How to use Google Classroom like a Pro - A Guide for Teachers

One of the most universally used tools in schools is without a doubt, Google Classroom. Whilst many teachers are drawn to its ease of use to post announcements, share links and manage workflow, there is a deeper level in which Classroom can be used to enhance learning and teaching. How many of the following have you tried?

Increase Student Autonomy

By simply posting your own screen casts or ready made ones (Khan Academy etc.), you can empower students to learn at their own pace. Small groups can be using the digital resource while you teach face to face with another group.

HINT: post on the Classwork tab as a ‘Material’ under the relevant topic to ensure the video is easy to access. Not everything has to be an ‘Assignment’ if there isn’t anything to ‘turn in’.

Differentiate for Learning Styles

When posting an assignment, allow students to ‘Add’ evidence of their learning in whatever format they choose (within reason!) – images, videos, voice recording, screen cast, Doc, or Slides. This element of choice is not only engaging for students, it caters for different learning styles.

Make Learning Visible

Use Classroom to share out a single Doc or Slides presentation that each student can edit. This collaborative approach to learning allows students to see and learn from their peers. It not only supports weaker students by scaffolding their learning, but it provides an audience for student writing.

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HUGE COLLECTION OF GOOGLE CLASSROOM GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

• Perfect tool for critical and creative thinking

• Works seamlessly with Google Classroom

• Covers all curriculum areas

• Fully Editable

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Make Learning Visible

Use Classroom to share out a single Doc or Slides presentation that each student can edit. This collaborative approach to learning allows students to see and learn from their peers. It not only supports weaker students by scaffolding their learning, but it provides an audience for student writing.

I like to also share my expectations about writing in a shared Doc – Golden Rules of Team Writing.

Amplify Student Voice

Pose a short answer question (ensure it?s open ended) and students reply with their opinion.

Importantly, don’t stop the lesson there. Encourage students to then read each other’s responses and leave comments.

Use the ‘Guide to Commenting’ to help scaffold appropriate digital commenting.

Formative Assessment and Feedback

A super simple but very powerful use of Classroom is to post an ‘exit ticket’ for students to complete. You, as the teacher, can get a clear insight into how students are progressing with their learning.

Other ideas for exit tickets:

• 3 things you learnt

• 1 question you still have

• specific content related multiple choice question

The Best Coding Games for Kids

Best Coding Games For Kids

In this age, where our society heavily relies on technology, coding has become an essential piece of employment qualifications. And if you wish your children to have a successful career, then it is best to give it a quick running start.

Coding for children does not merely help improve their writing and mathematical skills because it also supplies them crucial abilities in life and, ultimately, in the workforce.

Why should we become aware of the significance of coding in our kids? There are several reasons for it, but the most crucial factor for that is, if they know how to code at a younger age, it significantly increases their chances of getting their dream job in the future.

Why is coding a vital skill to learn?

Knowing the basics of programming is a vital skill not only for adults but for children as well. Specifically, for the young ones, learning the fundamentals of coding in the early stages of life provides a massive benefit. 

One advantage of this skill is that when students are capable of creating simple websites and games, it will help them polish their logic, plans, and problem-solving skills. Besides, it also enables them to formulate ideas and show creativity in uncommon ways. That is why coding is indeed a useful tool for learning for children.

As we observe how the world develops, it is evident that coding is a highly essential skill to have. Why? Because there is a rising number of institutions that rely heavily on computer code, not just the sector in technology.

A student who knows how to code at an early age will possess an advantage in life. This advantage means more opportunities in employment waiting for them in the future. Regardless of which industry they will settle in, be it in the health sector, retail sector, finance sector, or others will never be a problem because our society currently revolves around technology.

So, if you have a child who spends a lot of time playing mobile games, why not incorporate coding into it? It is an excellent way for them to learn how to code while having fun at the same time. As kids expose themselves to technology, it will surely help them become a vital part of huge corporations as they grow up.

How can you teach your child to code?

This question is probably the first one an interested parent will ask. Well, many parents are as clueless when it comes to coding as the others, and that is particularly normal.

The most beneficial component of programming is that we can learn it at any period. Although the retention of various languages can be quite hard, especially for late adults, it can still turn out to be an excellent experience.

If you are going to ask about the most effective approach for your kids to learn to code, then the answer is for you to learn it with them.

You can stimulate interest in your children if they notice you doing the same.

So, if you become interested in coding and put in a little effort to learn it, chances are your children will follow.

To help you start, here are some top coding applications for kids.

Bee-Bot

Available on iOs and ANDROID

This app is available on Google Play and the App Store. The Bee-Bot floor robot inspired this coding application, which now enables the children to learn the fundamentals of programming at various levels quickly.

The little ones who learn to code may entirely use this application to enhance not their problem-solving skills alone, but also their programming skills. Bee-Bot has 12 levels encouraging progression in total. Each level is time-bound, and the quicker you complete the stage, the more stars you acquire.

It enables children to enhance their skills in directional languages together with programming through the various sequences of backward, forward, left, and right 90-degree turns in every level. 

The progression within this game will allow students to improve their knowledge and their problem-solving abilities through encountering difficult challenges throughout the various aspects of Bee-Bot.

Daisy the Dinosaur

available on all major platforms

This application is suitable for ages 5-8 and is free to download. Daisy the Dinosaur serves as an excellent foundation for programming or to assess your child’s curiosity in the topic. Kids can program Daisy and in the process, learn some fundamental practices of programming. 

Daisy the Dinosaur has a couple of sections for your students to explore, one is the free-play mode, and the other is challenge mode. 

In the free-play mode, juniors can explore with commands to see how Daisy will move as an outcome of their program. Meanwhile, in challenge mode, kids will challenge themselves to solve a presented problem.

They need to use the given commands to finish the challenge. Apply the smooth drag and drop symbols to make Daisy the Dinosaur move. This Gaming application sets the foundation for learning the fundamentals of programming.

The content in this application is not huge, but sufficient enough for a free app. 

Code Adventures: Coding Puzzles For Kids

available on ios and android

This remarkable app is ideal for ages 6 to 8 that concentrates on child-friendly computer coding puzzles.
This game features exciting puzzles while learning how to code, loveable characters, funny sounds, engaging visuals along with around 30 puzzle stages.

The main goal of this game of puzzles is to help Aurora go home by finishing the 30 stages of challenges. Also, this app works through different levels, which include the basics, functions, and repetitive control structures (conditional loops).

Students will have to set the commands into the correct order, which indicates a practice in sequencing ability. Besides, they will find the necessity to repeat the commands to help move the character around, as each movement hardly takes it one block in any direction.

The app slowly introduces different puzzle details such as ladders, movable bridges, flying platforms, and portals, which makes the programming even more enjoyable.

Children will solve tricky puzzles while learning how to code. It also grants an excellent opportunity for a family to bond together while stimulating the child’s curiosity in STEM subjects.

Kodable

avaialble on ios and android

This coding application cuts down computer science into the fundamental thoughts that children require to build a stable foundation in life. 

Kodable gives materials that concentrate on subjects ranging from communication and social-emotional knowledge to the real influence of computer science in the world.

This application hosts lessons for coding and games for children between 5 and 10. The main objective of Kodable is to assist elementary school educators in bringing programming basics into the classroom in the form of a game. 

While Kodable is indeed useful in the classroom setting, parents can also take advantage of this app to teach coding to their kids in an engaging and entertaining method. The design of the teaching guide of this app is so excellent that even people who have no experience in coding at all can also use it.

Kodable applies the sets of principles and processes of JavaScript, which makes it an outstanding source to learn to code for beginners. 

While this app focuses on younger ages, older children can take classes regarding JavaScript too. It will lead learners through the concepts of programming using various challenges and games, such as maneuvering a labyrinth. 

Kodable is one of the best apps for coding because it also enhances vital skills such as problem-solving abilities, social-emotional learning, decision-making abilities, communication skills, and a lot more.

ScratchJr

available on all mobile platforms and devices

This game is a free coding application for young children.  With the help of ScratchJr, kids ages 5 to 7 can program their games and stories. While having fun, children will develop their skills in problem-solving, project designing, and will be capable of expressing themselves creatively.

Students snap together blocks to help make the characters move, sing, dance, and jump. They can also modify the characters in the app using the paint editor, add their voice, and even add their photos, which can truly develop their imagination and creativity.

Furthermore, as children learn how to design projects and solve problems while playing the game, they can also enhance their abilities in sequencing, which is an essential factor throughout life.

To Conclude

A lot of people believe that teaching students to code is almost an impossible task, and they are correct. However, if you introduce yourself in these coding apps and by recognising the benefits of coding in your children, then you would probably change your mind.

Teaching the little ones how to code will truly be advantageous for them, particularly later in life. Not only that, learning how to code at an early age would grant them a skill that they can utilize throughout their lives, but it would also prepare them for several new careers that will arise. 

This effect is a result of the rising inclination of the current generation towards technology, which makes it more reasonable for every parent to introduce coding to their kids.

Google Classroom opens its doors to all teachers today.

As of now Google Classroom is available to all Google Apps for Education (GAFE) users.

Classroom is a tool within the GAFE that allows teachers to set up different classes, set projects, assign homework to groups and grade them all within a single space.  Classroom also records student grades and progress.  It should be a worthwhile assessment tool once you have begun using it with your students for a couple of months.

Remember, what you are using at the moment is essentially Classroom 1.0 and as such it is quite limited in it's functionality and flexibility, but so was everything in Google Apps when it was first released and Google have certainly demonstrated a commitment to upgrade and enhance their products continually.

It will take you all of about 2 minutes to set up your class and get cooking so all I can suggest is give it a shot and see where it takes you.  You certainly won't be wasting your time fro my brief encounter with it so far.

Here are a couple of resources and links to get you started and I'd love to hear about your experiences thus far.

ScratchJr finally brings programming for juniors to the iPad

In many new national curriculum's around the world coding is being viewed as a new form of literacy as we try to entice kids to become tech creators and not simply tech consumers.

Scratch Jr is the little brother to the very popular Scratch that was released nearly a decade ago by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or (MIT).  Scratch revolutionized coding for kids as it changed lines of irrelevant syntax with variable jigsaw pieces that could be manipulated by students with far more simplicity and success.

Scratch has never worked on the iPad unfortunately and there have been numerous forums discussing the potential of making it happen.

So ScratchJr is now available on the iPad and it is targeted at students aged 5 - 7 years old.  It is free.

As young children code with ScratchJr, they learn how to create and express themselves with computers, not just to interact with it. In the process, kid's learn to solve problems and design projects, and they develop sequencing skills that are foundational for later academic success. They also use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of early-childhood numeracy and literacy.

ScratchJr is somewhat limited in what it can do in comparison to Scratch but then again it's also aimed at a younger audience. 

Younger students have no trouble picking up the concepts and the basic skills behind ScratchJr but you will really need to reinforce to them what they are doing with it or else it might just come off as a poor man's animation tool for the iPad.

If student understand they are in fact controlling a computer much like video game makers do they will value the process far more.

ScratchJr is available on iTunes now with Android coming soon.

Find great educational software reviewed by teachers

Graphite is a really useful website for teachers to find high quality websites, games and apps, for tablets and computers.

It is completely run for and by teachers with experience in and out of the classroom.  Every review is linked to curriculum areas and common core standards. 

It is quite easy to search for a tool that has been recommended to you determine it's educational value but the real gold is finding something new. 

Graphite is a non profit tool and as such completely free but more importantly just like us it does not receive paid reviews.  Be sure to check out Graphite here.

History Hero is a great app for teaching younger students history

History Hero is an app designed for students aged between 4 and 10 to teach them about some of the worlds most significant historical locations.

Set in the style of a game, a group of villains called 'the erasers' are set to remove all records of history and it is up to you to travel the world, learn some history and in doing so erase 'the erasers.'

Set in a similar style to "Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?" History Hero will definitely appeal to younger students and does a pretty good job of informing students about the where and why of 40 significant historical locations.  It is available on iOS and Android and you can find out more here.

Manage your Google Apps console from your iOS device

For many schools using Google Apps for Education it can be a bit of a time consuming task to manage users and groups and reset people's passwords from time to time.

Thankfully, now Google have created the Google Admin console for iOS devices that allows admin users to add users, reset passwords and manage groups directly from your iPhone or iPad.

This is a must have for any admin that uses an iOS device.  From my test drive today I was really impressed and recommend getting this free app  as it removes the need to access a PC for 90 percent of the things you are going to want to do within the admin console.

It really doesn't offer many more features than the ones I have mentioned, which is fine with me as it does the simple things very well with a nice clean interface.  Maybe more features will come in time...  

You can access the Google Admin console App here.  Enjoy

Over 450 Windows & Surface Apps for busy teachers

Over the last few years education has been crying out for alternatives to the traditional Windows PC environments that dominated education for the last three decades. 

I would be the first to admit it probably gets overlooked a little more than it should for a platform that still dominates market share of all computing devices.

Design Learn and Empower have not forgotten about Windows and have put together this great collection of Windows Apps by curriculum area.

It is very current, with the vast majority being available on Windows 8 and surface and there are some great ideas around implementation in the classroom.

I would strongly recommend taking a look at this if you want to get more out of your windows PC's and devices in schools. Access it here.