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)

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!

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!

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.​

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 :).

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.