Google Add-Ons

Google has done it again.  They have made awesome products even better! Add-ons provide increased functionality from right within Google Docs and Google Sheets (the new Google Spreadsheets) with a growing number of applications.  Some of these may be familiar to those of you who used Google Scripts like Doctopus and Flubaroo to many that have been used for research like EasyBib and Lucidchart.  To get started, simply click on Add-ons and then choose Get Add-ons.

If your tool you installed doesn't automatically load, then select your tool from the under the Add-on tab and follow the directions for each.  Most open in a side bar just like your research tool and have simple step by step instructions.  Here are a few of my favorites:

EasyBib Bibliography Creator

Easybib has been a favorite tool for creating bibliographies for papers and now it is even easier.  When you select manage Bibliography from the Add-on menu, Easybib opens to the right.  Select whether you would like to cite a book, journal or a website, then insert the Title, ISBN number, etc... and SEARCH.  You will have a list of possible matches listed below.  SELECT the one that matches your source and it will be added to your bibliography.  

Once you have added all of your sources, you simply click on ADD BIBLIOGRAPHY TO DOC to plug in your WORKS CITED list at the bottom of your document.  I recommend inserting a Page Break right before so that it will be on its own page.  

Doctopus

Don't be scared by the name, Doctopus is not from Spider Man or James Bond, but rather a fun group from the NewVisions for Public Schools that have really pushed the limits of what Google Apps can do for Schools by writing scripts that work with the Google API.  Doctopus manages assignments using google docs by creating copies and automatically sharing them with students or groups of students, managing sharing, grades and feedback all from a single spreadsheet.  This used to be a Google Script that required a bit more savvy to install and run, but it is now a Google Add-on for Sheets making things much easier for all of us.  Read more about Doctopus and how it works here.

There are many more Add-ons and they are being added weekly.  What is your favorite Google Add-on?

Doctopus - The best tool for sharing Google Docs assignments

Doctopus

Don't be scared by the name, Doctopus is not from Spider Man or James Bond, but rather a fun group from the NewVisions for Public Schools that have really pushed the limits of what Google Apps can do for Schools by writing scripts that work with the Google API.  Doctopus manages assignments using google docs by creating copies and automatically sharing them with students or groups of students, managing sharing, grades and feedback all from a single spreadsheet.  This used to be a Google Script that required a bit more savvy to install and run, but it is now a Google Add-on for Sheets making things much easier for all of us. 

When installed, Doctopus first asks what roster you are working with.  You will need to have a list of your students (First Name, Last Name, Google Apps Email) to create a roster for sharing.  The beautiful thing about this feature is that, not only does it remember your roster for future assignments, but it can create a series of shared folders that manages all of your shared documents with your students!  This is an absolutely essential function for managing many assignments with students (whether you use the other features of Doctopus or not).  

Once your roster is created, you will need to set up your assignment for sharing.  The settings are for the following:

• Sharing type (individual, group, etc...)
  
  
  
• Whole Class Access - Whether or not students can view other students work (helpful in group projects and facilitates peer editing)
  
• Student Access [to document] - does the student have edit, comment, comment or view only rights to the google doc you are sharing.  You can also control whether or not students can share these documents with others by allowing editing rights.  By limiting this, it controls students sharing their work with others to copy.
  
• Add Co-Teachers 
  

Once all of those settings have been made, it is time to select the document that you are going to share for this assignment.  You will have to first select the folder in which the document resides, then select the document that will be used as a template for this assignment.  It is called a template, because the actual document is not changed - Doctopus actually makes a copy of it to share with each student.

Once you have identified the document template, you need to determine where the assignment will reside in your google drive.  You can choose an existing folder or create a new one.  You can then also use Doctopus to send a personalized email to your students.  

The last step is to review your settings before creating a copy and sharing it with your students.  Once you have created the copy, Doctopus, inserts columns in your spreadsheet that will allow you to easily monitor each of the student's assignments and provide grades and feedback right from within the spreadsheet.  You can click on the link to the document to see what work has been completed to comment and provide a grade - there is no hunting through your Shared With Me folder in your drive or wading through all student assignment folders.  This simplifies the entire process of using google docs for assignments and is where the real power of Doctopus resides.  Some other neat features are the ability to Embargo documents for grading (if you say you have to have it completed by Friday at noon - then you can enforce that deadline - however, you can un-embargo the assignment for editing purposes.)  You can also send an email to students with their grades and feedback once the assignment is done.  Now - if this was all possible inside of an LMS like Schoology or Edmodo, I would be jumping for joy!  I believe the new Google Classroom is supposed to have such features - I can't wait to see. 

Please share at below if you have used doctopus and how you like it.

From the Field - 4th Grade Digital Citizenship Pledge Using Padlet

In the Little Britain Elementary School Library in the Washingtonville School District, Library Media Specialist Tracy Ebenhoe worked with a group of 4th graders to take a digital citizenship pledge using Padlet. Padlet is an online bulletin board that allows users to post comments and add pictures, videos or documents to tell a story or weigh in on a topic.  "As part of a continuing discussion on digital citizenship and safety, students worked together to brainstorm and discuss a list of safe behaviors when online. Using Padlet, I loaded an image of a digital citizenship pledge (from commonsensemedia.org) and students "signed" their names and commented."  Students were able to login to her Padlet page, sign and also comment if desired. Two of the features Tracy liked best was that the sheet was able to be password protected and that she was able to monitor and approve all posts before they became visible to the other students.

For Tracy, digital citizenship is an ongoing theme in library. She asserts: "with the prolific use of technology and new resources available to us everyday, students need to be smart and cautious users."  We couldn't agree more.  Tracy has been using Commonsensemedia.org as a resource for lessons on these issues.  Tracy came up with the idea after being inspired by Tech Challenge of the month developed by Tech Coaches in Washingtonville.  

Do you have a project you are proud of? Share it with us and we will feature it here (or keep it private if you prefer).  Fill out our short form here.  Let the world know what incredible instructional uses are being made of digital tools in the classroom  

Enabling Google Docs for Offline Use

One major frustration of working in the cloud is when it is a sunny day and there is no cloud available for you to work in.  Google has provided you with an opportunity to work with Google Docs, Slides (Presentations) and now the new Sheets while not connected to the internet.  To do this, you need to enable Offline Mode in Google Drive on each computer that you would like to use Offline.  To do this you need to first have the Drive Web App installed.  If you haven't, you will be prompted to do so when you attempt to enable this access.  First, click on More from your Google Drive left-hand menu, then click Offline.  If you haven't installed the Drive Chrome Web App, you will be prompted to do so at this time.  Once you have installed this, you will then be able to Enable Offline Access.  Check out the animated Gif below.

When you are working on a document while in offline mode, you will see a circle with a lightning bolt to the right of the name of the document indicating that You are Offline.  Once you are again connected, your changes will be synced to your drive

There are a few important caveats to using Google Drive offline

1. You will need to enable Offline Mode on every computer that you wish to use.  
2. Anyone using your computer will have access to your offline docs so only enable offline mode on a computer that only you use if you are worried about security of your documents
3. Only one Google account per Chrome profile can set up offline access to Drive. If you are unable to set up offline access because another user has already done so, you can create a new Chrome profile and then follow the above steps to add offline access for your account. Learn how to create a new Google Chrome profile.

Get Organized with 2 Great Chrome Extensions

Staying on top of your to do list is vital to staying organized and being effective.  There are some very comprehensive project management software with some helpful apps, plugins and chrome extensions, but for most people they are simply too complicated for our needs.  For some of you with only a few things on your to-do list and only one Gmail account, simply using Google Tasks will fill your needs.  But for those of us with multiple mail accounts and multiple devices, it is helpful to find something in between.   In our search for the best tools to get organized we have found two that work seamlessly with Gmail, are simple and easy to use, have both chrome extensions and mobile apps, and are robust enough for most any user.  The two that we found are Todoist and Any.do. There are others such as Toodledo, GQues, and Wanderlist, but today we am only focusing on the ones that have a chrome extension with the free version (GQues has one with their paid level).  Below I review each one with a comparison view between the two.

Any.Do is a simple tool with lots of free features.  The things I like most about Any.do is the ability to add any tasks from a webpage in Chrome.  With the chrome extension installed, simply right click on any text or hyperlink in a webpage and choose "Add To Any.Do" and select Today, Tomorrow or Someday.

The other great features of Any.Do is the integration with Gmail.  Embedded within the email is a Gmail Followup toolbar that allows you to add a task easily related to that email such as "follow up with Serena about...".  They also have a Gmail Button added to the email toolbar that allows you to quickly add a task with the subject of the email as the title of the task.  Either way you add it, there is a link to the email attached to the task in the chrome extension.

Any.do allows for adding notes and sharing tasks with others (only in the mobile app) and has a fairly straightforward way of adding folders and notes/sub-tasks.  You can also move tasks around both within a folder and between folders.  There is also reminders for your tasks that pop up on your desktop and on your mobile device.   It is easy with Any.Do to see all of your tasks across all folders or see what is due today, tomorrow, upcoming or someday.

Todoist is a slightly more robust program built on Projects rather than folders.  The interface on both the Chrome extension and the mobile app are simple and intuitive.  The one feature that we really like about Todoist is that in the Gmail integration, there is a popup that is similar to the Google Tasks window.  This makes it easily accessible and uses the same type of interaction that you are used to in Gmail while using tasks and chat windows.

While features such as adding documents and images, reminders, and adding labels is part of a paid premium account, there is a lot to like about using Todoist.  Tasks and projects are easily dragged and dropped and sub projects can be nested under main projects.  In the image above, Soccer and Groceries are projects that fall under the main project Home.  For adding a due date and time, or a recurring task, it is as easy as speech.  Just type when you want your task due - Every Monday at 10am; Friday at noon; or today.  Go to Todoist Help Center for more suggestions.  

The Gmail integration uses a button that adds the email to your popup task list where you can then add a time to follow up.  This task is also hyper-linked to take you to that email to follow up.  This link even works in the mobile version though it takes you to the browser gmail and not to the app...  

Another cool feature that helps with motivation is the Karma trend rating in Todoist.  This rating goes up (and down) based on how many of your tasks you complete.  If you like badges and rewards, this may be the app to boost your productivity.

Whatever you choose, both apps have great features for helping you get things done in your life. Check out the comparison chart I have put together to help you decide.  

Augmented Reality in the Classroom

Augmented Reality is poised to change the way we look at the world, never mind impact education and the way students engage in learning. Connect the world of printed documents to an interactive, 3D environment using Augmented Reality Applications.  Aurasma, Layar, and Daqri AR apps, to name just a few, will allow students to literally interact with books and paper.  Watch the videos below to give you an example of how AR can be used to enhance students comsumption in the classroom.

Test Prep with Varsity Tutors

Let's face it - high stakes tests are a part of our lives and, while we don't want to teach to the test, we do need to prep students for them.  There is nothing that will replace quality instruction for preparing for a major exam, but there are a number of quality online assessment tools out there that are effective at helping students build on that quality instruction and get great test scores.  One tool that we have come across recently is Varsity Tutors.  This site offers free diagnostic and practice tests with feedback that help students prepare for an exam.  All of these tests are free and open to the public and, should you find from taking these assessments that you need extra help, you can sign up for in-home tutoring from them (for a fee).

 Creating an Account:

Creating an account is easy and allows any user to take any of the tests and get immediate feedback. 

Taking Tests:

When you first create an account, you are taken to the list of tests that you can take. You can select from over 100 tests and sub tests for everything from the intermediate and high school level to AP, SAT and CLEP.  

Diagnostic Tests, Practice Tests and Flash Cards,

There are 3 main types of assessments that you can take.  One is a diagnostic test for the major exams that are intended to be an overview of the entire exam to see how you would do.  The practice tests are broken down into different sub categories and the Flash Cards are really individual questions that you can work through one by one.  Your receive feedback on how much time was spent on each question as well as your performance on each question.  They have included an explanation of the correct answer on each question so that you can learn from your mistakes.  

Classroom Tools

• Creating Tests
• Teachers can create their own tests by either adding questions of their own or by choosing questions from the item bank.  

• Sharing Tests
• Once created, you can share the tests with students either individually or as a group

• Viewing Results
• Once students have completed their test, they get a Full report - View an example by clicking here.  
• Teachers can then see an item analysis of those test results for their whole class and can drill down and see how each student did on each assessment.  

Embedding Assessments and Flashcards

If you are interested in having students study and want to keep them on your website you can embed both complete tests and flashcards right into your website or LMS.  Check out the example below:

Powered By Varsity Tutors

Overall, we are impressed with this assessment tool and think it is worth checking out.  Let us know what you think.