Gmail Contact Groups, Changes to Flipgrid, Cleaning up your Chrome bookmarks bar, Digital Breakouts, Digital Whiteboard options, Twitter

Contacts and Email Groups in New Gmail

Looking for your email contacts in the new Gmail? Click on your "waffle" (thanks @AESBulldogs 1st graders for the vocab upgrade!) and scroll down to contacts. It is a blue circle with a person icon.

Need to set up a new email group? Open your contacts, click on the names you want to include, and click on the icon with multiple heads to name your group.

Changes to Flipgrid

Flipgrid changed its security this summer, and now your students will need to log in with their @banderaisd2.net credentials to access your grids. 

On the teacher end, you will need to click on the editing pencil next to your grid and enable students in our domain to log in. 

Accessing your grid as a student is a simple as 1-2-3.

Want to use this image with your students? Click HERE.

Clean up Your Chrome Bookmarks Bar

Thanks, Mrs. Rardin, @AESBulldogs, for sharing these easy-to-follow directions from A Turn to Learn for creating more space in your bookmarks bar and for organizing your bookmarks. 

Digital Breakouts

Learning games are having a moment, and digital breakouts are an amazing way to harness the power of technology and learning in the classroom. Thank you, Ms. Allison @BanderaMiddle, for sharing this repository of games from BreakoutEDU that can be searched by subject and grade level. From Orwell and Poe to WWII and Reconstruction, there are games to explore.

Digital Whiteboards

Looking for a way to include more instruction and/or collaboration in your Google Classroom? Consider a digital whiteboard. Just as its name implies, a digital whiteboard is a creative space that can be utilized like the whiteboard on the wall in your classroom...except this whiteboard is accessible 24/7. Last fall, TCEA's @mguhlin offered some tips for using digital whiteboards in the classroom, as well as a selection of whiteboard tools. Check out his post here.

If you have a student at AEP, on homebound, or need to conference with a student long distance, I like WebWhiteboard because you can collaborate on the board through a shared URL, the tool doesn't require a sign-in, and clearing the board and starting fresh is fast and easy. I like the SketchPad app for the same reasons but also because if you link the app to your Google account the drawings save automatically to your Google Drive. Either app pairs wonderfully with a screencasting app to model problem-solving steps to students; the screencasts can be shared in Google Classroom to reinforce learning.

Twitter

Bandera ISD has been telling our district's story on Twitter the last couple of weeks. If you are new to Twitter, no worries. Your administrators, curriculum leads, and and I will be there to help you in the weeks ahead. Haven't set up an account yet? Check out the sidebar of this post to see the latest tweets from @BanderaISD.

Gmail Groups, FlipAnim, Icebreakers, Google Educator Certification, Google Classroom Training Center

Create an Email Group in Gmail

Back to School Night is just around the corner, and it offers an awesome opportunity to acquire email contact information from parents. Perhaps you've created a Google Form to collect information. Access the spreadsheet that accompanies the form and copy the data in the email address column. Use the video below to help you set up a Gmail group. (Remember when you email a group of parents to put their addresses in the BCC section to retain their anonymity.)

(animation created using Explain Everything app on iPad)

FlipAnim for .gifs

GIF's aren't just for social media. They're for your classroom, too. Create a .gif (animated picture) to show a process, re-cap directions, or send feedback to students in a digital classroom. Even better, ask your students to create a .gif to demonstrate their problem-solving process!

FlipAnim fast and easy to use. Create your animation, upload it, and then click .gif under the completed animation to access the link to the finished product. HERE is a short tutorial from Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers for using the tool.

Richard Byrne's blog is one of my go-to places when I need technology help or inspiration. There is a "subscribe" link at the bottom of his blog.

Google Classroom Training Center

Google recently updated its Google Classroom training materials. If you are new to Classroom or are looking for a solution to a particular issue, check out the Google Classroom Training Center. This site is AWESOME!

Icebreakers for the beginning of the year

The TCEA (Texas Computer Education Association) has an incredible blog that highlights integrating digital learning into your classroom. Last week, Dianna Benner posted several creative icebreakers to start the year. In the post is a link to a similar post from last year with additional ideas. 

Considering acquiring your Google Educator certification?

Google provides free online support to brush up on the skills you need to pass the $10 Google Educator Level 1 exam. Kasey Bell of ShakeUp Learning has published a matrix that lists the skills that you need to pass the exam. If you are considering become Google Educator certified, download Kasey's matrix so you have a checklist to work from.

Kasey has a subscribe button at the bottom of her blog. She posts regularly on Google-related issues.

If you subscribe to several blogs, you may want to consider using an RSS feed/blog aggregator like Feedly or Newsify so that your email box isn't filled with blog posts.