Embedded Files
The majority of the resources below are from when we were on distance learning in the 2020-2021 school year. Some were encouiraged/required by my school district, some were my choice. In teh 21-22 school year I transitioned back to physical notebooks as well as hard copy assignments. However, I do still balance some digital assigments as well as Google Classroom along with this.
Digital Interactive Notebooks
Digital Interactive Notebooks
In this transition to 100% distance learning there was ONE piece that I held onto as long as possible. Interactive Notebooks. I'm hard core interactive notebooks. I love the set up, the notes, the activities, the sketches, the markers and even the torn edges. I love that the students have this tangible item at the end of the year summarizing all that they went through in my class. I love that they get to be creative and I LOVE that its something they work on individually.
But with the looming D word and the fact that even IF I get to see my kids in person I shouldn't be touching a book that they've handled and worse- took home with them, I no longer had a choice. I held out though. I even told a friend about a month ago, "OK I'll do all this stuff, I'll make a website, I'll have the Bitmoji thing but DON'T touch my notebooks." Welp... here we are.
It's taken me a week or two to figure out what format I wanted. Some teachers are doing them sideways, similar to a notebook opened flat with a spine down the center and a page on each side. Some of them are doing it as if you are looking at one page at a time. Some are doing notebooks for each unit, some are having students compile theirs for a specific length of time etc. Like most things in the teaching world I do not feel there is a right answer and you have to figure out what works for you.
I have chosen to do a single page notebook and have students add to it for the entire semester. They will start a new notebook at second semester. I'm going to provide them with their starter notebook on Google Classroom (I linked my examples to the right), it will include everything in the first two tabs- class information as well as Help and Shortcuts.
For each additional unit I will be "pushing" slides to kids as they need them. For this I have chosen to use the google slides add-on "Slip-n-Slide." This works really well if you ave all of the students notebooks already in a folder (if you're a google classroom user- GC will do this for you.) You basically tell it which slide numbers or ranges to "push" and it adds those slides to their notebooks. You can choose "beginning-start" or "end" of their notebook. I like beginning, because then the new slides are RIGHT in from of their face when they open the notebook. Here's a helpful VIDEO of how it works.
My biggest tip for someone learning about digital interactive notebooks is to learn all about how to edit the "master slide" option in google slides. Once you get these set up it will save you TONS of time. This is what makes your "new slide" drop down menu customizable.
Anywho- check mine out. I'm pretty proud of them. Your welcome to click, and make a copy. Please do not request edit access.
Google Drive Folder packed with Interactive Notebook Templates
Make a copy whatever you'd like
If you would like copies of the full editions with answer keys please email me. Or you can check each classes Tab on this site and see if they've been included.
What's a HyperDoc?
What's a HyperDoc?
For this school year (distance learning or even Hybrid schedule) our school has requested that we use this idea of a HyperDoc, and I must say I LOVE IT!
The background is that the teacher creates ONE document outlining the classes set amount of time (I'm doing them weekly) and the student's work their way through the document. You can include Videos, URL Links, links to Google Classroom assignments, Check for understanding questions etc.
I'm finding it really easy to organize my school year with the mindset of "I create one doc per week for the class." Mine follow a "Explore-Explain- Apply" model but you could also do M-F or Read, Watch, Demonstrate etc. etc. So Many Options!
Here are my Templates- I just "Make a Copy" whenever I start a new week:
(Under construction- check back soon)
Back-to-School Bingo
Back-to-School Bingo
First Week Digital Activity Idea
I see a lot of teachers doing the "about me" type projects and I was on that boat as well UNTIL I found this.
Back to School Bingo.. Students complete three squares in a row with the idea of getting "Bingo." All of them are pretty quick and simple but require them to think about something differently or upload something somewhere different.
This is the only link I will share with the students- Everything links together once they start:
For your teacher side- Here's the master folder, feel free to copy what you want. But don't forget to change links within each assignment. Each one will prompt you to make a copy- eliminating the need for you to request access.
Want to see what each of the items looks like when the student participate? Check it out on my Week 1 Earth Science Page
Teacher Introduction Postcards
Teacher Introduction Postcards
Digital Learning Introductions
Need a way to easily introduce yourself to all of your students? I totally stole this from another group.
I created postcards to mail home. Not google related.. I know 😂But easy.
I created and even ordered mine through Canva. But you could also download the Canva design and order through Vistaprint or somewhere similar.
Fun Fact: If you're an ebates subscriber (online shopping probs) Canva offers 40% cash back through ebates.
See my design below.... I tried to keep it simply so I could use the same one for every class. My plan is to print mailing labels as soon as I have my rosters. The students will most likely receive them on the first or second day of school. Side note- postcards are cheaper to mail than a normal letter.
You should be able to view (and duplicate) the design in Canva here:
Creating Flipbooks in Google Slides
Creating Flipbooks in Google Slides
Creating Flipbooks in Google Slides
Flipbooks are something I've recently latched onto, and this is a template I stole from another group.
I've attached a video taking you through the Flipbook process. It includes how they work, how to add links, how to insert content and how to publish them to the web.
Here is a "copy-able" link to my flipbook: "Copy-able" Flipbook Link
This is the way that the students see it and interact with it: Student View
If you're lost--> All good --> Here is a video explaining the process. My internet got a little wonky about half way so please excuse the robot voice. Flipbook Help Video
Have a great day! Let me know if you have questions.
Gathering Syllabus Signatures Digitally
Gathering Syllabus Signatures Digitally
Have you thought about how you might provide your syllabus digitally and collect them back??
You basically provide students with the original syllabus, they follow the google form link and "sign it," Autocrat will automatically email them AND their parent a "signed" version as well as file a copy for you in your google drive.
I've attached photos above, You are more than welcome to make copies of whatever you'd like using the links to the right. This is one of those things that is time consuming and difficult the first time, but once you get the hang of it then its simple.
Here are a few other helpful documents:
Here is some information about how to use Autocrat and a Mail Merge style system in collecting your class syllabi signed and automatically filed in google drive for you.
Get your syllabus into Google Drive (can be docs or Slides). Instead of a signature area, include a link to a google form.
Create your google form. Include basic questions, remember to split data like "First" and "last" name for easier sorting. If you teach multiple periods of one class you can combine them into one google form. BUT Do Not combine multiple subjects into one google form.
Send responses to a Google Sheet. Click "responses" and Create new Sheet. If you have different subjects you can have each signature form go to one sheet with different tabs along the bottom.
Make a copy of your class syllabus- Adjust the signature portion to include tag lines for AutoCrat to merge with.
Set up Autocrat in your google sheet (Autocrat is a google sheet and google form add-on). It takes data from your sheet and places it into your syllabus according to your <<tagged>> information. There are a TON of online tutorials on how to use it.
If you would like to see actual examples of these steps let me know and I can shoot you a video.
Creating Bitmoji Scenes
Creating Bitmoji Scenes
Background info is that it is a google slide (or power point slide) shared to the web and each image on it is a link to something useful for the students. You can post it to whatever digital classroom system you plan on using.
Create your template as ONE slide
Add URL Links to whatever you want
Click File- Publish to the Web
Share the URL Link to your Slide wherever you'd like. If you have multiple classes, you can create them as separate slideshows or work off of one. If you go with the publish option, the really cool part is that the photo auto updates every time it is changed in EVERY location its been published.
You could update this daily (if you wish) with announcements or reminders. I plan on only using it for major announcements but otherwise leaving it alone all year.
This is what the students see when they open it: Ferg's Virtual Classroom
Presentation link- Will "Auto-Copy" when opened - Ferg's Virtual Classroom (Copyable)
My Bitmoji "Virtual" Classroom
Other Helpful Links (I did not create all of these):
Daily Bell Ringers
Daily Bell Ringers
Every day when my students come in they are expected to complete a "daily bell ringer." This allows a "good start" to our day regardless of what the rest of the period has in store or what happened during the last class period. With transitioning to distance learning, I think this is MORE important than ever. This allows me a few extra minutes to admit students from the waiting room, to answer questions or trouble shoot tech issues.
In the past Ive done bell ringers a variety of ways. For a while I used websites like socrative, where students can answer a question and I can download a report. BUT my beef with this one was it doesn't help a kid who was absent or allow the students to go back and see their submissions. For the past two years Ive used a google doc with a table on it, the students fill in a "row" each day. My beef with this one it was difficult for absent students to get caught up without feeling overwhelmed and it was also tedious to grade.
I have started all of my students off with a bell ringer notebook. Similar to an interactive notebook but one slide is one notebook spread and it holds all of their bell ringers for the WEEK. I set yo the correct number of tabs to last them for the quarter. They'll turn it in at the end of the quarter and be issued a new one for second quarter.
So far so good. The kids struggled on day 1 with how to "insert" text boxes but figured it out quickly.
Here is a copy of my bell ringer notebook template- this is set up similar to my interactive notebooks. If you wish to change the colors of the tabs or the words, you'll need to edit the master slide function prior to sharing it with your classes.
Random Helpful Videos and Websites
Random Helpful Videos and Websites
Helpful Videos: (Some I made- Some I stole)
Helpful Videos: (Some I made- Some I stole)
Why I'm using Google Sites AND Google Classroom Together
Creating Flipbooks How-to using Google Slides
Adding Pages and Subpages in Google Sites
Product Recommendations:
Product Recommendations:
Microphone: My school desktop does not have a built in microphone. So to film screencasted videos I had to order one. I love it and highly recommend.
WebCam: My school desktop also does not have a webcam. My school issued Surface Pro does however I absolutely hate the keyboard on the surface so I prefer the desktop. I ordered this to use with it. Its very low profile which I like, it also has a built in Mic if you didn't want to also purchase a Microphone.
Helpful Websites:
Helpful Websites:
Loom - GREAT Site for making quick shareable videos. All saved on the Loom site. Be sure to "upgrade" your account if you have an educator email address.
Screencastify - GREAT video recording site. BUT unless you pay the $50 per year to upgrade your account then you have a 5 minute time limit on all videos. I will say that it is super helpful that all of the videos save to your google drive. This makes embedding them in slideshows or on google docs super easy. I do feel it's worth the $$$ to upgrade.
Google Drive Detox- Sign up, get one email per day for 14 days on tips to make your google drive more organized. I found SO MANY files that could be thrown away. Free your clutter!
Padlet- Totally worth upgrading and paying for each month. Great site for hosting online brainstorm sessions or review sessions digitally. Padlet boards (sort of like a pinterest board) can be embedded onto a webpage or digital assignment. Check out the gallery of pre-made options and you can even copy some of them. Definitely one of my FAVS.
Get Emoji- Copy and Paste fun emoji's directly into your text. No downloads required, quick and fun. Emoji Copy will do this as well.
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