Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Google Forms Do More Than Just Surveys (S. Gadient)

Google Forms Do More Than Just Surveys

By: Sharon Gadient - AGHS Math Teacher


Intro

It’s that time of year again -- the “third quarter slump”: that time when I am desperately searching for some way to gain and hold my students’ attention long enough to stuff some knowledge in their heads. Switching up instruction is one of my tried-and-true strategies, and since I just got a working set of iPads in my classroom a few weeks ago, I was looking for a free tech tool I could use to get more interaction from my Algebra 2 students, allow for “think time” and help students self-assess. After playing with Socrative and Nearpod, I found it in a surprising place when I turned to a couple of features in Google Forms that give students real-time feedback on their guided practice problems.


What kinds of interaction does forms allow?

There are two tools that we can use for this depending on the type of question:


  1. “Go to Page Based on Answer” is an option in Multiple Choice questions that gives students different feedback depending on the answer they select, and can redirect them to try again.



  1. “Data Validation” is an option in Text responses that tells students immediately if they are wrong, will not let them proceed until they get it right, and can give students hints.


Click the link below to see a silly example quiz that demos some of the interactive things you can do with forms.




Make your own

In the video below, I walk through the process of creating interactive questions in forms.





For a text version of the directions, go to this link:




How I use it

I create a few “Guided Practice” problems that students complete as we talk through our note-taking guide, and I sometimes add in some or all of their homework assignments to be completed in forms. Students get feedback on the guided practice, right/wrong feedback on the first couple of homework problems, then they are on their own and I can have forms grade their responses automatically with the Flubaroo add-on. I also leave these forms posted in Google Classroom after the lesson for students to access any time for review.


I have found that Students are more engaged and ask more questions during the lesson than they did without using the forms. This is especially popular with my weaker math students who gain more think time and build confidence with the guided practice.

As always, playing with it gives you a better feel for the process, so tinker away -- I’m sure you’ll discover things I never thought to try.



Bio:


Sharon Gadient is a Math Teacher at Ash Grove High School. This is her eighth year of teaching mathematics, and she still loves it. Sharon enjoys applied mathematics, and has a special fascination with fractals (both the pretty and the useful). Her hobbies include playing with technology, writing, and curling up on the couch with her German Shepherd to watch Dr. Who.

Twitter Account: @library_ghost

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Spice It Up With EdPuzzle! (B.Watts)

https://edpuzzle.com/
This is a blog post written by one of the students at Ash Grove High School.  

Spice It Up With EdPuzzle!


Are you tired of boring presentations? Do you need a way to ‘spice up’ the classroom to engage your students? If you’re ready for an overhaul of awesome, prepare for the incorporation of EdPuzzle, the latest and greatest in class video presentation technology. (Think Billy Mays here)

With EdPuzzle, making an interactive video for students is simple! For easy presentation and conciseness (and less work on my end), I have developed a very easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide!


Step numero uno:

Get that ‘thang’! Get to their website here or get the Chrome app here (this will make a link on your Google Chrome, which will just take you to the website.)



Step 2:

Create a free account.

Did I mention it was FREE? Oh yeah, I did.
(Google App teachers, feel free to use that account to seamlessly connect to your classroom. “Seamlessly”, or at least those overlapping seam-things that don’t make that awkward bump on the shoulder of your shirt. We’ve all been there.)

Step Tres:

Make your first video! Either upload a video from YouTube or anywhere else (Khan Academy, Learn Zillion, and more), or your own video. I’m sure you won’t encounter any copyright law infringements.


Step 4:

After uploading, you can crop the video, add voice over commentation, and even add quiz questions that pop up throughout the video. It’s like an interactive YouTube for schools.


Step Cinco:

Share or “assign” the video to your class on EdPuzzle, or your Google Classroom class, if you used your Apps account.

See? It’s as simple as that. Now you must take action. Go, take what I have given you, and teach those kids. Let us know how it goes and any other suggestions you might have for using EdPuzzle!



  • Post videos or use from YouTube, Khan Academy, Learn Zillion, and more
  • Crop video, add comments, insert voice-overs, and create a quiz for video
  • See data of student quizzes taken
  • Engaging, Effective, and FREE




Brandon Watts Bio: 

 Brandon Watts is a Senior at Ash Grove High School. He is excited to continue his education in 
human health and science at Missouri State University (Fall of 2016). He enjoys doing everything, whether it’s swimming, biking, running, all three of those combined, futbol-ing, hiking and enjoying the day, or even reading a good book on differential calculus or exercise physiology. Brandon is a lifeguard, lifeguard instructor, and pool supervisor, meaning he has some level of responsibility. Having fun is his main concern, and he is ready to take on life!