Students use Google all the time. They use it because they are trying to find an answer. Researching is an important skill to teach students. It aligns with the common core standards, so it is a skill that must be taught.
During my science, social studies, or reading lessons we are constantly using the internet to find information. I align researching skills to our content in class. Also, my students have been working on their genius hour projects, so before they start on that it's important to build foundational research skills before letting them lose.
If you aren't familiar with Genius Hour here is a quick video that explains it!
Not only are resarching skills important, but also knowing the features of a Google search!
So here are some researching tips to help keep it more efficient and effective:
1. Use quotation marks for an exact phrase. This allows the search to find only resources that have the words exactly in the quotation marks.
2. Use a hyphen to omit certain words form a search
3. Go to books.google.com to search words in books rather than online resources.
Here is a great cheat sheet about different Google search shortcuts and tools! Google Search Cheat Sheet
Here is a great video that demonstrates some of these tips and tricks:
Symabloo is a great tool to use to put all your bookmarks in one place. What I love about Symabloo is that it is a kid friendly site. You can create icons for all the websites your students use. You can create "webmixes" for different subjects or units. I have created my own Webmix of different websites my students use often.
Here is an example of one that I will be using with my students:
Here is a great video that describes and shows you how to create one!
I have also created a guide to Social Media in schools. Please take a look to see my favorite social media tools for the classroom and what we need to do as educators to make social media safe for our students.
Teachers can not function effectively if they are not organized. In the past 5 years of teaching, my organizational tactics have changed greatly. My first two years, it was important that my file cabinets and desk were organized. However, now it is my computer that must be organized!
My school has gone 1:1 with iPads for our students. We are encouraged to use less paper, so most of our students' assignments are on the iPad. There are many tools to help keep teachers organized and also save time.
In the last few years, how people save things to computers or tablets has changed drastically. You can now get onto to any computer or tablet and your files and folders could possibly be right there!
You might ask yourself, HOW???
The answer is Google Drive. Google Drive has many components to it, but to put it in simpler terms: it is your hard-drive that can be accessed anywhere with internet. Educators benefit from this for many reasons.
1. You are able to access lessons, resources, and notes from anywhere. You don't have to be in your classroom!
2. Google drive allows you to collaborate. You can share folders, files, etc. with students and your colleagues. For example, my team and I are building a unit in science for forces and interactions. We are all adding resources and lesson plans to the unit without being in the same place.
3. No matter how many computers and tablets you have, all your files are stored in one place!
Here is a video that helps you get started as an educator:
My favorite features as an educator are:
1. Google Forms - This a great way to send students questions. It might be a quiz, test, exit ticket, or just a poll for the classroom. The teacher can receive immediate feedback from students. Below is an exit ticket I have created for my students on a math lesson. I am able to alter my lessons based on the feedback the students give me.
2. Google Slides - This tool is very similar to PowerPoint. However, students can share with each other, so both students can add to the presentation at the same time. I love using this feature for presentations in my classroom.
3. Shared folders - This feature allows me to share notes and resources with my students easily. I have a folder named "Math Notes." My math notes are automatically backed up to my Google Drive, then students have the ability to access this folder to read my notes. This is perfect for when students are absent.
In the world of technology in education, I tend to get overwhelmed by how many apps and websites offer similar features, and I'm sure my students do to. My school purchases many different resources for our curriculum. We have some through several different publishers. Here is a list of the many websites and apps my students could use daily and what they would have to do:
Math: Log in to hrw.com, type in your log-in and password, complete the assignment
Reading/ELA: Login to connected.mcgraw-hill.com, type in your log-in and password, complete the assignment
Social Studies: Login to teachtci.com, type in your username and password, complete the assignment
Istation - practice reading and math for 20 minutes during rotations
Prodigy - Play the game and take the assessment
Xtra Math - go to the website and play the game for 10 minutes
The list goes on and on and on.... During the day, they need at least 5 different usernames/passwords for all the resources we could use. However, there are tools to consolidate the notes, assignments, and grades to all one place! It is called a Learning Management System. It's a great way to help students not feel overwhelmed by all the resources they could use. A few examples of learning management systems are:
Google Classroom
Edmodo
Schoology
There would be no reason to use all three, so here a few items about each one to help you decide what you think might be best. Google Classroom vs. Edmodo vs. Schoology
In my school we use Google Classroom. I use Google Classroom to post discussions, assignments, polls, and quizzes. It is very easy to attach items from Google Drive. Students would have to create a g-mail account in order to use Google Classroom. As a teacher, you can grade and give students feedback on assignments. You can also see who has completed the assignment and who hasn't. Here is a quick video that shows you what Google Classroom has to offer.
Edmodo is another great learning management system. This website or app is very user friendly. It has more of a social media feel rather than another website. The layout looks very similar to Facebook which might engage the students in using it. Different features it has is creating classes, posting assignments, sharing folders, and creating polls or quizzes.
Schoology (last but not least) is a learning management system very similar to Edmodo. It has a very similar look to Facebook as well. There is an extra feature on Schoology and that is creating courses or groups. Courses would be used for your classroom, but you could use the groups for possibly a club or connecting with parents. You can also grade with a rubric and it has a gradebook feature.
All of these learning management systems are great! I encourage you to explore them and decide which would work best for you and your students!
When working on an assignment for a class that I'm taking, I had the opportunity to explore Diigo. Diigo is a tool that helps save, annotate, and bookmark websites. Diigo also allows you to share your bookmarks with others. As a student taking graduate classes, this resource is perfect for researching, taking notes, and outlining the resources. However, this resource could be used for many ways in the classroom as well!
I found this great video that helps describe different ways to use Diigo in the classroom.
Here are a couple ways I will be using it in my classroom: 1. Using Diigo for Genius Hour
In my own classroom students have been working on a genius hour project. I thought Diigo would be a great way to check in with students. I created a group within Diigo, so students can share the articles they have come across for their driving question. Also, Diigo is a great tool for them to highlight and annotate the articles.
2. Supporting a claim and using text evidence
I am always looking for ways students can find articles to help support a claim they are making, and share their resources with me. Diigo is a great tool for students sharing their resources they are using, but also highlight the text evidence that helps them create a paper or support a claim.
3. Group Projects
Students will be able to easily share resources through Diigo for group projects. Also, no matter the computer or tablet they are on, they are able to see their bookmarks!
My school district provides us with many opportunities for professional development throughout the year. We are able to collaborate with other teachers in the district, attend Edcamps, and read new books together. I am so lucky I have this opportunity to share the lifelong learning culture with coworkers. However, sometimes the best professional development I am provided with is through blogs! Blogging is a great tool to learn new ideas, activities, and innovative methods for the classroom.
Reading blogs can be time consuming especially if you have to type in each url to find your favorites. There is a perfect tool to have all of your blogs in one place. It is called Feedly! Feedly allows you to follow any blogs you want, and it stores them all in one place. You can categorize the blogs into the different categories you enjoy. It updates and lets you know the ones you have read and haven't read. Another feature is the search option, you can search for different topics, or you can search for a topic in only the blogs you follow. I recommend Feedly to any user of blogs. It is an efficient way to use Blogging to help manage your time especially if you are an educator like me!
Here is a great video to help you get started with your own Feedly account.
Communication with parents, students, and community members
is easier than it has ever been for teachers.One of my favorite ways to communicate with everyone is through a
website! Google sites has a very easy and FREE way of creating a website as a
teacher. I have created a Google website for my parents and students to view
regularly. It has announcements, Google docs we use everyday, and also many
resources I use in the classroom.
Another great way to use Google Sites is for a student's portfolio or for a unit or project. Google sites has great advantages over Wix and other websites because it is user friendly. Also, it makes it very easy to add a Google doc, form, and calendar.
Here is a tutorial to show you how to get started!
There are many great technology tools out there that bring Earth to life. A couple tools to use in the classroom are Google Earth and Google Tour Builder! They are similar, but still very different at the same time.
Google Earth is an application that you can download to your computer. Follow the link above, and you can use it on the web, mobile device, or you can download it to your desktop. Here is a video that gives a beginner a tutorial on how to use Google Earth.
Google Earth is great way to explore different parts of the world. It helps engage students' learning, and it brings places to life more than just a picture. There are several great resources and websites to help you plan an activity with Google Earth in your classroom.
Another great tool to bring Earth to life is Google Tour Builder. Google Tour Builder reminds me of a mix of Google Slides and Google Earth mixed into one great resource for a teacher. It makes a presentation of different locations. It is a very easy resource to use to create a presentation that brings places to life. Here is a tutorial of how to create a Google Tour.
I have created a Google Tour for my Social Studies class this year. The purpose of my tour is to get the students excited about Ancient Civilizations! Here is the link to my Google Tour.
It's very easy to share your Google Tour Builder with students or colleagues. Here are some other resources I found for teaching and Google Tour Builder:
I think Google Tour Builder can be better than Google Earth because there are set locations, descriptions, videos and pictures that can be added to every location. Your students will love this application!
I am a 6th grade teacher who teaches all subject areas. One of my favorite subjects is social studies. The 6th grade ancient civilizations curriculum is fascinating to me. The students get to explore civilizations from all around the world and different time periods. However, when planning a field trip to help my students make connections to the curriculum doesn't always come easy. Most of the ancient civilizations we study are across the oceans. Google has a great app to help students explore these cultural sites without taking a bus (or a plane). The app is called World Wonders Project. It brings places around the world to life.
The World Wonders Project has hundreds of locations and archaeological sites that can be explored. Here is a screen shot of different areas that can be explored on the site.
This is one way you can explore the World Wonders Project. You can click on any site that is shown. Another way is to search based on the time-era. You can also search by an event as well.
I think this is a great tool for educators because students can take a virtual field trip to see these different sites. Also, artifacts can be easily analyzed as well.
Here is a tutorial about the Google World Wonders Project that I found helpful for explaining the site!
One of my favorite parts about the app for educators is that it has many great lessons and ideas. If you follow this link, it will take you to guides for using the app and also many great lesson plans to use with your students!
I feel that I am not the only teacher to say this, but I LOVE Post-it notes. There is something about writing my to-do lists on a note, and crossing it off once I finish a task! However, as my district moves more towards a paperless school and our students having 1:1 iPads, it is important that the teachers implement this in their classrooms. I want to encourage my students to be more comfortable with not using paper, so this means I need to be comfortable not using it as well. There is a perfect app for taking notes, creating to-do lists, or even creating a voice memo! It is my own tech version of Post-it notes! The app is called Google Keep. (Click on the link to get started!)
This a short tutorial to introduce you to the different types of notes you can create.
Not only is this a great tool for myself, but of course for my students! I have not had my students use this app yet, but I look forward to introducing it to my new students in the fall. I have done my research, and started using it myself. One of the great features is color coding your notes. I think this would be perfect to have a certain color for each subject. This will help my students stay organized, but it also makes their notes more exciting to look at. I plan on using this app for my students to stay organized with their homework. They can create to-do lists, and check off the task once they are finished. This will be a great tool to use in the fall, and I can't wait to keep you updated on how my students and I use it!
I'm always looking for new ways to cut down time on grading. As a 6th grade teacher teaching all subjects, grading takes time. I don't mind spending time at home grading in the evenings or on the weekends, but sometimes in class I need feedback QUICK! Especially when I am giving students a formative assessment, I need to know what students need more instructional time and practice. Using Google Forms is the perfect trick!
Step 1: Create your Google Form.
When you get to your Google Drive, click new. Google Forms will be under "more".
There are many different types of questions you can put on a Google Form. You can use multiple choice, true/false, matching, etc. Add as many questions as you like!
Here is an example of my own Google Form for a math formative assessment.
Step 2: Create a spreadsheet of responses
First, you must take your own assessment. You will need to do this step because your answers will take place as the answer key.
You will see on the top of your Google Form a place that says "responses". Click on that!
At that point you will need to click on the the green spreadsheet button. This spreadsheet will collect all of the students' responses.
The spreadsheet will look similar to this image.
Step 3: Get Flubaroo!
This add-on was brand new to me, but it was so easy to figure out! First you will click add-ons on the top of your response sheet. After, you will see the add-on flubaroo and click the green button. You will need to have your response and a few student responses to start.
Once you have Flubaroo, you will click add-ons then Flubaroo. You will see "grade assignment." Depending on what type of assessment you had, there will be different ways to grade the assignment, but it is simple to figure out!
This video helped introduce me to the wonderful tools of Google Forms and Flubaroo.
These tools are perfect to help you quickly see how your students are doing with concepts and assessments.
There are so many other reasons to use Google Forms however. I have used Google Forms for a survey, for a classroom sign-up, and a quick exit-ticket! The possibilities are endless.
Also, it is simple to post or embed to a website or blog. Here is an example of an app-request form I had my students fill out when they were wanting to download a new app. I had it posted on my Google Site, and it worked great for me to see different apps they thought would be beneficial to their learning!
As a 6th grader teacher, research projects are an important part of our curriculum. Helping my students find the right sources for the research can be a difficult task, but Google has a perfect solution. Anyone with a Google account can create their own custom search engine. This a perfect tool for teachers, so you know what sources your students are looking at. Also, it's a great tool to lead them to the right information. The best part is that it's very simple to do!
My 6th graders create a research paper and presentation about biomes during our ecosystem unit. We have great discussions on reliable sources, and where they should be getting their information. This helps my students take a step in the right direction without directly giving them the sight.
Here is a great tutorial that gives a step-by-step guide of creating a Google custom search engine.
Here is an example of my own biome search engine. I used several student friendly sites, and narrowed down the searches to .edu sites. I'm excited to see my students use it for their research projects!
E-mail is simply the best. Within seconds, anyone can type up a message and it will be received and read on a computer, smart phone, or tablet! E-mail has changed the way teachers communicate with faculty, parents, and their students. Email communication is so easy, and Gmail makes it even better! At my own school, the faculty uses Outlook, but every opportunity I have, I will use Gmail. I am lucky to have 1:1 iPads in my school, so Gmail is readily available to all of my students. There are many different ways I use Gmail in my classroom.
Ways I use Gmail in the classroom:
Sending out our homework planner daily
Newsletters to parents
Classroom reminders to students and parents
Students will communicate with one another through Gmail
The first step is to make an account if you don't have one! Click here to set-up your very first Gmail account! Your life will be forever changed.
One of my favorite things about Gmail is how easily it allows you to stay organized. On a typical day, between my work e-mail and personal account, I received 100+ e-mails a day. Important e-mails can easily get lost in the shuffle of all of the spam e-mails. I like to prevent important e-mails from getting lost, so I flag e-mails in different ways to help me organize my clutter filled inbox. Just like cleaning off my desk, organizing my e-mails makes me feel so much better! Below is a tutorial that will help you learn ways to flag e-mails. Also, Gmail allows you to organize your incoming e-mails into categories such as social, promotions, and primary.
Here is an image of all the different flagging features you can use in Gmail!
Another feature I enjoy is the chat option. It makes communicating easier especially when you know there will be shorter messages to a recipient. Here is a step by step tutorial of how to start chatting with a contact of yours.
Lastly, another feature of G-mail that I use daily is creating a contact group. This makes sending e-mails to parents, all students, and small groups easy. Rather than typing in every name, you can just create a group and type in the group name when you compose an e-mail. Here is a step-by-step guide of how to create a contact group.
1. In the upper left hand corner - go to contacts.
2. Once you are in contacts, click new group and give it a name. This will be on the left hand side of the page.
3. You will then want to add people to your contact group. The button will be on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Once you type in the contact name, you will have your first person in the contact group. You can add as many people as you want into the contact group!
Here is another webpage that has many tips and hacks for using Gmail!
I'm excited to be writing my first post on my blog. I'm a frequent blog reader to help educate me on new things to use in my classroom, so I'm excited to be on the other side and creating one!
I am an avid google chrome user. I enjoy having everything in one spot, and google chrome does that for you! If you don't know a whole lot about Google Chrome here is a video to introduce you to some great tips.
There are many advantages of using Google Chrome rather than another browser. As a teacher, my whole life is on chrome, and I can access it anywhere. I have my calendar, lesson plans, and drive all in one spot. No matter where I'm at, I can access my life. If you haven't tried Google Chrome, try it out!
Here is a screen shot of some of my favorite apps to use from Google Chrome that I keep all on my home screen.
