GEG Communities

Issue No. 62 | Date: January 15, 2021

Local Success Stories from GEG

Thank you for all your contributions to the GEG Newsletter in 2020. We face a busy time again with many schools returning to distance learning. So your members really do need you.

In the New Year please, continue to write and submit short articles for this newsletter. It helps leaders to see what is going on in other GEGs as well as their own and promotes the great work you are all doing. It is very much appreciated.

Submit your articles here please https://forms.gle/8RVKLfvZBw9HZevo6

Keep Googling, keep smiling, keep safe.

GEG Leadership

Leading your GEGs

GEG APAC Weekend

As a tumultuous 2020 drew to a close, GEG APAC Leaders brought a third installment of GEG APAC Weekend to educators from India to Japan. The event was broadcast live on YouTube channels from close to 200 speakers across the region over three days. The event theme, Staying Connected, reminded us of the importance of working together as the world continues to grapple with the global pandemic. GEG APAC Weekend featured workshops, panel discussions, and hands-on workshops mostly focused on G Suite for Education tools, technology in education, women in the STEM industry, and wellness during a time of crisis. Since the summer GEG Leaders from Asia-Pacific planned, discussed, and prepared for this GEG APAC feature initiative, first launched in 2019.

One of the key components of the event is to provide opportunities for educators to share their knowledge and skills with a wide range of people in multiple languages. This time around we had speakers present in 12 different languages. Based on YouTube metrics and a post-event reflection meetup, our reach was easily up to 20,000 educators over the weekend. Building upon lessons of past experience, we decided to revamp and standardize the GEG APAC website and all documents related to the event. Speakers had stylized promotional materials and Slides decks. For each session we used Autocrat to allow participants to auto-generate a certificate of participation and for presenters a certificate of appreciation.

Google provided complimentary vouchers for participants in multiple languages to be raffled off. Most language groups had an opening and closing ceremony with Asia-Pacific based Googlers as guest speakers. Many thanks to the GEG Leaders and their active participation over several months of fabulous collaboration culminating in a grand weekend of professional learning.

As 2021 promises to be a year of hope GEG APAC is looking to expand our range of initiatives to include student-centered and transnational events.

Best wishes for 2021 from GEG Asia-Pacific Connect!

Google Events

Learning With Google

Learning with Google

You're invited to our virtual event, Learning with Google, on February 17 & 18. We'll be live streaming announcements, showing exclusive previews of new products and features coming to #GoogleEdu, discussing learnings from 2020, and more. Reserve your spot:

http://goo.gle/learningwithgoogle

GEG Events

Bring your community together to collaborate

Reflecting Forward with GEG UK

Join us to talk about what we have learned when reflecting on our practice and the impact it's had. With practical hints and tips so you can start Reflecting Forward too.

Learn more: bit.ly/ukrefelct

Watch the GEG On Air #31 on demand

Global GEG Beginner's Guide to G Suite

Do you have any staff members in your schools or organisations who are just getting started or thinking of getting started with G Suite? If so, then please point them in the direction of the Global GEG Beginner's Guide to G Suite. The series is a great introduction for new users to G Suite for Education. Whether they are a teacher, support, office or admin staff in a school, this series will help them to use Google tools to improve productivity. Delivered by expert Google Certified Trainers from all around the world, this series can be watched on demand and at the users own pace to help them to develop their skills with G Suite for Education.

Watch on YouTube: http://bit.ly/globalbeginner

More information here: https://www.globalgeg.org/globals-beginner-guide

GEG Learn

Individual professional development opportunities

Google ET with GEG Global

Global GEG successfully launched the #ETOpenChat last month and Cohort 1 is now open.

Get your members to join them if they want help to work through the Trainer application or begin the journey!

Build your own voice app

Voice-activated smart speakers such as Google Home are everywhere, even in education. Watch the show and learn how to create your own voice-activated app

https://youtu.be/7vaeDvJuiMk

Google Meet tips for remote learning

Create breakout rooms for group learning

Not all organisations have Enterprise GSuite for education, but if you want to create breakout rooms it’s still possible with a little organisation.

Create a doc and set it up similar to the one shown below. Create the Meets you need and add them in a column. Make sure you are clear how long they should be in the rooms before rejoining the main group and also suggest a timekeeper is chosen. Always add a link back to your main meet too to save them looking for it again.

Once your doc is ready, simply copy the link, set it to anyone with the link can view, then paste it in the chat for students to access it.

See your students

Using tiled view you can now see up to 49 participants in your call. You can access this by clicking on the 4 dots, selecting Tiled and using the slider to select the number you need.

Many teachers like to pull this tab into a second screen to keep an eye on the group throughout the session. Alternatively you can log in with a second device such as your tablet or phone, but make sure you have the sound off on this device to avoid feedback.

Monitor chat

Alternatively you can have the chat tab open on a second device or second monitor to be able to easily see students' questions as they are asked.

GEGWVCodes

Did you miss it live? No worries! Watch how to participate in the #GEGWVCodes State Coding Showcase here: https://youtu.be/HnPRk3UrpkQ

Toolkit from GEG Santo Antônio da Patrulha

2021 has started with great work from GEG Santo Antônio da Patrulha, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: Dilce Eclai de Vargas Vicente, led the creation of a toolkit to support teachers in using Google tools. The ebook is a result of a collaborative work of educators that have impacted thousands of colleagues in training sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Special thanks to everyone involved - all names are listed on page 5.

The material is available here to be used by the educational community.