Exact Colors!

Color!  We all need a little color in our life, right?  I am a fan of Google Drawings, but I was not always a fan of the color selection for shapes, text, anything.  I was so happy the day I discovered the Color Picker Eyedropper extension for Chrome!  It's easy to use and opens your world to finding the exact color you are looking for!

I hope this opens your eyes to all the colors surrounding you!

How do you spell that?

One of my personal flaws that I am first to admit to is I cannot spell!  I try.  When I was a child, I was so happy when I discovered most computer programs included a spell check.  I will rewrite sentences to avoid using certain words that spell check cannot even figure out to make a suggestion.  I know I'm not the only person out there with this same struggle!  Spelling has been a personal struggle all of my life and I'm okay with that now.

Electronic spell checkers have come a long way.  I actually use two different tools that are extensions for Chrome.   The first one is Ginger.  I have used this tool for a long time.  Well, "long time" is relative, right?  Ginger is user friendly and very helpful!  I use the free version of this product.  That means I have a limited number of words per week Ginger will correct for me, but it always finds the errors.  I know it's been a bad week of spelling when the popup messages asks me if I want to purchase!  No, I'll just rewrite the sentence, right?  Watch this video to see how Ginger works...

I also use Grammarly.  Grammarly and I have a love hate relationship.  I love the suggestions and corrections for not only my spelling, but also grammar.  I have a habit of trying to correct my mistakes before I go on with my writing.  This habit involves my fingers reaching for keys before my mind realizes where the cursor is on the screen.  Grammarly and I fight back and forth as to where the cursor needs to be!  Grammarly will also send you a weekly email to help you learn where your mistakes are happening so you can become a better writer.  At first I didn't think very much about receiving another email.  Now, I like it!  Watch this video to learn how Grammarly works...

What do you use to check spelling?

Time to Explore!

It's time to explore, with Google Expeditions! In the fall a fellow educator approached me about finding virtual field trips for learners.  When learners are introduced to new information what a wonderful experience to be able to see with our own eyes.  While I was growing up I was very fortunate to be exposed to so many different experiences through travel.  When I lived in Colorado my family and I made frequent trips to various towns in the mountains.  I had been learning about Colorado history and it was exciting to connect my classroom learning to tangible sites.  We frequently went to all kinds of museums because of the easy access in our area.  It made such an impression on me.  I remember being in high school, going to San Antonio, walking around a shopping center and the next thing I know I'm standing in front of the Alamo!  The image I had created in my head of the Alamo on the Texas plains was nothing like how it looks today!

Not everyone has the opportunity to travel and make these kinds of connections.  Or, do they?  The more I looked and listened to how other educators were using Google Expeditions I was ready to start!  I was familiar with Google Cardboard.  I had heard about Google Lit Trips several years ago.  I had even played with the Google Earth app.  So how could we use resources we already have to help learners experience new places.  I started researching Expeditions.  By downloading a free app learners could have exposure to places they have never seen.  Yes!!

Now, where to begin?  I was able to show a few educators the potential of Expeditions through one on one conversations.  I then asked a small group of learners to explore with me to try it out.  I was also able to work with a few of my co-workers to explore some more.  There was a lot of excitement, but where could I find the right fit for curriculum and exploring?  Timing is everything!  I was working with a few English Language Arts educators when the conversation turned to the next novel their class would be reading.  Chasing Lincolns Killer by James L. Swanson.  Well, there just happens to be an Expedition of The Lincoln Assassination at Ford's Theatre.  Perfect!

Before we began exploring, certain expectations were set.  Our objective: to have fun and explore, in a controlled environment!

The learners had read the first couple of chapters of the book setting up the events leading up to the assassination of President Lincoln.   Now to see what it really looked like!  We launched the guide and were off!  The "ooh" and "ahh" while going through the theatre filled the room.  To see the distance Booth had jumped from the Presidential box where Lincoln had been shot.  To see the flags draped around the Presidential box that had been put in place only hours before President Lincoln arrived.  Wow!  Amazing!  There was one learner who had travelled to Washington D.C. last summer and had gone to Ford's Theatre.  He said it was just like he remembered it.  Yes!  Our objective was met!  For another group, the Expedition was more meaningful to explore before reading the chapter.  Establishing a scheme provided a better understanding when reading the novel.  

It was a great experience for everyone!  Now, where can where will we go next?

Favorite Chrome Extensions

Chrome Extensions!  A little icon can do so much!  First of all, extensions are small programs to modify and enhance the functionality of the browser.  I love extensions!  Who doesn't love to simplify!

Goo is one of the first extensions I suggest to add to Chrome.  In education, a QR code is a necessity for providing learners with a fast and direct path to access resources.  Here is a short video to discover the power of Goo!

Although Goo is my first "go to" tool, I have to admit I am excited about the ease of QuickMark!  I was so surprised to learn how quickly I can create QR codes with this tool!  Watch this short clip to learn more!

What is your favorite extension?

Just Go!

Sometimes you just need to jump right in and try something new!  This summer I attended an Ed Camp designed for educators in similar positions as mine.  There is still so much to learn and share!  One of the sessions I attended discussed formative assessments.  There were several tools I was familiar with, but one stood out to me, Formative.  I have seen the greatness of this tool, but until I had the opportunity to share with other educators I did not realize how amazing it truly could be!  When I returned to campus in the fall an educator asked me to share Formative with her department after hearing about it through other educators.  I jumped at the opportunity!

The initial setup is pretty simple.  There are three options for an assignment: Build, Preview, and Live Results.  When creating an assignment you can design questions as Multiple Choice, True/false, Short Answer, and Show Your Work.  The Show Your Work option is amazing for math educators because you can monitor how learners are solving a problem as they are going through the process.  When I shared this example with educators there was a collective "ahh!"  The Language Arts department was also thrilled with this feature.  Let's face it, teaching parts of speech is not always very thrilling.  With the Show Your Work feature, educators have reported learners are more engaged with the process and it is a more efficient use of time when grading learners work.  Game changer for sure!

Did you know if you have a question in a PDF or Doc format you can select the entire document  and add questions right on the document using the Upload & Transform feature?  This is awesome!!  Maybe you would like to have a link to a website or video to further explain a topic,  Add Content is another feature.  How great is it to have resources supporting learners right there with their assignment!

Once an assignment is ready to go, have learners initially join the class.  Then, learners will have the assignment show up as soon as they log in.  There is the option for participants to use a Quick Code to find an assignment, but if you want to utilize the grading feature to the fullest potential definitely have learners join your class.  Viewing the Live Results can be done by viewing a single question at a time or a summary view for the entire class.  When viewing a single question you can select an individual to "Zoom" for a close up look at individual results.  You also have the capability to override a grade.  You can also provide written feedback if learners are logged into their account!

As educators, we appreciate when resources are shared!  Formative has created a Community to connect educators using this product.  Also, the Library is a growing resource!  Look to see what is available.  You can always tweak to your needs!  And, you are creating amazing resources for your learners so be sure to give back!

When I was learning more about Formative I found videos on YouTube that made it very easy to follow along.  Click here to see the playlist of videos I found helpful, all created by the wonderful people at Formative!

What is something new you have tried lately?

My Favorite "New" Tool

I know it's not "new" but it is "new" to some people.  I think in a parallel life I might be a graphic artist.  I love putting images together to express concepts.  I enjoy looking at how others put logos and words together to market their products.  I find inspiration for design in teaching everywhere!  When I started working with Google Drawings it was a little haphazard on my part.  I have had my fair share of using PhotoShop, but sometimes you don't need all the bells and whistles to create eye catching graphics.   After using Drawings for a while, I now LOVE to create with this tool!

Drawings is simple, yet powerful!  For educators and learners this is another application they can easily access with their Google Suite account.  The one thing I hope Google will work on is making this amazing resource available for creation on personal tablets.  Right now you can only create Drawings on a desktop.

To get yourself familiar with the basic setup and creation of Drawings watch this video.

Here is a short video that will help you learn to utilize the Arrange menu in Drawings.  This feature helps the type A part of my personality when trying to get something to look exactly right!

Did you know there were so many different options for editing videos within Drawings?  Amazing how easy it is to mask a photo!

Now that you have these awesome graphics, what can you do with them?  And, did you know you have access to creating Drawings within a  Google Doc?  What to find out how!

I hope you learned something new!  Try a "new" to you Drawing to create something spectacular for your learning environment!

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

Continuing on our journey to look at the #InnovatorsMindset characteristics, we looked at grouping Risk Taking and Reflection together.  My personal thinking in taking this action, if you take a risk, you better take the time to reflect if this was a good or bad idea!  Hopefully, it turns out to be a good idea, right?

At the campus where I work, we have discussed a lot about the importance of creating a safe environment for our learners to grow.  We are not only educating our learners about academics, but life skills.  My previous experience working with elementary made me think once children went off to middle school they somehow were so much older and wiser.  After spending only a few days at a middle school my perspective quickly changed!  Yes, laugh at me!  Have a chuckle.  It did not take long to learn how young middle school students are and how much they have to learn to be prepared for high school.  Wow!

I recall multiple conversations with educators across our campus regarding frustration when dealing with the behavioral aspects of technology.  We turned the focus of frustration to a productive conversation about providing our young learners an environment to fail, and grow.  We should keep in mind, most of us did not grow up with devices readily access information and connect.  As adults, we frequently need reminding how to handle our own personal devices, so why would our children be any different?  There is a reason why the doctor's office has a notice posted asking patients to turn off their devices.  For my own family, we do not answer a phone or text message during meals; and, we wait until we are not driving to check devices for messages.  Is it always easy?  No!  Is it the right example to set for my children?  Yes.  Do I want my children to make their mistakes now when they are young and the consequences are not as significant?  Yes.  Building a safe environment for our learners to take risks is an important part of their school experience.

Risking-taking is not limited to how we ask learners to act. At the same time, as educators we need to step outside our comfort zone and provide risky learning experience for our learners.  How are we designing learning experiences to help our learners stretch their learning?  I felt like I took a big risk when it came time actually discussing educators taking risks in their curriculum delivery.  Vicki Davis, AKA @coolcatteacher,  had recently published a podcast of an interview with George Couros, An Educator's Guide to Acceptable Risk Taking.  The interview is fantastic!  What is a risk for your classroom?  Nothing replaces good teaching, but we can make small changes to make us, as educators, feel outside our comfort zone to benefit learners.  Why are we doing this?  We do this for the learners!

I felt like I was taking a risk, asking educators to sit in a room and listen to a podcast for this PLC session.  For me, it was an uncomfortable situation to not have a video to watch.  However, I received positive feedback.  The podcast conversation was engaging, holding everyone in the room's attention and opening our groups up to more conversations.  This risk paid off!

After listening and having some process time the educators were asked to reflect on their own risk taking through these three questions: 1. Are you a risk taker? 2. Where could I take risks? 3. How am I disrupting my day?  I suggested they use Popplet because it was one of the apps highlighted during our previous app smashing session.  I wanted educators to feel comfortable using the app in a different manner than I had presented the last time we met.  Not everyone wanted to share and that's okay.  Several educators did share.  When they shared their personal thoughts, it helped everyone in the room to reflect on their own approach in planning and implementation with learners.

I realize my brain never turns off.  And, I have come to realize this thinking is actually more reflective of what I am doing and what I want to do to make learning better for learners of all ages.  Taking risks and growing in my reflective process, I'm still learning too!