Going Google
Volume 2 Issue 7
Adding WeVideo to Google Drive
While in drive, you can add useful apps that will automatically allow you to save your work from these specific applications in Drive. One very useful tool is WeVideo.
To add an app, simply click on create, and Connect more apps.
From there, you can search for WeVideo.
To start using WeVideo, students will click on Create, then WeVideo.
Click Create Video to get started. Students can upload videos, images, record or upload audio, and insert text for their project using the tools on the top menu bar.
Once students have started creating a video, depending on their level of experience, students can choose from three different types of timelines/storyboards.
- Storyboard - gives a basic drag and drop images/video
- Timeline (S) - gives a simple timeline where students can drop multiple video/images on different lines, but still keeps the formatting simple.
- Timeline (A) - gives a more advanced timeline where students can adjust audio for various media.
Darwin for a Day - Tour the Galapagos on Maps
Take a tour of the Galapagos Islands with the latest Maps Street View and become a naturalist. Google has teamed up with the Galapagos National Park, Charles Darwin Foundation, and iNaturalist to create a 360 degree view of the islands.
Swim with the sea turtles, bask in the sun with the sea lions and explore the mangrove forests.
Use Google Maps to see footage of the tour as well.
Google has also provided imagery of the Charles Darwin Research Station. Drag Pegman to the station or anywhere on the islands where the landscape turns blue and explore the island. If you find a species, record your observation for others to see too!
Student Portfolios in Google Drive
Rather than having students turn in work by paper, teachers can use Google Drive to have students create portfolios that house their course work for the entire year. Using Google Drive for student portfolios is handy for the following reasons:
Students keep their Google accounts their entire academic career in Round Rock ISD, so they can easily look back at their work in later years.
Any file in Google Drive auto-saves, so students do not have to worry that they will lose a file if a hard drive crashes. What’s more, they can look back at previous versions and revert back at any time if they want to undo some of their work.
Unlike the shared drive, Google Drive is available to students anywhere they have an internet connection, so it is easier for them to turn in work from home or anyplace else.
For a student to create a portfolio all he/she has to do is follow these steps:
1. Login to Google Drive.
2. Go to Create and choose “Folder.”
3. Name the folder by his/her name. It might also help to include the course.
4. Next, share the folder with the teacher by right clicking on it and selecting “Share.” After that the student will enter the teacher’s name under “Invite People” and then click “Share and Save.” NOTE: It’s a good idea to tell students to un-check the “Notify people via email” so that the teacher does not get overwhelmed with emails.
That is all the student has to do. From this point on any document the student creates in that folder or moves to that folder will be shared with the teacher. Now the teacher might want to organize all of these portfolios. Here is a good way to do it.
1. Create a folder for each period that will house the student portfolios, as shown below.
2. On the left side of Google Drive, click on Shared with Me to see all the portfolios your students have created.
3. Find a portfolio and right click on it, and then choose “Move to…”
4. Select whichever folder is appropriate and then click “Move.”
Now all of your classes’ portfolios will be neatly organized in your Google Drive!