The T3
Tesmer Tech Tuesday - Google Infused Visible Learning (pt 1)
Happy Tuesday! Here's your bi-weekly dose of some groovy tech integration strategies!
This week's spotlight is on...
WHY WE DO THIS
Meaningful Learning
[making thinking visible + student voice + sharing work]
When we use the technology in our classrooms to type papers or take notes, we are certainly making life easier on students – but are we updating instructional practices to reflect learners who have been amplified by technology?
Putting good pedagogy first, educators can use tech to powerfully impact student learning, ignite curiosity, and make the classroom changes our students deserve. Using creation tools, students learn by doing, take risks, and take ownership of their learning. This week we are taking a page out of the constructivist approach to learning using technology.
So... how might we use devices to better help our students learn?
OPEN MIC: HOW YOU CAN TRY
Formative assessment is so important to seeing what students know, what they have learned, or where they might have gaps. Check out the "open mic" bullet point in the items below. Ideas below also contain inspiration from Holly Clark's book The Google Infused Classroom.
CLASSIC HIT: GOOGLE FORMS
Bio:
- Part of Google's G-Suite, Forms allows you to collect student responses, then display them as graphs. It's a quick way to view data.
It's a hit because:
- allows students to quickly answer questions
- teacher can display responses in real time on the smartboard
- responses seen in real time can prompt a discussion/help you determine how to modify your teaching
- in the recent release track smarter Google Forms can save you time! Create a quiz with the auto-grading feature and decide whether or not to "rapid release" the results to student emails
Open Mic:
- add a video into a form alongside an open ended response section
- differentiate your upcoming instruction based on collected results
- throw your word results into a word cloud generator such as Wordle to spark discussion
- create a form for each student and share the results spreadsheet with them so they can independently track their own growth (great for goal setting!)
- great for math instruction for gathering a quick check for understanding using the auto grade feature
- students can provide 5 words to describe a story... teacher can put real-time results on the screen to start a discussion or copy/paste results into a word cloud to spark discussion
- when you need a more private exit or entrance ticket - google forms is your go-to
CHART CLIMBER: SOCRATIVE
Bio:
- Best for text-answers, Socrative is a site that allows you to quickly gather student learning info. Use the "Quick Question > Short Answer" option.
It's a hit because:
- It allows you to hear from everyone (option to be anonymous)
- Students enter a state of metacognition as they think about one another's answers in comparison to their own.
- Allows students to vote on "best answers" - great for consensus building!
Open Mic:
- prompt students with an open ended question -> their responses show up in a real-time stream you can place on the smartboard.
- response to text- students identify the claim in a piece of text
- awesome for writing - students share their leads, concluding statements, main idea, pieces of evidence, transition statements... oh how the list can go on!
- Use it as your "back channel" during a debate, socrative seminar, or as a place for students to ask questions during a read aloud or video
- QFT live stream - students pose questions and build on one another's questions.
- Math - students tell you in their own words how they might solve a problem (this addresses the standard that asks students to explain how they would solve a problem).
DEBUT SINGLE: (the new and improved) LET'S RECAP
Bio:
- Recap encourages students to verbalize their thoughts and more deeply reflect on their learning. Formerly, students could only respond to teacher generated questions. They can now respond to student generated questions!
It's a hit because:
- Recap allows students to describe their learning process using video, and now with Recap's "Queue" it focuses in on student learning through questioning!
Open Mic:
- We'll focus on the QFT (question formulation technique) on another T3 in the future, but for those of you using that strategy already, Recap's updated "Queue" feature is a must see!
PLAY IT AGAIN: VOCAROO
Bio:
- Vocaroo is a site that students can use to record voice notes and share those notes using the link provided.
It's a hit because:
- It's a simple way to find out what a student has learned, is thinking, or may want to know more about.
- Quick way to have students express themselves orally, which may be easier for those who find writing their thoughts challenging.
Open Mic:
- Teacher can hit record while doing some teacher modeling/"I Do" and place link on Google Classroom for students to refer back to.
- Students can record their think aloud and add provided link to Google Classroom OR place link on SeeSaw (you can audio record directly on SeeSaw, too).
- Audio comments! Students and teacher can record feedback from student work on a Google Doc or Google slide - place provided link on the Doc or Slide for immediate feedback.
- Create an "assignment" on Classroom for students to record their thinking or a readaloud and have them turn in the link.
- Students working in a team or pair? They can record their conversation together and place on a Google Doc to send to the teacher. Great way to "listen in" on groups you might not get to during the class.
- After reading an article, students record on Vocaroo what the article was about and submit the link on a Google Form.
COLLABORATION MIX
How might you use technology to allow students to make their thinking visible?
NOTE: I caught JJH's Rod Napper in a lightbulb moment - check out his recording!
UP NEXT 10/3: REFLECTION & CURATION
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Interested in getting started with your digital workflow? Seek out help from me, your coach, or LRCD.
Email: tesmert@woodridge68.org
Website: bit.ly/tarahvm
Phone: 6309672070
Twitter: @TarahTesmer