Day 1: 12 Days of Google - "Blogger: The ITRT Cloud"

I always like to wrap up my last tip before we all depart to be with our families by saying Merry Christmas and thank you for being such awesome professionals to work with. I consider it a true pleasure to work alongside educators that pour their heart into what they do daily.  On this last day before Christmas break, I bring you a recap of all of my resources.  

The tool that I used is Blogger.  The ITRT Cloud is a blog maintained by the LCPS ITRT team. Please subscribe to the blog to you will continue to hear about great tools throughout the year.

Day 2: 12 Days of Google - "Google+"

Do you use Instagram, FB, Twitter, or Pinterest?  Well, how about a social media outlet that offers professional resources?  Google + is just that.  A social network to learn more about Google and to share what you are doing (with other educators).  I have found great classroom activities, articles and Google updates through Google +.  Give it try and if you are looking for communities to join and things to follow just look at my page.

Day 3: 12 Days of Google - "Build with Chrome"

This is a repeat for any of you that remember last years 12 days, but it is a noteworthy Google tool. Build with Chrome is basically online Legos that gives students the ability to build 3D scenes from a story, architecture from history, geometry, patterns, STEM projects and the list goes on.  There are three applications within this website.  You can go to “Build Academy” and complete courses, you can “Explore” other builds on Google Maps, or you can “Start a Build” and make your own creation. Students can use their Google account to save and share their work.  Have fun building!

Two on Tuesday: Classroom Updates, Santas, and Slides Animation

1. How convenient for Classroom to share updates today so I can include them in my Two on Tuesday blurb! Included in the updates are additional grading and sorting options. With the title "saving time while grading" how can you resist? Click here to read all the details: http://googleforeducation.blogspot.com/2015/12/new-in-Classroom-saving-time-while-grading.html 

2. Here is a fun pre-Winter Break website. "Santas Around the World" uses Esri to show how the Santa character has evolved over the years and how he varies around the globe. http://esripm.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=eaa0878861784ebf9fea9e8505904cd0&webmap=3e746185d2de462eb7fd3b3ff54d5175. Click here and here(see a 2nd grader's project!" to learn how to create your own similar project using your school Google account and TourBuilder.

A little add-on... for those of you that still holding on to using Office by default, check out this 450 slide presentation created solely in Google Slides (similar to PowerPoint). Yes, you have time... the video is less than 2 minutes and very impressive! 

http://quietube7.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt9F7tKcZcU&feature=youtu.be

Enjoy your Winter Break!

Day 4 : 12 Days of Google - "Google Hangouts"

Google Hangouts is Google’s version of Skype or FaceTime.  It is a video conferencing tool. Imagine all the places your students could go or who you could invite into your classroom.  This would even be a great way for parents to be able to see what is going on in the classroom.  Maybe someone can’t make a parent conference or meeting, try a Google Hangout instead. What better way for students to practice their oral language skills and show what they know then scheduling a hangout with another class across the country or even across the world!!

Here is a great getting started guide for teachers and here are some good curriculum ideas. As with all of these tools I would be glad to help you implement 21st century learning strategies into your classroom.

Day 5: 12 Days of Google - "Google Phone Apps"

Now that we have talked about a lot of the Google tools, how about you simplify the way that you access them.  Here are some free Google phone apps that might just make your life easier. I use the Google Drive app to backup the photos on my phone so I don’t continually get the message that I am running out of storage. (Make sure you use your personal Google account if you plan to do that).

iPhone	Android
Chrome Web Browser	Chrome Web Browser
Docs, Sheets, Slides	Docs, Sheets, Slides
Drive	Drive
Classroom	Classroom
Photos	Photos

Day 6: 12 Days of Google - "Calendar"

Do you ever feel like you are forgetting a meeting or have you forgotten a special birthday? Many of you use Google Calendar for everything, some just for schools stuff, and others just when they need to sign-up for the computer lab.  In case you didn’t know you can have personal Google calendars (birthdays, appointments, church events, sports,music lessons, work schedules, etc.) and your school Google calendar all visible in one place.  I would be glad to show you how it works for me.  

Here are two ideas on how you may want to use Google Calendar for school.

1. Parent Communication log (private) - every time you write a note, email or call a parent add it to your Google calendar for documentation.
2. SOL’s and Quiz/Test calendar (public) - this would be a great calendar to put on your website and let parents subscribe to it.  Then they always know what you are teaching and when tests and quizzes will take place.

Day 7: 12 Days of Google - "Forms"

If you have been deleting my 12 days emails STOP! This is a tool that everybody (I mean EVERYBODY teachers, IA’s, secretaries, admin) can use.  Google Forms are those cute little questionnaires that you see everyone sending out (like the surveys and RSVP to staff events).  If you ever need to get info from a group of people Google Forms is what you want to use.  Whether it be an RSVP to the Christmas Party, feedback on a program you planned, or you might be putting together a lunch order for your team. Watch this quick video on how to create a Google Form…..it is very simple.

There are also a lot of great classroom implications.  Some of the things I have seen teachers use them for is formative assessments, Exit Ticket, access prior knowledge before a new unit is started, self paced lesson that includes video and links to websites to research. What a great way to keep students engaged up until the final bell on December 18th?

Day 8: 12 Days of Google - "Add - Ons"

Extensions and Apps and Add-Ons…...it probably all starts to run together in your mind.  It took me a while to get them all straight.  Add-Ons are tools that you “add - on” to docs, sheets, or forms to perform an extra task that Google doesn’t already have the capability to do.  Here are some add-ons to try:

1. Google Docs Add-Ons: Highlighter, Open Clipart
2. Sheets: Flubaroo (it grades your quiz for you), Data Everywhere (link Excel Data and Google Sheets data)
3. Forms: Form Limiter (limit the number of responses, this is great for RSVP’s) Form Notifications (get an email about responses or send an email to the responder when they submit the form)

Two on Tuesdays... Reminders & Notes & an Amazing Tech. Series

1. Today I tested an add-on that allows you to plan emails in advance to remind yourself and others about upcoming events or to-dos. Here is a brief video (3 minutes) explaining the Add Reminders add-on available in Google Sheets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGP1HXaoGik

I tested this out today to see what would issue might occur knowing our division uses Outlook instead of Google email. It was not a problem. I set the reminder to email a day before tomorrow's event and set it to send an email to my work email address and my personal one. It arrived in both places; not the prettiest of emails but it serves the purpose:

Teachers can use Add Reminders easily to remind themselves about tasks that are coming up but don't require immediate action.  For example, setting a reminder to update your website each month or a reminder to make an appointment for later in 2016 that you can only make three months out would be reasonable uses.

2. I am very excited by this one, probably because I find it fascinating that it works. You need to try the Note Anywhere extension in your Chrome browser. It allows you to put a sticky note (or multiple ones) on any webpage you visit. Those sticky notes will be on those pages the next time you visit that page unless you delete them off! Here is what the actual extension site looks like (where you can change the color of your notes in Settings, can see a list of your notes in Notes Summary, etc) and another of a sticky in action on a webpage. 

I think Note Anywhere would be a great tool for both teachers and students to make notes as they read online articles that they may need to refer back to at a later date. Or if you are creating a presentation for PD, your notes could serve as reminders for yourself, tips for your audience, or even as a cover for information you don't want to share.

Day 9: 12 Days of Google - "Google Classroom"

I know I have a lot of “favorites” but I am serious this time when I say Google Classroom is my all time favorite Google tool.  I mean it is a free learning management system that all of our students have access to.  It is a great way to go paperless.  Your students would rather complete an assignment on a computer than on paper.  Here are some assignment ideas for Google Classroom:

1. Sort your spelling words (template)
2. Editing Sentences
3. Watch a Video (YouTube, BrainPop, United Streaming) on a topic and answer questions on a Google Doc
4. Formative Assessment (exit ticket, 5 question Google Form)
5. Slideshow - students can show what they know through a presentation

If you have been using Google Classroom and grading assignments and giving feedback, you will be glad to know that you can export all of your grades!!  Here is the blog post with more details.

Day 10: 12 Days of Google - "Slides"

Google Slides is Google's version of PowerPoint.  I have started using Google Slides for a few reasons. One reason is that it is naturally collaborative. If you make a slideshow in PowerPoint and email it to your team you now have 5+ copies of that Power Point.  If you make it in Google Slides and share it with your team one slideshow exists and everyone can edit it or just view it, whatever you prefer. The biggest benefit, however, is creating resources that you can easily share with students via Google Classroom. Google Slides is simple, which in turn yields cleaner presentations.  

My all time favorite option that I like about Google Slides is the ability to publish announcements and pictures to a Google Site in just a few clicks.  Then you can just edit the slideshow and the changes are automatically reflected on your web page.  

I have an example on my webpage.  Let me know if you would like to learn how to do this for your web page!

Day 11: 12 Days of Google - "Apps"

Chrome Apps are applications that will run in the Chrome browser.  Apps are different from extension in that extensions are tools that attach to the browser whereas apps are usually websites that will run in Chrome.  You access apps the same way you access extensions.  Go to the Chrome Web Store and add them. Then you can access them from the "Apps" button on the top left-hand corner of Chrome. Here are some apps you might want to try for yourself and your students (at the bottom is a picture of all my apps)!

1. Canva - Become a graphic designer and create beautiful posters, post cards, banners, flyers etc. in a matter of a few clicks. (I made the banner at the top of this post in less than 5 minutes with Canva.)

2. PiktoChart - Create Infographics (digital anchor charts)
3. Newsela - Unlimited access to hundreds of leveled news articles and Common Core–aligned quizzes, with new articles every day.
4. We Video - Make and share videos using this online video editing software.
5. Hello Sign - Sign a document digitally and then submit it via email.
6. PowToon - Easily create animated presentations.
7. Google Keep - digital Post-it notes that you can access from any device

Day 12: 12 Days of Google - "Extensions"

Each year, on the last 12 days before Christmas break, I share a daily tech tool, website, or tip that you might find useful.  The topics will vary, but my hope is that there will be at least one tool that everyone can use in the next 12 days.  This year’s topic is “12 Days of Google.”

On the 12th day before Christmas break my ITRT shared with me - Chrome Extensions!  What is a Chrome Extension you might ask?? Well it is a little program that modifies the Chrome browser to add some functionality that you might not normally have with an Internet browser.  So if you are not consistently using Chrome, make it your New Year’s Resolution to switch!

In order to find a chrome extension, you have to go to the Chrome Web Store.  If you find an extension you like just click add to Chrome and it will show up in the top left hand corner of your browser. The Web Store consists of Apps, Extensions, Games, and Themes.  For today’s tip we are going to focus on extensions.  Here are some of my favorite extensions, let me know what your favorites are.

1. One Tab - When you find that you have too many tabs open simply click “One Tab” and it will funnel them all into one list.

2. Craft Text - Do you ever need to display text quickly or you want an announcement to be displayed for everyone to see?  This can be a lot of fun for student recognition or reminders.

3. Grammarly - We love spell check so why not add a grammar check too.  It will keep you from making errors in email, social media, or anything else you publish online.

4. goo.gl URL Shortener - Do you hate those long URL’s?  Why not shorten them to share a link with your students or in an email to colleagues.

5. Tab Glue and Tab Scissors - These two kind of go together.  Tab scissors splits your tabs into two separate windows and tab glue puts them back together when you are finished.

Two on Tuesday: Twitter/LiveBinders & an Exit Ticket

1. In previous years, I have mentioned using Twitter to gather ideas and expand your professional learning network... no actually tweeting required. If you haven't tried Twitter, consider trying this 12-Day challenge (starts today!). 

  http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1875291#moedchat

While you are visiting the link, you may want to look at how this challenge is hosted. LiveBinders is a fabulous tool for organizing information online. It feels comfortable to many because it structures your online information in a way that is similar to how many of us organize offline... via binders & tabs! You can also browse binders others have created. To explore LiveBinders, click on the LiveBinders icon, in the top left corner, after following the above link.

2. Do you use Exit Tickets? This is a fun one! You can download it and open it in Google Docs (okay, Word too) and edit the text to fit what you are doing in your classroom.

http://ukedchat.com/resources/wsr00034/

Let your ITRT know if we can help you with any instructional technology endeavor!

Two on Tuesday: Calendar Update & YouTube Collaboration

Greetings!

1. Have you ever noticed that an even has gone missing from your Google calendar OR have you ever accidentally removed the wrong event but didn't catch it quickly enough to undo the error? Google Calendar has recently added a “trash” feature so those events that have been deleted (accidentally or intentionally) can be added back onto the calendar in just two clicks. Click here for a short video showing how to find the trash icon and how to replace your events.

2. YouTube is an excellent resource for videos to enhance instruction and is part of our division’s Google Apps for Education suite (you can easily login with your school Google account). One feature of YouTube that is extremely helpful in organizing content is the ability to create playlists, allowing a user to store content in categories as the user sees fit. But added to that, there is a collaboration feature within playlists so colleagues can work together to build a YouTube library.This short video shows you how to create a playlist and begin collaborating with others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgjDdhAWBrg

Contact your school's ITRT with comments, questions, or requests for assistance!

Multiple Google Accounts & Videos

1) Do you have multiple Google accounts and often want to toggle between them?  Sometimes sharing a browser between two different accounts can work well and sometimes, well, it flops. I have been known to both use and suggest to others the process of utilizing Chrome for one login (example: my school Google teacher account) and Firefox for another (example: my school Google student account). I also am guilty of regularly toggling using the "don't" process in this video, which suggests a better method of sharing your computer between multiple Google accounts: http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/youre-doing-it-wrong-how-to-manage-multiple-google-accounts/.  

The video is very easy to follow... clear and not too fast that it is overwhelming. I do want to add that the one part that did not work for me in the video was when I clicked on my name in the top right corner of Chrome and clicked "Switch Person"... I did not have the option to add a new Google version of me. The alternative that did work was to click on the three little lines in the top right corner (red arrow) and then add a person on the settings page (blue circle). As she states in the video, Google works best in Google so keeping everything Google  in Chrome is ideal... the method in the video is my new go-to one!

2. Technology appears to, and often does, move at such a rapid pace that it is hard to keep up with it all. Relying on showing a movie via DVD and, going back even more, finding a VCR to show a VHS tape, are no longer the most convenient options, if even feasible at all. If you have not already explored video options in United Streaming (your school librarian can help you with an account if you do not have one already), YouTube (keep on the lookout for a PD session on YouTube to be offered soon by the LCPS secondary ITRTs), or in BrainPop (see your ITRT for the school password), please do so as you work your way through your curriculum this year. Here is one more tool for your toolbox you may wish to utilize: http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/. You can browse by topic, grade level, and/or standard!

PBS LearningMedia PBS Learning Media Home Page ... Travel back to 1989 to relive the fall of the Berlin Wall and witness its impact ... Read more...

Enjoy! Contact your ITRT if you have any questions or suggestions!

Top 10 Google Goodies

Recently, a group of LCPS teachers attended a the Suffolk Google Summit hosted by the EdTechTeam and learned TONS of new Google stuff! Here is one teacher's recap of the top 10 extensions, apps, add-ons from the summit.

Interested in attending a different Google Apps for Education Summit? Look here!

Two on Tuesdays... Chrome Browser Tips & Legos!

1. You may not need these three tricks often but when you do need them, having them at your fingertips can be very helpful. 

●      If you ever accidentally close a tab while browsing in Chrome (this happens often to me when I have a zillion open at a time), if you hold down Ctrl-Shift-t, the last tab you closed will reopen. You can continue to do this and open other previously closed tabs. The "undo" button in Google Docs/Microsoft Office has always been a necessity in my life and this shortcut is right up there with that!

●      If you right-click on a tab in Chrome and choose "Pin Tab" and then you can no longer close that tab by accident ~ no more black x.These tips work as long as you have that Chrome experience open.

●      The Chrome extension OneTab will take all your open tabs and put them in a list for you in your browser. All thirty tabs you had open instantly become one… a nice way to clean up a cluttered screen and help free up computer space (RAM if you are technical) so your machine runs more efficiently.

2. Want a less expensive, not-painful-if-you-step-on-one, and neat way to have your students use Legos? Or are you a Lego fan? Try this online version and see what you think! https://www.buildwithchrome.com/  You can play without attaching your Google+ account (and for our students that will be how they will have to use the site as they do not have Google+ enabled).

Did you recognize me in the picture above? I created an avatar and can now have my avatar share all types of messages all through the extension Bitmoji… she can say hi, give praise, show disappointment, whine, say thanks, etc.  It is a fun way to add some spunk to items you share (this is not one I would recommend for student use, as you will see if you try out the options, so I suggest keeping your avatar-making methods secret).  

Two for Tuesday... Google Drawing and Forms

Greetings!  I was able to attend a GAFE (Google Apps for Education) Summit this weekend and I have so many new things to share... it is so hard to pick just two! If you ever get the opportunity to attend one of these conferences, I highly recommend you do so. You will leave inspired!

1. Google Forms is getting a facelift. If you haven't been asked to switch over yet, you will likely get a notification to do so in the coming weeks. If you don't want to wait, you can go here and force the switch: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6281888?hl=en .   (Experienced users: From what I have heard the form add-ons you are working may not yet be available in the new forms, yet. The add-ons in the resulting spreadsheet are still available. You can currently toggle between the old and new version; see the link above for all the details).

Conference tip: I attended a session on using Google Forms for assessments. This presenter, a fifth-grade teacher, creates her assessments with each question on a different page (easy to do in forms) so the test more closely resembles the SOL testing format and so students don't freak out when they see the length of the test. She indicated that keeping the question count hidden helped keep the students calmer and focused. She also mentioned she often uses the check-box type questions to practice TEI questions because more than one correct answer can be selected.

2. The session I attended on Google Drawings was fantastic and I will share more down the road but in a nutshell, Drawing is so much more than the Paint program you may be envisioning. It can easily be used for creating signs, posters, illustrations, graphic organizers, website headers, and so much more. To create a new project, head to your online Google Drive and choose "New" and then "More" and select Drawing. Or, if you are looking for premade materials, take a look at these useful items: Graphic Organizers & TEI for Math/Reading (I only know the "owner" of these files is listed as Tim Grant... I found the site pinned in Pinterest. If anyone finds out if there is a more specific URL I can share, please let me know.  Also, for my LCMS colleagues, the above materials are saved in our LCMS shared folder.).

Enjoy!