What's New with the New Google Drive?

Google Drive just recently got a facelift!
And some of the changes just might take you by surprise.  

If you're used to looking for documents and files in the "Shared with Me" folder, or making new items using the red "Create" button, then you're in for a rude awakening because they're gone!

Although the "Create" button is no longer at the ready for you to make new documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms, there is a new and easier way to build these files.   Click the "My Drive" drop down button and you'll see all your shortcuts are still there, just updated with cleaner pictures.

 

And when you want to find something that was shared with you be aware that the new name for these items are "Incoming".

  

Getting used to a new interface can be difficult.  If it's impeding your work or just too uncomfortable you can switch back to the "Old Drive" at anytime.  To do this click on the settings wheel in the upper right hand corner and choose "Leave the new Drive".

Switching back to the new Drive is just as easy.  Click the settings wheel in the upper right hand corner of your screen in the old Google Drive and select "Experience the new Drive"

If you are currently using the Google Drive app on an iPad you may find that the new Drive has a very similar appearance and might fit your visual preferences better than the old Google Drive interface. Folders and documents are displayed now in rectangular boxes with quick previews and other info.  In fact, all of the changes made to the online version of Google Drive were made to help insure that users of the mobile apps find the experience to be seamless.

Downloading Google Drive for your iPad is also pretty easy, go to Google Drive Tools and pick the device you're using.  On iPads you'll also need to download the free Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets apps to edit any of those Google Drive made files.

Note to CSD Docs users! - Our school domain for Google Drive is set up with a security system that may not work too well with the Mac and Windows Desktop apps for Google Drive.  Please use the standard log in at http://csddocs.org when you want to use Google Drive on your Mac or PC.

For more helpful tips on using the new Google Drive check out the Google Drive Help Website.

Once you get there be sure to watch this short intro video about the new Google Drive Experience.

Remind 101 is now "Remind" and is more AWESOME than ever!

A couple of months ago, Remind 101 (one of my favorite teaching tools) became Remind. Then they updated their app and website with more amazing features that make it much more than a way to send quick text reminders to students and parents.

If you are new to Remind, here's a short overview of the key features:

• Remind lets you connect with students or parents quickly and safely.
• Students sign up to get communications from you (the teacher) and they never see your phone number and you never see theirs.
• Recipients of your messages can't respond to you directly via text message.
• Messages can be sent via SMS text message, email or through the app (more on that below.)
• You can schedule messages. Do you have a test in 3 weeks? You can prepare messages with the info about the test and schedule them to be received when it is relevant to your students.
• Remind is FREE!

You can check out their website to learn more: remind.com/learn-more

Those are the basics, now for the really cool things you can do with Remind.

Teacher Setup:
You can create a new account and your first class from the App (Android and iOS) or from their website: www.remind.com. You give your class a name and then you are assigned (or if you create additional classes, you can choose) a class code. This is the code students and parents will use to register for your class messages.

Student and Parent Sign Up:

Once your class is created, you are ready to add the people who will receive your messages. Remind makes it easy and gives you a PDF flyer you can send home or post in class to help people sign up.

You can also have people sign up for your messages by having them download the Remind app and add your class using your class enrollment code. This is my new favorite way to use Remind, because there is added functionality in the app that makes this new version of Remind much more than a messaging app.

Student or parents who are using the app to follow your messages, can respond to your messages by clicking one of four icons (Remind calls these "stamps"):

There are four stamps and how you use them is up to you and their meaning may vary depending on the context of your message. Typically the star would mean a favorite, the green check would mean I have received this or I agree. The red X would mean I disagree or don't like this. And the question mark means I don't understand understand or I have a question about this/can we discuss this in class?

Students do see how many stamps of each type are shared by other recipients, but they don't see any names associated with each stamp. Teachers can see the names of students or parents and the stamps that they assigned to your message. In this way teachers could conduct quick polls or surveys of their students, check students preparedness for a test, or discover which parents received the letter or homework sent home that day. There are lots of options with these and it's one of my favorite new features of Remind, so have some fun with this.

Teachers can also see how their students or parents are signing up for Remind. The easiest way to view this is through the user dashboard on the Remind website: dashboard.remind.com. Select the class you would like to check and look for the subscribers list at the right of your screen. There  you will see the names of the subscribers and their chosen method(s) for receiving your messages.

Sending Messages:

Now that everything is set up and you have students and parents enrolled in your class, you are ready to begin sending messages. You can do this easily from the app or via your user dashboard on the website. Just select the class or the students you would like to send a message to (if you select individual users, you must select at least 3).

In the app or on the website, you can attach files (photos only from the app) or schedule your message to be sent to students at a later date. You are limited to 140 characters for your message, so keep it short and to the point.

From the app, you can now send voice memos to your students so they can hear your voice delivering instructions or asking questions. The voice recording is limited to 15 seconds and you don't have to take the full time if you don't need to.

What Else Can Remind Do?
As great as Remind is for connecting with students and parents, it can also be used for professional development, faculty meetings and other professional uses. One really cool idea that I just heard about was a sort of micro MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) being run by Angela Maiers. Last month she announced a #YouMatter class that she would be running on Remind. I signed up and since that time, I have received dozens of great tips and advice on how to create a school culture where students and teachers believe that what they do matters. If you want to join her class, you can follow the instructions on her website, or simply enter the code @YouMat into your Remind app.

Inspired by this great work, I have also started a Remind class. I will share regular ed tech tips and ideas with subscribers, conduct regular polls through the app, and encourage discussion via twitter.

To join my Ed Tech Tips class and play along, follow these steps:

• Download the Remind app for iOS (iPhone) or Android.
• Search for our class by tapping the “+” next to “My classes.”
• Enter @EdTechTips and sign up.
• No smartphone? Text @EdTechTips to (302) 536-2705 and follow the instructions.
• You can also visit remind.com/join/edtechtips and enter in your phone number to sign up.

Remind is a fantastic app and with the new updates and upgrades, it just keeps getting better. Let me know what you think in the comments below or on twitter @wardjhs #edtechtips.

-Jared.

AirDrop for Macs

Need to send a file to another teacher but don't want to take up your limited email space? Try using AirDrop. To access AirDrop, open your Finder window and click the AirDrop tab.  Then click and drag the desired file(s) or folder(s) to the user's icon. Remember, the larger the file(s), the longer the download process.  All computers will need to be on the same wireless network and within 30 feet of each other.

Reflex Math, a Time Test Alternative!

When I was teaching 5th grade, I found that one of the most beneficial practices I implemented was the daily 100 multiplication fact 5 minute time test.  I found that by Thanksgiving almost all my kids (with varying previous success in math) could finish the whole thing in 3 minutes without any errors.  This really made long division much easier to teach.  I know that by no means is math fact memorization where instruction should end.  Fact fluency does make the road to deeper mathematical concepts and application much smoother.  I will compare math fact fluency with reading fluency.  If we continue to sound out every word we read, meaningful literary experiences will be difficult to have.

In our district we now have access to Reflex Math.  It is a fun alternative to the time test.  It is a program, that through the guidance of a helpful crab, students can play games that allow them to more quickly recall their math facts.  They can access their account from any computer or using the new iPad app.  I look forward this year to hearing the success this fact practice can bring the students.  It will be most valuable if students have the ability to practice at school and at home.  While this may place demands on their teachers' already shrinking time, I think this is a truly worthwhile use of that time and resources.  My experience with the time test showed me just how much students could grow in math fluency with a short 10 minute daily activity.  Reflex Math is a great way for students to develop their skills using gamification!

If you'd like to get started, here's a guide on how to create your roster and how students log in.  Keep in mind, your students cannot access this tool until you have attached them to your roster.  Ask your Ed Tech for more information on how to implement this great math supplement in your classroom!  

Forget about clickers, make your own Plickers

A classroom set of clickers, aka Student Response System can cost anywhere from $1000 to $3500 depending on the brand you choose, yet most of the teachers I have worked with use their clickers for quick multiple choice and true/false assessments.

My first set of 40 Plickers. Printed on white card stock and laminated.

I recently discovered a new iOS app and website (and Android app) called Plickers, short for Paper Clickers, that allows teachers to create and collect data from multiple choice assessments for little to no cost (provided they have a smart phone, iPod, or tablet.) Here's the basic idea: each student in class gets a paper card with a unique matrix design similar to a QR Code. When asked a question, students hold up their card with the correct answer positioned at the top of the card. The teacher scans the room with a smart phone or tablet (iOS or Android) and answers are recorded.

This is what it looks like in action:

As you can see, as I scanned the classroom, each student's name appeared on my screen to confirm that their card had been read and their response recorded. When that process is complete, I then get aggregate scores from the class displayed as graphs as well as individual scores for each student. Here's what the data looks like in the app and on the website:

This video shows what the results look like in the app. Scrolling through students, I can quickly see who answered correctly, who answered incorrectly, and who didn't answer the question.

Aggregate and Individual Scores via the Plickers website.

It's a pretty simple process to set up. The steps I followed are all listed below. The only trick is to remember that you need to visit the website to set up your classes and then you have to use the app to set up your questions. The other thing to remember is that when you create your quiz, you can't enter the responses for A, B, C, and D. So, I built my quiz as a PowerPoint presentation listing one question and possible responses on each slide. This way students could easily see the options for their responses.

When I was teaching with Plickers and sharing how to use them, I wrote these steps for setting it all up on the board.

One additional note, I added an answer key to the back of each card. I thought this would help students identify their answer while holding their card up for the teacher to scan. I made the letters for the back of the card in a thin font and used a light gray color so that the answers wouldn't be readily seen by a student's neighbors.

Here are all of the files that I used and created to make a set of Plickers and to get started.

• Set of 40 5-1/2" X 5-1/2" Plickers (recommended, scannable from 20-25 feet.)
• Set of 40 8-1/2" X 8-1/2" Plickers (scannable from 30-40 feet.)
• Set of 63 5-1/2" X 5-1/2" Plickers (for large classes or groups.)
• Plickers Answer Key (these were cut out and glued to the back of each card before laminating.)
• Plickers Instructions (from their website.)

Additional ideas:

• If you use small whiteboards in your classroom for student response, Plickers could easily attached to the back of those whiteboards and used for quick response questions. 
• Because the cards are so easy to make, you could make one set of each class and students could keep them in their binder or notebook for your class. 
• If they get lost or damaged, it is very easy to print new Plicker cards. 
• The biggest limitation is that you can't currently track and export data for a class or track student progress directly in the app. But the website says, "Online tracking/reporting tools coming soon," so hopefully that functionality is added soon. 

So, now that you can make your own set of clickers for next to nothing, how will you use them?

Evernote for Anecdotal Note Taking

Evernote is digital notebook that allows you to take notes, clip web pages, upload images and files, and much more.  It is ideal for note taking, organization, and storage because it syncs between computer, smartphone, and tablets making your information available everywhere.  Evernote's tagline is "Remember Everything."

Evernote is a great tool for educators to become familiar with and use for classroom organization, management, lesson planning, and file saving purposes.  Teachers are getting excited about the ability to begin going paperless and are finding many uses for Evernote in their classrooms.

Classroom Uses:

A few ideas for how teachers can use Evernote:

• Creating lesson plans and organizing in notebooks and with tags 
• Taking notes during Professional Development, faculty meetings, etc.
• Anecdotal Notes including images of student work samples
• Audio recordings of students explaining work, oral presentations, and reading fluency samples
• Create notes including PDF's, instructions, uploads to share and email to parents and students
• Save articles and web clippings that can be organized and shared later
• Upload and save pictures of students, their work, and important events
• Creating check lists and to do check boxes
• Set email reminders for a specific date and time in notes
• Online file storage including PDF's and images to be accessed anywhere
• Sharing information through social networking like Facebook, Twitter, email, and more
• Writing sub plans that can include links, pictures of assignments, and other resources which can be shared through email

To view a Prezi that is a great example of how one teacher is using Evernote in her classroom on a daily basis click here.  This Prezi was created by Rebecca Spink and was found here.