Digital Classroom Tools

1. Get your students connected

Ensure your students know their usernames and passwords and regularly access gnspes. 

Creating student email lists from PowerTeacher

How to reset students’ passwords   

QR code Chromebook sign-in option for P-3 teachers  

3. Establish a method of Digital Communication with parents 

Emails from PowerTeacher

Adding parents to Google Classroom

5. Create an e-learning environment  

Promote communication and collaboration among students. 

Turning PDFs into Digital Worksheets

Suggested apps: 

Flipgrid- a video discussion platform where students upload short videos to share with their class. All the videos are together on one grid which the teacher and class can view.

• Flipgrid review (pros, cons, teaching ideas)

• Website: 50+ Fantastic Flipgrid Ideas For Every Kind of Classroom

• Session slide deck 

Pear Deck- an interactive presentation and lesson delivery tool designed to enhance learning as students move through a slideshow. It  is an Add-on for Google Slides and can be found in the Chrome Web Store.

• Pear Deck review (pros, cons, teaching ideas)

• Blog post: 20 ways to use Pear Deck

• Session Slide Deck

Google JamBoard - is an online collaborative whiteboard app. It can be found by accessing the "waffle" anywhere with Google Chrome or can be found in a Google Meet session. 

• Jamboard review (pros, cons, teaching ideas)

• Blog Post: How to use Jamboard in the classroom

• Jamboard Activities    Activity:  Learning to use Jamboard  Gr 1-4  

• Jamboard Templates

Parlay is a discussion based learning tool that allows teachers to foster meaningful and inclusive class discussions using a blended learning approach.

Padlet-  a web app that allows users to post notes, images, links, etc on a digital wall. It offers both free and paid versions. Teachers can use their Google accounts to sign in and create an account. Padlets can be shared with students via Google Classroom.

• Padlet review (pros, cons, teaching ideas)

• Blog Post: 20 useful ways to use Padlet

Screencastify-  an extension for Google Chrome that makes it easy to record, edit, and share videos of your computer screen. Recordings can easily be shared via email, embedding code, YouTube, Google Classroom, and more. You can download it from the Chrome Web Store. 

• Screencastify review (pros, cons, teaching ideas)

• Blog Post: 24 ways to create great classroom video with Screencastify

• Video: Adding the Chrome Extension - Screencastify 

NearPod - on online platform that allows teachers to create interactive presentations and can share them out to student-used devices in a controlled environment in real-time. There is a free version of NearPod, and paid teacher-subscription versions available.

• Nearpod review (pros, cons, teaching ideas)

• Nearpod resources for teachers

BigBlueButton-Web conferencing and Whiteboard app in one. Gives the ability to create separate rooms. There is a link from our GNSPES Launch page in the Classroom  box. Sign in with your GNSPES Username and Password.  https://youtu.be/Hso8yLzkqj8

Breakout Room 'Work-arounds' for Meets- Our Google Meet does not offer a Breakout Room option.

This slide deck demonstrates a way to create Breakout rooms by creating an 'events' in your Google Calendar. 

This video demonstrates a way to create Breakout rooms in your Google Classrooms

Interactive Learning Menus-Learning menus (aka choice boards) are a form of differentiated learning that gives students a menu or choice of learning activities.