Generally, it is good to pick one tool, technique or lesson and stick with it in a regular rhythm (every day, every Friday, every project) until you and the students master the technology which fades into the background and lets the learning shines through. If you are still getting used to a digital tool keep working on it...then pick the next thing.  If you are ready for the next thing pick your level below and give it a go.

Start in the Serve in the 

Basics:  Start in Kitchen.  Serve in Dining Room.  

    Google Drive is like your kitchen.  It is where you organize ingredients, create meals and store them.  Instead of food, we work with words and images instead of ingredients, folders instead of cupboards and documents and presentations instead of meals.  Make sure you have folders for each subject you teach and then a subfolder for each unit.  Anytime you are going to upload or create anything for that unit go into the folder FIRST and then use the NEW button and all your work will be autosaved and categorized where you begin...in the google drive kitchen.

     Google Classroom is like the Dining Room.  That is where you serve your meals (lessons) and interact with your customers (students).  Start in Drive...serve in the Classroom.

    

Resources:  

1. Cheat sheet:  Drive
2. Classroom Starter Videos 
3. Google Chrome 101
4. Google Drive and Google Classroom 102 tutorial

Intermediate:  Connect other Resources to your Google Classroom 

1. ​​Digital Tools for Instruction:  Once you master Google Drive and Classroom you can now begin to layer tools...something we call App smashing.  Check out this list to take your next step.
   
   1. Highlighted tool:  ​​​StoryMaps - Maps, data, and research blended to illuminate your topic in new ways.  Go the next step and create your own...or have students do it (high-level learning and high skill needed)

Advanced:  Hyperslides and Interactive notes

1. Interactive Notes:  Pass out a copy of a presentation or project/lab directions.  Some slides contain content/directions and some are organized for interactive note taking, slides where students create their own meaning with words and images and drawings or complete graphic organizers or paste links or created videos.
   
2. Hyperslides:  Slides published as a view only but with links to learning content (videos/articles) and to classroom learning activities (classroom assignments/padlets/creation tools/digital experiments, etc)  

    Examples

• Science
• Social Studies
• Huck Finn - ELA  
• Literary Genre Study - Science Fiction
• Professional Development sample 1
• Google Chrome 101
• Google Drive and Google Classroom 102 tutorial

Larry Goble

Technology Integrator

Williamsville Central School

South High School

Transit Middle School

Google Slides...The Utility App

                                                                                       

Google slides is my go to app.  My Utility player. A Utility player is the jack of all trades player on a team...in the case the G Suite team.  Many assignments that are straight forward text should stick with docs and those with numbers and charts, sheets, and images, drawings, but the moment that mixed media comes into play I go to slides.  

Here is a list of some examples:

• Create presentations (duh)
• Insert Timer Videos (replace Smart widget)
• Tri-fold brochures
• Menus
• Insert videos, gifs and images for instruction giving (ezgif.com) 
• Insert text boxes
• Change page-setup to 8.5x11 and use as a doc (Sample)
• Change page-setup to 800x200 and create a header for your google classroom (sample)
• Download as a pdf and upload to wevideo to insert as images
• Interactive Notes:  Pass out a copy of presentation with various slides for interactive note taking, slides where students create their own meaning with words and images and drawings
• Unit Organizer:  Hyperlink to outside resources or back to an assignment on classroom to organize
•  Hyperslides:  Slides published as a view only but with links to learning content (videos/articles) and to classroom learning activities (classroom assignments/padlets/creation tools/digital experiments, etc)  


• Professional Development sample 1
• Google Chrome 101
• Google Drive and Google Classroom 102 tutorial

This list could get long but I hope you are getting the idea.  Next time you need a player, go to your utility player...google slides.