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"One instance of how I have used QR codes in the classroom is by the use of "Clever badges." Each student has a Clever badge which is a square of paper that has a QR code with all of their login information for their Chromebook. All they have to do is show the camera their Clever badge and it scans the QR code." - (M3 assignment)

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"Another instance of how I have used QR codes in the classroom is by using Plickers. This is a form of assessment where each student is given a sheet of paper with a Plicker printed onto it. It looks different for each student. Based on which way they hold their paper, it scans as multiple choice options A, B, C, or D. The teacher can scan the whole class' answers at once with their smartphone." - (M3 Assignment)

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Formative assessment has never been faster.

Plickers is the free card activity your students will love.

Join millions and play in your next lesson.
Sign up for free
Used by K-12 teachers in over 100 countries

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Formative assessment has never been faster. Plickers is the free card activity your students will love. Join millions and play in your next lesson. Sign up for free Used by K-12 teachers in over 100 countries

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Word Art can be used to express student individual interest and creativity.

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Untitled word cloud art created by Kirstin.Peters

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Tag Crowd works similar to Word Art, you can type in words and create art from them. This can be used in various ways in the classroom and students are sure to love it.

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Create your own word cloud from any text to visualize word frequency.

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According to thetechieteacher website (article), augmented reality can help struggling readers by: increasing curiosity, increasing background knowledge, increasing excitement for learning new things, and it is engaging.

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Augmented Reality in the Elementary Classroom

Learning experiences in education are rapidly evolving as augmented reality and virtual reality are making their way into classrooms. First, it is important to distinguish the difference between these two technologies. Augmented reality (AR) superimposes a computer-image overlay on an existing environment. For instance, Abraham Lincoln's log cabin can pop up in the middle of your classroom using AR Flashcard's Abraham Lincoln app. Virtual reality (VR) is more immersive in that it takes us some place else usually by using VR goggles or glasses. An example of virtual reality would be diving deep into the ocean to swim with sharks and experience the ocean habitat using Google Cardboard's VR Abyss. Both AR and VR provide unique learning opportunities that children would never be able to experience just by reading a textbook or visiting a website. This post focuses on how educators can use augmented reality to help support instruction.

My Experience with AR

I was first introduced to AR in 2013. Tyler Hart, an ITRT I worked with in Virginia, showed me how to use the app Aurasma (now called HP Reveal) to make any image (photo, piece of artwork, student writing, ANYTHING) scannable and come to life with a video overlay. The first project I did using this app was with Mrs. Johnson's 3rd grade class in which we turned her classroom into an augmented playground for parents to interact with when they came to Meet the Teacher Night. Students created informative videos about different areas of their classroom. For instance, parents would scan the student goal chart that hung in the back of the room and a video of a student explaining how they can earn stickers for crushing their math goals would pop up. The p arents loved it. However, Mrs. Johnson was extremely tech savy so she was ALL IN....I knew I needed to start a lot smaller with the more reluctant teachers I worked with at the time. Therefore, I set out to find easy yet effective ways to use AR in the elementary setting that would peak both teacher and student interest so I could then build up to students creating their own AR experience for others.

Start Small

Good heavens almighty there are a lot of apps and digital tools available today! It makes MY head spin so I can't imagine how a non-techie might feel. This post contains A LOT of ideas. Find ONE that fits you and roll with it. For those of you who have been curious about AR but don't know where to begin, I encourage you to start small...

AR Children's Books

Using these AR books is a great place to start because you can integrate them into your reading, writing, science or social studies block. Students can hold the solar system in the palm of their hands. They can watch the main character of a story come to life and move around. They can experience a giraffe eating leaves from the top of a tree in its habitat. All you do is download the app that comes with the book and scan the trigger images that appear on each page. To see it in action head over to that blog post!

AR Coloring

Coloring??? How does this relate to academics? Well, first of all, our children need all of the practice they can get holding a writing utensil in today's digital world. Have you seen all of the articles about the decline of childrens' motor skills due to tapping/swiping and not enough time spent writing/drawing/coloring? That's SAD!!! Everything in moderation. Also, these interactive coloring pages have the potential to guide lessons for writing, descriptive words, characterization, visualizing, you name it! Quiver and Crayola's Color Alive are two I have tried out in the past. These also make great time killers for babysitters😉

There are new EDUCATIONAL AR Coloring books available that would make a great addition to the classroom:

If you celebrate Dot Day then you need to download THIS AR activity in which students design their own, unique dot and scan the sheet to bring their creation to life.

Apps (Techie Teacher tested)

There are a ton of apps for AR. Here are just a few I've tried out in the elementary classroom :

This past Friday Brad Waid met me at an elementary school here in Saline, Michigan and we went in to 2nd & 3rd grade classrooms in which Brad presented AR to the students.

He demoed a really cool app I hadn't seen before called 1600 (free) in which you can scan any dollar bill and The White House pops up with an informative narration. I'm sure many students went home and downloaded it immediately. You should have seen how their jaws dropped when they saw The White House pop up in their classroom. Here is a quick video:

He then showed us NASA's Spacecraft 3D that allows you to learn about and interact with different space crafts just by scanning a printable trigger image.

There was also some Top Secret AR goodness that Brad shared and all I can say is WOW. Technology advancements are developing rapidly..it's mind blowing.

AR Creation Apps

I asked Brad about creation tools for AR that are alternatives to HP Reveal. He said unfortunately his very favorite, DAQRI, has shut down. Metaverse was mentioned but Brad said DAQRI was the ultimate. I haven't had a chance to try Metaverse yet but it is on my to-do list! Zapworks, CoSpaces and AugThat are others I would like to try out in the near future. Do YOU have experience with these AR creation apps or know of others? I would LOVE to hear from you in the comments below!

The latest edtech craze has been the Merge Cube. They appeared in Walmart stores but weren't selling well so Walmart dramatically reduced the price to $1 per cube. That's when educators went bananas and started stocking up on these 3 dimensional soft cubes. Since then I have heard they have gone up to $7 at Walmart. What are you seeing in the stores? You can also purchase them on Amazon by clicking the affiliate image below:

Many educational apps for the MERGE Cube have already been created for the elementary classroom and they continue to create more! Keep up to date on all of the latest happenings in the MERGE for Educators Facebook group. Here is a quick video I published on my Facebook page using the Galactic Explorer app.

Kristen Brooks shared a really cool project on Twitter in which her students used the Merge Cube to make green screen videos!

- Kristen Brooks (@KristenBrooks77) April 13, 2018

I'm excited to continue to explore using augmented reality in the classroom. There is so much I still have to learn!

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Augmented Reality in the Elementary Classroom

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Learning experiences in education are rapidly evolving as augmented reality and virtual reality are making their way into classrooms. First, it is important to distinguish the difference between these two technologies. Augmented reality (AR) superimposes a computer-image overlay on an existing environment.

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This website offers augmented reality science lessons for learners of all ages. Students can interact with 3D models via AR for an immersive science experience.

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Learn Science, Master STEM, Be Future Ready. | AR/VR Learning & Creation

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Merge EDU uses spatial computing technology to allow students to touch and interact with 3D digital content. Hold anything, Go anywhere.

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Nearpod is a great learning tool for students because it is so easy to use! "I personally have used NearPod in a lesson plan I taught and have pulled up pre-made NearPods to do as a class while I substituted in the past. One way you can use NearPod to engage learners is by the "gamification" method of learning that NearPod offers. There are games such as Matching Pairs, Draw It, and Drag & Drop." - (M2 Assignment)

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"Another way you can use NearPod to engage learners is by allowing students to annotate each slide as you go through them. Allow students to take control of their learning and they will be engaged." - (M2 Assignment)

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You could use Google Slides to engage learners is by including games in your slides. Games such as Family Feud, Jeopardy, and Deal or No Deal can be included in your slides. As a former elementary student, I have great memories with playing class games on the SmartBoard such as the ones listed above.

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Google Slides Games | Tay’s Teaching Toolkit

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Free Google Slides games for foreign language classes.

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"One way that you could use Google Slides to engage learners is by creating drag & drop activities in your slides. Having drag & drop activities allow students to interact with technology and younger students LOVE coming up to the SmartBoard to complete activities." - (M2 Assignment)

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Google Slides

So often, people think of presentation slides as just that: a visual aid for delivering a presentation in front of an audience.

But these slide apps (like Google Slides and PowerPoint in Office 365) really are powerful tools for delivering interactive user experiences. They can also create visually stimulating products to deliver a message and valuable content.

By thinking outside the box with Google Slides, PowerPoint, and other similar tools, teachers can create unique learning experiences for students. Or students can create them to share with other students.

We originally curated 8 interactive Google Slides activities in this post but have found so many amazing ideas since then we knew we need to update!

Below you will find our original 8 ideas plus 22 (yes 22!) brilliant ideas contributed by the Ditch That Textbook community on Twitter in a recent #Ditchbook chat.

Here are 30 interactive Google Slides activities that use the unique features of online slide apps to create engaging learning experiences:

1. Create a PDF ebook

PDF files are about as universal as it gets. You can open them on almost any Internet-ready device. They're read-only, so publishing a PDF is a good way to distribute information to be consumed by reading. Google Slides is a great, simple PDF ebook creation tool. Create a slide presentation, change it to the dimensions you prefer, add content and finalize by going to File > Download as ... > PDF Document.

I created a PDF ebook to help you create PDF ebooks. (I hope that's not as ridiculous as it looked as I typed it.) Click here to check out a post all about it. Or, take a look at the original Google Slides file where I created it. (Feel free to make a copy by going to File > Make a copy ... but please don't click "Share" and ask for edit access.)

ANOTHER FREE EBOOK -- I wrote an ebook called "101 Practical Ways to Ditch That Textbook" as a gift to my readers. I created it using Google Slides, just like the ebooks I describe above. "101 Practical Ways" is a huge compilation of tools and tips, backed up with screenshots, icons, links and more. Click here if you'd like to get it!

2. Create an interactive "slide deck book".

This idea is inspired by Matt Macfarlane, a middle school history teacher from California. In true "Ditch That Textbook" fashion, he has turned from traditional textbooks to creating his own. He finds engaging content on the web and collects it in his "slide deck books." His students access them online and can click links to get more information. He gives students an "anyone with link can view" link so they're read-only.

3. Play a "Jeopardy!" game.

Jeopardy on a PowerPoint presentation has been a staple in many classes. It's also possible to create via Google Slides. We created this template that you can copy into your own Google Drive to customize with your own questions and answers. Keep track of the score on a whiteboard/chalkboard, on paper or through some other means.

(Note: When a question is answered, it doesn't disappear from the board. You might want to display the game on a whiteboard instead of a projector screen. When a question is selected, draw an X through it with a dry erase marker.)

4. Create another game-show-style review game.

Google Slides can be used to create lots of different games. I used Google Slides in this file to create a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" game. It was a simple one that can be played just by clicking through the slides. To create more complex games, you can create links to different slides in the presentation. (That's how the Jeopardy! game was created.)

5. Animate a concept.

Creating a stop-motion animation can be done relatively easily in Google Slides. This gives students the ability to animate and turn abstract ideas into tangible, engaging visuals. Create the first slide of the animation. Then make a duplicate of that slide. Make some small changes and then duplicate that most recent slide. Continue to make changes and duplicate until the animation is complete. Here is a link to a great stop motion science example (pictured below) showing how an electrical impulse in the body gets a muscle to contract, created by a student in Chris Baker's science class.

6. Create an "online course".

In a traditional online course, students can jump from section to section at will and progress through the pages of that chapter. There may be assessments to take as well. You can create that same experience in Google Slides. Create a slide presentation with sections of slides for each module in the course. The first slide can have links to the different modules of the course. You can even create questions on the slides for self-assessment or a link to a Google Forms quiz for a more formal assessment. See an example of an "online course" template here. (Make sure you click the "present" button if you want to "take" the course.")

7. Assess with self-grading quizzes.

Self-grading quizzes give students immediate feedback. They also let students practice as much as they'd like without depending on the teacher. You can create self-paced assessments that provide answer feedback with Google Slides. For each standard four-question multiple-choice question, you'll need five slides:

A question slide

A feedback slide for answer A

A feedback slide for answer B

A feedback slide for answer C

A feedback slide for answer D

On the question slide, for each possible answer, create a link to the feedback slide. Then, on each feedback slide, create a link to go on to the next question.

Want to see an example? Click here to see my quick one-question self-grading quiz.

8. Write a Choose Your Own Adventure story.

As a child, I loved these books, where your decisions affected the outcome for the character in the story. Google Slides lets you create similar experiences. They can be stories where the student can choose the path for the character. Students can create them, or teachers can create them for students. They can even be tied to any kind of class content. Tie the choices to answers for a question. (i.e. The character goes left if the student thinks the answer is 4.4 and goes right if the student thinks the answer is 7.2.)

I created a quick example of an impromptu, decide-on-a-whim vacation trip story where you decide for the main character. Click here to see that file (and feel free to make a copy and change the text for yourself!).

Here's another example, created by a student of Mandi Tolen's. Mandi's students tied storytelling to math problems using Google Forms. The same concept could easily be applied to a Google Slide presentation.

Get the tools, the practical ideas, and the inspiration to transform the way you use technology in the classroom!

Lesson ideas and downloadable templates

A companion webpage full of FREE resources (click here to access NOW)

Brand new PIRATE engagement hooks

Encouragement and motivation to start

Interactive Google Slides activities shared by the #Ditchbook community!

9. Create a narrated storybook.

Resources:

11. Brainstorm with digital sticky notes.

Resources:

15. Use Screencastify to create annotated movie or book reviews.

16. Make interactive Google Slides games.

A2 I've used slides lately to:
- make interactive games
- flashcards of facts (thanks to the slide randomizer tool idea I heard this week on the #gttribe podcast)
- introduce the concept of #hyperdocs for interactive lessons #ditchbook
- Julie P. Jones, PhD (@JuliePJones) September 27, 2019

17. Student reflections newsletter.

19. Have fun with magnetic poetry.

A2: Do I have to pick just one? I guess my favorite use would have to be either magnetic poetry or Caption That. Helps get the creative juices flowing! #ditchbook #shakeuplearning
- Angie Smith (@smittygetstechy) September 27, 2019

A2: So many ways to use Slides with students! A few of my favorites are for posters, linking between slides, and designing various other projects! Then, of course, all done with collaboration! #ditchbook
- Evan Mosier (@emosier3) September 27, 2019

A2 I live to give them thinking questions where we can collaborate to get an answer, I love creating differentiated lessons and allowing students to work on what they need. I LOVE creating comic books and putting them in iBooks #ditchbook
- Mandi Tolen (@MandiTolenEDU) September 27, 2019

Resources:

29. Get up and moving with a digital gallery walk.

Resource: How to Create Digital Interactive Notebooks in Google Slides

Have you (or your students) ever used slide tools to do more than give presentations in front of an audience? How? Which of these are your most likely to use?

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30 interactive Google Slides activities for classroom excitement

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Google Slides isn't just for delivering presentations to an audience. Here are 30 activities that bring interactive learning to students.So often, people