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 - 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.

Work Faster in Google Docs with These 10 Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

Check out this great post from Better Cloud Monitor on ways to be more productive in Google Docs.

HOTSpot - Cory - formLimiter for a First Come Approach in Forms

Google Form now has an add-on that is able to automatically turn off ‘accepting responses’ when the form has reached a particular date or a specific amount of respondents.  It is an incredibly simple add-on that is sure to make tasks  like signing up or deadlines a smoother process.  Simply click on the puzzle piece in the upper right hand corner and choose what sort of limit you would like to set on the form.  

HOTSpot - Mandie - URL Linking

This election year I have shared out many articles for the kids to read. Of course, I hope that their excitement for Government will be enough to keep them accountable but that isn't always the case. I've been looking for other ways to track if they are actually reading what I'm sending and recently was reminded of Google URL Shortener. Google URL Shortener gives you the ability to not only shorten any URL quickly and conveniently, it also allows you to view analytics to see if people are really clicking on the link. The other great thing about Google URL Shortener is the ability to share the short URL through QR Code or simply copying and pasting either in Google Classroom, Twitter, email, or on a Google site. No more need to search for the URL in an email or document because your account is synced with the Google URL Shortener, so you can revisit at any time! Happy shortening!