ClassFlow - a great FREE resource for live and interactive lessons!

ClassFlow is a free resource.  Here's an introductory video that gives you a sneak peak of it's features!  It's an online version of ActivInspire, designed to be used completely online.  It works on all devices with internet access without requiring any downloads.  Teachers are able to present live lessons and have students interact with the lesson either in-person, virtually, or on their own time.  

Different Ways of Interacting

The level of interaction that students has depends on how the teacher wants to setup the lesson.

• A teacher can present information on the screen and students just view.
• A teacher can add in games/activities/YouTube videos etc that students can click and play.
• A teacher can use the different polling options for students to respond back and the class sees each other's reponses on the teacher's board. 
• A teacher can create sorts or writing activities and send the slides to the students using the 'creative' poll feature to complete and return.
• A teacher can share the link to a lesson and all students are able to work in the lesson at the same time (great for any activity where you want multiple students work on one activity at the same time).  
• ****A teacher can differentiate by creating different slides within the same lesson for different students.  During the lesson, they can select which student gets which slide.****

Two Setup Options for Your Class

• Google Classroom Type Setup - students log in with their Google information and add the class code.  The format is just like Google Classroom.  (There are many options with this setup).  Teachers can post activities, assignments, games, resources, etc, for students to see in their feeds.  Students can also use the feed to go back to review past lessons!  To join a live session, they click on the 'Join Class' button.  They can also boomark the 'live session' link to their Booksmark bar during their first live session.

• Pick Your Name Setup - great for young students.  Students go to a 'class link' and click their name.  Students can only see what you send to their screens.  This method only allows students to interact during live sessions though. Once a teacher ends a live session, students won't see anything on their screens.   

Built In Lesson Building Options / Tools

Instant Whiteboard - can use with Quick Poll or by itself.  Can add resources from your Classflow Resources library.

Create Lesson - can use Quick Poll, Quiz/Assessment, or Activities features in a lesson, create your own lesson, embed content from other files (including Google Drive), or embed websites into the lesson.  

Polling Options During Live Lessons: Creative (Drawing/Sorting), Word Seed (students submit multiple words), Text (students submit one word), Number, Multiple Choice (up to 5 choices), Scale (Agreement, Confidence, Generic), True/Flase, Yes/No/Don't Know.  

Activity Options: Categorize, Crossword, Flashcards, Labeling a Diagram, Matching, Memory Game, Sequencing, Timeline, Venn Diagram, Word Search.  You can embed these into your lesson or assign them seperately to students through their class feed.  

Create Quiz or Assessments:  You can create questions to create a quiz or assessment or embed them into a lesson.

Other Options

• Creating assignments for students.
• Creating rubrics and attaching them to assignments for students to reference.
• Built in resources teachers can use to build lessons - spinners, graphic organizers, templates, etc.
• Marketplace - lessons / materials that other teachers have shared (Classflow's version of Promethean Planet).
• Ability to send students 'badges.'
• Ability to save website addresses into Classflow Resources to reuse in different lessons.  
• Ability to embed YouTube videos into a lesson.  

Learn More:

Learn Promethean's YouTube Playlist on Classflow - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTTWdUcy0p-4jTg7Lba_qpQEyj3VjHG4m

Classflow Channel (this is an older playlist and hasn't been updated in a while - https://www.youtube.com/user/MyClassFlow

Check Out Classflow - to register - select 'I'm a teacher' and click 'SIGN IN WITH GOOGLE.'

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)

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?

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!