Using Google Drive as a Digital Portfolio for Students
Having students build a digital portfolio throughout or at the end of the school year allows them to reflect upon their learning and grow as students. I always wanted to do this as a Math teacher but never pursued it. As with most traditional Math classrooms, students were mainly completing assignments on paper. I now realize that even those assignments could be used as portfolio items using Google Drive’s scan and camera features. The general process of creating digital portfolio’s using Drive is below. Share a portfolio folder with students or have them create their own portfolio folder in Drive Have students place exemplary Google Apps work in the folder The revision history of each Drive document allows students and teachers to monitor and reflect upon their growth Have students use the image capture feature on mobile devices and laptops to help students record their exemplary non-digital work You can then place Drive in grid view at parent-teacher conferences so students can display their work You can also provide links to the Drive portfolio folder so students can show their parents at home or even use their portfolio to apply fro scholarships or other schools *Several of my colleagues have recommended that the teacher take time to create and share the portfolio folders with the students. By doing so, the teacher can ensure all of the folders are named...
A Great Guide to Using MIT’s Scratch in the Classroom
I recently stumbled upon an excellent Scratch curriculum that was developed by the Harvard ScratchEd. It includes everything you need to have your class create animations, stories, and interactive games! Teacher Notes: The web based version of Scratch doesn’t support Google IDs so you will have to create logins for each student Scratch also offers an offline version of their program that can be installed on a Mac, PC, or Linux computer...
Deploying Google Apps for Education
The list below was compiled from Google’s training resources and information I have gathered dealing with Google Apps for Education. Initial Steps Choose a domain name When migrating from multiple domains, use a single Google Apps domain to simplify sharing and communication Sign up for Google Apps for Education Create an organizational structure organizational structure can be based on job functions, graduations years, school buildings, etc. Decide on mail flow Provision your users Use tools like Google Apps Directory Sync to synchronize with Active Directory Services Early Adopters or Beta Testers in a building Establish a training or support plan Focus support on the Google Apps being used most often Go-live Deploy Google Apps to all your users Configure your messaging services Enable/disable additional Google services Optional Steps During the Transition Migrate data from legacy systems Add and configure third party apps Setup single sign-on (SSO) Add and manage mobile devices Setup integration with other school systems Professional Development Plan Identify skills and training the users will need customize training according to the needs Assemble a group of teachers who will help train the teachers in your school Create various forms of professional development Encourage teachers to become certified trainers or Google Educators Configuring Google Apps for Education Organizational structure Can be based on logical groups of users or devices i.e. Admin. teachers, students Instead of manually creating groups, you can import them using the Google Apps Directory Sync Tool (GADS) Adding Users Add a single user at a time through the admin console or upload a csv for mutliple users You can also invite users Gmail Security Considerations You can restrict email so users can only send messages withing the organization “T’he Restrict Delivery setting for Gmail can be used to create a “walled garden” for students that limits them to exchanging email with addresses or domains specified by the Google Apps administrator. The Restrict delivery option can be found in the Admin console at Google Apps > Gmail > User Settings” Note: Email sent to Group addresses will override the Restrict delivery settings You can even filter objectionable content (obscene words, etc.) You can also set a content compliance policy This will scan the email for expressions like telephone numbers, social security numbers, and numerical patterns You can also specify a approved footer which can contain legal information. This setting will be inherited by all users Finally, you can even turn Gmail off if your school or district is concerned about student to student communication. Students can still use the other apps to create, collaborate, and communicate with each other and their teachers. Google Groups Allow you to...
3D Printing Activities in the Classroom
The following list of 3D printing ideas was created through extensive research and my own personal experiences with 3D Printing. Create jewelry and 3D art Allows students to discuss art concepts and styles Recreate molecule structures in Chemistry class Allows students to explore chemistry concepts in three dimensions Print 3D models of historical artifacts (i.e. 3D printing a pyramid from Ancient Egypt) Helps students visualize and reflect on historical events and ancient civilizations Print 3D models of fossils and dinosaurs (i.e. 3D printing a Trex skull) Helps students visualize what dinosaurs looked like Print human organs or other organisms Allows students to explore biological and medical concepts deeper that the 2D recreations found in textbooks and video For example, students can 3D print a brain and mount the brain on a tri-fold board to help explain the different parts in more detail Students can also 3D print a dissect-able frog to help explore biological concepts Design a house in SketchUp and then 3D print Explore the concepts of scale, perimeter, area, and coordinate graphing Recreate a city (i.e. Researching a particular city and recreate the city using Tinkercad) Forces students to use research skills and higher order thinking to recreate their own micro version of a particular city Design a product that solves a real world issue or fills a void in the current market (i.e. An affordable water filter for third world countries, iPad stand) Students can write concept proposals in literacy class Students can research previous concepts and innovations in Social Studies Students can develop their concept in Science and Math class (allows the teacher to discuss concepts of measurement, scale, materials...