5 Other Uses

Can't get enough of conditional formatting? Here are 5 other uses:

GSheets & the 4Cs

Now that you're hooked on the student self-monitoring aspect of using conditional formatting in Google Sheets, you might want to consider branching out a little and try some other GSheets activities with your students! With the immediate feedback that conditional formatting provides, students are not only self-directed, but they are also able to self-correct when they make mistakes. Activities that incorporate collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking (4Cs) improve student engagement and learning.

Collaboration

BreakoutEDU

Talk about gamification taken to a whole new level! BreakoutEDU is an immersive, problem solving, interactive learning game that teaches through the 4Cs and lends itself to all curriculum and instruction K-12. Students work collaboratively to solve content-rich puzzles. Teachers are using conditional formatting in GSheets to reveal puzzle answers. Want to start a BreakoutEDU game, but not sure how to get started? Check out this step by step planning guide that Althea Hudson and Caroline Kirsh created with tips, tricks, templates and resources.

Follow BreakoutEDU on Twitter: @breakoutEDU

Follow Caroline Kirsh on Twitter: @caroline_kirsh

Communication

Battlesheets

You sunk my Battleship! A fun spin-off of the original game you played as a youngster, this version uses Google Sheets to teach students both communication and critical thinking skills. In his blog, Battlesheets!, Eric Curts explains the basics of the game, how to set it up, and how he created it. He also provides this free template and directions for you to share with your students.

Follow Eric Curts on Twitter: @ericcurts

Creativity

Pixel Art

Students tap into their creative side as they create pixelated images in Google Sheets. Educator, Eric Curts, shares how students create art to illustrate a theme, character, concept, or map. They are generating art while practicing their tech skills. In his blog, Pixel Art Activities for any Subject with Google Sheets, he explains the fundamentals of creating an activity for your students, and he shares his 20-Color Pixel Art Template that incorporates both fractions and area activities.

Follow Eric Curts on Twitter: @ericcurts

Critical Thinking

Self-Check

In addition to painting cells different colors to create a picture or words, conditional formatting can be a quick resource where students are able to self-monitor their learning. Here are a few ways you could have students self-assess with conditional formatting:

All Subjects: Spelling practice/ test
All Subjects: Vocab practice/ test
Social Studies & Science- Madlib or fill in the blanks to check facts
Math: solve and check inequalities
Math: Multiplication/ addition/ subtraction tables

Teacher Efficiency

Did you know that conditional formatting can be used to help make you more efficient in analyzing your student data at a glance?

All teachers want a quick way to see how their students did on an assessment. Consider using conditional formatting to color code passing, at-risk, and failing grades. Want to take it a step further? Get the "Sort by Color" GSheets add-on and sort your assessment grade column by the colors to make your data easier to digest.
Also consider using the conditional formatting feature to color code student answers for difficult assessment questions, entry tickets, exit tickets, and temperature checks. At a glance, you can look for patterns to discern what concepts your students are grasping and which ones they're not.

Image Source: All images on this site are registered as Public Domain.

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