Guest Blog: Google Hangouts by Melissa Abels

Thank you to Melissa Abels, 3rd Grade teacher, for being our CCSD Tuesday Tech Tip guest blogger!  Melissa has done incredible work with engaging students in a collaborative inquiry based learning experience using Google Hangout.  We asked if she would share her experience and insight implementing a Google Mystery Hangout. 

As a 3rd Grade Teacher, Google Mystery Hangout was the perfect interactive addition to really “show” students the five different Regions of the United States! Google Mystery Hangout is essentially like “Skype” or “FaceTime” with another classroom somewhere around the world. Students ask questions back and forth to determine a class’s location based on inferences, mapping skills, and clues from the other students.

Content 

After teaching about the five different regions of the United States, I set up a Google Mystery Hangout with another classroom in each of the five regions (Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, West). My students were able to use their knowledge about each region’s characteristics to ask questions, determine the region the Mystery Classroom was in, and then use geographic clues to determine the state in each region. My students were able to ask the other class questions about what it’s like living in that region, the weather, sports teams, etc, which were questions the Social Studies Curriculum wouldn’t answer. I love that my students were able to get answers to their immediate, real-life questions through this awesome tool.

Getting Set Up

Before we “Hungout” with other classrooms, I had to coordinate with another classroom around the country to find a time and date that we could get our classes together. Give yourself enough time to do this! The communication process with other teachers about dates and times that might work took longer than expected. Be sure to keep the time-zones in mind!

Test out the connection and volume before it is time for the actual Hangout. Sometimes being able to hear each other got a little tricky. Test volume, speakers, and connection first. Also make sure that you are connected so your students will be able to see the other class but also so that the other class can see your students.

Google Mystery Hangout is a lot like 20 questions. Students will ask yes or no questions back and forth to determine location. I recommend playing a few games of 20 Questions with your class for them to get the idea.

Jobs

When it is time to hang out, you want all students to have a job so that they all contribute to the success of the team. Assign or let students pick jobs before the Hangout actually starts so that you are prepared as it begins. My jobs were:

• Greeters: These (2) students say hello, introduce your class, determine who wants to ask questions first
• Inquirers: These (2) students ask the questions from your class
• Answerers:  These (2) students answer questions from the other class
• “Yes” Sign: This person holds up the “Yes” sign if “Yes” is the answer to the question as the answerer answers it
• “No” Sign: This person holds up the “No” sign if “No” is the answer to the question as the answerer answers it
• “We are thinking” Sign: This person holds up this sign when your students need time to collaborate or talk
• Think Tanks: These (2) students put all of the clues together and determine what question we want to ask next
• Question keepers (2): One person records questions your class has asked while the other records questions the other class has asked.
• Mappers: These (2) students look at a United States map of just the states as well as one with physical features to help give new information about what to ask to the Think Tank.
• Clue keepers: These (2) students record what we already know in an area where all students can see.
• Runner: This person moves between the Think Tank and the Questioners. Once the Think Tank decides what we want to ask, the runner tells the Questioners. 
• Photographers: These (3) students circulate around during the Hangout taking pictures of students at work.
• Problem solvers: These (2) students work together to synthesize all information and get to guess the other class’s location. 
• Closers: These (2) students thank the class you Hungout with, summarized the session, and provided information about our classroom, school, city, and state.

After the Hangout

After the hangout, I had students journal to me about how they thought it went, what they liked, and what they would change. It was a great reflective piece to know more about how this process was for them and if anything needed to be changed before the next hangout.

 Tips and Tricks

• Remind your students not to wear clothes that would give your location away (Ex: A Denver Broncos shirt).
• Go through examples of what the students might ask to help determine location (Bigger scale questions at first and then more specific ones.)
• Hangouts will usually take about 15-20 minutes.
• Prepare “Yes,” “No,” and “We are thinking” signs ahead of time
• Remind students that background noise makes it very hard for everyone to do their jobs
• The Hangout runs very quickly! Do not be hesitant to take the time that you need. 
• It will seem chaotic for the first few Hangouts while students learn their roles and their jobs. It’s not! They are just excited and collaborating!
• Always have a backup plan in case a Hangout falls through.
• Adjust jobs as needed. Add jobs that students see a need for.
  
  

Tuesday Tech Tip: Mixing it Up with Office Mix

We've done a series of blog posts in recent weeks, all focusing on "tools of engagement."  Zaption, Socrative, PearDeck, and Classflow all provide levels of student interaction and analytics that can help teachers monitor progress.  In addition, we've posted previously about ways to narrate a presentation (MoveNote) and create a screencast (Screencastify & Snagit),

This week, we're highlighting Office Mix, a tool that does ALL of those things inside of an application that most people are already familiar with: PowerPoint.  OfficeMix would be a great option for blended or flipped instruction or anytime you want students to interact more with information being presented.

Office Mix is a relatively new add-on for PowerPoint 2013 (you can install the add-on from their site).  While you do need PowerPoint to create a mix, a mix can be viewed on any device with a web connection, including mobile devices;  however, certain interactive elements are not yet available on iOS or Android.

With Office Mix, you can:

• create interactive questions inside your presentation, 
• record yourself going over your slides, 
• annotate your slides, include a screencast or screen caps, and 
• insert live web pages, videos or interactive content.  

You decide if you want it publicly available or restricted to your district or school domain. Office Mix analytics will tell you how long viewers spent on each slide, show their quiz answers, and results can be exported to Excel.


Use your district email address when prompted to sign in (choose Office for Work or School).

Your mix can be added into Schoology as an assignment, embedded into Schoology or another website with code, or accessed via link.  See the Mix below for the directions on adding into Schoology (and also to experience some of the interactive elements you can insert into "the mix").



Check with your school technology support folks if you need to upgrade the version of MS Office on your district PC laptop.  And have fun mixing it up!

Tuesday Tech Tip: Zaption

Using video for instructional purposes is a great way to engage learners and share information. How many times have you been sharing a video and stopped it to ask questions or to see if your students were still with you? Have you ever wondered if your students are really paying attention to the content or if they are taking the opportunity to take a mental break from class?  

What if there was a tool that could help you with this, where you could pause and check for understanding, gather feedback, and have your students interact?  

One tool you might consider is Zaption.  Zaption allows you to create engaging video lessons in minutes.  

With Zaption you can create tours for your students where they interact with video content. With a little planning, you can turn online videos into interactive learning experiences.  Zaption’s authoring tools allow you to find relevant online video and add elements such as text, images, drawings, discussions and questions.

You can start from scratch or search Zaption’s content to get started.

Once you create a tour, getting it to your students is as simple as sharing a link. You can also embed the tour into a website or right inside of Schoology or even share through Google Classroom.

Consider creating tours for students to use on individual devices or perhaps you want to use the tool with the whole class as you project from your computer.  The Office of Instructional Technology is happy to help you think through how this tool can enhance student learning and engagement.  

Why not give it a whirl?  Watch the video below and then login to www.zaption.com. Use your CCSD/G+ Login

Want more?  Check out these tours from the Zaption Gallery

Tuesday Tech Tip: Pear Deck

Pear Deck is a fantastic interactive tool for teaching and learning.  Check out the guide below for all the details:

Tuesday Tech Tip: Summer Learning Opportunities

If you are searching for opportunities to brush up on your technology integration skills and learn about new ways to be innovative with technology, here are some conferences and classes to think about attending/taking over the summer...

CCSD SLA - (Cherry Creek's Summer Learning Academy) June 8-12, ISF (Instructional Support Facility) and Eaglecrest High School

This is a conference with sessions taught by Cherry Creek teachers, coaches, and leaders. Sessions focus on Standards Implementation, Excellence and Equity, Instructional Technology, and Planning for Instruction. On Wednesday, June 10th, SLA will host a featured speaker, Mr. Rick Wormeli.  

InnEdCO - (Innovative Education Colorado)- June 23-25, Keystone, CO

InnEdCO, previously known as TIE (Technology in Education), is a conference geared toward learning about current and emerging technology and how to apply this technology to your classroom or school. This year the conference is moving to Keystone from its long-standing location at Copper Mountain. InnEdCO features great keynote and guest speakers, over 150 sessions (some taught by Cherry Creek teachers and Technology and Learning Coaches), and valuable opportunities for networking with innovative teachers throughout the state. Here’s a recap of last year’s conference:

BLC- Building Learning Communities- July 15-17, Boston, MA If you have ever heard Alan November speak, or have read one of his books, you know why this conference is a recommended one. There will be multiple, excellent keynotes including Jennie Magiera and Dylan William, and Alan November will serve as the host of the conference. This conference will focus on creating and enhancing relationships for "more meaningful teaching and learning enhanced by technology."

Schoology NEXT- July 20-22, Chicago, IL

If you are using Schoology or if you are interested in using Schoology, this is a fantastic conference! Last year the keynotes included Alan November and Jenny Maguira, and this year is sure to include inspiring, motivating keynotes as well. One of the highlights of the conference is learning about upcoming additions and improvements to Schoology before anyone else. In addition to learning about Schoology and what it can do for you, you can improve your knowledge in the areas of Leadership, BYOD and Mobile Learning, Integrating Technology and Content, and Hot Topics in Education. Click the link provided to hear what some attendees/keynotes had to say about the conference last year:

Reactions to new Schoology features announced at NEXT 2014 from Schoology 

ISTE- (International Society for Technology in Education)- June 28-July 1, Philadelphia, PA

This is a conference that pulls in educators and educational leaders from around the world. Expect engaging sessions, fantastic keynotes including NBC's Soledad O'Brien, and countless vendors showcasing their newest, most exciting hardware, software, and apps. The video below explains what you can expect to learn at ISTE 2015.

eNet Learning Online Courses
There are many online courses being offered this spring and summer through eNet Learning Online. These courses can be taken for graduate credit, but every participant will receive CEU credits. Some of the courses offered include Designing Blended Learning, Curate, Collaborate, and Create: A Wealth of Resources, and Creativity in the Mobile Classroom. Click the link above to learn more about the courses offered. 

Dominican University Online

Are you switching grade levels or content areas next year? Do you want to integrate more technology with your curriculum next year but have trouble finding the time to plan and do your research? If what you need is time, and you want to earn credit for it, then check out the Dominican University Online course, Innovative Curriculum Design: Authentic Planning for the 2015-16 School Year. Through this course, you can earn up to 6 credits this summer doing what you already do, planning to become a more effective teacher.

Hopefully you have found something here to pique your interest and save yourself from boredom during the summer months. Keeping up with your learning over the summer can help you feel relaxed, prepared, and excited when the school year starts up again.

Cherry Creek Bright Spot: MinecraftEdu in the Classroom

Should students be allowed to play video games at school? Absolutely- if they are playing Minecraft in Joel Solomon's technology classes at Village East Elementary or with the Minecraft Club at Thunder Ridge Middle School with Cary Joice and Justin Cantrell.  

These educators have leveraged student interest in gaming and use MinecraftEdu as a way to use to reinforce the teaching of standards. They focus not only on 21st Century Skills like collaboration, communication, and digital citizenship, but also on standards for core subject areas such as math, science, social studies and language arts. Check out the video below to learn more about Minecraft and using MinecraftEdu in the classroom.

For more information about using MinecraftEdu with your students, contact Joel Solomon at jsolomon2@cherrycreekschools.org or visit minecraftedu.com. 

Tuesday Tech Tip: Using Nearpod in the Classroom

Many teachers use a digital presentation in their classroom to help them keep students engaged, to keep themselves on track, and to incorporate technology into their instruction. While presentations can be a great way to share information with students they are mostly a one way tool; students don’t really interact with the presentation, and often times it is merely projected at the front of the room. Nearpod is a presentation tool that allows teachers to create a presentation and bring it to life by pushing it out to students and guiding their activity in real time. It involves the student in the presentation by having them interact with and submit responses on any device. The teacher can monitor and measure student results, which is something that can be difficult to keep track of when students are only participating verbally or sporadically in class.

The process is simple. Log in to Nearpod, go to your library, select the presentation you wish to share with students and launch a live session. A pin/access code will pop up and you’ll share it with your students. Once students join the session, you will advance the slides and take them through the presentation with you and give them the opportunity to interact with the embedded activities. Hooray!

To start with Nearpod, create your free account. (While Nearpod has other paid options, this post will only focus on the features included in the free version.) You can use the web app from any device, or download the app for iOS, Android, Windows, Nook, or Chrome. Once you’ve signed up, you have several options.

 My Library will take you to any presentations you have created and saved, once you have them of course.

• Explore allows you to see other presentations that have been created and save them to your library, use them, or modify them.
• Join directs you to enter a code to join a live presentation.
• Create brings you to the presentation creation menu.
• Reports give you access to session reports. They show aggregated data and student details. This can also be downloaded as a PDF to review offline.

Teachers have numerous options when it comes to creating a Nearpod presentation. When you start a presentation in create mode, it automatically provides you with a welcome slide and a thank you slide (both of which can be deleted). Adding content to your new presentation is fairly simple. You can create a slide from scratch, add a video, or import a slideshow, images or other content you've already created by pulling it from your drive, Dropbox, or access it on your computer.

The activities that teachers can add to their Nearpod presentation are shown left.

• Open ended questions require students to type a response, which can also be shared with the whole class by the teacher.
• A poll allows you to ask a question and give students several options to choose from. Teachers get immediate data as students select their answer.
• Quizzes also give you immediate information about their performance. Images can be embedded in the question as can math functions. The only question type available at this time is multiple choice.
• Draw it gives students the chance to draw a concept or an idea, or write a response. Drawings can also be shared with the rest of the class by the teacher.

Nearpod is an easy to use, free tool to help keep students engaged, track data/responses, and share information with students. Give it a try in your class, or in your next PLC/PLT meeting and let us know what you think!