G-Suite Updates
Google Drawings can now be embedded in Google Docs. So that may not seem like a big deal, but it truly is. Google Drawings is like the old Microsoft Paint, but on steroids. Imagine your students creating a Book Snap in Drawings and adding it as textual evidence on a larger writing in Docs. Or imagine a science student illustrating a process in Drawings and embedding it as part of a lab report in Docs. Or imagine one of our youngest students creating an illustration for a story he/she is writing in Docs. Pretty useful stuff! See what I'm talking about HERE. New to Google Drawings? Check out Alice Keeler's introduction HERE.
Google Classroom has also gotten a bit of a tune-up. If you're like me and want a bit more control of what students see in their digital classroom you, too, can hear the choir singing, "Alleluia!" We can now drag and drop topics and items on the Classwork page. That makes me happy!
You will also notice that Classroom has a new look. One of my students today described it as "clean." Read more about the new look HERE. If you've got a little over a minute to spare today, check out this great little video that highlights features in Google Classroom.
https://youtu.be/DeOVe2YV2Io
Two Great Contests: Doodle for Google & Bulldog Mobile Logo
https://youtu.be/HShq9R9lR1Q
If you visited Google on Tuesday, you saw the 2018 national Doodle for Google winner's artwork. Pretty amazing feat for a second grader. Wouldn't it be cool if one of our BISD students was recognized in the Doodle for Google contest? Here are the contest rules, and the link includes teacher resources, as well. The contest deadline is March 18, 2019.
If you want your students to participate in something a little closer to home, the Bulldog Mobile Logo Contest opens this week. After five years, the magnets that we affix to the district's truck have worn out and will need to be replaced. Here is a flyer that you can use to promote the contest to your students and parents. The deadline is March 7, 2019.Spotlight on Blended Learning
As we roll out 18 classrooms of Chromebooks this week, check out some of the ways that digital learning can impact instruction and student collaboration.
From my Twitter feed: What offering choice looks like in science, ELA, and social studies...
From my Twitter feed: What offering choice looks like in science, ELA, and social studies...
I have #PrideIn5 watching teachers begin to plan a #blendedlearning lesson. Teachers looked at several different models and posted wonderings and noticings. Thanks to all who participated! @CarolCLunsford #FabuDIS5 pic.twitter.com/GgWe8zVBmu— Kat Degar (@MsDeeegar) January 8, 2019
From a text message from one of our awesome science teachers: what collaboration and "publishing" to an authentic audience does for elevating the thinking...
Purposeful use of digital tools can make a difference in how our students learn and can positively impact their work products.
