For a while now my LinkedIn bio has began, “I'm an educator, journalist, author, and recovering PowerPoint user.” 

It's true. A few years ago, I vowed never to use PowerPoint or any similar slideshow for my presentations and lectures. This was in part due to an honest self-assessment: I was objectively bad at creating any. No matter how hard I tried not to, I violated every rule in the avoiding death by PowerPoint handbook. My slides were text heavy and visually unappealing, powered by equal parts insecurity and the self-aggrandizing fear that I might leave out something "important.” 

On top of these personal failings, I realized that I disliked the vast majority of slideshows I had to sit through. Even the rare good ones I've seen still suffer from near-constant technical difficulties. (I estimate that the fail rate of a slideshow presented in a new location is 90+ percent.) We’ve all seen a frustrated presenter clicking in vain at a screen frozen on one slide, or showing up to a lecture only to find they didn’t have access to the projector, even though the organizer said they would. 

Finally, my sense is that slideshows can encourage participants to be less active and engaged as they just wait for the link to the slideshow or take photos of the slides. This likely hurts learning as research shows that when students take notes they learn more than when they photograph or revisit slides.  

For all these reasons, I’ve stopped using PowerPoint and other slideshows. Here are the techniques I use in my classes as alternatives to slideshows. I find these methods not only to be more effective and engaging, they’re also easier for me to put together. These also foster more discussion and allow for more spontaneity than traditional slideshows. 

1. Slideshow Alternatives: Handouts 

It’s basic. It’s low-tech. But it works!

While printing for large groups isn’t practical and a waste of paper, when presenting workshops for a small number of participants, I find handing out a packet outlining the highlights and key portions of my presentation can be a great strategy. If I am actually able to gain access to the projector in the room, as the organizers told me I would be able to, I will throw the presentation up on the screen. If not, it’s no big deal. 

An additional advantage is the handout gives participants something tactile to hold onto and use to take notes. I’ve also found old handouts from presentations I’ve long since attended and that can be a nice reminder of a positive educational experience. 

2. QR Codes 

The digital successor the print handout, QR codes let me quickly create a handout in Google Docs, then generate a code for it, and share with students or lecture participants. I end up looking like a tech genius but this is easier than connecting to WiFi at Starbucks! 

Using QR codes has most of the same advantages of a print handout except it saves paper and requires less pre-planning on my part. I generate the QR code using Google Chrome’s QR code generator, which is integrated into Chrome, but there are many free QR code generators available. 

Once the code is generated, if I am actually able to gain access to the projector in the room (as the organizers promised!), I can share it on the screen. If not -- as you might be beginning to suspect has happened to me more than once -- I can share it from my phone, my laptop, or if I really want to get fancy, from a printed flyer. 

3. Surveys and Quizzes  

Generating a quick survey about the topic you are speaking of can be an interesting way for students or participants in a workshop to learn from one another. It also helps you determine where your audience is coming from, and gets them actively involved in the discussion. Short quizzes provide similar benefits and, in addition, pre-testing and quizzing has been shown to help participants learn more. 

In my case, when teaching students in an introductory course about journalism, I might start with a quick quiz on journalism jargon terms such as the inverted pyramid, the nut graph, and lead. Students won’t know what these mean and many will do poorly on the pre-test, but it doesn’t count against their grade and research shows taking the test will help them focus when I explain the terms. 

I've also polled students about topics such as their opinions on bias in the media and whether objective reporting is even possible. The digital survey gets them thinking about these issues and helps jumpstart the discussion. 

4. Objects, Giveaways, and Fun Things People Can Touch IRL 

Whether you’re presenting to young students or seasoned colleagues, we all like to play. Providing participants with something they can hold in their hand can enhance learning and liven up the presentation. This could be an object related to science or history that you hand around, fun and not too expensive giveaways, or some type of art and craft related to the topic at hand. 

A professor friend of mine has his journalism students explore actual physical newspapers as one class activity, and since many of them are digital natives, it can be a novel experience for them. I once gave a workshop on writing about food and the highlight was not the slideshow that took me eight hours to put together on a Sunday that I should have been spending outside. Instead it was the pastries from a local bakery I picked up on the way to the workshop on a whim. I asked participants to try the pastries and then write about their flavors. They started writing like seasoned food critics. Each bite was worth a thousand slides! 

• My Student Was Submitting AI Papers. Here's What I did.
• Taking Notes vs. Photographing Slides
• Why Traditional Lectures Won’t End Anytime Soon in Higher Ed Despite Better Approaches Being Available

Google Slides is a robust, interactive, and flexible presentation and learning resource tool that can be used to bring content to life in all academic subject areas. While Google Slides is known primarily for being an alternative to PowerPoint, the comprehensiveness of features and tools within Google Slides allows for active learning and consumption of content. 

For an overview of Google Slides, check out “What is Google Slides and How Can It Be Used By Teachers?” 

Below is a sample lesson plan that can be used for all grade levels to not only teach students vocabulary, but to have students demonstrate their learning.

Subject: English Language Arts  

Topic: Vocabulary 

Grade Band: Elementary, Middle, and High School   

Learning Objectives: 

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Define grade-level vocabulary words 
• Appropriately use vocabulary words in a sentence 
• Locate an image that illustrates the meaning of a vocabulary word 

Starter

Start the lesson by using a shared Google Slides presentation to introduce the set of vocabulary words to students. Explain how to pronounce each word, what part of speech it is, and use it in a sentence for students. For younger students, it may be helpful to have more than one visual aid on the screen to help students understand the content more easily. 

If you are using video to teach students about vocabulary words, you can quickly embed a YouTube video into a Google Slides presentation. You can either search for videos or, if you already have a video, use that URL to locate the YouTube video. If the video is saved within Google Drive you can easily upload it through that process. 

Google Slides Creation 

After you have reviewed the vocabulary words with students, provide time for them to create their own vocabulary Google Slides. This serves as an opportunity to spend time with the content, and as Google Slides are housed online in the cloud, students can use their finished product as a study guide. 

For each Google Slide, students will have the vocabulary word at the top of the slide. In the body of the slide, they will need to use the following features within the “Insert” function:

Text box: Students can insert a text box to type out the definition of the vocabulary word in their own words. For older students, you can also have students use the text box to write a sentence using the vocabulary word. 

Image: Students can insert an image that represents the vocabulary word. Google Slides provides several options for inserting an image, including uploading from a computer, conducting a web search, taking a picture, and using a photo already on Google Drive, which is helpful for younger users who may need to have a preset collection of images to choose from. 

Table: For older students, a table can be inserted and they can break down the vocabulary word based on the part of speech, prefix, suffix, root, synonyms and antonyms. 

If students finish early, allow them to use some of the formatting tools to decorate their Slides by adding different colors, fonts, and borders. Students can present their Vocabulary Google Slides to both their in-person and virtual classmates using the Google Meet option.  

Providing Real-time Support 

What makes Google Slides an excellent interactive learning edtech tool is the ability to work in real-time and see students’ progress as they work. While each student is working on their vocabulary slides, you can pop in and offer support by either going to the student in person or virtually conferencing with one who is working remotely. 

You may want to upload an audio file to Google Slides so students can be reminded of the assignment expectations. This would be helpful if you are teaching in a dual audience environment and some students are working on the lesson at home. Or, if students in class need more time to complete the assignment at home and need a reminder of the directions. There are also accessibility features within Google Slides that allow for screen reader, braille, and magnifier support. 

Extended Learning with Add-Ons 

One of the unique features that differentiates Google Slides from other interactive presentation edtech tools is a host of Add-Ons that elevates the learning experience. Even other platforms such as Slido, Nearpod, and Pear Deck have add-on features which allow Google Slides content to work seamlessly within those platforms.  

The learning engagement options are truly endless with Google Slides. Whether Google Slides are being used to present or engage with content, it is an exciting and interactive tool that can be used in a variety of learning settings to teach all subjects. 

• Top Edtech Lesson Plans
• 4 Best Free and Easy Audio Recording Tools for Google Slides

Google Slides is now a very popular and powerful way to create slide presentations that can be used across a host of devices. Crucially, this is cloud-based so it can be created, edited, and shared from nearly any device with an internet connection -- just part of why it is ideal for education.

Integration with Google Classroom is, as you might imagine, excellent. This makes it a great tool for schools already using Google tools. But thanks to intuitive use and helpful templates, this is a great starter tool for most teachers.

Collaboration is another big draw here, making it useful for teachers and admins working together. But it's also a helpful way for students to work together on projects, where each can dip in and out from their device wherever they are.

This guide aims to explain all you need to know about Google Slides to see how it could work in your class.

• Google Slides review
• Google Classroom review

What's New in Google Slides?

Google has built some powerful integration with its AI, Gemini. You can now use the helpful artificially intelligent assistant to get what you need far faster and with less work than before.

That can mean simply asking for what you want and having the AI create it, images and all, so you have an end result that may work right away. Or you may need to edit to perfect the result, but it should still save a lot of time and effort.

As with all AI systems, this is improving constantly and at a fast rate so expect this to offer more and more -- worth getting to know now as it grows in efficiency and complexity.

Google Slides updates can be found here with other Google updates, including recent additions such as the ability to create more immersive presentations and remove image backgrounds in slides as well as expanding Slides recordings into Microsoft Edge and expanding voice typing and automatic captions to additional browsers.

What is Google Slides?

Google Slides is a presentation tool, at its most basic. It offers either a blank start or predesigned templates to create visually attractive and engaging presentations. It does this while making it very easy and intuitive to use, even for a total beginner.

Once a presentation is created, it can be shared directly with students using a simple link, sent via any medium, from email to text. The ability to lock access is a great security feature and works well if you want students to view but not alter your work.

That said, the ability to allow students to collaborate on a project is perhaps an even more valuable feature.

Google Slides doesn't have a dedicated desktop app, as with the Microsoft competition, but it will work through a browser on almost any device. You can also work offline and then upload content after you regain connection, making this useful when on the move.

As the platform integrates with Google Classroom, it is easy to share directly with a class or use in a presentation during a video conference or class.

This sample Google Slides lesson plan is designed to implement the tool into instruction.

Best Google Slides Features for Teachers

Google Slides is a very rich platform, when you consider how easy it is to use. The minimalism of the interface isn't too harshly juxtaposed by the myriad options when it comes to templates. These are plentiful, for sure, but it's when you go beyond the software that it really opens up.

Since Slides is widely used and allows for the easy sharing of templates online, there are many third-party options available. Not only can teachers get Slides created by other teachers, to be used as they are or adapted, but also it's easy to share among the faculty.

Making a new presentation is as easy as selecting "File" and "Make a copy." This allows it to be shared by one teacher and edited by another, without the original being affected. This is where collaboration can become really useful.

Collaboration with Slides for Student Learning

The ability to easily collaborate, beyond mere sharing of presentations, is of great appeal when it comes to Google Slides. Sure, you can lock a presentation to view only, if you don't want anything changed by someone you share it with. But you can also allow for comments and even editing to be optional.

For example, a teacher can share copies of the same Slides presentation with students, meaning each student has their own version. They would then be able to edit it, giving it huge potential as a quiz medium. Or as a way of offering students a template that they can use to create their own presentations.

Perhaps a science class report could be created within a Slides template, allowing each student to share their own observations. Then by reviewing it together, students can see what their classmates observed or help others learn from their experiences.

Slides allows for pictures, audio, and even video to be added easily so presentations can be very engaging and pull in information from a wide variety of source.

Live collaboration is another key aspect. A group of students can work on a single presentation without actually being in the same room together. They can each see the changes being made as they go, allowing them to learn from one another and work together as a group, virtually.

Teachers can also see when students are in the files making changes – ideal for keeping an eye on anyone who is regularly tardy with deadlines.

Google Slides Tips and Tricks for Teachers

Some less known but very valuable techniques can help teachers create the most original and engaging Slides for presentations that really affect their students.

Lots of tools are available within the platform but there are a few useful tips that will require you to use third-party software to get the most out of Google Slides as an education tool.

Use GIFs in Google Slides

One way to do this is to use GIFs, speaking the language of the youth. These moving images are a great way to convey a message quickly and clearly without needing to do much at all.

You can, essentially, condense your Slides presentation into a single moving image file to be viewed on a phone, laptop, or anywhere else. The catch? These GIFs aren't native to the software. But you can make them easily as we've explained in this How To Turn Google Slides Into An Animated GIF For Free guide.

Use Audio in Google Slides

Integrate audio recordings into the Slides presentation to create greater immersion in your subject. Uses for this include narrating a slideshow for when you're not there, reading aloud a story, providing feedback on work, getting a student to explain a solution verbally, and more.

Once again, this is difficult to do within the base platform, so check out our guide: 4 Best Free and Easy Audio Recording Tools for Google Slides.

• Google Slides review
• Google Classroom review
• Google Slide Lesson Plan

The ability to add audio to Google Slides has been one of the most requested features for many years. If you've read our Google Classroom review and are now using that, Slides is a very useful tool to add. Being creative, we have worked around this limitation in the past by embedding YouTube videos in Slides, or using a tool such as Screencastify to record a video of Slides while speaking. Although those workarounds still have their place, it is wonderful that we now have the option to add audio directly to a slide.

Being able to add audio to Google Slides can be used in so many ways in school: 

• Narrating a slideshow
• Reading a story
• Making an instructional presentation
• Providing spoken feedback on writing
• Having student explain a solution
• Giving directions for a HyperSlides project
• And much more

                  Get the latest edtech news delivered to your inbox here:

The only big pain point still left is the actual recording of the audio. You see, even though we can now add audio to a Google slideshow, there isn't a simple built-in recording button. Instead you need to record the audio separately with another program, then save it to Drive, and then add it to a slide.

So that brings up the big question: What are some easy ways to record audio? When using my Windows PC, I can use a free program such as Audacity. Students often will be using Chromebooks, so we need some web-based options. 

We are going to take a look at four excellent, free options for recording audio right in your web browser, and then how to add that audio to Google Slides. 

• How do I use Google Classroom?
• Google Classroom review
• Chromebooks in education: Everything you need to know

1. ChromeMP3 Recorder from HablaCloud

The first tool we are going to look at is by far the simplest of the bunch: The "ChromeMP3 Recorder" web app from HablaCloud. This tool however is a web app, not a website, which means it only runs on Chromebooks, not other computers such as PCs or Macs. 

If you are on a Chromebook though, this is a fantastically easy tool to use. Here's how it works: 

• First, install the "ChromeMP3 Recorder" web app. You can get the Chrome Web Store link on the site at HablaCloud.
• Once the web app has been installed, you can open it from the Chromebook app launcher when needed.
• When the app opens, simply click the red "Record" button to start recording.
  You can click the "Pause" button if needed during recording.
• When done, click the "Stop" button.
• The app will now ask you where you want to save the MP3 file in your Google Drive. You can also name the file at this point to make it easier to find later. 

That's it! This tool doesn't offer any other editing options. Just a simple way for anyone to record and save audio on a Chromebook.

2. Online Voice Recorder 

If you want another tool that is just about as simple but runs on Chromebooks, PCs, and Macs, then you can use the "Online Voice Recorder" website. 

If I am not on a Chromebook, this tool is is usually my "go to" for anytime I need to record some quick audio on the web. Here's how it works: 

• Go to the site at OnlineVoiceRecorder.
• Click the mic button to start recording.
• Note: You will need to give it permission to use your microphone the first time you use the site.
• Click the "Stop" button when done.
• You will now get a screen where you can preview your voice recording.
  If needed, you can trim the start and end of the audio to remove any extra dead space.
• When done, click "Save."
• The MP3 file will be downloaded to your device! 

Note: If using a Chromebook, you can have the file save directly to your Google Drive by changing the "Downloads" option in your Chromebook settings. 

3. Beautiful Audio Editor

The next tool for recording audio online is the "Beautiful Audio Editor". This tool is reasonably easy to use as well, but offers extra editing features. If you just need to record some simple audio, this might be more options than you need but would be helpful if you plan to do some editing to the recording afterward. Here's how it works: 

• Launch the tool at Beautiful Audio Editor.
• Click the "Record" button at the bottom of the screen to start recording.
  Note: You will need to give it permission to use your microphone the first time you use the site.
• Click the "Stop" button when done.
• Your recorded track will now be added to the editor.
• You can drag the play head back to the start and press the play button to preview your recording.
• If you need to trim out any of the audio, you will need to use the "Split Section" and "Remove Section" buttons in the top toolbar.
• When you are happy with the audio, you can click the "Download as MP3" button to generate a link to save the file to your device. 

Note: If using a Chromebook, you can have the file save directly to your Google Drive by changing the "Downloads" option in your Chromebook settings. 

Editing for this tool includes the option to change the audio speed, combine multiple tracks, fade the volume in and out, and more. You can get detailed directions by clicking the "Help" menu option. 

4. TwistedWave 

If you need even more fancy editing tools, another audio recording option is "TwistedWave". The free version of this tool allows you to record up to 5 minutes at a time. Here's how it works: 

• Go to the website at TwistedWave.
• Click "New document" to create a new file.
• Click the red "Record" button to start recording.
• Note: You will need to give it permission to use your microphone the first time you use the site.
• Click the "Stop" button when done.
• Your recorded track will now be added to the editor.
• You can click at the start of your clip and press the "Play" button to preview your recording.
• If you need to trim any of the audio, you can click and drag with your mouse to select the portion you want to get rid of, and then press the "Delete" button.
  When you are happy with the audio, you can download it my clicking "File" then "Download."
• Better yet, to save it directly to your Google Drive you can click "File" then "Save to Google Drive." TwistedWave will ask you to log in with your Google account and give permission. 

This tool provides other features in addition to simple editing. In the "Effects" menu you will find tools to increase or decrease the volume, fade in and out, add silence, reverse the audio, change the pitch and speed, and more. 

Adding Audio to Google Slides 

Now that you have recorded your audio with one of the tools described above, you can add that audio to Google Slides. To do this, two things must be true for the recordings: 

1. The audio files must be in your Google Drive, so if you saved somewhere else, such as the "Downloads" folder on your computer, you will need to upload the files to your Drive. For easy access, and to help with the next step, you should put all of the files in a folder in Drive.   
2. Next, the audio files need to be shared so anyone with a link can play them. This can be done file by file, but it is much easier to simply change the sharing permissions for the entire folder that contains the recordings.

With those steps completed, you can add audio from your Google Drive to Google Slides as follows: 

• With your Google slideshow open, click "Insert" in the top menu bar.
• Choose "Audio" from the drop-down menu.
• This will open up the "Insert audio" screen, where you can browse for or search for the audio files saved in your Google Drive.
• Choose the file you want and then click "Select" to insert it into your slide.

After the audio file has been added to your slide, you can edit several options for it including volume, autoplay, and loop. Here's how:

• Click on the audio file icon to select it.
• Then click the "Format options" button in the top toolbar.
• Finally click "Audio playback" in the side panel that opens.
• Here you can adjust settings such as:
• Start playing "On click" or "Automatically"
• Set the "Volume level"
• "Loop audio" if you want it to keep playing after it ends
• And "Stop on slide change" if you want the audio to end (or continue) when the user moves to the next slide.

A few years back I created a Google Slides template for "Build a Snowman". Since then I have had fun making other similar templates including "Build a Jack-O-Lantern" and "One Fish Two Fish" and more. With the holidays fast approaching I decided to make a similar activity for decorating a Christmas tree.

You can do this project with this fun, and educational, Google Slides activity. This is a great way for students to be creative and to work on their writing skills by describing or writing about their holiday traditions, plans, or memories.

Here’s how:

• Make a copy of the Google Slides “Decorate a Christmas Tree” template, found further down in the blog post.
• The template has a blank tree and slides full of items to add to your tree including bulbs, lights, bells, stars, and more.
• Copy and paste the items to decorate your tree.
• If you need different pictures, you can search for more.
• You can even add or draw your own shapes as needed.
• When done decorating your tree, write about your holiday traditions, a favorite memory, your best present, what you want this year, what you are thankful for, or such.
• When all done you can download a picture of your tree and writing to share with others.

See below to get your own copy of the template, as well as more detailed directions on how to do the activity.

Get a copy of the template

This activity is created with Google Slides. To get your own copy of the template simple click the link below.

“Decorate a Christmas Tree” template - Google Slides link

Your students can click this link to get their own copy, or you can use Google Classroom to push out a copy of the template to each of your students.

What’s in the template

The Google Slide template has multiple parts for the activity. These include:

Slide 1 - The title slide

Slide 2 and 3 - A brief set of directions

Slide 4 - The blank tree. This is where you will decorate your tree and where you will write about the holidays.

Slides 5 and 6 - Items for decorating your tree. These slides contain images that you can copy and paste onto your blank tree.

The ornaments include bulbs with each letter of the alphabet, so students can also create a message right on their tree by spelling out words.

Decorating your tree

To decorate your tree, simply copy and paste images from the items slides onto your blank tree. You can copy and paste in several ways.

To copy an item:

• Click on the picture and press “Ctrl” and “C”
• Or click on the picture and click “Edit” then “Copy” in the top menu bar.
• Or right-click on the picture and choose “Copy” from the pop-up menu.

To paste an item, go to the tree slide and:

• Press “Ctrl” and “V”
• Or click “Edit” then “Paste” in the top menu bar.
• Or right-click and choose “Paste” from the pop-up menu.

Once your item has been pasted in you can adjust it in many ways:

• Drag and drop it to move it around.
• Press the arrow keys on your keyboard to move it around.
• Hold down the “Shift” key and press the arrow keys on your keyboard to move it one pixel at a time.
• Click and drag the blue circle on top of the image to rotate the image if needed.
• Click “Arrange” in the top menu bar, then “Rotate” and “Flip horizontally” or “Flip vertically” if needed.
• Click and drag the corners of the image to change its size if desired.
• Click “Format options” in the top menu bar, and then “Recolor” to adjust the color (works better for lighter colors).

Adding other images

Although the template provides a large variety of items to use for your tree, you may still want to add some more of your own. You can add more images as follows:

• Click “Insert” in the top menu bar, then click “Image” then "Search the web".
• This will open a panel on the right where you can type in a search term to find the images you want.
• You may want to add "clipart" or "png" in the search box to limit your results to clip art style pictures.
• When you find an image you want, click on the image to select it, then click "Insert" at the bottom of the panel.

Creating your own images

You can also create your own ornaments for your tree by using the "Shape" tool in Slides.

• Click "Insert" then "Shape".
• Choose shapes from the "Shapes" menu or stars from the "Callouts" menu.
• After you make your shape you can color it with the "Fill color" button (paint can button).

Writing about your holidays

When you are done decorating your tree, now you will want to write about your holidays. You can type in the textbox to the right of your tree to enter your own writing. This could include:

• Your holiday traditions
• A favorite memory
• Your best present
• What you want this year
• What you are thankful for
• Or other holiday related topics
• Be sure to include your name at the bottom of your writing.

Downloading your Tree

When you are completely done, you can download a picture of your tree and your writing as follows:

• Make sure you are on the slide that has your completed tree and your writing.
• Click “File” in the top menu bar.
• Choose “Download as” from the drop-down menu.
• Choose “PNG image” from the sub-menu.
• This will download an image of just the slide you are on and not any of the rest of the slideshow.

You can now share your image in several ways:

• Email it to someone.
• Turn it in through Google Classroom.
• Post it on your class website.
• Share it through social media.
• Combine it with others to make a new slideshow with everyone’s creations.

Conclusion

The “Decorate a Christmas Tree” Google Slides activity can be a great way to let kids be creative and to improve their writing at the same time. One of the great things about creativity, is you never know what students will come up with. Feel free to email me images of your students’ creations. I would love to see what they make and will be glad to share some examples here to inspire others.

And for even more wintertime activities, see my earlier post on "6 Googley Wintertime Activities for Kids"

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.

Explosive Disposal

Next semester I am very excited to teach a new elective class called "Engineering for Social Good". The overarching goal for the course is to position isolated skills in coding, design, fabrication, electronics, CAD, etc., students have acquired in previous courses into a service context. I will be developing the course here. 

While I have a loose idea of the curriculum, I am this week in my Introduction to Robotics course to a test a few activities. An area of interest I currently have is the use of robots to carry important tasks that, in the past, resulted in human injury. One such area is  explosive disposal.  

I am interested in how challenging students to simulate the explosive disposal process (we use the VEX V5 system) helps to build empathy for the risks various service providers face when working to protect our society. Using the VEX Vision Sensor and the VEX V5 Starter Kit I designed this challenge, this "Public Product" requirement, and put the students to work. View an example of student work here. 

A Few Good Men

I have written in the past about how I love to use medical case studies to spark inquiry in biology class. This week, to conclude a 5E Inquiry Cycle on Cellular Respiration, students were challenged to solve this case taken directly from the movie A Few Good Men (upon surveying, NONE of my students have seen the movie. Shocking but better for the lesson!).

Rather tell my students the correct diagnosis upon completion of their diagnosis presentations, I showed this video clip taken from the movie that reveals the diagnosis (Lactic Acidosis) for the students. Much more impactful and fun! Then, once the diagnosis has been revealed through the movie, I move into a responsive lecture about how the condition relates to current content in the class. 

Flash Cards 

Unlike the above reflections, this teaching example is super simple. Students spent today preparing for a quiz the on  intermolecular forces in chemistry. Answering the questions on the quiz require students drawing a diagram to represent molecular interactions. Each group of students created a question, then solved their own problem directly on a personal whiteboard. 

I then created a blank Google Slides preso, altered the settings, shorted the URL, and shared it with my students. Students then inserted their question into one slide and used their web cams to insert an image of the whiteboard from the previous question into the next slide. Within 20 minutes our class had made a deck of practice problems, that, when placed in presentation mode, behave like a set of flash cards. I then shared the slides with my students for strategic review. Click here for the final product. 

cross posted at www.cyclesoflearning.com

Ramsey Musallam teaches science and robotics at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California, with the aim of fostering inquiry-based learning environments fueled by student curiosity. He presents widely on sparking student curiosity and teaching with technology. Musallam is a Google Certified Teacher, a YouTube Star Teacher, and a Leading Edge Certified Teacher. Watch his TED talk here and read his blog at www.cyclesoflearning.com.

Innovation goes beyond a simple new tool, innovation infers application, capability, and methods of accomplishing a task… a better workflow. The Future Of Work will demand people are prepared to solve complex problems, interact with clients/colleagues, and be able to adapt to new tools and workflows. Over the next twenty years, we are likely to see a significant disruptions to the workforce and work as we know it in recent memory.(1) 54% of the US workforce says they are not confident their job would still exist in 20 years (2)… a scary self-reflection that must inform our instructional practice. Where is all of this change coming from? 

The demographic and socioeconomic trends of the past decade, like rapid urbanization and globalization, coupled with even faster advances in technology from mobile internet to increased automation and machine learning have caused a disruption like never before.(1) Are we preparing our students to be ready for this shift in the workplace?

A trend toward a gig economy has begun. A study by Intuit predicted that by 2020, 40 percent of American workers would be independent contractors.(3) A gig based economy is defined as a way of working that is based on people having temporary jobs or doing separate pieces of work, each paid separately, rather than working for an employer.(4) Contractors developing their own brand in a feast-or-famine work atmosphere must understand collaboration, resilience, perseverance… good ol fashioned sticktoittiveness!

Asynchronous working teams

In a gig-based economy our students will find themselves working on asynchronous teams in different geographies, different times, and with different cultures. How then can we prepare them for this workflow? Traditional, synchronous, “group work” has us creatively organize students in, what we believe will be effective working teams. I have been delegating these types of groups for twenty years as well as allowing students to pick their own teams (groups). I have also helped organize my students into teams and assign specific tasks to each person in the team. This makes a student the team “expert” in a given area on the project. But I ask myself: How often is this type of teams work going to happen for my students in their future? The keypoint being their future rather than organizing them according to my past. 

Asynchronous working teams are more likely what our students will be working in more often, in their future. Recently, I arranged my five social studies classes into asynchronous teams. We were working on a community-based project to document our local cemetery. The Liverpool Cemetery project has always been a favorite of mine, since the history found just a half-mile from my school relates directly to the content I teach. Each year we iterate on the following years work and ask my students to improve and grow our documentation of this local treasure by assigning groups of students specific gravesites to investigate and provide a relevant historical narrative for the people buried so close to our school.

This year I took the 30 or so sites and assigned them in everyone of my five classes. A student in my first class might be investigating site #4 and #5 and a student in my other four classes would also be assigned those sites. 

Each class was given a specific job that they needed to complete as the expert. In each class I would provide the necessary support for how to use various tools to complete the jobs. The common tasks for each class were: 

• to identify sources by keeping a research notebook 
• to use a shared Google Drive on our school iPads to take pictures of the sites.
• Share a Google Slide deck of all the work being completed to track progress and communicate needs

The project included a walk to the cemetery with each of the classes during one of our 80 minute blocks.

In class, students were organized and given direction by their project managers (in a different class). The project managers, and I, would review the work completed on the Google Slide deck and use the comment feature to assign work that needed to be completed. 

The project managers were coached on specific kinds of productive feedback (see “Assigned to” boxes below:

The completed task components were compiled on a website we built. My plan is to continue to iterate on this website with my future classes.

It was interesting to hear from the students following this new group dynamic. Here’s what they had to say: “The biggest thing I learned about this type of group work is….”

• “you have to rely on all your classmates. If your classmates didn’t do the work properly it affects you because you don’t know the answer. And you have to be in communcation with all your team members so you understand fully what each teammate expects from each other.”
• “you rely on your partners a lot and when they don’t do their job like you did yours it’s disappointing and throws the whole project off.”
• “how people can indirectly help you on certain things, creating this chain of other peoples work helping someone else’s work to create something special.”

A heavy focus of student responses was on the value of communication and transparency. Students wanted to hear from each other and be able to see each other’s progress… more than actually seeing each other. Dissenting opinions were expressed as well: “I did not like not seeing my partners.”

Perhaps most insightful was a more descriptive student response:

“The biggest thing I learned is it can be AGONIZINGLY PAINFUL when only one person does their work. All I got from everyone but Sam was nothing. I got a timeline after it was due and wasn’t able to put it on the website. Julie was sick, so I can cut her some slack. However I never got wind of any slideshow(s). I can understand why teachers get so angry when we don’t do work. It is so frustrating and makes me want to scream! Sam was the exception turning in all his work to me and doing a great job at that.”

Ah, middle school… refreshing honesty through empathetic experience!

Conclusion

Clearly a technology-driven shift education is upon us and will greatly impact the future of work for our students. This shift demands a different approach to the knowledge and skills we have relied on in the past. Our need to adopt emergent technology, and meaningfully pedagogy to leverage it, has never been this high.

Our shifts must transcend simply integrating new technology in our instruction. We must have adopt innovativeness (a mindset that embraces change) in order to prepare our students for a future with a gig-based economy and it’s demands for new productive workflows. Helping our students understand the importance of embracing a constant state of change will help them ride out the dark valleys knowing successful mountaintops are coming. 

cross posted at micahshippee.com

Micah Shippee, PhD is an out-of-the-box-doer, a social studies teacher, and a technology trainer. He works to bridge the gap between research and practice in the educational sector. Micah explores ways to improve motivation in the classroom and seeks to leverage emergent technology to achieve educational goals. As an innovative "ideas" person, Micah likes to think, and act, outside the box. Micah is motivated and energetic, taking a creative approach towards achieving goals. As an Educational Consultant, and Keynote Speaker, he focuses on the adoption of emergent technology through the development of an innovative learning culture. Micah believe that innovativeness is the pedagogy of the future.

Sources

1. Tunkel, A. “Three Trends On The Future Of Work.” Forbes. 13 Aug. 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2018/08/13/three-trends-on-the-future-of-work/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2018.

2.  Inc., Wonolo. “Data on the Gig Economy and How it is Transforming the Workforce.” Wonolo. 15 Feb. 2018. https://www.wonolo.com/blog/data-gig-economy-transforming-workforce/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2018.

3. Rouse, M. “What is gig economy? – Definition from WhatIs.com.” WhatIs.com. https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/gig-economy. Accessed 8 Dec. 2018.

4. “GIG ECONOMY | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” Dictionary.cambridge.org. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/gig-economy. Accessed 10 Jan. 2019.

Catch up on everything new in G Suite for Education from September 2019, and see great ideas and resources!

Below is the recorded video from our September 2019 Google User Meeting, along with the meeting agenda and all the awesome resources and G Suite updates from the summer months. This includes 22 new Google updates and 19 Google resources for your class.

The monthly meetings are hosted by the Google Educator Group of Ohio, but are open to anyone from any location. The purpose of these meetings is to:

• Connect Google-using educators
• Share the latest Google Apps news and features
• Provide tutorials, demonstrations, and how-to’s
• Share best practices of how Google Apps is being used within schools
• Ask questions and get answers

The video from the meeting is recorded and available for later viewing for those who cannot attend or connect live. See below to view the recorded video, agenda, and all the resources from the September 2019 meeting:

Note: If you would like to see each of the agenda items with links directly to those spots in the video, open the video using the YouTube link below and then click “Show More” below the video.

 YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQPDDTrmg5g

You can view the full Google Document agenda with links to all the Google Apps updates from the last month, as well as all the resources covered in the meeting in the Google Doc linked below.

 View the agenda - Google Document link

Agenda details

Upcoming Events

• Applied Digital Skills workshop - September 30, 2019 - 12:30pm-3:30pm - SPARCC / Stark County ESC - Free registration
• Future Ready Schools Leadership Institute- October 7-8, 2019- Kalahari Resorts -Website Link
• Learn 21 Conference- October 29, 2019- Ohio State University Ohio Union -Website Link
• Ohio Technology Summit (Makerspace Edition) - October 29th @ Otterbein University - Website Link
• Learning Innovations Conference - November 5, 2019 - Kent State Student Center - Website Link
• Teach Better Conference- November 8-9, 2019- Akron, Ohio -Website Link
• EdTechTeam Ohio Google Summit - Dublin, OH - November 9-10, 2019 - Website Link
• OCALICON 2019! November 20-22 Columbus, OH - Website Link
• WVIZ/PBS Ideastream Tech & Learning Conference - Cleveland, OH - 11/20/19
• NEOTech 2020 (March 16-17)

What's New in G Suite

• Switch to a blank screen and set advanced time options for presentations in Google Slides - Resource Link
• See when someone is out of office in Gmail and Hangouts Chat- Resource Link
• Google Images removes 'exact size' and 'larger than' search filters - Resource Link
• Updated Working Hours in Calendar helps colleagues know your schedule- Resource Link
• New version of Android brings Live Captioning and more Digital Wellbeing tools - Resource Link
• Translate Docs into other languages - Resource Link
• G Suite Admin Console getting updates including faster loading, improved search, unified app management, and new policies for users and devices - Resource Link, Resource Link
• Display the word count as you type in Google Docs - Resource Link
• New improvements for Jamboard mobile and tablet apps - Resource Link
• Chrome version 77 adds built-in feature to send webpages to and from your desktop and mobile devices - Resource Link
• Form Notifications add-on now available in the G Suite Marketplace - Resource Link
• Google Expeditions now has the option to share a link to individual Expeditions and specific scenes - Resource Link
• Google launches "Recover Together" website with addiction recovery resources - Resource Link
• Google adds Live Caption feature to Hangouts Meet on Android - Resource Link
• Google Docs and Slides adds custom line spacing for text - Resource Link
• Google Docs adding link preview feature - Resource Link
• Chrome gets updates including tab previews, answers in the address bar, color customization, and more - Resource Link
• Search, view and add bots directly within Hangouts Chat- Resource Link
• Transformation reports from Google for Education are now generally available - Resource Link
• Google Assistant comes to more Chromebooks - Resource Link
• Dark theme is coming to Gmail for Android and iOS - Resource Link
• Find people and rooms more easily on the Hangouts Chat mobile app - Resource Link

Show and Tell

• My, Myself and I Google Slides - Mr. Theriault - Resource Link
• Video - "Diving into Google: An advanced search methods tutorial" - Resource Link
• SearchReSearch blog from Google's Dan Russell - Resource Link
• 30 Ways To Use Google Search For Critical Thinking In The Classroom- Resource Link
• 4 Ideas for Promoting Creative Thinking with your Content - Resource Link
• Chromebook Gestures- Resource Link
• Parent Conference Translator- Resource Link
• SnackVids - Easy site to pull the transcript from a YouTube video and help you search for the words you want - Resource Link
• Google Slides "Mystery Reveal" Template - Resource Link
• "Creator Studio" add-on for Google Slides - Resource Link
• 6 Chromebook keyboard shortcuts that save time - Resource Link
• Spice Up Your Slides with 600+ Free Design Templates - Resource Link
• 3 Tips to Turn Your Lectures into Engaging Conversations - Resource Link
• Student Metacognitive Portfolios Using Google Sheets - Resource Link
• Learner Portfolios with Google Sites - Resource Link
• Hacking Google Sites to create template for student portfolios - Resource Link
• The Power of Google Drawings to Engage Students - Resource Link
• Bookmarks in Chrome – Everything you need to know to use your bookmarks like a pro! - Resource Link
• How to Manually Update Chromebooks - Resource Link

To see the schedule for upcoming Google User Group meetings visit:

Google User Group schedule - https://sites.google.com/view/geg-ohio/monthly-meetings

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.

Google Slides is an excellent tool not just for creating presentations, but for making eBooks, stop-motion animation, Choose Your Own Adventure stories, comic strips, and much more. However, one aspect that is a little lacking in Slides is the amount of design themes available by default.

When you create a Google slideshow you are given a simple list of 23 basic design themes to choose from. These control the colors, font choice, and overall style of the presentation. Although these are a great place to start, and work well for most presentations, what if you want a different look and feel? Certainly you can manually change the font face, font colors, background color or image, and more.

However as educators, the one thing we have less of than default design themes is time. Thankfully there are many websites that have created and shared hundreds of templates that can be used for your new Google Slides presentations.

In this blog post we will look at a wide range of online resources that provide over 600 design theme templates (as of last count) for you and your students to use in your creations. In most cases you will simply need to click on the templates provided and then make a copy for your own use. Once you have your copy, you can edit the slideshow however you want and add your own content.

1) Slides Carnival

https://www.slidescarnival.com/
Over 130 design theme templates. Each template has 25+ slides with a variety of layouts and designs.

2) Slides Mania

https://slidesmania.com/
134 design theme templates. Each template has a wide variety of layouts and designs. Many of the templates are for general use, but there are also a large amount of specialty templates including graphics organizers, manipulatives, school planner, back-to-school, school rewards, and more.

3) Google Slides PPT

http://googleslidesppt.com/
36 design theme templates. Each template has 30+ slides with a variety of layouts and designs.

4) Slides Go

https://slidesgo.com
145 design theme templates, including an entire category dedicated to education themes. Each template has multiple slides with a variety of layouts and designs.

5) Free Google Slides Templates

https://freegoogleslidestemplates.com/free-templates/
17 design theme templates. Each template has multiple slides with a variety of layouts and designs.

6) Slide Model

https://slidemodel.com/google-slides/
240 design theme templates. Many of these templates have fewer slides than some of the other sites, but with a wide variety there are many to choose from.

7) Mike MacFadden Templates

http://www.mmacfadden.com/templates/
21 design theme templates. These templates differ from the earlier examples because the layouts are saved in the slide master. After you make a copy of one of the templates, click the down arrow next to the "+" button (new slide button) to see and choose the layout you wish to insert.

8) Google's Template Gallery

https://docs.google.com/presentation/u/0/?ftv=1&tgif=c
26 design theme templates. In addition to the default themes that show up when you first create a slideshow, Google actually provides another 26 options in their template gallery. You can access these resources using the link above, or by going to Drive then clicking "New" then hovering over "Google Slides" and choosing "From a template".

These templates include examples such as Book Report, Flash Cards, Science Project, Photo Album, Portfolio, and more.

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.

I have written in the past about using Google Slides as a lab reporting tool in my courses. Since writing about this process last year I have COMPLETELY embraced this method.

As a I wrote before, images, video, diagrams, etc., can all be captured easily, live conclusion presentations are seamless, hyperlinks to other resources to enhance conclusions can be added, and students can easily alter the template fonts and design to match their own vision for the report (so much more can be said). 

This school year I have decided to streamline the process, adding instructions, embedded video, and rubrics to the slide template students will work in. Click here and here for a few template examples and here and here for associate student products. 

A short post, but given the efficacy of this subtle instructional strategy, I felt it was worth sharing again! 

cross posted at www.cyclesoflearning.com

Ramsey Musallam teaches science and robotics at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California, with the aim of fostering inquiry-based learning environments fueled by student curiosity. He presents widely on sparking student curiosity and teaching with technology. Musallam is a Google Certified Teacher, a YouTube Star Teacher, and a Leading Edge Certified Teacher. Watch his TED talk here and read his blog at www.cyclesoflearning.com.

In my most recent post I shared a collection of web-based audio recording tools that you and your students can use to record and add your voice to Google Slides, or any project. There are many fun and engaging ways this new feature for Slides could be used for teaching and learning.

In the past I have had a lot of fun making drag and drop manipulative activities such as the Build a Snowman, Build a Jack-o-Lantern, and One Fish Two Fishtemplates. My plan was to combine that sort of activity with the new audio feature in Slides.

To try this out I created an interactive, audio-based activity in Google Slides for practicing short and long vowel sounds. In this slideshow, students are presented with clipart images that have attached audio files with each word spoken aloud. The students can then drag and drop the images to a box with the corresponding vowel sound. (Even if you are not a primary teacher, you can learn a lot about grouping items for any audio activities you might want to make.)

To make this work well, I had to take advantage of a neat option in Slides for grouping items. This allowed me to combine each piece of clipart with its associated audio file. In this blog post we will take a look at how this is done, so you can use this trick to create similar multimedia activities. You can also get a copy of the final template below for short and long vowel sounds to use with your students if you would like. 

Resources

Podcast Version: (Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast tool.) 

Video Version: (subscribe on YouTube) 

Short and Long Vowel Sounds Template

Below is a link to get your own copy of the Google Slides template for students to practice identifying short and long vowel sounds:

Short and Long Vowel Sounds - Google Slides template

Directions

Here are the basic directions for doing the activity:

• Each slide has a box for a short vowel sound and a box for a long vowel sound on the left side of the slide. You can click the audio button in each box to hear the the short and long vowels spoken out loud.
• On the right side of each slide there are eight clipart images that represent words that use either the short or long vowel sound.
• Click the audio button on each picture to hear the word read aloud. You may have to click the button twice to get it to play.
• Then drag the picture to the box with the same vowel sound. 

Note: You will need to do this activity in "edit" mode, not in "presentation" mode, so you will be able to drag and drop the clipart images into the correct boxes for their vowel sounds. 

Extension #1 - Students add an image 

As an optional extension for this activity, students can also add their own images that use the short and long vowel sounds. After each drag-and-drop slide, there is a challenge slide where students can insert images as follows: 

• Click "Insert"
• Click "Image"
• Click "Search the web"
• Search for pictures for words with the short or long vowel sounds.
• Choose a picture then click "Insert".
• Drag the picture to the box for its short or long vowel sound.
• To make the picture fit, you may need to drag its corner to make it smaller.

Extension #2 - Students write sentences

Another extension activity for students is to have them write sentences that use a word with the specific short or long vowel sound. After the first extension activity slide, there is a slide where students can write their sentences as follows: 

• Click in the text boxes on the left side of the slide.
• In the top box, write a sentence that uses a word with the short vowel sound.
• In the bottom box, write a sentence that uses a word with the long vowel sound.
• Students can use the words in the word bank, which are the same as the clipart images they just sorted.
• Or the students can use a word of their own with the correct vowel sound.

Grouping Items in Google Slides

To make this activity work, it was necessary to make sure each clipart image and its corresponding audio file stuck together so they would move as one item when the student drag and drop them. This can be done in Google Slides by using the "Group" option. Here is how you do that: 

• First, insert your images in the slideshow as normal. For example, click "Insert" then "Image" then add an image by uploading, searching, or such.
• Next, insert the recorded audio file to go along with each image. To do this click "Insert" then "Audio" then select the recorded audio from your Google Drive.

Note: For several suggested web-based tools for recording the audio, see my earlier post "4 Free and Easy Audio Recording Tools for Google Slides". 

• Now drag and drop the inserted audio icon on top of, or overlapping, its associated image.
• With the image and the audio together, you now want to select both of them. You can do this by clicking on one on them first, then holding down the "Ctrl" or "Shift" key and clicking on the second item. Now both the image and the audio file will be selected simultaneously.
• With both items selected, click "Arrange" in the top menu bar, then choose "Group" from the drop-down menu.

The image and the audio will now be grouped together as if they were one item. The students can still click on the audio file to play it, but when they drag and drop the image, the audio file will move with it.

This can be useful technique anytime you would like to add audio to an item in a slideshow. The audio could be directions, a description, a question, or simply a pronunciation such as in this activity. 

Conclusion

Creating a drop-and-drop audio activity is just one example of using this new feature. There are many other creative ways that audio can be used in Google Slides. It will be exciting to see the wide variety of activities that people develop and share. 

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.

Having been in education for last 27 years (but who's counting?) I have seen incredible advancements in technology. One area that has experienced much growth is recording and sharing video. I remember doing video projects with students using a large camcorder that recorded to video tape. Then we got those flip video recorders that we all thought were the height of technology. And of course now we can record with everything from phones to webcams to drones.

As easy as it is now to record video, anything we can do to make the process even smoother is a win for our students. Technology shouldn't put up hurdles to jump over, but instead empower our students to seamlessly create, express, and share their ideas.

Recently one of my favorite video tools, Screencastify, has made this process even easier with a new add-on for Google Slides. This new tool allows users to locate their recorded videos and insert them into their slideshows with fewer clicks and less time than ever. This can be especially helpful for younger students and for those still learning how to use these tools.

See below for details on how to install and use this new add-on, as well as ideas for how students can use this in school. 

Installing the Screencastify Add-on for Slides

 First you will want to begin by installing the new Screencastify add-on. This is a one-time process. Once you have it installed, you can use it forever. 

• Open an existing Google slideshow or create a new one.
• Next, click "Add-ons" in the top menu bar.
• Then click "Get Add-ons" from the drop-down menu.
• You can now scroll down or type in the search box to find the Screencastify add-on.
• Alternately you can use this link to go directly to the add-on: Screencastify Add-on link
• When you locate the add-on, click the "+FREE" button to install it.
• You will now be asked to choose your Google account.
• Then you will need to scroll down and click "Allow" to give permission for the installation.

The Screencastify add-on will now be installed and ready from use from the "Add-ons" menu. 

Using the Screencastify Add-on for Slides

Now that you have the add-on installed, it will be easier than ever to add your recordings to Google Slides.

Note: To record your videos, use the Screencastify Chrome web extension as normal. If you have not installed or used the extension before, see my earlier blog post and video on how the extension works: "7 Super Screencasting Activities for School"

Any videos you record with the Screencastify extension will now be available for use in the Screencastify add-on. Here's how it works.

• With a Google slideshow open, click "Add-ons" then "Screencastify for Slides" then "View Screencastify Videos".
• A panel will now open on the right side of the screen, displaying all of your recorded Screencastify videos.
• As needed you can scroll through the videos, or type in the "Search" box to locate the video you need.
• By default the most recent videos will be at the top, so if you just did the screen recording, it will be the first in the list.
• Click on the video you want to insert.
• The add-on will now add that video to your Google slideshow.

Once the video has been inserted into your Google slideshow you can adjust it as normal: 

• You can click and drag to move the video.
• You can resize the video.
• You can select the video and then click "Format options" in the top toolbar.
• In the format options you can set the "Start" and "End" time for the video.
• You can also check the box to "Autoplay" the video when the slide loads.

Uses for the Screencastify Add-on

Video is a fantastic way for students to express themselves, explain an idea, share feedback for their peers, contribute to a discussion, and more. With the Screencastify add-on it is easier than ever for students to add videos to their slideshows. Some ideas for how this tool could be used include: 

• Adding an instructional video to a slideshow.
• Adding narration to a presentation.
• Reading a slideshow eBook aloud.
• Embedding a speech or performance into a presentation.
• Explaining how to solve a math problem.
• Leaving video feedback on another student's writing.
• Responding to a question or prompt in a shared class slideshow.

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.

Closed captioning is helpful for many students during presentations.This is because captioning makes content more accessible and inclusive. It is accessible to those who are hearing impaired. Students may learn better if a presentation is closed captioned because captioning makes content cognitively easier to understand. Students for whom English is not their first language will have an easier time comprehending what is presented. 

However, closed captioning wasn't always that easy to do. 

Until now. 

Now, closed captioning in Google Slides is easy peasy. Just select "Present" and select "captions." Have questions? Read this "how to" from Google or watch the demo below. 

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.   

Today I sat down to begin the arduous process of finalizing all fall semester grades for my sophomore chemistry class and the benefit of using Google Slides their lab reporting format was clearly evident! 

My final "stack of papers" to grade was a shared folder full with our final lab practical reports: a group experiment where students determined the optimal H2-O2 ratio to fill a 2L bottle fo for maximum product upon ignition. 

Not only was I able to grade each project directly from my phone, but embedded video of procedures, screenshots of calculations, and clear images of laboratory procedures made for a meaningful assessment process. 

MORE IMPORTANTLY, the process of student creation and curation of their work using a Google Slide template (click here for the one used in this activity), was fluid, easy, and put the learning, rather than the reporting, at the forefront. 

Below is an embed of one group's  "report". 

cross posted at www.cyclesoflearning.com

Ramsey Musallam teaches science and robotics at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California, with the aim of fostering inquiry-based learning environments fueled by student curiosity. He presents widely on sparking student curiosity and teaching with technology. Musallam is a Google Certified Teacher, a YouTube Star Teacher, and a Leading Edge Certified Teacher. Watch his TED talk here and read his blog at www.cyclesoflearning.com.

Google Slides is a superb tool for presentations and for student resources. It's ideal when used as part of Google Classroom but can have issues. Sometimes a student may select an area and auto advance, or indeed a teacher might click a wrong part and advance the slide without wishing to.

This can mess up the flow and, often more importantly, cause a mix-up in the revealing of information. This might give away the next slide, which makes the current one a waste of time. So, avoiding skipping a slide accidentally is legitimate concern.

• Google Classroom for students
• Create group assignments in Google Classroom
• Google Classroom review

While in presentation mode, the problem is that some students click on the empty space in the slide. This will cause it to advance to the next slide, which is annoying at best and destructive in many cases.

A great strategy to stop Google Slides from auto-advancing is to insert a shape that covers the whole slide and link it to the existing slide. Additionally, text boxes that are not buttons must also be linked to the existing slide. 

The idea here is simply that anything that is clicked will still work as a link, only it will direct the user back to where they already are. No early revelations, no getting lost, and no jumping forward unintentionally.

How to do that might sound clear but here's a walk through guide to help you see more clearly exactly how to stop auto advancing in Slides. This video explains the whole process: