Earlier this month I wrote about setting my students up for success. We were studying Cortes and Montezuma. The idea was to give students the information so that they could synthesize, analyze, and collaboratively create a writing to be performed in a poetry slam style. Many of the students turned the assignment into a rap – which is fine with me. The idea, after all, was to understand the information. The outcome…Success! Here’s one example – viewpoint: Montezuma
Classroom
Google Classroom: Calendar Notifications
The integration of Google Calendar with Google Classroom has been helpful. Many schools require students to have a Planner [book]. This allows students to write assignments due dates, project deadlines, and tests. Google now assigns a Calendar with each Classroom you create. Then when you create an Assignment or Question, it automatically creates an event in the Calendar. However by default, there are no notifications reminding students of the Assignment or Question deadline. That can easily be changed. And by doing so, helping to create a digital Student Planner!
Navigate to your Google Calendar or Google Classroom – About Page.
The left side lists all the Calendars. Each Classroom has it’s own. By hovering over the Classroom Calendar, a small down arrow appears. Choose it to set the properties. Choose Edit notifications.
This will send you to a new page. There are a few options on this page. Event notifications is the first choice. This allows you to send emails or pop-up notifications to all attendees (students). You can send several if you choose. Say an Assignment is due on Friday, you may want to send a notification to students 3 days before it’s due AND the day before.
You can add as many Notifications as necessary. When you are done, remember to Save.
Google Classroom: Create Question
In Google Classroom, I like to ‘Create a Question’ for quick checks or exit tickets. They are easy to create and manage. Students can read each other’s posts, comment, and have quality discussions with ‘Questions’. This is an underused tool by many who use Google Classroom. It truly is a hidden gem in this tool.
In order to create a Question, choose the + located in the bottom right corner of the ‘Stream’ section of your classroom.
Now I can create my question. I can insert a file, something from my Google Drive, a YouTube video, and/or a link to a website. I can insert as many items as needed. Since I teach 2 classes of Social Studies, I can assign the question to both classes, with files and links, at the same time. I can even set a due date. When I have my preferences set, I choose the blue ‘ASK’ button.
Next a pop-out window appears where I can allow students to view each other’s responses, or not. I can also allow students to edit their own responses. I like to allow students to comment on each other’s. This allows for discussion and opportunity for students to defend their positions. When I’m ready, I click the blue ‘ASK’ button.
My question now appears at the top of the stream.
Here’s an example we did early this year. Once the students respond, I can then grade their answers if I choose to. On this particular example, I gave the students some material to review before answering. In order to encourage open dialog, I also asked them to comment on each other’s responses.
When I’m ready to view, I can click on ‘Done’ in the Question. This takes me to the Student Response page. All of their responses are listed along with the option to grade, comment, and return work.
When I click on an individual student, I can see his/her answer and the classmates’ responses.
SLOCUE Connects – Classroom
Learn to:
- Set up your classroom
- Navigate classroom
- Invite students
- Create assignments
- Create announcements
Here are some tutorials to help you
Create Announcement in Google Classroom
First Day
Start Off Positive
We’ve all heard this, but what does it really mean? Yes, we all greet our students at the door and welcome them with a smile on our faces. Many of us have ‘fun’ activities planned in order acclimate our new students to our ways, rules, expectations, and personality. How many of us bust out the technology on the first day? How many of us have students creating something meaningful the first day?
Here’s what we did
- Wrote out all expectations (learning goals, personal goals) on sticky notes and posted them around the classroom. As a group, we read them and talked about them. What I think I will do next year: write these expectations on a Google Form, take their answers and create a word cloud using abcya, wordle, tagxedo, or tagul (my personal favorite).
- Paper Bag 5 ‘W’s – I wish I could site this, as it wasn’t my idea. I read it online somewhere. The idea is to give each student a paper bag with 5 items in it (I put in a pencil, eraser, Hershey Hug, mini candy, and a Smartee). Students answer the 5 W questions (Who, What, When, Where, Why). They then take the bag home, put in 5 items that represent them, and present it in class the next day. A bonus was, I was able to see the quality of their writing in a low-risk setting.
- Students also worked together in the Marshmallow Challenge. I modified it to fit my needs. Students used spaghetti, mini marshmallows and 4 large marshmallows. I was able to see which groups/individuals communicated, collaborated, planned, thought out, and were innovative.
Finally, each student created a Voki to tell me a little bit about themselves. This was a fun way for students to introduce themselves to me. They got to use technology, create something meaningful, and were able to view it online (and show their families). Here is my class and the other class (Mrs. Pursley).
This was a great way to begin the school year! We just finished our second week, and things are going GREAT. I am blessed with an amazing group of students. This may be the best year yet (and that’s saying something as this is my 20th year teaching).
Archive A Classroom
The new school year has just begun, and I have been asked by a few, “How do I delete all of my assignments from last year, and add this year’s class to Google Classroom?”
My answer: Archive the old and create a new classroom! It’s easy to do.
Navigate to your Google Classroom. Find the class you wish to archive. Click on the three (3) dots in the upper right corner. This will bring up a pop out menu. Here you have the choice to ‘Rename’ the class, or ‘Archive’ it.
No worries, you can always refer back to last year’s assignments in your archived classes:
Google Classroom: Save Draft Assignment
You now have the ability to upload an assignment in Google Classroom and ‘Save Draft’; and assign when necessary.
Create an assignment as usual, but instead of ‘Assign’ choose ‘Save Draft’. It will then appear on YOUR wall as ‘Draft’. When you are ready to ‘Assign’ either click on ‘Draft’ or the arrow on the right. Then click the name of the assignment, a pop-out window appears where you can see the settings of the assignment and have the option to ‘Assign’ or ‘Save Draft’. This time ‘Assign’.
Google Classroom: Invite Another Teacher
Today Google Classroom has made yet another improvement! Teachers have been wanting to share their Classrooms with other teachers. Today, Google has given us this opportunity.
Invite Another Teacher
Choose the Classroom you would like to share with another teacher. Once in the Classroom, navigate to the ‘About’ page (1.). Once there the teachers the Classroom have been shared with are located on the left (2.). Notice that the owner of the classroom is listed first. Below the teachers is an ‘Invite’ button (3.). Once this is chosen, you find the teacher you would like to share the Classroom with – within your domain. It will send an Invitation to the teacher. All they have to do is accept.
Submit Group Work
Google Classroom has made my workflow seamless. Recently I had a teacher ask how to have students, who are not document (or slides) owners, ‘submit’ work. I’ll admit, my workflow made my life a little harder. Then, one of my students – Frankie (I told him that he would get a shout out) – simply suggested having the non-owners submit the link for the assignments. So being the collaborative classroom, we gave Frankie a Class Dojo point for helpfulness, and celebrated his brilliance.
How Do Students Submit a Link?
While the students are in their Assignment, they have the option to ‘Add’, ‘Create’, or ‘Mark as Done’.
If your students have been working collaboratively on a project, they most likely have created it within their Drive and shared with others. Now, the owner is the only person who has rights to submit the document. They will do this by choosing ‘ADD’ then ‘Google Drive’ and proceed to find the project.
The non-owners, will need to locate the documents link, and be sure that ‘anyone with the link can view’.
They will then Copy this link in the assignment. However, they will choose ‘Link’ and paste the code there.
Nowa Techie 