Kami Work Around - Creating Lessons with Manipulative Activities (Sorts) for Live Lessons (Updated 1/31/2021)

      Kami has so many uses.  One thing that many teachers would like with this pandemic is the ability for a teacher to share an activity (through a distant lesson) with students where the students can move and/or sort objects live.  At the moment, kids can't simply drag and drop or move anything the teacher puts in the document (or any of their peers for that matter) when working inside of Kami.  Here's a way you can work around this with only a couple extra steps....

Teacher Steps (Nothing real different from what you already do!)

1. Create the Kami document.  (You can import from Google Drive, upload from your computer, use the blank document feature in Kami, etc.)

• Please note, you cannot import a Google Slides or other document that is setup for manipulation into Kami.  It will lock the images down.  You will need to remove the manipulative images, import it, and bring the manipulative images back in in Kami.

2. Share it with the students.  (Make sure all settings in the Kami document and the Google file are set to 'anyone can edit.')

• Make sure all settings in the Kami document and the Google file are set to 'anyone can edit.'

Student Steps

1. Open the document.

2. Click on the SELECT tool.

3. Click on SELECT ANNOTATIONS.

4. Click on the object they wish to use.

    a. Click on the object.  A menu will open with the options 'Copy,' 'Paste,' and 'Delete.'

    b. Have them select COPY, then click PASTE.

    c. They will then have a copy of the object to move about as they please!

• This is helpful in that kids can't delete what you put into the document.
• Con - Remember - just like a student can't move or edit your object, you can't edit or move their objects that they create!  
• You can 'turn off' their work on the document by clicking on their name icon on the bottom.  
• If you need a clean slate, you will need to go to FILE > VIEW ALL > MAKE A COPY.

Click here to see a video of how to do it from a student's perspective!

 

UPDATE FROM 1/31/2021 - There has been some confusion on whether or not you can use Kami and have kids complete sorts.  As noted above, not in a sychronous unless you do the steps above.  You can in a asychronous setting if you create the activity in Kami, then assign it to the students through an LMS (like Canvas, Schoology, or Google Classroom (not Seesaw).  The LMS creates a copy for the student to complete the task, so they are able to manipulate the objects you put in to sort!  

Seesaw - Parent Access and the Different Codes

        With the current Distant Learning situation, it's important to understand what families can see and do.  We as teachers have to remember that students are logging into Seesaw at home and have parents and other family members looking over their shoulders.  This can become an issue with student privacy.  How you set the student permissions has an impact on what families can see.  Click here to learn more!  There are three scenarios in how parents can interact with Seesaw.

Home Learning Codes

        (If you decide to block students from seeing each other's work in Seesaw, you don't need to worry about Home Learning Codes).  If teachers want students to see and comment on each other's work in school, the Home Learning Codes prevents students (and their parents) from seeing each other's work at home.    If a student uses a Home Learning Code on a device at home, it will make it so that ON THAT DEVICE the student will only be able to see the work that they have done, not the work that other students have done.  Please note - you would not want to do this on a device that comes back and forth to school because once the code is entered, that student will only see their own work no matter where they are.  

         For Parent Intercation - if a parent is looking over their child's shoulder, they will see announcements sent to students and can obviously see their child's work, but if they provide feedback, it will show up as the student's own comments or like.  Parents need to use Seesaw Family to comment, like, and get annoucements for parents...

Invite Codes and Seesaw Family

        Just like with ClassDojo, Bloomz, Remind, etc, to invite parents you can send them a special QR code, input their email address, or input their phone number.  They will get a link to download Seesaw Family and be able to be linked to their child's account (or they can log in from the Seesaw's website using any browser on any device.  In Seesaw Family, parents and guardians will only see their child's work (or work that their child is tagged in).  Up to 10 people can be assigned to one student.  Here's what they can do...

• See 'Family Announcements' that teachers can send to them.  
• Teachers can message parents and parents can message teachers (after the first message is sent).  (Please note, in Groton - teachers are being asked to use Remind as our Parent Teacher Communications app).  
• Teachers can send up to 10 pictures of what's going on in the class through Seesaw, but only 1 on Remind.   
• Able to like and/or comment on their child's work.
• Able to Share their child's work with others through a link or QR Code.
• Can save their child's work onto their computer / device.

Here are your Family Options.  You can find these settings under the wrench in the top right corner of each class.  Scroll down to 'Families.'  If you turn it on, then the first list of options will appear.

Here are your Family Permission Settings:

• Family Sharing - allows parents to get a link to their child's activity to share with others.
• Family Likes - allows them to like any work their child completes.
• Family Comments - allows family members to comment on their child's work.
• You have the option to require comments be approved by you before they post to the child's work.

Classroom Blog

If you enable the Classroom Blog and share the link with Parents/Guardians, then they would be able to access that as well!

Seesaw - Student Privacy / Abilities to Interact with Each Other

        Seesaw has many different ways that students can interact with each other within Seesaw.  Teachers can control what the students can and cannot do.  To find these settings, click on the wrench in the top right corner in each class.  Scroll down to the 'Students' section.

Seeing Each Other's Work / Commenting on Each Other's Work

       'Students can see each other's work' is very important!   If this is turned on, students will be able to click on each other's journals to see the work that their peers have done.  They will be able to click on any activity and see who has completed the work and who hasn't.  Keep that in mind!  If you have this turned off, then the students won't be able to see each other's work unless they are tagged on the same activity.  Also, you won't have to worry about 'Home Learning Codes,' because the students wouldn't be able to see each other's work at school or at home.

        What they can do to each other's work depends on the following settings.  (Please note, you can have 'Students can see each other's work' turned off, while still allowing the students to like and/or comment on their own work or work that you post.  If you don't want kids seeing each other's work, but be able to provide feedback, you have two options:

1. Tag Other Students - You can always tag one student's work with everyone else so that they can give feedback.  I had students who would ask me to share their work, so I would 'tag' everyone else in the class so they could see the student's work.  
2. Turn on the Blog - I recommend turning on the 'Blog.'  This will create a Blog for your classroom that you can password protect and only allow students, families, and/or other classes that you invite in.  On any activity, the students can choose to post something to the blog for other students to provide feedback on.  (All posts require your approval before they actually go to the blog).  If you link with other classrooms in the district or outside of district, it will provide more opportunities for feedback!

What Can Students Do to Each Other's Work

        How students respond (either in the Classroom or on the Blog) depends on the settings you set.  You can allow students to only 'Like,' only 'Comment', or both!  You may choose that all comments require your approval or not!  

Editing Work After It's Posted Options

         You do have the option to block students from editing their work once they submit it; however, I recommend leaving this option on so you don't have to deal with kids trying to reach out to you to edit an activity so they can go back and fix whatever they did.  Another option you can allow students to do is for them to choose who is tagged to their work (or remove others who are tagged to their work).  

        Many of these settings provide wonderful opportunities for discussing digital citizenship!  There are some interesting videos about this topic that you can find on Seesaw's YouTube Page or in the Community Hub!

Tech Update Email from 5/28/2020

I just wanted to share some Tech Updates.  I have included some programs that I know are being used in some buildings, but not others.  Some of programs that are mentioned have free versions that will still be usable to us even if we don't purchase licenses (Kami, Seesaw, PearDeck, Nearpod), while others are free (ClassDojo, Remind, Google Classroom, etc).  Even though we are winding down, I thought it might be helpful for everyone to be aware of features of different resources as we discuss in the coming weeks what resources we will use next year.  All these free trials won't be here next year :).  

General Technology Updates

• ​Kami
  • Our trial has been extended through the end of the year (June 30th)!
    
  • Please note that after June 30th (unless we purchase licences), we will revert back to the free version.  Click here to see the comparisons!
    
  • Here's a document to help with students who say they completed the work, but are turning blanks in (their device is opening a different app so the work isn't transferring to Google Classroom).  
    
  • Reminder - you can record a video of yourself, your voice giving directions, or modeling a lesson with Kami (as can your students)!
    
• ​Google Docs
  • Pear Deck (a Google Slides add-on) now allows you to record yourself giving directions on a slide for students to listen to!​
    • ​Click here for tutorials on how to use PearDeck!
      
  • You can now import voice directions into Google Slides, but you have to record your voice with a different platform, upload to Google Drive, then import into the Slide.
    
  • Learn how to send one link to a Google Doc/Slide/Sheet and the participant makes their own copy (without changing the original) with this Blog Post!  (this can be applied to any situation, not just distant learning)
    
• Zoom Updates
  
  • The Whiteboard feature is back!  You can use it to model things through annotations! 
    
  • At this time, recording your screen for the purpose of making a recorded lesson is blocked.  You will have to use Screencastify or a Screen Recording Program (like QuickTime on Mac or Screencapture on PC) to record what you are doing on the Whiteboard.
    
  • Students can now write on your whiteboard from their devices for collaboration activities!
    
• Ideas on How to Model a Lesson / Whiteboard Ideas (Record your screen while using these resources).  (I recommend Screencastify for recording your screen).
  
  • ActivInspire - should already be loaded on your school laptop, but a free version can be downloaded here.
    
  • Zoom Whiteboard - create a meeting for yourself and then select Whiteboard under screen sharing options.
    
    • ​You can also connect a tablet or phone to a Zoom meeting and record that screen while you use Zoom Whiteboard, Kami, Seesaw, Google Drawing, etc on the device.
      
  • ClassFlow - (online version of ActivInspire) - can create activities with sorting objects/pictures.
    
  • Kami - has the same basic features as ActivInspire or Classflow and you can share it with the students to use as a tool.
    
  • Seesaw - has the same basic features as ActivInspire or Classflow and you can share it with the students for them to use as a tool.
    
  • Google Drawing
    
• Creating Activities where students can respond to each other.
  
  • Google Classroom - Discussions or allowing commenting on each other's work.
    
  • ​Padlet
    
  • Flip Grid
    
  • Google Keep
    
  • Seesaw
    
• Parent Communication Apps - ClassDojo (FREE)
  • In Late Fall, they added a Calendar Feature.
  • ​Has added the ability to add a video message to the Class Wall!  
  • You can also now attach a picture or file to a message you send a parent.
    
• Parent Communication Apps - Remind (I have not used this in a couple years, so I am not up-to-date on this app, sorry!).
  
• Screencastify has extended their trial through June 30th!
  

Technology Updates Related to Live Lessons / Meetings​

• Scheduling Meetings / 1:1 / Small Group
  • Need to schedule meetings?  Zoom is now integrated with SignUpGenius.  You can create a sign-up and attach the Zoom link to the meeting.  When the parent gets an email reminder for the meeting, included in the email will be the Zoom link.
  • We now have Zoom integration with Google Calendar / Google Classroom.  You can now schedule a meeting and attach a Zoom link to the meeting time without having to leave the Google Calendar from your Google Classroom!
    
• Zoom Updates
  
  • ​The Whiteboard feature is back!  At this time, you can use it to model things and students can also write on the board.
    
  • We have Breakout Rooms available again - you can assign students to small groups for discussions (with an aide or other teacher in each group), then bring them back for whole group discussions. 
• ​Tools for Creating Interactive Lessons for Students to Interact with
  
  • Classflow
  • Google Slides
  • Google Slides with Pear Deck Extension (geared towards elementary)
    
  • Google Slides with NearPod Extension (geared towards middle/high school)
    
  • Kami
    
  • Padlet / Google Keep
    
  • Seesaw ​(students interact on their own file, then send it to the teacher who can share it with everyone)

Using Seesaw

In this post, I will share tutorials on how to use Seesaw...

• Overview of Seesaw - get a quick view of all the features of Seesaw and where things are at! 

Make a Copy of a Slideshow for Each Student Without Having to Make One For Each Student!

I found this YouTube video about a trick on how to make a copy of one slideshow for each student without having to make a slideshow for each student!  In theory, this will also apply to Google Docs and Google Sheets.

According to this video, you would...

• Set the permission level of the slideshow to anyone with the link can view.
• When in the editing view, remove 'edit' from after the '/' and change it to 'copy.'
• Then, copy-paste that new link into whatever platform you are using (Schoology, Seesaw, Google Classroom, Canvas, ClassDojo, Classroom Blog/Website, etc!).

When the students access the link, it will prompt them to 'make a copy' themselves before moving forward, which will keep the original slide in it's original condition!

Using Google Slides with Pear Deck and Sharing It With Students

      Pear Deck is a great add-on in Google Slides.  It allows you to add audio directions to your Google Slide and allows student interaction with your slides.  This is a great way to get feedback from students (especially at the younger grades).  With Pear Deck, you can have students respond with a text answer, multiple choice, number, have them go to a specific website, draw on the slide, or drag something to answer.  Students' answers are only visble to you (unless you choose to share it with the kids after a lesson or during a live lesson!  In this blog post, I will show you step-by-step how to setup and use Pear Deck with your students through video tutorials....

How to Get the Pear Deck Add-on and Use It with Students

1. How to get the Pear Deck add-on:
2. How to open Pear Deck in Google Slides and Overview of the Menu:
3. How to add audio to a Google Slide:
4. How to get the link to share with students and share on different platforms:

   Google Classroom	Seesaw
   ClassDojo
   	This can be done with Schoology, Canvas, and any other platform.  I just have experience with Google Classroom, Seesaw, and ClassDojo.

   
   
5. How to see students' responses from a 'Homework Assignment': (To Be Revised): 
6. How to use Pear Deck during a live lesson (presenting, using the Dashboard, seeing student's answers, and sharing students' work):

How to Use the Different Pear Deck Tools

Student's responses are kept confidential.  Students do not see each other's work and students are working on their own slides.  They can not 'mess up' everyone else's slides.

Students respond through a text box.
Students choice from a multiple choice menu.
Students type in or use arrows to choice the number.
Students work on a website while not leaving the  slide.
Students draw using pencil, highlighter, or a text box on the slide.
Students use predetermined icons to drag onto the slide.
Teacher records directions for students to listen to.

Ideas for Using Kami

(Updated 8/2/2020)

Here's some ideas of how you can use Kami as a teacher and with students!  These ideas can be used in an assigned lesson, recorded lesson, interactive lesson, or live lesson.  Any of these ideas will work on any type of document - jpeg, Office Products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Mac (Pages, Numbers, Keynote), Google Docs (Doc, Sheet, Slides), PDFs, etc.  Everything noted below I have done in a Kindergarten classroom or in tutoring situations.

• Anything you do on paper you can do with Kami and go paperless!

(* means requires a paid subscription)

Ideas for Teacher Use

• Teacher Management / Work
• Assessments
• Upload any paper assessment and upload to Kami - use a different colors each time an  assessment is given like Concepts of Print, CORE Phonics Survey, Phonemic Awareness Assessments, Letter ID/Sounds assessments, etc.
• You will be able to track progress over time and all information is in one place, not on 3-4 sheets of paper for you to lose.  
• Progress Monitoring Data / Forms as part of SRBI/RTI - upload the form you use or create your own template in Google Slides or Powerpoint.  Annotate in a different color each time to help see progress over time.
• Collaborating with Colleagues - have a SPED student or students who go with Reading support?  Add them to the document or send them a link to the document so they can add their own data, notes, or observations.
• Class Assessments - have an extra tablet, phone, or computer?  Log in with your account and hand it to an aide, reading specialist, or math specialist.  They can be assessing one student on one side of the room while you are working with another student on the other side of the room.
• Progress Monitoring
• Sharing information on student progress with parents (Ex - sight words, letter ID).  Create a template in Google Slides or PowerPoint and share the link with the parent.  They can check anytime to see their child's progress on a skill or you send them a message when it's updated.
• Create your own progress monitoring forms and use it to track your students' progress.  Color code your notes or change the color for each day you take notes.
• Collaborating with Support Staff (Special Education, Reading + Math Support, etc) - share a document through Kami for them to collaborate with you about a specific student or small group of students.
• Behavior Charts
• Collaborating with Colleagues - each teacher has access to same chart throughout the day
• Sharing behavior charts with parents - parents can immediately see their child's behavior chart - no need to copy it or risk it getting lost on the way home!  
• *Reflection - student, teacher, or parent can add video comments to that day's behavior chart.
• Note Taking - Reading / Writing / Math / Phonics Workshops
• Create lesson plans for your aides or support staff to follow on their phone, laptop, or other tablets while they work in your classroom.
• Collaborate in real-time with other teachers supporting the class - have them take notes in the same document you are working on taking notes.  (This is a huge game changer).  You will need at least two devices.  Your aides and you can both be taking notes about students that are getting support in the classroom that day.  You can both see who has gotten support and who has been missed (for the next day).  You can see each other's notes to help continue to support what was said in a previous session with a student.  You can also see patterns over time with more students if you have all your notes on one page.  You can also leave specific notes for aides on what you want them to do with a student as well.  There's many more possibilities with this as well!
• By being in the cloud, you don't have to worry about logging around a bunch of clipboards or binders full of notes.  You can just open the file on your home computer or any device anytime anywhere.  You can also look back through your notes at anytime (really helpful during report card season).  
• Lesson Plans
• Create your own template or upload what you already use, then annotate over it during your lessons.  All your lessons are kept in the cloud and you can refer back to them at anytime (without having to carrying lesson plan binders home every night).  
• Parent-Teacher Communications Log
• Create your own log or upload one you found somewhere.  Record in it when you talk with a parent and any important notes.  Keeping it in Kami means you can access it anytime, anywhere and don't have to carry around a clipboard or binder!  
• If you have kids carrying a binder that you write daily notes in or for parents to write notes, you could switch this over to Kami.  Since it's cloud base, you can make notes on any device anywhere anytime.  You don't have to worry about grabbing a student's binder or worry about that student who never brings their binder back.  
• Creating Templates to be reused from year to year (modeled writing, shared writing, student books, teacher created books for students)
• Create Shared Writing Pieces or Shared Reading pieces as templates
• Import pictures from the class, grabbed from online, or handdraw using Kami!  
• If you have a story with the same scene, you can draw it once then copy-paste the scene onto each page!  This is a huge time saver both during an in-person lesson or if you are creating something to use in the classroom. 
• Create a basic storyline as a template to reuse year after year with your lessons -'make a copy' or print out the template to use with the students. 
• During a lesson
• You can use Kami to model the piece while it's displayed on a smartboard.
• You can use a 2nd device with pen to write on while it's displayed on a larger screen.  (This is also true with distant learning - students can see one thing on their screen that you share through Zoom while you annotate on the Kami 'document' with a different device.)
• Students can use a device or the smartboard to help contribute to the work.  
• When done - you can then print how ever many copies you need for each student.
• Share with Colleagues -  create a Google Drive folder (or any other web-based folder - OneDrive, Dropbox, etc) for you and your colleagues to share work you created for lessons.
• LMS Integration - Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas Integration* - (some more advanced features require the paid subscription).
• Create interactive lessons - can attach audio and/or video notes on the side!
• Grade students work / provide feedback - written, text comment, audio comment, video comment.  
• (Coming soon, ability to add stickers or using a comment bank!)
• Student responses - they can respond using handwriting on touch devices, text, audio, or video comments.  
• (Coming soon - teachers will be able to 'control' what tools students can use either to simplify the user experience or remove tools that teacher's don't want to be used in a testing situation!)
• Grading / Feedback
• Provide annotation, text, voice, or video* feedback on students' work.
• Attach additional links/videos to help support student learning.
• Grading Papers (text, voice, video*)
• Lesson Creation
• Modeling (all subject areas)
• Attach YouTube Videos to explain the lesson.
• Attach your own Videos to explain the lesson
• Attach voice memos to explain / read directions to students
• Attach you reading a given passage for students to listen to!
• Have students respond to worksheets - annotation or text boxes
• Have students respond or provide reflection with text, voice, video* comments.
• Collaboration - students collaborate on the same document / contribute to the same document.
• Distant Learning
• In addition to everything already mentioned - Kami can be used as an interactive whiteboard where multiple students and the teacher can all be looking at the same document and contributing to it.  The teacher can also create interactive activities for students to manipulate during a live lesson or on their own time.
• Subject Area Ideas
• Language Arts
• Highlighting key points in a text
• Have questions on the side and student highlight where it is in the text
• Group Discussions / Group Work
• Math
• Creating graphs / having students complete graphs
• Typing in equations / Math Problems for students to solve.
• Group Discussions / Group Work
• Use the graph paper feature to complete Math activities.
• Science
• Ability to put in complex formulas and symbols
• Group Discussions / Group Work
• Social Studies
• (See LA Ideas)
• Map labeling
• Explaining historical events on maps
• Group Discussions / Group Work
• Arts
• Recording singing / practice sessions
• Inserting pictures of student work
• Students ability to use Kami drawing tools to draw pictures
• Music - use the music lines to write your own music or have students write their own music!
• Group Discussions / Group Work

Special Education / ELL / Teacher of Deaf or Hard of Hearing / Visually Impaired Teachers

• Text-to-Speech
• Voice Typing
• Dictionary (Spanish Version coming soon!)
• Video Comment - Provide visual directions through sign-language
• Insert YouTube tutorials / lesson materials
• Insert videos you made to support the lesson
• Collaboration with classroom teacher on notes, goals, and assessments.

Ideas from the Student Perspective

• Annotation on Documents - written or through text boxes
• Explaining thinking (text, voice, video*).
• Providing reflection (text, voice, video*).
• Highlighting key points 
• Importing images of work*
• Completing Worksheets digitally
• Lesson Adaptation - Speech to Text*, Text to Speech*, Dictionary*

Upcoming Updates for Fall 2020 (I don't know if these will be in the free version or the paid version.)

• Recording Videos Improvements
• Being extended to 20 mins in length
• Ability to reuse videos across Kami documents
• Improved recording controls (including pause and restart).  
• Be able to embed your webcam in the recording
• Provide Effective Feedback
• Canned Messages Feature / Comment Box
• Stickers
• Grading with Schoology - will be more seemless (Canvas coming later).
• Better integration with pictures.
• Assessments / Control
• Ability to turn on/off certain tools for student access (especially for testing situations).
• Ability to limit the tools students have access to.
• Microsoft Integration (for districts who are Microsoft, not Google based)
• iPad Improvements - making it easier for students with iPads to complete work in Kami

Presenting Recorded, Live, or Interactive Lessons

      There are so many ways to provide lessons to students.  With the attached document, I will share some resources you can use for providing instruction students and the possible features you have to use with them.  Click here for a list of suggested resources!  There are many out there, but I tried to use resources available in my district, resources that were free (or had enough free features to still be used after trial periods, and resources that any content created could be reused when school resumes).  If you have a suggestion, please let me know and I may add it to the list!  This post also assumes that you are using Screencastify, Google Meet, or Zoom to record your lesson and Zoom (or Google Meet if allowed by your district) to present the live lesson.

Key Features of the Chart

Type of Lesson - What type of setting can this resource be used for?

• Recorded - Good for teaching content -  students watch.
• Live - Good for teaching or demonstrating content - students watch, question, and discuss
• Interactive - Students participate / interact through out the lesson - students watch, question, discuss, and interact with content.

Student Interaction - What are the different ways that students can respond or interact with the lesson.

Game Features - Can you create games for students to play either during the lesson or on their own time.

Assessment Tools - Are you able to collect data, score, or provide feedback to students?

Homework / Missed Class Options - Can students interact / complete activities just like during a live session.

Google Classroom Integration - Can you assign activities with Google Classroom?

Initial Setup - How challenging is it to setup this resource for teachers and students?

Using Zoom for Live Lessons

Click on the links below to see how to use Zoom to put on a live lesson!

Setting Up Zoom for the Lesson

• How to setup a Zoom Meeting for a live lesson.

Sharing the Link with Students

• Through Google Classroom (Using Google Calendar, Assignment, or Announcement Features).
• Through Seesaw (Using Activity or Announcement)
• Setting up a link in Clever.  (Also helpful for learning how to add any link to Clever).

Running the Class

• Presenting a Live Lesson with Zoom (basic features) (link fixed 4/13 in the evening)
• Using different Screen Share Options in Zoom during a Live Lesson

Click here to visit Zoom's Support Page for more tutorial videos or step-by-step directions to read!

Tips and Tricks I have Learned (Updates from 4/14)

• It is very helpful having an aid, substitute teacher, or coteacher in on a lesson to help interact with the kids while you help trouble shoot parents having issues getting into the class.
• (In my district, kids are muted when they join in) - tell them how to unmute or turn on their video (if you want to see them right away).  Explain that there may be times that you mute everyone so you can do your lesson.
• Go over the expectations - not making silly faces, shouldn't be showing off toys, listening respectfully, etc.
• Tell the students how to use the 'Gallery View' so they can see their whole class.  This also helps with taking turns when speaking!
• For you - when you are on Gallery View - you can also easily mute and unmute kids!  You can also mute/unmute from the participation box, but you have to do some scrolling to find people if you have alot of kids in your class.
• You can use the 'share screen' option to help see a kid's screen to help support them with their learning.
• If you schedule a meeting ahead of time, use the Google Calendar feature to schedule it to your Google Classroom calendar - then the kids will see the meeting on the to-do calendar or they will see it on the class calendar!  Makes it easier for them to access the meeting!
• If you do share your desktop, the kids don't see each other on the side, only you can.  They will see their peers across the top as they have done the whole meeting.
• Groton has the whiteboard feature blocked as of this post (4/13/2020).
• Don't have students go to Zoom first, post the link through Google Calendar, Google Classroom, or whatever other platform your class is using.  DO NOT POST ANY INFORMATION ON AN OPEN WEBSITE!

Parent Tech Tutorials

      Visit my Parent Tech Tutorials playlist on YouTube for videos you can share with parents.  You can find posts on these topics (and more)....

• How to log into a School Chromebook
• Creating seperate accounts in Google Chrome (so data from a personal account isn't synced with a student account
• Using Clever to log-in to multiple sites (your district must have access to this)
• Google Classroom Tutorial for Parents
• And more....

Creating Interactive Lessons Using Google Slides

Here's some YouTube tutorials for creating interactive lessons using Google Slides...

• How to Create Drag and Drop Activities with Google Slides by ShakeUpLearning - Apple Tree Activity
• Using Google Slides to Makea. Drag & Drop Activity by Michelle Austin - Math Number Sort Activity

Additional Tech Posts

Here's some additional tech posts shared by the Librarians in my district...

Google Apps (Docs, Slides, etc) training https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/training

 

Distance Learning training from Google https://edu.google.com/latest-news/covid-19-support-resources/?modal_active=none&topic=distance-learning-training

 

Getting Started with Google https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/resources/general?tags=gettingstarted

 

Special needs accessibility https://teachercenter.withgoogle.com/resources/general?tags=specialneeds

Adjusting Email Notifications on Google Classroom

     You can change what notifications you receive and what classes they come from.  Here is how to edit how often you get notifications...

You start at the beginning where you can see all your classes.

1. Click on the three bars on the left side.  

2. Go down to Settings.  

3. Select your preferences for notifications.  

4. If you click on 'Class Notifications,' you can choose to turn off emails for a specific class.​

All Webinars

Upcoming Webinars:

• ​Technology Questions and Ideas - Click here to post questions related to technology and setting up technology.  I am also including ideas on how to organize and implement Digital Learning that I thought up or that others have thought of.




I'd like to offer these live webinars to help teachers as we transition over to Distant Learning.
• Creating a Google Classroom - learn how to create a classroom, learn the layout, attach students, create assignments, learn some shortcuts.  It will be interactive with you able to ask questions. 
  
  • Tuesday 3/24 starting at 3:30pm. ​
• Creating Interactive Lessons - We will explore how to create interactive lessons online using SMART Learning Suite.  We may also discuss ClassFlow and Pear Deck as other platforms for making interactive lessons.   (This will be recorded for those who can't make it).
  
  • Tuesday 3/24 starting at 8:00pm.
• ​Office Hour - I have had requests for an office hour to just have time to ask questions and share ideas.  Please also consider using the Padlet!  If you have the question, so does someone else somewhere!  
  
  • Wednesday 3/25 from 4:00pm-5:00pm
• How to Access These Webinars
  
  • Click here to join these webinars via Google Meet: 
     https://meet.google.com/bmd-gxyd-ydm 
    
    Or Call in:
     +1 231-742-8131‬ PIN: ‪928 936 800‬#
    
• Past Webinars - Past webinars can be found here - http://grotonpvtechnology.blogspot.com/search/label/Webinars
• Tech Blog - You can also visit my Tech Blog for other resources and information - http://grotonpvtechnology.blogspot.com/
• Recorded / Past Webinars

• Getting Setup with Google Classroom
• March 18, 2020 - Provides an intro to Zoom at the beginning and uses Google Drawing for an interactive lesson.
• March 20, 2020 - Support Staff - Geared towards Special Education, ELL, Speech and Language, Math + Reading Interventionists, Specials, etc.  Focused on creating posts in one class and reusing it in other classes.  Includes creating lesson that uses all features of posting an assignment.
• March 20, 2020 - General Teachers - Geared towards regular classroom teachers.  Includes creating lesson that uses all features of posting an assignment.
• Implementing Interactive Lessons
• March 18, 2020 - Using ClassFlow - overview of the interface, general overview of how to create and share either lessons or activities with students.  Shows what it looks like from the student's perspective.  (May have to download the video to view it.)

Here's what I've been covering in the"Getting Setup with Google Classroom" webinars:

• Creating a Google Classroom
• Navigating the interface
• Adding Students
• Looking at the different types of activities you can assign
• Creating an activity
  • The 5-6 choices - Assignment, Kami Assignment, Quiz Assessment, Question, Material (Lesson Post), Reuse Post
  • Attaching resources - links, Google Drive, document, YouTube, etc.
  
  
  
  Attaching an activity for students to complete - Doc, Sheet, Slide, Drawing, Form



Organizing your assignments using the Topics Feature
Using the 'reuse post' feature
How to add parents
How to minimize emails about posts :).
Looking at it from the student perspective and complete an activity as a student
Looking at it from the teacher's perspective (providing feedback).
Other possible discussions - sharing across the district, creating interactive lessons, video taping

Online Platforms for Interactive Lessons

        In our area, there are two major companies that provide smartboard software - Promethean (through ActivInspire) and SMARTBoard (through SMART Learning Suite).  Both companies have online platforms that don't require Smartboards.  The students can use any device to access the content.  Promethean has a free web based app.  Click here to learn about ClassFlow!  SMARTBoard has opened up their SMART Learning Suite to all teachers impacted by recent school closures.  Click here to learn about their SMART Learning Suite!  Since everyone is working from home, you could use either platform to model lessons and send activities to students!  You should consider though that if you plan to reuse your work when school starts, which platform will you have access to in your classroom?  In my class, I have an Epson Projector so I could use either program!  Both apps can be used on multiple devices, has polling features, has the ability to assign activities to specific students, able to create interactive lessons, plain whiteboard feature, and able to create games for your students once you put in the content.

ClassFlow - ClassFlow syncs with Google and has always been free.  I found the way you create activities and lessons to be cumbersome and challenging to navigate.  It has a similiar format to Google Classroom from the student side - which can be challenging for younger kids.  It has a different feel then ActivInspire, so it's like learning a new platform when working with it.  Activities created in ClassFlow do not sync well with ActivInspire and the same goes for when you convert your old ActivInspire Charts to ClassFlow.

SMART Learning Suite - SMART Learning Suite now has Google integration.  The user interface online is the same as on the computer - so there's no learning curve creating new charts.  Also, if you create charts online, you can download them at school and use them in the classroom.  Their Games/Activities section was much easier to use.  The interface was more kid friendly.  You can also record your lesson to then share with kids at a later time!  They charge per year (starting at $109 for one teacher).  (Right now its free).  Click here for all their features!

Implementing School and District Wide Google Classroom Idea

A couple teachers and I brainstormed these ideas for implementing Google Classroom building wide.  We have also discussed the desire to share activities district wide.  Google Classroom allows teachers to create an activity in one class, then reuse it in another class.  Every teacher who has access to a class can then reuse that post in another class. 

• All Special Areas 
  • All Special Areas are added to all classes.
  • All Special Areas can create their own Google Classroom and created all their lessons and materials in that class (with no students).
  • When they want to forward an activity to a class (maybe the day they had their original special), they would go into their lesson and check the box next to the class they want to send it OR go into the teacher's class, select 'reuse post' and add it to the teacher's class.
• All Special Ed, Speech, Pscycologists, and Support Staff
  • ​All Special Ed, Speech, and Support Staff can be added to all classes they have students in.
  • ​All support staff can create their own Google Classroom and create all their lessons and materials in that class (with no students).
  • When they want to assign an activity for a specific student - they go into that student's class > select 'reuse post' > and check that student's name.
  • Only that student will get that assignment - no one else will see it in the class.
  • By following this model - parents and students would not be able to see who else gets services.  They would only see that their child is part of a whole class.
  • In addition, if a Support Teacher creates a student sensitive activity within their own class first, it prevents them from accidently sharing it with a whole class (there's no students in their own class).  
• ​​All Reading / Math Specialists
• All Reading / Math support can be added to all classes.
• They can share resources to a Building or District Group that other teachers can pull from
• If specialists want to work with their students, they can do the same as Special Ed, Speech, and Support Staff
• They can create all their lessons and activities in one class.  (no students)
• They can go into the student's class, select 'reuse post' and assign it to the students they work with.
• All Classroom Teachers
• Have their own classroom where they create their activities.
• Classroom teachers can also be members of a district wide grade level Google Classroom.  They would select their class and the district group when creating the activity.  Then any teacher would be able to take the activity from the original post and add it to their own class.

By following this model, there are other benefits....

• All classroom teachers would be aware of what activities their students are receiving from support and special areas.  (They would see the workload that their student is receiving).
• All support and special areas would see what work teachers are sending out and be able to better support the student.  
• Teachers can organize their own Google Classroom Activities in which ever way works best for them.
• It would be alot having a Classroom Teacher and Support teacher creating and saving drafts in the same space while interacting with students.
• Parents would not be overwhelmed with seeing possibly 5+ groups (Classroom, Art, Music, Library, Gym, SPED, Speech, Reading Support, Math Support, OT/PT).
• It makes it easier to see what work their child has to do (it's all in one place).  
• Everyone with each group could see that Google Calendar (if they are scheduling meetings or check-ins) as well.
• Also, if you created building or district level Google Classrooms, there would be a common Google Drive folder that teachers could add resources too and they would have a place to collaborate and share ideas (on the activity wall).
• Also everyone gets to muddle through using Google Classroom with no students to worry about seeing posts and mistakes :).

Google Meet (Video Conferencing)

      Google Meet is another great resource for being able to have a live class, small group, or 1:1 tutoring session with students.  (You can use Google Meet to show the lesson, but use other platforms like Google Classroom, Classflow, Seesaw, etc to distribute materials).  You have the ability to share your computer screen with your students, but .  You may also just use it to record a lesson for you to then send to students at a later time.  You can also chat with particpants as well.

      Setting up a meeting is very easy.  Go to https://meet.google.com/.  You may sign in with your Google information. (if you are already logged into your device, you will be automatically logged in).  Click 'Join or Start a Meeting.'  You will be prompted to create a name for the meeting.  Once the meeting is created, you can share the meeting with students by looking up their names, sharing a link, or scheduling it through the Calendar.  The interface for Google Meets is simplified.  

      Google Meets allows you to record the session and automatically downloads the meeting to your Google Drive.  You will receive an email once it's available in your Google Drive.  Please make sure you keep the security settings locked down!  When setting up a video conference, you do not have the option to mute or block participants Video Feed.  (You can mute someone, but then they can unmute themselves).  Just a reminder about confidentialty here!  Students can not be taped or video taped without parental consent!  I have a Google Form that I am going to create and have parents fill out ahead of time (just in case).

Some other tips if you choose to do a video conference...

• Do not have any music playing in the background (intellectual rights issues can come up if you post your video online.
• Ask students to mute their side unless they have something to share - it can be distracting if someone's sibling is crying or a dog barking in the background.
• Students and parents can see what's in the background.
• Make sure everyone in the area is aware that you are recording, students are watching, and students are listening.  
• Keep in mind, if you are sharing your whole screen, your students/parents will see what ever is on your computer screen.  If you select to share only a particular window, then they won't see other content that's on your computer.  
• ****When you leave the meeting, your students can stay and chat!  Make sure everyone has left the meeting before you leave!****
• **You must click on 'record' to record a session and you must click it at the end to stop the recording.**

Video Tutorial: Click here for a video tutorial of Google Meet's features!

Kahoot

Kahoot provides a way for students to answer questions through multiple choice or true/false using any device that they have.  It's a great substitute for the old ActivInspire Voters.  With the COVID-19 Virus, Kahoot is allowing free access to their Pro Features for the rest of the school year.  This opens up open-ended questions, puzzles, polls, and the ability to include informational slides in between questions!   You may create an account using your Google information.  Students do not need to create an account - they will use a code you post of your Kahoot to access it.

Tutorial: Click here for a 5 Minute Overview of Kahoot!

Teacher Access: www.getkahoot.com
Student Access: www.kahoot.it

Zoom (Video Conferencing)

      Zoom is a great resource for being able to have a live class, small group, or 1:1 tutoring session with students.  (You can use Zoom to show the lesson, but use other platforms like Google Classroom, Classflow, Seesaw, etc to distribute materials).  You have the ability to share your computer screen with your students and they are able to share their screens with you.  Zoom does have a whiteboard feature as well that you can pull up anytime and annotate on during a lesson.  You may also just use it to record a lesson for you to then send to students at a later time.

      Setting up a meeting is fairly easy.  Go to www.zoom.com.  You may sign in with Google information or create a new username and password.  After setting up a meeting, you can send a link to students/parents via any communication tool you use.  They only need to do a small install that takes a couple seconds before being able to join a meeting.  With the COVID-19 outbreak, the founder of the company has lifted restrictions on teacher accounts - allowing you to have multiple participants for more than 40 minutes!

      Security is something we all must consider as teachers.  Zoom allows you to record the session and downloads the video to your computer after the session is done.  Included with the download is a video only file, a transcript of any chats that occured, and one other file.  If you are concerned about space on your computer, transfer it to an external drive, upload it to Google Drive, or other video storage platform.  Please make sure you keep the security settings locked down!  When setting up a video conference, you have the option to see participants' video feeds or not.  You may want to select not to see students' faces until you have an agreement with each parent that you have permission to video conference.  They can still participate, just no one can see each other (except you and what you share from your screen).  Just a reminder about confidentialty here!  Students can not be taped or video taped without parental consent!  I have a Google Form that I am going to create and have parents fill out ahead of time (just in case).

Some other tips if you choose to do a video conference...

• Do not have any music playing in the background (intellectual rights issues can come up if you post your video online.
• Ask students to mute their side unless they have something to share - it can be distracting if someone's sibling is crying or a dog barking in the background.
• Students and parents can see what's in the background
• You can setup a virtual background to block out everything behind you that works really well.
• Make sure everyone in the area is aware that you are recording, students are watching, and students are listening.  
• Keep in mind, if you are sharing your whole screen, your students/parents will see what ever is on your computer screen.  If you select to share only a particular window, then they won't see other content that's on your computer.  

Click here for a tutorial on how to use Zoom!

Setting Up Google Classroom (Updated 3/20)

        Google Classroom is a great resource for posting lessons, sharing documents, and having students complete assignments.

• Click here for a Zoom Video Conference with fellow teachers 3/18/2020.  
• The first couple of minutes talks about how Zoom works.
• Learn the layout of Google Classroom.
• Learn how to create a class and add students to that class.
• Learn how to create an assignment and assign it to students.
• See how to make an interactive lesson using the assignment feature and Google Draw.

Here's some other helpful resources...

• Here's the District's Resources for Google Classroom!
• Click here for Google Classroom's Support page.
• The NEW Google Classroom YouTube Video - this video shows some of the key features of Google Classroom.
• Here's another Google Classroom YouTube Video.

OTHER WEBINARS ON THE SAME TOPIC

• Support Staff Webinar - Special Education, School Pscycologists, ELL Tutors, Speech/Language, Special Areas
• General Teachers Webinar - This one goes in depth on creating a lesson and showing all the different options attaching tasks for students to complete.

Going Paperless (for Teachers) with Kami

Here are the steps I recently went over with teachers during our workshop in getting ready to use Kami.  These steps are to help you put in place a system that replaces using paper and pencil for many teacher tasks.  This is how I manage using Kami with Google Drive; however, there are a couple different ways that you can use Kami and organize your files.

Step 1 - Log in to the Chrome Browser using your school account information.

• If you have assessments that you would like to use with Kami, make sure they are uploaded to your Google Drive or if a folder has been shared with you, make sure you add it to your 'My Drive."

Step 2 - Add a folder to your bookmarks bar.

• Learn how to show your bookmarks bar, add folders to it, and add websites to those folders.
• Don't forget to bookmark Kami!
• This is not neccessary, but will be a big help organizationally if you are toggling between a desktop and an iPad or other device.  
• Click here to see how to add the Booksmark bar to your screen across different platforms.

Step 3 - Go to https://www.kamiapp.com/ and create an account.

• Verify in the settings that you are automatically synced with Google Drive and that you 'install' the Chrome extension to your Chrome browser.

Step 4 - Open a file through Kami's website and bookmarking it.

• Here you will learn an organizational trick when it comes to using Kami for Assessment or other teacher purposes.

Step 5 - Opening a file and using Kami to annotate on an assessment or other document.

• Here you will learn what to do when you are assessing a student or using Kami with some other document.

Step 6 - Using Kami with an assessment that is given multiple times a year.  (Using the 'Make a Copy' Feature)

• Here you will learn a trick for those assessments that you give to all your students multiple times a year.  

Step 7 - Organizing your files in Google Drive.

• Here you will learn how to organize your files to make it easier to manage all the documents you will be creating.

Tips and Tricks - How to Create Your Own Checklists / Notetaking Tools to use with Kami.