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Tecnologie Educative e regia Dida...- Mappa Mentale - Schema

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Do It Yourself Tecnologie dell'Apprendimento e della Conoscenza, Utilizzare i Video, Gestione della Classe, Indicazioni e Controindicazioni Le Tecnologie Ed...

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Creare una classe virtuale per condividere

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Blended learning is not a new concept. It's been around for a while. Better and more affordable softwar e solutions and improved internet access means more educational institutions are implementing blended learning solutions. Blended and elearning isn't 'good' just because it is digital; it needs to meet student needs and learning goals.

Even on a budget and with limited resources, any educator can look at implementing some level of blended learning. Blended learning can help create a more individualised and flexible learning environment. Free Google Apps put blended learning solutions within everyone's reach, whether or not you're in a Google Apps for Education (GaFE) school. And you don't need to be an IT expert to use them. You also don't need to have the latest and greatest hardware and operating systems to use Google Apps.

Here I've collected four Google Apps that are easy for beginners to start using as part of a blended learn environment. I've included some ideas on how you can use them and links to resources to get you started.

But before that, maybe we should talk about.....

...what is blended learning, anyway?

1. Google Classroom
Only available as part of Google Apps for Education
Available on iOS, Android, Chromebook and full Chrome browser (Windows, Linux, Mac)
Okay, this one might be a no-brainer but no discussion about Google Apps and blended learning would be complete without including Google Classroom.

Google Classroom is described as:

...a free web-based platform...[that] makes it easy to create classes, distribute assignments, communicate, and stay organized. Teachers can quickly see who has or hasn't completed the work, and provide direct, real-time feedback and grades right in Classroom.

https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6020279?hl=en

Google Classroom is a very strong ally in creating a blended learning environment. As well as distributing, monitoring and marking assignments, you can share resources, post a quick question to the class and view results (great for checking understanding), and create and monitor discussions. The great thing is it allows you to share any clarifying questions or comments with the whole classroom.

Once you understand the basics, Google Classroom can be a useful tool to help you implement and manage differentiation.

It is very easy to create your first class and assignment and to have students join, especially if you have your class setup in Google Groups.

Look at the post Google Classroom Goodies for more on using Google Classroom - from the basics to pro tips.

How to access Google Classroom

Log into your GAfE account.

Go to the following website:
http://classroom.google.com
2. Google Sites
Available free with any Google account, including Google Apps for Education
Editing functionality best with full Chrome browser (Windows, Linux, Mac)
View Google Sites on any device using Chrome Browser
As great as Google Classroom is, if you try and cram too much content in, it can become cluttered and unwieldy. If you want to share content, Google Sites is a great way to do it. It is easy to create a simple site even if you've never created a website before.

Google Sites is described as:

... a structured wiki- and Web page-creation tool... People can work together on a Site to add file attachments, information from other Google applications.

It is a great way to keep all relevant content related to a class in one place and makes it easy for students to stay up-to-date. You can easily organise different topics or modules into different 'levels' on your Google Site and develop it as you go. It also allows students to work at their own pace, provides opportunities for you as the teacher to include formative assessments and to easily make available extension tasks for students who need to be challenged.

As well as embedding other Google apps and YouTube videos, you can also embed other media into your Google Sites. I often include Prezis and Zaption videos, allowing me to use and curate existing content rather than having to create everything from scratch. You can also include the Google Classroom calendar on the site to help students keep track of due dates or a quiz using Google Forms.

Google Sites are also a great way for students to present evidence of learning and portfolios of work. Just like Google Drive apps, Google Sites can be collaborative.

And you don't have to know anything about web design to use Google Sites. Try the Beginner's guide to creating a site if you'd like some direction.

Not sure where to start? Create a page with a YouTube video and a Google Form with a few questions to check for understanding. Instant (well nearly) online mini-class!

Web design purists like to criticise the limitations and quirks of Google Sites but I have found no quicker or easier way to create websites as I need them.

How to access Google Sites

Login to your Google account.

Go to the following website:
http://sites.google.com
3. Google Slides
Available free with any Google account, including Google Apps for Education
Editing functionality best with full Chrome browser (Windows, Linux, Mac)
Apps with fewer features available for iOS and Android
Ahhhh, Google Slides. One of my (almost) daily go-tos. So versatile, so easy to use and a great way to introduce blended learning practices.

Google describes Google Slides as:

... an online presentations app that allows you to show off your work in a visual way.

Google Slides can be used as part of a blended learning solution in several ways:

Google Slides can be embedded into a website or blog (like the one above in this post). They are easy to use and easily allow the insertion of links, videos, diagrams, etc.

Google Slides is part of the Google Drive suite.

4. Google Forms
Available free with any Google account, including Google Apps for Education
Editing functionality best with full Chrome browser (Windows, Linux, Mac)
View Google Forms on any device using Chrome Browser

Google Forms offer a lot of possibilities, from the basic to the complex. The great thing is you don't have to be a guru to get started with Google Forms which is the reason I selected it as part of my easy-to-use blended tools list.

According to Google:

You can plan events, make a survey or poll, give students a quiz, or collect other information in an easy, streamlined way with Google Forms. You can create a form from Google Drive or from an existing spreadsheet that can record the responses to your form.

Google Forms is so easy to use that you could set up your first short quiz in 5 minutes even if you've never used Google Forms before. Your students answer the questions and these are saved in a Google Sheet for you to review the answers. If you are part of a GAfE school, you'll now exactly who has (and hasn't!) taken the quiz.

Take it to the next level and add images and YouTube videos and have students answer questions based on those.

You can even create self-grading quizzes with a free add-on called Flubaroo. Another use for Google Forms is creating branched learning scenarios where students are directed to, for example, a video or link depending on their quiz responses.

However you choose to use Google Forms, part of its power is that you can quickly and easily check student understanding, apply any required intervention and keep track of progress and student development.

Of course, this would be part of a wider blended learning and assessment process.

Google Forms is part of the Google Drive suite.

So what are you waiting for? There's no excuse to not start blending today!

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Blended learning is not a new concept. It's been around for a while. Better and more affordable software solutions and improved internet access means more educational institutions are implementing blended learning solutions. Blended and elearning isn't 'good' just because it is digital; it needs to meet student needs and learning goals.

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I am a huge fan of G Suite for Education (formerly Google Apps for Education) after many years as a staunch Microsoft Office user. No, it doesn't mean I have left the Microsoft offerings behind completely but I am finding more and more I am looking to Google Drive solutions first.

G Suite makes technology so much more accessible by

doing away with the need for software licenses and heavy duty hardware. It also makes available powerful collaboration tools and makes sharing so easy. My perspective is education, particularly adult and secondary, but many of the ideas can be embraced in other environments, too.

Google Apps can help facilitate both differentiation and efficiency. Sure, there are limitations but Google are constantly evolving the platform. I'll be honest, there are still times I turn to Microsoft PowerPoint in particular but I am constantly surprised at how much can be accomplished within the Googleverse.

Here I hope to bring together practical tips and ideas, both my own and from others, to help you along with your Google Apps journey.

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Ed TEch, Educational Technology, GAFE, Google Apps, Google Apps for Education, Google Drive

Student driven projects are a great option for evidence of learning in K to 12, vocational and higher education. They are increasing in popularity because projects:

provide a practical application of skills and knowledge

allow students to pursue activities that interest them and are relevant to them

can be big or small

can be cross curricula

can be collaborative or individual (or both)

can encourage active learning

can connect to real life

allow for flexibility to meet individual learners' needs

can produce proof of learning for assessment purposes

Projects have moved beyond the posters with glued magazine cut-outs of yesteryear (not that there's anything wrong with them when you're mixing it up!) to activities that can potentially have a real community impact.

Projects are not the same as project based learning (PBL). You'll find an excellent table comparing the difference here.

About the project planning template

The template is designed to be general and flexible to allow for wide applications to many different types of projects. It has been created in Google Slides so you can change the template to suit your needs. It covers the areas of:

project proposal

project plan

project review (reflection)

The template is specifically based around the Australian accredited unit VU21324 Plan and undertake a project. However, it can be used to meet many worldwide educational standards including:

Australia

Australian National Curriculum

state curriculum

VET qualifications including CGEA and Foundation Skills (FSK)

United States of America

Common Core Standards

state and district standards

Canada

United Kingdom

Republic of Ireland

It is fairly simply designed, with an interactive navigation menu and some instructions which should be removed when using the template.

Accessing the FREE project planning template

The link below to the template is VIEW ONLY. This means you will need to create a copy IN YOUR OWN GOOGLE DRIVE to be able to edit the file and share the file with your students. To do this use the following menu path:

File > Make a copy...

Click here to access the FREE project planning template.

Ideas for using the template in your class

Customise the template to meet your specific purpose/outcomes before distributing to your students, e.g., add your own instructions, add and delete sections, etc.

Split the template for group projects so that part of it is completed as a collaboration and part of it is completed by each individual student.

Distribute it as part of an assignment/portfolio of work in Google Classroom.

Encourage students to personalise the presentation to suit their personal tastes.

Encourage the use of multi-media as well as text. For example, interviewing members of the project team and including the video in the presentation, photos of the project artefact, etc.

Encouraging attempts that may fail but lead to learning that can be recorded in the project document.

Sharing of project documents with the school community and parents and carers.

Can be used on any platform supporting Google Slides, e.g., Chromebooks, Windows, Apple, iOS, Android, Linux.

References
Why Teach with Project-Based Learning?: Providing Students With a Well-Rounded Classroom Experience https://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction The Difference Between Projects And Project-Based Learning
The Difference Between Projects And Project-Based Learning

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Google Slides is one of my favourite educational technology solutions and recently I discovered another extremely useful feature. As an educator, I often want to show my classes just part of YouTube clip. That might be because only part of it is relevant, there is not enough time to show the full clip or it may contain content that might be confronting and I would rather give students the choice to view it if it is not essential for the lesson.

So I've messed around with a number of different solutions - none of which seemed to work effectively, much to my frustration. And then, quite by accident, I found out I could set start and end times for YouTube clips embedded in a Google Slides presentation. What a revelation!

See below for full instructions.

Instructions

Open your Google Slides presentation and insert your selected YouTube clip.

Right click the YouTube clip in your presentation.

From the pop-up menu, select "Video options..."

You will see 2 fields where you can enter where you would like the clip to start and finish.

And that's it! Below is a short video tutorial showing you how it all works.

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It seems everybody loves a freebie! The Google Slides free writing j ournal with picture prompts from a few weeks back has been a big hit. Hopefully it's being used, shared and modified in classrooms around the world.

For this freebie, I thought I'd move beyond language arts and in to STEM (science technology engineering maths). Once again using Google Slides, I have created an interactive, digital workbook based on the scientific method. I like the flexibility of layout in Google Slides which is why it's probably my most used app.

STEM activities lend themselves to multimedia, as do Google Slides. The workbook has been set up to encourage the inclusion of multimedia. This can either be audio, video and images found online or those created by students as they research and complete their experiment.

The digital workbook can be used as a digitised version of a traditional workbook or can be used as the springboard for a hyperdoc. A hyperdoc is a:

...carefully crafted digital lesson plan...[that is a] visually engaging and packaged learning experience...[for students to] create, collaborate, think critically and connect.

http://hyperdocs.co/about_hyperdocs
I highly recommend the above website for more ideas on utilising hyperdocs in the Google Classroom and for lots more great freebies!

What's included in the FREE digital workbook

Created in Google Slides so you can create your own copy to modify and share

An interactive menu to navigate the workbook

A slide for each of the following areas:

Problem

Background research

Hypothesis

Health and safety

Experiment

Results

Conclusion

Instructions on what to include in each section

Links to more detailed explanations in the speaker's notes

Placeholders for multimedia and links

The screenshot below illustrates the typical structure of each slide:

Accessing the FREE digital workbook

The link below to the template is VIEW ONLY. This means you will need to create a copy IN YOUR OWN GOOGLE DRIVE to be able to edit the file and share the file with your students. To do this use the following menu path:

File > Make a copy...
FREE Google Slides scientific method digital workbook: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z8g3bqRH7hSZ4h8BTHPvfX8Fcj2_4ILEQyHSIPZlEO4/edit?usp=sharing
Ideas for using the workbook in the classroom

Can be used with any STEM activity.

Best suited to middle to high school students but can be adapted to all ability and age levels - for example, for student requiring more support, create and add your own mini-YouTube video explanation.

Can be used individually or as part of collaborative projects.

Can be used across platforms including Chromebooks, iOS and Android tablets and smartphones. (Not all features available on all platforms).

Use with Google Slides tablet and smartphone apps so students can capture video and photos of their own work into the digital workbook.

Take photos of experiment setups using Google Slides on tablet or smartphone and label using the desktop version (including on Chromebooks).

Encourage students to personalise the workbooks to match their own style.

Record results data in Google Sheets and insert charts into the Results page.

Use the Doctopus add-in to create a copy of the workbook for each student.

Provide teacher or peer feedback using comments.

Distribute the workbook to students via Google Classroom.

Can support science fair projects.

Can be used as evidence of learning as part of project based learning (PBL).

Embed finished workbooks in your school website to share with parents, carers and the community.

References

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml

https://18670-presscdn-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/scientific-method-graphic-organizer.pdf?sfvrsn=0

http://barnett.nebo.edu/sites/barnett.nebo.edu/files/Scientific%20Method%20Graphic%20Organizer.pdf

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One of the most popular posts on this blog in one which shared a number of free Google Drive templates. Clearly, many educators around the world are looki ng for easy-to-use and flexible resources to use in the Google classroom. So I thought to myself - why not offer more free templates!?!

I did a search on Teachers Pay Teachers to see what the best sellers were. Many were around reading and writing. Whilst I wouldn't claim that the freebie I created is of the same rigour or quality as those best sellers, I thought a writing journal with picture prompts would be a handy resource for many educators using Google Drive.

There is both a blank template and a template with picture prompts. These have been created using Google Slides because of the flexibility of the layout options.

The links below to the templates are VIEW ONLY. This means you will need to create a copy IN YOUR OWN GOOGLE DRIVE to be able to edit the file and share the file with your students. To do this use the following menu path:

File > Make a copy...

FREE Google Slides writing journal template with picture prompts:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nPbXAvzE0FM5NS_YWV1P5oM_2a_ettoYG3bNpajlz_E

FREE Google Slides writing journal template with blank layouts:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Hivyjx7bRqPnFyOnUsGLEHakzVkc-63pNimr9tSSUiE

These templates are in US Letter size as the overwhelming majority of users of my other templates are based in the USA. This does not mean they cannot be printed on A4 paper as most printers do a good job of scaling between US Letter and A4. It is based on the ebook template I created a while ago - click here to find out more about using Google Slides to create ebooks and to get the template.

How to use the writing journal in your classroom

You can be as structured as you like when using the writing journal. However, depending on your students, it may be helpful to just allow students to write without too many restrictions and conditions. Sometimes, too many rules can discourage students.

Use the Doctopus add-in to create a copy of the picture prompt writing journal for each student and have regular free writing sessions.

Distribute the template to students via Google Classroom.

Use the prompts to encourage students to explore a specific literary element that is being taught in class. For example, genre, adjectives, hyperbole, etc.

Provide teacher or peer feedback using comments.

A great way to document development in writing skills.

Encourage student ownership by having each student contribute a prompt in the blank template and then share with the class as their writing journal.

Customise and include other writing prompts, for example, YouTube videos, links to news items, etc.

Select each students' best work, combine into one ebook and distribute as a PDF.

Can be used across platforms including Chromebooks, iOS and Android tablets and smartphones.

Can be adapted to be used in any language classrooms to develop written language schools.

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Recently I read an interesting article by Christopher Pappas, 8 Tips To Foster Knowledge Sharing Through Online Learning Communities. In the article, the writer looks at ways that online social and collaborative experiences can enhance learning outcomes and improve knowledge sharing in a corporate environment. I was inspired to look at how these strategies might be used in a K-12 environment using Google and G Suite for Education (GSfE) solutions. Of course, the same ideas can be applied to vocational and higher education environments as well. Also, many of the ideas can be implemented without having G Suite for Education (however, you will need access to G Suite for Education to use Google Classroom).

Below is a presentation giving an overview of the strategies and the corresponding Google tools. Read below for more details.

Before you start...

Before you start, you need to think about a few things with regards to your online learning communities.

Who will be part of the community? For example, your class, multiple classes, the whole school, the wider community, etc. It may be that there are multiple online learning communities that are used for different purposes

What is the purpose of the learning community? What are you hoping your students will gain from the experience?

What are the terms of use? It is very important that all participants agree to and understand the community guidelines. These should be simple and clear. Look at the post Collaborating for success with Google Apps for ideas on developing a suitable framework.

Understand which tools are available to you and which aren't. For excample, Google+ and Google Collections are not always made available in GSfE environments and the terms of service do not allow access to people under the age of 13.

Idea 1: Online forums and groups

Online forums and groups are not a new idea and these can be useful for students to share questions, opinions, knowledge and resources and for teachers to communicate to the whole class or smaller groups. The idea is to create a forum or discussion around a specific topic.

Google tools for forums and groups

Google Classroom allows for posting in the class stream. However, this can get a bit messy although the labelling and filtering feature can make it easier to find topics in the stream.

Google+ Communities is essentially a social media platform and allows discussions and threads. You can control who has access to a Google community. There is a search function.

Google Collections is a feature within Google+. It is a bit like Pinterest. However, only one person can own a collection and post new items to the collection but other users can comment on items in the collection. For more on using Google Collections, see the post 5 tips for using Google+ Collections at school.

YouTube allows for commenting. If you or your students upload videos and mark 'Unlisted', only people with the link can view them and comment on them.

Idea 2: Collaboration projects

Working on projects together with peers helps build belonging as well as developing communication and teamwork skills. The good news is many Google tools were made for collaboration!

Google tools for collaboration projects

Google Drive, particularly Slides and Docs. One student or the teacher creates the file and then invites the other group members to edit the file. The built in revision history feature makes it easy to see who has done what.

Blogger is a powerful and often overlooked tool. You can make your audience and collaborators as wide or as narrow as you like.

Idea 3: Peer-based learning teams

This is an important emerging concept, the idea of learning to learn. Peer-based learning teams encourage students to create individual learning goals and place students in teams to support each other in achieving their goals.

Google tools for peer-based learning teams

Google Hangouts allows students to 'get together' on line to provide feedback via video, audio or messaging.

Google Drive, particularly Docs and Slides, allows students to document their goals, progress and barriers with the comments feature enabling the peer team to provide assistance, feedback and encouragement.

Google+ Communities allows the peer team to create a private community to provide and ask for support and feedback.

Blogger allows for the creation of a blog shared only amongst the peer learning team. Students can share their learning goals and progress as well as commenting on the posts of others in the group to provide feedback.

Idea 4: Micro-learning library

Ditch the outdated text books! As students learn about a topic and become emerging experts, create a crowd sourced 'learning library' of resources that can be used by current and future students.

Google tools for a micro-learning library

Google Drive (Docs, Slides) can be a handy repository for useful links, just give students editing privileges to the file.

Google+ Communities is a useful way to share resources, documents, pictures, etc, providing a preview and allowing for a description. Students can search for specific information using the search feature.

Blogger is an easy-to-use repository for many different kinds of resources including links, written information, embedded videos and Google Drive files.

YouTube allows users to collaborate on playlists and create a repository of videos relevant to a particular topic. Click here to learn how to add collaborators on a YouTube playlist.

Google Classroom allows users to share links to the class stream, allowing the sharing of resources. If you use Google Chrome, the Share to Classroom extension makes it even easier to share a relevant webpage. Be careful of cluttering up your class stream.

Idea 5: Learner blogs

Learner blogs can help document the pathway to knowledge and skills development. It allows the sharing of useful knowledge with peers and provide proof-of-learning. They are multi-modal, allowing students to express themselves in different ways.

Google tools for learner blogs

Google Sites are easy to use and allow users to easily combine text, embedded videos, images and Google Drive files. It is easy to create attractive websites but the features are limited at the time of writing.

Blogger is a traditional blogging platform (as the name would suggest!) You can take control of how wide the audience is (down to individual users) and allows for multimedia as well as text.

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What are QR codes & why should you care?

QR code is short for 'quick response' code. It is a type of bar code that can be scanned by a smartphone or tablet that has the required app installed needed to interpret the QR code. QR codes are being used for:

manufacturing

tracking items

promotions and advertising

product labelling

QR codes in education have been on the fringes of 'emerging' technology for a while. There are some educators who swear by them and use them in interesting ways to create engaging and effective learning experiences. Now, Google have added a feature to the Chrome app on iOS allowing users to scan QR codes without needing an extra app! This is great for users of G Suite for Education and educators operating in a locked down tech environment that does not allow you to add apps to iPads or iPods.

The great news is QR code technology and ideas are not hard to understand and there are plenty of resources and ideas to have you up and running today. All you need is an iPad, iPod or iPhone and an updated version of Chrome (plus a teeny pit of prep/printing).
Note: other operating systems can also scan QR codes but you will need a separate app that will scan the code.
Using QR codes in the classroom

The good news is many educators have shared their ideas and resources on using QR codes in the classroom so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Below is a Pinterest board of resources to get you started.

One of my favourite QR code activities is the scavenger hunt. It can be used across many subject areas and gets students up and moving.

Scanning QR codes using Google Chrome (iOS)

If you have an up-to-date version of the Chrome app on your iOS device (iPad, iPod or iPhone) you have everything you need to start scanning QR codes - no separate apps needed.

There are 2 ways of accessing the QR code scanning feature in Chrome:

3D touch of the Chrome icon (newer devices)

Using spotlight search and searching for 'QR'

The short video below takes you through step-by-step on using both of these methods.

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Gamification and badges in education have been ideas floating around for a few years now. Some educators have jumped on the band wagon only to abandon the concept soon after. Often, one of the obstacles to effective implementation is proper technological support (1). The good news is Google Forms is a relatively simple (and free!) tool to help implement gamification elements into education.

What are "badges" & "gamification "?

Badges in education and the idea of gamification is one way teachers can help motivate students in the classroom and help students keep track of effort and achievement.

Gamification can be defined as:

the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals.

Source: https://badgeville.com/wiki/Gamification

The idea is much like the concept behind the Scouts movement - achieve something, earn a badge. Many popular video games also use a badge system, and many of our students enjoy and understand this way of measuring achievement. So it makes sense to use a badges systems in the classroom.

To find out more about using badges in the classroom, have a look at this article:
http://www.edudemic.com/guides/the-teachers-guide-to-badges-in-education/
Automating gamification & badges in education on a (very!) limited budget

Gamification and badges in the learning environment has been of interest to me for sometime. However, within the learning environment I have been working with, the concept would be very labour intensive to implement and track. While playing around with Google Forms, an idea came to me - surely Google Apps script could be used in a self-marking quiz to send a badge to a supplied email address if a certain score was achieved in the quiz?

So I wrote an algorithm and found some potential providers on Fiverr.com. I contacted them to outline what I wanted. Within hours I had settled with the wonderful Riyafaahf who provided me exactly what I wanted in less than a day.

And below you'll be able to grab the code and instructions for yourself.

Automating badges in Google Forms

How it works

The student completes a self-marking quiz in Google forms and provides an email address. If the student achieves a certain mark, they will receive a badge via email.

Here is a simple, sample quiz for you to try out and see how it works (don't worry, I won't ever use your email address for anything else):
https://goo.gl/forms/9CPFp5Kc4VJFQlV92
What you will need

Access to Google Forms (either through Google Drive or G Suite for Education)

Student email addresses (they do not have to be Gmail)

An image for your badge (this will be emailed to the student should they achieve a certain score) saved to your Google Drive

The code on this page

The file ID for your Google Sheet where quiz responses will be collected and the file ID of the badge file (don't worry, getting these is easy - see the video if you're not sure)

Devices for students to respond to the form (works well across most platforms including smart phones and tablets)

Planning

It might be a good idea to start off with a smaller topic area with a few quizzes (and badges). This allows you to test the waters and the technology. Your badges with be based on the required student outcomes.

It might also be a good idea to think about what you would like students to do with the badges they collect. One simple idea is having each student create a simple eportfolio in Google Slides to save their badges in.

Tips for setting up your quiz in Google Form
Watch video tutorial for visual step-by-step instructions.
You need to save your Google Form as a self-marking quiz and make sure the responses are being collected into a Google Sheet.

Make sure you are collecting email addresses. This can be done by asking for an email address in the quiz (use data validation to ensure the address provided appears valid) or selecting the option to collect email addresses in a G Suite for Education school.

Mark all questions as "required".

Select "Make this a quiz" in the form settings.

Go through each question and add your points and select the correct answer.

Adding the "Send badge" code
Watch video tutorial for visual step-by-step instructions.
This adds the badge 'magic' - sending the badge to the student's email once they submit their responses.

Below is the code, ready for you to insert your information. You will need to copy it, paste it into your Google Form Script Editor and replace the variable information with your information.

If your browser does not select the code automatically, select all the code from line 1 to line 21 and copy it.

To paste the code into your form:

Go to your Google Form

Click on the 3 dots at the top right of the screen

Select select <> Script Editor...

File > New > Project

Paste the code

Give your project a name

Replace variable information as required (see table below)

Click on Resources > Current Project's Triggers

Click to add a new trigger. The triggers should look as follows (should be the default):

Review and authorise permissions

You will need to change all or some of the following information for the variables (depending on how your form and spreadsheet are set up). The table below should help you work out what you need to replace.

Line number

Variable to replace

What to replace it with

Test your form
Watch video tutorial for visual step-by-step instructions.
Make sure you test your form before you unleash it on your students. Use the preview button to respond to the form. Check to make sure you get the badge when you answer the right number of questions correctly and you DON'T get the badge when don't get enough questions right.

Sharing your form
Watch video tutorial for visual step-by-step instructions.
Once you've tested your quiz and everything is working okay, you are ready to share! You can email a link or provide a written link. I find the Google Forms URL shortener pretty clunky so I usually use bit.ly and create a custom, easy to understand URL.

Video tutorial: Automating gamification in education with Google Forms

Other helpful resources

12 free badge images:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/12-Free-Badge-Images-for-Classroom-Gamification-2954231
Over 120 editable badge images (paid resource):
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There are lots of different ways to use Google Drive apps in the classroom. Google Slides offers many possibilities. One way of using Google Slides in the classroom is developing digital student workbooks that include different types of activities. You can take a static, paper based, black and white worksheet or workbook and make it interactive and colourful, incorporating different ways of engaging with information and demonstrating understanding.

Items you can include in your digital workbook include:

words and images (I know, obvious)

multimedia including YouTube videos

links to other resources

short answer activities

drag and drop activities

extended response activities

links to a quiz in Google Forms

links to a Google Classroom

collaborative activities

student portfolio

The ability to create drag and drop activities is particularly appealing. Below is a short video tutorial showing you how to create drag and drop activities in your workbook that prevent student from accidentally moving the wrong elements on the page. This is done by using the "Slide > Background image" feature of Google Slides.

Advantages of digital workbooks with Google Slides

Free!

Reduce paper.

Easy to distribute via your preferred method. For example, email, Google Drive sharing, Google Classroom.

Does not require G Suite for Education (just Google Drive).

Can differentiate by developing different versions for students aiming to achieve at different levels.

Ability to incorporate different learning activities.

Free sample digital workbook

Below is a link to the sample workbook shown in the video. Feel free to make a copy for yourself and use it as you like:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1z9sfkNXCYxebr1Fe8U1A7dtuGIDzuD7RATBXnixgXuw
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Like many educators around the globe, last we ekend I had the opportunity to participate in Google's virtual "Education on Air: It takes a teacher" conference. There were options to "attend" the event in Australia and New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the Americas. I chose the Australian event (being Australian) and it was refreshing the hear presenters speaking my "language" educationally.

However, whilst the contexts were Australian, the key messages were universal.

3 key take-aways from Education on Air

technology is not a cure for ineffective educational systems and poor pedagogy

the importance of student voice

balancing consistency with flexibility and meeting learner needs

Essentially it is about moving towards the ideal, learner-centred environment that combines student ownership, personalised learning, mastery based learning and positive relationships between peers and educators. The focus of the sessions was how G Suite for Education was being used by educators to help achieve this.

Below I have outlined ideas from 3 of the sessions I found most useful, along with the videos of the sessions.

Meeting the needs of 21st Century learners - Google Classrooms, Learner Agency and Universal Design for Learning

"Rather than finding a digital educational cure, [Dr. Kentaro Toyama] came to understand...technology's 'Law of Amplification': technology could help education where it's already doing well, but it does little for mediocre educational systems."

Dr Kentaro Toyama in Time Magazine.

This session was presented by Claire Amos, Deputy Principal, Hobsonville Point Secondary School.

This school is unique as it is a "greenfield", planned school. Twelve months was spent on research, the designed space and pedagogy, including technology.

The mandate was rethinking what secondary education is and expecting teachers in particular to let go of their preconceptions. The key tool for their blended learning solution is G Suite for Education and, in particular, Google Classroom.

The schools approach to curriculum has 3 components:

1. Learning hubs - "home room on steroids". Idea of "learning coach", the students' "important adult" at school.

2. Learning projects - two thirds of every Wednesday focused on long term projects. Tend to be community based - "we not me".

3. Learning modules - both stand alone and integrated subjects. Working with colleagues across curriculum areas.

Hobsonville Point Secondary School have kindly made available their E-Learning Best Practice Guide which is available here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SRFj3JYLUabd2pjHNSRVVRQMyAycQJCJTTZnp9o0WlI/edit
While many of us do not have the luxury of a 1-on-1 or a purpose designed school, the ideas can be implemented in most learning environments that have access to some technology.

Claire identified that, for their students, the key is a balance between consistency in delivery (students know what to expect and how to access what they need) and student voice and student choice (multiple modes of engagement and expression). Google Classroom is the tool which helps meet these needs.

Below is a video of the session.

Xavier High School - From DER to Freedom

This session was presented by Ben ThomasTwitterg, Learning and Digital Pedagogy Coordinator, Xavier High School Albury.

("DER" stands for "Digital Education Revolution", a now defunct government program in Australia.)

This school's approach was to leverage available funding and create a medium term plan to benefit the school and students with specific, measurable goals.

The school transitioned from Win PCs provided under a government funded program to Chromebooks after an extensive trial. The affordability of Chromebooks vs PCs meant they could go to a 1-to-1 environment and could update the hardware every 2 years. This means they could maximise access to G Suite tools. Because not all students have access to Internet at home, it is important that the G Suite tools were available offline on the Chromebooks.

The school's goal was to improve literacy and numeracy using technology tools, in particular Chromebooks and G Suite for Education. Data supports that this has happened although time did not permit an explanation of exactly what technology helped achieve this.

G Suite is also used for organisation at the school, e.g., substitution lessons and teacher absences.

Below is a video of the session.

Using Google in the Student Engagement context

This session was presented by Ian Thomson, Director of IT and Timothy French, Director of Student Engagement at Amaroo School.

The school is a public school in ACT (Canberra). The school offers Years 6-10, and has 1000 students. The specific case study presented looked at the use of G Suite as part of a student welfare solution. The school has a diverse student base and needs.

The school has a "student tech team". This team development a Google Site as a student engagement site. The aim of the site was to provide an opportunity for students to empower themselves and access what they need for their wellbeing and education. Students designed, proto-typed, tested and refined the site. An important note is that students built it but they cannot access the data.

The advantage of using G Suite to help manage student welfare - engagement, pastoral care and behaviour is it is something students already use and are familiar with. The school is using G Suite to:

- to communicate opportunities to all students.
- reach more students.
- empower students.
- allow communication from parents.
- staff resources to help with student welfare.
- access welfare services.
- triage tool, predominately for mental health.

Some students may be more likely to engage with services through technology in the first instance.

The idea can easily be implemented in any school and personalised to fit the needs it's students.

Below is the video to the full session.

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One popular current trend in education is the conc ept of the flipped classroom. The flipped classroom can be defined as:

... a pedagogical model in which the typical
lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, while in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects, or discussions.
https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7081.pdf

Below is an infographic with some tips on 'how to flip a classroom' along with potential benefits to flipping your classroom. Of course, G Suite for Education provides excellent technological tools to assist in blended learning and flipped classrooms. Some ideas:

Share content including video through Google Slides, Google Collections, Google Sites and Google Classroom

Evaluate learning using quizzes in Google Forms

Create learning communities using Google+ and Google Hangouts.

One of the advantages of using G Suite for Education to flip your classroom is its cross platform compatibility - whether iOS, Apple, Windows, Android, Linux, Chrome OS (and possibly dome others I may have missed!)

However, it is important to be conscious of the 'digital divide' - some students may not have access to the Internet at home which means they cannot prepare for class under a flipped model. An alternative is 'flipping' within the classroom. For examples, stations where students alternate between watching a video and taking a quizz online, a group discussion with their teacher, applying new skills and knowledge and working on a longer-term project.

However you blend, the G Suite for Education toolkit is a terrific asset.

Here are some other posts that can help with blended learning ideas:

4 Google Apps tools to blend your classroom today: http://googleappsaction.com/?p=286

Creating mini-lessons using Google Slides in 6 easy steps: http://googleappsaction.com/?p=292

Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

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I am a huge fan of G Suite for Education (formerly Google Apps for Education) after many years as a staunch Microsoft Office user. No, it doesn't mean I have left the Microsoft offerings behind completely but I am finding more and more I am looking to Google Drive solutions first.

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modella SAMR

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Integrare le nuove tecnologie nella didattica: il modello SAMR

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Il modello SAMR è stato sviluppato da Ruben Puentedura con l'obiettivo di facilitare l'azione di integrazione delle nuove tecnologie...

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educare alla complessità

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La cosa più difficile da fare in questa epoca 2.0 è riuscire a mettere insieme, in maniera organica e strutturata, la mole infinita di informazioni che la rete ci offre. Imparare a gestire la complessità è ciò che più di tutto si dovrebbe chiedere oggi alla scuola, in un mondo in cui la produzione di contenuti è estremamente facile e la mole degli stessi, immensa.

Gino Roncaglia, docente di Informatica applicata alle discipline umanistiche e Applicazioni della multimedialità alla trasmissione delle conoscenze presso l'Università della Tuscia, pioniere dell'uso di Internet in Italia e della riflessione sulle sue potenzialità culturali (in particolare nel settore dell'editoria e degli ebook) ha contribuito allo sviluppo dei Lesson Plan di RAI Scuola che vanno proprio nella direzione di cercare di organizzare il complesso

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Scuola 2.0 Gino Roncaglia: educare alla complessità

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La cosa più difficile da fare in questa epoca 2.0 è riuscire a mettere insieme, in maniera organica e strutturata, la mole infinita di informazioni che la rete ci offre. Imparare a gestire la complessità è ciò che più di tutto si dovrebbe chiedere oggi alla scuola, in un mondo in cui la produzione di contenuti è estremamente facile e la mole degli stessi, immensa.

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Brainstorming e cooperative learning

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BRAINSTORMING e COOP LEARNING tutorial: Padlet come bacheca multimediale (By DesignDidattico)

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tutorial

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per documentare e creare repository

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Li conosciamo tutti! Li vediamo ormai da anni sulle confezioni di molti prodotti che acquistiamo al supermercato, oppure sui cartelli informativi di musei e luoghi pubblici, nelle brochure di mostre e spettacoli, sulle copertine dei libri, su alcuni biglietti da visita e ultimamente persino sui menù di ristoranti e pizzerie.

I codici QR o Quick Response Codes rappresentano un'evoluzione dei codici a barre numerici e possono fornirci moltissime informazioni. Gli strani quadratini di questi codici bidimensionali ci collegano direttamente ai siti web di riferimento con la sola scansione dai nostri dispositivi mobili ( smartphones e tablets).
Ma come possiamo usarli nella didattica?
Non solo nelle classi 2.0 ma persino in un'aula priva di tecnologia - laddove spesso i ragazzi possiedono già degli smartphone con connessione a Internet - i codici QR possono rappresentare una pratica scorciatoia per accedere alle più svariate risorse web senza bisogno di digitare l'indirizzo URL.

Per un insegnante è davvero molto facile generare un codice QR da proiettare o stampare su carta: i ragazzi lo possono scansire per vedere un video, ascoltare un podcast, leggere un articolo o una presentazione digitale scelta dal docente.

I codici QR possono infatti contenere testo, link (a siti web, video o file), indirizzi email, numeri telefonici, messaggi vocali e molto altro. Un codice QR può persino chiamare direttamente un numero di emergenza per richiedere soccorso!
Come si legge un codice QR?
Per scansire un codice QR è necessario scaricare sul proprio dispositivo mobile una app specifica per la lettura ottica del codice. Ce ne sono moltissime disponibili gratuitamente per Android su Google Playstore o IOS sulla App Store di iTunes. Una volta scaricata la app, si posiziona il proprio device sul codice e lo si inquadra fino a che si produrrà il segnale acustico di avvenuta acquisizione.

Il codice QR può essere letto anche dal proprio PC o laptop. Ci sono programmi - come per es. Free QR code desktop reader - che consentono di scansire dallo schermo del PC un codice integrato in un sito, email, banner o documento.

In alternativa, si possono scaricare programmi simili a QR Reader from Desktop, con i quali è possibile inquadrare il codice QR di fronte alla propria webcam e visualizzare il sito collegato al codice.
Come si genera un codice QR?
Per creare un codice QR sono disponibili diverse alternative gratuite sul web.

Una delle più semplici da utilizzare - e che può tornare utile anche quando si voglia proiettare il codice QR sulla LIM o con un semplice proiettore - è Google Shortener (ora disponibile anche come Extension di Chrome).

Oltre a consentire la conversione dei lunghissimi indirizzi URL in un formato più breve e quindi più pratico da condividere, questo sito consente anche di creare un codice QR. E' sufficiente incollare l'URL del sito nello spazio apposito, selezionare "Shorten URL", quindi "Details".

Il QR code così creato potrà essere stampato oppure condiviso, proprio come quello qui sotto che ci rimanda al blog del Gruppo Insegnanti 2.0

Il blog di Insegnanti 2.0

Esistono naturalmente moltissime alternative fra cui:

QR Code tag extension - disponibile anche come estensione di Chrome.

QR Stuff - che consente di creare codici QR con una varietà di dati, come per esempio: Web URL, numeri telefonici, skype, messaggi sms, ecc. Si possono inoltre creare codici cromatici in formato idoneo per il download, la stampa, l'inserimento in email o persino su magliette ed oggetti vari. Ecco, ad esempio, due diverse versioni cromatiche del regolamento del Gruppo Insegnanti 2.0 in formato video e Banner.

QR-Code Monkey consente di personalizzare il QR inserendo un logo a scelta dalla galleria oppure caricando un'immagine dal proprio PC. Qui sotto un esempio di Podcast da Soundcloud creato per i miei alunni di quarta superiore.

Infine, QR Voice consente di collegare il codice a un breve messaggio vocale.
Possibili applicazioni nella didattica
Molti programmi autore per la didattica, come per esempio: Blendspace, Padlet, Glogster, ecc. generano automaticamente i codici QR per la condivisione.

Qui per esempio un Blendspace sul Cloud Computing (preparato per uno workshop con alcuni colleghi affiatati dello scorso anno) che può essere condiviso mediante QR Code come opzione integrata:

Qui un esempio di condivisione con Padlet:

I codici QR possono dimostrarsi molto utili anche per diversificare i percorsi di apprendimento all'interno dello stesso gruppo classe, per esempio nei lavori di gruppo o per attività mirate a supporto di allievi in difficoltà. Io li ho usati talvolta per guidare gli allievi con DSA, soprattutto i dislessici. In una lingua dalla pronuncia oscura come l'inglese, ma anche in presenza di allievi stranieri, può essere utile creare dei video dedicati (per esempio con Educreations, ExplainEverything, ecc.) o dei podcast specifici con app quali Spreaker, Soundcloud o Audacity, in cui il docente legge e commenta i brani del libro di testo, fornendo spiegazioni e supporto al lessico. Qui ho creato un QR Code con il programma QR Monkey e vi ho inserito l'immagine di Shakespeare:

Come docente di lingua straniera - spesso in classi prive di tecnologia - ho più volte creato codici QR per consentire ai miei allievi di accedere alle tracce audio e alle espansioni online dei testi direttamente dai loro cellulari. I codici QR, stampati e incollati all'interno del libro di testo, possono rendere superfluo l'uso del registratore in aula: perché farlo se per i ragazzi è più facile ascoltare i brani con gli auricolari direttamente dai loro smartphones o tablet e - soprattutto - anche da casa?
Altre possibili applicazioni:

Creazione di QR Codes per condividere mappe, quiz formativi, esercizi di recupero e potenziamento, espansioni online dei libri di testo, tracce audio, video, articoli, presentazioni, ecc.

Ricerche e percorsi di scoperta analoghi a cacce al tesoro, in cui ad ogni tappa si svela un nuovo QR Code con indicazioni, quiz, pagine web, ecc.

Giardini botanici o mostre di artefatti prodotti dagli allievi in cui le informazioni vengono fornite mediante QR Code.

Recensione dei libri della biblioteca con inserimento di un commento in QR all'interno di ciascun libro - anche con collegamento a un video uTube - così che i futuri lettori possano leggere i commenti lasciati dai compagni.

Nelle giornate di Porte Aperte, per fornire a potenziali nuovi studenti e genitori informazioni dettagliate sulla scuola e cataloghi digitali graficamente più accattivanti, ma senza costi.

Nello spirito di dematerializzazione della scuola ed in qualsiasi contesto in cui si voglia ridurre il consumo di carta. Per esempio: avvisi, programmi, agende di lavoro, istruzioni d'uso a supporto dei docenti nei laboratori, per l'uso della LIM o dei vari dispositivi.

Un sicuro vantaggio offerto dai QR Codes - oltre all'eliminazione della carta - consiste nel fatto che, una volta stampato il codice, questo rimane immutato anche qualora il documento ad esso linkato venisse successivamente modificato. In altre parole: blog, pagine web, regolamenti, disposizioni, avvisi o istruzioni potrebbero essere sempre aggiornati in tempo reale.

Alcune delle idee sopra elencate sono state suggerite da Steven Anderson durante il webinar dello scorso febbraio tenuto per la Simple K12 Teachers' Learning Community. Qui il link al blog dell'autore: http://goo.gl/seP0AE

Per chi volesse approfondire, qui un'intera rassegna dedicata ai QR Codes su Scoop.it: http://www.scoop.it/t/qr-codes-for-learning

Se avete altri suggerimenti sulle possibili applicazioni dei QR nella didattica, lasciate un commento a questo post. Sarà interessante scoprire altri modi per sfruttare le innumerevoli potenzialità dei QR Codes.

Concludo dedicando a tutti i docenti:
a quelli che lo diventeranno presto e a coloro che non vorranno mai esserlo,
questo collage di QR Codes! Di cosa si tratterà? - A voi scoprirlo!! Buona scansione!

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Li conosciamo tutti! Li vediamo ormai da anni sulle confezioni di molti prodotti che acquistiamo al supermercato, oppure sui cartelli informativi di musei e luoghi pubblici, nelle brochure di mostre e spettacoli, sulle copertine dei libri, su alcuni biglietti da visita e ultimamente persino sui menù di ristoranti e pizzerie.

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Generatore 1,2,3 la tua Webquest - Aula Siglo XXI

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Storia dell'Arte /CLIL

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Check list

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Il webquest

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Tutorial

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idee pratiche da usare in classe

collaborazione tra colleghi

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PAdlet - google document, tackk _ x contenere tutti i punti d'interesse, argomenti o link da visitare, sviluppare

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In progress.... tante ma tante risorse digitali!

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Flipped classroom - Authentic task - The travel agency activity http://createwebquest.com/webquest/travel-agency-0

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Sondaggio d'ingresso

Survey Monkey

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Cesinaro lezione aula università di BOlogna

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In a Travel Agency

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Comunità di docenti Condivisione

Creare una rivista digitale per raccogliere tutti i contenuti sulla DE, recensire, commentare, pubblicare e condividere

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Publicità progresso INFOGRAFICA SUL FUMO

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