Technological Ways to be Productive

I was recently asked by Dr. Rebecca McLelland-Crawley to do a post for the upcoming Wellness Fair on 'ways to be productive & beat procrastination with technology.' Well, I must admit that I am not an expert on this topic, so I reached out to the rest of the Teacher Resource Specialists for Technology (Stacey Lindes, Melissa Morris-Inoa, Laura Agnella, Kim Lowden, Jaime Cook, & Allan Johnson) for assistance. Here's what we came up with; this is by no means an end-all, be-all list. What works for some, may not work for all.

Technology can definitely redefine the way we get things done. It has, in many ways, made us more productive, but with any positives there are always negatives. Here are some ways to utilize technology for productivity and try to reduce the distractions brought by technology as well:

Google Apps

Finding a tool which works best for you to keep track of assignments, due dates, events, etc. is key. There are a few options in the form of Google Calendar, Tasks, and Keep which allow you to manage your activities.  With Calendar and Keep you can collaborate with someone as your 'motivation buddy'. Their job is to check in on your progress and encourage you to complete your goals. Tasks and Keep have the ability to create check boxes, this way you can break up large projects into smaller, manageable 'action items'. As you complete each step and check it off, you can watch your progress and feel encouraged as the large project gets closer to completion. Calendar and Tasks allow for setting a due date which are all viewable from your Google Calendar. This way you can plan a timeline for completing your assignments, knowing which items are due sooner rather than later allows you to prioritize.

Pomodoro Technique

The theory here is basically spending a concentrated, specific amount of time focused and on-task with a follow-up shorter amount of time unstructured. I've seen it listed as 25 minutes focused with 5-10 minutes of 'fun'. There are a variety of Chrome Extensions which can help with this: Timer, StayFocusd, and RescueTime. Each one is a little more powerful than the one before it. But if you want something even simpler, just type "timer" in the Google Search Bar and set it for how long you need.

Limit Distractions

Technology can bring many distractions to our attention, some come in the form of ads on webpages while others can be suggested videos on the sidebar of YouTube. Here are some Extensions to limit those as well. Adblock Plus helps to remove and cleanup web pages so you can focus on the content and not the newest car on the market. Readability removes the clutter on web pages so the information can be read clearly. Turn Off the Lights allows you to view a YouTube video as if you were in the theater, everything on the site dims except the video being played.

Time & 'Click' Savers

Two tools built into Google Docs which can save time with clicking, typing, and searching are Research Tools and Voice Typing, check them out below:

Use the built-in microphone of a Chromebook to type in a
Google Document

Research Tools helps you find and cite information right inside
your Google Document

Also, knowing some shortcuts can help you navigate your Chromebook faster and lessen time clicking with your mouse.  For instance, recover a tab you accidently closed by: Ctrl + Shift + T Find more Chromebook shortcuts here!

Organizing

One of the hardest battles in this digital environment is staying and keeping organized.  Determine a folder structure in Google Drive that works best for you. One item to remember, NEVER delete your Trash.  We have unlimited space in Google Drive, there is no need to empty your trash can to clear up some space. 

Did you know you can have a file in more than one location? Here is the trick:

Add a file to multiple locations by clicking once on the file then typing Shift + Z

Other resources for curating or keeping track of links include your Bookmark bar (located underneath the web address bar), Chrome Bookmarks, or sites like: Pinterest, Pocket or Participate Learning [each of these three sites require an account and can only be used by individuals 13 or older].

Ambiance

Background music or "noise" can be helpful for individuals by keeping them focused. One option for background music is Google Play Music, I recommend 'Instrumental Beatles Covers'. Another option for "noise" would be A Soft Murmur. I currently use this and have these settings:

Follow-up

Lifehack.org came up with a list of '29 Ways to Beat Procrastination...' check it out, if you have time!

Also, the 5 AM Miracle Podcast offers a plethora of productivity strategies, you can subscribe using iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast or just listen on Jeff Sanders's Website. 

What the Tech? Google Tools and Add-ons

Mystery Hangouts in Ms. Rosenberg's 5th Grade Class - A Student Perspective

Back in the late fall Ms. Annie Rosenberg (@OMinEdu) approached me with an idea-she wanted to host a Mystery Skype or Mystery Google Hangout (GHO) with her 5th grade students. Through careful planning and facilitation, Ms. Rosenberg's 5th graders have had several Mystery GHOs across the US and one with an international school in Ghana! I have enjoyed working with this class and was excited when some of the students wrote about their experience. Below is the article they wrote about their year of Mystery GHOs and a video they created with their amazing teacher. 

Mystery Hangouts

By: Jackie, Megan, Parmida and Sid

What is a Mystery Hangout?       A mystery hangout is where two classes in the world connect using Google Hangout. Each class guesses where the other class is by asking questions. They can only use yes or no questions. If we had time we would figure out the city of the other class we are doing a Mystery Google Hangout with.       After we finish our actual hangout, we talk about what we did well and what places we can improve upon. We also share facts about our state, town and school. Jobs That We Have       For this activity, we have eight kinds of jobs. There are greeters, recorders, think tanks, runners, inquirers and lastly the reporters.       First the greeters, the people who go on the camera, greet the other class and fill in jokes on research time. The recorders are people who write down the questions that have been asked by the inquirers and the people in the other class.       Think tanks use the clues to find where the other class is. The runners are the people who transport the ideas and the plans from think tanks to inquirers to greeters. The inquirers are people who uses facts about the place we think the other class is in and make yes or no questions out of them, they also answer the other classes questions.       Finally, the reporters take videos, pictures and jot notes about what is happening. One of the reporters also tweet on Twitter about the mystery hangout on our class account.

Places We Have Traveled To We’ve had eight mystery hangouts so far: Plainsboro, New Jersey, USA Burke, Virginia, USA Kingwood, Texas, USA Portland, Oregon, USA Limerick, Maine, USA Kansas City, Missouri, USA Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA Ghana, Africa What Can You Learn From Mystery Hangouts     Mystery hangouts help us with the 21st century competencies and encourage us to be effective communicators and information literate researchers. Through communicating with other classes, we learn to speak clearly and with good respect, and we strengthen our ability to be collaborative team members by helping our groups and working together to find out the other classes’ locations. We also learn how to be literate researchers by using the internet and other sources to solve problems and researching.       Mystery hangouts are a great way to learn about states and countries, and teach us to be diverse and learn about different people, places etc. Finding places on the map enhance our skills to locate states and countries, as well as identifying landmarks like the Mississippi river and the four main oceans.       We are able to grow as students and we can open our eyes to learn about interesting places in the United States or even the whole WORLD using. This is what we call globalization, or becoming a globally aware citizen, and it will definitely help us in the future! A big thanks  to Mrs. Lindes and Ms. Rosenberg for teaching and helping and practicing with us to make this possible. Here is a video our class created highlighting our Mystery GHO experience.

This Week at Village 1.30.15

It was another great week at Village; I am a lucky teacher to be learning alongside such wonderful and committed educators!

This week…

• the computer lab was abuzz with Google Slide creations. Your students are learning the ins and outs of creating a presentation as well as the tools they will be using for their assessments in March and May!
• 4th Grade Special Education teachers attended a half day workshop to learn how to incorporate Google Apps for Education into their lessons. It was a great session for everyone involved! If you feel that you could lend a hand to these teachers, who are “newer” to the Chromebook experiences and the integration of technology in the classroom, please reach out to your colleagues. We all have so much to teach each other!
• I spent two periods with a wonderful 4th grade class as we logged into and learned the basics of Glogster! I was excited to hear that they are working on their optional assignment-an All About Me. This will allow the students the opportunity to learn about the program they are using without worrying about the content. I look forward to working with them again on Monday!
• I explored plickers with a small group of students in 5th grade. This “exit slip” assessment tool is easy to use and I would love to explore the possibilities with a few more classes. For more information, watch this video and email me for plicker cards! If you want to see plickers in action, it may be coming to your Spanish class soon!
• I am looking for a 4th grade teacher interested in doing a Mystery Hangout with students in Minnesota. Not sure what I’m talking about? Annie Rosenberg and I will be having a morning share in February. Please let Annie and me know if you would be interested.

Be On the Look Out (BOLO) for…

• Google classroom training, which will begin in February. I will be working with one 5th grade teacher and two 4th grade classrooms. If you are interested in learning more about Google Classroom, email me and I will be sure to add you to the list.
• a new Hapara platform, it will be launching in March for 5th grade teachers. I will be meeting with you during flex to review the changes. 
• Kaizena. I am looking for teachers (4th or 5th) who may be interested in exploring Kaizena. Kaizena is a Google app/add on that allows you to give different types of feedback on a Google Doc (voice recordings, typed comments and links to more information). If you would like to explore Kaizena with me, let me know.

As always, let me know if you would like to be included in any of these endeavors or if you have any projects you would like me to help you with. 

2014 at Village

Dear Village Friends,

It’s during this time of the year that I like to look back and reflect on all that has transpired over the course of the previous 12 months. It’s also the time of year that I make plans for next 365 days. While I did not have a full 12 months with you here a Village, there is so much we have accomplished together. Thank you for learning alongside me and teaching me what I didn’t know (one of my favorite sayings in my position is, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”); I have learned a lot from and with you. Here are some things we accomplished in the four short months (five, if we include the summer...and I do!) we had together in 2014:

summer training hapara gmail calendars forms reading logs databases symbaloo passwords cloud based storage creating notebooks question and answer day edcamp

unconference management sites google maps classroom visits mystery hangouts drafts notebooks big huge labs back channels iPads blogs

Here’s what we can look forward to in 2015:

I look forward to continuing our work together in the New Year, whether it be a visit to your flex, a 1 on 1 planning meeting during prep, a weekly standing appointment, co-teaching, modeling, etc.

Thanks for making me a part of the pack!

Stacey

Helpful Apps and Extensions for Teachers and Students

In your Apps menu, select the Chrome Web Store to search for apps, extensions, and themes.

Apps:

1. Think Wave Educator: Free, web-based gradebook that manages assignments and creates reports.

2. Evernote Web: Save all of your ideas and experiences in Evernote, then access them from every computer and phone you use. Great for keeping conferring notes and saving useful teacher websites.

3. Cacoo: Cacoo is a user friendly online drawing tool. Multiple users editing the same diagram means Real-Time Collaboration. Great for use with the projector for whole class or for kids to work in groups.

4. Class Dojo: ClassDojo helps teachers improve behavior in their classrooms quickly and easily. It captures and generates data on behavior that teachers can share with parents and administrators.

5. Quizlet: Learning/study tool for students.  Use in-app study sets or create your own, take quizzes and check, and play games to help you study.

6. Powtoon: PowToon lets you create awesome animated presentations and animated video. PowToon is great for teachers and students.  

Browser Extensions:

1. Evernote Clearly - gets rid of ads on webpages. Can highlight text.
2. Save to Google Drive - save webpages as a .pdf in your drive
3. Symbaloo Bookmarker - send websites to your Symbaloo
4. Web Page Sticky Notes: Put sticky notes on webpages to take notes
5. Nimbus Screenshot: Take screenshots and edit
6. Webcam Screenshot: Take screenshots and edit
7. TechSmith Snagit: Take screenshots or video and record. Great for tutorials!
8. Screencastify: Also used for recording tutorials on the web.
9. Shorten Me: Shorten URL’s and create matching QR codes

   10. TLDR: Will summarize long pieces of text on the web: