February 13

Website Worth Sharing: Adobe Spark

If you aren’t doing so already, you may want to introduce your students to Adobe Spark. It’s a free graphic design, web-based, tool provided by Adobe. It allows students to create Posts (Posters, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) Pages, and Videos. It’s pretty user-friendly, and they can add their own photos. This site works great with Chromebooks and they can login with their Google accounts, so account creation is quick. It’s pretty user-friendly, but there are several tutorials on YouTube if you have questions. https://spark.adobe.com/sp/

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October 23

Extensions worth Exploring: Checkmark

I wish it took me more time to grade student essays…..said no language arts teacher ever. For those of you who use Google Classroom to provide feedback on student writing, you might want to download and play with the CheckMark Extension. You can download it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/checkmark/kfddponboekcbjlhhjinkefjollhhidp

This Chrome extension makes it easy to add common comments that teachers make when editing assignments. Once the extension is installed and you open student writing in Google Docs, you can highlight over an area of concern and choose from several “canned comments” that are in the app. The canned comments show up in the margin of the student work.

Watch this video so see it in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4ddR2x3aXo

Below are the options

The CheckMark Abbreviations

C = Check capitalization
F = Check for fragment
P = Check punctuation
S = Check spelling
T = Tense
CS = Check for comma splice
RO = Check for run-on sentence
SV = Subject/Verb agreement
¶ = New paragraph needed
Bottom row:
cla = Clarify your idea/meaning
det = Detail needed
dis = Discussion needed
evi = Evidence needed
rep = Repetitive
phr = Rephrase
spa = Spacing
​cit = Check Citation

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October 23

Website Worth Sharing: ifaketextmessage

Text messaging is how our students communicate, so a great way to make historical or literature conversations relevant to them might be to have them create them in text message format. At https://ifaketextmessage.com/ Students can use the message editor to create text exchanges between historical figures or book characters. Once created, students can use a screen capture tool (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWRtnw3YIsw  for how to do it on a Chromebook) to turn their project in using Google Classroom, or a Google Doc. Here’s a sample:

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October 19

Tool Worth Trying: Google Docs Named Versions

Even though your students might think they can write the perfect paper in one try, we all know that good writing is usually a result of multiple drafts. In the old days, when students turned in paper/pencil essays we could require them to also turn in their “rough drafts” so we could look for evidence of the changes and edits that they made. With digital documents, this is still possible.

Google added a new feature to Docs called Named Versions that allows students to save their documents at key revision stages so that anyone with access to the document can view the editing process. This feature is available in the Google Docs  File Menu in the Version History Section. One of the options is “Name Current Version.” Students can name their 1st draft, 2nd draft, Final Draft etc. and then once they share the document with you, giving you editing rights, (or turn it in using Google Classroom) you can go to File>Version History>View Version History to view and compare the different versions. This is a great way to see how students are applying the writing process. Revision history has always been available, but by requiring students to name the different stages of their writing, you’re asking them to be aware of the steps of their writing process and deliberate in identifying the various stages.

If the student forgets to name the versions during the course of writing/editing the paper, it’s not too late. They can open up the Version History panel and click on the three dots next to any “saved point” and name that version.

For more information/ideas on how to use this tool, check our Eric Curts blog post on this:: //www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/08/named-versions.html

To see an example, you can check out my Google Docs version of this post and go to File>Version History>See Version History

https://docs.google.com/a/kelso.wednet.edu/document/d/16V_lOBBOUdpoYnnLITVGUVkEqiHaask_tAiMpBh5DOU/edit?usp=sharing

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May 15

Add-Ons Worth Adding: WriQ

I discovered a Google Docs add-on that analyzes student writing and allows you to grade it with a rubric which is then embedded into the document. I tested this with one of my own documents and found that some of the “errors” it caught were not really errors, but the app is easy to use once you set it up and there is the ability to override the errors that it initially catches. This short video does a nice job explaining how to add it to your Drive and how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXpjOrSFwPE

The rubric may not match what you use, but it may be worth looking into. Texthelp usually charges for their tools, so they may be testing this one out while they work out the bugs. Use it for free while you can.

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May 15

Extensions worth Installing: Draftback

One of the downsides of having students compose their writing digitally is that the copy/paste functions makes it all too tempting for them to plagiarize the works of others. Viewing the revision history in Google Docs (go to File>See Revision History) can help give you some insight into the writing process of your students. If a document has no revision history, then it is most likely that the text was directly pasted into the document from another source. To see an even more detailed view of the creation of the document, you can download a Chrome Extension called Draftback: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/search/draftback?hl=en-US

Once installed, when a student shares a document with you, you will see a Draftback button on the upper left of the document which will give you a play-by-play video of the creation process of the document. This is a useful tool as you can see how much time the student spent on the writing, who it was shared with, and how many revisions were made. It is essentially like you looked over your student’s shoulder while he/she was typing- except in fast motion.

For more on how this works you can watch a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAgcNeBEfgAOr a longer video with curriculum ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUzHWOgdjwg&t=318s

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February 22

App Worth Investigating: Telestory

There is a free app available called Telestory, that you might want to look into.  TeleStory lets students write, direct and star in their own television show, commercial or informative video. They can choose from themes and digital costumes.

This would be a fun app to encourage students to write, perform and create! They could present about a science or social studies  topic you are learning about, or it could be a creative way to share about a book they are reading. You can’t beat the price J

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/telestory/id915378506?mt=8

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January 30

Website Worth Sharing: CommonLit

I’ve found yet another free online tool that gives teachers access to a variety of texts,  reinforces reading strategies and provides teachers a record of student progress. CommonLit www.commonlit.org was developed by a non-profit and is free of charge for teachers. It is recommended for 5th -12th grades. Teachers create accounts, set up classes and have students join the class by entering a unique course code and creating an account (no email required).  Teachers can search for and assign articles and stories based on themes, text sets or their own search terms. The nice advantage of this site vs others is that there is a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Teachers can search by lexile or grade level and text is organized by themes. There are also paired texts, related media (mostly YouTube Videos), Teacher Guides and Parent Guides for most articles. Teachers can assign texts to whole classes or individuals (for differentiation). When assigning the text, teachers have the option to apply a “Guided Reading” setting that asks students to answer questions for each paragraph before they can advance to the next section. They can also print out pdf copies of the text and questions if computer access is an issue.

 

On the student end, there is a toolbar that allows students to adjust the size of the text, look up words, have the text read aloud to them, translate into several different languages (the default is Spanish, but you can change it in the settings), and highlight text. Once students are done reading, it takes them through a comprehension assignment which includes both short answer and multiple choice questions. Unlike other tools that limit students to assigned readings, CommonLit also allows students to browse for and find their own readings. The questions are available, but not submittable unless the texts are assigned by teachers.

Once students are done with the online readings/assignments, teachers can grade the short answers and view student progress. Teachers also have access to student accounts and can reset passwords if needed (and it probably will be J).  The questions are aligned to the Common Core standards.

Social Studies Teachers- There are a lot of readings that relate to your content so I included you in this. Check out the Themes.

World Language Teachers- You can have students translate an article into the language you teach so they can practice reading texts in that language.

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June 7

Website Worth Sharing: GRMR.ME

Grammar might not be everyone’s favorite subject, but we can all agree that it’s important. The instructional videos available at http://grmr.me/ might be a nice resource as you are reinforcing grammar and punctuation rules. The videos are housed on YouTube so you’ll have to play them for your students, but you can also post a link on an eBoard for them to use as a resource at home.

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January 13

Website Worth Sharing: Quandary

quandarySince I’m an avid reader, I never understood those kids who weren’t genuinely excited to pick up a book and start reading. I also knew it was my job to engage them in text however I could. Sometimes that meant “tricking” them into reading. The game-based website Quandary does just that. This online site is part game, part comic book, part ethical journey, and part “choose your own adventure” activity. While this is web-based, there is also an app available for those who have access to iPads. The game has been mapped to the ELA standards, and hits some of those more challenging standards while engaging those kids who would rather be gaming. Here is the map to the standards: http://www.quandarygame.org/sites/default/files/Quandary_StandardsMapping.pdf

There are built in supports for differentiation, including Spanish translation and the ability to click on the text and have it read to you (you’ll want to have headphones available if you plan on using the audio feature). The teacher’s page includes links to lesson plans and video testimonials of teachers who have used this in the classroom.

Here’s some information directly from the site:

Players aged 8 and up shape the future of a new society while learning how to recognize ethical issues and deal with challenging situations in their own lives.

Players lead a new human colony on a distant planet. They must make difficult decisions in which there are no clear right or wrong answers but important consequences – to themselves, to others in the colony and to the planet Braxos. Players develop skills such as critical thinking, perspective-taking and decision-making. Quandary provides a framework for how to approach ethical decision-making without telling players what to think.

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