More Blended Learning with Google!

In part two of this podcast series, we will take a deep-dive into storytelling with Google tools and how we can use this strategy in any grade level or subject area.

Storytelling might be my very favorite strategy for teachers because it is so flexible, engaging, and creative!

And get a sneak peek of Kasey’s new book, Blended Learning with Google!

Did you miss part 1 in this 3-part series?

Listen to Part 1: Do This, Not That! here.

Access the entire series on this page: Blended Learning with Google Podcast Series.

Listen to this article.

Shoutout

I’d like to send a shoutout to @PrincipalTeacherCo on Instagram for sharing her thoughts on the Shake Up Learning book!

Quick Tip of the Week (Master Slides)

In Google Slides, you can use the Master Slide to adjust the theme to your liking, add images, links, and other information that will appear of all of your slides. This is a HUGE time-saver for teachers.

Watch this short video to learn how!

Blended Learning with Google (Part 2)

In part 1 of this series, we shared the foundations for dynamic blended learning. This week, we are going deeper into strategies.

We are going to jump into one of the most prolific teaching strategies that you can have in your teacher toolbox, and that is storytelling.

Storytelling can be used in any subject area or grade level!

Students can retell events in their own words; students can change perspectives; students can invent and create stories told in brand new ways.

No matter the grade level or subject area we teach, we need to see our students as storytellers.

• Kindergartners can create picture books or alphabet books.
• Physical education students can explain health concepts, exercises, or rules of a sport.
• History students can retell a historical event.
• Language arts students can retell a story or novel from a different point of view.
• Science students can explain the steps in their experiment.
• Of course, any student can creatively write original stories, narratives, and autobiographical pieces.

Everyone has a story to tell, and with technology at our fingertips, there are hundreds of ways to tell these stories.

Storytelling with Google Tools

Google tools are a perfect companion to bring student’s stories to life.

Writing Stories with Google Docs

There are so many amazing digital tools that teachers can use to support writing in the classroom. As a former writing teacher, I can’t help but geek out a little at all the possibilities. But when it comes to Google, and Google Docs, in particular, there are some excellent tools to help teachers and students throughout the writing process.

Writing with technology matters! Students not only need to learn how to write, but they need to learn how to write with technology. Writing with technology will help prepare students for the future as well as allow them to do things that just aren’t possible on paper:

• Digital collaboration
• Digital workflow
• See the revision history and process
• Research
• Give them student ownership of learning
• Publish for a global audience
• Increase engagement and motivation

Google Docs also gives us many tools to go BEYOND simple substitution with:

• spelling and grammar check,
• citing sources,
• version history,
• suggesting edits,
• dictionary tool,
• teacher comments and feedback, and
• student comments and feedback.

Related: 9 Ways to Improve Writing with Google Docs

Storytelling with Google Slides

Y’all know I love Google Slides! It’s the perfect storytelling tool!

Try these storytelling strategies:

• Create Interactive eBooks with Google Slides
• Storytelling with Stop-Motion Animation in Google Slides (Taught in the Google Slides Master Class, and soon to be released Blended Learning with Google companion course.)
• Storytelling with Comic Strips in Google Slides or Google Drawings
• Storytelling through interactive timelines in Google Slides

Storytelling with Other Google Tools

Honestly, you could probably find a way to tell a story with many of Google creation tools. Here are a few more ideas:

• Storytelling with Google Photos –create a collage, albums, gifs, videos, and more.
• Storytelling with Google Earth–travel the globe!
• and more!

Want more Blended Learning with Google?

Get Kasey’s book, Blended Learning with Google: Your Guide to Dynamic Teaching and Learning.

What are your favorite storytelling strategies? Share in the comments below.

Podcast Question of the Week

• How can you use the storytelling strategy with your content area?
• Post your answers in the Shake Up Learning community or on your favorite social platform.
• Join our FREE Shake Up Learning Facebook group.

© 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 Blended Learning with Google (Part 2: Storytelling) – SULS089 appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

I love Google tools, but it’s NOT about Google! It’s about how we can use these tools to create dynamic learning experiences for our students.

In this 4-part podcast series on Dynamic Learning with Google, Kasey shares all her favorite lesson ideas!

In part three, Kasey explains how we can go BEYOND our curriculum and help students discover their passions, and how we can use Google tools to support this strategy!

BONUS: Get the Dynamic Learning with Google Toolkit to help you find the best tool to support Dynamic Learning in your classroom.

It’s NOT really about Google; it’s about the opportunity we have to use these tools to support Dynamic Learning experiences with our students.

Did you miss part 1 and 2 of this series?

Listen to part 1 (e44) and part 2 (e45) so you don’t miss a thing! The entire series is also available here.

Listen to this article:

...

Shoutout

Shoutout to all of the amazing educators that I met last week at FETC!

Click here to learn how you can bring Kasey to your next event.

Do you have a question or idea to share on the podcast? Leave me a message here.

Quick Tip of the Week

One-Tab Chrome Extension: Whenever you find yourself with too many tabs (like I do), click the OneTab icon to close all of your open tabs and save in a list. When you need to access the tabs again, you can either restore them individually or all at once.

Dynamic Learning with Google (Part 3)

In part three, we are moving on to our next characteristic in the Dynamic Learning Framework, Beyond the Grade Level and Subject Area. Dynamic Learning is at the heart of my book, Shake Up Learning: Practical Ideas to Move Learning from Static to Dynamic.

We are going to talk about three classroom strategies to help you go Beyond the Tool, student choice, choice boards, and Project Based Learning. Then we will look at which Google tools can help support these strategies in the 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 Grade Level and Subject Area

Let’s take kids off the conveyor belt of education and give them opportunities to learn about the things that interest them beyond the subject areas we teach and even beyond what it says they should learn in each grade level. Learning doesn’t have to fit inside a box.

I know this can sound impossible but stay with me here. Students need opportunities to explore their own passions and interests that go beyond what exists inside a prescribed curriculum. This doesn’t mean you have to teach more concepts; this means that we find ways to give students opportunities to make decisions and choose topics and projects that interest them.

Beyond the Grade Level and Subject Area with Student Choice

I’ll let you in on a secret! Student choice is the key to unlocking purpose and passion.

Student choice is the number one way we can help students find and explore their own interests. Whether that means giving them a choice of reading, choice of project or research topic, or a choice in how they demonstrate their learning–all paths will help build decision-makers and problem solvers!

To be clear, this doesn’t mean free reign. Most students cannot handle a fully open choice, but if we begin by giving them two or three options, we can baby step it to bigger decisions and choices.

It truly saddens me to see students who graduate high school without one clue about their own genuine interests. And I see this happen year after year.

Ways to Give Student’s Choice:

• Choice of reading
• Choice of project topic
• Choice of research topic
• Choice of device
• Choice of tool(s)

If you are not already giving students choice in your classroom, begin to look for those opportunities in your lessons.

Beyond the Grade Level and Subject Area with Choice Boards

Choice boards have been a long-time favorite of mine. They completely transformed my classroom and helped me to stop being such a control freak.

You can call these learning menus or choice boards, these words are interchangeable, offer a simple set of activities from which students can choose. These can be a simple list, or they can take more creative forms like a tic-tac-toe or the style of a restaurant menu.

One of the most popular posts on this blog is all about using G Suite to create interactive choice boards. In this post, you will find free templates and ideas for your classroom.

I have also created a special choice board for integrating the 4 C’s. Grab a copy here.

For a more in-depth look at choice boards, check out The Teacher’s Guide to Choice Boards.

Beyond the Grade Level and Subject Area with PBL

Project Based Learning, or PBL, opens up a world of possibilities for our students. Whether you are doing authentic PBL or jumping into something like Genius Hour, Google tools can help your students reach their goals.

What exactly is PBL?

“Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience.

As a result, students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. Project Based Learning unleashes a contagious, creative energy among students and teachers.” – PBL Works

PBL is all about moving beyond the inauthentic, one-and-done daily lessons and activities that never connect.

Google tools can help support PBL throughout the entire process:

• Planning and research with Google Search
• Recording information and writing with Google Docs
• Collecting data with Google Forms
• Analyzing data with Google Sheets
• Managing time with Google Keep and Google Calendar
• Documenting experiments and processes with Google Photos and Video
• Presenting final projects with Google Slides or Google Sites

Ready for Part 4?

CLICK here to listen/read Part 4 in this series.

Podcast Question of the Week

How do you give students opportunities to explore their own interests in your classroom?

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

The Shake Up Learning Book Study

Don’t miss our next book study! It’s completely FREE, and it’s all available online!

Get the details here.

You can also enter to win an autographed copy of Shake Up Learning!

© 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 It’s NOT About Google (Part 3: BEYOND the Grade and Subject) – SULS046 appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

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!

Let’s take a deep-dive into meaningful technology integration supported by our favorite Google tools.

In part two, Kasey talks about the power of going BEYOND the tool and how we can use Google tools to do NEW things!

BONUS: Get the Blended Learning with Google Toolkit to help you find the best tool to support Dynamic Learning in your classroom.

It’s really NOT about Google, it’s about the opportunity we have to use these tools to support Dynamic Learning experiences with our students.

Did you miss part 1? Listen to episode 44 here to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Listen to this article:

...

Shoutout

Thank you to Chelsea Hurst 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

To open a link in a new tab or window:

• hold the CONTROL key down when you click on a link to open that link in a new tab.
• hold CONTROL + SHIFT when you click on a link to open that link in a new window.
• (On a mac, use COMMAND instead of CONTROL)

All tips will be archived on this page.

Dynamic Learning with Google (Part 2)

In part two, we are moving on to our next characteristic in the Dynamic Learning Framework, Beyond the Tool(s).

We are going to talk about three classroom strategies to help you go Beyond the Tool, storytelling, research, and data. Then we will look at which Google tools can help support these strategies in the 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 Tool(s)

Think beyond using digital tools to do traditional things, like typing a paper.

Use digital tools to do NEW things! Just going paperless or digital isn’t enough, use tools to go further, deeper and extend the learning, and consider using tools in alternative ways–beyond their original purpose.  Reach beyond what you think a digital tool can do. 

I prefer to think of technology integration like a continuum where we progress from one end to the other. Most teachers begin by using technology at the substitution level, and that’s OKAY!

But we also want to find opportunities to make the most out of the opportunities that technology gives us and find ways to use digital tools to do NEW THINGS!

For instance, Google Slides is one of the most versatile tools in G Suite. In fact, I like to call it the “Swiss Army Knife of G Suite” because it offers so many ways for students to create and do new things!

But when we are talking about using digital tools in the classroom, remember there are two sides to this coin. One, there is the consumption side of digital tools–using tools to find information. Two is the creation side of digital tools–giving students opportunities to create original products.

In order to be purposeful in this process, I don’t want to break this down by tool and risk allowing the tools to drive the learning. We will approach it by activity.

Keep in mind that even though we are discussing each dynamic learning characteristic separately (the “Beyonds”), they do not have to exist in a silo. You can include as many characteristics as you like as long as it helps your students reach their learning goals.

Beyond the Tool with Storytelling

We all have stories to tell in the classroom. Whether it’s an original story, perhaps a narrative or expository piece of writing, or telling stories with images and video. We can retell events in our words; we can change perspectives, we can invent and create. Most of all, we need to see our students as storytellers!

Stories can be told at just about any grade level or subject area. Kindergartners can create picture books or alphabet books. P.E. students can explain health concepts, exercises, or rules of a sport. History students can retell a historical event. Language arts students can retell a story or novel from a different perspective. Science students can explain the steps in their experiment. Seriously, every classroom has the opportunity to tell stories.

Using Google Docs, students can not only use docs to compose their writing, but they can make the experience more dynamic by using the explore tool to research and synthesize information online and from their Google Drive. (See all 5 Ways to Use the Explore Tool.)

Students may also be using features native to Google Docs that help them through the writing process–something you won’t find on your piece of paper–like spelling and grammar check, feedback from the teacher and peers with comments and suggested edits, or saving different versions in version history. Or you can take things a step further and incorporate add-ons like Kaizena to leave voice comments.

Anything that helps students better engage, create, and collaborate is going BEYOND, and therefore, part of a dynamic learning experience.

Stories can also be told more visually using tools like Google Slides. Students can create eBooks, individually or collaboratively. Add some interactive links to create a Choose Your Own Adventure story!

With the new addition of audio in Google Slides, students can add background music to set the tone for their stories, or narrate.

I have a ton of Google Slides resources and podcast episodes that cover this very topic!

• How to Create Drag and Drop Activities with Google Slides
• 25 Things You Didn’t Know Google Slides Could Do
• The Google Slides Master Class
• Google Slides Can Do What?!?!- GTT018
• 12 Google Slides Resources That Will Make Your Day
• 25 Ways to Use Audio in Google Slides Projects

Comic strips are one of my favorite integration strategies, and these are super easy in Google Slides or Drawings. In fact, there’s a fantastic lesson from my book by Sylvia Duckworth, where she shares step-by-step how to do this.

Kick things up a notch with Google Photos where you can save photos and videos taken by students, even create quick videos to tell your story.

Beyond the Tool with Research

I think back to the days when we had to do all of our research in the library with index cards and the good old’ Dewey Decimal System. The reality of research in the twenty-first century looks much different with information at our fingertips; it may seem easier, but completely overwhelming!

Google Search is the largest search engine in the world! But are you teaching your students how to use it properly, how to filter out the junk, how to use advanced searches to find the most relevant information? Google Search Education is a great place to find free resources and to help your students become better searchers.

Let’s not forget the lesser-known search engines from Google, like Google Scholar. Google Scholar is a searchable database of scholarly literature, including a variety of formats like books, journals, etc. Secondary students can use Google Scholar to find credible resources for their research projects.

Google Books offers students a place to access and read books and magazines, cite sources, translate sources, and even set up alerts for specific topics. Google Books is a great companion tool for secondary student research.

Of course, Google Docs is an obvious choice for writing a research paper. Still, we can make things more dynamic by taking advantage of the collaboration features, using the EasyBib add-on to create a bibliography, or using voice typing to dictate into the document. 

Beyond the Tool with Data

We live in a world that is now inundated with data! Data is quickly becoming an important component of every job and business. Giving students the tools to gather and analyze data is a must!

Google Forms and Sheets are two apps that I like to think of as a couple! They work hand-in-hand together. 

Use Google Forms to collect data, then use Google Sheets to analyze your results. 

Yes, even primary teachers can give students experience with data! Data doesn’t have to be complicated. We can break it down into important, bite-size pieces. 

Consider giving the little ones a teacher-assisted survey with images where they select their favorite color or food. Then use Google Sheets to create a simple chart and talk to students about what it means. These conversations will set them up for success as they grow.

Secondary students should be creating their own forms and analyzing their own data. Google Forms isn’t just a teacher tool! We need students to learn this tool and how it can help them get information.

How is this dynamic? Remember, dynamic learning is all about going BEYOND what was previously possible. One of the reasons that data has become so important is because it is so much easier to gather with technology. Data that used to take us years to compile and process is now available in seconds.

Don’t forget the importance of analyzing data. Google Sheets it the number one feared Google tool. I promise it’s not scary. Just learning some basics like sorting, filtering, and using formulas to tally or average your numbers is a great start.

Ready for Part 3? CLICK HERE

Podcast Question of the Week

How can you go BEYOND the tool and give your students opportunities to do new things with technology?

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

© 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 It’s NOT About Google (Part 2: BEYOND the Tools) – SULS045 appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

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Google Apps for iOS

The following is a list of Google Apps for iOS (from Google, Inc.). This list is exhaustive and includes several apps that are not on the infographic Guide to Google Apps for the iPad. Some of these have natural classroom integration, and some are more for personal or business use. Some are optimized for both iPad and iPhone, some are only optimized for iPhone. Each app title is linked directly to the App Store so you can click directly from your device to download each app.

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Updated 5/31/17

Productivity Apps

• Google 
• Gmail
• Inbox by Gmail
• Google Calendar
• Chrome
• Google Keep
• Chrome Remote Desktop
• The Google Assistant

Google Drive Apps

• Google Drive
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Google Slides
• Google Classroom

Social Apps

• Google+
• Google Hangouts
• Google Duo – simple video calling
• Google Allo – smart messaging
• Hangouts Meet

Geography Apps

• Google Maps
• Streetview
• Google Earth
• Field Trip
• Google Trips

Virtual Reality & 360

• Google Cardboard
• Google Expeditions
• Cardboard Camera
• Arts & Culture
• The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience
• Inside Abbey Road

YouTube Apps

• YouTube
• YouTube Kids
• YouTube Capture
• YouTube Creator Studio
• YouTube Gaming
• YouTube Music
• YouTube TV

Google Play Apps

• Google Play Books
• Google Play Music
• Google Play Movies and TV
• Google Play Newsstand

Photography Apps

• Google Photos
• Google Street View
• Snapseed
• PhotoScan
• Motion Stills

Toontastic

• Toontastic 3D

Chromecast Apps

• Chromecast
• Big Web Quiz for Chromecast

Games

• Cannonball, the magnetic poetry game
• Ingress

Google Home

• Google Home
• Google Wifi
• Google Family Link

Other Apps

• Android TV
• Android Wear
• Fiber TV
• Google Admin
• Google Authenticator
• Gboard
• Google Cloud Search
• Google Device Policy
• Google Express
• Google I/O 2017
• Google Life Sciences Study Kit
• Google News and Weather
• Google On
• Google Smart Lock
• Google Spotlight Stories
• Google Translate
• Google TV Remote
• Google Voice
• Google Wallet
• Mobile VSI
• Ivy Big Number Calculator (support irrational values)
• One Today (support non-profits)
• Project Baseline
• Who’s Down

Business and Development Apps

• AdWords
• AdWords Express
• Beacon Tools
• Creative Preview
• Fabric
• Form Viewer
• Google AdSense
• Google Analytics
• Google Cloud Console
• Google Coordinate
• Google Home Service Ads
• Google My Business
• Google Zync
• MyGlass
• Primer – marketing lessons for startups
• YouTube Director for Business
• Weave Developer
• Zagat (Yep…they own that, too.)

Looking for more details on Google Apps for the iPad? See this infographic Guide to Google Apps for the iPad, or refer to the Google and the iPad section of this site.

© 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 Google Apps for the iPad and iOS (The COMPLETE list!) appeared first on Shake Up Learning.

An Updated Infographic Guide to Google Apps for the iPad (31 Apps)!!!

© 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 The Guide to Google Apps for the iPad [infographic] – Updated! appeared first on Shake Up Learning.