Hour of Code, Interactive Science Glossary, EdPuzzle, G-Suite Updates

Hour of Code is Coming! December 4-10, 2017

Looking for a great way to integrate coding into your curriculum? Consider offering your students the opportunity to create a Google Doodle with Google's Hour of Code activity. 
Code.org also has both computer and unplugged activities.

Interactive Science Glossary

According Texas Gateway, "The Interactive Science Glossary is a dynamic resource that offers an engaging new way for students to experience science vocabulary and activities. You can use this resource as a reference tool or as part of your instruction. The resource features written and recorded definitions and sentences in both Spanish and English, images, web links, and printable flashcards." Texas Gateway provides an informational page that shows how easy the glossary is to use. 

EdPuzzle

If you are using videos in your classroom, EdPuzzle  is for you! EdPuzzle offers free accounts to students and teachers. Teachers can crop videos, provide voice-overs, and embed quizzes/questions throughout the video. Videos can be uploaded from Khan Academy, TED Talk, YouTube, Google Drive, and more. 

Ed Puzzle's page in the Chrome Web Store lists the three easy steps to get started:

Step 1:
Crop the video, use only what you need for your lesson. 
Record your voice on top of it to explain it in your own personal way, add clarifications, a warm introduction, you name it.
Add quizzes along the video and check if your students truly understand the lesson.

Step 2:
Assign it to your class/classes and let your students watch the video and answer the quizzes.

Step3:
Get meaningful data and insights about your students while they watch the video lesson or after they have completed it as homework. See at a glance how they are answering the quizzes and where in the video they are struggling to understand the concepts.

Here's a short video that shows you how EdPuzzle works with Google Classroom. 

G-Suite Updates

Google has released a pretty sweet update for the G-Suite products. 

Now it's easier to insert images into Docs, Slides, and Drawings. When you click Insert > Insert Image, you now have a choice to select an image from your Drive, photos, by URL, or upload from your computer.

The coolest part is that based on your selection,  a menu will open on the right side of the screen, allowing you to search without leaving the application.

Next Tuesday Tech Tip: December 5, 2017. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chrome Extensions, EdPuzzle, GoogleSheets

Create Drop Down Menus in Google Sheets

Skill Level: intermediate Excel/Sheets user

Use: creating student assignments, entering data, etc. in a spreadsheet

If you need to create a drop down menu in Google Sheets, check out this simple how-to from Laura Moore of NEISD. She's got some great ideas on using drop downs menus for student assignments including student reflections and student responses. If you click on her examples, you will access a "view only" file. Just go up to "file" and "make a copy" and you will be able to access the drop downs in her sample assignments. Moore's "Learn Moore Stuff" blog is definitely one to follow.

Google Extensions for Dyslexics

Skill Level: Beginner

Use: Assisting dyslexic readers in navigating digital text

Beth Still is a Google Certified Trainer and Google Innovator in Iowa. She posted a blog last fall sharing two tools to help dyslexics. One tool weights the font of the digital text to make it easier to read. The other tool uses a customizable color gradient to help the reader's eye follow the words on the screen. Check out Beth's post HERE.

I installed OpenDyslexic from the ChromeWeb Store, and noticed a vast different in the font on my screen. It's definitely worth trying if you have dyslexic students who regularly read digital screens. BeeLine Reader is also downloaded from the Chrome Web Store. The color gradient made it easier for me to follow the lines on the screen. BeeLine Reader is a Free-mium tool, allowing five free uses a day.  

The screenshot below shows both the font (OpenDyslexic) and the color (BeeLine Reader).

Use EdPuzzle to embed questions, comments, and notes in videos

Skill Level: intermediate

Use: creating interactive videos for flipped lessons or online classrooms

EdPuzzle allows teachers to track learning and increase student accountability by engaging students in interactive video lessons. See the 1 minute video above for a quick overview of the product.

I like the versatility of EdPuzzle because it allows interaction with videos I have created and stored in my Google Drive in addition to YouTube, Vimeo, Khan Academy, and other videos.

So, how could I ease into using EdPuzzle in the classroom?

• Asking a sub to show a video? Add notes, questions, and reflections through EdPuzzle, and your students will get a guided experience as if you were in the classroom.
• Need to re-teach a basic skill or process? Create a video with a screencasting or whiteboard tool, then use EdPuzzle to embed notes and extra practice questions to review the skill. Post the EdPuzzle link in your Google Classroom, and the students have access 24/7/365.
• Have a student who will be absent for an extended period of time? Use EdPuzzle with a content related video to provide a flipped learning experience for the student.

Installing the EdPuzzle extension from the Chrome Web Store will enable a button under YouTube videos that allows the user to navigate to EdPuzzle directly from the YouTube screen.