Happy Holidays!

I would like to send everyone warm winter wishes and happy holidays!  I look forward to writing more posts for you in 2024!

   

                                

More FigJam

Last week I shared the announcement that Jamboard will be sunsetting in 2024 and the recommended alternative is FigJam.  This week I would like to provide some training information for FigJam.  

If you are unfamiliar with Eric Curts, he is the creator of the blog ControlAltAchieve,  author of the book "Control Alt Achieve: Rebooting Your Classroom with Creative Google Projects", speaker, trainer, and a Technology Integration Specialist for SPARCC in North Canton, Ohio.

Eric has created a couple of great webinars on how to use FigJam that I want to share with you this week.

• FigJam for Schools: Intro Webinar
• FigJam for Schools: Advanced Webinar

FigJam also has a YouTube channel full of short videos on how to use some of the features of FigJam.

• FigJam for Teachers

FigJam, the Alternative to Jamboard

If you have not already heard, Google will be sunsetting Jamboard in 2024.  They have recommended FigJam as the alternative.  Like Jamboard, with FigJam you can brainstorm, align decisions, and collaborate —all in one place.

The following announcement and information has come directly from FigJam:

To make the transition as seamless as possible, FigJam has launched an importer that converts your Jams into FigJam files in seconds. Most importantly, all your Jamboard elements—including stickies, images, text and more—will still be fully editable in your new FigJam file so you can be up and running without losing a beat!

Here's how to get started:

Import your Jamboard files: Visit figma.com and click the “Import” button in the top right corner to start converting your Jamboards to FigJam files. To learn more, check out our importer tutorial or help center article.

Get started with FigJam: Find more ideas on how to use FigJam in your classroom with our tutorials and free template library.

Join a training: Meet the Figma for Education team during a free live training where you'll learn the basics, walk through classroom applications and ask any questions.

Formative

Although I usually provide tools or tricks more focused on student use and success, this one is great for teachers.

Formative is a tool that provides teachers with tools to engage, instruct, and assess their students. 

Just a few of the things you can do with Formative include transforming a PDF or Google Doc into an auto-graded quiz,  enhancing reading passages with questions, promoting higher-level thinking with advanced Math tools, and unleashing student creativity with the option of audio and video responses.

Check out Formative for yourself. 

Live Captions in Chrome

Chrome now offers live captions, it can automatically generate real-time captions directly in the browser. With a couple of quick settings adjustments you can automatically create captions for audio and video.

In the Chrome browser, go to the 3-dots menu in the top right corner.



Find ‘Settings’ in the dropdown menu.



In the menu on the left, open Accessibility.



Toggle on ‘Live Caption’.



You can select a preferred language (from a very short, very limited list), delete a caption language from your account and choose to ‘Hide profanity’ in the settings.

Reading Mode in Chrome

Reading mode in Chrome browser is now available on all Chromebooks.  Customize your reading experience with reading mode.  It allows you to more easily focus on the text, reduce distractions from images and videos, adjust the font and size, the spacing and the background color for any article or webpage you are reading.

To access Reading mode, open the reading list icon in the extensions bar.

On the dropdown that says ‘reading list’ select ‘reading mode’.

Adjust the size of the reading window using the 2 vertical, parallel lines on the left.

 

Adjust, from a limited set of options, the font style, size, spacing and background color.

Start of the Year

I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the 2023-2024 school year!

It has been very busy over here, in the technology world. With the return of all of the staff and students on top of a variety of new district initiatives, it has not been dull.

I look forward to writing some new blog posts for you this year. I will touch on both Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning options.

Although the use of AI has been around for a while when OpenAI launched its new Generative AI called ChatGPT last November it seems to be the topic everyone wants to know more about.

Since the launch of ChatGPT there are new generative AI platforms every day. I will touch on some of them this school year, especially those that can be used in education, to help both teachers and students.

I look forward to another great year of AT/UDL blog posts, I hope you do too!

Summer!!!

As the song goes 'Schoooooools out for summer!!"

Well, almost.  We are still in session for a few more weeks but we can see the end of the year is near.  

I want to thank all of my readers for a wonderful school year.  I will be taking a break from posting for the summer but will be back again after Labor Day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer break!

Filtering Data in a Google Sheet

Last week I shared a tutorial on how to sort information in a Google Sheet.  

Something else that might be helpful in terms of viewing your Google Sheet information is filtering.

Below is a tutorial on how to filter your data in Google Sheets.

Filtering a Google Sheet

Sorting a Google Sheet

Google Sheets is a great place to store data of all types.  You could use it as a database of books you have in your classroom library or a way to track grades and assignments.  There are so many ways you can use Google Sheets.

After you have created your database of information though, how do you sort it? 

Below is a tutorial on how to sort data in Google Sheets.

Sorting a Google Sheet

Adding and Editing an Image in a Google Drawing

Last week I talked about adding text to a Google Drawing to make pamphlets, flyers, newsletters or even posters.

When creating these projects you will most likely also want to add images.  The link below will take you to a tutorial on how to add and edit images in a Google Drawing.  

Adding and Editing Images in Google Drawing

Adding and Editing Text in a Google Drawing

Although it is not the most robust tool on the market, Google Drawings can be used to create a variety of desktop publishing needs.  Google Drawings can be used to create pamphlets, flyers, newsletters or even posters.

To create these projects you will want to start with adding text.  The link below will take you to a tutorial on how to add and edit text in a Google Drawing.  

Adding and Editing Text in Google Drawing  (https://bit.ly/42KvlKB)

Closed Captioning in Google Slides

Google Slides offers a Closed Captions option.  This can be used to help anyone read what is being said by the presenter or what is being said during a presentation video.  

If the microphone is good enough it will also pick up any questions asked by audience members.  

Closed Captioning in Google Slides can be added to the top or the bottom of the presentation.  Adding the captioning to the top could be used in other ways as well.  Think about having a presentation open and running above a video that doesn't have closed captioning available.  

To use Closed Captions in Google Slides check out this easy to follow tutorial.

Google Slides - Closed Captions (https://bit.ly/43Q2YMg)

Pear Deck in Google Slides

Although Google Slides is a great way to add interest to a lecture or presentation, it can get monotonous or boring at times.  Making a presentation more engaging and interactive is the best way to keep everyone's attention.  

One way to make a Slides presentation more engaging and interactive is to use the Pear Deck Add-On for Google Slides (https://bit.ly/3CzccR2).  Pear Deck allows everyone to have a voice and choice when answering questions, lets you see the slides show on an individual device so that you can follow along more easily, and allows teachers to do quick formative assessments to check for understanding.  

To add the Pear Deck Add-On to Google Slides follow the instructions in the tutorial attached below.

Google: Install and Use Add-Ons

(https://bit.ly/38on9XO)

Using Emojis in Google Docs

Using Emojis can be a fun way for students to complete school work. They can be used to write summaries or a reading or writing assignment as well as crate a pictograph for a math lesson.

Google has a large selection of emojis, as special text characters, that can be used in Google Docs. To add an emoji to Google Docs follow the tutorial on the document below:

Inserting an Emoji into a Google Doc

Google Docs: Highlighting Text

Highlighting text inside of Google Doc can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom.  It can be used as a way to help students focus and as a way to help them learn the importance of certain information.  

Students could highlight:

• key or vocab words
• main sentence
• parts of speech
• parts of a math story problem

Highlighting text in a Google Doc is fairly simple.  I have outlined the steps below.

Highlight Text in a Google Doc

Select the text you want to highlight.
Click on the Highlight button in the toolbar.
Select the color you would like to use.
Repeat this process for additional text throughout the document, as needed.

Google Workspace Introduction

Many of us used Microsoft products for our word processing, spreadsheets and presentations when we were growing up, going through school. Although Microsoft is still the biggest name in the field, Google is making a name for itself with its versions, Docs, Sheets and Slides.

As our schools continue to move to or be 1:1 technology environments, most of these devices are Chromebooks or have the Chrome browser available on them.

Although Google has changed the name of it's suite or tools, it is currently going by Google Workspace, the suite of applications has done nothing but improve, become more robust, over the years. Google Workspace for Education is a set of Google tools and services that are tailored for schools and homeschools to collaborate, streamline instruction, and keep learning safe. They are productivity and collaboration tools for all of the ways we work and learn.

Over then next few weeks we will be learning about these Google products and how we can use them to help our students achieve success.  I will be picking a couple of my favorite features and giving you a quick overview of how they work along with some ideas of how you could use them in the classroom.

Presentation Skills Toolkit

Learning presentation skills has been identified as essential for building one’s capacity to plan, facilitate, and share any content in oral presentation form.

The REMC Association of Michigan has great resources teachers can use to help build these skills within their students, during classroom lessons.

PRESENTATION SKILLS TOOLKIT (https://www.remc.org/classroom-resources/presentation-skills-toolkit/)

This REMC toolkit offers students and educators learning resources, reflection points, and exercises to improve presentation techniques, for all grades and ages.  There are lessons available in 5 different categories: collaborator, audience-centric design, establishing credibility & purpose, and presenting with clarity & confidence.  

Digital Citizenship Toolkit

In this ever growing digital world that we live in, as educators we need to teacher students about digital citizenship. REMC offers a wonderful resource for doing just this:

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP TOOLKIT (https://www.remc.org/classroom-resources/digital-citizenship/)

This user-friendly REMC toolkit is a curated portal of resources and tools with ideas for implementation. It will help educators develop both an understanding of digital citizenship and provide ideas for implementing them into classroom curriculum, across all grade levels and content areas.

Promoting STEM Through Literature

REMC has another great resource that I would like to highlight this week:

Promoting STEM Through Literature

Literature can be a great way to get students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  Educators can use literature to get students actively involved in the design thinking process. 

Each of the title shared on the website has a book card/lesson plan that includes a maker-STEM connection; pre, during, and post questions; and a design challenge that incorporates materials you could check out from your local REMC library.  You can also check out each of the books from your local REMC library.  

This year there will be 3 new books announced at the MACUL conference in Detroit, in March.  

21Things4Students

Last week I wrote about the REMC Association of Michigan.  As I said in that post, they have a wonderful website full of resources!

One of the resources that I would like to highlight is the 21Things4Students.  This site offers FREE activities to help you integrate technology into the middle school classroom curriculum (grades 5-9).  It will provide you with information on how to build knowledge and learn new tech skills for the 21st century. 21Things4Students will also help you teach kids how to be safe and secure online!

REMC Association of Michigan

REMC, Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan.  REMC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1969. Its members are the 28 local Regional Educational Media Centers operated through the Intermediate School District structure.

The REMC Association of Michigan believes it must provide proactive leadership to the Michigan educational community in building a vision that supports quality teaching and learning, the effective use of educational technology and provides equity to Michigan's pre-K-12 students.

This belief has led to a wonderful website full of resources, a variety of professional development opportunities (most of which offer FREE SCECHs) and a great group of REMC and RITS staff willing to help.  

Check out what they have to offer by visiting https://www.remc.org/ today.  

Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings

A couple of weeks ago I went to a great Professional Learning session offered by our local REMC, REMC 16, called Google Ignite.  The session was by Eric Curts, G Suite Certified Trainer and Innovator.

During his session he showed a variety of great ways to use resources created by or sponsored by Google.  We looked at some Google sites as well as the Google Workspace apps.  

Google Drawings is a great Google app that is often under-utilized.  It is great for activities that you would think of as 'one-slide' activities.  Almost everything you can do in Google Slides you can do in Google Drawings, and vice versa.  

One of the fun activities he showed us was Wintertime Magnetic Poetry.  His blog post on the topic contains some great information and even contains a template link that you can copy and use.  

How will you use this activity in your classroom?

Rewordify.com

Have you ever read a text, even reread the text and you still have no idea what you read. Some of our students experience this everyday.

Rewordify.com can help both you and your students!

To use Rewordify simply enter hard sentences into the yellow box, click 'Rewordify text' and you'll instantly see an easier version.  Rewordify even highlights the words it changed and with a simple click, helps you learn the original word. 

Check out Rewordify.com for yourself.  I know you (and your students) will love it!

Postlight Reader

Postlight Reader is a Google Extension that allows you to remove webpage noise and clutter from an article to make it easier for students to read.  

          

Postlight Reader allows you to make minor changes to font style, size and light/dark background options.  

     

Not only is this extension great for students, teachers can also use it for clearing out the clutter on articles that need to be printed or shared with others.  

Keyboard Shortcuts for Chromebooks

Keyboard shortcuts make my life so much easier.  I love them.  

I found a great article that lists some great keyboard shortcuts for Chromebooks. 

Check out KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS FOR KIDS (https://www.coderkids.com/blog/keyboard-shortcuts-for-kids) from CoderKids. 

Card Games in the Classroom

 Last week I talked about using board games in the classroom.  They can be used for recess but are also a great way to practice a variety of skills.

You can also use a deck of playing cards to help students show skills they know and have learned related to IEP goal and objectives or state academic standards. Here are 16 Card Games That Will Turn Your Students Into Math Aces  (https://www.weareteachers.com/math-card-games/) and that you can use to test math skills in your classroom.

You can also check out 18 Fifth Grade Math Games for Teaching Fractions, Decimals, and More  (https://www.weareteachers.com/fifth-grade-math-games/) which can be used for teaching and assessment as well.  

Board Games in the Elementary Classroom

As we approach the heart of the winter here in Michigan, students will be spending more and more recesses inside.  Teachers are always looking for activities to keep kids occupied during these times. 

Have you considered board games?  

Besides being a fun activity for the kids during these unplanned times, board games can be a great way for a student to show skills related to IEP goals or state academic standards.  For these reasons board games are great items for your classroom.  

Here is a list of 21 of the Best Board Games for the Elementary Classroom  (https://www.weareteachers.com/best-board-games-for-elementary/).