Less IS More You Can Do

Truth #1 - I've not published a blog in quite some time.
Truth #2 - I've not spent as much time on social media this summer.
Truth #3 - I've not missed it.
Truth #4 - These past 2 years have been more than tiring ... and this coming year is also going to be tough, too.
Truth #5 - I'm ready to get back into it. 

I feel like I barely crept over the finish line in June of this year. I ended the year tired.

But now the new school year is here, I am ready. I've done a lot of thinking this summer and I've come to realize something. 

Less IS more.

I am one person and I cannot do everything. And I'm ok with this idea. I've not always been ... and I know I won't be perfect, but this is my focus for the year. I DID do professional learning this summer, but I didn't spend time learning new tools or applications - I spent time learning more about the ones I already use and I found some pretty cool things. I feel more confident with them. 

And I'm going to set goals that are more realistic. New blog twice a month ... new resources on TYCD: Resources twice a month ... new Templates for Teachers and Tech with Littles at least once a month. I'm also going to look around for some places to present.

I am also going to keep myself surrounded by good people. As a friend recently said in a text, "my coworkers are ridiculously amazing" ... I'm lucky to work with these people.

I hope as the new school year starts for you, you too, take a little time and really think about where you are spending your time and energy. Put it into the things that matter - the people who matter - and don't get caught up by "shiny" or "pinterest-y" things. 

You know what makes education REALLY work? The people who care. Not the programs, not the tools, not the politics. The people. 

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. It is delivered right to your inbox. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

Boundaries You Can Do

Personally, I struggle with this week's topic. It's tough and it's been even tougher the past twelve months. Today, I am focusing on BOUNDARIES. 

A little background ... my district has been in-person from the start of this school year. I dared to hope we could remain this way for 2 weeks. Two weeks came and went. Then a month. Then the entire first quarter. Yes, we had positive cases and plenty of quarantines. But we stayed in-person. We switched to remote learning for the final two day prior to Christmas break and for the first week after break. Computers were sent home with the kindergarten through 4th grade students who needed them during this time. (They don't take them home on a daily basis.)

Here's the story. I was sitting at my daughter's indoor soccer game the day after we sent computers home. I received a text message from Laura, a friend who teaches 4th grade. Laura is an amazing teacher and was reaching out for advice.

She tells me a student of hers had already sent 14 comments through Google Classroom. (This is the NEXT morning ... a Saturday morning!) Laura hadn't answered any of them yet and I could feel the guilt oozing through her words. She goes on to say she is trying hard to be present for her own children. But her final comment made me pause ... "Am I being a meany?"

Wow. How many times have YOU been in that spot? Exhausted. Given all you have AT school that day/week and it's the weekend. But a student asks for help. I knew exactly what Laura was feeling. Every bit of it. I also knew she KNEW the right answer. She just wanted to hear it from someone else.

I responded quickly with "Not. At. All." 

I went on to suggest she respond ONCE. Tell the student she is excited the student is eager to learn, but it's important to enjoy the weekend and if the student really wanted to work on the schoolwork, read and follow the directions. I also suggested to Laura she tell the student that she'll answer additional questions on Monday and even do a virtual meeting if needed.

Laura responded with relief. Like so many teachers, she was exhausted. She just needed to hear it's ok to put school work to the side on the weekends. I told her "Computer access doesn't mean you have to be accessible 100%."

I knew this would help this student, but it got me thinking about ALL of her students ... all of OUR students. I told Laura that students need boundaries with computers, too. The students we sent chromebooks home with might not have regular access to a device of their own and therefor this was big for them. I suggested she spend some time during her virtual meeting with her students creating agreed upon boundaries - very similar to what she'd done at the beginning of the year in-person. I firmly believe we must specifically TEACH our students the boundaries. We cannot expect them to just "know".

Laura's guilt quickly turned to excitement and she told me she was definitely going to have that conversation with her students on Monday. She agreed - this was really our first extended remote learning time. Remote learning was new to our kiddos. She wanted to everything she could to set them up for success!

Here's my thinking - boundaries WILL work, IF everyone knows where they are. We cannot make assumptions. Teaching & learning is no exception. We HAVE to make boundaries - both when we are in-person and virtual (or hybrid or whatever the case might be). I believe it is important to bring our students in on this conversation.

Our remote learning week has come and gone. Laura shared notes with me about this process and I'm excited to say she has agreed I can share the story with you, too! The first image is Laura's classroom rules, created at the beginning of the school year. Our elementary has had a pride pledge for longer than I've been working there. They say it everyday during announcements. "I am respectful. I am responsible. I am a peaceful problem solver. I can learn and I will learn." Laura's class based their rules on this. And I think it's brilliant!

Laura shared her updated classroom created rules for virtual learning. They kept the rules based on being respectful, responsible, and a peaceful problem solver. How awesome is this???

It's never too late to set boundaries with your students. 

It's never too late to set boundaries for yourself. (I work on my boundaries daily.)

I promise, you won't regret it.

Do you have a comment? Feel free to leave it below. Connect with me on Twitter & Facebook - my links are under my picture near the top right. You can also email me at sarah@techyoucando.com 

Feedback in Google Classroom You Can Do - and you REALLY should!

Back in May, I shared how to work through the decision making process of how to best set up your Classroom ... in July, I shared a decision making framework to help decide how many classrooms to have ... and for the past 5 weeks, I've focused on smaller pieces of Google Classroom. This week, I want to focus on feedback in Classroom. Any and all of these can be found by choosing the "Google Classroom" label on the far right. 

At first glance, Classroom is a means to share and collect digital work. Very true. And a much needed component to our current classrooms. But let's not stop there. Any time we talk about work in a classroom, a teachers brain also thinks about grading. Grading isn't solely about percentages or letter grades. We need to push beyond this. We need to give our students feedback. You can do this in Classroom and do it well.

This can be easier than you think. IF you know what to do and how to do it. First of all, you have to understand the item types in Classroom. I've written a very detailed explanation of Google Classroom Item Types that can be helpful. Next, you need to understand the difference in HOW to provide this feedback. Finally, you must understand that students need explicit instructions on looking for AND acting on feedback.

*** I'd like to take a minute and highlight a very simple - yet highly effective - method to encourage, support, and teach your students to read and act on the feedback that you provide. I heard about it awhile back from the Cult of Pedagogy podcast by Jennifer Gonzalez. I've linked the article, "Delaying the Grade" written by Kristy Louden for the podcast here and in the slides below. I'd definitely put it in the "Jedi mindtrick" category! And it's incredibly simple ...... provide feedback withOUT a grade! Pause for a minute. Grades have a very final feel to them. Feedback is meant to support and encourage revision. Work can't be both final and on-going at the same time. So don't confuse your students with a grade until it's truly finished. ***

Feedback can be done in several ways in Classroom. Below is a slidedeck that shares how to do this with Assignments, Quiz assignments, and Questions. I've devoted one slide to each. Let's explore them today.

Be sure to check out my Wakelet Collection focused on Google Classroom. It's a growing collection of tips, tricks, & resources.

And as always - do you have a comment? I'd love to read & respond to it below. You can also email me at sarah@techyoucando.com or Tweet at me. You can find me on Twitter @kiefersj.

Parents and Google Classroom You Can Do

Many times, as teachers, we focus on our content, schedules, the students in front of us, and all the ups and downs of teaching. How often do you stop and remember to include parents in that list? There was a part of my career where I didn't. That wasn't a stellar decision. Parents are part of education and we cannot ignore this fact.

I'm a mom, too. I have 3 daughters. As my oldest entered each new grade, it seemed that teachers communicated less - both in content and frequency. I struggled with this. She didn't come home and tell me all about her day. School happened at school; home was home. I didn't know how to help ... and she needed help. It was exhausting trying to chase down what was for homework and when tests and quizzes were and what to study. Because of this, I decided it was far easier for ME to communicate to all of my students (& their parents) than having them feeling this same frustration. It took me less than 5 minutes - after all, I was the one assigning the work! I wanted their time to be spent DOING rather than figuring out what to do. I also wanted to empower the parents to be able to have conversations with their student.

When I realized this and actively worked to include parents more in the happenings of my class, I loved the results. For one, I received far more "thank you" emails than "I didn't know" emails. Conferences were less stressful - communication was already a constant and parents weren't surprised. I also realized that my students - 7th & 8th graders - truly needed this extra support. It's not that they weren't being held responsible, it was that I was giving the parents the tools TO hold the student responsible at home because the parent knew what was expected.

Now, more than ever, communication between home and school is important. I see that from both sides - professionally and personally. I see teachers everywhere working to create the best out of whatever situation they are in. And this is hard. Teaching is hard. But we CAN do it.

Because of this, I've been focusing recently on sharing out small chunks about Google Classroom. Today, I want to focus on this audience in connection with Google Classroom: parents. Whether you are in a remote situation, a hybrid situation, or even face-to-face, parents are there with their students. We have to keep this in mind and keep them as part of our planning and thinking with Classroom.

Google Classroom can be a very effective way to build a partnership with parents. The best way is through Guardian Emails. This is an easy, built in way to give parents the information needed to support their student. This is helpful in face-to-face situations where sometimes homework can be a mystery but also during hybrid and remote times, when digital communication is the best we have. Classroom is also great for situations that change over time. It can be a consistent platform for parents to rely on information about their students' schoolwork.

Now, the first step is to understand parents do NOT have an intuitive idea or concept about Google Classroom. In many ways, we have to TEACH the parents about Classroom. I suggest keeping it simple. If you decide to use Guardian emails, I created a letter you are welcome to take, customize to fit your parents, and share. You can find it here: Guardian Email Parent Letter (click the "Use Template" button in the top right corner to make your own copy).

The second step is to decide how you want to use Google Classroom to communicate with parents. THIS WILL NOT TAKE THE PLACE OF YOU USING CLASSROOM FOR ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR STUDENTS. This decision allows parents a view into your digital Classroom. 

I see two possible methods for using Classroom with/for parents. One - to simply communicate homework. And two - to allow parents complete insight to the digital activities and homework for their student. Neither is right or wrong, better or worse. In the Slide deck below, I share pros/cons of each method along with some tips.

Link to "Parents & Google Classroom"

Regardless of how you decide to use Google Classroom with your parents, please let me stress a few things. This is actually a repeat of my "Final tips" Slide in the above resource:

• Use Classroom DAILY to share - it’s the ONLY way parents will receive an email.

• Use the scheduling feature so that the information for THAT DAY shows up - do not assume parents will remember on Thursday to go back and read what was posted on Monday.

• Do NOT use abbreviations - it only takes a second to write it out. It can make the difference for parents. (We are stressed and we know they are too. Give them a little help here.)

• Remember - parents canNOT click on links or expand anything out. Honestly, they don't need to. (If it’s work to be done, the student will be logging in to complete it.)

• Add multiple guardians, BUT be sure any email you include is a person who is allowed to have access to information about this student.

• Ask a trusted parent in your class to forward you a Guardian email. Teachers don’t automatically receive a copy. It can be helpful to see what the guardians see.

• Keep it simple. This will help you and the parents.

I promise, including and intentionally thinking about parents and your Google Classroom is a step you will be thrilled you took.

As always, I'd love to hear from you! Comment below - email me: sarah@techyoucando.com - or tweet at me @kiefersj.

And don't forget ... I'm a avid Wakelet curator. Be sure to check out my All Things Google collections. I have one specific to Google Classroom as well.

A Deeper Dive into Google Classroom Posting Options You Can Do

Have you looked at your Google classroom through your students eyes? If you have, you know how important it is. If not, this can be a game changer. I challenge you to. No ... I dare you to! Login as one of your students. Or, if you have access, add a fake student to your classroom and login as them … regularly. Look around. What do you see?

Really look to see how you’ve got your classroom organized and structured and labeled. Look AS A STUDENT. You might be shocked.  Now that school has begun again, whether you’re face-to-face or hybrid or remote, your students are looking at that classroom. They’re trying to figure out the organization. How hard is it for them? How easy would you like it to be for them?

Let's start with Topics. The best recommendation I can give you is to use weekly dates for your topics. Be super intentional about the name you gave to your topic. Let’s look at two examples:

Look at the difference for students. Spelling out September if you use "Week of ..." means that your students won’t see numbers. Using the abbreviation SEPT and the weekly dates allows for students to see the numbers in the dates for the weeks. 

TIP #1: Create all of your weekly topics at the beginning of the quarter. BUT, don’t post anything to them until you are ready. Students won’t even see it. That’s right. Go ahead and create them and as each week becomes live, so will that topic.

TIP #2: Keep the most current date on top means it’s the first thing students see. This makes it incredibly easy for them to get to this weeks activities quite easily. 

TIP #3: Put your topics in backwards order. Example: you plan to have a Classroom for 1st quarter. (and create new for 2nd - a great tip, by the way!) Use all 9 weeks as your topics, but have the last week at the top. This forces the "most current" to be at the top. Since topics don't show until something is posted, students won't even know they are there.

TIP #4: Students can click on the topic name to the left to further narrow their view and classwork. Yep! Have students click on the topic and all they will see JUST the activities for the selected week. Great for students of all ages - in person or remotely. (And think of their parents supporting them as well!)

TIP #5: Being intentional about giving everything a Topic allows you to NOT assign a topic to items that you want to be listed at the top - to give students quick access, or regular access to. Example, your classroom routines/expectations; a link to programs used on a regular basis; your grade program; etc. BE INTENTIONAL about this. Do not overuse it. 

Now, let's talk about posting assignments, quizzes, activities, materials, etc.  As you create your assignments, quizzes, etc, what do you DO?

Think about the "old days" ... I have several worksheets, activities, and quizzes I need to copy for the week. I head to the copier to make my copies. When I return with my stacks, am I handing them out to my students and thinking that: 

A) they won't look at them or do them until I tell them

B) they will keep them in the order I give them to them

C) they will hold on to them?

Chances are, you are laughing to yourself right now. Of course you wouldn't hand out the entire week's worth of paper copies. You'd leave them in stacks on your desk and pass them out when appropriate. 

The good news - you have options! 

OPTION #1: Go ahead and post/assign them. This gives immediate access. They show up right way. If students have access to Gmail, they will also receive an immediate notification the teacher has posted/assigned something and it will provide a link to take them to it directly. This is a great option if you are ready for your students to have access RIGHT THEN. 

But what if you don't need them to have it NOW ... what if you are planning ahead?

OPTION #2: Schedule it! I love planning ahead, when possible. When I was still in the classroom I tried to plan by the unit ... I liked knowing how long we'd spend on each topic. This allowed me to incorporate PD days, assemblies, or other interruptions. Scheduling posts (whether they are assignments, materials, or even quizzes) is a powerful tool. You schedule everything to post right when you want your students to have access. (You can even schedule down to the minute!) Students won't see it until you are ready for them to have access. Great for planners! It was also great for sub plans or days I knew I'd have to be out.

OPTION #3: Draft mode. This ability is key for those who plan ahead, but can't quite put an exact day or time on it. It works the same as scheduling - you can package your entire assignment, quiz, material, etc, just how you want, and when you are ready, take 30 seconds to open it in edit mode & voila! Assign/post!

Using these options strategically will do you many favors. Students see what they need, when they need it. Nothing more, nothing less. And by also using the topics, it helps keep students focused on the current work and build off it as the days and weeks pass.

Take a little time to digest this. Maybe call on a friend and invite them as a student to your Classroom and let them tell you what they see ... and reciprocate in their Classroom. (You can also unenroll yourself or they can do it for you.)

Bonus Tip: Have you already posted assignments, quizzes, materials, etc and after reading this want to undo that? Unfortunately, you can't. BUT, you can use the "Reuse post" option when you click on "Create" and make each one "new". It allows you to duplicate the work you've already done and use the scheduling or draft mode. Be sure to delete the posted ones so it's less confusing for both you and your students.

Finally: You'll find a link to a cheat sheet to the left on topics and the 3 options I mentioned above for your assignments, materials, quizzes, etc to be posted. I truly hope it helps. Whether your students are 7 years old or 17 years old, how YOU structure and organize your Classroom will go a long way. It matters. It matters now and it will matter in future weeks and months.

Link to make your own copy.

Link to viewing.

These last few weeks, I've focused in heavily on the student and teacher side of Classroom. Have you missed out on them? I've linked them here:

• A Deep Dive into Google Classroom Settings You Can Do
• Google Classroom Item Types You Can Do
• Google Classroom "To Do/To Review" You Can Do

Next week, I hope to share a deeper look at the parent side, partnered with ways teachers can better support parents.

And ... did you know I collect Google Classroom tips, tricks, and resources? Yep - I use Wakelet to do this. I encourage you to check out my Classroom Wakelet collection. I find goodies all over the place and I keep them together here.

Can I help? I'd be happy to help you better organize your Classroom or answer questions you have or even take a peak at your Classroom. Comment below, email me - sarah@techyoucando.com - or Tweet at me @kiefersj. 

A Deep Dive into Google Classroom Settings You Can Do

As promised, today we are going on a deep dive into the settings you can adjust and customize in Google Classroom. These settings can go a long way in making your Classroom experience smooth and efficient. Below, I breakdown 4 main settings areas that you should be comfortable with. 

As with many things in Google, you can adjust any of these settings and "live" with them for awhile and change them again if they aren't working for you. I always recommend NOT changing a default setting - what is turned on OR off prior to you making changes - unless you are confident on what you are adjusting. Talking with other teachers who use Classroom, or reach out to me, will help you make a decision that works well.

Many of the settings are going to directly impact you, the teacher. Some settings will adjust what Classroom looks like for your students. 

In the presentation below, I share four different settings areas in Classroom. I suggest you have your Classroom open in another tab or window, or even on another device so you can make adjustments that you are comfortable with as you go through this. As I mentioned before, making a change now is not permanent. Feel free to adjust these settings as the year progresses.

Over the past 6 months or so, I've written about Google Classroom several times. If you are looking for more info or assistance with Classroom, please click on this link to all of the "Google Classroom" blogs I've written.

In the upcoming weeks, I plan to share about guardian summaries and better assisting parents with Classroom. Stay tuned for some deep dives!

I highly recommend checking out my Google Classroom Wakelet collection, too. I continually am curating tips, tricks, and resources to better support our use of Classroom.

Do you have questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. You can also Tweet at me ... @kiefersj or email me Sarah@TechYouCanDo.com.

Google Classroom Item Types You Can Do

I am finding it more important than ever to help teachers understand and use the right "item type" in Google Classroom. While it may not seem necessary, please understand it DOES make difference. It became incredibly clear to me during the spring closure. And now, I hope to help teachers put intentional thought into the use each of the item types in Classroom.

Last week, I shared "Google Classroom "To Do/To Review" You Can Do". Using the right item type will help keep your students To Do list clear and easy to use. It will also help keep your To Review list clean and organized.

There are currently 7 item types in Classroom. It is important to put thought into the item types you select. They each have a purpose. They each have a meaning. If we use the item type that truly matches the intention we have planned for our students, it will go a long way in keeping out Classrooms organized and packed with purpose. Our students (and their families) deserve this. I also see a big payoff for teachers - the more clear our setup is, the fewer questions we will have to answer.

Another big tip I want to pass on ... be sure to specifically teach your students about the icons. Teaching them intentionally to recognize the icons will also payoff in the long run. When you understand and use the right item type, and they recognize the icons and their purpose, everyone wins.

In the presentation below, I share the purpose and when to use each item type. The final two Slides are meant to be printed and kept close at hand for when you are creating in your Google Classroom. A link for you to view & print is below the Slides.

To view this Google Slides, please click on the link "Google Classroom Item Types". You are welcome to print any/all of this. Please also share with your colleagues. If we all operate from a consistent place, everyone will be better organized.

In the upcoming weeks, I plan to share about top settings and guardian summaries in Classroom. Stay tuned for some deep dives!

I highly recommend checking out my Google Classroom Wakelet collection, too. I continually am curating tips, tricks, and resources to better support our use of Classroom.

Do you have questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. You can also Tweet at me ... @kiefersj or email me Sarah@TechYouCanDo.com.

Google Classroom "To Do/To Review" You Can Do

Google Classroom got a few - much needed - features in August. One that has been a "game changer" is the new "To Do" & "To Review" section. This is NOT to be overlooked, especially with your students. In the spring, one of the biggest headaches for students and their parents at home was knowing what to do and when it was due. 

With the "To Do" feature - and some specific teaching - students will have clear knowledge of what is due and when. Be sure to show this to your students and explain how helpful it is. It will also help YOU see Classroom how they see it. (I showed the To Do to my own 5th & 3rd grade daughters and it truly is SUPER easy to read.) The To Do list layers all classes for students.

For teachers, the "To Review" feature will provide a simple and clear way to easily see work that has been assigned and what needs to (and can be) graded. You can see all of your classes layered together OR select one class and focus in.

Below are Slides I created to help guide teachers in this new reality of face-to-face, blended, hybrid, or remote teaching and learning. I start with Google Classroom specific vocabulary and then a quick overview of each of the new pieces as well as some suggestions on organizing Classroom. Keep in mind, simplicity and clarity are your best friends. 

Organize Classroom through your students eyes and you will have a very successful year! I always wanted my students to spend their time doing the work rather than figuring out what they needed to do and when it was due. On the final slide, I share some organizational strategies you can implement, too. 

I have also recently written a couple of other posts about Google Classroom and the thinking behind creating and using it with students. I hope you check these out, too:

• How MANY Google Classrooms Can You Do?
• Starting Google Classroom You Can Do
• Classroom Header Template You Can Do with activity idea

And finally, check out my Google Classroom Wakelet. I continually collect tips, tricks, and resources specific to Classroom. 

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. You can also Tweet at me ... @kiefersj or email me Sarah@TechYouCanDo.com.

This year is going to be a year like no other ... and we can make it successful and wonderful.

Dear Educators, You Can!

Dear Educators,

I've been trying to write this for 3 weeks. As with most everything in 2020, plans changed. I should already have had 2 weeks of school under my belt by now, but my first day is this coming Thursday. My oldest daughter still has a week of summer vacation before starting high school. I should have spent the majority of this weekend at a soccer tournament. I don't think I have the right words, but I need to get this out. I know I can.

This reality has a new feeling ... I hesitate to call this "normal" ... I don't want this to BE normal. This reality has new and different challenges. I've shed tears and I know more will come. I've been angry and felt defeated. COVID-19 has rocked me. What started out as a 3 week pause, turned into a full remote learning for the entire fourth quarter. Then summer was extended as guidelines changed and precautions were outlined and new safety measures were developed.

With everything, I know I have a choice. I have a choice with my words and my actions. I may not like my choices, but they are there for me to make the best of. I'm not perfect and I won't always make the right choice. 

We say the same thing to our daughters here at home. My youngest two girls started school this past week. Face-to-face, five days a week. They have to have their temperatures taken before entering school. They wear masks. They mostly sit in their desks. Specials teachers come to their rooms. They sit on dots spaced out in the cafeteria. And when we explained the "rules" for school, they smiled and accepted them. They don't like wearing masks, but they wanted to go back to school. I cried when we dropped them off ... HAPPY tears! After 5 months, they were back in school.

I don't want this to be "normal" ... but I have accepted this is what we have to do right now. And I want to face this head on and do the best I can. 

I listened to one of my favorite podcasts this morning on my post-run cool down. The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros. It was 10 minutes long and he talked about giving grace to others and yourself. He said it well when he said it's easy to give others grace but often, it's tough to give it to ourselves. That is so very true! Give your students grace; give their parents grace; give your colleagues grace; give your administrators grace; and give YOURSELF grace. You can.

As this school year starts, I don't know truly what to expect. I hope I meet the challenges head on. I hope I ask for and seek help when I need it. I hope that my daughters have a good year. I hope that we all stay healthy. I hope we use this forced change to improve everything we do. I hope that we will look back on this school year and say, with confidence, we did it!

Stay connected ... I'd love to hear your comments below. Tweet at me ... @kiefersj. Need some help? Feel free to email me ... sarah@techyoucando.com .

Sarah

Making the Most of August You Can Do

August always brings mixed emotions for me. August signals the beginning of the end of summer ... school supply shopping ... heavy prep work for the coming school year ... rush to finish projects around the house ... squeeze in family time ... ramping up of fall sports ... soaking up every bit of sunshine possible ... all good, yet a little sad - I love summer!

August 2020 is in many ways the same, yet COMPLETELY different! If I'm being honest, the past 4 1/2 months have been both wonderful (extra family time, enforced slow down of running around, extra learning time) and stressful (the unknowns, the fears, the crazy, the emotional roller coaster). It's also been physically taxing on me (I fell on a run & required shoulder surgery - I'm 6.5 weeks post-surgery, healing nicely, but this is going to take time). But I'm not here to complain!

Thanks to the wonderful people around me, I've been able to accomplish a great many things this summer and I still have some items to check off my "to do" list. I'm excited!

Back in April, I kicked it off with presenting at the April meeting for GEG Ohio. I shared how you can create an "app" using Google Slides. There is a lot of goodness in this meeting - I appear around the 1 hour mark.

From there, a huge thanks goes out to Dr. Desiree Alexander, my #NYC19 Innovator Coach. She allowed me to share 11 - yes ELEVEN - webinars with a great many educators. And ... we have a few more planned! Yay! Not only does she do these live, but she records them and shares them out on her YouTube channel (Educator Alexander) so you can watch them afterwards. All the resources are tucked in the show notes, so be sure to click the "show more" so you can learn right along with the recording.

Pre-injury, I installed new floors throughout our 1st and 2nd floors. We also did a fair amount of painting. Unfortunately, our new stair treads were backordered and didn't come in until after my surgery. My dad is super handy and came over a couple of times and helped complete most of the projects! My mom got to enjoy some fun with my girls, too.

I also was able to participate in a handful of conferences that moved their entire conference online and offered it freely to everyone! There was EdChange Global, WeVideo Creator Community, and Beyond the Bootcamp with Jeff Bradbury. You can find them all on my YouTube Channel on the "My Presentations" playlist.

And I have a few more things still coming up! This week will kick off Monday with the G-Tech Summit hosted by the Genoa Area Local Schools in Ohio. I'll be presenting on both Monday & Tuesday. I encourage you to join in the learning fun - there will be tons!

I'm also excited to keep learning about Data Studio, Blended Learning, Google's new Certified Coach curriculum, and I've always got a stack of books to read. 

Guess I better get moving and tackle some of the items on my "Today's To Do" list. How about you? What's on your list?

Have a question or comment? Please leave it below. Or Tweet at me - @kiefersj - I'd love to connect. Would you like some help with something - feel free to email me sarah@techyoucando.com .

Distance Learning Tracker App You Can Do

Several weeks ago, one of my teachers came to me and we talked through an issue. Distance learning had thrown a curveball in the way parents, students, and teachers could track the work that has been done and still had yet to be done. Relying, in part, on a major piece to my Google Innovator Project, we talked through a "needs assessment". I connected her needs with an idea I had been working on for the upcoming DC trip - a personalized "To Do" list. There are 2 pieces needed to make this idea work - a Google Sheet & Glide Apps.

I took my "To Do" list and modified it somewhat to work so this teacher (and any others) can take the template sheet, connect it to Glide Apps, and have a viable app to share with parents as a way to keep them informed about student work. (I also suppose you can set it up to include a narrative column as well.) And so the "Distance Learning Assignment Tracker App" sprang to life!

I shared it out on last month's GEG Ohio meeting where I shared this out with a quickly written workflow. [You can catch it here on YouTube, April 2020 GEG Ohio Meeting. I start about an hour in to the meeting.] I wanted to polish it up and include a more friendly layout, so I've pasted it below.

I also am very excited to share I will be presenting on this (& my other apps I've built & shared for school use) THIS coming Saturday, May 30, 2020, at 12 pm EST. My Innovator coach, Dr. Desiree Alexander, hosts FREE webinars and I am honored to be one of the presenters. You can register here -> Build an App for Your Classroom <- I'd love to see you there!

I will also be presenting on "6 Steps to Organize Google Drive" on June 2 at 1 pm EST (12 pm CST) for the GEG Louisiana. The leader is fellow #NYC19 Google Innovator, Wiley Brazier! You can sign up on the GEG Louisiana website. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions, or you'd like help with this - or any of the items I share. You can comment below, reach out on Twitter (@kiefersj), or email me (Sarah@techyoucando.com).

Back to School Activities You Can Do

 It's the time of year when most schools are heading back to class! As Summer 2019 draws to a close, I'm excited to see what the 2019/2020 school year has in store. I will return to Ross in the same position - which I absolutely love! - and I'm excited to see how we grow, the new challenges we will face, the new people we will meet, and how we will work together to accomplish all that is in store for us.

As I see it, each new year presents me with the opportunity to reinvent myself, in a way. We have a whole new group of students to work with, we have new colleagues to meet, we might have new "things" in our classrooms, or we might be starting over in a completely new place. A new school year for teachers is very much like a new school year as a student. 

As we prepare to return to school, I thought I'd share a couple activities you can do with your students. AND ... they do not have to be digital!

Back-to-School Bento: I came across this tweet by @ClassroomQuips awhile back where a teacher shared about a #BookBento. I was intrigued! For starters, I had no idea what a bento was. Once I had that figured out, I fell in love with the simplicity of the photo. I knew it would make a great digital activity. When I sat down to create one, I realized I didn't want to confine you or your students based on my design. Instead, I created a Slide deck with a VERY basic example, and then a couple of slides with some teacher tips as well as how to use this beyond the first week or so of school. I also encourage you to take a look at the #BookBento hashtag on Twitter for how others are creating.

Using this for a beginning of the year activity, I'd go one of three ways:

• All About Me Bento ↬ have the students bring in items (or do an image search) that give you info about themselves
• Summer Vacation Bento ↬ students can tell the story of their summer, in pictures!
• Goals Bento ↬ ask students to share goals they have for this school year
• ... don't worry, I tucked in a few ideas of how you can use bentos later in the year.

Or allow your students to choose which one(s) they want to do. 

Here is a link to the example with teacher tips: Back-to-School Bento

[Pssst! You do not have to do this digitally! Allow students to draw their bento's!]

Another option ...

How about a video? A video can be a wonderful way to be introduced to your students. (I also think it can give you a baseline of information for your student. You can brainstorm as a class what they might want to include in their video. You could also incorporate writing by having them write a script for their video. 

How can this happen?

• Have ipads? turn on the camera and move to video mode. Pair students up and make it a collaborative effort. The videos then "live" on the iPad. Your students can upload to Google Drive, or submit via Google Classroom
• Have chromebooks? use Screencastify extension to have students record themselves. Screencastify can automatically save to Drive, so have students either share it to you or submit via Google Classroom.
• Interested in an online method? Try out Flipgrid! The whole point to Flipgrid is to be able to share videos! Don't worry, you can protect your grids so they are not publicly accessible, an it's FREE! If you allow students to see each others videos, they can comment on them and you can incorporate discussion on appropriate commenting. 

If you have gone back -- if you are heading back this week -- or if you don't go back for a little while, just remember, the relationship you build with your students starts every day. Smile and listen. One day at a time. I'll be right there, too, next week. We can and do make a difference in the lives of our students.

Have a question or comment? Feel free to comment below, reach out to me on Twitter @kiefersj, or email me at sarah@techyoucando.com .