DISD Ed Tech News
October 19, 2017
Google Earth Voyager
Google says Voyager is "a showcase of interactive guided tours" and they have added 10 new stories in this new storytelling platform, built specifically for the classroom. They collaborated with National Geographic Society, PBS Education, HHMI Biointeractive, the Jane Goodall Institute, the BBC, Sesame Street and Mission Blue to create beautiful, curated Voyager stories which offer students a new perspective on the world. Google's statement says "Google's Geo Tools aren't just about geography. You can use them to trace Marco Polo's journey through Asia, to explore the architecture of Barcelona, to measure how Alaska's glaciers have receded, or to analyze the habitat of the Cameroon grassland frog. Geospatial thinking has transformed our perceptions of the World around us, and how we address issues such as climate change on and protection of wildlife."
Voyager currently offers more than 50 different experiences for students and more are added weekly. Students and teachers can choose from topics such as Nature, Culture, History, etc. The Voyages take students along the routes of scientists such as Jane Goodall or explorers like Lewis & Clark or the Vikings. At different points along the Voyage students can view video clips, interactive activities, photos and information. Explorers can select from one of the many Voyages or they can click the die on the left-hand side for Google Earth's new "I'm Feeling Lucky" mode, which will direct them to one of 20,000 locations selected by Google for its beauty, interest, or educational value. Once there, they will see a "Knowledge Card" that will pop up with images, video and stories about where they've landed. Students can share their findings with others by clicking the Share option. Teachers who find a particularly good Voyage for their students can share it directly to Google Classroom.
Explorers can also click the 3D button on the bottom right to see a location from any angle. They can "Swoop around the Grand Canyon and see geological layers, or check out the majestic architecture and pristine grounds of the 400-year-old Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley in France," Google says. All of the educational projects were created using Google’s Voyager tool that allows educators and other organizations to build similar experiences using Google Earth. Teachers can get more information and view resources and tools at Google Earth Education.
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Be Internet Awesome Digital Citizenship Program Now Available
The site includes the Interland game for students where they can "Play their way to Internet Awesome" by helping their fellow Internauts combat badly behaved hackers, phishers, oversharers and bullies by practicing the skills they need to be good digital citizens. Also available on the Resource page is the Be Internet Awesome Curriculum for Educators. In addition to a downloadable curriculum guide, teachers can assign Interland to specific classes or sections in Google Classroom or simply make the resource available to all students in the form of a class announcement. There are many other resources as well including Lesson Posters, Student Certificates of Awesomeness & Badges, downloadable activities and the Be Internet Awesome Pledge for families. Additional resources include links to many more quality digital citizenship and cyberbullying resources for families.
Educators can find the curriculum on the Be Internet Awesome resource hub or as part of a new online course for teachers of all grade levels in the Google for Education Training Center.
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Help Your Students Become Better Searchers
Web search can be a remarkable tool for students, and a bit of instruction in how to search for academic sources will help your students become critical thinkers and independent learners.
With the materials on the Google Search Education website, you can help your students become skilled searchers - whether they're just starting out with search, or ready for more advanced training. With more and more of the world's content online, it is critical that students understand how to effectively use web search to find quality sources appropriate to their task. Google has created a series of lessons to help you guide your students to use search meaningfully in their schoolwork and beyond.
The "Google a Day" Challenges are a fun and competitive way to put your students' search skills to the test. These trivia challenges can get your classroom engaged and excited about using technology to discover the world around them. Challenges are broken into categories to make them even more relevant to class content. Challenge categories include Culture, Geography, History and Science.
In addition to the Google a Day Challenges, teachers can find a searchable database of Search Literacy lessons and can download Lesson Plans & Activities for all grade levels. There is also a Live Trainings area where teachers can sign up for upcoming webinars or can browse the archive of past trainings to hone their own skills in using Google Search. Teachers and students can even take advantage of self-paced courses in Power Searching & Advanced Power Searching to learn tips & tricks to become a fast and effective fact-finder. Check out the variety of resources available to help both teachers and students become Google Search gurus!
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Kasey Bell from Shake Up Learning Answers 4 Common Questions About Google Classroom Assignments
Among the skills she lists are:
- How to distribute a Google Classroom Assignment to Multiple Classes to save valuable time
- How to Schedule Assignments in Google Classroom for times when you need to create assignments ahead of time but don't want students to see it in their feed until you are ready
- How to Assign Work to Individuals and Groups rather than the entire class
- How to Make Copies of Assignment Materials in Google Classroom which is an absolute must when you don't want students having access to possibly edit your original file
Interested teachers can check out the entire post on her website here.
If you want even more good ideas for utilizing Google Classroom with your students check out Kasey's post about 250+ Google Classroom Resources where she shares her curated list of Classroom tips, tutorials and resources for teachers.
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Grant Resources for Teachers
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DAILY FREE AND SALE IOS APPS & KINDLE BOOKS LISTS
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DISD Instructional Technology
Email: rhonda.artho@dumasisd.org
Website: http://www.dumasisd.org/about-education-instructional-technology
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