This week I feel so much more comfortable with Google Classroom. I learned how to create a class, add students, post assignments, share resources, and grade student projects. I never realized how simple it would be to get started. If you have felt uneasy about getting started, just jump in.
By following the helpful tutorial below, I was able to feel very successful with my start.
I love the intuitive themes provided by Google. I input the topic of my classroom, art, and an instant header with beautiful colored pencils showed up! The connections Google makes are awesome.
Google Calendars
I learned so much more about all the extras in Google Calendars, like attaching files, picking time zones, setting reminders, displaying countdowns to next meetings, and linking to directions in Google Maps. This tutorial below can get you started.
Here's how you can embed a Google Calendar into your blog, like I embeded mine!
Google Photos
Have you ever wondered where you should be backing up your photos? Google Photos is it!
This tutorial below helps explain how simple and seamless it is to backup your photos to the Google cloud and keep yourself organized.
Google Keep
This is it. The one great place to keep all my notes, speak my notes, draw my notes, share my notes, organize my notes... If you have a love for post it notes like me, this is IT!
Here's a great website with helpful tips for Google Keep.
This week has offered me a WEALTH of information. I almost feel like I'm in Google Pintrest spiral, where I find one idea, which leads to another, and another, and another until I can't remember what got me started.
A great tip that is simple and helpful:
Do you ever want to share a link, but it's ridiculously long and cumbersome to type in?
Use Tiny URL. This simple site offers free creation from a large URL, magically into a small, usable URL that's easy to share and remember.
I have been most impressed this week by the number of add-on apps available for the different Google apps.
For grading and assessment using Google Forms
Flubaroo can be used for grading, assessment and feedback to students. A very useful tool with great reviews. I've been working with assigning point values to my rubric below using Flubaroo to see if I like the results. It's a work in progress, but I am learning lots.
Orange Slice Useful for rubrics, grading reports & more
To be honest, I get bogged down creating rubrics, and I'm trying to figure out which add-on app will work best for me and my current creations. I have my rubric created here, but keep playing back and forth with how I want my grades displayed, gathered, and scored.
As far as Google Drive overall, I absolutely love it! My district uses Microsoft One Note for sharing files, however I love the ease and simplicity of Google Drive. I love always knowing where my files are, that they're in their latest form, and how easy they are to share with others.
I like the fact that you can share editing rights, or just share a locked file with another person. The options are perfect and have advanced greatly since inception years ago.
I had never thought about why there were custom search engines, or why they would be helpful, until now. I have learned there are multiple ways to guide your audience in the direction you choose. With so much information at your fingertips, its nice to know there are ways to lessen frustration, and guide viewers to the intended points of interest.
Custom search engines can be created using specific websites to glean content from. I love the ability to customize the sites and kinds of sites information comes from, without the viewer knowing. When you want to add a custom search engine, you simply go to www.google.com/cse/ while you are logged into your Google account. This will present you with spaces to add desired websites to choose or even .edu, .com, .net, .gov. You can customize whether you'd like thumbnails to appear or keep them hidden also. There are so many options perfect for teaching.
I chose to create my custom Google search on Famous Artists, titled Art History Artist Search.
Links to Art Videos in Action from the Custom Search
As students learn art history, it's imperative to give students multiple ways to understand the interesting lives of the artists, including photographs, videos, and presentations relating to the artists.
This link directs you to a common teaching site, Khan Academy. This was found as a result of the customized art history search.
Here's a sample of Mati and Dada's biographical art videos for children. I use these for my K-2 students to learn deep meanings and study of familiar paintings. I've had great success with my students connecting images from these videos, to the real paintings and sculptures.
Defining Searches
I also learned new ways to define searching for images, key words, quotes, and formal names by modifying the search slightly.
By using quotation marks, one can search for specific phrases and names.
For example: "Van Gogh" "impressionist painter" "Eiffel Tower"
By using file types in searches, one can find usable, editable files shared for usage online.
For example: ppt, mp3, xls, pdf
By searching for ppt files below, I was greeted with many excellent options of files I can use, modify, and stem from for my own lesson creation. Teaching simplified.
Gmail Tips
One of the most interesting features of Gmail I have learned, is the ability to use one email to send and receive emails for a large group of people. In the linked article below, you can follow simple steps to set up your classroom or other mailing lists for best safe, confidential usage.
Another interesting tip I learned is how to chat on Gmail! I had no idea this option was available until I learned these simple steps located within a hilarious tutorial below.
One Last Tip for Today
Here is an amazing list of apps you should download onto your phone. You just might need this one day. Google Apps to Download
This first week of Google Educators has brought many new aspects to my technology knowledge. I have been introduced to Google + communities and collections. Tutorials are my best friends right now. I know I have wasted hours trying to do one simple thing that should take five minutes. I'm excited for all of this newness to become part of my everyday teaching life.
If you are interested in starting your own blog, here is a great place to start:
As I reflect on this week's assignments, the blog has taken the most time for me. I am hoping my future posts will feel more intuitive and less tricky as I figure out the process with the most ease. I am so grateful for this class to fill my mind with new ways to collect and share inspiration, while collaborating and synergizing with colleagues.
