G Suite Part 1: Google Docs & Slides

Hi Everyone! 

So I started this blog to talk about must-have-tech in my classroom and let me tell you - G Suite is the go-to for my students and myself in my classroom. I love how the G Suite has so many tools and apps all together, and the extensions are endless! With each program in the G Suite, students and teachers can collaborate with each other in real time. Today I am going to share with you just two of the many apps with G Suite: Google Docs and Google Slides.

Let me break it down for you:

Google Docs

Google Docs is an online collaborating software to create and edit documents. The greatest feature is the collaborative part. Students and teachers can share documents with each other and edit them together. Most people understand that Google Docs is a great tool for students in ELA where they have to write, edit, and publish essays, but many people don't realize how it can be used in a Math classroom. Here are some ways I use Google Docs in my classroom:

• Have students create a "How To" for a specific topic. For instance - if we are doing a unit on fractions, I would have students create a poster or a "How To" with a specific operation of fractions. 
• Teach students how to use the Math Type Add-On. It allows students to create their own mathematical equations. It's easy and you can have students create their own questions for each other to answer. 

• Teachers can use Google Docs to create and edit lesson plans together as well. 

Google Slides

Google Slides is a collaborative presentation program that has endless possibilities! The obvious task is to have students create presentations to demonstrate mastery of a skill. Something you can also do with Google Slides is create task cards for students to complete digitally or with paper and pencil. This will save you so much paper and time because you can assign the Google Slide right through Google Classroom, so students will get a read only copy. I also have students create their own vocabulary flash cards with Google Slides.

How else do you use Google Docs and Google Slides in your classroom? Drop a comment below to share!

☆Alexandra☆

5 Tech Go To's in My Classroom

Hello!
I’m going to start the first post by saying this: I’m no tech expert by any means, and I don’t claim to know more than what I know about technology. I am forever learning and thinking of new ways to incorporate technology into my classroom and come across many obstacles when implementing new technologies and ideas. I’m creating this blog to help alleviate the challenges I have when using new technology in the classroom and to help educators enable students to become innovators with the technology that is evolving. The following is a short list of some of the technologies I use in my Math classroom everyday.

The first piece of tech that I use on a regular basis is Google. I created a G Suite domain for my school and use Google Classroom daily with my students. I love it because I can create digital assignments that are self-correcting and keep the kids engaged when working independently. 

The second piece of tech is a game called prodigy. Students choose a character and complete battles, answering math questions to win the battle. I can select assign types of questions by standard or by skill. There is also a baseline assessment (that still looks like a game) to help me determine students starting level.

The third piece of tech that I use daily is classdojo. Students can earn or lose points based on behaviors I create. I try to use it in a more positive way and give more points than I take away. Parents are linked to the students dojo account and can view portfolios and work that you post of the child.

The fourth tech that I use is Google Forms (part of the G Suit). I use this app for everything! I created conferencing checklists, behavior checklists, small group checklists, as well as student centered activities (like a digital escape room I’ll share in a later post!) and self-correcting quizzes. There are plenty of extensions to add that will even grade the assignments for you! This falls under the Google Classroom umbrella, but definitely deserves its own list because it’s such a versatile tool to use in the classroom.

Last but not least, I am starting to use code.org in my classroom. This is the PD that I attended that indirectly inspired me to follow through with this blog that I’ve been thinking about since the beginning of my teaching career (a whole five years ago!). The workshop was very informative, and I brainstormed ways I can incorporate coding in my Math classroom. More information on code.org to follow!

Hope these are helpful! If you have any questions, drop a comment!

Enjoy!

-Alexandra