Edmonds Digital Learning

Save time with this new tip from Google tools! You can now open any of the Google Tools by typing the name of the tool and .new into a browser tab. So open Chrome and type: - docs.new for a new document - slides.new for a new slide show - forms.new for a new form or quiz - and sheets.new for a new Google sheet Or watch the video to see the shortcuts in action. Credit to the Google Docs Twitter account for inspiration. 

Today’s Meet (a very cool back channel for Q&As in the classroom) is shutting down June 16, 2018. If this is a tool you’ve used in your classroom or presentations, I’d like to recommend using the Q&A session feature in Google Slides as an alternative. This will allow your audience to ask questions and even vote on the questions they would most like answered. Another one of my favorite tools for getting audience feedback is Answer Garden . This easy-to-use tool allows your audience to brainstorm and give feedback online. If you’re interested in using either one of these tools, please contact your Instructional Technology Coach for a side-by-side learning session. If you have another favorite tool you use for audience questions and/or feedback, please share it in the comments!

Knowing about Google Apps for Education (GAfE) and Google Docs is one thing, but how do you use the tools to enrich learning?  Check out these ideas from Matt Miller’s blog, Ditch that Textbook . Visit Matt Miller's Blog “10 Google Slides activities to add awesome to classes” provides several ideas for activities that can easily be adapted into a variety of grade levels or content areas.  Google Slides is similar to PowerPoint, but it is much easier to collaborate on projects because multiple people can be working on the presentation at the same time. “10 ways YouTube can engage your classes now”  provides some unique ideas on how to incorporate YouTube into lesson beyond simply pulling up and watching a video.  YouTube videos are also the only videos that Google Slides enables to be uploaded directly into a presentation. “The Google Classroom Quick-Start Guide + tips and tricks!”  and “12 great ways to start using Google Classroom now” provide ...

As access to technology increases in the classroom, teachers are looking for ways to use these tools with their students. One of the benefits of using GAfE is the ability to collaborate in addition to working independently.   Visit  GAfE in the Classroom:  Instructional Ideas  in order to access some ideas on how Google Documents, Presentations, Spreadsheets, Forms, and Sites can be used in the classroom. If you are looking for detailed lesson plans, check out some lessons that are provided on the Google Apps for Education site. These are only a few suggestions, keep in mind the possibilities are endless.  Have fun exploring!