Classroom to Cloud

Schools can sometimes face temporary closures due to health or environmental reasons. Plans are established and many elements used during regular classes to ensure you and your students are comfortable utilizing resources that are a part of the plan. On this page and others linked within, you will find best practices, resources, tutorials and additional information.

Together, we can accomplish great things. We are all here to support one another to ensure learning continues no matter the location.

The goal of Classroom to Cloud is to ensure learning continues in the event of school closure. The goal is to carry on learning, but not necessarily replicate a traditional school day as per the timetable. Students should be able to independently extend their learning with the direction of the teacher.

Preparing Lessons Independently or Collaboratively

Delivering and Supporting Learning

Engaging Students through Communication

Assessing Student Learning

Preparing Lessons

Annenberg Learner

Search for lesson plans for K-12

Google Applied Digital Skills

Non-content specific video based lessons for middle and high such as: interactive presentation about an assigned or chosen topic, infographic in Google Drawings, student portfolio with Google Sites to share knowledge, etc.

Khan Academy

Locate and assign individual lessons in math, science, engineering, arts, humanities, computing, economics & finance, ELA, Test Prep, and College, Careers and More

Teacher Resource Page


PBS Learning Media

Search for lesson plans for K-12. Great resource with video, interactive activities, handouts and more.

Each school has different online resources that have been purchased. Utilize these resources to support learning.

Students can access these resources and more by signing into Clever at https://clever.com/in/trussvillecityschools/ .

Screencastify

Screencastify allows you to record your screen as you talk, your web camera only, or both your screen and your web camera to create instructional videos that are automatically saved to your Google Drive and then can easily be shared in Google Classroom. All faculty and staff now have Screencastify Premium which will allow you to record longer than 5 minute lessons and edit.

Best Practices for Being Professional while using Screencastify

As you begin to think about utilizing Screencastify to enhance your instruction, there are some important tips to keep in mind regarding showing professionalism in an online setting. Please take a minute to read through these tips to help you ensure that your video will be effective and appropriate for your students.

  1. Dress- A good tip for this would be that if you would wear it to work, it will be fine to wear while creating your video. Maintaining professional dress helps to set the tone for students and sends a message that learning is important.
  2. Video Background- The background should be in an appropriate location and free from distractions. Ideally, choosing a location that can serve as an “office type background” would be appropriate. Food or drink should not be present.
  3. Noise- Your virtual classroom should be noise and distraction free so that students can focus on the instruction that you are delivering.
  4. Enjoy the process- Be warm, inviting, and smile. Enjoy the experience and know that by doing so this will help students feel comfortable too!:)

Zoom

Obtain principal's approval before using. If you have been given permission to host a Zoom meeting with one or more students, you must follow the settings guidelines listed below. If you have any questions, contact April Chamberlain or Ashley Waring before using with students. Click the Zoom Meeting Settings link for full size directions.

Delivering and Supporting Learning

Google Classroom

Best Practices when Posting Assignments in Google Classroom

Below are five practices we are asking our TCS teachers to follow when posting in Google Classroom:

  • For each post, have only one assignment or student work to be turned in. Students are only able to turn in one piece to each assigned post
  • Organize your Google Classrooms by using Topics. (See more about this below)
  • Test your links in Incognito Mode. To do this, simple hold down CRTL+Shift+N or go to the three dots in the top right corner of your Chrome browser and click "New Incognito Window." Copy and paste links into the address bar to ensure that permissions are correct.
  • Upload your resources into the assigned Resource Folder in Google Drive.
  • Check your attachments! Be sure that you check the permissions on your attachments before posting. (See more information below)

Posting Assignments with Attachments

In Google Classroom, teachers have three options when posting an assignment with an attachment. When creating a post, the teacher can select for the students to:


  • Have their OWN copy of the attachment forced with their name in the title. This is the best option for having students turn in work and both the teacher and one student have editing access.
  • Be able to edit the ONE file. All students who have the assignment having editing rights to the attachment
  • Be able to view the attachment or file. This is a good selection if a teacher is sharing a resource, but not if students are expected to manipulate the attachment in anyway.


Types of Attachments for Posting Assignments

File

  1. Click Attach.
  2. Select the file Upload.

Drive

  1. Click Drive .
  2. Select the item and click Add.

If you attach a Google Forms quiz and there’s no other attachment with the assignment, grades can be imported directly to the Student Work page.

YouTube

To search for a video to attach:

  1. Click YouTube .
  2. Enter keywords and click Search .
  3. Click the video Add.
  4. To attach a video link by URL:
    1. Click YouTube URL.
    2. Enter the URL and click Add.

Link

  1. Click Link .
  2. Enter the URL and click Add Link.

Organizing Assignments with Topics

Google Classroom allows teachers to further organize the Classwork Stream with the use of topics. Topics can be assigned to each post and used to filter the Classwork for students and teachers. During this time of remote learning, using topics with the dates each week would be helpful to your students.


  1. Go to classroom.google.com.
  2. Click the class Classwork.
  3. At the top, click Create Topic.
  4. Enter the topic name and click Add.

Students only see topics with published posts.

You can see all your posts for a topic and quickly move between topics with the topic filters.

  1. In a class, click Classwork.
  2. To see all your posts for a topic, at the left, click a topic name.
  3. To return to all your topics, at the left, click All topics.

Read and Write for Google Chrome

Remember, if a student is using a chromebook or logged into the Chrome browser, they have access to all the features of Read and Write for Google.

Text to Speech, Hover Speech, Talking and Picture Dictionary, Word Prediction, Translator, Highlights, Talk & Type, Simply on web pages to remove the clutter, screen masking to tint your screen and provides a spotlight that follows your mouse pointer, Practice reading aloud, and more.

Read and Write for Google How to Guide for Students

Read and Write for Google Quick Reference Guide explaining all the features

Engaging Students through Communication

Communicating with Students

Using Google Classroom

      1. Email your Students
      2. Post announcements
      3. Explore Save time communicating in Google Teacher Center for more tips and ideas

Communicating with Parents

Using Google Classroom

      1. Set up Guardian Email Summaries
      2. About Guardian Email Summaries

Using Google Voice

Google Voice is an option for teachers to use so that a personal cell phone number is not shared, but teachers in Trussville have to use a personal email as it costs to use the Trussville Google account. You can also use *67 and the call will show up as an unlisted number.

Sign up for Voice and get your number

  1. On your computer, go to voice.google.com.
  2. Sign in to your Google Account.
  3. After reviewing the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, tap Continue.
  4. Search by city or area code for a number. Voice doesn't offer 1-800 numbers.
    • If there aren't any numbers available in the area you want, try somewhere nearby.
  5. Next to the number you want, click Select. Follow the instructions.
  6. Here’s a link to the instructions from Google Support on setting up Google Voice.


Accessing Student Learning

Google Classroom

  • Grading with Rubrics
  • Originality Reports (plagiarism checker)

Google Slides

Google Sites


Google Voice