5 Ways to Avoid Disaster When Collaborating on Google Drive - by the Techie Teacher

Using Google Drive to have students collaborate?  Check out these great tips from The Techie Teacher website!

How to Notify Parents When a Page on Your Google Site is Updated

"I don't feel ready to have a classroom blog right now, but it would be nice if parents were notified when I update my Google Site."

If this is you, there are a few changes you can make to your Google Site so it will notify parents of changes on your homepage.

Here's how:

Open your Google Site for editing. Be sure you are on the homepage, or whichever page you want parents to receive updates for.  Highlight and copy any information from that page that you want to keep - this will become part of your first update.

Click the gear.

Click "Page Settings".

You will be changing the page type.  Near the bottom, click on the word "Change".

Click the drop down menu that says "Web Page".

Choose "Announcements".

Click "Change".

Once you are back to your page, click the "Edit" button.

Highlight and delete all the content that is currently on the page. Earlier you should have copied what you wanted to save - otherwise do this now!  

Click "Save".

To add the content you copied, click "New Post".  This is how you will update this page of your site from now on.  You will not need to delete old posts, because the most recent post will always be listed first.

Add a title, then paste your saved content into the new post.



Click "Save".



Each time you want to update the page, you will click "New Post".  You do not need to delete the older posts, as they will simply move down the page - leaving the most recent updates at the top.

Your page is now ready for subscribers.  How can they subscribe to see when you have updated?  Follow Nicole's instructions here to put a "Subscribe to Email Updates" link on your page.  (The "Subscribe to Posts" link that is already there . . . that's not the same.  It does not provide email updates.)

After adding this, be sure to tell your parents and students to go to the web page and subscribe to updates.  

Please contact Beth if you need help getting this set up!

Try Kidblog This Year!

Did you know that six teachers at our school used Kidblog last year?

Watch this 1.5 minute video to see what others in our district have done, what Kidblog could add to your classroom, and what support I can give you in implementing this.

              

Kidblog Video

How to Add Bicyclist Luke Kocher's Blog to Your Google Site

Maple Lake Elementary was fortunate to have guest speakers Mary Lou Nygaard and Luke Kocher at our first Irish Pride Celebration last Friday.  Luke helped students to understand the word "stamina".  He was a great person to speak about it since he recently completed the Trans American Bike Race across the continental US. That takes a lot of endurance and stamina to keep going! 

Here is how you can add information about this to your Google Site for your students to explore.

Go to the page on your Google Site where you want to post about Luke.  Click the edit button.

Put your cursor in the place where you want Luke's information to appear.

Type a short message explaining who Luke is and why he came to our school.  Then copy and paste Luke's blog address onto the end of your message.  https://cyclingalifelongjourney.wordpress.com/

You can now click save and it will be published on your site.

If you would like to add pictures as well, you can grab them here.  Download them to your computer and save them to the desktop (or somewhere else where you can find them).

To add the pictures to your Google Site, follow the same first two steps (click the edit button and put your cursor where you want the picture).  

Next, click "Insert" in the upper left corner of the screen.

Choose "Image"

Click "Upload Images".

Find the image on your computer (wherever you saved it) and select it.  Click "Open".

Select your picture again - it will have a blue outline.  Click "OK".

Click on the picture and use the editing buttons to center the picture and make it smaller.  Size small or medium are usually appropriate.

To add a caption, put your cursor under the picture and type.

Click save.

Now the picture is on your web site!  Make sure to tell your students and parents to look on the site for your new added content.

Prepare for the New School Year by Adding District/Building Events to Your Calendar - With Just a Few Clicks!

It's almost time for Workshops, and many of us have been in our respective buildings getting ready.  Is your calendar up to date with all events for the new school year?

All District, Elementary, and High School events can be added to your Google Calendar by following these instructions.

If you have never used Google Calendar before, this is a great way to start!

K12 Global Art Connection - for Art or Classroom Teachers

Image from creativitysymposium.pressible.org

Creativity is one of the four pillars of 21st Century Learning.  Engage your students in an art project and share with other classrooms around the world!

The AwesomeSquiggles Project is simple.  All students receive the same 4 "squiggles" and create whatever they want with it.

Image from http://awesomesquiggles.weebly.com/

Any materials, physical or digital, can be used.  Photos of student art are shared online using the hashtag #awesomesquiggles, and students are able to view what was created around the world.

If desired, classes can additionally choose to be paired with one other class somewhere else in the world, to specifically communicate about the project, to share culturally, and to connect at least once via videoconferencing in April.

Visit the official website for this project to sign up by March 25.

Image from enableeducation.com

Interactive US History for Upper Elementary - High School

Image from www.mission-us.org

Attention Social Studies Teachers

Grades 3-12

Mission US is an interactive online game that could be thought of as an online "choose your own adventure" which places the student in a time period of Early American History.  The student makes choices and watches how they impact what happens to the character.

Image from www.mission-us.org

My own children (2nd and 4th grade) became hooked on this learning game - wanting to play for hours and exchanging information with one another on how to be successful.  This inspired great dinner conversation about why certain decisions were helpful to the character in the historical context, and why others weren't.

Your students will love learning through gaming and your curriculum will take on new life.

Image from www.mission-us.org

As the Mission US site cautions, history is messy and difficult.  Some topics may only be appropriate for older children, so be sure to preview the game before exploring it with students.

Additionally, students do need to create a username and password.  This is not connected to any email address, so the student simply needs to remember their unique login info in order to "pick up where they left off" when playing again.  If you want to try this with your students and would like assistance setting up usernames and passwords in advance, contact Beth here.