Feedback Loops & Google Apps

Sharing learning from the Synergyse blog and video blog site.  In this blog post and video, you will be reminded of the power of feedback (as noted by John Hattie in Visible Learning and Dylan William in Formative Assessment)

Watch this video to learn more!

Click here to view the written blog about this topic!

Creating a BrainFriendly Classroom with Google Apps

I subscribe to a Synergyse mail list for Google Educators and they have begun an awesome series that connects researched based brain friendly strategies with Google Apps.  This first topic in the series highlights strategies for Brainstorming and Discussions using Google Apps.   I  am sharing it with you because it had great ideas to support the idea that students learn best by " learn by talking, by playing, working in groups, using technology, and by experimenting".  It then shares ideas for harnessing the power of Google Apps to support this. 

To read the text version of this information, click here.

Missing The Hat & the Cool Timer desktop programs... New, Easy Alternatives

If you really like having a classroom timer or a random name chooser for display on your smartboard, here are new solutions you don't want to miss.

Timer

• In a google search bar, type the amount of time you want on the timer and the word timer (Example: 1 minute timer) and then hit enter to search for that and Google will create a timer right there for you.  

• Another simple option would be to go to the Chrome webstore in the Chrome browser and search for timer.  I found this "app" and added it to my Chrome apps.  

The Hat ~ Random Name Generator

Here is a super awesome alternative to The Hat.  It is called the Flippity Random Name Generator.  Here is a demo of how this works.  DEMO

What makes this a ton more powerful is this tools ability to sort or group your name list (you put in your student list) into all of these options.  HOW AWESOME is that!

Here are the directions.  Your teacher task is simply to create a Google Sheets document, using the template given, with the names of the students in your class.   Create it once using these directions and then save the link and it is always good to go for your class.

Hope you find these easy and helpful!

Google Chrome Can Read to You and your Students

  By installing one slick little extension, you can have Google Chrome and Google Apps read to you and your students (I have already added this to the student's Google Accounts)!

Watch this video to learn more......

Also, Teachers.... read this.  The Read& Write Chrome Extension has other awesome features which are free to teachers.  Click here to learn more and apply for your free tool.  These added features include highlighting text, word prediction, Translation, Talking and Picture Dictionaries, and more.