is the reminder on almost-due work. When enabled, this notification pops-up when an assignment is due in 24 hours. I will definitely be showing my students this one.

HOTSpot- Sean - To Do Tool For All Platforms

Juggling our lives and all the things we need “to do” is a daunting daily task. My favorite way to keep things moving forward is a great little tool that syncs real time across all platforms. I love using this because no matter what device I’m on, my list is just one click / touch away. The tool, Any.Do, is free and easily installed as a smartphone app, chrome extension, or just simply logged into on a webpage. Check out the video for a quick view of what it looks like and how you can leverage it for yourself.

HOTSpot- Amanda - Insert Videos from Google Drive in Google Slides

One frustration I had when using Google Slides is that you were only able to insert videos from YouTube. However, last week they rolled out an update and now you can insert videos that are saved to your Google Drive! You can also edit the videos to play automatically when you click and set start and stop times. The ability to crop the video for what you need is a great feature and I can’t wait to use this feature and teach my students.

3 Ways to Automate Email Tasks Using Gmail

Too much email cluttering your inbox? Check out these 3 tips on how to automate email tasks in Gmail from BetterCloud Monitor.

HOTSpot - Chris - Engage Every Student with Nearpod

After using Nearpod for 3 years now, you would think I would have made a TwosDay video on it, but it was a comment from a student just last week that finally pushed me over the edge to make one. It was a simple comment really, “Mr. Wolf, these Nearpods really help.” Normally, with new technology, kids are excited for the first few times and then the excitement fades. After running over 120 lessons in the past year (Nearpod gives you great analytics btw) it hasn’t lost its luster. To me, it has been well worth the work in developing lessons for the lasting impact it has had on my students. What keeps me using it as my go-to lesson building tool is its ability to engage every student. It allows for 100% participation by students with 0% anxiety of having to share their answers in front of the class. From the beginning of the school year, I have noticed students who were too timid to share their thoughts and have started participating more in class. I think it is partially due to them realizing that they have good answers, and my class is all about learning, even if it means growing from mistakes and wrong answers. If you want to get all your kids involved in class and want to really engage everyone, give Nearpod a try!

HOTSpot - Cory - Scale Up the Student Feedback/Reflection

There are plenty extensions, sites, and apps that would love to help you get more feedback from your students, but they certainly can become more of a hassle than a help. I have enjoyed simply using a scale that can be added to almost any assignment to garner another piece of reflection from the students. It’s a small addition and a flexible idea that can be used as needed.

HOTSpot - Sean - Download & Save Files To Chromebooks

Sometimes when our students are on their chromebooks, trying to get creative and build a digital masterpiece, they face challenges with file downloading and saving because they are on a chromebook and not a “normal” computer. Their chromebooks actually DO have the capability to handle some file downloading and transferring, which can be used as a work-around if need be. Check out this little trick you can use with your kids to help them get past this stumbling block.

HOTSpot - Shona - Draw.IO

Draw.io is an incredibly easy tool that allows you and your students to seamlessly create flowcharts, timelines, genealogy maps, create concept maps, or graphic organizers. This tool is more user friendly than any previous tool and can be shared easily with others, just like any Google product. In my lesson I had students use this tool to create a skit that outlined various content skills. The students were able to easily navigate the platform, share, and use Draw.io to perform the skit. This tool can also import Lucidchart files, embed images, maps, computer files, and Google Drive files. It can also export in various ways, including PDF. And the last impressive feature: its ability to be saved in Google Drive.

New and Improved Voice Typing Commands in Google Docs

Check out this great updates to voice typing in Google Docs from the Better Cloud Monitor blog.

How to Organize pages in New Google Site

With the NEW Google Sites taking off, here are some simple tips on organizing pages. Check out this link from BetterCloud Monitor.

HOTSpot - Amanda - Green Screen

The HOTSpot now has a portable Green Screen for you and your students to use! The next time you assign a video feel free to check-out the Green Screen to bring to your classroom or if you want to make a video for your students you can stop by the HOTSpot and we can help you record. Don’t forget to schedule a time for a tech coach or Monica to meet with your classes to get you started with WeVideo.

HOTSpot - Chris -Teaching New Material with Blind Kahoot!'ing

Introducing new material can get dull at times, and I was in that very situation when teaching DNA Structure to my Human Genetics class. Luckily, just weeks before I had stumbled on the idea of Blind Kahoot!'ing. In a blind Kahoot!, you ask "blind" questions that you know students won't know (or should't know) the answer to. You give them plenty of time to struggle with the question (either in teams or individually) and then discuss the right answer and why the other choices were not correct. This creates a great opportunity to learn from wrong answers and then reinforce with follow up questions to deepen the understanding. Here is a simple template designed by Stephanie Castle, who coined the idea "Blind Kahoot!". Check out her video on "The Art of Blind Kahoot!'ing."

HOTSpot - Sean - Google Classroom Individual Assignments

A new feature in Google Classroom has made it fantastically convenient for us teachers to individualize instruction. We can now assign tasks / projects / challenges to individual students within a class, instead of being locked into assigning everything to the entire class. I’ve also found that this gives us a great work around with group projects. In group projects, I am now picking one kid per group to be the “digital point person” and only those students receive the assignment. They share their copy with their partners for working purposes and then they turn it in when the task is completed. This keeps them and me more organized throughout the course. I love this new feature, and I hope you find it useful for yourself as well.

HOTSpot - Cory - Late/Missing Work Mysteries

With hard copy, digital, or other assignments that follow a different format, it becomes very challenging when students do not turn items in on time. Trying to hunt down documents or finished tasks can steal unnecessary time from your schedule. Try using a Google Form that the students know they need to use in order to make you aware of all the details of a late or missing assignment. It’s a simple, yet effective approach to staying organized when absences or procrastination make a teacher’s life more difficult.

HOTSpot - Shona - Future Me

It’s a new year. What a great time to reflect and set personal goals. Futrueme.org is an awesome web based tool that allows students to be goal oriented which engages the students in a fun and meaningful way. In order to use this as a tool in your class, you can have the students write themselves an email to various time periods in their life. For instance, in my leader class, I had the students write a letter to their future self by the end of the semester, 1 year from now, and 5 years from now. I had them link their letters to my content area and had them copy one of their letters and send it to me the following day, so I am able to read their goals and wishes. Personal Excellence is a great supplemental resource for the students. Heads up though, Futureme.org asks for a donation after the students send their letters. This is something that needs to be discussed prior to assigning this exercise.

HOTSpot - Chris - Making Meaningful Comment Tips in GDocs

Using electronic documents has really improved the efficiency of handing out and collecting documents in my classroom, but with some trial and error, grading student work and providing them with constructive and meaningful feedback has been the biggest benefit for going “paperless.” I have to admit, at first I didn’t see the benefit of using the different choices in the heading drop down menu until Google came out with the Outline feature in Docs. By setting up my eDocs with headings tied to the outline list, I have saved a good amount of time that used to be spent scrolling to find the part of the document I wanted to make comments and grade. It is a great navigation tool that is really simple to use and requires very minimal setup. The add-on “feedback sheet” was something I discovered when I found myself making the same comment on several student documents. With some practice, I really think this tool will help provide more feedback to my students to help them improve their work. Hopefully, the creators of “feedback sheet” continue to improve this add-on.