The Techy Coach Blog

Google Classroom - Available to All Gmail Users

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:25:00 +0000

A few weeks ago on this blog, I wrote that Google Classroom would soon become available for everyone. Google made an announcement today that all the features of Google Classroom are now working and available to consumer users.

So now if you want to create or join another user's class in Google Classroom, you can! Here are a few thoughts on how it can be used...

Home-school

If you are a parent who home-schools your children, Google Classroom can be the perfect space for you to post links to online documents, videos, and other resources. And if you have more than one child at home that you teach, you can differentiate between students by assigning work specifically to the child that needs it.

After School Clubs

If you are a club sponsor for a school, or volunteer for an organization, but don't have access to Google Classroom as part of a Google for Education District, you can use Google Classroom on your personal Gmail login. Keep track of club members, post announcements for your club, and share videos of your events through classroom. Plus, since you can email directly from Classroom, you can keep all of your members up to speed on important dates.

Online Courses

Have you always wanted to offer Online Professional Development to fellow teachers outside of your district? Do you have a consulting business and have a need for an online learning management system? Try using Google Classroom. Since it is now open to consumer users, anyone can join your class.

Organizational Meeting Space

If you are a member of an organization that meets regularly (think Rotary Club), you can leverage the tools in Google Classroom to carry on discussions related to important topics in our organization.

PLC Sharing Space

Are you part of an online PLC for education? Previous to the new updates for consumers, users had to be part of the same domain to use Google Classroom together, or at least they had to be approved by a domain. Now you can use Google Classroom and share ideas with anyone in your PLC, regardless of what school or district you are from. Try using Classroom as a discussion board, chat room, or a place to curate and share resources. Just make sure to set the Student settings so that all students can post and comment. This will allow all users in the PLC to post and reply to one another.

EasyChalk - Digital Whiteboard for Chromebook Users

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 16:13:00 +0000

I found a new Google Chrome App today called Easy Chalk. As many classrooms are moving away from Interactive Whiteboards toward Chromebooks and LED TVs, there is still sometimes a need for a digital whiteboard.

If this sounds like you, you have to try EasyChalk. This Chrome App allows you the freedom of a digital whiteboard on your computer or Chromebook, complete with:

Pens

Markers

Shapes

Tables

Charts

Measuring Tools

Video

Sounds

Images

Plus, you can also upload your own images for use with any of the pages you create. Since this is a chrome app, the developers of Easy Chalk have given you the ability to sign in with your Google Account allowing you to access your media files that you have uploaded at any time. If you are a former Smart Notebook user, think Notebook in the cloud.

Need a quick way to project what you are working on to your projector or TV? Use a Chromecast and broadcast your page to the screen so students can follow along.

If you have a touchscreen Chromebook, this is the perfect app to add to your arsenal. Give it a try!

Check Out the New Google Earth!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 22:04:00 +0000

If you haven’t heard about the changes coming to Google Earth, you’ve got to check it out. You don’t need to install anything, you can simply go to https://www.google.com/earth/ and click the Launch button.

Here is a sample of what it can do…Watch this! Or view a shorter version below:

Plus, there is a whole host of other tools including a Pro Version for Educators, Street View, and the ability to create Lessons using Voyager.

Check out the many possibilities of using Google Earth in class today!

Password Protect a Google Form

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 17:13:00 +0000

This is an old school tip, but it is a good one. If you are using Google Forms to accept file uploads, register attendees for a closed conference, or just as a test, you may want to password protect the form.

There is a quick an easy way to do this. Watch this video tutorial to see how!

An Interactive Notebook for the Digital Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 18:21:00 +0000

Recently, while teaching an online class covering Differentiated Instruction, several discussions turned to the topic of Interactive Notebooks. As a learning/study tool, Interactive Notebooks have been handy in terms of allowing students to culminate resources, integrate visuals, and prepare for exams. But as the digital classroom continues to evolve, finding ways to move Interactive Notebooks from page to screen have become necessary.

With the new update to Google Sites, this opportunity has never been greater. Google Sites provides a platform allowing students to create an online notebook that can include interactive and video content.

Here are a few ways that you can create an Interactive Notebook using Google Sites...

Setting Up Your Interactive Notebook

The best way to insure that students get the most of their online interactive notebook, make sure to provide some guidelines for setting up the Google Site. You can walk them through the process or you may even want to look into developing a template they can use. In any case, here are a few tips on getting started:

A Page for Everything

If you need to add more pages, just click on the Pages menu and add it. Have students create a page for each unit you cover. Pages can include items such as:

A Launch Page -

Students should include information about themselves, as well as the course, class period, and links to each page on the site.

A Gallery of work -

Have students store photos of their unit work, or documents in a Google Drive folder. Then, add the folder to a Google Sites page. If displaying photos, set the folder to a Grid view for easier viewing.

Links for Study

When teaching a unit, you may share a lot of links that students can benefit from. Encourage students to save those links by adding them to a page on their Site.

Flash Cards and Study Tools

Do you use flash cards as a study tool? Try adding links to your Quizlet or Flippity Study Sets.

Videos for Teaching and Learning

Have students gather resources to help them study. Teach them to search and share videos that may help them prepare and supplement learning on the unit you are covering. YouTube has tons of great resources. Search for channels by teachers that cover the subject you teach. Help students understand the difference between a good and a bad resource before they start culminating a library.

Review Tool for the End of the Year

Once you've gotten started, you can teach students to create a new page for each unit you cover. Throughout the year, students will have a site they can use to build on and add knowledge to their understanding of concepts. By the end of the year, they will have a tool they can use to review for final projects and exams.

Take a look at this sample site - https://sites.google.com/view/techybio/home

Grading Interactive Notebooks

If you would like to grade students on the work they put toward their Interactive Notebooks on Google Sites, you can create a Google Sheet in which you gather and keep information on each student. This can be a launching page to take you to each student's notebook and allow for easier grading. Students will need to publish their site and make sure it is viewable by you. Then they can share the link to their site with you.

You can also create a Google Form you can use to grade each student's progress on notebooks. Each question in the form can cover information in your grading rubric. Use Linear Scale questions to rank students on each objective in the grading rubric.

Create a Rubric using Forms

Are you new to Google Sites?

Try this video to introduce you to the New Google Sites so that you and your students can learn more about how to use this versatile tool!

Google Classroom Now Available for All!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 17:55:00 +0000

Google just dropped some great news today! Google Classroom is now available for all users - GSuite for Education AND Personal Gmail Users.

So it doesn't matter if you are a public school, charter school, or home school - or even if you just want to use it for Professional Development - you can use Classroom no matter who you are. Users will have the ability to join classes, and create their own classes.

GSuite for Education Admins will have the ability to exercise greater control over Classroom as a result of this update. If you are not a part of GSuite for Education, Google encourages you to join. You can find more information about GSuite for Education here.

In the meantime, if you are a personal Gmail user and you want to learn more about this powerful tool, watch these videos from my Google Classroom Playlist on YouTube!

Google Expeditions: Tips for Getting Started

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 01:32:00 +0000

This week, I spent some time developing an online class to train teachers in the use of our Google Expeditions Kit.

As part of that, I produced a few videos that I am sharing here in case anyone needs some tips on getting started with Google Expeditions. If you are interested in getting a Google Expeditions Kit for your school, check with Best Buy.

This video covers the basics of connecting Phones with a Teacher Tablet

This video explains how to set up the Phones in a View Master Google Cardboard Viewer

This video covers information on gathering lessons and resources, as well as previewing a lesson before use in class.

You may also benefit from these links:

Available Google Expeditions - https://goo.gl/RetxCG
Google Expeditions Lessons - https://goo.gl/KRXpKk

Google Keep & Google Docs - Go Together Like PB&J

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 18:22:00 +0000

Recently, Google released an update to Google Keep that links this Note-Taking Tool to Google Docs. This combo can be a great tool for:

Brainstorming
Planning
Collaboration
Working On-the-Go
Accessing Docs

Watch this video to see what I mean!

New Features for Google Sheets - Text Rotation, Border Tools, and More!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 17:43:00 +0000

Today, Google released a few new features for Google Sheets. These include some long awaited tools that include:

Text Rotation
Extra Border Options
Accounting Number Format

Watch this quick tutorial to see these new features and how to use them.

8 Things You Didn't Know Google Classroom Can Do!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 19:26:00 +0000

The following is a guest post I wrote for the Whooo's Reading Blog. For more on this article, follow this link to the Whooo's Reading Blog.

Digital Learning has revolutionized the way teachers do business in education. Teachers now have the ability to communicate, plan, and teach more efficiently than ever before. One advancement that has allowed this type of change is Google Classroom.

If you’ve never used Classroom, here are eight things you probably didn’t know about this powerhouse tool.

To continue reading this article, follow this link...

123GO! - Online Platform For Education and Professional Development

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 21:57:00 +0000

Recently at BETT, a friend of mine named Mark Allen debuted a new system called 123GO! This is a wonderful tool for Educators and Online Professional Development.

Listen to Mark's testimony from BETT2017 and see what all the fuss is about by visiting http://www.123go.training. Tell him the Techy Coach sent you.

This is an awesome tool for anyone wanting to offer Training or Classroom Lessons along with the ability to award Digital Badges.

New Feature: Insert Google Drive Videos into Google Slides

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 21:13:00 +0000

Google released a new feature today that allows users to insert videos hosted and stored in Google Drive, directly into a Google Slide. So if you create a video for use in a presentation, you can save it in Google Drive, and easily add it to your presentation in just a few short steps. You can also choose how much of the video clip is shown in the presentation, and choose from other settings as well.

Also if you are in a school district that normally blocks the use of YouTube on campus, your students can utilize the option of downloading a video from YouTube, and saving it in Google Drive. Then follow the simple steps shown in the video below to insert the video from Google Drive.

Just make sure that if you are using videos from YouTube, or are downloading them that you cite your source by copying and sharing the URL in your Google Slide show.

Google Classroom - Assign to Individual Students

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 22:08:00 +0000

Just yesterday, Google released a new feature to Google Classroom that many teachers have been requesting for quite some time - the ability to assign work to individual students!

Now if you want to differentiate work according to student teams or learning styles, you can! If you'd like more information, check out the video below to see how it works, or visit the Google Blog post here!

Notifications will also see a change, as teachers will be notified if students turn work in LATE or if they RE-SUBMIT work.

Hopefully these tools will be of great help to you as you start the Spring 2017 Semester!

The 3 E's of Teaching

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 20:02:00 +0000

Are students bored?

How often have you really asked yourself this question? It is all too easy to stand at the front of the room on a daily basis, with the goal of teaching a lesson - often as you have always done it for years - and never think about or wonder whether students are bored with your class. Yes, we see kids who are disconnected, but we often attribute this to apathy or laziness.

This discussion of whether students are bored came up in a workshop we had this week on Classroom Management. In a recent survey, it was found that 69% of our students reported being bored with their classes. When we began to discuss this surprising statistic, we discussed ways that we could avoid this situation.

One thing I mentioned from my own experience, is that it always comes down to student engagement. If you aren't keeping students engaged in the curriculum, it is all too easy to send them into fits of boredom. So as a result of this discussion, I was prompted to write this article, with the suggestion I gave at the workshop.

To avoid Student Boredom....

For years I would come to work with the same plan in mind - Lecture, seatwork, lab, test. But this simply does not work with the 21st Century learners we face today. I had to change the way I taught. So here is how I remedied the situation. Every day that I worked with my students, I would break up the time so that they never had the chance to get bored. I created lessons that would engage them at every point, and change things up every 10-15 minutes. Each time I approached a new unit, I kept the 3 E's in mind - Explore, Explain, & Engage.

Explore

For this part of the lesson, I would find some kind of activity, such as a video, that covered the topic of the day.

Look for a video that introduces your topic, or at least explains it in a way that is subtly different from your style. You can then expand on the topic later.
Make sure your video is short and to the point. Try to find videos are are 5 minutes or less if possible. But don't go beyond 15 minutes, as you'll lose them.
Use YouTube to get started. There are many subject specific channels out there that can help. A quick search of YouTube in your specific subject will yield some good results.
If you are looking for a broad category such as Science or English, filter your search to find a Channel in your Subject Area.
Here are a few good ones....

When finished watching the video, take your students into a discussion that isn't necessarily focused on the content. focus on questions like, "What did you like most about the video?" "List a few things that you learned from the video" or "What do you already know about this topic that the video covered?"

Explain

The next step in the process is to take a moment to explain the topic as you normally would in a lecture. The key component to this part is to refrain from making this a "Sage on the stage" lecture. Take about 15 minutes to expand on what was covered by the video. Allow students to ask questions along the way. You can do this by allowing students to use their phones with one of the following services or options:

Google Slides Presenter View - create your lecture using Google Slides, and then use Presenter View to allow them to ask questions along the way.

Use Today's Meet - You can create a Backchannel page that students can navigate to on their phone. Students can ask questions using Today's meet. They can then reference the site later if they want to see the backchannel of questions.

Engage

Once you have completed this section of the lesson, its time to move on to something Hands On! Find an activity - a science lab, an interactive activity using Google Apps, or a Discussion Forum online - that ties to your subject, but allows students to reflect, respond, and learn by doing. If you find it difficult to gather materials for an activity, go digital and use interactives such as:

Discussion Questions in Google Classroom
A Hyperdoc - Try these links to learn more...

Go Paperless with Hyperdocs

Hyperdocs.co

Interactives

Spongelab (Science)
Interactive Activities by Subject

There are tons of activities available on the web, and a simple Google search will help you get started. These are just a few to give you an idea of how and where to start.

In using this method of covering material with my students, I've found that it also serves students with different learning styles. If I have students who are Auditory or Read/Write, they are served best by the Explore or Explain phase. Visual Learners also benefit from these stages. The Kinesthetic learners really start to pull it altogether in the Engage phase.

Hopefully this helps you in addressing student engagement and general high school boredom. If you have tips of your own, please feel free to add to the Comments section.

Google Product Updates & the Citation Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 02:44:00 +0000

This weekend, Google hosted the Education On Air: It Takes A Teacher online conference. This conference included a host of global online workshop opportunities, as well as discussion forums and product updates. If you missed it, you can still access the workshops and keynotes on demand at this link.

As part of this weekend online conference, Google announced some important updates that will positively impact the way schools communicate and share files.

Chromebook Login

The first feature focuses on Chromebook login. Logging in to a Chromebook can be a simple task for a middle school or high school student, and is something that we take for granted on a daily basis. But when I look to our resource teachers who work with K-2 students, I know that logging in to Chromebooks can be a task that takes a while - especially when they need to remember an email address and password. Now there are two ways younger students can login easily!

Clever Badges

With Clever Badges, students can use a specialized badge, with a code that they can hold up in front of the webcam. The Chromebook webcam will recognize the code and log the student in using their GSuite credentials.

CloudWise

Another login solution comes in the form of CloudWise. This login solution allows students to login using a series of pictures they have pre-selected.

Parent / Guardian Access to Classroom

Earlier this school year, a major advancement was added to Google Classroom, allowing parents and guardians with a Gmail, the ability to sign up and receive email updates on Google Classroom. With this weekend's product announcement, you no longer need a Gmail account to gain access to your student's classroom updates! Any email can be used to sign a Parent or Guardian up for classroom.

Google Drive & Gmail Migration

While this ability was available using Google Takeout, Google has promised that early next year, the migration of Drive data and Gmail to another Google Account will become much easier. This is a big deal for graduating students who would like to take their portfolio of work with them after they leave public school. Plus, Google Admins will have the ability to ease this transition through settings on the Google Admin Dashboard. For more information, stay tuned to updates in early 2017.

Citation Tool

Finally, the one thing that many users have been waiting to see the return of is the citation tool. With the addition of the Explore tool to Docs, Sheets, and Slides, the citation tool - ability to search and cite sources, quotes, etc... in MLA/APA/Chicago - was removed. Users, through a concerted online polling effort, requested that the citation feature return. Google has listened and now, with the simple click of a quotation mark found on search results, you can cite a source in your document. See the Gsuite Update Blog for details.

New Online Course - Getting Started with Google Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 21:41:00 +0000

Think that Google Classroom is just a place to post your Syllabus? Think Again!

Are you interested in sharpening your skills with Google Classroom? Just getting started and need some guidance?

Enroll now in "Getting Started with Google Classroom"

This course will fill you in on all the tips needed to create a great course, as well as timely tips on how to go Paperless!

Google Team Drives - Now Available for GSuite!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 17:40:00 +0000

Team Drives

Last Fall, Google announced the Early Adoption Program for Google Team Drives. This feature - available in Google Drive - allows teams to create and use a Team Drive, which is a collaborative space to create and share files.

Who can use Team Drives?

Now available for GSuite for Business and Education, anyone in your domain - individuals and Google Groups included - can be added to a Team Drive. Likewise, anyone in your domain can create a team drive.

Benefits

By creating a Team Drive, any files that are in the drive can be viewed or edited - depending on managed access - by anyone in the team. If any member of the team leaves, no files are lost, as the files belong to the team - not an individual.

Access

There are 4 tiers of access for members of a Team Drive:

Full Access - can manage members and Upload/Delete/Edit all Files
Edit Access - can edit all files and upload new files
Comment Access - can view and comment on all files
View Access - can view all files

This allows you to set users with different levels of access, to prevent accidental deletion of files, and to prevent users from uploading content without permission.

As a general rule it will be good to set at least 2-3 other users you trust to Full Access. This will allow management of the Team Drive to continue if one person leaves the organization.

Files

Currently, the only files you can create within a Team Drive are Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Drawings.

If a file is deleted, it will reside in the Team Trash for 30 days, upon which time it will be deleted forever.

Video Tutorial

Watch this video for more information or read more regarding the release of this feature at the GSuite Update Blog.

Google Classroom: Creating A Question for Discussion

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 21:33:00 +0000

As I have been developing online PD courses for my district, I have been working toward updating my catalog of videos for Google Classroom.

In this video, I discuss the use of the Create Question option. As far as classroom assignments go in an online environment, one thing that I had been waiting for was an effective method for conducting an online discussion forum or journal-type assignment in Google Classroom. Prior to the addition of Create Question, I used to generate discussion assignments using a Google Sheet or Hyperdoc.

To use the Create Question option in classroom, just click on the + sign and choose Create Question. You have the option of choosing between Short Answer and Multiple Choice, which is what I use for Poll Questions, Bellringer Activities, and Exit Tickets.

Watch this video for more information. Enjoy!

Digital Badges Part 2: Creating a Leaderboard

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 19:15:00 +0000

In the first part of this series, I explained how the use of digital badges in District Online Professional Development has taken off. In this article, I explain how I set up our Badge Leader-board.

In our district, I have had a great response to professional development, and I wouldn't necessarily guess it is because of the badges themselves - although many people like to have that tangible (digital) item to show they have completed something. No, I believe what has created such a surge in online PD is the leader-board! Some people in general are naturally competitive - they see that others are involved, and they want to be at the same level - or greater - in terms of training and understanding. As a result, I created our leader-board to show how many and what type of badges have been earned by each building/school site. Each week, I send a reminder of which school is in the lead.

I created our leader-board using Google Sheets, and then posted (embedded) my Google Sheet on the Google Site we use for Professional Development. This allows those who have completed /earned a badge to show off their name, and allows everyone to see who is in the lead.

This video explains how I set up our Google Sheet/Leader-board. Enjoy!

New Google Sites is Now Available to Regular GMail Users

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 16:12:00 +0000

If you are a regular Gmail user (not affiliated with GSuite for Education or Work), you now have access to the New Google Sites.

The New Google Sites is available through Google Drive. To use Google Sites:

Just go to http://drive.google.com
Click New > More > Google Sites

Resources and Links

If you need help getting started, there are several resources available:

New Google Sites - Open to Education Users November 9th!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 15:44:00 +0000

Have you been anxiously waiting for the New Google Sites to come to your school? Well the wait is over. Starting tomorrow, November 9th , the New Google Sites will be available to users on the Rapid Release track (Scheduled Release Track launches on Nov 21).

For those who have been waiting for this release, here are a few tips regarding this release... Google Admin Users, scroll to the bottom of this article for important info.

Teacher Users

New Google Sites will be available through Google Drive. Just go to http://drive.google.com and click New > More > Google Sites to create your site.

New Google Sites will also still be available at http://sites.google.com. You will have to click New Google Sites in the left margin.

If you want to learn more about this release and how the New Google Sites looks and feels, watch this tutorial video.

Adding Content

Its easy to add content to your New Site. Just double click anywhere on your page, and a page editor wheel will appear allowing you to insert Images, Links, Text, Drive Files, or uploaded documents.

Google Apps Integration

You still have the ability to integrate and add content from a wide variety of Google Apps and Tools. Add content such as:

Embed

YouTube
Google Calendar
Google Maps

Insert

Google Drive Folders
Google Docs
Google Slides
Google Sheets
Google Forms
Charts from Sheets

Responsive Design & Themes

Page and Subpage Navigation - Nest pages under each other for Subpage navigation - just drag and drop.

Easily add Theme Presets. Just click the Themes menu and choose from 6 design themes.

Image Resizing - As you add images to your page, you can resize them. Sites will automatically crop them for optimal viewing, but you can always uncrop as needed.

Drag, Drop and Resize Content - All sections, images, and inserted items can easily be edited just by dragging and dropping, or using the resize tools.

Watch for additional features to be released over the next year....

Google Admin Users

If you are the Google Admin for your district, and you wish for your users to have access to the New Google Sites, it is important that you do the following:

Classic Sites and Google Drive must be enabled for your organization. You can find instructions to turn it on here.
New Sites will follow Google Drive sharing settings in the Admin Console. It will not follow the sharing settings for Classic Sites.

To edit Sharing Settings for New Sites go to Apps > GSuite > Drive.
To edit Sharing Settings for Classic Sites, go to Apps > GSuite > Sites

New Google Sites - Coming Soon to a GSuite School Near You!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 15:49:00 +0000

The New Google Sites has a release date for GSuite Schools! According to news in my inbox today, Google will release the New Google Sites on November 9th. This release of Sites offers some visual advantages over the old sites, as well as new features and will continue to add some of the older settings and tools you are used to.

If you'd like to take a look at the New Google Sites, watch here:

As your school district prepares for this release, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

The Rapid Release is November 9th. Domains set to a Scheduled Release track will see Sites 2 weeks later.
Districts will need to make sure that Google Sites and Google Drive are enabled on the domain in order for users to take advantage of this tool.
Sites will still appear at http://sites.google.com, but will also appear as a tool in Google Drive. Go to New>More>Google Sites
Classic Sites will still be available for a while in tandem.
Look for a method for converting Classic Sites to the New Google Sites in the future.

Google Forms - File Upload Capability

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 19:32:00 +0000

Very Recently, Google released an update to Google Forms for Business and Education users that allows you to receive file submissions with a form.

With this new File Upload question option, you can receive:

Resumes and Documents
Project Submissions
Photo Uploads
Audio File submissions
PDF files
Spreadsheets
Presentations
Videos
Drawings

While Google Classroom works in terms of submitting files for an assignment, the File Upload option means that Forms users can utilize Forms for a wide range of submissions - from yearbook photo submissions, to Grant and Organizational applications. Watch this tutorial to learn more:

Google Apps Script - Create an Email Button in Google Sheets

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 17:20:00 +0000

As part of my job, I work with students who take courses online with our school. As a result, many students are working from home or completing these courses on their own time, while meeting with us on a regular basis throughout the week. To be efficient, and also maintain communication, we wanted to have a way to log regular student progress, while also communicating weekly progress to parents and counselors.

This could have easily been accomplished by creating a Google Form, with a place to enter:

Student Name
Date of Meeting
Progress Comments

However, this would mean that every student entry would be entered in the same form, and likewise, would be logged in the same Google Response Sheet. This simply would not work, as we wanted parents and students to have the ability to view long range progress and track performance.

This meant the creation of a Google Sheets Template that I would copy for each student, and then share or email to the parents and counselors each week.

The problem this created was that, when meeting with students each week, much of my time was spent entering comments, grabbing the link to the document, going to Gmail, typing up a message, and then pasting the link into the email. First World Problems, right?!? Even with a Canned Response in Gmail, this still amounted to a lot of wasted time that could be spent counseling students.

In comes Google Apps Script. Now I have a simple button on each Google Sheet that I can click after entering comments. This button takes care of all the extra steps I used to spend as described above. Watch this video to see what I mean. Modify the process to create your own workflow and apply it to your own specific tasks. Give me some feedback in the comments section and tell me how you are using this idea.

Digital Badges Part 1: If you aren't using Badges...Maybe you should!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 15:31:00 +0000

Recently while putting together some online classes for District Professional Development, I decided to reward teacher attendance with Digital Badges. I had thought about doing this on several occasions in the past, but had never gotten the process off the ground.

While face to face attendance to PD workshops was somewhat steady, it was not exactly as high as I had wanted it to be. Knowing that availability of time is finite, and that teachers have many responsibilities after school, I thought an online course here and there might help them get the training they needed, when it was convenient for them. So I created one class on Google Classroom to start with, and created a Badge in Google Drawings as a reward for participating.

After the first teacher had earned their badge, I decided to create a Leader Board for the district, showing how many badges had been earned at each site. I posted the first badge, announcing that we had 1 school in the lead and that they were winning. I never expected what happened next! After posting this, I had 25 enrollments come through by email. That competitive spirit that resides in some of us came to a head when the "We have a winner!" email went out. Since then, we have had a great deal of activity online.

Nevertheless, I thought I would share my process for setting up classes and rewarding badges. For this series, I'll start with the creation of the badges themselves. It is a simple process that I've explained in this video. I hope you like it.