Synergyse for Google Apps

We have a great new resource available to us in regards to learning how to use Google Apps in the classroom.  Synergyse is a tool designed to help people learn about the various Google Apps.  By installing the Chrome extension, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/synergyse-training-for-go/idkloemkmldbemijiamdiolojbffnjlh?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon, you will have Synergyse available whenever you are using a Google Apps product.

You will see the Synergyse logo at the top right of the page and will have quick access to resources centered around that one, specific app.

This tool is available to all staff and students.  It will already be installed on the Chromebooks at the MS and can be installed using the Chrome extension on all other laptops.

Watch the following video to see how to get started with Synergyse.

Swivl Tips and Tricks

The Swivl is a great device to help a teacher, or other educator, record video of the many things that we do during the day. You can easily put in a tablet or phone and the Swivl will track your motion using the microphone that you wear so you do not need an assistant, it is your assistant. The Swivl has a small footprint and easily blends into the background once you start using it, although I love seeing people's reactions when they first watch it rotate to follow your motion.  The app that you need to install on your device is free and connects you to their cloud storage which is a great place to store and share the videos that you make.  We have used this to record teachers teaching, record students giving presentations, and record any presentation that we want to give.  I have also worked with teachers to set them up so they can record experiments or any other events that they want to share out with students, or other educators.

Getting Started

• Set up account at http://cloud.swivl.com/
• Install the Swivl app on your iPad or other mobile device.
• Log into your Swivl Cloud account on the Swivl App.
• Change Video Settings to medium sized video if you do not have enough storage for a high quality video. 
• Turn on and connect to the iPad.
• Upload your video to your Swivl Cloud account, you can even set it to automatically do this after you record.
• (one issue that has popped up occasionally involved some interference with the microphone causing it to not record, if you turn off the wifi on your tablet or phone then you can usually avoid this issue)

Watch the videos below to get started with your Swivl.

Getting Started With Your Swivl

Uploading From Swivl to Swivl Cloud

Tips When Using Your Swivl

Add To Google Classroom Chrome Extension

Over the summer Google introduced new ways to connect Classroom with other sites and tools.  While it will take some time for other sites and tools to integrate with Classroom, you can now easily add resources to your Google Classroom using a simple Chrome extension.  All you have to do is be on the site you want to share and click the Chrome extension.  You can decide if the resource is going to be part of an "Announcement" or "Assignment".  You can even set it as a Draft so you can share it later when you want to.

Just go to https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/add-to-google-classroom/oaobmlmjmhedmlphfdmdjpppjmcljnkp/related?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon to get the extension.

Newsela - Nonfiction Leveled Readings

Newsela is a great resource for any classroom.  It is a site that has a collection of nonfiction articles and stories, including current events articles, that allow you to select the reading level you need to understand the text.  There are usually 5 levels available for students so they can select the level that best suites them, or work on a level that is within their zone of proximal development so that they can continue to learn and improve.  There is even a feature, not available for all articles but for many, that gives you a chance to take a quiz that will assess how well you understood the article.  

Newsela is free, although there are some paid options, and allows you to easily create teacher and student accounts using your Google Apps log-in.  The Pro account gives you more of the LMS features that many would like but that are not needed for most applications of this tool.  In the free account you can assign articles to students and they can take the quizzes after certain articles, however the teacher will not be able to see their results.  

Newsela provides some great supports for teachers, including a handy sheet telling you how to easily get students registeredand a quick start guide for teachers for the overall process of using it.  Newsela is used by a good amount of teachers at our school and they have the following to say about it;

• It is nice to use to read to the class for Read Alouds, but it is also nice to give to kid at different lexile levels.  That way they can all read the same article, but with varying degrees of difficulty.
• I created an account and had freshman look through, find a story, read it, then summarize it and give their opinion on it. It was really nice because they could chose their lexile for the passage and as they were reading if it was too hard they could decrease the lexile until they understood it. And it is relevant information on all subjects. It did a better job at giving students access to non-fiction articles at their reading level then I ever could do on my own.
• I use it every week for my AI students. Sometimes I keep the lexile high for a Think Aloud, but other times I lower it based on their individual lexile range. It's great!

Watch the video below to get started.

Actively Learn - Add Notes/Questions/Resources to Text

Actively Learn is a digital tool that allows you to easily add notes/questions/resources to digital texts, ones provided for you or ones that you upload yourself.  You can easily create a class, add students, add the text and resources; all in a very short time.  Students then can use the notes/questions/resources you provide to help them make sense of the reading and improve as readers.  There are a lot of free options that you will find useful for your students and some of the premium options even make it worth buying, if you have the funds.  

(They even have resources from Project Gutenberg such as The Great Gatsby.)

Watch the video to see the basics of Actively Learn and then start thinking about how you can use it to help your students as they read.

Adding Audio Comments using Goobric and Doctopus

I am a big proponent of using digital tools to provide better feedback for students as part of their learning.  Too often we may give "feedback" that consists of a score or a grade, which does not help the student continue in their learning in an effective way.  It is like expecting a blind person to know how to drive by just shouting out directions, we need to do more to help them become better in their learning.  Kaizena is my standard tool for adding audio comments to Google Docs but if you are already using Goobric and Doctopus, then you can now easily add in audio comments to give further feedback for the student.

(If you are worried about the time it takes to give better feedback, think of the time you will get back because the better feedback will make it more likely they learn and will need less help than if you give them poor feedback.)

You can find out more about Doctopus and Goobric at http://cloudlab.newvisions.org/add-ons/doctopus and you can watch the video below to see how to leave audio comments using Goobric.

Chalkup to Annotate Google Docs

Chalkup is a useful tool in many ways, as an LMS (lesson management software) or even just as a way to annotate Google Docs for students.  Chalkup has the usual features of being able to create classes, have students join using their Google accounts and a classroom key code, discussion posts, creating assignments, and all of the other features you expect from a type of LMS.  

The one feature that really helps it stand out from others is that you have the ability to annotate Google Docs in many ways, such as leaving comments or even drawing on the document.  The annotations are only found when logged into the Chalkup site and you will not be able to see them on the original Google Doc, only the copy in the assignment submission.  There are a lot of people who want this feature and this is one of the few easy ways I have found to be able to do this.

(sidenote: There are a lot of ways that we can leave effective feedback for students, we should look for new ways that allow us to leave better feedback that helps our students as learners so make sure that any feedback you give to students is effective, not just quick.)

Chalkup is  easy to setup and join, thanks to using your Google account, so you can easily create a class and start trying it out.  Watch the video below to see how to get started.  Richard Byrne has also written some great posts about Chalkup, including about their rubric features, at http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/02/chalkup-grade-assignments-in-google.html#.VRQB6zvF9g4.