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50 ways to use Book Creator in your classroom

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Editor note:

This book was published in 2018. While a lot of the ideas are still relevant, most of the examples come from 2013 to 2017, when the Book Creator for iPad app was much more prevalent.

We suggest you check out our new resource, published in May 2023 - The Book Creator Toolkit for Schools & Districts.

Book Creator launched on iPad in September 2011. More than 6 years later the app is still going strong, used in classrooms all across the world in a variety of different subjects. And with the launch of our Chrome web app in 2017, we hope students will continue to benefit from using Book Creator.

We love seeing how creative teachers and students can be when using Book Creator. We're lucky that many teachers over the years have shared their tips, ideas and lesson plans as case studies on our blog.

This book brings together those ideas in one place, so you can browse through them and hopefully be inspired. Thank you to all the teachers who've contributed.

We've started off with 50 ways to use Book Creator, but we're certain there's a lot more than that! If you've got a great idea and want to share it with others, please contact us!

Happy book making.

Dan & Dan
from the Book Creator team.

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50 ways to use Book Creator (2018) in your classroom

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This book draws on 5 years (2013-18) of case studies from classrooms across the world to inspire you to use Book Creator in diverse ways. What will you create?

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Search over 3,500 of the very best science and math activities on the web. Find handpicked activities from your favorite science museums, public television stations, universities, and other educational organizations.

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Welcome to howtosmile

Search over 4,000 of the very best STEM activities on the web. Find handpicked activities from your favorite science museums, public television stations, universities, and other educational organizations. All activities are available to anyone, free of charge. Start searching now and filter by age, material costs, and learning time to find exactly what you need for your educational program, class, or family.

After launching in 2010, and serving millions of web visitors, howtosmile has become the largest and longest running online collection of STEM activities for educators and learners from all over the world. Let us know what you think and send any suggestions for new resources by emailing us at questions@howtosmile.org.

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Search over 4,000 of the very best STEM activities on the web. Find handpicked activities from your favorite science museums, public television stations, universities, and other educational organizations. All activities are available to anyone, free of charge. Start searching now and filter by age, material costs, and learning time to find exactly what you need for your educational program, class, or family.

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Connect-Extend: Infusing Education with Technology: Use Google Tools to Quickly Create Awesome Choice Boards

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John Hattie explains that in order to properly differentiate, "The teacher will have to provide different ways in which students can demonstrate mastery and understanding along the way to meeting the criteria for success."

Using Choice Boards in the classroom is a great way to engage students while honoring their differences. Choice Boards can help teachers with the never-ending task of differentiating classrooms, allowing students to actively participate in the learning process, allowing them choice across the curriculum- in the content, the process, and the product, which in turn have a great effect on the classroom environment.

This being said, it is extremely important to remember the words of Carol Tomlinson (2016):

'Differentiation is not a set of strategies, but rather a way of thinking about teaching & learning.'

With this in mind, let's have a look at what Choice Boards are and how they can be used in diverse classrooms:

What are "Choice Boards"?

They are graphic organizers

They include a series of activities that focus on students' specific learning needs, interests, and abilities.

Students decide which activity they are most comfortable completing first, and once they master it, they can move on to more challenging activities.

How to Create Choice Boards?

1. Identify one instructional focus for your Choice Board

2. Use data to determine students' interests, readiness, and learning styles

3. Design 9 tasks. Differentiate them based on the information you determined above.

4. Use the templates on the upcoming slides to arrange the tasks.

5. Students choose 3 tasks to work on- These tasks must be ordered horizontally (row), vertically (column) or diagonally.

When designing these boards, it is important to ensure that the tasks students choose are diverse, so that each can enhance each other and capitalize on a variety of student strengths. In order to do so, here are several ways you could structure your boards:

Task Arrangement: By Level of Difficulty:

The main idea behind this arrangement is that no matter which three tasks students choose, they will be working on at least one higher level tasks, whereas students who wish to take on more challenges, can choose all three tasks in the Difficult level.

A variation of the above difficulty level arrangement is to further classify tasks according to level, and providing students with only two difficulty levels to choose from:

Task Arrangement: By Level of Questioning Skills:

Another way by which you could create tasks is by questioning skills (Bloom's Taxonomy). This arrangement, once again, forces students to choose tasks in a variety of levels:

Task Arrangement: By Key Concepts

For those of you who work under the PYP/ IB framework, creating tasks that correspond to Key Concepts is an excellent way to ensure students examine issues from different perspectives:

The nature of these Choice Boards allows teachers the flexibility we need to create Choice Boards tailored to both our and our students' needs. Feel free to use the above arrangement ideas when you create your own boards.

Using Google Tools to Quickly Create Choice Boards

In this blog post, I explore 3 different tools teachers can quickly create Choice Boards: Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Forms. Each method has its advantages, but they all end up with the same product: a simple way to create Choice Boards!

1. Using Google Docs to Create Choice Boards Templates

This method is the easiest of the three. You create a template and re-use it whenever you, or anyone else, needs.

In order to create templates in Google Docs, you need to be a part of GSuite (for organizations, schools, etc.). Here is how it's done:

1. Open Google Docs

2. Create your Choice Board template

3. Go to Docs.Google.com (of your G-Suite organization) and click on "Template Gallery", then "Submit Template"

4. Select the document you chose, and voila!

Now, pending the approval of your organization's GSuite administrator, anyone in your organization can locate and use your template!
*** If you are a single Google/Gmail user (not a part of the GSuite), unfortunately, you can't create a template. Instead, you'll need to make a copy of your document.

Here is a short explanation of how to create a Google Doc template (for GSuite users):

This short video shows how to make a copy of a document (for regular Google Apps users):

Here is the template you saw in the screencasts. Feel free to copy and use it.

2. Using Google Slides to Create Choice Boards Templates

Another simple way to create Choice Boards is to create a Master Template in Google Slides, and to use and re-use it to create new boards (see images above). Once your Choice Board slide is ready, you can print it out, share it with your students through Google Classroom, etc.

Use this link to make a copy of the Google Slideshow below:

3. Using Google Forms to Create Choice Boards Templates

OK. This is the coolest part. Are you ready?
While working on some Tic-Tac-Toe boards for my students, I realized that the omnipotent Google Forms can come to my help once again. How? Using the add-on Form Publisher, I will create a Google Form with generic questions, and link it to a Google Doc template. Yes, it's that easy!

Use the Google Form and Google Doc template I created (below), and adjust it for your needs. You're welcome!

If you're not sure how to do it, follow the steps below to learn how it all works!

Before we start, here is the link to the Form and the Template. If you would like more information about what Choice Boards are and how to create different Tic-Tac-Toe menus, go through the Google Slides above. And yes, you can feel free to make a copy and use the Slides for your own purposes.

So... How does it all work? Simple:

1. Make a copy of the Google Form I created.

2. Make a copy of the Google Doc template I created.

3. Create a new folder on your Google Drive and place both files in that folder. This organization pays later!

4. Download the Forms add-on "Form Publisher"

5. Open Form Publisher and link the Form to the template.

6. Fill in the form

7. Check your e-mail for your new awesome Choice Board

8. Open the Google Doc and adjust its look (colors, fonts, information, etc.)

I hope you find these methods helpful. If you have any other cool ways to create templates for differentiation, please write them in the comments below.

If you would like to use this information as a presentation, here is a link to a Google Slides.

Feel free to reach out on Twitter @EduRonen!

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Use Google Tools to Quickly Create Awesome Choice Boards

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John Hattie explains that in order to properly differentiate, "The teacher will have to provide different ways in which students can demonstrate mastery and understanding along the way to meeting the criteria for success." Using Choice Boards in the classroom is a great way to engage students while honoring their differences.

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Web-based app for making ebooks in the classroom. Teachers can get started for free and invite students to join their library. Add text, images, audio and video and easily publish your books online.

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Science Games for the Classroom - Legends of Learning

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Science Games for the Classroom - Legends of Learning

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Teachers Looking for NGSS Content

According to the Carnegie Corporation a majority of the country's school districts have adapted the NGSS standards or a similar statewide standard set. The change produced a rapid turnover in science curriculum for educators, some of which is still in process.

Teachers need new content to adapt to the new standards environment. Educational content providers haven't responded quickly, sending many teachers on a never-ending search for online content.

Legends of Learning science games for the classroom are based on the NGSS DCIs, the content recommended by new science standards. With more than 1200 games and simulations for 144 lessons spanning grades 3-8, Legends of Learning offers content for every lesson.

In addition to our NGSS version, paid customers can access GSE, SOLs, and TEKS versions of the platform. More state versions are coming soon. Contact us to learn more about our state versions.

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Science Games for the Classroom - Legends of Learning

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According to the Carnegie Corporation a majority of the country's school districts have adapted the NGSS standards or a similar statewide standard set. The change produced a rapid turnover in science curriculum for educators, some of which is still in process. Teachers need new content to adapt to the new standards environment.

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Seesaw Webinar - Seesaw in the Makerspace - Google Slides

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Seesaw Webinar - Seesaw in the Makerspace - Google Slides

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Seesaw Webinar - Seesaw in the Makerspace 

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Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) Using Google Docs

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Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) Using Google Docs

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Differentiate with Learning Menus and Choice Boards

"...at its core, differentiated instruction means addressing ways in which students vary as learners." - Carol Ann Tomlinson

[Tweet "Interactive Learning Menus with @GoogleforEdu #edtech#gsuiteedu"]

What Are Learning Menus?

IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOICE! Learning menus (aka choice boards) are a form of differentiated learning that gives students a menu or choice of learning activities. Learning menus and choice boards can be created in a variety of styles and mediums. They've been around for a long time and originated in a static, paper format. But with digital tools, we can bring the menus to life with interactivity and creation. Menus can be a simple list, a tic-tac-toe or bingo-style game, or get as creative and intricate as you like. Check out my Pinterest board for ideas.

Learning Menus Can Be Used with Any Age Group

I have found that menus and choice boards tend to be more popular among elementary teachers, but I used them in my middle school classroom, and now I use them in professional learning workshops with adults. Any grade level can use learning menus!

Learning Menus Can Be Used in Any Subject Area

Since learning menus are so flexible, they can easily be created and adapted for just about any subject area. So no excuses! Any teacher who is willing to try can make use of this student-centered strategy.

[Tweet "Any teacher who is willing to try can make use of this student-centered strategy. #edtech"]

Are Learning Menus Hyperdocs the Same Thing?

No, but they could be part of a Hyperdoc assignment. I love Hyperdocs! But these two are not one in the same. Keep in mind the definition of learning menus stated above. It is simply a menu of choices from which students can choose. Student choice is the big idea behind learning menus and choice boards.

A Hyperdoc is a complete packaged assignment that also meets some additional criteria. A Hyperdoc doesn't have to include choice, but it could. To learn more about Hyperdocs, visit their site or read the AMAZING book by Lisa Highfill, Sarah Landis, and Kelly Hilton.

Creating a Tic-Tac-Toe Learning Menu in Google Docs

One easy way to dip your toes into the learning menu water is a Tic-Tac-Toe menu. A Tic-Tac-Toe can be used for anything from short activities to more long-term projects, both assessment FOR learning (formative) and assessment OF learning (summative).

Below is an example of a Novel Unit Tic-Tac-Toe menu that I created as a summative project. It was created in Google Docs, nothing fancy, just a table and some color. Depending on how you want to use, you can add links, rubrics, images, video and more. (Click here to use my blank tic-tac-toe template.)
CLICK HERE to use the Novel Study Tic-Tac-Toe template. On mobile? CLICK HERE to make a copy.
Learning Menu Design

Remember when you are creating a learning menu to align it with your learning goals! First, I use the middle square as my non-negotiable, the one activity that I want every student to complete. This could be reading an article, watching a video, or in this case; every student will write a summary and add it to a collaborative Google Slide deck where they will also add links to their other projects. Everything in one place!

Some teachers also make the middle square a free space where students can propose their own ideas to demonstrate their learning. LOVE THIS IDEA!

I had some students who would try to find the easiest or fastest way to complete the tasks. But if you pay attention to the learning design, you can design it so that it gives choice and flexible learning paths, not just an easy completion grade.

I use the color to guide the learning design. Because I use the middle square as a non-negotiable, I control how they make the tic-tac-toe just a little bit more. Every student will do the middle square and one from the blue and one from the yellow. In this summative example, students are mostly creating, but in the example below, you will see how it can also work for activities that guide the learning.

Below is a professional learning example that I designed for teaching Google Chrome. As a trainer, I typically have very mixed groups in my training sessions (multiple grade levels, subject areas, and tech savviness). I usually address general skills, and apps and extensions that are applicable across all grade levels and subject areas as a whole group.

Then I move into an activity like the Chrome PD Tic-Tac-Toe learning menu to allow teachers to dig deeper into their own subject areas and grade levels AND move at a pace that is comfortable for their level and learning style.
CLICK HERE to use my Chrome PD Tic-Tac-Toe template. On mobile? CLICK HERE to make a copy of the template.
Other Types of Learning Menus

As I said, a tic-tac-toe is just one type of menu. It happens to be a favorite of mine because they are easy to design and are not too overwhelming. But I have used many other types of menus, and I have been curating ideas on this Learning Menu Pinterest Board.

Digital Menu for Student Creation with Google Slides by Tommy Spall

Below is a Google Slide example of a learning menu that takes on the look of a restaurant menu from my friend, Tommy Spall. Follow him @TommySpall. (You can thank me later!) Click here to make a copy of Tommy's template that includes linked slides to lots of Googley projects and room for you to make it your own. (If you are on mobile and having trouble with the template link, try this make a copy link.)

Professional Development BINGO Board by Amber Teamann and Melinda Miller

Another option is to make it a full out BINGO board, like in this example from my friend Amber Teamann and her collaborator Melinda Miller. (Follow them at @8Amber8 and @MMiller7571, and yes, you will thank me for this one, too!)

Amber and Melinda are both elementary school principals. They issued this BINGO PD Challenge to her teachers over the summer, and I thought it might inspire you with some other options for choice and challenges in your classroom or professional learning. You can learn more details about PD Bingo in Amber's blog post.

Using G Suite to Create Learning Menus

The possibilities are truly endless! Consider all the ways you could use G Suite to create learning menus and the extended activities and links. Try thinking of the ways you could create menus using these G Suite tools:

Google Docs

Google Slides

Google Drawings

Google Sheets

Google My Maps

Google Sites

How to Use Google Templates and Assign in Google Classroom

If you enjoyed this post, you will love the more in-depth look at the power of choice boards and more examples in this post and podcast episode.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) Using Google Docs

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I love learning menus, and it is one of my favorite ways to incorporate student choice and to differentiate learning. And with digital tools like G Suite for Education, it's super easy to make menus interactive, digital, and more dynamic! Digital Differentiation offers teachers and students many ways to reach all learners.

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How to create a challenge in Kahoot! | Assign kahoots as homework

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How to create a challenge in Kahoot! | Assign kahoots as homework

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Play this kahoot to learn how to assign kahoots as homework. #makehomeworkawesome #makelearningawesome #kahootmobileapp

Have you planned every detail of your company's upcoming event, but are still looking for a little extra that would make it stand out?...

Learn more

Birthdays, game nights, family dinners, weddings - Kahoot! is the secret ingredient that will spice up any party, social event or family gathering. 🎉 Read...

Learn more

Detailed game reports in the Kahoot! app will help you identify which learners need follow up, flag topics for reteaching and get more actionable...

Learn more

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How to create a challenge in Kahoot! | Assign kahoots as homework

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Play this kahoot to learn how to assign kahoots as homework. #makehomeworkawesome #makelearningawesome #kahootmobileapp Have you planned every detail of your company's upcoming event, but are still looking for a little extra that would make it stand out?... Learn more Birthdays, game nights, family dinners, weddings - Kahoot!

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5 Classroom Tools to Measure Student Learning (formative)

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5 Classroom Tools to Measure Student Learning (formative)

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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CueThink- Make Math Social & foster growth mindset 

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CueThink- Make Math Social & foster growth mindset 

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Within CueThink, teachers can flexibly implement rigorous mathematical tasks from a curated Problem Bank or district curriculum to differentiate instruction. We employ a team of professional math educators who train teachers on effective implementation of rigorous tasks and review of student work to improve problem solving pedagogy.

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Within CueThink, teachers can flexibly implement rigorous mathematical tasks from a curated Problem Bank or district curriculum to differentiate instruction. We employ a team of professional math educators who train teachers on effective implementation of rigorous tasks and review of student work to improve problem solving pedagogy.

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Happy Teaching & Happy Tech-ing!: Sharing a Padlet Link Using Seesaw

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Happy Teaching & Happy Tech-ing!: Sharing a Padlet Link Using Seesaw

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Of the many, many things I love about Seesaw, one of my favorites is the ability to easily share links with students (and parents) via the l…

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Break Out of Your Rut: Teaching with Breakouts

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Break Out of Your Rut: Teaching with Breakouts

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Break Out of Your Rut: Teaching with Sway and Breakout Edu

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‎PicPlayPost is the best slideshow maker, video collage maker, and live video wallpaper app with over 15 million users. Edit videos, make photo and video collages, slideshows, and live wallpapers. Everything you need to build community with professional content, at your fingertips. Professional vi…

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How to Create Screencast GIFs | Shake Up Learning

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How to Create Screencast GIFs | Shake Up Learning

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Use Screencast GIFs in the Classroom!

One of the most common questions I receive is how I make my screencast GIFs, so today I'm offering a post that will show you how I create them, including a video tutorial.

I use screencast GIFs to show how-to steps on my blog and in my presentations. Videos are great, but a GIF is like a short video that loops so even if you don't catch it the first time, you can easily follow along and try it for yourself. This is, of course, a great strategy for helping students understand directions for assignments, a quick review of steps, like how to turn in an assignment in Google Classroom. Student-created GIFs are also fun, and a great way for students to show what they know and teach others.

New to GIFs? Check my previous post that will show you how to search for GIFs and insert animated GIFs into Google Docs, Slides, and other applications: How to Insert Super Cool GIFs.

[Tweet "How to Create Screencast GIFs (video tutorial) #edtech #edchat"]

What is a GIF?

So you keep hearing the word GIF, but maybe you don't know exactly what the word means. GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. GIFs are image files that are compressed to reduce transfer time. They can be animated or static, but these days most people think of the animated version when referring to GIFs. They essentially look like a short video (usually 15 seconds or less) that loops and contains no sound.

Many geeks like to argue about how to pronounce GIF. I'll let you decide for yourself. I don't have time to argue ;).

What is a Screencast GIF?

So take the idea of an animated GIF and combine it with a screencast! This allows you to demonstrate where to click or how to complete short tasks on your device. I use these frequently on this blog, like the one below that I used in the post: 7 Reasons You Need to Try Voice Typing in Google Docs.

There are several tools available for taking screenshots, creating screencast videos, and creating animated GIF screencasts. I create these all the time and find they are particularly useful for showing students and teachers how-to complete short tasks or use features in your favorite applications. I'm sharing my favorite screencast GIF tool, Gyazo, in this post. Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments below this post.

Gyazo GIF

I use Gyazo GIF for most of the screencast GIFs that I create. It's easy to use. It's free, and it allows me to select just the part of the screen I need to use.

"Gyazo is an open source and free screenshot program for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The program allows users to create screenshots and uploads them directly to the cloud, producing a unique URL to the screenshot. The program's name "Gyazo" is a pun on the Japanese word for image, gazō(画像)."

It's important to note that there are two versions of Gyazo, regular Gyazo for screenshots and Gyazo GIF. Gyazo GIF requires a download and installation, but it is FREE and cross-platform. (Please note: Gyazo GIF is NOT available for Chromebooks. Suggestions for Chromebooks can be found at the bottom of this post.)

How to Use Gyazo GIF

1. Install Gyazo GIF from the Gyazo homepage.

2. Once installed, launch the application. Your cursor will turn into cross-hairs. You can click and drag to select the portion of your screen you wish to record.

The recording will start automatically, so you will need to be ready to perform the task on screen immediately. The FREE version allows you to record up to 7 seconds; the pro version allows up to 60 seconds.

3. Once the recording is completed, your browser will automatically open a new browser window with your newly created animated GIF. Here you can grab the direct GIF link and copy and paste it into your project (insert by URL). You can also create a Gyazo account and save your GIFs to the web.

(Note: URL works best for inserting GIFs into Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, websites, etc. For detailed directions on inserting GIFs, see my previous post: How to Insert Super Cool GIFs.)

Other Options for Screencast GIFs

There are many other tools for screencast GIFs.

© Shake Up Learning 2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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One of the most common questions I receive is how I make my screencast GIFs, so today I'm offering a post that will show you how I create them. I use screencast GIFs to show how-to steps on my blog and in my presentations.

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Recharge Learning Blog: HyperDocs - Frameworks for the 4 Cs in Student-Centered Classrooms

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Recharge Learning Blog: HyperDocs - Frameworks for the 4 Cs in Student-Centered Classrooms

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HyperDocs are powerful digital lessons that shift the focus of learning from the teacher to the students. The best HyperDocs support essential skills connected to collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity.

HyperDocs can also me powerful frameworks to support inquiry-based learning. A HyperDoc can serve as a digital facilitator for learning. The best HyperDocs don't just present the facts. Great HyperDocs use questions, problems, and scenarios to help students learn and explore.
Want to learn more about using HyperDocs to support collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity in leaner-centered classrooms? Then take a look at these HyperDocs about HyperDocs.

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HyperDocs - Frameworks for the 4 Cs in Student-Centered Classrooms

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HyperDocs are powerful digital lessons that shift the focus of learning from the teacher to the students. The best HyperDocs support essential skills connected to collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. HyperDocs can also me powerful frameworks to support inquiry-based learning. A HyperDoc can serve as a digital facilitator for learning.

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I am an administrator I am a teacher

CONTENT

Texts (and videos!) for ELA, Science, and Social Studies with scaffolds and higher-order questions

READING

The best features to
support, engage, and build stamina

ASSESSMENT

Data you need;
Feedback your students act on

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Engage every student in every lesson with Actively Learn's award-winning ELA, science, and social studies curriculum platform.

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Flipgrid - Video for student engagement and formative assessment

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Flipgrid - Video for student engagement and formative assessment

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We express ourselves in different ways. On Flip, you can use our simple and fun built-in camera to record your thoughts, add effects and share within your Flip group as video, audio only or text in your web browser or mobile app.

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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Introducing Pear Deck for Google Slides – Pear Deck – Medium

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Introducing Pear Deck for Google Slides – Pear Deck – Medium

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Pear Deck is on a mission to help teachers create powerful learning moments for every student, every day - using the tools you already know and love.

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Desmos offers best-in-class calculators, digital math activities, and curriculum to help every student love math and love learning math.

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Awesome template to provide choice of product: Digital Menu for Student Creation

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Awesome template to provide choice of product: Digital Menu for Student Creation

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2017-10-17 - Google Tour Builder for any Subject - Technology Integration

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2017-10-17 - Google Tour Builder for any Subject - Technology Integration

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2017-10-17 - Google Tour Builder for any Subject - Technology Integration

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Session Description:Google's Tour Builder is an easy to use but powerful tool for students to create virtual tours, including locations, images, videos, descriptions, hyperlinks, and more. These tours can be used in any subject area such as retelling the events from a novel, tracing the locations of a historical event, visiting different biomes or landforms around the world, and more.

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Collection of Digital Storytelling Tools for Student Choice

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Collection of Digital Storytelling Tools for Student Choice

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Make your online life easier by keeping all your favorite websites organized in a visually-appealing, personalized environment. Save your links in tiles that you can customize with different colors, icons or images. Organize all of your favorite websites, videos, documents, articles and more - all in one place!

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A simple tool to differentiate lesson objectives.

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Free PlanPrime PlanUnlimited Plan Students have many reading aids available to them. These can be accessed by highlighting a portion of the text. When you select a portion of the text (a few words...

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Differentiate Digitally: Foster Differentiation with Digital Tools

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Control Alt Achieve: How to Force a Docs Copy WITH Pre-Loaded Comments to Help your Students

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Control Alt Achieve: How to Force a Docs Copy WITH Pre-Loaded Comments to Help your Students

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We are always looking for new and improved ways to provide additional assistance to our students when they are doing digital work. Recently Google rolled out a new feature in Google Docs that, with a little tweaking, can give teachers new ways to provide support for students in their assignments.

The new option is available when you make a copy of a Google Doc. With this update you are now able to also copy any comments that are in the document. This is a great feature for you as an individual to keep comments in the copies you make. However, this can also be a creative way to provide additional resources, links, and assistance to your students in their projects.

Instead of just getting a copy of a worksheet, HyperDoc, study guide, or other document, students can also have comments pre-loaded into their copy of the document. These comments can provide them with:

Additional directions

Hyperlinks to resources

Voice recordings from the teacher

A checklist of items for the student to resolve

And more

See below for details on the URL trick you can use to force a copy of a document with the comments included, as well as several examples of how this could benefit students.
Note: If you do not have the "copy comment" feature yet, it is still rolling out to some users. According to Google, full rollout should be complete by November 29th.

The New Feature

Before we take a look at the trick, let's start by seeing how this new feature works normally. When working on a document, people with edit rights or comment rights are able to leave comments in the margin. To do this you simply select some text, then click the " Add a comment" button that pops up on the right, and then type in your comment. This is a standard feature we have had for a long time.

The problem in the past has been when you go to make a copy of the document. Previously you could make a copy of a document, but the comments were not included. Now we have an option to do that. Here's how it works.

Open a document that you have edit rights or comment rights to.

This will need to be a document with some comments in the margin, entered by you or someone else.

Now click "File" in the top menu bar.

Then choose "Make a copy".

The "Copy document" window will now open.

Check the box for "Copy comments and suggestions".

Click "OK".

You will now have a new copy of the document, along with all the comments that were in the original Doc.
This works great for one person. But what if you want to automatically do this for your students, so each student gets a copy of the document with all the comments copied as well. We will see how to do that now.

Force a Copy with Comments

For a long time we have known about a trick to force a copy of a document when someone clicks on a link we give them. The basic idea has been to slightly change the web address (URL) of the shared link for the document, changing the "/edit" and the end of the link to "/copy" instead. ( Tony Vincent has a great blog post where he covers this URL trick as well as several others.)

That trick works great for forcing a normal copy of the document, but it does not include the comments in the copy. So how can we force a copy with the comments included? Here's how...

Step #1 - Share the document as a link with comment rights

To be able to force a copy of a document with comments, first the document has to be shared so that anyone can make comments on it. If you do not do this, the end user will not have the needed rights to get a copy with the comments included.

With the document open, click the "Share" button.

In the "Share with others" window, click "Get shareable link".

This will only give view rights to others. You still need to change this to comment rights.

Click "Anyone at [your school] with the link can view" and choose the "can comment" option instead.

Note: If you want the document to be copied outside of your school, you will need to click the "More" option, and then choose "Anyone with the link" and "Can comment".

Finally copy the shareable link and click "Done" to close the window.

Step #2 - Modify the Shareable Link

Now that you have the shareable link for your document, you need to make a small adjustment to it. Currently your link should look something like this:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/[a bunch of stuff]/edit?usp=sharing

At the end of the link you will see a portion that reads:

What you need to do is change that final portion. However, changing it from "/edit" to "/copy" is not enough as that only makes a copy of the document, not the comments. Instead you need to:

Delete the end of the URL where it reads:

And replace that with

The extra code "?copyComments=true" after the "/copy" is what forces the comments to be copied as well.

Step #3 - Give the New Link to Others

Finally you want to give the new, edited link to your students or other end users.

You can distribute the link as an announcement in Google Classroom, or in an email, or as a link in a shared document, as a QR code, or such.

Now anyone who clicks on that links will get their own copy of the document, along with all of the comments that were already in the document.

As an example of how this could be used, I have created a very simple Google Document that teaches about lines of symmetry. In the document I have added several comments with additional directions, helpful hyperlinks, voice recorded instructions, and such.

To get your own copy of this document, along with the comments, click the link below:

So how could it be beneficial for students to get a copy of a document with comments already pre-loaded? Here are just a few possible ideas:

Use #1 - Additional Directions

You could use comments to provide more details and instructions for students as they are completing the assignment in Google Docs. Instead of cluttering up the actual document itself, these helpful hints and directions could be added as comments in the margin.

Use #2 - Hyperlinks to Resources

Comments also allow you to include hyperlinks. You could add comments to the document that provide students with links to websites, videos, or even other documents. These links could be used for additional help and remediation, or could be enrichment resources for students who want to dig deeper into the topic.

Use #3 - Checklist of Tasks

One neat feature of comments is the option to "resolve" them. When you select a comment, there is a " Resolve" button you can click to mark the comment as complete and hide it.

As a teacher you could add comments that walk the student step-by-step through the project. As the student finishes each section of the document, they could click the " Resolve" button for the comment attached to that section. This would be a useful way for the student to mark off their tasks as they complete them.

Use #4 - Recorded Voice Comments

A particularly awesome use for copied comments, is to add your own recorded voice to the comments in the document. This can be used to:

Read the directions aloud for students who may have difficulty reading.

Provide additional clarification beyond the written directions.

Add a personal touch to the document by adding your own voice.

Adding a comment with a voice recording can be done easily with the "Read & Write for Google Chrome" web extension. The extension provides you with a toolbar that has many features, one of which is the " Voice Note" feature that allows you to record spoken feedback for the document.

First begin by installing the extension: Chrome Web Store link

Note: Because this is a Chrome Extensions, you need to be using Chrome on a PC, Mac, or Chromebook to be able to use this tool.

Read&Write has a free version and a paid version, but as an educator you are allowed to use the full version at no cost. To be able to use the "Voice Note" feature, make sure you register as a teacher for the full version using this link - https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/products/read-write/free-for-teachers/

Once you have the extension installed you can use it as follows:

Click the Read&Write button to pull down the toolbar.

Now select the text you want to leave a voice comment for.

From the Read&Write toolbar click the "Voice Note" button (on the right end of the buttons).

This will open a tool where you can click the microphone button to record your voice for up to 1 minute.

When done, click the stop button, and then "Insert" to add your recorded comment to the document.

Repeat as needed to add as many voice comments as desired.

Note: Your students do not need the Read&Write extension installed to be able to hear the recorded voice comments. All they have to do is click the link in the comment to play back your voice recording.

Conclusion

Although we normally think of comments as something we add after a student has completed an assignment, that doesn't have to be the case. We can also pre-load comments for students and force the comments to be copied along with the original document. This can be a great way to provide additional resources and help for our students when working on their projects.

What other uses can you think of for copying comments along with a document? Share your ideas below.

Post by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

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How to Force a Docs Copy WITH Pre-Loaded Comments to Help your Students

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We are always looking for new and improved ways to provide additional assistance to our students when they are doing digital work. Recently Google rolled out a new feature in Google Docs that, with a little tweaking, can give teachers new ways to provide support for students in their assignments.

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Connect-Extend: Infusing Education with Technology: Google Forms: Creating a Scavenger Hunt

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Connect-Extend: Infusing Education with Technology: Google Forms: Creating a Scavenger Hunt

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Over the summer, my son and I tried to find some interesting things to do around the city. After a short research, I found a company offering some exciting scavenger hunts around the country. There was a phone number to call and schedule the hunt, which I excitedly started dialing. The "tour operator" said that the tour is usually for groups of 8-14 members, and it costs the equivalent of $400. Shocked, I thanked the lady and hung up the phone.

When I told my son about the call, he was quite disappointed. After all, this was the only exciting-sounding activity I suggested to him. With a Maker attitude, I asked him if he would like to create our own scavenger hunt. "Let's go to the Mall, find interesting shops, snap some shots, and create a scavenger hunt for your little cousins". I was delighted to see his face glowing again, and within five minutes we were ready to go! Mobile phone and a clipboard in hand, we drove to the mall.

Why are these scavenger hunts so expensive? Aside for the fact that they were created by for-profits, I am not sure. I don't really care, either, because I found an exciting and satisfying way to create my own, using Google Forms!

How to Create a Scavenger Hunt Using Google Forms?

When creating scavenger hunts in Google Forms, you need to be familiar with a couple of features:

Media Use: You will need to insert a variety of media (images, videos, etc.) which would serve as the hunting grounds (where the clues are hidden)

Sections: All questions are entered within the Form's Sections. All questions entered in one section are viewable at once, which questions entered in the following sections are locked until the hunter correctly answers all questions in the previous section.

Response Validation: This option (the 3 vertical dots at the bottom of questions) allows you to set one correct answer, which, until it is entered in the correct spelling/ format, the answer is marked as "incorrect" hence hunters will be unable to move on to the next section until all questions are answered correctly. You can use answers in the format of numbers, dates, letters, etc.

Once you familiarize yourself with the above elements, you are ready to start creating your scavenger hunt.

Example Scavenger Hunt: Around the World

I created an example for a scavenger hunt (you can copy it here) which you can follow step-by-step to understand how to create your own. Before we start, make sure every question is marked as "Required", so that hunters cannot just move on to the next section without first entering a correct answer.

1. Create a title and a description. An image is optional.

2. If you would like to separate this part from the first round of questions, create a question (such as, "Are you ready to start?"), which will take the hunter to the next section.

3. If you chose to separate the introduction from the first batch of questions, create a new section and name it (I named it "The Hunt: Africa").

4. Go back to your section one question and click "Go to section based on answer", to ensure the hunters are directed to the next section (the first question section)

6. In the new section's description, explain what the hunter will be looking for in this section.

7. Enter a question. The answer to my question is "Ethiopia", so in the Response Validation (make sure the question type is "Short Answer"), I entered Text, Contains, and the answer. As the validation clue (what will appear until the hunter entered the correct answer), I entered an encouraging clue.

8. I created another question. This time, the hunter will need to watch a video in order to find the correct answer. I made sure to add a description that would guide hunters to use the correct format (not to write "Hospital" with a capital H, because Response Validation is case sensitive, so it will mark it wrong...)

9. Once the hunter has answered both questions correctly, s/he will be able to move on to the next section. The next section is called "The Hunt: Asia"

10. For this question I decided to add a date as the answer, so I made sure to write the correct format in the question's Description.

11. Finally, when the scavenger hunt's questions have all been answered correctly, I created a final section that tells the hunters what they won. Once they are done, they can submit the Hunt and receive their reward.

Book Project Scavenger Hunt

Another examples I created was a digitized version of my colleague Jill Fenn's book project example. She created a traditional scavenger hunt for the excellent book Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. For this hunt (click to make a copy), students were to follow the clues from the book to different locations around the school. All I did was to go to these locations, and find permanent markers (the hunt's longevity is important) to be used as unlocking clues.

If you would like to try the hunt, here are the answers to the questions (1. ICS; 2. twelve; 3. MS FIC PHI; 4. COMPANY; 5. 21; 6. HEALTH OFFICE; 7. eleven; 8. M-105). You can easily adjust the hunt to locations around your school.

I hope this was an easy enough of a tutorial. If you have any questions, please let me know. And if you created a scavenger hunt of your own, please share the URL in the comments, or on Twitter!

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Over the summer, my son and I tried to find some interesting things to do around the city. After a short research, I found a company offering some exciting scavenger hunts around the country. There was a phone number to call and schedule the hunt, which I excitedly started dialing.

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Connect-Extend: Infusing Education with Technology: 5 Awesome Google Forms Add-Ons

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Connect-Extend: Infusing Education with Technology: 5 Awesome Google Forms Add-Ons

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Google Forms is a powerful tool on its own, but you can super-charge it with add-ons. Add-ons are third-party tools that allow users to modify or enhance existing Google Forms (and Sheets) functionalities. Each add-on, which you get from the Chrome Web Store, usually "specializes" in one area, allowing you to tailor your Form or your Sheet to your own needs.

Let's have a look at 5 of my favorite Google Forms add-ons:

Form Notifications allows you to send email notifications automatically, once the form has been submitted. Emails can be sent to the form creator, the respondent, or to both.

Send a thank you e-mail with additional information to students' parents who signed up for a particular meeting time with you.

Receive an e-mail after 5 parents filled out the form (the default is after 10 responses).

FormLimiter is a great add-on to use when you would like to stop accepting responses automatically, at a certain point. For example, you can set a limit to the number of responses, at a certain date/time, or when a spreadsheet cell equals a certain value.

Number- A registration form with limited number of available spaces.

Date/Time- Setting a deadline for a Google Form assignment.

Cell=value- Looking for volunteers' help. Once a respondent selects "Yes", the form shuts off.

This is a fantastic add-on that takes your Form submissions and displays them in a variety of formats (Google Docs, Sheets, Slides or as a PDF document). Although this requires a bit of preparation ahead of time, once you customized the destination document's look, the rest is done automatically. Basically, each Form question has markers (that looks something like this: << the question >>). You then move those around in the document based on your needs, and then, once responses are submitted, each response is automatically pasted between the << >> symbols.

Here is an example of a Form I created for my students' end-of-unit self-reflection. Using the Form Publisher add-on, I customized the destination file (I chose Google Doc). Then, once students submitted their Form (reflection), it used the template to create individual documents, that include their unique responses. All files were automatically organized inside a neat folder. Incredible, ah?

Have you ever needed to copy questions from one Form to another? And was unsuccessful? Well, FormRecycler allows you to do just that!

All you have to do is get into the Form you are working on, activate the FormRecycler add-on, choose the Form you'd like to "import" questions from, and you're done!

Combining assessment questions from several different Forms

Updating last year's parent questionnaire

This fantastic add-on eliminates (deletes) options ("answers") from your questions after they have been selected by a previous respondent. It works with multiple-choice, dropdown, or checkbox questions.

Selecting time slots for parent conferences

Creating an inventory of class items

Students choosing groups/ jobs/ topics

EquatIO (30 days free trial)

Ever tried to use Forms for Math assessment? What would the fraction "thirteenth" look like? How about a square root? Yes, a disaster! With EquatIO, you can create complicated mathematical equations and formulas by typing or handwriting them on the screen. It's that simple!

I hope these add-ons help you become more creative and productive!

If you liked what you saw, gimme a holler either here or on Twitter!

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Google Forms is a powerful tool on its own, but you can super-charge it with add-ons. Add-ons are third-party tools that allow users to modify or enhance existing Google Forms (and Sheets) functionalities. Each add-on, which you get from the Chrome Web Store, usually "specializes" in one area, allowing you to tailor your Form or your Sheet to your own needs.

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Ways of Giving Feedback through Google Apps

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Ways of Giving Feedback through Google Apps

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Teachers and students in districts that use Google for Education have access to a free suite of apps, G Suite, to create and publish. But why use G Suite? Why not Microsoft, pen-and-paper, or go full tactile and have students use typewriters? The reason to use G Suite is feedback - collaboration too, but that is a separate blog post!
A Quick Note
This post is meant for teachers who are almost proficient with or just learning G Suite. Additionally, this post contains nothing about add-ons, extensions, coding, or anything extra. Strictly G Suite.

What is so special about feedback?

One of the most valuable interventions teachers can use with students is feedback. According to Hattie and Timperley (2007) feedback is vital:

...Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement...The feedback that students receive from their teachers is also vital. It enables students to progress towards challenging learning intentions and goals.

- Visible Learning

Marianne Stenger shared research tips for providing students meaningful feedback in Edutopia. Number 2 on the list? The sooner the better. That's where G Suite comes in. Here is a quick-and-dirty look at using G Suite to give students immediate feedback.

Comments (Works in Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drawings)

Comments are a great way to give students immediate feedback as they work in G Suite. Select text or an image. There are three ways to insert a comment:

Use either of these methods and type a comment:

Comments are even better when an editor is tagged in them. This sends an email to their Gmail. Tag an editor by typing "+" or "@" followed by their email address.

Comment boxes serve as spaces where teachers and students can converse. Here teachers and peers can give feedback about work.

Comments "disappear" when they are resolved. The good news is they never truly disappear. The "Comments" button in the upper right of the editor keeps a record of them. This is great for keep track of all feedback students receive, whether it is from teachers or peers.

Feedback in Google Classroom

Teachers can add a private comment to any assignment in Google Classroom. This is what it looks like as a student:

Teachers can also give feedback for students' answers when they reply to questions in Google Classroom:

A nice aspect of feedback in Google Classroom is that it keeps track of the number of private feedback comments exchanged between student and teacher. What a great way to document the amount of feedback provided to a student.

Google Keep (Works in Docs, Drawings and Slides)

Google Keep integration is a great way to give feedback in Docs, Drawings, and Slides. One way to do this is to have comments ready to go in a Google Keep note, then copy-and-paste them into comments.

Additionally, Google Keep can be used to give students longer-form narrative feedback in Docs, Drawings, and Slides. To make the most of this strategy, create a label for each student and each assignment in Google Keep. That way, feedback can be organized by assignment and by student.

In Drawings:

Google Forms (Response Validation and Quiz Mode)

Response validation is a great way to give students a question they work on until they get correct. I love using Response Validation for digital breakouts. Simply use short-answer questions in Google Forms, click the three dots, and choose Response Validation.

This is a great strategy for a math problem - students receive an error message until they type the correct answer. They know immediately if they are correct or wrong - instant feedback!

Error messages (the red text above) are a great way to scaffold for students as they work on finding an answer.

Here I demonstrate to use Response Validation:

Quiz Mode is another good way to give students feedback in Google Forms. Quiz mode allows teachers to give different feedback for correct and incorrect answers. It also allows for links to be added to answer feedback, meaning students can be directed to a resource to re-learn questions they answered incorrectly. Watch as I demonstrate:

Two G Suite Apps That Are Not Great for Student Feedback - (Forms?!? and Sites)

Didn't I just discuss ways to use Google Forms to give students feedback? Yes, I did. Forms is great for giving feedback when they answer forms their teachers create. However, when students create Google Forms, there is no good way for teachers to give feedback inside of Google Forms. The same holds true for Google Sites. As much as I love Google Sites, I wish there was a way teachers and students could exchange feedback inside its editor.

If you would like to share your thoughts with me, please comment below or tweet me at @TomEMullaney. Thank you for reading.

The G Suite logo I used in the image for this blog post.

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Feedback for Students in G Suite - An Overview

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Teachers and students in districts that use Google for Education have access to a free suite of apps, G Suite, to create and publish. But why use G Suite? Why not Microsoft, pen-and-paper, or go full tactile and have students use typewriters? The reason to use G Suite is feedback - collaboration too, but that is...

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Lets you to cut the clicks on repeated tasks and brings features for organizing and unifying data in Google Slides.

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10 Things You Didn't Know GoogleSlides Could Do!

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How to Easily Assess Student Writing in Google Docs | Shake Up Learning

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How to Easily Assess Student Writing in Google Docs | Shake Up Learning

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Assess Student Writing in Google Docs with WriQ

WriQ is a FREE tool that helps teachers assess writing in Google Docs. This Google Docs add-on helps teachers not only assess writing, including grammar, punctuation, spelling and more but also helps teachers track progress over time.

This is a guest post by Jason Carroll from texthelp.

Scoring and keeping track of student writing can be a tedious and time-consuming task for educators. On the bright side, those using G Suite for Education or similar online services have seen many improvements over the years. The ability to instantly share a do c with the click of a button, track changes, offer suggestions, tag students in comments, and have the ability to view work anytime/anywhere has been a game changer for many.

Even so, reading through each student's work and taking the time to provide meaningful feedback can take hours. Multiply this by the number of classes taught in a day, and it's easy to see how a teacher may never catch up. And then there's the process of measuring progress over time. Is the student getting better or worse with each writing? Which pieces do they need the most support with?

At Texthelp, we've been thinking a lot about these sorts of things over the years and have recently developed a free Google Docs Add-on called WriQ to help. The goal of WriQ is to provide teachers with a way to quickly analyze their students' writing in Google Docs - and track their progress over time. It provides useful metrics like:

Word and sentence count

Words per sentence

Correct and Incorrect word sequences

Time spent writing

Grammar, punctuation and spelling errors

Teachers can review and adjust this information as needed, then provide it (along with written feedback) to students directly in their Google Doc.

To install WriQ, simply open a Google Doc, choose Add-ons, then click "Get add-ons". Search for "WriQ" in the new window that appears and click the button to install.

To use WriQ, open a student's writing in a Google Doc. Then, select WriQ from the Add-ons menu, which will populate a sidebar to the right of the doc. (Note that the first time you use WriQ, you'll have to choose whether you are a student or teacher and answer a few questions about your school, district, and grades taught.)

In the sidebar, you'll see the teacher's name (most likely you), followed by the main writer of the document and their grade level. If more than one person contributed to the document, you will be able to see that via the Main Writer dropdown. Similarly, if the student's grade is incorrect, you can change it via the Grade dropdown.

Once you've confirmed everything is accurate, choose a genre (the big three are included: narrative, informative, and argumentative) and click "Score this document".

In a few seconds, a new window will appear with a list of errors that WriQ found.

If you see errors that WriQ missed, simply click where the error occurred and mark it. Similarly, if you see an error WriQ picked up that isn't really an error, you can unmark it. This is important as the more feedback WriQ receives, the more accurate it will get over time. You'll also see other metrics WriQ tracks, including word and sentence count, correct word sequences, time spent writing and more. The "WriQ" score at the top of the list currently reports the percentage of the document that is free of errors.

New with WriQ is the introduction of rubrics . After reviewing the errors and metrics listed above, clicking the "Next" button will take you to the rubric area. Each rubric is specific to the grade and genre chosen earlier.

Completing the rubric is as simple as choosing the description that best matches the student's writing for each area. Once finished, click "Save" to be taken to a summary screen where you can enter in any additional feedback and insert it into the student's document.

Tracking Progress

One of the most beneficial features of WriQ is the Dashboard, which can be accessed by opening WriQ from the Add-on menu and choosing "Go to Dashboard" from the sidebar. This will open a new window where you can view a history of each student's writing and track their progress over time.

It's still early days for WriQ. Currently we're focused on encouraging more teachers to use the product so that it can more accurately mark errors and eventually estimate rubric scores.

WriQ will remain free for grading individual student documents and tracking progress over time. Integration with Google Classroom is also being looked into. In the future, WriQ will be able to help teachers quickly assess student writing and compare those scores with others in the same grade, school, district and state. This will provide actionable feedback that individual teachers (and districts as a whole) can use to improve student performance.

Have you had a chance to try WriQ yet? If not, install it today and give it a try. If you have any feedback or questions be sure to visit Texthelp's educator community and let us know.

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This self-paced, e-course includes EVERYTHING you need to know to pass the Trainer Skills Assessment AND complete the application requirements, including:

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© Shake Up Learning 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

18 Challenges for Teachers in 2018 FREE eBook!

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How to Easily Assess Student Writing in Google Docs | Shake Up Learning

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PinterestAssess Student Writing in Google Docs with WriQ WriQ is a FREE tool that helps teachers assess writing in Google Docs. This Google Docs add-on helps teachers not only assess writing, including grammar, punctuation, spelling and more but also helps teachers track progress over time. This is a guest post by Jason Carroll from texthelp.

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The Electric Educator: 25 Ways to use Google Forms in the Classroom (with examples!)

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The Electric Educator: 25 Ways to use Google Forms in the Classroom (with examples!)

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But here's the deal - most teachers aren't taking full advantage of what Google Forms has to offer!

Here are 25 different ways you can use Google Forms in your Classroom - with an example for each!

I also created a PDF version of this post with links, images, and an option to make a copy of each form. Click here and I'll send it to you via email!

1. Reading Quiz - Hold students responsible for reading assignments by giving a simple quiz. This example is based on Fahrenheit 451 in a high school English classroom and is configured to release the quiz score immediately after submitting the quiz.

2. Image-based Technology Quiz - This quiz uses images to test basic Chromebook literacy. It is set up so that the student immediately receives their score and can see which questions they got wrong.

3. Bell ringer / Do now activity - This morning math check in activity is completed by students first thing in the morning before the start of class. The form uses data validation to provide hints if the student is struggling to get the correct answer.

4. Mood Check-in - Students will have a difficult time learning if the arrive at school filled with worry and concern. This mood check in provides a safe space for students to share their current mood and concerns with you. By using a tool like Form Postman you can configure the form to send you an email if a student indicates a negative emotion.

5. Permission slips - Field trips are fun. Permissions slips are not. This form allows parents to digitally sign permission slips. In an effort to prevent students from completing their own permission slip a parent email address is required and a notification is sent to this email address using Form Postman.

Choice eliminator is used to remove student names from the drop-down list once a parent has given their permission. This makes it easy for a teacher to identify which students do not have a permission slip on file.

6. Book report generator - Writing reflectively is a key component of the common core standards. A book report is a tremendous way to help students practice reflective, informational writing, and to also encourage them to identify elements of literature such as genre, plot, and setting. As a bonus, they can share their writing with others!

This form provides a simple way for students to share their thoughts on a book that they have read. I am using a tool called AutoCrat to take the form submissions and turn it into a nicely formatted Google Doc which can be easily printed or shared electronically.

7. Meeting Agenda Generator - For principals, department heads, and school administrators, organizing and running meetings is a lot of work. You can streamline the process of creating meeting agendas and minutes using Google Forms!

This meeting generator is completed by the meeting organizer. Using AutoCrat and FormMule, attendees are automatically notified with the meeting details and invited to add their agenda items to the agenda document. These documents are named, organized, and accessible in Google Drive.

8. Certificate Creator - Creating certificates is a pretty common tasks in education. Whether honoring students for their academic or athletic achievement or documenting professional development activity. Forms is a convenient way to generate certificates.

This simple example collects your name and email address to generate a simple certificate in Google Docs which is emailed to you as a PDF.

9. Customized Writing Assignments - Use Google Forms to generate custom research assignment based on topics that interest your students. This form asks students to answer several simple questions which are used to generate a unique research assignment based on their answers.

10. Course Evaluation - Good teachers seek feedback and constantly work to improve their course. This is the course evaluation form that I use to solicit feedback on my online courses. This form takes advantage of question branching; based on your answer to a question the form splits to ask additional follow up questions (i.e. indicating that you would like a sticker takes you to the address section).

11. Call for Speakers Form - If you help organize a conference or professional development day you can use Google Forms to collect session descriptions. This example is carefully designed to collect all of the information that is used to create the conference program with minimal editing.

12. Informal Reading Inventory - Use this form when evaluating the reading fluency of a student. Reading inventories are typically completed 2-3 times each year. This form makes it easy to collect store, and analyze collected data to observe student growth.

13. Idea / Opportunity Tracker - Record ideas when inspiration strikes! Add in your own categories and fields to make sorting and organizing your ideas easier. Use the reminder add-on for sheets to receive an email reminder of upcoming opportunities. I have this form saved as a bookmark for easy access.

14. Google Forms as a Rubric - Rubrics are the ideal method of evaluating project based learning. This Google Form makes it easy to complete an evaluation while you are reading a student paper or viewing their physical project. Use a tool like AutoCrat or FormMule to automatically send students a summary of your evaluation and comments.

15. Mock elections - Get rid of the paper ballots and hours of counting! To maintain the integrity of the election you can configure your form automatically collect email addresses (prevents students from voting as someone else), limit 1 response (prevents ballot box stuffing), and restrict voting to your school domain (prevents friends from outside of the district from voting).

16. Parent Teacher Conference Sign Up - Coordinating conferences with parents is a difficult administrative task. This Google Form collects the necessary information and displays the available time slots. By using the Choice Eliminator add-on time slots are automatically removed from the form once selected, minimizing the chance of double booking. The FormMule add-on automatically sends an email with conference information.

17. Discipline referrals - Quick action is important when dealing with student discipline issues. Google Forms provides an easy way for teachers to submit incident reports which can immediately be routed to the appropriate administrator for follow up. Because Form data is pushed to Google Sheets, administrators can add additional comments and use a tool like AutoCrat to generate a discipline referral documents.

18. Parent Volunteer sign up - Coordinating volunteers is a lot of work! Google Forms can help organize and coordinate volunteer positions. By using a tool called "choice eliminator" you can automatically remove volunteer opportunities after they have been filled.

19. Parent Contact form - The parent contact information that schools have on file is frequently incomplete or out of date. During back to school night I provide parents and opportunity to share their contact information with me so that I can keep them up to date on the progress of their student. This is also a great time to ask if the parent is interested in receiving Google Classroom updates.

20. Engagement tracker - Are your students engaged in classroom learning on a daily basis? Anecdotal observations frequently fall short when you are tracking engagement of 25 or more students. This simple form makes it easy to quickly scan your classroom and identify students who are engaged in the learning process. Over time, the summary of responses will reveal which students are regularly engaged, allowing you to identify opportunities to improve instruction and intervene with students who are frequently disengaged.

21. Behavior logs - This form was created for a school that adopted the Antecedent - Behavior - Consequence (ABC) discipline model. The form allows a teacher to make quick observations using their mobile phone which they can review, modify, and update during their planning period.

22. Parent contact tracker - This is a simple form to record conversations with parents and guardians. Veteran teachers understand the importance of documenting classroom communication to resolve conflicts and comply with IEP requirements.

23. Student progress tracker - When working on a long-term assignment such as a research paper, tracking student progress and understanding what each student is working can be challenging. Ask your students to complete this form each time they finish a component of their project. This will give you a snapshot of what students are working on.

This form has been configured to automatically collect user email address and limit to one response. After submitting the form the first time, the student will be prompted to "edit your response" rather than submitting the form a second time. This allow them to update their progress so that the form response data is accurate.

24. LIVE Reading log - Keep track of how many books and pages your class (or school) has read by taking advantage of the LIVE chart and graph feature of Google Sheets.

Have students log their reading using a Google form (like this)

The data that is collected feeds into a Google Sheet (like this)

Create a chart that tracks pages and books read. (like this)

Embed the chart into a Document, Presentation, or Google Site and watch it grow!
25. Classroom Observations - School administrators can create a standardized and transparent observation system with Google Forms. This Form includes all of the agreed upon observation criteria which can be completed on a mobile phone or tablet during the walk through. This system removes the guesswork from observations. By using a tool like FormMule the administrator can provide a copy of the observation to the teacher immediately upon submitting the form.

I hope I have been able to inspire you with what you can accomplish with forms! I would love to help you dig into creating Forms for your classroom. I teach a 5 week course via Google Classroom for teachers like you! You can get the details and find out the next time I'm offering the course by visiting chrm.tech/forms.

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25 Ways to use Google Forms in the Classroom (with examples!)

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But here's the deal - most teachers aren't taking full advantage of what Google Forms has to offer! I also created a PDF version of this post with links, images, and an option to make a copy of each form. Click here and I'll send it to you via email!

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Shake Up Learning with Google Keep by Kasey Bell - TCEA 2018 #TCEA - Google Slides

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Shake Up Learning with Google Keep by Kasey Bell - TCEA 2018 #TCEA - Google Slides

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Shake Up Learning with Google Keep by Kasey Bell - TCEA 2018  #TCEA

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What's new in G Suite. Google overview of all new features.

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What's new in G Suite. Google overview of all new features.

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160+ Chrome Apps and Extensions for Teachers and Students

I have put together a Google Chrome App and Extension Database for Teachers that is loaded with apps and extensions for productivity and classroom integration. In this post, you will find 160+ Chrome Apps and Extensions for Teachers and Students! This database is searchable and filterable by category, subject area, and grade level!

If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you probably know that I love the Google Chrome web browser! Google Chrome is the learning environment for all things Google and allows you to customize your browser to fit your needs. Better yet, Google Chrome can be customized to fit the needs of our student learners.

The magic of that customization comes from the Chrome Apps and Chrome Extensions available in the Chrome Web Store.

I encourage you to explore the Chrome Web Store periodically for new apps and extensions to bring to your classroom. On the left-hand side, you will find categories, including a category for education.

Check out some of my previous Chrome posts:

[Tweet "160+ Chrome Apps and Extensions for the Classroom! #gttribe #googleedu #ShakeUpLearning"]

What are Chrome Apps?

Apps are often enhanced shortcuts that optimize the website or app within the browser. Some require additional installation and set-up. Chrome must be running to access these applications. Below are a few of my favorite Google Chrome Apps.

What are Chrome Extensions?

Extensions are installed in the browser and give you added features and abilities to customize your browser.

Warning! Running too many extensions at once can slow your computer down. This list is a great place to start, but pick and choose what ones you need or want to try. And be sure to grab the Extensity extension so you can turn extensions off when you do not need them.

The Chrome Apps & Extensions Database

For a while, I have kept a list of my favorite apps and favorite extensions on this site, but my list just keeps growing! It has grown so much that a list just doesn't cut it anymore. I needed to find a way to help teachers find the best Chrome apps and extensions to fit the needs of their students, classrooms, and their own productivity. Thus, the Chrome Apps and Extensions Database was born.

The database includes 160 Apps and Extensions and is searchable and filterable. I do not recommend every app and extension for every teacher. Rather, use this as a guide to find what works for you, your classroom and your students. There is something in here for everyone.

BTW, Did you know that Shake Up Learning has it's very own Chrome extension? Get it here and stay up-to-date with all of the Shake Up Learning posts.

Right now, you will find this database is heavy in productivity tools. This is where I need your help. Help me make this database even better by sharing your favorite apps and extensions for your grade levels and subject areas. Please share with me and I will continue to add to this database so that it is loaded with resources for all educators. CLICK HERE to submit your favorite Chrome Apps & Extensions.

Please note that the database below was created with Awesome Tables. If it isn't loading, it could be your school filter causing the issue.

Permissions: You may link to this page. Embedding will violate the copyright policy of this blog.

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I have put together a Google Chrome App and Extension Database for Teachers that is loaded with apps and extensions for productivity and classroom integration. In this post, you will find 160+ Chrome Apps and Extensions for Teachers and Students! This database is searchable and filterable by category, subject area, and grade level!

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Record your screen and camera, save to Drive automatically.  Chrome extension.

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Record your screen and camera, save to Drive automatically.  Chrome extension.

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Screencastify is Chrome's simplest free screen recorder and video-creation platform, empowering anyone to become a better communicator by recording, editing, sharing, and assessing videos in seconds.

With Screencastify, use simple yet powerful screen recording tools to:

Record your desktop, browser tab, and/or webcam
Edit video from your browser
Share your video in multiple ways
Assess effectiveness with Interactive Questions and analytics
Request video submissions with Submit

Educators, professionals, and personal creators across the world use Screencastify screen recorder as a simple way to communicate more effectively through video.

🎬 Join a massive community of video creators
✔ Millions of weekly users
✔ Hundreds of millions of videos recorded
✔ Incredibly easy to learn and use

🎥 Create engaging videos with our easy-to-use screen recorder
▸ Record your browser tab, desktop, and/or your webcam
▸ Narrate with your microphone's audio
▸ Embed your webcam into the recording
▸ Annotate in real time to highlight key points

✂️ Simple video editing
▸ Trim the start and end of your videos
▸ Draw on your tab with the pen tool
▸ Merge, crop, and add text to videos

🚀 Share with your audience, wherever they are
▸ View and share videos on Google Drive
▸ Share to Google Classroom
▸ Export as MP4, animated GIF, or MP3
▸ See who has viewed your videos
▸ Add Interactive Questions to check viewer comprehension


👀Available free
▸ Create and store up to 10 videos free or upgrade for unlimited video creation
▸ Record and store videos up to 30 minutes for free

-------------------------------------------

How do people use Screencastify to communicate more effectively?

🎓 Education:
▸ Create instructional videos to engage your students whether they're university students or kindergarteners
▸ Create feedback videos to save time and increase your impact
▸ Embrace flipped classrooms or blended learning with video lessons
▸ Have your students practice foreign languages or public speaking
▸ Easily check for student comprehension with Interactive Questions

🏛️ At Work:
▸ Eliminate emails in favor of more effective, personalized communication
▸ Create performance review videos for coworkers
▸ Share engaging messages with your customers, users, and colleagues
▸ Create training and onboarding videos that captivate your employees
▸ Cancel meetings by sharing video instead

🌍 Everyday creators:
▸ With millions of weekly users, we've helped creators share countless ideas for videos to life - from professional YouTubers to personal trainers and attorneys to UFO hunters. What are you waiting for? Install Screencastify and inspire the world with your video communication.

-------------------------------------------

📝 Specs:
▸ Screencasts are captured as webm/vp8 files with ogg vorbis audio
▸ Videos can be saved to your local disk as various file types (GIF, MP4, etc), directly to your Google Drive, or you can simply share the link
▸ Screencastify screen recorder does not depend on any external software (like Java, Flash or other plugins) so it runs on Chrome OS, Chromebooks, and Chromeboxes
▸ Screen recording is a CPU intensive task. Older or weaker computers may lag if multiple programs and tabs are open at the same time as a screencast

📨 Info / Contact Us:
▸ Twitter:  @Screencastify
▸ Support Docs:  https://learn.screencastify.com
▸ Tech Support: support@screencastify.com

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The leading screen recorder for Chrome. Capture, edit and share videos in seconds.

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Control Alt Achieve: 4 Fantastic Rubric Tools for Google Docs

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Control Alt Achieve: 4 Fantastic Rubric Tools for Google Docs

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On the 4th day of Tech-Mas my true love gave to me... four rubric writers.

Note: This post is part of my " 12 Days of Tech-Mas" series for 2017. You can see all of the posts for each day as they get released in the main post here: " 12 Days of Tech-Mas 2017".

It has been said that grading is more of an art than a science. It can be easy to perform mathematical gymnastics on a stack of numbers, and then feel like we have arrived at a truly accurate grade because the result goes out to three decimal places.

In reality points and percentages can only go so far when evaluating student work. If possible, we can benefit greatly from taking a step back to get a holistic view of what a student has produced. Rather than just counting the number of problems they have missed, we (and they) are better served when we look for the patterns that reveal the reasons behind the mistakes.

One tool that can help move us closer to a fair assessment of student learning is a rubric. A rubric is an evaluation tool that uses a range of criteria to assess a student's skills or performance on a continuum from excellent to poor, with qualitative descriptions for the different levels.

As useful as rubrics can be though, since they are more sophisticated, they can also be a challenge to manage in a digital world. Thankfully there are many tools that we can use to create, deploy, and grade with electronic rubrics. In this blog post we will look at four such rubric tools and how they work. The tools range from simple to complex, so hopefully you will find one that matches your needs, or inspires you to try out a rubric for an upcoming assignment.

Session Resources

The Benefits of Rubrics

If you have come this far in the post, you probably do not need to be sold on the value of rubrics. However, if you are still on the fence, let me take a moment to try to push you over into the rubric camp. There are several benefits to using rubrics for you and your students.

Rubrics let students know what is expected - By seeing how you are going to grade them, and what elements you are going to be looking for, students can have confidence that they are completing the project properly.

Rubrics help students to be self-reflective - Even though you will end up using the rubric to assess the student, they can use it as well for self evaluation, helping them to take more ownership of their work and look for possible improvements.

Rubrics help guide your instruction - Knowing how you will grade can help inform how you teach. A well crafted rubric will lay out expectations for the higher-level learning you want your students to achieve, which can help remind you to mirror those expectations through your teaching.

Rubrics provide detailed assessments - Rather than just getting a single number to summarize an entire project, students can get more detailed feedback on each element of their work, helping them to understand where they can grow.

Rubrics provide consistency in grading - Let's face it. We are humans, and grading the 100th essay, may not be quite the same as grading the 1st. Likewise our grading can be influenced by time of day, state of mind, and whether you are grading before or after your team lost the big game. Having a rubric can help bring some objectivity to the assessment process, reducing some potential bias and inconsistencies.

Rubrics can be used in any subject - Rubrics are not just for language arts teachers. Any subject area or grade level can use rubrics. A rubric simply lets you step back and evaluate the full learning process, whatever it may be.

Four Rubric Tools

As mentioned above, there are many excellent tools for creating, deploying, and grading digital rubrics. We are going to look at four examples that span the range from basic to very sophisticated. If you have a different rubric tool you would like to recommend, please do so in the comments at the bottom of the post.

The four tools we are exploring are:

WriQ

OrangeSlice Teacher Rubric

docAppender

Doctopus and Goobric

WriQ is an add-on for Google Docs that can be used as a grammar checker (see my earlier blog post " Self-Editing Tools for Student Writing in Google Docs"). However, it also has a simple but useful rubric component included. If you are looking for a simple way to add a pre-made rubric to a student's document, this is a great option.

Here's how WriQ works:

Install WriQ (one-time process)

First, you need to have the WriQ add-on installed for Google Docs.

Alternately you can go directly to this link: WriQ Add-on link

Once you find the WriQ add-on, click the "+ Free" button and accept any permission requests.

Grade Student Documents

To use WriQ, start by opening the student document you wish to grade.

Note: The first time you use WriQ you will enter some user details to register.

The WriQ panel will now open on the side of the Doc.

Each different genre has its own pre-made rubric associated with it.

When ready, click "Score this document".

WriQ will now do a quick grammar and style check on the document

You will now get a screen with the actual rubric to grade.

For each topic, click the plus sign to expand the individual skills.

For each skill, click on the level you wish to assign.

When done, click "Save".

Next you will get the completed rubric.

You can optionally type in some free form feedback.

When done, click "Confirm".

The finished rubric will be inserted at the top of the student document for them to see.

Tool #2 - OrangeSlice Teacher Rubric

OrangeSlice is another add-on for Google Docs that can be used to grade with a digital rubric. It is a little more complicated than WriQ, but still a great tool to get started with.

For a video walkthrough for using OrangeSlice, see the video clip linked below from a webinar I did a while back on the topic if rubric tools:

If you would prefer written directions, here is a brief overview:

Install OrangeSlice (one-time process)

First, you need to have the OrangeSlice add-on installed for Google Docs.

Alternately you can go directly to this link: OrangeSlice Add-on link

Once you find the OrangeSlice add-on, click the "+ Free" button and accept any permission requests.

Create Docs Rubric (one-time process - can be reused)

Next, you will want to create your rubric as a table in Google Docs.

You will later copy and paste this table into your student documents to add the rubric to their work.

Use the "Table" menu button in Docs to create the needed table.

Add your skills as rows and your levels as columns.

For a sample rubric to look at or edit, you can use this link: Google Document link

You can now copy and paste this rubric into a student's document you wish to grade.

Better yet, copy and paste this rubric into the Doc you push out through Classroom so all of the students get the rubric ahead of time in the copy they get for their assignment.

Configure OrangeSlice

This will open the OrangeSlice panel on the side of the document.

For the rubric type choose "Analysis" (numeric) or "Competency" (letter grades) or "Holistic" (overall level).

If you chose "Analysis" enter the point values for the rubric.

Grade Student Documents

Next click "Grades" to begin filling out the rubric scores for that student.

Optionally you can also check the box for "Feedback" to type in free form comments for each skill.

When done click "Finished" and "Process Grade".

OrangeSlice will now color in the rubric table in the student's document to indicate your choices. It will also add a new table at the top of the document with the student's score.
Tool #3 - DocAppender

Our next tools is also an add-on, but this one is a Google Forms add-on rather than a Google Docs add-on. DocAppender allows you to create a rubric in Google Forms, which you can then fill out as needed to append the graded rubric to a student's document.

This tool is once again a little more complicated than the last, but may be a good match if you prefer to fill out a Google Form when grading a rubric.

For a video walkthrough for using DocAppender, see the video clip linked below from a webinar I did a while back on the topic if rubric tools:

If you would prefer written directions, here is a brief overview:

Install DocAppender (one-time process)

First, you need to have the DocAppender add-on installed for Google Forms.

Alternately you can go directly to this link: DocAppender Add-on link

Once you find the DocAppender add-on, click the "+ Free" button and accept any permission requests.

Create Rubric Form (one-time process - can be reused)

Next you will want to create a Google Form for your rubric.

The Form will need one "Dropdown" question titled "Select Document". The DocAppender add-on will use automatically populate the values for this question later to fill in a list of your students' document to grade.

The Form will also need individual "Multiple Choice" questions for each rubric skill.

Configure DocAppender

When done building the Form, you can now run DocAppender to grade with the rubric.

For "Step 1" browse to choose the folder in your Google Drive that holds the student assignments to be graded.

If you use Google Classroom, you can open the "Classroom" folder, then the specific folder for your class, then the specific folder for the assignment you want to grade.

Click "Next" when done.

For "Step 2" choose the "Select Document" question from the drop-down menu.

Then click "Save and populate selected question".

This will now pull in a list of all the student documents found in the folder you selected in Step 1.

Click "Next" when done.

For "Step 3" select the questions in the Form that make up your rubric.

While on that screen you can complete "Step 4" by choosing what format you want for the rubric when it is inserted into the students' documents.

Click "Save changes" when all done.

Grade Student Documents

Now you are ready to grade with the Form you have created.

Click the "Preview" button (eyeball icon) in the top menu bar to open the live version of your form.

For the "Select Document" question, choose the student document you wish to grade.

Next fill out the rest of the questions to complete the rubric.

When you submit the form, DocAppender will automatically take your scores and paste the completed rubric onto the bottom of the student's document for them to see.

Note: The same Form can be used with any assignment. Simply run through the DocAppender set up again to point to the new folder of documents.

Tool #4 - Doctopus and Goobric

The final tool is by far the most sophisticated, but that also means it is the most powerful. This option involves using both the Doctopus add-on for Google Sheets and the Goobric Chrome web extension.

For a video walkthrough for using Doctopus and Goobric, see the video clip linked below from a webinar I did a while back on the topic if rubric tools:

If you would prefer written directions, here is a brief overview:

Install Doctopus (one-time process)

First, you need to have the Doctopus add-on installed for Google Sheets.

In Sheets click "Add-ons" then "Get add-ons" then search for Doctopus

Alternately you can go directly to this link: Doctopus Add-on link

Once you find the Doctopus add-on, click the "+ Free" button and accept any permission requests.

Install Goobric (one-time process)

In addition to installing the Doctopus add-on you will also need to install the Goobric extension.

Goobric can be install from the Chrome Web Store using this link: Goobric extension link

Create Sheets Rubric (one-time process - can be reused)
Next you will need to create your rubric using Google Sheets.

Add your skills as rows and your levels as columns.

For a sample rubric to look at or edit, you can use this link: Google Sheets link

Configure Doctopus

At this point you are ready to configure Doctopus for the current assignment you wish to grade. To do this you will create a new Google Sheet, pull in the student assignments, and link the rubric. Here's how:

Create a new Google Sheet as normal.

Run Doctopus by clicking "Add-ons" then "Doctopus" then "Launch".

This will open the Doctopus panel on the side of the Sheet.

When ready click "Ingest assignment" which will create a list of the student documents in your Sheet.

For the next step, click the "Attach Goobric" button to link the rubric you created with this assignment.

Browse for and select the Google Sheets rubric you created.

Click "Attach rubric" when done.

Grade Student Documents

You are now ready to grade your student documents with the Goobric extension as follows:

Open up one of your students documents from the assignment.

With the student document open, click the Goobric extension in the top right corner of Chrome.

This will open a new tab with the Goobric panel at the top and the student document below.

You can fill out the rubric by clicking on each skill and then clicking on the score to assign.

You can leave free form comment in the "Comments" box.

You can click the microphone icon in the top right to record and insert voice feedback for the student.

When done, click the "Submit" button to add the rubric scores to the student's document.

You can the conveniently use the "Prev" and "Next" buttons to move through each student and grade their documents.

Conclusion

Although there are many tools for creating and using rubrics with Google Docs, the four we looked at in this post are a good variety of options. They range from basic to advanced, and use add-ons for Docs, Forms, and Sheets. Hopefully one of these tools will be a good match for you, to help you provide more in-depth assessment for your students, while overcoming the hurdles of working in a digital environment.

If you have other rubric tools that you have used and would like to recommend, please share the information in the comments below.

Post by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

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4 Fantastic Rubric Tools for Google Docs

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On the 4th day of Tech-Mas my true love gave to me... four rubric writers. Note: This post is part of my " 12 Days of Tech-Mas" series for 2017. You can see all of the posts for each day as they get released in the main post here: " 12 Days of Tech-Mas 2017".

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Control Alt Achieve: 8 Ways to Supercharge Google Docs with Drawings

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Control Alt Achieve: 8 Ways to Supercharge Google Docs with Drawings

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A Collection of Some Great Google Drive Tools for Teachers

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A Collection of Some Great Google Drive Tools for Teachers

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March 15, 2017
We have revisited our Google Drive add-ons' chart we published last year and added few more categories to the list. More specifically, we added Drive tools for creating educational visual content, tools for working on PDFs, and collaborative mind mapping tools. Our purpose is to provide teachers with a collection of notable apps to help them extend their Drive activities to include functionalities not provided by the default Drive features.

We hope you find this chart helpful and if you have other suggestions to add to the list please share with us via email or Facebook.

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A Collection of Some Great Google Drive Tools for Teachers

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March 15, 2017 We have revisited our Google Drive add-ons' chart we published last year and added few more categories to the list. More specifically, we added Drive tools for creating educational visual content, tools for working on PDFs, and collaborative mind mapping tools.

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Flippity.net: Easily Turn Google Spreadsheets into Flashcards and Other Cool Stuff

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Flippity.net: Easily Turn Google Spreadsheets into Flashcards and Other Cool Stuff

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Flippity.net: Flashcards and Other Resources for Educators and Learners

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Create an interactive virtual breakout activity.

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Goobric and Doctopus to Grade in Google Classroom

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Goobric and Doctopus to Grade in Google Classroom

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Rubric Feedback using Doctopus and Goobric (Guide) - Google Docs

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Rubric Feedback using Doctopus and Goobric (Guide) - Google Docs

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Rubric Feedback using Doctopus and Goobric (Guide)

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4 Must-Have Google Classroom Skills for Teachers | Shake Up Learning

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4 Must-Have Google Classroom Skills for Teachers | Shake Up Learning

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4 Common Questions About Google Classroom Assignments

Google Classroom is quite a robust platform for teachers and students to communicate, collaborate, and manage assignments digitally.

Google is continually updating and giving us new features that make it an even more powerful tool.

Whether you are new to Google Classroom, or a savvy expert, there is always something new to discover.

Here are four things you must know about Google Classroom assignments.

This post is a compilation of some of the most frequently asked questions about Google Classroom Assignments.

[Tweet "4 Must-Have #GoogleClassroom Skills for Teachers #gsuiteedu #edtech"]

Creating Assignments in Google Classroom

When you create assignments in Google Classrooms, you will notice a lot of options.

Knowing how to maximize these options will help you to meet the needs of your students and save valuable time.

4 Must-Have Google Classroom Skills

1. How to Distribute a Google Classroom Assignment to Multiple Classes

For those of you that teach the same subject across multiple class periods, you can create an assignment and distribute to multiple classes at once and save valuable time.

When you create a new assignment in Google Classroom,

1. Click the drop-down arrow next to the name of your class.

2. From here you can use the checkboxes to select each class that you would like to distribute the assignment.

[Tweet "How to Distribute a #GoogleClassroom Assignment to Multiple Classes #gsuiteedu"]

Notes:

If you need to edit the assignment, you will have to edit each assignment in each class, individually.

You can't post to individual students across multiple classes. Posts to multiple classes are shared with all students in the classes.

2. How to Schedule Assignments in Google Classroom

Sometimes you need to create assignments ahead of time, so students don't see it in their feed or get an alert until you are ready.

1. Create your assignment.

2. In the bottom right, click the drop-down arrow and choose, "schedule."

3. Select the date and time you want the assignment to post.

4. Click, "schedule."

How to Schedule an Assignment in Google Classroom

Notes:

Posts can only be scheduled for one class at a time. So if you want to schedule for multiple classes, these steps will have to be followed for each class. You can, however, save as a draft for multiple classes at once by selecting the checkboxes for each class.

3. How to Assign Work to Individuals and Groups

You can give an assignment just to one particular student, or a group of students instead of the entire class. By default, an assignment is posted to all students in the class.

1. Click the drop-down arrow next to, "All Students."

2. Deselect "All Students"

3. Select just the student or group of students you wish to receive the assignment post.

Note:

You'll see the number of students you posted to on the assignment in the class stream. To view the students' names, click number students on the assignment.

You can't post to individual students if more than one class is included. And, you can't post to more than 100 individual students at a time.

Also see my previous post: How to Differentiate Assignments in Google Classroom for additional information and tips!

4. How to Make Copies of Assignment Materials in Google Classroom

You can add attachments, links to outside resources and websites, YouTube videos, or Google Drive files to your assignment. When the file attachment is a Google Docs, Sheet, or Slide, you gain additional options for distribution and how students interact with the file.

After you select the Doc, Sheet, or Slide file, you will see a new drop-down menu option.

Students can view file -All students can read the file, but not edit it.

Students can edit file -All students share the same file and can make changes to it.

Make a copy for each student -(For Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides only) Students receive an individual copy of the file that they can edit. The student's name is automatically added to the document title. When a student turns in the assignment, the teacher sees the file labeled with the student's name.
Notes:

The above options are for Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides only.

Once you click assign, you cannot edit these options. If you choose the wrong option, or simply change your mind, you will have to delete the assignment and start over.

If you attach a Google Forms quiz, grades can be imported directly to the Student Work page if there is no other attachment on the assignment.

Grade importing can't be enabled if there is another attachment on the assignment.

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4 Must-Have Google Classroom Skills for Teachers

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Choice is a wonderful thing. We all love choice in our daily lives from what clothes you dressed in this morning, to what food you ate…

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Feature updates to Flipgrid, Classroom, Kahoot

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Feature updates to Flipgrid, Classroom, Kahoot

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This year is no exception.

In fact, just yesterday (the day before I publish this post), Flipgrid threw a HUGE bash at their Minneapolis headquarters to release the all new Flipgrid and a slew of new features.

It's a good time to be in education, folks. Technology makes all sorts of meaningful, engaging education accessible to kids everywhere. And every day, it seems, we have more at our disposal.

Here are some of the big updates to some of my favorite tools - Flipgrid, Google Classroom, Seesaw, Formative and Kahoot!:

I'm writing this post while wearing my Flipgrid Ambassador shirt and sipping coffee from my Flipgrid coffee mug. I'm fully bought in to this tool, which lets students respond to prompts with short video clips. It's all for good reason, too: Flipgrid was named one of 10 Cool Tool Award product/service winners for 2017 by EdTech Digest.

With a free Flipgrid One account, teachers can pose a question to students. They can respond via video, pausing and continuing recording as much as they'd like, until they're finished. They can then shoot a cover photo for their response (selfie style) and post it to the topic for others in the class to see.

A paid Flipgrid Classroom account lets students reply to each other's posts with videos and unlocks advanced teacher features.

Now, after all the big Flipgrid updates, teachers and students can do the following with a free Flipgrid One account:

Add a photo, video, link or attachment to a topic to spark discussion or provide additional resources.

Spark a particularly thought-provoking student response into its very own topic, letting students take center stage.

Schedule the date you want topics to appear to students.

Encourage brevity with 15-second videos. (Paid Flipgrid Classroom users can record up to 5-minute videos for more complex topics.)

Save time with the super fast QuickView to provide feedback, watch replies, share and switch between videos in a snap.

Provide feedback to students, formerly a paid Flipgrid Classroom feature! (Paid Flipgrid Classroom users can provide custom rubrics for their students.

Let students add selfie stickers and draw on their response selfies to personalize them! (This feature can be disabled.)

Respond to Flipgrid video responses with emojis: a heart, a light bulb, a thinking smiley, a rocket or a "mic drop" smiley!

That's just the tip of the iceberg. For more details on Flipgrid's big updates, check out the following resources:

Looking for ways to use Flipgrid in the classroom? Check out this Ditch That Textbook guest post by Karly Moura on 15+ ways to use it in class!

BONUS: Check out these great sketchnotes from the Flipgrid release party at Flipgrid HQ in Minneapolis! Quote of the night from Flipgrid founder Charlie Miller:

You don't feature topics. You feature students.

Took a bit of time, but I enjoyed focusing on all of the excitement & relaxing at the same time. @flipgrid @techfairies2 pic.twitter.com/ErESJfgxMT

- Michele Osinski (@CheleOh) August 11, 2017

When Google Classroom makes updates, Google-using teachers sit up and notice. (Then they run to their devices to try them out!)

This year, for back to school time, Google dropped many, many new updates, including some that teachers have been requesting for a long time.

In the Students tap, click a student's name to see all of his/her assignments, questions and quizzes - as well as status of work, grades, attached files and an icon for private comments. (Directions via Google support) (For me, this one get the rating. It's HUGE to have everything for one student in one place!)

Move the tiles in your Classes page in whatever order you want. (Directions via Google support) (We've been begging for this for a long time! I was in a meeting with teachers about new Google features and there was a thundering round of applause and cheers when this was announced!)

Provide decimal numbers as grades instead of just whole numbers.

Integrate activities with Quizizz, Edcite, Kami and (soon) Code.org in your Google Classroom assignments.

Display your class code in full screen with the click of a mouse! (A little thing that has teachers everywhere saying, "THANK YOU!".)

Batch grading assignments in Google Forms quizzes by grading them question by question. (Directions via Google support)

Check out all of the updates in this post on The Keyword blog: 10 ways we're making Classroom and Forms easier for teachers this school year.

I've been a huge fan of Formative for a few years. It's a great tool that lets you create interactive digital assignments, see students work on them in real time and provide instant feedback. The assignments you create are as unique as you want them to be, with questions, videos, images, text blocks and even a canvas where you can draw a picture for them.

This summer, Formative made a major upgrade, introducing V2: its biggest upgrade to the product since it launched years ago.

Here are some of the big changes and updates in V2:

Track student growth on standards across multiple activities. Instead of just seeing how students did on individual activities, you can watch how they're trending and take action accordingly.

Instantly see what is currently assigned to each class from your dashboard. You'll see a grid of assignments (horizontal) and the classes they're assigned to (vertical).

Choose what happens after a student submits an assignment. You can choose to show students their scores and/or the correct answers. You also have a choice on when those are displayed: immediately, after the session ends, after the student submits the work or decide later.

Create student accounts yourself and add them to your class right away. You can even import classes directly from Google Classroom, saving you time. (Formative also gives you the power to view student login info and reset passwords, too.)

Choose multiple assignments in Formative and copy, share, move and/or delete all of them at once. This can be a big time saver!

A progress bar shows students how far they are through their assignment. And if you choose to return scores to students, the dots in the progress bar change color based on their grade.

Have you tried Formative? If not, now's a great time!

Looking for ideas for using Formative? Check out this post: 20 ways to use Formative for awesome assessment

Over the last several years, Kahoot! has become a classroom staple all over the U.S. and the world. Every time I present to teachers on tech integration, I'll ask how many know about Kahoot! and almost every hand goes up every time!

They have a new home base! Instead of using the old getkahoot.com, you can now access Kahoot! via kahoot.com. (Try it!)

The Explore section of the site features some model uses of Kahoot! to follow. Check out what other educators are doing with Kahoot! for new ideas. (There are seven quizzes created by National Geographic on that page!)

A mobile app is being developed to let students play Kahoot! games on their own at any time. No more need to set it up in class and have everyone present! (As of publication of this post, the sign-up for beta testers of the mobile app was still available here.)

The jumble game mode isn't brand new, but it's a newer feature. Instead of choosing an answer from four options, participants put four choices in order to submit their answer. It could be chronological order, sequence or anything else you decide. Jumble questions can't be mixed with multiple choice questions ... you create a game with one or the other.

A neat idea shared by teacher Carol Salva on the Kahoot! blog: selfie Kahoot!s. Check the idea out here.

Looking for more ideas for using Kahoot! in the classroom? Check out this post!
For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links: Interested in having Matt present at your event or school? Contact him by e-mail! Matt is scheduled to present at the following upcoming events:
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Updates abound: New features for Flipgrid, Google Classroom, Formative and Kahoot!

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This year is no exception. In fact, just yesterday (the day before I publish this post), Flipgrid threw a HUGE bash at their Minneapolis headquarters to

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(1) Tutorial: An Updated Guide to Google Classroom (2017) - YouTube

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(1) Tutorial: An Updated Guide to Google Classroom (2017) - YouTube

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Tutorial: An Updated Guide to Google Classroom (2017)

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Video: Google Classroom in Under 10 minutes

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Video: Google Classroom in Under 10 minutes

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Getting Started Mini-Course with Alice Keeler

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Getting Started Mini-Course with Alice Keeler

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Online training courses for K12 teachers including Google and G Suite for Education, Google Certification prep courses, and digital learning professional development for educators.

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(1) Tutorial: An Updated Guide to Google Classroom (2017) - YouTube

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(1) Tutorial: An Updated Guide to Google Classroom (2017) - YouTube

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Tutorial: An Updated Guide to Google Classroom (2017)

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5 ideas for using Google Classroom's new differentiation and grouping feature | Ditch That Textbook

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5 ideas for using Google Classroom's new differentiation and grouping feature | Ditch That Textbook

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One huge drawback of using Google Classroom has been the inflexibility of creating assignments. Everything you assigned had to go to every student.

Deliver assignments to small groups? Ha! Differentiate to subsets of students? Nah.

Until now.

Google announced a few changes to Google Classroom, and this one was the bombshell: assign activities to small groups of students (or even individual students).

BOOM.

Let's dig into this important new feature. You'll see three sections: what is it, how does it work, and what can I do with it ...

What is it?

This feature allows you to assign work to individual students and small groups. You can check off which students need to get the assignment - any number of students, from one to all but one in the class and anywhere in between.

After it's assigned, when you click to grade the assignment, only those students assigned to that assignment will show up. The assignment will only be displayed to students to whom it is assigned.

How does it work?

It's a very simple feature. Below is a screencast tutorial that walks you through the whole process start to finish ...
Here's what it looks like (described with words and images):
1. Open Google Classroom and go to a class. Click the "+" button in the bottom right corner and click, "Create assignment.

2. You'll notice a drop-down menu that says "All students" next to the name of the class you're assigning to. That's where this feature comes in ... click it!

3. If you want to assign to all students, just leave it as is. All students are selected by default. But if you want to select a smaller group of students to assign to, uncheck "All students". Then select the students you want using the check boxes next to their names.

4. Complete your assignment. (Don't forget to do the instructions part. When students are absent or return back to an assignment later, they'll be lost without them!) Then click "Assign." (You can also schedule it or save it as a draft with the drop-down triangle button next to "Assign".)

5. Your assignment is assigned to that group! When you go to grade the assignment (click on the "Done" or "Not done" area), you'll see that only the students you assigned it to are displayed.

(Note: Any students you did not assign this assignment to will not see this assignment in Google Classroom.)

What can I do with it

A lot! This new feature unlocks several options in the classroom ...

1. Group activities - Assign an activity to an individual group. Then, all the group members are all together in one place. You won't have to check and double check who is in which group.

2. Providing extra practice - If some students are struggling and could use some extra work - or some suggested sites for practice - assign it just to those students.

3. Leveling activities - Differentiate an activity by creating two, three or four versions of it. A more basic version of the activity has less steps, less detail or less rigor. A more advanced version has more steps, detail or rigor. Add one or two versions in the middle and you have several levels to challenge a variety of students. Assign as needed.

4. Interest-based activities - Have some Harry Potter fans in class? Or a group that loves motocross or sports? If you can identify groups of students that have the same interest, how fun would it be to include those interests in the work they do in class?

5. Rotating activities - If you have stations or a set of activities students will do over a period of days or weeks, keep assignments simple by assigning just the one that group is working on. If students will rotate through four different activities, assign one group just activity #2 until they're done with it. Then assign them the next one. The "reuse post" feature will make this quick and easy once you've assigned all of the activities once.

[reminder]How else could you use this new grouping/differentiation feature in your class? How have you used it, or how do you hope to use it?[/reminder]
For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links: Interested in having Matt present at your event or school? Contact him by e-mail! Matt is scheduled to present at the following upcoming events:
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Check out our summer bundle. 9 GREAT COURSES ONE LOW PRICE!

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5 ideas for using Google Classroom's new differentiation and grouping feature

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One huge drawback of using Google Classroom has been the inflexibility of creating assignments. Everything you assigned had to go to every student. Deliver assignments to small groups? Ha! Differentiate to subsets of students? Nah. Until now. Google announced a few changes to Google Classroom, and this one was the bombshell: assign activities to small groups of students (or even individual students).

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10 ways we’re making Classroom and Forms easier for teachers this school year

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10 ways we’re making Classroom and Forms easier for teachers this school year

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10 ways we're making Classroom and Forms easier for teachers this school year

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Today we're excited to announce 10 updates to Google Classroom and Google Forms designed to make teachers' lives easier this school year.

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Professional Learning for Teachers : It’s time to DIY

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Professional Learning for Teachers : It’s time to DIY

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If teachers want to get the most out of professional development opportunities, they need to take ownership of their own professional learning.

Years ago, I sat in a professional development session during which an expert on education stood in front of a packed room of semi-engaged adults and told us how students don't learn from lectures. (I've also attended staff meetings that should have been emails, and participated in email chains that should have been meetings - but that is a topic for another time.)

For too long professional development has been top-down, one size fits all, and fallen short of the needs and expectations of teachers. With limited time and resources, schools and districts need to support teachers in accessing and participating in the professional learning that the teachers need to improve their craft. Instead of large group "professional development" opportunities, teachers, mentors, school and district leaders need to encourage and support a variety of on going professional learning opportunities and practices.

DIY Professional Learning is about Teacher Agency

As teachers, we strive to promote agency among our students, we should model this with our own journey through education.

The person who is most responsible for my professional growth is me. It's time for do-it-yourself professional learning.

I will be careful to add that this perspective does not eliminate formal leadership structures in schools from the role to play, particularly among new teachers. District Leaders, Principals, Instructional Leads, Dep

artment Chairs and Mentors have an obligation to assist their teachers in finding opportunities that will serve them best.

The role of the principal is shifting, just as the role of the teacher is.

How Do I DIY?

Doing it yourself requires that you start looking for what you want and the best way to do that is by curating one or more of your social media feeds. While many of us are using social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram personally, we can also leverage these platforms to be a source of information and a way to connect with out teachers. This will be the basis of of your professional learning in the digital age.

Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) are curated from social media, including groups and hashtags relevant to your interests and content. A great place to start is the Awesome Table of Resources from EduMatch. This searchable database helps educators connect with each other via multiple social media platforms and hashtags based on your interests.

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are more formal groups of educators who participate in ongoing professional learning. Typically these are organized by a district or school and incorporate an analysis of a problem of practice that includes inquiry, data collection, action and reflection. Here is a more complete description of PLCs from ASCD.

Mentor/Mentee Relationships and Peer Observation: While many schools have formal programs for new teachers, targeting a mentor or mentee who you can have an ongoing conversation about professional practice a Seek out an experienced teacher in your building and start asking questions. Invite your self to observe or be observed and discuss afterwards.

Conferences: These traditional bastions of learning and network are still very popular. The real trick is retaining and using all of this new information. If you can't convince someone from your building to go with you meet some new friends and add them to your PLN so that you can help each other retain the knowledge. There are a ton of these, here's a list.

Un-Conferences: As the name implies these new kids on the block are disrupting the traditional conference structure. They typically do not include keynotes or a set schedule rather they allow the participants to set the agenda and treat everyone as part learner and part expert. Check out EDcamps and Playdates two free un-conference formats happening all the time all over the country.

Webinars and TedTalks: Are great motivators and sources of content but you need to find a way to implement and share what you're learning with your school. Consider inviting your colleagues together to watch and discuss, or flip your professional classroom and watch the TedTalk before getting together to discuss.

In the digital age, time and location should not hinder your professional development. District and School leadership should find ways to support teachers in their professional learning as we all seek to provide more engaging and meaningful learning experiences to our students. Invest in yourself and your career

Finally, I recently read "Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools, Today" by Eric Sheninger and Thomas Murray. This book was a phenomenal source of info for this post as well as a great resource for technology integration and school improvement in general.

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Professional Learning for Teachers : It's time to DIY

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If teachers want to get the most out of professional development opportunities, they need to take ownership of their own professional learning. Years ago, I sat in a professional development session during which an expert on education stood in front of a packed room of semi-engaged adults and told us how students don't learn from lectures.

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Google Drive File Stream is Magical | Alvin's Educational Technology Blog

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Google Drive File Stream is Magical | Alvin's Educational Technology Blog

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Google Drive File Stream is Magical | Alvin’s Educational Technology Blog

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In September, Google announced Google Drive App will no longer be supported starting December 11, 2017. Two different applications are replacing the Google Drive App. Those apps are “Backup and Sync” and Google Drive File Stream.

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4 Ways to Use Google Keep for Feedback and Assessment | Shake Up Learning

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4 Ways to Use Google Keep for Feedback and Assessment | Shake Up Learning

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4 Ways to Use Google Keep for Feedback and Assessment

Google Keep is one of my favorite G Suite tools! One fun way to use Google Keep is for feedback. In this post, I've got 4 ways to use Google Keep for feedback and assessment.

Google Keep makes it easy to "keep" feedback comments, resources, references, badges, and images handy as you review and assess student work.

Google Keep is a very robust tool that can be used in many different ways by teachers and students. There are so many options, I have begun referring to Google Keep as the " Instant Pot of G Suite!" ( Listen to episode 41 of The Google Teacher Tribe to hear the reference.)

One of the coolest ways to use Google Keep is the integration with Google Docs and Slides. If you didn't know, you can open up your Google Keep notepad from inside Docs and Slides (Tools>Google Keep Notepad). This can help us as teachers make the most of this fun G Suite tool.

Below are 4 Ways for Using Google Keep for badges, common feedback, Bitmoji stickers, and GIFs!

[Tweet "4 Ways to Use #GoogleKeep for Feedback and Assessment #gsuiteedu"]

1. Google Keep for Badges

One way to gamify your lessons is to create badges for reaching certain learning goals. There are several tools that make it easy to create and save badge images.

Tools to try:

(Also check out this 5 Awesome Resources for Badges in the Classroom.)

After you create your badges, upload them to Google Keep.

1. Create a new note in Google Keep.

2. Select the image icon in the note menu and navigate to your saved image.

3. Inside Docs or Slides, go to Tools>Keep Notepage, and your notes will appear in a sidebar to the right. You can also search your notes to find what you need more quickly.

4. Then You can open the Google Keep notepad in Docs and Slides and add the badge to student work.

2. Create a Library of Feedback for Common Errors

No matter what subject you teach, you probably find yourself giving the same feedback on common errors over and over again. (Like my example below on comma usage with quotation marks.) Make it easy on yourself and make you of the technology at your fingertips!

You can easily save written feedback to a Google Keep note and even add a link to a video or article that reviews the content or skill for easy reference. Once it is in Keep, you can simply copy and paste the text from your notepad into a comment in Docs or Slides.

3. Create a Library of Bitmoji Stickers for Informal Feedback

Bitmoji is a fun mobile app and Chrome extension that you can use for some fun, informal feedback on student work. A Bitmoji is a custom avatar maker. Create an expressive cartoon avatar and choose from a library of fun ideas that can express feedback uniquely. Students will love these!

1. Get the Bitmoji Chrome extension here.

2. Right-click on the Bitmoji you wish to use and choose "copy image."

3. Paste the image into your Google Keep note.

4. Then you can click and drag your Bitmjoi sticker from the Google Keep Notepad in Docs and Slides.

[Tweet "Bitmoji stickers for feedback???? Um, yes, please!!! #gsuiteedu"]

4. Create a Library of Animated GIFs for Feedback

Animated GIFs rule the world! We see and use them just about everywhere these days so why not use them to spice up informal feedback? This is another fun idea that your students will love!

If you want to learn more about GIFs, I have done some previous posts that show you how to find and insert GIFs in G Suite files, and how to create screencast GIFs, but we are about to break the rule shared in those posts. To save a GIF to Google Keep, you must download the .gif and upload into Keep, which is contrary to the image URL method used in those previous posts.
Shoutout to Stefanie Filardo for the original Docs Stickers idea!
1. Find or create your GIF.

2. Save it locally to your computer. Be sure the file ends in .gif.

3. Upload your image to Google Keep using the directions in #1 above.

4. Then you can click and drag your GIF from the Google Keep Notepad in Docs and Slides. (Easy peasy lemon squeezy!)

[Tweet "Easy peasy lemon squeezy - Using Keep + GIFs for Informal Feedback! #shakeuplearning #edtech #gsuiteedu"]

While some of these methods may take a bit longer to set-up, the power lies in the fact you have created a library of options that you can access at any time-saving you time in the long run.

Be sure you check out my other Google Keep resources, including the Google Keep Cheat Sheet and some other fun blog posts.

Do you love Google Keep as much as I do?

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Please share your ideas in the comments below!
Don't miss out on this chance to Shake Up Learning in your classroom!

Technology is not a magic solution for education. It is an opportunity! An opportunity to shake things up, to connect and grow, and to create dynamic learning experiences for our students!

In this three-part book, you will explore WHY it's time to Shake Up Learning, WHAT changes we can make in our classrooms to support dynamic learning experiences, and HOW to plan meaningful lessons for your classroom.

© Shake Up Learning 2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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4 Ways to Use Google Keep for Feedback and Assessment

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Google Keep is one of my favorite G Suite tools! One fun way to use Google Keep is for feedback. In this post, I've got 4 ways to use Google Keep for feedback and assessment. Google Keep makes it easy to "keep" feedback comments, resources, references, badges, and images handy as you review and assess student work.

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Share Extensions! Chrome My Gosh! (Responses) - Google Sheets

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Share Extensions! Chrome My Gosh! (Responses) - Google Sheets

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10-Share Extensions!  Chrome My Gosh! (Responses)

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Find Files Faster: How to Organize Files and Folders

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Find Files Faster: How to Organize Files and Folders

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How automation saves Calendly's team 10+ hours a week

How Fellow onboards wholesale customers 4x faster

Create your first Zap with ease

Once upon a time, my system of clothes organization was simply to throw everything into the closet. Then, when I needed to get dressed, I'd dig around aimlessly and cross my fingers that the top I needed would magically appear. (I never said it was a great system.)

This was the same approach I used to organize files on my computer. And as a surprise to no one, it resulted in me wasting a lot of time trying to find specific files that I'd arbitrarily named and tucked away.

Automatically organize your files

I've come a long way since those haphazard years. My clothes are now arranged by color and style, and I use a simple folder structure to organize my digital files-both of which make it easy to find what I need, when I need it.

If you're looking to bring order to digital chaos, here are five effective ways to organize files and folders.

What is a folder structure?

A folder structure is a hierarchical system you use to organize your files. The goal is to have every file (document, photos, etc.) neatly stored in a designated folder-steering clear of standalone files floating around-for faster access.

Let's say you're a lawyer, and you need a systematic way to organize your clients' files. A basic folder hierarchy might look like this:

If the contents of each of the nested subfolders ( Client documents and OC documents) warrant further grouping, you could take it one step further.

Nested folders generally make it easier to find specific files later, because you don't have to sift through all your files at once.

Tip: Folders are great for organization, but having too many nested folders can make finding files cumbersome. If you regularly find yourself clicking through four or five layers of folders to access what you need, that's a sign you may need to simplify your structure.

How to organize files and folders on your computer

Browsing through folders should be an intuitive process. Continuing with our lawyer example, let's say you need to find out when your client paid their retainer. The obvious folder to look in would be Client invoices-not Client comms.

If you find yourself doing mental gymnastics to figure out where you stored something, update your organization system with these file management tips.

1. Establish a clear hierarchical folder structure

Start organizing your files by creating a logical, hierarchical folder structure. The best folder structure will mimic the way you work.

For example, if you're a freelance writer, your top-level folder may be Freelance projects, and within that folder, you have subfolders for the clients you write for, like Zapier, WIRED, and so on.

2. Use a consistent naming convention

Give your folders and files specific, logical names-and be consistent. The goal is to use names that clearly indicate what's inside without having to open it. While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to naming conventions, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Include keywords. Consider what terms you might search for to retrieve the file. For example, Invoice_2301 or Receipt_2301. And if you're sharing the file with a client, consider using words that make it clear what's inside.

Use Pascal case. If using compound words, capitalize the first letter of each word to make it easier to read. For example, Lau_AmendedContract (vs. Lau_Amendedcontract).

Add a date. By putting a date (e.g., yymmdd) at the beginning of your file name, it'll automatically be listed in chronological order.

Include the version. If you're working with multiple versions of a file, include the version number (e.g., V3). This will make it easier to identify the most recent version and avoid any costly mixups if there are multiple iterations of the same file.

Sequential numbers. To arrange your files in a specific order, add leading zeros (e.g., 01, 02, and 03) instead of 1, 2, and 3.

Add "AA." By adding "AA" at the beginning of your file name, it'll automatically stack it at the top of your list, making it easily accessible.

Keep it concise. Some software programs have character limits on file names, or don't allow certain special characters (e.g., #, @, and &). To keep your file and folder names consistent-regardless of the program you're using-include only necessary information and cut anything superfluous (e.g., words like "a," "and," and "the").

Tip: To keep naming conventions consistent across your organization, create a naming convention cheat sheet that everyone can reference, as needed.

3. Add tags

Depending on the number of files you need to organize, you can use a tagging system instead of, or in addition to, folder structures. For example, if you're a food photographer, you might tag your photos based on type (e.g., soups, desserts, and salads). Then, whether you've grouped all your photos into one main folder or multiple subfolders, you can quickly pull up every dessert photo simply by searching for the Desserts tag.

Tip: If you store files directly on your desktop, here's how to tag and search for files on Mac and Windows.

4. Delete and archive unnecessary files

By the end of any given month, my computer's Downloads folder is filled with screenshots I use for Zapier articles. This is intentional because I prefer to organize my folders in batches instead of filing as I go (more on that later). At the start of every month, I reserve 30 minutes to organize my folders-deleting files I don't need anymore and re-homing the ones I do need. And for the files I don't need right away, I archive those in the cloud.

Tip: If you have a lot of files and folders that need to be sorted, it will take time to get everything organized. To make the process more manageable, consider moving all the files you won't need in the immediate future into an Archives or To be sorted folder. Then set aside 15 minutes once a week to sort through these files-again, ruthlessly deleting the files you won't need again and rehoming the ones you do need.

5. File as you go

If you work with a lot of files, organizing your folders once a month may result in an insurmountable pile of chaos. To prevent this, give every file an accurate name and home as soon as you create it.

Experiment with these folder structure examples

Ready to get organized, but not sure how to start? Let's take it from the top: Establish a clear hierarchical folder structure.

First, determine your top-level folder. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

By project: If you work on a lot of different projects, use the project name as your top-level folder name.

By project type: If you work on different types of projects, organize your folders based on project type. For example, writers might work on blog posts, emails, and landing pages.

By time: If it's easier for you to reference your work by date, use the month or year for the name of your parent folder.

Once you've established your top-level folders, it's time to organize your subfolders. Here are the two most effective folder structures I've used in the past.

1. "Working," "final," and "archive" subfolders

Here's how to organize your files using the working/final/archive subfolder system:

Working: Any projects you're currently working on. This is also a good place to keep native or source files for easy access.

Final: Any files that have been approved by relevant stakeholders, and are ready for launch.

Archive: Anything that doesn't fit into your Working or Final folder. Put your notes, brainstorms, research, and other miscellaneous files here.

This system is particularly useful if you're working on a project with multiple pieces. It's also great for teams working on a project where several people are working on the same deliverable.

Let's use an email campaign as an example. The copywriter will store the draft copy doc for the emails in the Working folder until they're ready for approval. Once the copy's been approved, the file will move to the Final folder, which will indicate to the Email Ops team that the emails are ready to be built.

2. "Year" or "client" folders

If your desktop houses hundreds of files that are related to work for specific clients, creating folders for each client might be your best bet. Or, if you have an overwhelming number of receipts of business expenses, sorting them into folders by year or month may be the simple folder structure you need. Remember: more folders aren't necessarily better.

However simple, find a system that works for you, and then stick with it. Consistency is what will help you stay organized in the long run.

How to quickly find files

If your folders contain lots of important files, it can take a few minutes of scrolling through to find what you need-even with a clear folder hierarchy and naming convention in place.

For cases like this, it's much faster to use your computer's built-in search tool to retrieve your file.

How to quickly find files on a Mac desktop

On a Mac, Spotlight helps you quickly find documents, images, and other files.

To use it, click the Spotlight icon in the menu bar, which looks like a magnifying glass. Alternatively, you can use a keyboard shortcut: command + space. Then, type in the file or folder name you're looking for.

How to quickly find files on a PC running Windows

On a PC, there are two main ways to find your files: search from the taskbar or search File Explorer. Depending on which program you're running (Windows 10 or 11), how you use each method varies slightly.

Automate your file management

With Zapier, you can connect your go-to file storage app (e.g., GoogleDrive, OneDrive, and Dropbox) with thousands of other apps, so you can take the manual work out of file management. Learn more about automating your files and document control, or check out these workflows that you can automate right away.

To get started with a Zap template-what we call our pre-made workflows-just click on the button. It only takes a few minutes to set up. You can read more about setting up Zaps here.
Related reading: This article was originally published in March 2016 by Chelsea Beck. The most recent update was in June 2023.

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How to organize files and folders | Zapier

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Struggling to find files on your computer? It might be time to update your filing system. Here's how to organize computer files so you can quickly find what you need.

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A beginner’s guide to Getting Things Done® – Zenkit

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A beginner’s guide to Getting Things Done® – Zenkit

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A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Things Done® | Zenkit

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Getting things done is a task management system that helps you clarify what needs to be done, and when. Learn the GTD basics here.

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https://goo.gl/s2J63J

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https://goo.gl/M3XU7g

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Chrome Extensions for Students with Learning Needs

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Chrome Extensions for Students with Learning Needs

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Author's note: The author is honored to have served as a Special Education teacher for ten school years. This post is meant to offer helpful suggestions to all educators who teach students with learning needs. These extensions, like many special education interventions, are beneficial for students with learning disabilities and anyone else who wants to be more productive when using the Google Chrome Browser.
Think of extensions as mini-programs that run in the Google Chrome browser. Users can add extensions to Google Chrome at the Chrome Web Store. Here are three ways to access the Chrome Web Store.

Find it in Google by typing "Chrome web store." Click "Extensions" to search for extensions:

Find it in the Chrome browser's Apps:

Find it in the Chrome browser's "More tools" menu. This is also where extensions can be deleted or turned on and off:

Google Chrome can use a lot of memory. Users should be careful to not use too many extensions and risk slow computer performance. One way to quickly turn extensions on and off is our first extension:

Extensity allows users to easily turn extensions on and off:

AdBlock might be the very best Chrome extension. It blocks advertisements. No more annoying distractions! Check it out in action:

Readability takes away distractions so students can read articles. Check it out in action:

Grammarly is a great spelling and grammar checker. It works in Gmail and text fields on websites. It does not work in Google Docs at the moment. Take a look at it in action:

Open Dyslexic is an extension that converts text on screen into a font that some people with Dyslexia prefer:
Author's Note (1/25/16): Split Screen no longer works. Fortunately, this post still has 8 great Chrome extensions thanks to Ellen McDonnell who commented below about Reading Ruler. It's a great tool.
Split Screen allows users to view two websites side-by-side in the same browser:

Too many tabs open at one time? Just use OneTab to condense them into links on one website. Teachers can use it to make a list of sites for students to visit. No more clutter and users still have access to sites they want in one click:

Read and Write for Google gives users a highlighter with four different color options.

It also converts highlights words as it converts on-screen text to speech!
Update 6/10/16:
This extension just came to my attention. I think it has great potential for students with disabilities. Watch me play with it:

I hope these extensions are useful for you and your students. If you have any questions or want to discuss further, please leave a comment below or tweet me at @edtechtom. The animated gif screen captures in this post were made with two more Google Chrome extensions, Screencastify (which I absolutely love) and SnagIt. Thank you for reading!

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8 Google Chrome Extensions for Students with Learning Needs...And Everyone Else

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Author's note: The author is honored to have served as a Special Education teacher for ten school years. This post is meant to offer helpful suggestions to all educators who teach students with learning needs. These extensions, like many special education interventions, are beneficial for students with learning disabilities and anyone else who wants to be more productive...

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Quill.org — Interactive Writing and Grammar

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Quill.org — Interactive Writing and Grammar

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Set up your classroom, without IT

You can quickly and easily set up your classroom in Quill by inputting student names or providing students with a unique code. If you use Google Classroom or Clever, you can automatically set up your classroom with one click.

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Quill.org | Interactive Writing and Grammar

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Quill provides free writing and grammar activities for middle and high school students.

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Format pages using the OpenDyslexic font and low contrast help.

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Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader - Chrome Web Store

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Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader - Chrome Web Store

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Read Aloud uses text-to-speech (TTS) technology to convert webpage text to audio.  It works on a variety of websites, including news sites, blogs, fan fiction, publications, textbooks, school and class websites, and online university course materials.

Read Aloud allows you to select from a variety of text-to-speech voices, including those provided natively by the browser, as well as by text-to-speech cloud service providers such as Google Wavenet, Amazon Polly, IBM Watson, and Microsoft.  Some of the cloud-based voices may require additional in-app purchase to enable.

Read Aloud can read PDF, Google Docs, Google Play books, Amazon Kindle, and EPUB (via the excellent EPUBReader extension from epubread.com).

Read Aloud is intended for users who prefer to listen to content instead of reading, those with dyslexia or other learning disabilities, and children learning to read.

To use Read Aloud, navigate to the web page you want to read, then click the Read Aloud icon on the Chrome menu.  In addition, the shortcut keys ALT-P, ALT-O, ALT-Comma, and ALT-Period can be used to Play/Pause, Stop, Rewind, and Forward.  You may also select the text you want to read before activating the extension.  Right clicking on the selected text will provide you with yet another option to activate Read Aloud via the context menu.

To change the voice, reading speed, pitch, or enable text highlighting, go to the Options page either by right clicking on the Read Aloud icon and choose Options, or by clicking the Gear button on the extension popup (you'll need to stop playback to see the Gear button).

Read Aloud is an open-source project.  If you wish to contribute bug fixes or translations, please visit the GitHub page at https://github.com/ken107/read-aloud.

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Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader

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Read aloud the current web-page article with one click, using text to speech (TTS). Supports 40+ languages.

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Connect-Extend: Infusing Education with Technology: 14 Chrome Extensions to Support Students with Learning Challenges

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Connect-Extend: Infusing Education with Technology: 14 Chrome Extensions to Support Students with Learning Challenges

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I vividly remember being back in Elementary school, sitting at my desk during a writing assignment, and complaining that my hand was too tired of writing so much. I also remember that two of my classmates had serious learning challenges. One was mostly deaf and the other had a physical deformity, which caused her serious fine and gross motor problems. Both of them had few opportunities to gain meaningful access to the curriculum, let alone an "equal" access. That was in the mid-1980s. almost 30 years have passed, and the picture has dramatically changed. The development of computer-based technologies has allowed people with disabilities to gain access to more information, to manipulate objects and tools, and to express themselves in ways other people can understand, relate to, and appreciate. Such technology is called "Assistive Technology".

The term "Assistive Technologies" is defined by the American Assistive Technology Act of 1998 as, "Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities."

There are many types and degrees of "disabilities", and designers of Assistive Technology have been creating more and more tools as solutions for the myriad of ways individuals struggle. The PBS Parents website separates these devices into 8 categories: Access and Environmental Control, Aids to Daily Living, Assistive Listening, Augmentative/ Alternative Communication, Computer-Based Instruction, Mobility, Positioning, and Visual Aids.

A variety of software and hardware companies, such as Microsoft, Google, and Apple, as well as many smaller ones, have recognized the need to develop such tools, and have pledged a commitment to ensure easier access for their users. The Accessibility sections of their websites are easily accessible, organized, and simple to navigate. In addition, they ensure that many of the accessibility functions come built-in and easily accessible, so users are able to make use of such features without the need to purchase additional software.

Before you and your students look at hardware, software or add-ons to purchase and install, you must first get yourselves familiar with your device's native, built-in features. The links below include links to resources for different devices and platforms. They include excellent tools to support users with a variety of challenges, so spend time on these websites before going on.

Google's commitment to supporting users with a variety of different needs is illustrated by the numerous accessibility features their devices offer. In addition, Google's Chrome Store has additional third-party extensions that make devices and the Internet more friendly and accessible to their users.

Below I outline 14 excellent Chrome Extensions that make computer use an easier and a more pleasant experience- not only for those with severe challenges, but also for anyone who needs simple modifications and some assistance when working on their devices.

How to add a Chrome Extension

Visual Difficulties

***Note: This extension changes the settings on your device. If you choose to delete it, first make sure you reset the colors to their original scheme.

Hearing Difficulties

Physical Difficulties

For fine motor (finger manipulation) difficulties, the device's native speech-to-text features can be of great assistance. Here are two Chrome extensions that can help with fine motor obstacles:

Attention/Focusing Difficulties

I hope you find these Chrome Extensions useful and helpful. If you have any questions or know about other favorite and helpful Extensions, please share them in the comment section below.

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14 Chrome Extensions to Support Students with Learning Challenges

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I vividly remember being back in Elementary school, sitting at my desk during a writing assignment, and complaining that my hand was too tired of writing so much. I also remember that two of my classmates had serious learning challenges.

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Readsy is an easy way to read large amounts of text in a rapidly comprehensible way using Spritz.

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Voice Control is available in macOS Catalina and later. It's a new way to fully control your Mac entirely with your voice. Voice Control uses the Siri speech-recognition engine to improve on the Enhanced Dictation feature available in earlier versions of macOS.

How to turn on Voice Control

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Accessibility.

2. Click Voice Control in the sidebar.

3. Select Enable Voice Control. When you turn on Voice Control for the first time, your Mac might complete a one-time download from Apple.*

When Voice Control is enabled, you see an onscreen microphone representing the mic selected in Voice Control preferences.

To pause Voice Control and stop it from from listening, say "Go to sleep" or click Sleep. To resume Voice Control, say or click "Wake up."

How to use Voice Control

Get to know Voice Control by reviewing the list of voice commands available to you. Say "Show commands" or "Show me what I can say." The list varies based on context, and you may discover variations not listed. To make it easier to know whether Voice Control heard your phrase as a command, you can select "Play sound when command is recognized" in Voice Control preferences.

Basic navigation

Voice Control recognizes the names of many apps, labels, controls, and other onscreen items, so you can navigate by combining those names with certain commands. Here are some examples:

Open Pages: "Open Pages." Then create a new document: "Click New Document." Then choose one of the letter templates: "Click Letter. Click Classic Letter." Then save your document: "Save document."

Start a new message in Mail: "Click New Message." Then address it: "John Appleseed."

Turn on Dark Mode: "Open System Preferences. Click General. Click Dark." Then quit System Preferences: "Quit System Preferences" or "Close window."

Restart your Mac: "Click Apple menu. Click Restart" (or use the number overlay and say "Click 8").

You can also create your own voice commands.

Number overlays

Use number overlays to quickly interact with parts of the screen that Voice Control recognizes as clickable, such as menus, checkboxes, and buttons. To turn on number overlays, say "Show numbers." Then just say a number to click it.

Number overlays make it easy to interact with complex interfaces, such as web pages. For example, in your web browser you could say "Search for Apple stores near me." Then use the number overlay to choose one of the results: "Show numbers. Click 64." (If the name of the link is unique, you might also be able to click it without overlays by saying "Click" and the name of the link.)

Voice Control automatically shows numbers in menus and wherever you need to distinguish between items that have the same name.

Grid overlays

Use grid overlays to interact with parts of the screen that don't have a control, or that Voice Control doesn't recognize as clickable.

Say "Show grid" to show a numbered grid on your screen, or "Show window grid" to limit the grid to the active window. Say a grid number to subdivide that area of the grid, and repeat as needed to continue refining your selection.

To click the item behind a grid number, say "Click" and the number. Or say "Zoom" and the number to zoom in on that area of the grid, then automatically hide the grid. You can also use grid numbers to drag a selected item from one area of the grid to another: "Drag 3 to 14."

To hide grid numbers, say "Hide numbers." To hide both numbers and grid, say "Hide grid."

Dictation

When the cursor is in a document, email message, text message, or other text field, you can dictate continuously. Dictation converts your spoken words into text.

To enter a punctuation mark, symbol, or emoji, just speak its name, such as "question mark" or "percent sign" or "happy emoji." These may vary by language or dialect.

To move around and select text, you can use commands like "Move up two sentences" or "Move forward one paragraph" or "Select previous word" or "Select next paragraph."

To format text, try "Bold that" or "Capitalize that," for example. Say "numeral" to format your next phrase as a number.

To delete text, you can choose from many delete commands. For example, say "delete that" and Voice Control knows to delete what you just typed. Or say "Delete all" to delete everything and start over.

Voice Control understands contextual cues, so you can seamlessly transition between text dictation and commands. For example, to dictate and then send a birthday greeting in Messages, you could say "Happy Birthday. Click Send." Or to replace a phrase, say "Replace I'm almost there with I just arrived."

You can also create your own vocabulary for use with dictation.

Create your own voice commands

1. Open Voice Control preferences, such as by saying "Open Voice Control preferences."

2. Click Commands or say "Click Commands." The complete list of all commands opens.

3. To add a new command, click the add button (+) or say "Click add." Then configure these options to define the command:

When I say: Enter the word or phrase that you want to be able to speak to perform the action.

While using: Choose whether your Mac performs the action only when you're using a particular app.

Perform: Choose the action to perform. You can open a Finder item, open a URL, paste text, paste data from the clipboard, press a keyboard shortcut, select a menu item, or run an Automator workflow.

4. Use the checkboxes to turn commands on or off. You can also select a command to find out whether other phrases work with that command. For example, "Undo that" works with several phrases, including "Undo this" and "Scratch that."

To quickly add a new command, you can say "Make this speakable." Voice Control will help you configure the new command based on the context. For example, if you speak this command while a menu item is selected, Voice Control helps you make a command for choosing that menu item.

Starting with the latest version of macOS Monterey, you can also import or export voice commands.

Create your own dictation vocabulary

1. Open Voice Control preferences, such as by saying "Open Voice Control preferences."

2. Click Vocabulary, or say "Click Vocabulary."

3. Click the add button (+) or say "Click add."

4. Type a new word or phrase as you want it to be entered when spoken.

Starting with the latest version of macOS Monterey, you can also import or export vocabulary.

Learn more

For the best performance when using Voice Control with a Mac notebook computer and an external display, keep your notebook lid open, use an external mic, or use a display with a built-in mic.

If you're using a Mac mini, Mac Studio, or Mac Pro, you must use an external mic or display with a built-in mic.

All audio processing for Voice Control happens on your device, so your personal data is always kept private.

Use Voice Control on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Learn more about accessibility features in Apple products.

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Voice Control is available in macOS Catalina and later. It's a new way to fully control your Mac entirely with your voice. Voice Control uses the Siri speech-recognition engine to improve on the Enhanced Dictation feature available in earlier versions of macOS. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Accessibility.

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Read&Write Literacy Software | Texthelp | Texthelp

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Read&Write Literacy Software | Texthelp | Texthelp

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Your subscription means everyone can enjoy the benefits of Read&Write across all platforms including Windows, Mac, Google Chrome, Edge, iPad, and Android.

Once you have purchased, a customer relationship specialist will be appointed to your account. This person is your go-to contact through the duration of your license. They'll help you get up and running at the start and then check in with you every now and again to make sure everything is going well. They'll be on hand for any questions over email or phone during business hours.

Our Learning and Training resources for each product can be accessed at any time on our website. Get up to speed with our software through our learning resources, then verify your expertise by taking part in our certification program.

Our support site gives you access to lots of common questions that other users of our software have about the technical stuff. If you can't find what you're looking for there, then our Tech Support team is on hand at support@texthelp.com 9-5pm every day to help with troubleshooting or technical problems.

We're always working on making our products better, so any improvements or enhancements are pushed out automatically to you, there's no upgrading to do on your part.

Plus, coming soon you'll get free access to the Texthelp Academy for how-to information, video tutorials, product webinars and lots more.

All of this is included as part of your subscription. We do not charge any extra for these services.

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assistive technology for special education

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Read&Write For Education - Reading, Literacy & Assistive Software

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Your subscription means everyone can enjoy the benefits of Read&Write across all platforms including Windows, Mac, Google Chrome, Edge, iPad, and Android. Once you have purchased, a customer relationship specialist will be appointed to your account. This person is your go-to contact through the duration of your license.

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Add-on for Docs: Proofreading to check your spelling, grammar and style.

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Add-on for Docs: Proofreading to check your spelling, grammar and style.

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Proofreading for English, French, German, Polish, and more than 20 other languages. Check your spelling, grammar and style.

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Copy of Google + Special Education - Google Slides

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Copy of Google + Special Education - Google Slides

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7 Steps to Building Student Collaborators - by Eileen Fernandez-Parker [Infographic]

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7 Steps to Building Student Collaborators - by Eileen Fernandez-Parker [Infographic]

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Portfolios, unit previews, self-paced courses, digital notebooks, multimedia lessons, timelines... and much more!

For social studies teachers

The structure of timelines, the simplicity of slides.

Inspire curiosity

The perfect format for inquiry-based instructional strategies. Motivate discussion and spark new ideas.

Critical thinking

Upload primary and secondary sources to train students' eyes to analyze and make connections.

Collaboration

Students work together as they address problems and make decisions as a team to reach a common goal.

Perfect for History, Geography and Sociology

For English, Language and Arts teachers

Writing and multimedia assignments have never been better.

Enhance literacy

Rich-editing features make Sutori a valuable companion for continued reading and writing development.

Creativity

Just the right amount of options to see creativity flourish for all types of learners.

Communication

Sutori's visual nature show the breadth of ways to convey ideas and knowledge.

Templates, lesson plans and more!

For STEM teachers

Showing the process of learning

Structured learning

The canvas to organize content. Set up templates for a cohesive learning experience.

Self-reflection

Students demonstrate their approach, outline their learning and reflect along the way.

Engage

Add formative quizzes, polls and any type of media to build fun activities with your students.

Some ready-made lessons to inspire you

Growing in classrooms across the world.

2,359,762Teachers & students

"With a super-simple design and tons of flexible features, this is an appealing and intuitive way for teachers and students to organize and share class content."

Read the review

Sutori 💙 Cares

Education is the key to a better world and we want to play our part in supporting educators.

Check out our ambassador program and the meaningful and impactful learning initiatives Sutori supports.

Learn more

Who we are

We're a tight knit team of three friends (including two brothers) who have come a long way from recreating historical events on Twitter.

Learn more about our story and how we seek to empower educators in their teaching and keep students' data secure.

Learn about us

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Sutori is a collaborative tool for classrooms, ideal for multimedia assignments in Social Studies, English, Language Arts, STEM, and PBL for all ages.

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Classkick - Learn together | Reimagine student feedback

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Classkick - Learn together | Reimagine student feedback

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Classkick is used by over 10 million students globally to do all their work - do nows, lessons, guided practice, group work, assessment, and homework. Research shows feedback to students is the #1 driver of learning and that's why teachers love Classkick - they can see all their kids' work and facilitate feedback to support ALL LEARNERS.

The #1 driver of student learning and development is great feedback.

We built Classkick to eliminate barriers and make sure students can get the help they need-when they need it.

Students Work on Their Devices

In 1:1 or group settings, students input drawings, text, images, and audio or answer fill-the-blank or multiple choice in response to teacher-created material.

Everyone Gives Feedback

Teachers provide individualized, real-time feedback and grading with an array of tools-directly on the canvas, in the help center or with pointed stickers. Students can even ask their peers for help anonymously.

Teachers See it All

Teachers can see who needs help and how students are progressing through the assignment.

Track your students' progress as they work at their own pace. You see what they see.

Teachers and students help each other with digital hand raising-allowing students to even ask their peers anonymously.

Create custom or award preset auto-grading stickers, draw and interact directly on students' canvases, or leave detailed feedback in the Help Center.

Create or customize your own content with an array of tools-or transform an assignment from our library. Lessons that can be open-ended or auto-graded.

Students demonstrate understanding in the ways that work best for them-allowing for freedom of expression through text, drawing and audio.

Never let learning be limited by location. Give individualized feedback while at home or on the go.

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Helping Teachers Be Awesome See all your students working and give high-quality feedback-from anywhere. Sign Up (Free!)

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Google Slides themes for your presentations

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SlidesCarnival: Free PowerPoint & Google Slides Templates That Stand Out

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Captivate your audience with our collection of professionally-designed PowerPoint and Google Slides templates. Boost your presentations and make a lasting impression!