Tech Snacks
Byte-Sized Treats to Transform Learning
Let Google Fill You in on All of the Latest Trends
With the help of Google Trends, you don’t have to be a hipster doofus to stay on top of the latest news and internet searches. Google Trends is a composite website where Google search data highlights the latest news stories and societal trends. Even a 21st century yuppie can appreciate the latest updates in the following categories; business, entertainment, health, science/tech, and sports. Release the power of the most current trends by sharing this with your students!
Google Trends - https://trends.google.com/
Visit the Hot Trends Visualization page to view Google’s beast of a ticker. Click in the bottom left corner to narrow the data pool and see what is trending in almost 50 different nations.
Google Hot Trends Visualization - https://trends.google.com/trends/hottrends/visualize?pn=p1&nrow=4&ncol=5
Working Out the Bugs
The end of the school year is a great time to try something new. Teachers and students and have worked together long enough to feel safe with each other in case things don’t go just right and instructors know which students may need a little extra help. It might be just the time to introduce or explore:
Google Classroom - Work through different types of assignments or try out a discussion.
PowerPoint - Turn the whole presentation into a movie when finished!
Google Forms - Students could send out their own surveys and then report on their results with Google Slides.
Clips by Apple - a fairly new free iPad/iPhone app (requires iOS 10.3 or later) for making fun videos with with animated text.
The end of the year is a great time to explore and have fun with new tech tools!
Teachers Can Now Get Their Google On with Canvas Assignments
No longer do students get all the fun when it comes to using Google Drive for a Canvas Assignment. Now teachers can integrate their own Google Docs, etc. into an Assignment and provide an individual copy for each student. Yes, you read that correctly. It's the Canvas version of Google Drive's "Make a copy." If you're intrigued, watch this short screencast for a how-to on the process.
Creating A Class Scrapbook with Google Slides
Looking for a great way to capture all of the fabulous moments of learning that took place this school year? Take those pictures and create a Class Scrapbook using Google Slides. Using the photo album template, you can easily replace the stock images with your own! You can make this a class project by having your students help select the images to include and write a short paragraph about the event. What a great way to reflect on the fun your class has had this year growing as learners! Link to shared revised photo album template:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jCMZ_BKnLD-qL1at-RdxGYU6rChwwRL0LLXEuUaiefU/edit?usp=sharing
FCPS Office of Instructional Technology
Email: fcps.oit@fayette.kyschools.us
Website: blogs.fcps.net
Location: 701 East Main Street, Lexington, KY, United States
Twitter: @FCPSOIT