Over the last few years, teachers have come to LOVE Google Jamboard!

But just when we settled into using it regularly, Google decided to take it away! BOO!

Have no fear! My friend, Tom Mullaney, is an expert on FigJam–your Jamboard alternative with endless possibilities!

Tom has been kind enough to share ideas from his TCEA conference presentation with us.

No TCEA FOMO for Shake Up Learning readers!

by guest author, Tom Mullaney

App Smashing with FigJam is going down RIGHT NOW at booth #2339 with @TomEMullaney He’s a Fig deal!! #FigmaEdu #FigJamFunhouse #FigJam #TCEA #TCEA24 pic.twitter.com/ws1EScGiRx

— Alex @ Figma Edu (@Alex_FigmaEdu) February 5, 2024

Google’s announcement that Jamboard is going away can cause teachers concern. All that work is gone, right? The good news is that one replacement option, FigJam, has an import from Jamboard feature. It also has App Smashing that solves a persistent problem: Students have too many tabs open on 11-inch Chromebooks.

App-Smashing with FigJam (YouTube Presentation by Tom Mullaney)

Say Hello to FigJam

FigJam is Figma’s collaborative whiteboard. Unlike Jamboard, it pairs with apps and websites teachers use. Students can use these apps directly in a FigJam, enabling one-tab learning instead of multiple-tab confusion.

Here are educational apps and websites students can use directly in FigJams.

Google Docs

Copy a Google Doc’s sharing URL and paste it into FigJam. Students can see the Doc in the FigJam and even edit it. Teachers can use this to have students enter responses to items in the FigJam.

Google Doc in a FigJam.

Google Slides

Teachers can add their Google Slides to a FigJam, allowing students to use sticky notes to answer a prompt related to the slides. Students can also edit a collaborative Slide presentation in a FigJam. 

A Google Slides presentation opened in FigJam.

YouTube

Copy a YouTube link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can watch it directly in the FigJam. Students can watch at their own pace and respond to a related prompt in sticky notes.

Two YouTube videos, a prompt, and blank sticky notes in a FigJam.

Google Books Ngram Viewer

Google Books Ngram Viewer compares the usage of terms in printed materials from 1500 to the present. It is a good resource for spurring student inquiry and questions about data and vocabulary terms. Copy an Ngram chart’s embed link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can interact with the chart directly in the FigJam. 

A Google Books Ngram viewer chart showing the use of “suffrage,” “nationalism,” “militarism,” “trench warfare,” and “shell shock” in books written from 1900 through 1930 is displayed in a FigJam.

NPR Audio

NPR audio segments cover a wide range of content teachers teach students. Copy any NPR audio file’s embed link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can play and replay audio and respond to prompts with sticky notes.

An NPR audio track, a prompt, and blank sticky notes in a FigJam.

ThingLink

ThingLink is a web-based app that allows students and teachers to add interactive “hotspots” to images. Copy a ThingLink’s sharing link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can click on hotspots in the ThingLink to see the link content, such as images, videos, and text.

A ThingLink displayed in a FigJam.

Felt Maps

Felt is a collaborative web-based mapping app similar to Google My Maps but with more features such as drawing, comments, text, YouTube videos, and hyperlinks. Copy a Felt map’s sharing link and paste it into a FigJam. Students can navigate the map and adjust the zoom right in the FigJam. Any maps students and teachers create can prompt collaborative activities in FigJam.

A Felt map displayed in a FigJam.

Other FigJams

One final edtech app smashes with FigJam: FigJam itself! Copy a FigJam’s sharing link and paste it into another FigJam. Collaborators can navigate the embedded FigJam and adjust the zoom. Students and teachers can embed FigJams to refer to prior learning and activities.

A FigJam embedded in a FigJam.

Conclusion

Students and teachers regularly use apps and websites for student creation and consumption. Accessing these in a collaborative file allows clarity instead of confusion. FigJam empowers collaboration and interaction with multiple files in one place. 

How will you App Smash with FigJam?

About Tom Mullaney

Tom Mullaney (he/him) is a former teacher who uses his Special Education and Instructional Design background to help teachers design inclusive lessons with creativity, collaboration, and fun. Tom’s education experience includes Special Education, Social Studies, educational technology coaching, and digital design. Contact him on Twitter, @TomEMullaney, or via e-mail, mistermullaney@gmail.com.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post Say Hello to FigJam: Your Jamboard Alternative with Endless Possibilities appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

You can now access the version history in Jamboard and see exactly what your students contributed and WHEN!

Jamboard is an interactive whiteboard application and a part of Google Workspace for Education.

It’s a great tool to get students collaborating and interacting in the classroom, online, and even during a Google Meet lesson.

Jamboard is quickly becoming one of my favorite tools for students.

Learn more about Google Jamboard here.

Related: How to Use Jamboard with Google Meet

How to Access Version History in Jamboard

Access ALL the Google Quick Tips Here!

Check out all our Remote Learning Resources!

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

The post How to Access Version History in Jamboard appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

Here’s a super cool Google Meet integration for teachers and students!

Google Meet allows you to create and share Jams from Google Jamboard on the fly! It’s super handy for the classroom.

You can use pre-made jams, or start with a new jam.

Jamboard is an interactive, collaborative whiteboard application, and part of the Google Workspace for Education suite of tools.

You can use backgrounds, like graphic organizers, or just use them for students to brainstorm, ask questions, or add notes.

This integration is great for remote learning, blended learning, or distance learning!

How to Use Jamboard with Google Meet

Access ALL the Google Quick Tips Here!

Check out all our Remote Learning Resources!

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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It’s NOT about Google, y’all! It’s about the LEARNING!

Ready to move the learning in your classroom from static, one-and-done activities, to more dynamic learning—Dynamic Learning with G Suite? This 4-part podcast series will show you how you can use G Suite tools to support dynamic learning experiences for your students!

Technology presents us with a unique opportunity in education, an opportunity to create more dynamic learning experiences for our students. We have to start thinking differently about our assignments. One-and-done doesn’t cut it anymore. The learning needs to live, grow, connect, and go beyond traditional ideas. We need Dynamic Learning!

This blog post and podcast episode is NOT about Google or G Suite, but how to use these tools to support dynamic LEARNING in the classroom.

Dynamic Learning is at the heart of my book, Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning From Static to Dynamic. It’s my passion. It’s my blood, my sweat, and frankly, a lot of tears! I want to help teachers like you to Shake Up Learning.

BONUS: Don’t miss out on the FREE download for this series! The Blended Learning with Google Toolkit is an alignment document that shows you how the Dynamic Learning characteristics align with classroom strategies and which Google tools to use in your classroom! (Fill out the form below to access.)

Listen to the podcast version of this post below:

Shoutout

Thank you to Ashley Brown for leaving us a question. Do you have a question or idea to share on the podcast? Leave me a message here.

Quick Tip of the Week

In Google Chrome, you can re-open your last closed tab with this simple keyboard shortcut:

• On Windows and Chromebooks: Control + Shift + T
• On Mac: Command + Shift + T

All tips will be archived on this page.

Dynamic Learning with Google

You can dive deeper into Dynamic Learning by listening to the first five episodes of the Shake Up Learning Show. This binge-worthy series on meaningful technology integration was the kick-off to my podcast and will give you a detailed look at the Dynamic Learning Model and Framework.

1. Top 20 Tech Tips for Teachers
2. The 4 C’s: The Superfoods of Learning
3. A Framework for Meaningful Technology Integration
4. Easy Lesson Plan Makeovers for Your Classroom
5. How to Plan for Technology Integration

I would also like to personally invite you to join one of the Shake Up Learning book studies that we conduct throughout the year. You can find the latest information and schedule on this page: shakeuplearning.com/bookstudy.

What is Dynamic Learning?

Dynamic Learning is characterized by constant change and activity. This learning takes place organically, growing and evolving through more unconventional means, with the learner collaborating, creating, and communicating to demonstrate progress and mastery. Dynamic Learning also extends beyond the boundaries of a traditional school day, beyond the physical location of the classroom, beyond using tools as digital substitutes, or even the traditional notion of hard-and-fast due dates.

The Dynamic Learning Characteristics

When you think DYNAMIC, I want you to think BEYOND! (Read full definitions here.)

• BEYOND the Bell: a lifelong learning mindset for students.
• BEYOND the Grade Level and Subject Area: helping students tap into passions and interests that are outside the given curriculum.
• BEYOND the Walls: publishing student work for a global audience, and bringing in global connections and collaborations.
• BEYOND the Tools: using digital tools to do new things.
• BEYOND the Due Date: mentoring and coaching students to continue learning even after the project has been assessed.

If the Internet is down, and you have to change your digital lesson to pencil and paper, the lesson should invariably lose something. Meaning, if your lesson is using technology in a dynamic way, it just can’t be replicated on paper.

The Dynamic Learning Framework

You can download a printable PDF version of the graphic here

Using Google Tools to Support Dynamic Learning

So how does Google come into play? Well, Google and G Suite for Education offers educators and students many tools that will support the Dynamic Learning Framework. Remember, this is not about Google–not about getting carried away by shiny tools, but about how we can use these tools to support learning.

There are many lesson plans available in the Shake Up Learning book, as well as my online database of shared lesson plans, and most involve some sort of Google tool.

But today, I want to share with you some quick wins, easy tips to help you see the reality of Dynamic Learning in your classroom.

Get the FREE Blended Learning with Google Toolkit

(Formerly called the Dynamic Learning with Google Toolkit)

This FREE Blended Learning with Google Toolkit © will help you choose the best Google tools to support Dynamic Learning in your classroom.

The Blended Learning with Google Toolkit will help teachers learn more about blended learning strategies with recommended Google tools for each strategy!

Get access to this FREE PDF download that aligns technology integration strategies with Google tools!

Beyond the Bell

Learning doesn’t have to end when the bell rings. With digital tools and devices that are available 24/7, students can continue to learn, collaborate, grow, and dig deeper into their learning on their own terms. This doesn’t mean homework. This is a mindset for students that means learning can take place anytime, anywhere, and students can own it.

Beyond the bell is a lifelong learning mindset for students. Please don’t assume this one simply means doing things after the bell rings! It’s much more than that. We want students to recognize learning, know how to seek out their own learning, and have a growth mindset.

Google tools can help support this mindset in many ways. 

Beyond the Bell with Goal Setting

Goal setting is a research-based strategy that is common among adults, but it’s something we should instill in our students at an early age.

We want students not only to understand and reach the learning goals we set in the classroom but also set their own goals. This is where it gets personal. Goals setting with students will allow you to get to know them and cultivate relationships.

But this doesn’t have to be complicated. Even the little ones can set mini-goals. For instance, ask them, “What’s one thing that would make today great?” Or “What will make you smile today?”

With the older students, it is important that we don’t tie grades to a goal. What I mean by that is that grades are often reflective of many other things like turning in late work, etc. Associate the goal with the learning! What is it they will know or be able to do when they reach this goal? 

We can use many different Google tools for goal setting. Google Keep is a favorite of mine. It’s an easy way to document goals and revisit them on a regular basis. You could also track goals in Docs or a fancy Google Sheet. The point is to articulate goals on a regular timeline and to revisit every one to three weeks, so you don’t lose sight.

Vision boards are a visual way to imagine reaching your goals. Traditional vision boards have images and words that help you stay focused on what it will look like when you reach your goals. Google Slides and Google Drawings are perfect partners for this image-driven creation!

Beyond the Bell with Trackers

As an adult, I often track my steps and progress over time. In the classroom, my students tracked their reading–pages read, books completed. But the power of tracking can help our students not only reach their goals but establish good habits and emotional control.

Social and Emotional Learning, or SEL, is an essential component of success for students. Trackers offer students a way to recognize emotions and social queues, as well as show growth over time.

Google Sheets is a great application for tracking habits, emotions, reading, health, and even moods.

My friend and colleague, Lisa Johnson, has included many trackers in her book, Creatively Productive. Most of her templates are available in Google Sheets and Numbers. By using a spreadsheet template, we can create a quick and easy way to track. (Check out her guest post and access her free templates here: 6 FREE Google Templates for Creative Productivity.)

Podcast Question of the Week

How do you help build a growth mindset with your students?  

Post your answer to your favorite social media platform using the hashtag #ShakeUpLearning, or share it in the Shake Up Learning Community on Facebook!

Check out Part 2 in this series!

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

The Shake Up Learning Show

The Shake Up Learning Community on Facebook

Shake Up Learning Book Study

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 1: Top 20 Tech Tips for Teachers

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 2: The 4 C’s: The Superfoods of Learning

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 3: A Framework for Meaningful Technology Integration

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 4: Easy Lesson Plan Makeovers for Your Classroom

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 5: How to Plan for Technology Integration

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 41: 25+ Ways to Use Google Keep for Teachers and Students

The Shake Up Learning Show Episode 32: Productivity Tips and Tools for Teachers and Students

6 FREE Google Templates for Creative Productivity

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

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