Google Maps Tour Builder Tutorial

Reviewing and providing information on Google Maps Tour Builder provided great feedback from our staff. A request came in from a staff member for a video tutorial.

Done.

Video Link

*The video is for teachers and students.  Consider playing the tutorial in front of students!

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Revert To Draft Classroom Blog Posts From Year To Year

Several teachers use a blog to update their classroom content.  It is year two for some of them, and they wanted to know how to remove blog posts from last year.  This would enable teachers to use the same blog posts from year to year or modify them as needed.

Process For Removing Posts:

• Blogger Dashboard
• Click Posts
• Click Individual Posts or Box above all posts
• Click Revert To Draft

Process For Updating Posts:

• Edit Posts
• Right Hand Side Post Settings
• Published On
• Change Date
• Click Update

See the video tutorials for how to do this below.

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Google Chrome's Three Little Lines

Google Chrome is a wonderful tool to surf the web, especially if your school uses Google Apps For Education.

Our school district does!

Therefore learning about what's behind "Three Little Lines" can help you become more efficient by utilizing tools that aide in completing tasks!


Normally, I like to create video tutorials that last two to three minutes.  This one lasted slightly over six minutes, but is well worth the view to learn all that the "three little lines" offer!



In addition, Google provides a Choose Your Account option.  Consider this if you would share a "non public" computer with your family or have multiple Google accounts (one professional, one personal) that you you want simultaneous access to during the day.
Visit Google Account Chooser

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Google Hangout For Chemical Engineer To Enter Calculus II Classroom

Mr. Bentz, Calculus II instructor, suggested that he would like to SKYPE with a Chemical Engineer so that his students could envision what they could be doing in 5-10 years.  While SKYPEing might be a great way for people to communicate it does require yet another username and password.

I suggested that he use Google Hangout as it is part of Google and doesn't require another username and password.

Everything worked perfectly.

We even had a student who was visiting Arizona during the class period.  She joined the hangout which allowed her to not miss the learning experience.

Reactions at the end of the video by the student is certainly positive.

View the process and some of the conversation.

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Cardiovascular Case Study

As a completion to a "I am a Doctor and developing a Case Study" to present at a Symposium, we used a Google form to gather all of the web links of online created pieces of information.

This was the follow up to these processes!

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AP Human Geography Understanding Information

The AP Human Geography students used one of two technology tools to organize information found in a section of information text.

The first class used the SimpleMind HD app to organize this information.  Some students from 2011-2012 school year demonstrated how to use this app.




Because we share digital devices, the second class was not able to secure the iPads for use.  We chose to have them create the information on a Google Draw (ing) document.


The positive aspect of using Google Draw is the aspect of collaboration & sharing.  Both are easy to do and can add to the learning experience.

This is the first time I have used Google Draw and may look to use this tool in the future due to our success incorporating it!

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Google Drive on iPad

In the final installment of a World Issues on the iPad, students need to upload their creation with the instructor.

In steps Google Drive.

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Google Voice For Spanish Assessment

Today, our Spanish teacher provided the steps for students to take an assessment using their cell phones and Google Voice.

See the process

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Techcoach Chat Summary From Aug 23

The #techcoach chat on Twitter, episode 2, was another well attended event.  I believe my tweet sums it up:

Items that caught my interest from last night's #techcoach chat:

1. Cybraryman Internet Catalogue
2. Google Apps For Education Integration With WikiSpaces
3. Connection to Teachers:  make #techcoach s visible, become in tune with the way teachers learn, learn about their families, events in life, become genuinely in tune with them as people first.
4. There are a great amount of people who are techcoach 's in the educational world.  I am one of 5 techcoach's in our school, but with Twitter, I am one of 50 who can collaborate and learn how to improve in my helping of teachers.

#techcoach chats on Thursday can be reviewed here, with more resources to come here.

#techcoach chat Thursdays 8:30 PM EST

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Google Calendar as Lesson Plans and Embedded In Blog

Today was a great day of learning!  Teachers set up calendars for each of their classes or subject area.


To communicate with parents and students these calendars will be used for their lesson plans and embedded into their classroom blogs.  The step by step process is in video and presentation form below.






The entire process of creating a lesson plan in Google calendar and embedding the calendar with a week's lesson plans into a Google blog took one hour.

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Math Teachers Making Word Documents Available on Web

While the iPaddiction blog has mostly been about the use of iPads (and will continue to be as we purchase more for the district), it will also be enhanced to include ANY form of technology used in the classroom by teachers in our great district.

Today, after a CCSS math department meeting, a teacher wanted to know how to make Word document files into PDF files and ultimately uploaded to Google Drive.  This will allow for the document to be placed on a blog.  The main reason for this is that most math teachers have used Microsoft Equation Editor which doesn't play nicely when uploaded to Google Drive.

So here are the steps to convert a Microsoft Word Document to pdf.

• Visit CutePDF Writer Website for Free Download  
• Once downloaded and installed the option for changing a Word Document to a PDF will be in the File>Print options of the Microsoft Word document.

• Choose this option, and save it to your desired folder or location.
• Upload the PDF to Google Drive

A somewhat lengthy process, but one that allows for a Word document filled with Equation Editor math problems to be shared with students on a blog or website.

By the way, the entire time I was teaching the teacher how to do this I remembered my philosophy.  Having a slogan, theme, and/or philosophy makes the job of teaching so much easier!

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Are They Clients?

My role in our district will be changing as of the 2012-2013 school year.  I will be a technology integration specialist.  I will be a resource for teachers and their ideas of using technology tools in the classroom.  I have been pondering whether I can call the teachers in our district that I will be working with "clients".

Clients?

Client(s): a person or group of people receiving the service or professional advice from a source DEFINE

Am I that?  I professional advice person, a service?  I think so.  My vision is for teachers in our district to provide their content and their idea for implementing technology as a tool to accomplish a task relating to the content.  I am the professional advice.   The person who can take their "big idea" and provide specifics.  Specific technology tools to accomplish their goal.  My whole focus will be to make the teacher's job of implementing technology as easy and painless as possible.

As @followmolly would say:  "I am not trying to change the content being taught.  I am trying to change the way the content is being taught."

Classroom teachers want to use technology but don't always know the best tool to use.  Since it is my passion to continue to "fill the tech toolbox" as @kmtitler likes to say, I will provide teachers details of technology tools that can be used.  I will co teach a lesson with them.  They deliver the content, I help instruct the details of the tech device.  Maybe I create a tutorial of the tech device for the teacher to view and they teach it.  Whatever the teacher (client) wants,  I will help in whatever way I can.

In order to do this, I have begun the process of developing a Google form that will allow any district staff to complete in order to receive help.  

See the questions to be used on the form!

Client?  Yes, client.  Me: professional person, helping teachers integrate and implement technology tools.

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