Streamline Your Classroom with Technology


Room: 106 B
Presenters: Dawn Sanderson and Laurie Vitale, West Shore School District
Audience: Gr. 3-6
Description:
Teachers will learn how they can use Chrome and Google Classroom to enhance student learning and achievement. Teachers will learn how to create and collect assignments paperlessly. Google Classroom will help teachers improve organization and improve teacher and student productivity. It is easy to set up and can save teachers time, as well as enhance communication.
In addition, time will be dedicated to discussing how these tools can be used for "flipped lessons (within the classroom)" and differentiation.


Please note: This will be a 'hands on' session presented with some 'model lesson' ideas. Please bring your computer/device with you. Chrome is the best browser for this session but other browsers (Firefox, Safari) will work too. You will play the part of 'students' in the Google Classroom to experience it first hand. Laurie and Dawn will be able to demonstrate the 'teacher side' so you can see Classroom as both a student and a teacher.

Getting to OUR Google Classroom -- Built JUST for you!

ETC IU13 Google Classroom

There are 10 test username/passwords for use by you during this session. Please "partner up" to experiment and follow along.

Additional Resources for Google Classroom:

Google's Classroom Help Home Page

Alice Keeler's Techer Tech Page (filled with information on Google Classroom)

Organization:

Google does this FOR you-- each assignment will be organized into a folder for you by Google!


Calendars:

A Calendar is automatically created for you and items added to it when you create assignments in Classroom. This may be something to explore with older elementary students to show them how to manage a digital 'planner'

"Flipping" your classroom (within the classroom)

Differentiation:

  • Separate Classes: You can easily create several classes and share your assignments among them. Consider making each guided reading group its own class and "copying" assignments but then altering/tweaking those assignments to fit the needs of the group.
  • Copying Assignments: To 'copy' an assignment from one class to another - use the "Reuse Post" to find the item you want to reuse.

Features that can support learning-- (Note these features are found in Chrome and not only in Classroom)
  • Voice to Text (ONLY works in Chrome): In a doc: Go to Tools>Voice Typing
  • Text to Speak add on: Will read back to the students what they typed.
  • Research Tool to find quotes, pictures etc for projects (Found under Tools>Research)

Encourage a Growth Mindset
Don't 'grade work' -- instead digitally return work it to the student with comments for improvement and have the student 'resubmit'

Helpful Ideas/Thoughts..Getting Started

1. The easiest way to add students to your course is to have them self-enroll.
2. Many teachers start by turning off the ability for students to post/comment until they have taught how to appropriately use that feature (found under the "Student" tab)
3. Under the "About" tab you can add a 'co-teacher' - very helpful for adding Learning Support teachers, Reading Specialist etc.
4. Make your first assignment purposeful but low risk (example: One teacher created a google doc with many grammar errors and asked each student to correct the errors and submit the assignment)
5. "Journal" Writing- Use Google Classroom for kids to write digital journals. Create a doc with the prompt-- give each student a copy-- viola. Done.