EdTech in The Elementary
Google Search
- It's a Calculator (Scientific, too!)
- It's a Dictionary / Thesaurus
- Search for "define __________"
- Greek and Latin Roots, Synonyms, Syllables, nGram Viewer!
- It's also a timer/stopwatch
- Type "timer 8 minutes"
- Great for group rotations, center activities, morning routines
Google Newspaper Archive
- Find primary sources with the Google Newspaper Archive
- 100,000+ articles from all around the world
- Great way to have your students explore current events
- news.google.com/newspapers
- Free online classroom economy. No more passing out money each week!
- Class Store
- Google Forms to select what they want... like a "Classroom Amazon"
- Click here to copy the template to your Google Drive
- Notifications sent to “tellers” and not me. Automate everything!
- Tellers email classmates, set-up times, take out amounts, automation!
What kinds of difficulties do you face trying to use Youtube or Video with your students?
Scared of "Suggested Videos" or "Ads" on Youtube? There are some ways "around" it!
Check out some of these apps/extensions/websites that can solve your Youtube fears.
- View Pure - Youtube, with no ads.
- Safeshare.tv
- Upload videos to Google Drive, plays just like Youtube!
- Ad block for Youtube Chrome Extension
- Create Playlists for your students (no need to worry about what ads/suggested videos will pop up at the end
You can embed videos from your Google Drive onto Google Sites, too!
- No ads
- No comments
- No suggested videos
What are some ways that you encourage student voice in your class?
FlipGrid
Have students share their thinking visually.
It's like they're Youtubers!
Sign up at flipgrid.com
Click the link to the left to add to our Grid.
Oh, and yes it can be made password protected.
SeeSaw
Learn more at web.seesaw.me
Link to iPad/iPhone App (click)
Great for younger classrooms (K-2)
Tag students in posts/work, parents can see student work during the day
Students can share work with teacher (including video/voice)
Great way to keep track of student learning
Aww App
Digital Collaborate Whiteboard
Click the image to the right to collaborate together!
How do you have your students learn about their community and the world?
Zoom out/Zoom In in Earth View
Check how things have changed over time using the Google Earth Engine - Timelapse
User Created Maps can be found in the Google Maps Gallery
...and yes, you can watch a Total Eclipse (not of the heart, though)
Writing Prompt: Go to Earth View, spin it, and drop Pegman at a random location. You’ve stepped into a time portal, and ended up here. Tell the story of how you get back.
Or, drop Pegman, “Tell me a story where THIS is the setting.”
The New Google Earth Voyages
View the new Google Earth at earth.google.com
Similar to Google Earth Tours, they let students explore stories in Google Earth (on both iPads and Chromebooks)
Click here to view all the Google Earth Voyages available.
Here's one of my favorites , The ABCs from Space.
How do you discuss digital citizenship with your students?
Be Internet Awesome
Looking for a simple, fun way to teach your students how to be safe online? Check out Be Internet Awesome!
How do you use Google Drive with your students?
- Creating Documents, Slides, Spreadsheets, Forms, and Drawings
- Teach your students how to share!
- Pro tip: share with your students a spreadsheet with all of their classmates on it.
- Collaborative Lesson Plan Template
- Have everyone contribute to it
- Great if you work on a large team with different schedules
- Share with administrators
- Click to open, then press File --> Copy
Graphic Organizers
Sub Plans Made Easy
- Always have an icon on your school desktop computer to a Public Google Doc that says “Sub Plans”.
- Have it be a link to a Doc that you can edit from home. Automatically Collect username (within GAFE)
Chrome Extensions, for your students!
All of these can be installed on your student Chromebooks from the Chrome Web Store.
Mini-Programs you can add to your Google Chrome browser that make life easier.
Here are some of my favorites for your K-5 class:
- Share to Classroom - Pushes websites out to students in your Google Classroom
- Clearly → Pulls a shade over different apps
- Google Dictionary (double click on a word, learn its meaning. Great for students on Chromebooks!)
- Google Translate (Does exactly what you think it does)
- Google Link Shortener (shrinks really l o n g links with one click)
- Citable (Let’s you collect web resources easily onto one spreadsheet. Great for students doing research!)
- Turn Off the Lights! (Advanced Search makes everything go dark except for a video you’re playing).
- Name Generator Extension - For those students who can’t seem to come up with a group name
- Timestats → See where your students time is being spent.
- Ad-block plus - Blocks ads on most websites
Indoor Recess
