Goblin Tools

Do you have students that struggle with large projects or to-do lists? Do you sometimes struggle with where to start on a task?

Goblin Tools can compile my brain-dump into a list of tasks or help tame the challenge of large tasks or assignments, especially for our neurodivergent students. This is a free online suite of AI-powered mini-apps designed to conquer chaos and boost productivity.

With Goblin Tools you can break big tasks down into manageable steps with 'Magic To Do" or estimate how long a a task might take with 'Estimator'. Do you need help verifying the tone of someones writing or does your writing need to be more formal?  Check out 'The Judge' or 'Formalizer'.

Goblin Tools helps you get organized and achieve your goals, one bite-sized chunk at a time.

Diffit

If you work in any classroom, differentiating instruction can be a large part of your day.  There is a new generative AI program that can help you with this task, Diffit. 

Diffit lets you create differentiated resources from your exiting materials or from scratch.  You can use Diffit to relevel text, customize vocabulary, translate, and mero.

Sign up for you (currently) free account today.

MagicSchool AI

Another new school-based generative AI program you might want to check out is Magic School AI.

This tool is designed specifically for educators.  It has over 60 AI tools that can be used for things like composing professional  emails to leveling or ordering text.  

Check out Magic School AI to sign up for a (currently) free account.

SchoolAI

Generative AI programs have exploded in the last year. Some are for personal and professional use, some are for educational use. The generative AI program I would like to highlight this week is SchoolAI.

SchoolAI is an all-in-one AI platform for your classroom. It was specifically designed with K12 students in mind. It has built-in monitoring and controls designed to help teachers guide and support their students.

Check out this video from SchoolAI with information on how to get started.

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. 

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. 

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/).

Google Slides: Closed Captions

Google Slides offers a Closed Captions option.  This can help anyone read what is being said by the presenter.  If the microphone is good enough it will also pick up any questions asked by audience members.  

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

Google Slides - Closed Captions

Classroomscreen.com

Classroomscreen.com is a simple website that offers easy access to tools for face-to-face or virtual teaching sessions. It contains 16 different widgets, such as a timer, random name picker and work time visuals, to support all your classroom activities and help students get to work.

OpenSymbols

Are you looking for free picture symbols to use in your classroom?

OpenSymbols (https://www.opensymbols.org/) is a collection of creative commons picture symbols that can be used for augmentative communication. The collection pulls from multiple sources and currently includes access to more than 50,000 symbols and icons!

5 Fun and Easy Equipment Free Games

As the colder weather begins here in Michigan, teachers are always looking for indoor movement activities in case outdoor recess is not an option.  Other teachers are always on the lookout for quick brain break activities.  

fit by Sanford Health has a bunch of great ideas to help kids stay active.  The site is full of activities and informaiton about fitness as well as some social emotional strategies for students and families.

Their blog post this week is 5 Fun and Easy Equipment Free Games (https://bit.ly/30dAXlU).

Follow the links to check out the site and their recent blog post.  

OneTab

Some Google Extensions are great tools for productivity and organization.  One Extension that can be very helpful is OneTab.

OneTab



One Tab allows you to convert all of your open tabs into a list of URLs.  



From the list you can restore your tabs individually or all at once.  



Using OneTab can conserve battery power on a laptop/Chromebook.  It can also help speed up your device.  OneTab temporarily reduces the amount of memory your computer or chromebook uses, when you keep too many tabs running in the background.

The URL list can also be exported to save for later or to be shared with someone.



OneTab may be just the tool your students need when they are working on a research paper for your class.  They can open and view multiple tabs.  When computer time is over, they send the OneTab list to their G-Mail for later review and use.  They will have all of their research available to them, without having to continually start over or remember what they had searched for previously.  

Google Timer - guest writer Jerilyn Lynn

In order to provide great information for my readers, I have enlisted the help of some guest writers.

This week I am using a write-up from Jerilyn Lynn, M.I.L.S - University of Michigan, Technology Resource Specialist for Ypsilanti Community Schools.

Google Timer

1. Go to the Google Search Page: www.google.com

2. Enter: timer 5 minutes (or whatever time you want) 5 minutes is just an example of minutes

3. 

4. Press the enter key.

5. 

6. The timer will automatically start counting down!

7. Click the speaker icon to mute the alarm.

8. Click the frame icon to switch to the full-screen mode.

Visual Timers

If you have a student that struggles with time management, they may need a visual time to help. Visual timers can also be used to help keep students on task and for some students they are motivating.

Timers can be a stand alone device such as the Time Timer (https://www.timetimer.com/). They are also integrated into Android & iOS devices, and can be visual as well. You can also do a quick search in Google for a timer if you want to have it on a Google Chrome compatible device or to share it up on a smart board for the whole class to see.

IRIS Center Learning Module: Parents: Supporting Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The IRIS Center, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University had a variety of fantastic learning modules. They are continually adding new modules or updating existing modules. Recently I found out about one called:

Parents: Supporting Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic. (https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/c19/)

This resource offers tips to support your child’s learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is full of great ideas to try and suggestions that might work at home and at school.

IRIS Center - Helping Student's Stay Focused

Teaching online isn’t always easy.  Learning online isn't easy either.  If you are struggling to help your student or child, you are not alone! 

The IRIS Center, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University has come up with a quick Parent Tips Sheet to keep students focused during online learning.  

You can find the Parent Tips Sheet by following the link below:

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/misc_media/information_briefs/parent_tip_sheet_02.pdf#content

IRIS Center - Parent Tips for Online Learning

Although some districts are returning to face-to-face learning, some are still full virtual or are doing some sort of hybrid model. Regardless of which option your students are attending, we are all burned out this year. Teachers and parents are looking for help. 

The IRIS Center, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University has put together a 2-page Parent tips sheet that might be helpful for all of us.  You can find the sheet at:

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/misc_media/information_briefs/parent_tip_sheet_01.pdf#content

Using Pear Deck to Make Your Google Slides Presentations Interactive

Pear Deck is a tool that can be used for a variety of educational options.  I found a great video by Stacey Roshan (http://bit.ly/2YDAN3h) about how to use Pear Deck to make Google Slides presentations interactive.  The video will show you how to install the Pear Deck add-on, how to add various types of slides, how to customize draggable slides and what the presentation looks like from both the teacher and student end.  

Getting Started with Pear Deck to Make Your Google Slides Presentations Interactive. (https://youtu.be/9PJgsa-fnmA)

Stacey also has a great follow up video with tips for using Pear Deck as a student paced, asynchronous option for learning.  

Tips for Using Pear Deck's Student Paced Mode
(https://bit.ly/3rjLUuA)

Virtual Morning Meeting Activities for Distance Learning

Although most teachers have already set up a classroom routine, it is nice to hear new ideas. It is also beneficial to go over and review your virtual class protocols. This short video may help with any or all of these needs.

Maddie at EdTech Classroom created a short video on how to do a Virtual Morning Meeting Activities for Distance Learning (https://youtu.be/bk2h-3xuNDg).  

Thinking outside the box... 

How can you use these ideas in other areas of your virtual day?