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.'

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!  

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 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?

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

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!