I've shared this slide presentation before and I'm sharing it again as I've recently updated its content.
Take a look at my top 4 favourite formative assessment tools for online learning. These tools are what I call the 'life-savers' or the 'MVPs' of remote or distance learning.
Google slides can go beyond a mere presentation tool with words or probably with some relevant images to go with it. It could also be engaging, interactive and even collaborative.
There are many possible ways of using Google Slides in the classroom, but today I'll be focusing on using it creatively by creating an online storybook with Google Slides.
Picture this; you are required to send the same email content with a different attachment or salutation to a bunch of different contacts over and over again. What would you do? Type the same email content to all the contacts? What??! That's crazy! Copy and paste the same content from a source to a new email? Possible! What about using the canned response? Now we're talking!!! This week's 'oldie but goldie' Gmail feature is one of the regularly used tool (or support system) in my day-to-day correspondence with either parents, students or colleagues. Here are the steps on how to use it: SECTION 1: SETTING UP A CANNED RESPONSE Step 1: Go to setting by clicking on the gear icon.
Step 2: Once in the setting window, click on the Labs tab and then enable the Canned Responses Lab.
Step 3: Go to compose and create an email template which will then be used in your canned responses.
Step 4: Hover over the drop-down arrow at the bottom right of your email window and click on Canned responses. Step 5: Then click on New canned response.
Step 6: Name your new canned response for easier identification in the future (Mine's Sample Email).
SECTION 2: USING A CANNED RESPONSE Step 7: On a new message window, hover over the drop-down arrow at the bottom right of your email window, click on Canned responses and then the email template (Sample Email) which was created earlier.
Step 8: Once your response has been pasted, you can now send your email. Repeat Steps 7 and 8 for other contacts.
Canned responses might seem like a small win, but these incremental performance improvements add up over time and set you apart. Give it a try!
This week's add-ons special will be featuring not one, but two add-ons that can do magic! They are Goobric and Doctopus! These add-ons enable grading directly via Google Classroom, using a rubric which is attachable to the assigned document. There are also options for self/peer assessment and send assessment feedback via student's email. Check out my youtube tutorial to learn more about Rubric Grading using Goobric and Doctopus.
I am planning to introduce this process to my colleagues for our next assessment for learning (AfL) in Term 3. These add-ons will not only reduce time spent on manually writing and then copying feedbacks from one form to another but it also serves as an organised as well as a more comprehensive record of student's work. Give it a go and have an awesome weekend!
Last week was one of the busiest weeks of the term as I had Term 1 report to work on, a class assembly presentation to practise with and last but not least, a Google session small group CPD to facilitate. It's great that we have a week-long break right after that as I could use some time away from the hustle and bustle of 'academia' life! On Thursday 24th of May last week, I've offered a Google session mini CPD to a small group of colleagues who are keen to explore more about everything Google. It was the first self-initiated session for me as my previous experiences were of invitational basis. I started by discussing my desire to offer this CPD with my senior leaders which was much appreciated, therefore, approved to go on. The first step was to send a pre-session Google form to my colleagues to gauge interest and to find out more about their ability and comfort level with various topics that will be discussed during the session. Upon receiving responses, I then finalise the topics and shared it with my colleagues so that they'll have some ideas on what will go on during my session. The format of my session was designed in a 'choose-your-own-adventure' style; differentiated and self-paced learning which covered topics of their choice. (see Google slides below for more clarification)
I think the session went well as most of the participants were able to 'take-away' at least two new things to be implemented in their classroom. It would be even better if I focused the 1-hour session on a specific topic, for example, Google Drive, as there were just too many to digest, too little time! However, I've shared the presentation slides for them to further explore on their own and at their own pace. After the session, another Google form was sent (unanimous responses) for feedback purpose which will be helpful because I can improve in the future and also understand my audience's perspective a little bit better. So, here's to a better and improved session next time! Sayonara!
Here comes the last and the most exciting part of Google Form. Evaluation of results! Check out my previous blogs for Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.
Grading and Feedback
In this post, I'm going to show you ways to grade assignments automatically. Yes, you heard me right. Automatically! No more wasting time on mundane tasks of marking the same questions over and over again. Here are two ways to do just that.
Google Forms Quiz
1. In your form setting, go to quizzes tab and enable "Make this a quiz." Check and review the quiz options below and then click save.
2. When assigning assignment on Google Classroom, enable Grade Importing so students' grade can be shared easily via email.
3. To share scores or grades with your students, click on the responses tab on your Google Form, click on the individual tab and then choose to release score. The scores or grades will be shared via individual email.
4. This is how it looks like from a student's point of view.
Flubaroo Add-ons
This amazing and time-saving add-on is highly recommended to all the teachers out there. It's user-friendly and its developer is always looking for ways to improve the functionality of it. Check out my tutorial video below on how to use Flubaroo to automatically grade and share results with your students.
Conclusion
In short, the Google Forms quiz option is easier to use than Flubaroo. However, Flubaroo currently provides some extra features such as generating a Google Docs report for students who do not have Gmail.
This post actually came about because of my colleagues' plea for help to set up their appointment slots for our school's upcoming Parent Teacher Meeting. So, here it is! A guide on how to set up an appointment slot via Google Calendar. Google calendar has changed into a new look since the end of last year so some steps might be a little bit different from the ones used in the previous calendar environment.
A video tutorial on how to set an appointment slot using Google Calendar
Another favourite app of mine called Boomerang Calendar could also be used to plan a group event but not applicable for a one-to-one appointment. I like how user-friendly and straightforward this app is.
I'm going to start with one of the most flexible and engaging Google App for Education which is the Google Slides. It provides you with endless possibilities of enhancing your presentation, hence creating a meaningful and lasting impression on the students or audience at large.
