Google Classroom Assignment Preview

This week's post is for the Google Classroom teachers who "Create assignments".

Especially those teachers who "Make a copy for each student". 

The teachers who assign work, by making a copy for each student do so in order to become part of the learning process & journey.  They aren't as interested in only seeing the final product.  Feedback during the creation process is invaluable.  Students have the opportunity to act on the feedback before the graded evaluation.  Feedback prompts change, then in turn, prompts learning. 

(If you know what type of doc you are asking from your students, 

(doc, slides, sheet, drawing, etc)  

Consider at least making a blank template copy for each student.  

You will be able to see everything from the moment they begin work.)

Watching your students work in real-time changes the way we teach, but it can be discouraging waiting for each page to load to see their progress.  This delay may cause us not to "check-in" as often as we would like. 

As my 7th graders were working this week I came across this guy: the assignment folder.

This folder will take you to the assignments in Google Drive.  The difference between viewing assignments in Google Drive versus Google Classroom is the option to Preview when you right click.

Assignments can be previewed much more quickly than fully opening the page.  

You can hit the arrow to scroll through all of your student's assignments in less than a minute.

Open & load only the assignments for which you want to make comments.  Saving you time.

Preview is a time-saving option for checking in on your students periodically during a project.  By doing periodic reviews, you will certainly spread out the workload on your end making it less time consuming after the final due date. 

Please share your questions, concerns and experiences below! 

Top 10 Chrome Tips for Teachers & Staff

Trim your tree this year with these tips for using your Google Chrome Internet browser.

With Gmail and Google Drive, along with the thousands of websites we use every day, we are constantly using an Internet browser to research, communicate and interact with technology.  It comes as no surprise that Google Chrome is my browser of choice, and today's post is here to enhance your daily web surfing experience.

#1 Search Google Drive & YouTube right from your address bar!

If you are looking for a particular file or folder in your Google Drive, simply type "drive" into the address bar (or omnibox) and hit TAB.  It will automatically prompt you to search within your Google Drive. Then, type the name of the file you are looking for and you will be automatically directed to your results!  

If that frosts your nose, try it with YouTube!    youtube + TAB

The TAB search feature can be setup with any website that has a search bar.   Make an appt to set up other searchable sites.


#2 Duplicate a Tab

Say you are researching on the Internet and you click on one of your search results. Now you want to keep that tab open, but also be able to go back to your original search.  Right click the tab and then select DUPLICATE TAB.  Now you can keep one search result open while going back in another tab to see the original list of results. 


#3 Reopen a Closed Tab

This one is so good I had to mention it again this year!  Ctl + Shift + T  will open up the last tab that you closed.  Great for when you close something by accident, or if you want to see what game your student was just playing instead of doing his lab report!

#4 Guest Window / Incognito Mode


I can't stress this one enough.  If someone is logging into their account on your device, have them use a Guest Window or Incognito Mode.  This will keep from account confusion later on with Mail, Drive, Docs & more. 

Incognito Mode - Ctrl + Shift + N  
(This is also a great way to test links that you plan on publishing for your students or colleagues.)

Guest mode can be found under your profile name next to the minimize button in the upper right.   (If you don't see your name, please click the person and sign-in to Chrome)  

#5 Arrange Your Icons

If you use your "waffle" to find icons for your Google Tools, you may want to consider reordering them to meet your needs.   Simply click on the icon you want to relocate and drag it to a new location in the menu.

#6 Create Your Own Desktop Shortcuts

Throughout the years we have found that teachers love nothing more than a good icon to click on their desktop that will take them exactly where they want to go.  Now with a click and drag you can make your own! 

1. First change your browser window so that it does not take up the whole screen. 
2. Go to the exact page on the Internet for which you want a shortcut (Flextime, PowerSchool, SAMS, etc)
3. Highlight the entire web address
4. Click and drag it onto your desktop. 
5. Voila! - Shortcut!

#7 Bookmark Your Favorite Sites By Dragging

Desktop Icons are convenient, but if you are already in your browser, it can be cumbersome to minimize everything to access your desktop.  (And for me, that is a lot of programs to close to find the top of my desk. Same is true for my physical desk these days!)  

Bookmarks can be made the same way as icons, simply drag them to your bookmark bar.   Don't see your book mark bar? Try Ctrl + Shift + B to show/hide your bookmarks. 

Already have bookmarks ?   Want to clean it up ?  

Right Click > Edit 

Here you can shorten or remove bookmark names all together for more space!

#8 Flip Through Tabs Without the Mouse

This one is for my keyboard ninjas out there! 

Ctrl + 1, 2, 3...  Will give you the first, second, third tab in your browser. 

Ctrl + TAB will flip through your tabs in order until you find the one that you want. 


#9 Find What You Are Looking For.... Faster

This next tip can help you find what you are looking for in Chrome & elsewhere.  Ctrl+F will give you a "find" search box in the upper right.  Say you are looking for the part of this post about icons. Type "icons" into the box and hit Enter.  It will let you know where your text is matched throughout the page. 


#10 For The Last Minute Online-Shopper

I found this gem while Cyber Monday shopping this year.   When searching for bargains, or lesson resources ;-), hit Alt + → or Alt + ← to go back and forward.  Smart shoppers (& teachers!), shop around allowing this key can save you time. 

What are your favorite tips for using Google Chrome?  

Share below!

Student Choice Boards

... A platform to differentiate with technology



As one can see by this blog's index, there are a plethora of tech tools out there that meet the 21st century needs for teaching and learning.  So why are some teachers sill hesitant to incorporate them?

It is a risk.

We as teachers are hesitant to put all of our eggs into one basket by assigning everyone a tech-based assignment.

• What if it doesn't work?
• What if the results aren't what I expected?
• What if I have students who lack access to technology outside of class? 
• What if they get stuck and I can't help them?

Enter Choice Boards.... 

Student Choice Boards are not new to education.  They are a student-centered approach that embed differentiation & student ownership by allowing the learners themselves to select the ways that newly gained skills will be showcased to the instructor or alternate audience.

In the past student choice boards were a huge upfront investment.  All of the activities had to be decided upon, created, copied etc ahead of time.  There was little opportunity to be flexible and teach in the moment, or even make updates from year to year.

If we combine the technology with the student choice board, we lessen the workload & lessen the risk while gaining so much from our students.  I find this post very timely with current discussions in our buildings such as:

• Giving quality homework
• Allowing for redos/retakes
• Differentiating for IEP & GIEP students

The Gist.. 

You give your students a 3x3 board of assignment choices.  Students are not  to complete all of the assignments.  They are to choose "x" number of them.  For example, my students choose 3.  One from each horizontal row, which are tiered by DOK levels.

Another great way is to have an assignment that you want everyone to do in the middle.  Then the students need to complete 2 more to create a Tic Tac Toe row.  (vertical, horiztonal or diagonal).

Add tech..

For the majority of boxes, you will use your tried and true assignments.   For a few boxes, put in an assignment where the students are creating with technology.   Be specific with a tool you have learned here on the blog or keep it open and allow the student to find a tool to meet the learning goal. 

You now have challenged a section of your students without intimidating others.  You have little risk, as there are a variety options available.  And, you have a small sample of tech-based assignments to review and evaluate for efficiency and effectiveness without disrupting your unit plan.

I know compared to my early teaching years this is significantly less homework to assign, but it is better homework.  Less homework also means more time for quality teacher feedback.  

My template..

This year both 7th and 8th grade Spanish have been using Student Choice Boards for homework.  

The format so far has looked like this: 

Top Row - Traditional Assignments 

Middle Row - Mini-Projects with an option for Tech

Bottom Row - Formative & Performance Assessments with Tech

(click HERE to make your own copy)

Tips... 

You don't have to fill all of the boxes right away.  Post the board as "view only" and add assignments as you go along. 

Feel free to add in a teachable moment, that may only pertain to this year or this group of kids.  It is easy to change next year. 

Ctrl K - Allows you to make any text a clickable link to a website.   Highlight the text in a box and link it to a URL that you want them to visit. 

Don't be afraid to leave a "Make Up Your Own" box.   Students may surprise you with their own great ideas. 

Give 3 deadlines.   Students can choose any assignment for each deadline.  This gives them opportunities for time management.  Do the larger assignment when their schedule allows for more time.  Do the quicker assignment when they are busy.   

Don't Do It Alone! 

Collaborate with your dept. for more ideas. 

Call on a coach for tech ideas that meet your learning goals. 

Other options for boxes:

- Create a fictional Twitter Profile or write a Tweet (keep character count)

- Create a fake text message conversation

- Create a breaking news image

- Create a meme

Why would you use a Student-Choice Board? 

Please share out in the comments below. 

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