Digital Starter Kit

This suggested list of software and online resources is only a starting point for users to accomplish a digital task. However, if users find useful or innovative qualities of other applications, they have the ability to pursue that application to meet their needs. Click the link in the top-right corner above to see the full list of resources. If you are interested in an allowed and adopted list of software or apps for purchase, please visit the Purchasing Digital Apps with Master Contracts page. Districts, schools and teachers can also make more informed decisions about the safety and security of apps they use with students by checking out the Common Sense Privacy Initiative and Privacy Evaluations. For any students using online tools, it is recommended that teachers obtain a signed permission form from parents.

shortened link: pps.net/digstartkit

Distribute Resources/Materials

Google Classroom allows you to share, collect, and grade assignments using your Google Drive.

Canvas is an online learning management system that is available to grades 6-12 students and all staff.

Edmodo is another learning management system that allows teachers to assign work, quizzes, etc.

Deliver Content

Google Slides lets you create a slideshow of talking points complete with links, images and videos.

Use Canva's free software to design stunning presentations.

Prezi is a engaging and dynamic presentation tool.

Read/Annotate Text

In Google Docs use the highlight text feature.

With Hypothesis you can annotate the web, with anyone, anywhere. Hold discussions, read socially, organize your research and take personal notes.

Allow voice comments with the Chrome extension Kaizena.

Scrible is a set of powerful tools to save, manage, annotate and share the web. Chrome extension available.

Create 24/7 Learning Opportunities

Use Google Classroom, Canvas or Edmodo to build courses with resources including images, videos, documents, links, assessments, online discussions and more.

Use a Chart or Graphic Organizer

Create graphic organizers in Lucidchart to collaborate and brainstorm. Lucidchart links to your Google Drive. Log in with your Google Apps account.

Use Google Drawings to create graphic organizers and insert them into Docs.

Learn360 Streaming Media

Learn360 is an interactive media-on-demand service. Through streaming video, audio and accompanying support materials, Learn360 supports web-based learning by providing an online collaborative environment where users can share information and ideas. Get your school access code here (must be logged in to your apps4pps.net account).

Create Digital Student Products

Have students demonstrate their knowledge of classroom content with creative tools like Google Slides, Adobe Spark or WeVideo.

Google Slides lets you create a presentation with text, images and videos.

Use Adobe Spark to create impactful social graphics, web stories and animated videos.

WeVideo allows students to create and edit videos in the cloud. Students can create narratives, documentaries and more.

Maximize Understanding & Encourage Communication

Provide a space for your students to give lesson feedback and ask questions while minimizing disruptions using a backchannel such as YO Teach!.

YO Teach! is a completely open back channel with no login.

*A backchannel is a way to maintain a real-time conversation alongside live spoken remarks.

Create Groups & Pick Participants at Random

Use SuperTeacherTools and Classtools.net to quickly and easily randomize students for group for collaboration, projects, discussions, etc.

Flippity allows you to easily turn a Google Sheet into a random name picker, but also includes cool stuff like flash cards, Mad Libs, scavenger hunt, quiz show and much more!

Assess Understanding Instantly

Need to know if your students have an understanding of what’s going on in class? Use tools like Google Forms, Flipgrid, Kahoot, Quizlet, Recap and Socrative to get instant feedback.

Keep Your Class on Schedule

Use timers, stopwatches and countdown timers from Classtools.net to keep your class running on time.

Other resources include Online Stopwatch, Online Timer or simply do a Google search for “timer”.

Exit Ticket

Use Google Forms, Padlet or Lino to gather end-of-class thoughts, questions, ideas, etc.

Google Forms allows you to create a survey and collects the information on a spreadsheet, which you can see in graphical form.

Padlet is a bulletin board where students can leave notes, links, images or video.

Lino is a digital corkboard where students can leave notes, images, or video.

Get/Give Formative Feedback

Use the voice commenting capabilities from Chrome extensions like Kaizena and the sharing and commenting features of Google Docs/Presentations. Respond to comments, add new comments, or mark addressed comments as “Resolved”.

Brainstorm & Collaborate

Get your students collaborating and sharing ideas with tools like Google Docs, Padlet, and Lucidchart

Google Docs allows you to share files with others to collaborate together.

Use Padlet to add ideas to a board like adding sticky notes to a wall.

Lucidcharts can be used to create collaborative mind maps.

Pre-Assessment

Use Google Forms to assess students prior knowledge, skill sets, preferences etc.

Use the “Summary of Responses” to get a quick visual of the data.

Authentic Audience

Have students publish their work on Blogger or websites like Google Sites to create an online portfolio as well as showcase their work to an authentic audience.

Student Expression & Creativity

Unleash your students’ creativity using sites like Canva or PicMonkey for photo editing; Thinglink to tell a story through an image; GoAnimate to make a story come to life; or Pixton or Powtoon to create comic strips.

Information Literacy

Use OSLIS, a K-12 web portal providing access to quality licensed databases within an information literacy framework. It is designed for Oregon students and teachers, maintaining the school library at the heart of student research.

Google Docs research tool helps students research as they write.

Questions? Contact Cat Nostrand or Melissa Lim, Learning Technologies, learningtech@pps.net

Adapted from Richland School District Two

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