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Using a Writing Journal

Using a Writing Journal
I received a tweet from a teacher wanting to have his students create writing journals and then submit them through Classroom. Here is a suggestion for how to create the writing journals. Create a template in Google Docs. Add a table of contents to the doc. In Google Drive create a template for the students to use as their Writing Journal. At the top of the document create a title. Title the writing journal something like “Writing Journal for: ” giving the student room to type their name in the title. Below the title, you will want to insert a Table of Contents. Choose from the most used tags It is really important to teach students about using headings. Type something like “Journal Entry #1” below the table of contents. Refresh Table of Contents The table of contents does not refresh automatically. The headings in the document that as set as Heading 1 in the toolbar will automatically appear in the table of contents. Press enter a few times after the “Journal Entry #1” header. Like this:

Google Slides: Your First Week Activity Add your introduction slide here If you are just getting started with Google Slides, or if you’re a veteran, using Google Slides collaboratively is a great way to introduce Google Docs to the students. This intro activity demonstrates using collaborative documents, allows students to get to know each other and helps you to learn the students names. Create a Google Slides presentation and share it with all of the students. In Google Classroom you will attach the Slides presentation as “Students can edit.” If you are not using Google Classroom, click on the blue share button in the upper right-hand corner. Under the View menu, choose “Master.” The master shows the master master slide and the 6 layouts. Click on the remaining layout. Rename the slide layout to “USE THIS ONE.” Click on the slide tile on the left in the slide master. Rename the 2nd layout to “do NOT use.” Edit the first slide layout. The first slide is now showing your student slide layout. Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015

Finding Plagiarism with Google Search There are many great products to help detect plagiarism in student work, including Grammarly. My first line of defense if I suspect plagiarism is to simply use Google Search. Most of the time, students will use the first couple of results from a Google search when conducting their research. Typing in a student’s topic and looking at the first few results can be helpful in plagiarism detection. Key clues for me that a student may not be using their own original words or ideas is when the phrase of a sentence does not match their normal writing style. “Put quotations around the phrase.” Students may change the wording slightly. Thank you to @rachelpfoutz for this awesome suggestion. Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Like this: Like Loading...

35 More Things You Can Do With Google Classroom Back when I had only had a list of 35 ways to use Google Classroom I submitted a poster session proposal to ISTE. Since then the list has grown and you can now purchase “50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom” on Amazon. For my poster session I have come up with an additional 35 ways you can use Google Classroom. (I guess that brings me up to 85). Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Like this: Like Loading... Learn the Ins and Outs of Google Classroom from an Expert Educator and blogger Alice Keeler has written extensively on integrating Google Classroom with everyday school work. Spanning three posts on her blog Teacher Tech, Keeler has assembled 46 ways teachers can take advantage of Classroom, the latest in Google's Apps for Education lineup. Google’s cloud-based classroom organizer streamlines the flow of daily assignments and helps overcome teacher–student communication barriers. Earlier this month, Keeler was a guest on the TechEducator podcast, along with EdTech contributor Sam Patterson, and discussed how Google Classroom has aided her own instruction and how teachers can benefit from her experience. We won't steal all of Keeler's Classroom thunder, but here are five tips from her list: Create a lesson. Google has been adding new features to Classroom since its introduction in August. “I see this as just the beginning of where we’re going with Classroom,” Yeskel said.

15 Useful Chromebook Tips & Tricks I’ve been using Chromebooks for several years, but I’m still learning handy new tips and saving tricks that speed up my workflow. Below I run down 15 handy, lesser-known Chromebooks tricks, tips and keyboard shortcuts. Not just for aficionados, the following tips may even make switching to Chrome OS a little easier for newcomers. Before we go on All of the tips and tweaks listed below work in Chrome OS, the operating system that comes loaded on your Chromebook. Because of a shared codebase the majority of the tips below (excluding keyboard shortcuts) also with the Chrome browser on Windows, Mac and Linux. 1. Not being the best with numbers I often resort to double-checking my sums using a calculator. Just like Google (the search engine) basic sums can be calculated quickly, and it supports semi-advanced features like brackets, tan, cos and sine. 2. Are the sums you’re making of the measurable variety? 3. You can do more than check the weather Ok Google — that’s neat! 4. 5. It’s that simple. 6.

4 Things You Can Do Right Now To Create A Perfectly Organized Google Drive Everyone organizes their Google Drive differently. Shockingly, many Google Apps users don’t organize them at all. I have found that, by using a few best practices, there is a system for making Google Drive much more organized and easier to navigate. Proper folder structure, naming conventions, color coding, and keeping track of what is shared with you can go a long way when used properly. 1. The best starting point is creating a clean universal folder structure. Within each subfolder, it is a good practice to create folders that are dated by week to keep track of the dates each document is created, that way no folder becomes too full and difficult to sort through. To create a folder click the red NEW button and then select the option for folder. 2. Google Drive has an awesome feature that allows you to color code your folders, this can be done in such a way that makes sifting through your drive much faster. 3. 4.

5 Things You May Not Know About Google Classroom Google Classroom solves so many challenges when using digital tools with students. Here are 5 things you may not know about using Google Classroom. Be aware that how Google Classroom looks to you is different than how it looks to the students. When searching for Google Docs to attach to an assignment or announcement you can filter your search by folder. When attaching a file as “Make a copy for each student” and you click “Assign” you can no longer edit the attachment. You can also not add other classes after you have saved the lesson set. For my class I have a list of assignments for students to check off throughout the semester. When a copy of a document is made for a student the student is the owner of the document. When students “Turn In” an assignment via Google Classroom they are not able to edit the document until you return it. Continue Editing If you want students to continue to edit a document remind them NOT to turn in the document. Click Here for screenshots and examples

4 Ways #Google Keep Will Change The Way You Organize Ideas and Tasks If you are not familiar with Google Keep, it is a cloud-based way of keeping your thoughts, ideas, and to-do list organized across any device. As we help our students become more independent in their learning, this tool could help provide students with strategic ways to accumulate information and manage goals. Here are four things you should know about Google Keep: 1. Google Keep can be used across multiple devices. 2. Google Keep allows you to capture your thoughts and ideas in ways that works best for you. 3. 4. Google Keep's advance filtering tools let you search your notes by key words, who you have shared with, the type of file you attached, and even the color of your note.

Reflecting on Google Maps #WCSS15 | Jessica Brogley This March I had the privilege of presenting at the Wisconsin Council of Social Studies conference in Madison, WI. This conference is new to me since I haven’t really taught Social Studies as a class before. What a gem of a conference! Basic Functions in Google Maps: I love the fact that if I don’t have an actual address, I can just search in generalities like “Historical Places in Milwaukee.” Of course, getting directions is a blast, but I appreciate the fact that I can look at directions for walking, biking, driving, public transportation, and even via plane. Fun Tools: Google Maps Gallery (w/Data): This tool is a gallery of user-created Google Maps. If I were a classroom teacher, I would comb this for interesting maps that might speak to lessons learned in class. Google Night Walk: This tool sends the user on a street-view journey in France where people with beautiful accents describe your surroundings. If I were a classroom teacher, I would use this to support global studies.

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