Remote Learning Idea for Day 1

I am hopeful that our district will decide to use virtual, elearning options. With that possibility in mind, I created a BookWidgets Lesson for Day 1. This template utilizes the webquest widget to organize photos, Youtube videos, Google Slides, and math games into sequential tabs. Once the assignment is launched in Google Classroom, I can view student progress in real time using the live viewing option in the bookwidgets dashboard. Book Widgets is an amazing tool!

If I create a master widget with many more tabs, teachers could copy and reuse the format for susequent days. From the master, pages could simply be deleted or individualized. The widget also auto grades assignments so I can track both completion and mastery.

This is a work-in-progress, but perhaps it will give you ideas to use in your classrooms. This digital transition is going to take all of us sharing and working together.

BookWidgets Webquest

Digital Components in My 1:1 Chromebook Classroom

Here is a recap of the digital components that in my 1:1 Chromebook classroom. Click on the links to go to learn more:

• Google Apps for Education We are a Google school using Chromebooks, Classroom, Docs, Forms, Sheets, Gmail, Drawings, etc. Each student has a google login to connect to the school district wifi network. 
• Hapara  Through Hapara, teachers are able to monitor student screens, access documents, message students, and create collaborative workspaces for projects.
• Spelling City  Spelling City replaced our printed spelling workbooks several years ago. It also integrates with our newly-adopted nders Reading program and GoMath series.
• McGraw-Hill Wonders Reading  The Wonders 2017 program provides digital access to all components, tests, and student responses.
• Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math For our 5th grade classes, the completion of 20 AR points and 20 AM objectives per quarter is required.
• GoMath  Think Central provides the digital link to our math component. Students can complete tutorials, watch video explanations, and gain immediate feedback using the Personal Math Trainer assignments. 
• XtraMath My students complete XtraMath each day as part of their morning routine. This 5 minuted fact review builds fluency and allows me to track and report progress easily.
• Read Theory After a placement test, Read Theory provides leveled reading passages and high-quality questioning for students. Not only do the topics increase background knowledge, but the reporting features clearly show student growth in reading levels and lexiles. Writing components are optional.
• EdPuzzle  Flipping the instruction and providing remediation is easy when questions can be added to instructional videos. EdPuzzle integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom, too.
• Planbook Digital lesson planning puts sub plans, yearly lesson units, and the ability to share assignments into one place. Planbook makes it easy to print, alter, and save lesson materials for easy access.
• BookWidgets This site provides tools for adding alternate digital lesson options to any lesson. Make digital breakout experiences, crosswords, word searches, drag and drop, fill-in-the-blank, timelines, and sequencing options to Google Classroom.
• Bloomz After using Class Dojo and Remind in previous years, I have settled on using the free version of Bloomz for communication. Parents do not have to respond to the sign up link to get your digital communications by email! Create a class photostream, add reference documents, make alerts, sign-up for conferences, request materials, and message privately through this one app. The read receipts are such a time-saver, too!
• Pear Deck I like this app and extension so much that I paid for the premium version to get even more features. The Pear Deck extension with Google slides turns any device into a digital responder. Collect brainstorming ideas, multiple choice responses, drawings, etc. and save them into student take-aways to review later. This one supercharged my student engagement. Don't forget to try the Pear Deck Flashcard Factory, too. Awesome!
• Quizlet All of my test review materials are housed in folders on Quizlet. No more waiting for review materials for an upcoming test. Students know they can find practice sets here and use games to make learning fun. Quizlet also exports easily to flashcards and to Gimkit.
• Gimkit If you have played online quiz games like Kahoot and Quizizz, you will love Gimkit. I finally broke down and paid a subscription fee. It is a little pricey for my taste. This quiz game beats all of the rest by adding power-ups, insurance, multipliers, themes, and gifting to the individual, homework, and team modes. After playing this one, the students didn't want to go back to the other game formats.
• Flippity This website turns a Google Spreadsheet into fun review games. Check out the options.
• Jeopardy Labs Use this site for students to create and play their own Jeopardy-style games.
• Flipgrid Post a question for your class and compile all of the responses in one place. This is a great way to facilitate classroom discussions and give every student a voice.
• Khan Academy Khan Academy allows you to set up classes and assign content to your class through Google Classroom. This is the perfect way to add remediation for any subject. I like to attach it as an assignment to a Google Forms Quiz based on the students' scores. Use some forms add ons to make this happen automatically.
• NoRedInk For most grammar units of study, students complete a pretest, remediation practice, and a growth assessment through NoRedInk. This is mastery-based program so the length of student practice is based on their success. Once they prove mastery, using sentences created based on their own interests, they are finished. 
• Brainpop After having a school account for years, I finally discovered how to create a My Brainpop account for my class this year! Now I can assign videos, games, and quizzes to students, track their completion, view digital work, and view a digital gradebook easily. Brainpop also integrates with Google Classroom so it is very user-friendly.
• Kidblog Kidblog is a secure classroom blog with options for sharing privacy that made this my classroom choice. I did opt for the paid version, since I liked the format and features.
• Epic! Find digital texts, quizzes, and reading content for your class. There are over 35,000 texts in the library that you can access and share with your class. The students love this site.
• DOGO News  Find current events, high-interest news for kids here. Most stories include video clips, vocabulary lists, and word searches, too. Teachers can create classes and assign content seamlessly. Through the DOGO News classroom or Google Classroom you can share content that is curated just for students and the content if free!
• Padlet I use Padlet for sharing introductions, posting questions and responses, and for Revolutionary War projects. Students can record audio/video, share images, add links, embed slide shows, write, and personalize their Padlet walls. I especially like the privacy features that allow me to monitor and approve posts before they are visible for my class. There are so many options here.
• EduTyping Our keyboarding class uses this and students like returning to practice touch-typing skills in their choice time.
• Mystery Science Our school will have access to Mystery Science next year for all classes! Woohoo! These open-ended science tasks require critical thinking and collaboration to complete. Check out the 

The Cream in My Google Coffee: 6 Chrome Extensions for Classroom Teachers

The Cream in My Google Coffee: 6 Chrome Extensions

Ever wished that you could add a touch of whipped cream and flavoring to your Google programs? These are the extensions you need. Extensions are programs that you can add to Google Chrome to change or extend the functionality of your browser and they will make your teacher-life easier! Unlike apps, they do not work independently, but instead, add features to existing programs. To add an extension, you can go to the Chrome Web Store and search for programs by name. To check on the status of your extensions, go to the 3-dot menu in the upper right corner of Chrome, choose More tools>Extensions. From this screen, you can add, delete, or turn-off extensions. (This is a great place to look if your student's Chromebook suddenly locks up, too.)

 1. Grammarly

This is your online grammar/spelling checker. Look for the little green circle in the corner of your emails, blog posts, text messages, and online communications to ensure correct grammar once this extension has been installed. This is for anyone who wishes that they could unsend some poorly written communication...

2. Book Widgets

Full Google Integration makes it easy to create engaging assignments in Google Classroom. Adding the Book Widgets extension allows you to create a crossword puzzle, quiz, word search, drag and drop, graphic organizer, or more than 30 other question types to Google Classroom. Try out Book Widgets for free, and continue to use any widgets you create. To continue integration with Google Classroom beyond the trial, you will need a subscription, though. Totally worth the expense for the time and functionality it provides you. Check out these samples:

3. Awesome Screenshot

Always waiting in the toolbar to capture and annotate your screen, Awesome Screenshot is easy to use and share. Add text, arrows, drawings, and shapes to any image. Link your Google account to save your screenshots to your Google Drive account, share through social media, or download. This free account also saves all of your screenshots within the app if you choose. 

4. Edit with EdPuzzle

The EdPuzzle extension adds a link to your EdPuzzle account to YouTube. This extension adds the Edit with EdPuzzle button so you no longer need to copy and past URLs to EdPuzzle to create a quiz. 

5. Share to Classroom

Use Share to Classroom to take every student to any website or link instantly. With this extension, students don't need to type URLs and you don't have to post to Google Classroom to share a link. The extension icon sits in your toolbar. Just open the webpage you want to share, click the icon and choose your classroom from the pre-populated list. This is a real time-saver.

6. Bitmoji

Create your avatar and use the images in Gmail, Twitter, Snapchat, and blogs. This is a fun way to send feedback to students and colleagues that they will actually read and remember. The extension sits in the toolbar of Gmail or images can be copied and pasted. Be sure to personalize your Bitmoji so that it looks like you and even change your clothes with the seasons. Your students will want one, too, if they haven't already created one for Snapchat!

Do you have other favorite extensions? Start the conversation below!

Getting Started with Book Widgets

Book Widgets is my new favorite tool! It has taken me weeks of tutorials, trial and error, and even an early morning video chat with Lucie Reinard from Book Widgets to feel like I am progressing. I suggest choosing one or two widget types, practicing with those until you are comfortable, and then moving on to another. With 40 to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming!

First you need to add the Google Chrome extension to your school account so that it will sync with Google Classroom. Just follow these steps:

Creating Your Account and Adding the Extension

1. Go to Chrome Web Store. Search for "ibook widget" and it should appear. Don't forget to put the letter i in the front! Add to Chrome.

2. This icon should appear in the extension bar of your Chrome browser.

3. Type: bookwidgets.com into the address bar at the top of the page.

Watching a few tutorials is helpful!

4. Click on "Start for Free" and Sign up with Google. Accept all permissions.

Always sign up with your school Google account.

5.  Register the account and sign in. Then choose your grade level and complete the quick tour.

Google Integration

Book Widgets is now an assignment option in Google Classroom.

This is the first extension that I have found that runs right in Google Classroom. Now that this is installed, you will see the Book Widgets choice every time that you make an assignment in Google Classroom. Just click on the Plus icon to add an assignment and you have an choice for assignments. Book Widgets will open directly in Google Classroom allowing you to create or link any of the 40 widgets directly to classroom seamlessly. 

Create and assign from the Book Widget app.

Scoring and Reports

Seamless integration

Grades and work are imported into Classroom, so you don't have to leave Google Classroom to find student scores. Adding comments and hand-scoring are simple, and you can click an arrow to move from one student's work to the next. Easy-peasy!

View, comment, and edit scores easily.

Project Samples

Here are just a few project samples that I have used so far. Be sure to visit the example pages on Book Widgets to get ideas.

Mind map

Interactive, auto-graded crossword

Drag and drop to sort

Matching Pairs

Automated math practice

A completed timeline

Pricing

Lucie was kind enough to offer us a license key for any Tech Tuesday teachers who wanted to try Book Widgets. You get 3 months in your free trial instead of 30 days! Yeah! I do plan to purchase a subscription for next year at the end of my trial, so let me know if you are interested, too. Individually a subscription is $49 a year per teacher, 5-9 teachers get additional perks for the same price, but $35 a year will cover the cost if there are 10 or more teachers in a district.

I have put in a request for clarification, because I understood that the widgets that were created were fully-functional after the trial period expired, but the website says that widgets cannot be shared in a classroom unless you have an active subscription.

Book Widgets

Book Widgets

 @https://www.bookwidgets.com

I understand the concept of using technology in new, engaging ways rather than reinventing the worksheet. However, sometimes teachers need to take baby steps in the right direction. Book Widget can be a giant step forward. Is it possible to simply recreate a worksheet to encourage student regurgitation of information? Sure. Are there possibilities beyond "chew and swallow" assignments? Absolutely. Book Widgets is versatile!

In the past 2 weeks of experimenting with my 30 day trial of Book Widgets I have created a crossword puzzle group research activity, played Bingo review for a science test, and created a PARCC test ELA simulation activity so my students could practice with the two column format. I will be purchasing the subscription for next year. Here's why:

1. Google Classroom Integration:

Book Widgets connect seamlessly with Google Classroom. Students can complete widgets, click the envelope icon, and submit completed work easily.

Google Classroom tracks due date, completion, and even student scores. You can assign widgets directly from the creation tool, save assignment drafts, and scroll through the assignments with the forward arrow.

2. Ease of creation:

I found the creation tools to be fairly intuitive. It is important to use the preview option frequently as you are learning each tool, though. Be sure to look at some of the example widgets here first to get an idea of what each tool will do. 

3. Reporting: 

Student results are synced with Classroom. Individual answers can be rescored by the teacher as needed. Students are able to see a cumulative score at the top of their assignment with skipped questions shown in bold print and incorrect answers in red. Individual question comments and assignment feedback areas teacher-friendly. 

4. Variety:

There are 40 different Widgets available to diversify your assignments. Building proficiency with the entire library is part of my summer plans. Some of the widgets will be especially helpful for early elementary teachers who want to use picture matching, jigsaw puzzle, hotspot images, and frame sequencing activities.

My students worked in groups discussing and searching Google for the answers to this Literary Terms Crossword Puzzle that I made to review for PARCC. Here is the teacher link that you can use to copy my puzzle to your Book Widgets account to use with your class. It took my 5th graders two 30-minute class periods in groups of 2 and 3 to finish. I like that once they submitted the first assignment in Book Widgets, the submission process was identical for all of the other widget types.  That consistency is important!

What did I dislike? I accidentally deleted a few completed projects when I was trying to organize the My Widgets page with folders. Creating and naming the folders was confusing to me. You must hit enter after naming the folder. Then you can drag and drop Widgets to the folders. The folders do not "nest" in the way I expected and I deleted what I thought was an empty folder only to find that it was my primary science folder.  The folders really need to have a number next to them showing if they actually contain completed widgets. I keep finding extra folders in my account that were not intentionally created, too. The popup warning before deleting is the same whether the folder is full or empty. This will take a little more practice for me. Once the widgets were deleted, they still functioned in Google Classroom, which was helpful, but I could not retrieve the assignments and add them back into Book Widgets after deleting.