Google Classroom - The Gift of Time

Time is the universal gift!  Benjamin Franklin said - "Lost Time is never found again.”  In the world in which we live, we are always looking to add more time to our schedules, sadly,  extra time eludes us. Technology has always been a time sucker. ALWAYS! 

When we started using email years ago, it was a time sucker. The first version of web pages was a time sucker. When we first got laptops, logging onto those things was for sure a time sucker. How about the Smartboards? They were awesome in the beginning, but, a time sucker. 

Now, we have something which is NOT a time sucker. In fact, this is the first time EVER, where we can say, "THIS IS A TIMESAVER!"

Google Classroom is truly a timesaver! A great workflow solution for almost every grade, this tool can help start the transformation of learning in your classroom. Everyone has the opportunity to use this tool and for many, this year it is the expectation! (Grades 2-5, https://goo.gl/NoCZbm) (Grade 6 - https://goo.gl/2rzGpw) (Grades 7-9, https://goo.gl/6D33bZ)

Google Classroom guru Alice Keeler has an awesome site. If you want to start slow or if you want to start fast, Alice has the tips for you! This is just a sample of the last several weeks. 

60 Ways Math Teachers Can Use Google Classroom 

Google Classroom: Student Quick-Sheet Guide

Google Classroom Essentials Infographic

Google Classroom: 8 Essential Tips Infographic

10 Things That Students Want To Know about Google Classroom

5 Things You May Not Know About Google Classroom

Google Classroom: 6 Tips to Level Up

Google Classroom: Do Not Jump In The Deep End

Google Classroom: Middle Option = Collaborate

Google Slides: Collaborate in 40 Seconds

Google Classroom: Assign to Multiple Classes

Google Classroom: Hear From Everyone

In September of 2014, Alice wrote about "Getting Started in Google Classroom" and she has posted hundreds of things since that time. Her site is packed with great mini-lessons and is searchable too!

Alice Keeler is the authority when it comes to Google Classroom and her ideas can help you to become a true integrator AND most importantly, help give you, The Gift of Time!

Ditch That Textbook with Matt Miller

Just prior to our winter break, I had a great opportunity to participate in a Virtual Tech Conference. This virtual event was conducted by a technology guru by the name of Matt Miller. Some of you may have heard of Matt and his book entitled, "Ditch that Textbook" or possibly read his weekly blog.

Matt came up with this idea of conducting a virtual event and interviewing some influential technology people in a nine-day time span. At the end of the virtual conference, all of the interviews would go away. His conference would be like any other "conference" where you would attend a speaker and then once you left the session, you would only have your notes and memories to carry back with you to your classroom.

The interviews were very enlightening and a couple, like Paul Solarz and Dave Burgess were quite motivational. All of the sessions were good.

As Matt promised, the sessions did actually disappear. Apparently, there were many people like me who shared the positive messages but the videos were taken down because the conference was over. Matt has decided to reopen his conference for one more week from 1/12-1/18 and allow full access to the videos and the associated PDFs of each session.

I highly recommend trying to catch some of the sessions. Here is a link to be included in Matt's announcement mailing list.  https://goo.gl/2555P8

Additionally, if you want to read Matt's most recent blog post, I have attached that link too!
http://ditchthattextbook.com/2017/01/05/sketchnotes-of-all-9-dtt-digital-summit-presentations/

Now - you too can participate in a tech conference without ever leaving your home. The videos can be watched at any time during the week, and they can be watched in their entirety or just in snippets. Remember though,  - as of January 18th, they will be gone forever.

Don't Let Malware Get the Best of You!

Embrace the Chat

To hangout is a great thought. At the end of a long day, we would often like to just hangout. There are times when we want to hangout with our friends or go to our favorite hangout for something to eat or drink. On television, the cast of Cheers built eleven seasons around a hangout. Looking to the dictionary, we find a hangout is a place one frequently visits.  Even before technology, people have wanted to hangout!

For us, in our classrooms, a hangout takes on a new dimension. Google has helped mold the word AND the world of instant messaging into something new, something bigger, something refreshing, and most certainly another tool for use in our classroom.

In 1997, AOL Instant Messenger stormed onto the scene and people loved chatting with their friends. By 2005, AIM had around 53 million users.  Only one year later, MySpace started draining some of those users who were quick to jump to the newest and the greatest way to exchange acronyms. Facebook Chat rapidly took the front position in 2008 and today we can communicate more quickly and efficiently than ever before.

Google Hangout is now available to all staff and students through your North Penn google login! A communication tool that has become a way of life for us outside of school, has never been part of our work practice or classroom environment.  So instead of sending an email to a colleague with a quick question, send a chat!  Google Hangouts provides another way for us to foster communication.

Just as with any novelty, the mystique of Google Hangouts will fade. Put the chat to work for you throughout your day! Create a large group which includes all of your students (or your department members) and incorporate the chat into different activities. Use your chat for brainstorming or for Think, Pair, Share time. While watching a video, incorporate the chat into a backchannel opportunity. Try letting the students share strategies or evidence while using Hangouts.

To protect our students, any student in the class of 2022 (7th grade or younger) is only able to chat or hangout with others in our North Penn domain.  Additionally, all chats are logged (text, not graphics or video), if you are concerned about something that students may be saying, we can check it out for you.

So, break out of the four walls and try to incorporate a hangout where staff or students can work on projects and share ideas! Allow the students to work with other classes who might be studying similar material or working on a similar project.  Help demystify Google Hangouts, encourage its use, monitor their words, EMBRACE THE CHAT.

Apps and Extensions for Student Use

One of the joys of GAFE is the ability to download both Apps and Extensions to enhance the Chrome experience. As teachers, we have the freedom to download any app or extension of our choice. Students, however, do not have the same luxury. Currently, they are blocked from downloading both apps and extensions unless approved.

We have a system in place to help with student app and extension approval and subsequent retrieval! By simply filling out this form, you can get approval for student availability.

App and Extension Approval Link
https://goo.gl/7Gtyuj

Spreadsheet to view past requests
https://docs.google.com/a/npenn.org/spreadsheets/d/1x0Ow0k9g4XD9277fcBaojkm7vdxwFPhrk6-rpUbNvbA/edit?usp=sharing

This second link will show you what has been requested and more importantly when it was approved!
Before you request an app, please check to see if it has already been approved!

Once approved, students will need to be informed of the ability to download. If the app will be used by the entire district, it will be in "NP Recommended Apps" section. If it is not intended for entire district use, it will only be available if the student does a search in the Chrome Store.

Do you still need clarification on the difference between an app and extension? Check out this video:
https://youtu.be/ruiTqwAII-c

Want a refresher on how to get your apps on the Chromebook shelf? Check out this video:
https://youtu.be/qBTFEWUHQJo

As a final reminder, if students login to Chrome on a computer, they get a very similar experience to those on a Chromebook so if you are still using a computer with your students in school, you can still take advantage of these resources! 

Cruising to a New World

The summer is over and a new year has begun. We are all aboard for a cruise into a new world. In 1501, Amerigo Vespucci set sail to ultimately discover that South America was a separate continent from North America. Can you imagine the thrill, the sheer excitement and exhilaration of this explorer and his crew? We are all aboard to discover a new world. In this age of Digital Exploration, WE are the Vespuccis, the Cabots, the Christopher Columbuses and the Sir Walter Raleighs of the world. The crew, which is joining us is made up of young people of all ages and abilities. They are excited like never before. There is a fresh sense of eagerness which is palpable in the classrooms. This time, it is up to us to guide our ship through the unknown waters of laptops, iPads, and Chromebooks. The crew is more than ready and our knowledge of the vast sea is dwarfed by task at hand. We are the captains of the ship and our crew depends on us. We will discover new lands! We will have hardships! We will have storms! We will have successes! And through it all, we WILL discover new lands.

Amerigo Vespucci did not give up. He did not always know what the next day held for him and his crew. Amerigo kept sailing and kept looking and kept his spirits high. His crew depended on him! Today, this week, this year, our crew depends on us. They are excited for the journey into the unknown. Teaching is not always easy and technology is not always easy, but for us, it is the success of the students which drives us to be better. It is the smiles, the stories, the challenges, and the daily interactions which help us stay fresh. With our new crew, and our new technologies, we will all be successful. And most importantly, we WILL discover new lands.

Discover new pieces of information today...

GAFE Portal Configurations for Students - Great resource which addresses multiple GAFE questions.

If You Give a Student a Computer...

…he’ll want some Internet to go with it.

If he’s a digital citizen he’ll go to YouTube and be mindful about the types of videos he watches.

He’ll stumble across a great video about how to build a server to play collaborative games with his friends.

His friends will join his server based game and collaborate on strategy about how to conquer the bad guys and save the world.

His parents will see him playing games and make sure that the games are educational and that time on the computer is regulated.

At a party over the weekend, his parents (who model digital citizenship for their children) will talk to others about the collaboration and responsible behavior the students use when they are on-line.

The students will text their friends to invite more to the game.  More students will join the game, more parents will talk and post Facebook pictures of their great kids being responsible online, and more parents will guide their children to be digital citizens when using computers.

Students will come to school prepared to use collaborative technologies and schools will create programs for students to take computers from school to home…

And chances are…if you give a student a computer…he’ll need some Digital Citizenship to go with it.

(Adapted from "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" by Laura Numeroff)

I hope my communications have heightened your awareness of the elements of Digital Citizenship this week.

One last tip…power down, get some fresh air and enjoy the weekend!