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Rarely Used Google Tools

You may have noticed there is a lot more in your Google Drive than just Docs and Slides but have been afraid to use them. Two of my favorite tools are the most frequently overlooked: Google Drawings and Google My Maps. Both of these are available in Google Drive and can be added to a Google Classroom assignment to expand student choice. Google Drawings Google Drawings is similar to a single Google Slide. You can edit the size of the drawing, add text boxes, images, charts from Google Sheets, and even GIFS (short animated pictures). I used Google Drawings combined with Screencastify to create many of the tutorials on the Snowline Tech website. Some ideas for student activities with Drawings can include creating infographics, model math problems, posters, "one-pagers) for AVID programs, illustrate a poem/short story, or allow students free drawing time to acquaint themselves with the tool. Google My Maps Google My Maps allows you to edit a map of the world. You can
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Welcome Back

Welcome Back Welcome back to school. I hope we all have an amazing school year. I am super excited for my new position and can't wait to start working with everyone. I plan to use both a Google Site and Blogger to share information with you. The site will be where I store tutorials, links to set up appointments, forms to ask for specific help, and materials for each grade level for digital citizenship and student technology. The blog will be where I store technology news, which will also be emailed when appropriate. This may include upcoming training opportunities, Google news, district-wide app news, and other interesting technology tools. Google News Google Classroom is probably the one tool that most fundamentally changed how I integrated technology into my classroom practice. Then as Forms started to integrate with Google Classroom, I even started to use Classroom to administer tests. Now Google Classroom has more improvements. The most exciting for me is that they ar
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Summer Fun

Summer Planning is Summer Fun As this school year ended the strangest thing happened, I realized that I all of the plans that I had kicking around my head for next year were no longer relevant to the new position. I love teaching, and my favorite part is planning lessons and playing with new tools all summer long. Since I can't apply my planned changes to my classroom, I am going to share them here. This is a short list of ideas that I had kicked around for next year. Have weekly discussion questions in Google Classroom using frames from Zwiers for good responses. I did this intermittently in the past, and it was successful. Integrate Flipgrid into class to discuss learning on a more regular basis and have students respond to one another. Have more frequent scaled listening practice using Story Corp s and Listenwise materials. Develop a really good Hyperdoc for a novel like this amazing one for The Outsiders  I found on the Hyperdocs site. Use Pear Deck to teach and p
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