Tuesday Tech Tidbits September 26, 2017

Exeter High School

Tuesday Tidbits: Technology

September 26, 2017

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by Sandy Blanc

Technology Tips of the Week: 10 Google Classroom Tips!

Google Classroom is being used by more and more by our staff here at EHS (how exciting!). I have a few suggestions/tips to help make using Google Classroom easier for you.

If you do not use it,  you should TRY IT!

There are 3 main “tabs” to use in Google Classroom: STREAM, STUDENTS, and ABOUT

1. STUDENTS tab- to ask students to join your class, go to the arrow next to the generated class code.

“Display” the class code while projecting it to the class so they can easily read it. Students go to classroom.google.com and choose “join class”. They enter the code there!

You can also choose to “invite students” manually be email address.

2. ABOUT tab- use to store your most important resources for the class (syllabus, class website, links to often used websites, etc.)
3. STREAM tab- this is where you create an assignment, post a question, etc.
4. Create “Topics” in Stream tab to tag your posts! You can connect any assignment, question,  or announcement to the topic so students can easily pull those out from the Stream later (especially if there are a lot of items in the Stream).

You can “Add Topic” when you create an assignment or before by using the TOPICS box (see the bottom and choose “add topic”).

*You can even use dates as “Topics” if you want to organize by week, for example.

5. Make comments- you can add a private comment by clicking on the student’s name from the grading view (see video).

6. Grade and “Return” work to students so they can read the comments.
7. Shut on/off parent notifications- from STUDENTS tab, below the class code, you can turn off or on “Include this class in guardian email summaries”.

8. Schedule posts ahead of time-  You can choose a specific date to schedule a post. When you add an assignment in STREAM, choose the arrow next to “Assign” and choose “Schedule.

9. Differentiate Work-  When you create an assignment in Stream, you can choose “All Students” arrow and select on certain students for different assignments if you want to differentiate.

10. Reuse Posts- You can reuse posts by adding an assignment, choosing “Reuse Post”, choosing the class, and then the assignment and choose “Reuse”. You can even reuse the assignment even if the class has been archived.

Tuesday Tech Tidbits September 19, 2017

Exeter High School

Tuesday Tidbits: Technology

September 17, 2017

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by Sandy Blanc

Technology Tips of the Week: How to Cite Sources in Google Docs

There are a few ways to cite sources in Google Docs. See Ms. Vetter's Blog from September 12, 2017 to see how upload the MLA template in Google Docs (from last week).

1. Cite as Footnote: Use the “Explore Tab” in Google Docs, and search for the source online (using Explore). If you move the mouse over to the corner of the article you will see a quotation mark (“ ). Click on the “ and it will insert a # into your text and put the footnote at the bottom of the page.

1. 2. EasyBib Add-On: Go to “Add-ons”, then “Get Add-ons” and search Easybib or click HERE. Once you add the extension, go into a Google Doc,  Choose “Add-ons”, “EasyBib”, then “manage bibliography”. You can choose MLA or APA format.

Here is a short video explanation:

Tuesday Tech Tidbits September 12, 2017

Exeter High School

Tuesday Tidbits: Technology

September 12, 2017

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by Sandy Blanc

Technology Tips of the Week: 1:1 Resources for Teachers

Wow! It has been a VERY busy start to the school year! Thank you for being patient with the Tech Tidbits and all of the technology changes. Just a quick update on the Technology changes for this year...

• Uniflow Printing (and new printers in commons)
• Upgrade to  PowerTeacher Pro 11 (Students can now see their grades on the website! Carrie is working on the Semester issue (not broken into quarters).
• New Hardware (SSD Drive and more RAM) in the teacher laptops
• Booked Scheduler- All day reservations (for mobile labs!)- (Teachers, please share the carts and know that chromebooks are coming on Thursday to freshman!)
• Over 400 chromebooks getting ready to be deployed to the Freshman class on Thursday during period 6 (current plan is to call down students by common areas during the period)!
• The Freshman that have signed both 1:1 forms, and their student ID, will be able to pick up their chromebooks during period 6 on Thursday.

1:1 Chromebooks: Freshman chromebooks are coming this week!

You can visit the 1:1 Chromebook Website here!

A few reminders for keeping the chromebook expectations consistent:

• Students are expected to bring their chromebooks home everyday to CHARGE them at night! Students will not be allowed to charge chromebooks during the school day.
• Teachers should establish a system of communicating appropriate times to use the chromebooks in the classroom. Terminology such as “Lids UP!” or “Lids Down” can be used, for example. You could also use a RED circle to indicate no chromebooks today, or a GREEN Circle for Chromebook usage that day. Making a routine of expectations will help students stay on track in the classroom!
• If a student forgets their chromebook at home, they will need to work with paper or pencil that day (or teacher's discretion to have them use the classroom desktop).
• If a student has a broken chromebook, they will need to fill out THIS google form, print it, and bring it to Ms. Vetter in the Library. Ms. Vetter will have loaner chromebooks for the student to sign out if necessary.

I will be sharing resources throughout the year for teachers that are geared toward success in the 1:1 classroom. Here is one to get you started!

41 Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Your 1:1 Classroom

Here is how some of our teachers are integrating technology at EHS!  Please feel free to add to the list!