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Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Google Expeditions, Badge Wall, Twitter Handles

Google Expeditions
We have exciting news! Our district owns a classroom set of Google Expeditions that is now available to check out. This includes 36 viewers (not cardboard), 36 devices, a router, and an Android tablet.
Expeditions .jpeg

What is a Google Expedition? It is a virtual reality teaching tool that lets you lead or join immersive virtual trips all over the world — get up close with historical landmarks, dive underwater with sharks, even visit outer space! Click here to see the list of over 600 expeditions available.
A Google calendar has been shared with you to reserve the kit. Contact your digital learning specialist if you need assistance leading your first expedition.

Badge Wall
Remember to keep working on your technology challenge! Don’t forget to log into PD Express to register for clock hours. It’s not too late to sign up to work on the badge wall if you haven’t already signed up. The challenge ends on May 17, 2017. Click here for the original Tech Tip post.




WBL Twitter Handles
Here are the ISD 624 employees who are active on Twitter. If you are just starting to create your PLN, start local and follow your colleagues. If you are on Twitter and didn’t share your handle with us yet, please fill out this form and we will get you added to our list.


Twitter Bird, Twitter Button, ...


Robert
Anderson
WBLAHS
English Learner Program
@Mr_R_Anderson
Barb
Bliss
Vadnais Heights Elementary
Primary (K-5)
@BarbBliss18
Ryan
Brown
WBLAHS
Mathematics
@brownmathwbl
Amy
Carney
WBLAHS
Media
@asc0707
Ryan
Clark

Health, PE
@healthteacherrc
Mark
Garrison
District Center
Administration
@markgarrison
Michelle
Gratz
Birch Lake Elementary
Primary (K-5), Title 1
@michelle_gratz1
Scott
Hoeg
Birch Lake Elementary
Physical Education, DAPE
@hoeg0016
Karin
Hogen
Central Middle School
Language Arts
@KarinHogen
Abby
Kath
Lincoln Elementary
Primary (K-5)
@ajkath
Cassandra
Knutson

Science
@cmknutson
Rita
Leonard
WBLAHS
Health
@ginger_rita
Nick
Marty

Primary
@MrMartyWBL
Kevin
Matuseski
Central Middle School
Language Arts
@KevinMatuseski
Carol
Midthun
Central Middle School
Media
@cmidthun
Emily
Mitzelfeldt
Sunrise Park Middle School
Mathematics
@teacher_Mitz
LuAnne
Oklobzija
District Center
Primary (K-5), Early Childhood or Pre-K, Social Studies
@loklobzija
Cathy
Olson
WBLAHS
Mathematics
@116MathOlson
Jody
Pontious
Otter Lake Elementary
Music
@jodylpontious
Sarah
Schoeller Atkins
WBLAHS
Science
@SchoellerChem
Darrell
Schulte
Technology Department

@darrell_schulte
Matt
Skogen

Science
@mattskogen
Shannon
Treichel
WBLAHS
World Language
@ShannonTreichel
Michelle
Uetz
Transition Education Center
Special Education
@uetz_transition
Tim
Wald
WBLAHS
Administration
@PrincipalWald
Karen
Wallrich
Lincoln Elementary
Primary (K-5)
@karenwallrich

Monday, March 20, 2017

#GoogleEDU Tuesday Tips + Google Forms




You can plan events, make a survey or poll, give students a quiz, or collect other information in an easy, streamlined way with Google Forms. You can create a new form from Google Drive or edit one from a preexisting template. Here are three examples and tutorials of ways to use Google Forms in your classroom.

Self Assessment Tutorial & Example
When grouping students for differentiated instruction, use Google Forms to have your students complete a formative self-assessment. This same process could be used to report progress on a long-term project or evaluate their attitude towards learning. 

Election Ballot & Example 
Instead of collecting paper ballots, use Google Forms to tally votes in real time and foster the habit of voting in your classroom. This process could be used for any election, poster contests, or to simply showcase democratic choice.

Logic Branching & Example

Google Forms allows teachers to create sections so that all of the questions are not all on one screen. In some circumstances, the questions do not apply for every student. If you are using a Google Form as a formative assessment you can direct students to a page with instruction on the topic if they get the question wrong or go to the next question if they get the question correct.



Google for Education has introduced, “Tuesday Tips,” a weekly spotlight on Google for Education tools. This is a fantastic new resource from Google for Education. These tips come in the form of a published Google Slide Deck (see links below). So far, they have released tips for Google Expeditions, Google Forms, and Google Classroom. 

Classroom Tips: https://goo.gl/WcJdpp

Expeditions Tips: https://goo.gl/sWtqWC 
Forms Tips: https://goo.gl/f36Hjz 

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Email Etiquette and Google Keep





The Top Ten  Rules of Email Etiquette
Many people think rule #10 is the most important.


  1. Read your email at least two times before sending.  Enable the undo send in your settings.  You can decide how much time to allow before it sends.
  2. Keep your emails short.  If it is a long email, it might warrant a phone call or a different type of communication.
  3. Write a well understood subject line.  Don’t leave it blank.
  4. Do not forward emails without the original sender’s permission.  Think before you forward.
  5. Let people know you received their email.  If it is not possible to get back to them right away, let them know when you will be responding.  Some teachers, and you know who you are, set up a vacation responder message that explains when they respond to email during the school day.  This is a great tip!
  6. Email is not a text and you should use correct punctuation, spelling, paragraph breaks, etc.
  7. Writing in all caps is like shouting.  
  8. Set up your email signature in settings.  
  9. When in doubt, end your emails with thanks.  
  10. This may be the last but it is one of the most important rules of email etiquette.  Do not reply all unless it is important that everyone on the group email knows the information.  If you are defaulting to reply all please change that in your email settings.  Reply all should rarely be used.  


Meet Google Keep


What is Google Keep?
Google Keep is a notetaking app found within the G Suite. It offers a variety of tools for taking notes  such as text, lists, images, and audio. Each individual note can be shared, and you have the ability to set reminders on the important tasks you want to get done. Notes can be sorted and searched with easy to use filters so finding that pesky note you are searching for becomes easier.

Watch this short video to learn how to use this useful tool.



Uses for Google Keep in the Classroom
Students can use Google Keep to create and share organized notes, task lists, and take picture reminders.
The mobile app also allows users to create drawings and audio notes. The best part is that these individual notes can be shared with classmates and teachers simply to promote collaboration.

Keep just released a new integration feature in which you can now pull over Google Keep Notes directly into Google Docs. This opens up a world of possibilities for how to use the tool.

Click here to watch a tutorial on how it all works.

Inside Keep, create notes for the feedback that you find yourself giving over and over again. With notes created, you can just drag that note over onto their doc and save yourself time by not having to type the same thing constantly. Just create a quick table on the Doc and pull it over.



The mobile app has the feature to allow you to record audio feedback and insert right into a Doc. This feature is not yet available with web based version.


Please contact your Digital Learning Specialist if you would like additional information on anything mentioned above.