{"id":12949,"date":"2020-07-13T07:56:53","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T12:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shakeuplearning.com\/?p=12949"},"modified":"2021-01-28T08:41:02","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T14:41:02","slug":"google-challenges-for-teachers-free-template-by-pam-hubler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shakeuplearning.com\/blog\/google-challenges-for-teachers-free-template-by-pam-hubler\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Challenges for Teachers! (FREE Template by Pam Hubler)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As educators continue to face much uncertainty, we also have to get extra creative with virtual PD.<\/p>\n

\"GoogleIn this guest post by Pam Hubler<\/a>, she shares how she developed and implemented Google Challenges to deliver Virtual PD at her school.<\/p>\n

Virtual PD, or virtual professional learning, is more than just making things digital. Much like the K12 classroom, we have to rethink everything–planning, delivery, and followup.<\/p>\n

Let’s face it, “Zoom fatigue” is legit! No matter what video conferencing platform you are using, there is only so long you can stare at a screen.<\/p>\n

I am working on some new resources to help educators design more meaningful blended PD (a new podcast series starts on Tuesday!)<\/p>\n

AND, I will be sharing some new professional learning options myself, and here on Shake Up Learning.<\/p>\n

Below is a guest post by Shake Up Learning Community Manager and Literacy Coach, Pam Hubler.<\/p>\n

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Google Challenges for Teachers (FREE Template) from @specialtechie<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

<\/i>Click To Tweet<\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

Google Challenges for Virtual PD<\/h1>\n

We\u2019re experiencing a shift in education right now, which has forced educators to use technology creatively to continue to do our jobs. I think it will be a good thing in the end, but now, education is experiencing some major growing pains.<\/p>\n

One group that is having to learn quickly is our educational support staff. Many of them have been able to get by with the knowledge they had of basic email and word processing tools they had access to on their desktop computers but never had a reason to explore new tools. Things are different when you have to access and create files remotely using different devices.<\/p>\n

This situation created an opportunity for me to provide professional development for some of our district staff assistants who don’t usually have to use our GSuite tools since they didn\u2019t have to access them outside of work. Working remotely forced them to learn very quickly!<\/p>\n

I also had to learn very quickly how to provide virtual professional development. When you present in person, you look for facial expressions, listen for whispers, scan the room for people who look like they are frustrated. You can\u2019t use any of those in virtual classes, so here\u2019s what worked for me.<\/p>\n

See also: How to Design Google PD That Works!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Planning for Different Skill Levels<\/h3>\n

The hardest thing to figure out is where to start! I had a set group of people at different levels, but most of them don\u2019t use technology outside of work besides a cell phone. I needed a structure for beginners, so with some guidance from Kasey Bell, I decided to start with her Level 1 Google Educator Certification Capacity Matrix<\/strong> as a guide. (Get the Level 1 Capacity Matrix in the Google Certified Educator Level 1 Academy<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re a power user of all things Google, it\u2019s easy to take what people may not know for granted. This list is an overview of everything an educator has to learn to get Level 1 certified. We didn\u2019t need all of the skills, but this gave me an idea of where to start. The Capacity Matrix is a great place to start for Google training for educators! (8 pages of skills for teachers!)<\/p>\n

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(sample page)<\/p><\/div>\n

Step 1: Creating a Training Agenda<\/h3>\n

I scanned through the Capacity Matrix and chose the areas I knew would be the most relevant to assistants. Since they are not classroom teachers, I needed to focus on more clerical skills. They might also have to do some creation, curating, data searching, etc.
\nHere are the areas I chose to focus on for five different sessions to start.<\/p>\n

Week 1:<\/p>\n

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  • Class 1.1: Google Chrome & Google Classroom<\/li>\n
  • Class 1.2: Google Chrome (continued), Search & Calendar<\/li>\n
  • Class 1.3: Google Docs & Slides<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Week 2:<\/p>\n

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    • Class 2.1: Google Forms & Sheets<\/li>\n
    • Class 2.2: Google Drive & Shared Drives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      On Your Own:<\/p>\n

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      • All Things Google Challenges – put your learning into practice!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Google Classroom isn\u2019t at the beginning of the Capacity Matrix, but it was the learning management platform we would be using for the class. I needed them to understand how to navigate Google Classroom to make the class easy to follow as we moved through the training.<\/p>\n