Week 5: Google Slides and Beyond Again

Google Slides and Beyond Again

Revisiting Project #1

Last week in my blog post I talked about the My Friends book I was helping my students make in class. We were able to finish that up last week and I was able to finish up the tech side of the book. To finish this project up there were two more steps I had to complete:

1. Change the Page Setup: I changed the dimensions of the pages of the book to better resemble a notebook size book. My intention is to print out the pages, laminate them and insert them into a 3-ring binder for added protection, then display the book in the classroom library for the class to view. 

2. After changing the dimensions of the pages it was time to create the PDF: I took these steps when creating the PDF version of the book:

• File
• Download as...
• PDF Document

That completed the eBook and it is now ready to view and/or print out for the classroom. I plan to have it available for parents to view as a hard copy and digital copy on the Smart Board during parent/teacher conferences in March.

Our Friend Book 

Revisiting Slides Again:  Professional Development E-Course

This week I wanted to try my hand at creating an e-Course for professional development purposes. I have a connection to a local early learning center and the director has asked me to conduct a training on discipline strategies. I am currently taking a 10 session course on this subject and wanted to begin creating a document that could be used by me (to teach) or by the staff at the center for professional development. I thought creating an e-course would be beneficial for me to use as a guide and then to share with others who would like to learn about discipline strategies. 

As I started my adventure in e-course creating, I wanted to make this first experience as painless as possible. I began with the link in 30 Interactive Google Slides Activities for the e-course templates. This template activity gave some tips on creating the e-course and how to link slides together within the slides presentation. Basically, before I could think about linking slides and the presentation of the e-course I needed to get the slide presentation completed and the material onto the slides. 

e-Course Basics

I thought it would be easier to download a theme for the slides presentation instead of creating one from scratch. I remembered seeing a slides theme link in our course material so I investigated that for a child-related theme to use. I perused the SlidesCarnival site for a child theme for my e-course. There were many options to choose from, but, I wanted a child theme that was not really "professional" looking, something that would be preschool related but not too babyish either. I was disappointed that I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but then settled on a "pets" theme mostly because when I downloaded it to slides, I really liked the slide options it had. 

Before beginning the e-course, I knew it would be a learning process for me and I knew I would not have a completed course this week. With that in mind, I set a goal for myself to build the basic layout of the course and complete the slides for Module 1. This way I could see what would work, what I could add in later modules, how I want the course to look, etc. without being totally overwhelmed.

Here are the basic steps I took to create the e-course Module 1:

1. Download the selected theme: "Crabs" theme from SlidesCarnival
2. Created the Introduction/Title page slide
3. Created the Module Intro page slide where all the modules are linked to: Only Module 1 is linked right now
4. Created each slide for Module 1 with information and material I want to present
5. Linked the end of Module 1 with the Module Intro page, this way Module 2 can easily be accessed when it is available

Within the e-course I wanted to utilize some different tools and make it interactive and easy to navigate. Here are some of the tools I have built into the e-course so far:

• Links to slides within the presentation 
• Audio links from YouTube 
• Video links from YouTube
• Visuals to represent big ideas and course themes
• Visually pleasing layouts and formats
• Review slides
• Self-assessment slides
• Reflection slides

Directions for linking slides within presentations:

• Create a rectangle shape that is the same size as the slide
• Use the paint bucket icon and change the color to transparent
• Click on Insert > Link  click on slides in this presentation and click on the slide you want to link it to (for me I wanted to link slide 35 to slide 2
• Right click then choose Order > Send to Back, this sends it to the background 

I attempted to create a few slides that would be interactive, however, I was not successful and will need to revisit this at a later time. On slide 11, I wanted to create a locked background drop/drag slide similar to what I did last week with the rhyming words drop and drag. This time, however, it was not successful. I was able to create it like I did last week and it works in edit mode but not in the present mode. This is something I will consider revisiting and possibly changing. I am wondering if I can make a drag and drop activity within slides or if I will need to create one and then link it onto the e-course slide?  

e-Course Ideas to Consider

As I work on this e-course there are several things I want to consider adding to the slides:

• Adding Assessments or Assessment links at the end of each module. Right now there are Reflection Slides that participants can consider and reflect on, but I would like to investigate an assessment tool that could be added after that or added as a link for participants to gauge their understanding of the concepts.
• Creating memory games to practice big ideas and concepts that are important 
• Downloading or creating Interactive Notebook tools within the slide presentation that will work in present mode.
• Adding additional video/audio clips to highlight and enrich concept development and learning.
• Adding interactive activities where learners can match concepts, definitions, etc. or can participate in games/activities that will reinforce what they are learning.

e-Course Reflection

 Overall I am pleased with the creation of the e-course so far. As I have said, I really want to investigate other tools that can be used to make this course interactive and easy to navigate for learners. I am glad I chose to download the theme, I think this saved a lot of time that otherwise would have been wasted on creating the theme. I was able to focus more on the content I wanted to present and how I wanted to present it. I am excited to continue working on this project and then utilizing it as an actual training tool. I am simply amazed when I think about how I am actually creating something that can be used to help others in the field learn! A year ago I would never have guessed this would have been possible!

My e-Course Creation

Week 4: Google Slides and Beyond...

Google Slides and Beyond...

Reflecting on Google Slides

Last week I really wanted to challenge myself with using Google Slides in a different way and utilizing more of the tools it has to offer. This week I wanted to take a step further and challenge myself to create an activity for my students that I can use in the classroom. 

As I explored the site links this week, I saw many ideas that I would love to utilize with my preschool students. I particularly liked several ideas in 30 Interactive Google Slides for Classroom Excitement. The ones that most interested me included creating a PDF e-book with my students, creating concept memory games, and using the game show formats to create fun concept driven activities. I also really liked the idea of drag and drop activities to create theme based learning concept activities. There were other activities that I would like to explore for professional development such as creating game show activities, creating online courses and creating PDF e-books. 

As I explored the site and wrote down the ideas that spoke to me, I realized that my interests far outweighed the time I had to create an activity for this week. So, I gathered the ideas I liked best and thought about which ones would be feasible to complete or get a good start on this week. I was able to narrow down the options to a few I wanted to do in the classroom that would aide my instructional activities for the next few weeks where I could involve my students. 

Project #1 -- PDF e-book

I have been teaching my students this year about books, parts of the book, that the author writes the words of the story and the illustrator draws the pictures, so I really wanted to give them an experience of writing their own book. This led me to the idea of creating a classroom PDF e-book with my students. This week was a great week to start it with our theme being Valentines and what Valentine's Day is all about--showing your friends, family, etc. that you care for them. We talked a lot this week about how to be nice to friends, how to show parents you care for them, etc. It was fitting, then, that we draw pictures of our friends, things we like to do with our friends, why we like our friends and create our very own classroom friend book. It was a simple way to get the book writing process flowing with my preschoolers. 

To get things started I first asked my students to draw pictures and/or write about why they like about their school friends. I explained to them they would help me create an e-book, a book we can look at on the computer, with their pictures and dictation. Last week most of my students were able to draw a picture for their friends for our "friend book," and then told us why they like their friends. With the help of my assistants we dictated why each child likes their friends and then set off to actually start creating the book. My assistants took pictures of each child's artwork to use in the book and emailed the pictures to me, I downloaded them to my school computer and we began to create. We sat down at the Smart Board as a group and I explained that we would use Google Slides to create our book together. I showed them examples of things I have that are in Google Slides and talked about how we could use different colors and shapes in our book. After the pictures had downloaded to the computer, I showed the class how to find the pictures and then Insert them onto a slide in Google Slides as a Background by doing this:

1. Click on Slides tab

2. Click on Change Background

3. Click on Choose Image

4. Select image

5. Done

I figured that inserting the pictures of artwork as a background would be the simplest way to show my preschoolers how to do it, this way, I did not have to spend a lot of time sizing the image to fit the slide. Then I clicked on the text box for each slide and began each page with the same beginning "I like my friends because," then left it open for each child to say why they like their friends. I showed them then how to change the background color of the text box by using the paint pot icon and let them choose what color they wanted to use for their page of the book. 

There were several children out due to illness and some that had to leave early the days we worked on the book so the whole book is not complete yet, but, we will continue working on the book next week when the other children can contribute. After it is complete I will show the class how we can then turn it into an e-book:

1. Click File

2. Click Download as..

3. Click PDF document

4. It will be saved to the classroom computer!

Even though it is not fully finished I have a link below for the Google Slide of our creation in progress!

Our Friend Book

Project #2 -- Drop and Drag PreK Rhyming Words Activity

Along with learning about books, my preschoolers have been working hard on learning rhyming words. I have several ways in which I teach and let my students practice rhyming words including you tube videos, rhyming houses, rhyming dice, etc. But lately I have been wanting to have an actual activity that my students can do on the Smart Board where they can practice rhyming words. But, I really wanted something that I could pull up and then let them actually do themselves without needing teacher assistance. 

Needless to say when I saw the drag and drop activity on 30 Interactive Google Slides for Classroom Excitement and the link for How to Create Drag and Drop Activities for Google Slides I was super excited!! This is exactly what I have been wanting to have for my students. I have to admit that I was nervous to think that I could create something like this myself. After I viewed the You Tube video by Kasey Bell I was shocked and amazed at how simple it looked. Okay so she did use a very simple example without a lot of bells and whistles, but for my class, I do not need a lot of bells and whistles, they would be happy with anything that allows them to manipulate and use the Smart Board on their own. And so it began.

Challenge accepted! This was super simple and easy to create, okay, I used the step by step process You Tube video but still I was really impressed with what I created for my students. Here are the steps I used to create this fun rhyming word activity:

1. Start with clearing out the format of the Google Slide: Right click on slide; Apply layout;    Click on the BLANK one

2. Choose the Background; Click on the Background tab and choose colors, shapes, etc, 
I just chose a green background for the slide

3. I then chose the shapes I wanted to use to create the actual activity. I wanted to keep it    simple but have it colorful and have 3 distinct spaces: 1 for the rhyme pictures (top); 
1 for rhyming words with "dog;" and 1 with rhyming words with "bee"

• Top-- I used a rounded corner square and extended it into a rectangle for the student's name and the rhyme pictures to live; I used the paint pot icon to choose the fill color for this box and used the icons for border thickness and color to make the box stand out
• Bottom left--again I used a rounded corner square and used half the bottom space and chose the fill color I wanted. 
• Bottom right-- I used rounded square for the other bottom half and chose the fill color and the border and color icons to define the boxes so they are easy to use    

4. Next I conducted an image search within slides to find the images I wanted to use for the two rhyming boxes on the bottom (these will not move) and the images that rhyme with        them for the top box:

• Click on the INSERT tab
• Hover on image
• Click on "search the web"
• First I wanted to find an image of a dog and bee because those are the words that students will be finding rhyming pictures for: clicked those, sized them then put them where I want them to live on the slide

5. Now that I have created the basic format for the activity and have what I need for the        background I want to download it as a PNG image;This is where the magic happened          for me! I loved learning how to do this, it will save a lot of time and energy in the future          when I want to use this basic format again for a different activity! 

• Click on File
• Click on Download as
• Click on PNG image I then saved it under a name I would remember so I can go back to it as I want to

6. So now I have a downloaded png image of the background I want to use for the activity.    These images and boxes will not move now! They will stay in place so students will not        have to worry about accidentally moving them when they do the activity. Now, I open            up a new slide presentation (slides.new) and upload that png image file to the new              slide presentation

7. Now I am ready to do another image search to look for pictures I want to add for the drag  and drop portion of the activity. Again I do a search within slides and choose the images I      want that rhyme with dog and bee, I did add a couple images that do not rhyme with              these for an extra level of challenge for my students.

8. Before introducing the activity to my students I make a copy of it and label it as a 
 template so I can go back and use it for different activities in the future

9. Now it is ready to present to my students!

I had a lot of fun creating this project and it was simple and easy to do. I will definitely use this process to create more activities for my classroom. 

*I tried my hand at embedding the Google Slide, check out the bottom of the post*

Projects To Be -- Other Ideas I Will Explore Later

As I was exploring the activities that can be utilized with Google Slides I came up with many other ideas I want to eventually work on. Below are the projects that have peaked my interest and I want to delve into in the near future:

1. Game Shows  I have been asked to conduct early childhood professional development trainings so I would like to incorporate the Game Show theme into these as a means for review and a fun way to remember or test participants knowledge on the training topic
2. Online Courses I would like to create online courses for the professional development that I am asked to conduct. I think this would make for a great way to present information either in person or as an online training. I am interested to see what this involves and if it would be beneficial for professional development purposes
3. Memory Games I would like to create theme based memory games for my students to do on the Smart Board and this may be an easy way to accomplish this goal

Week 3: Exploring Google Slides

Exploring Google Slides

Reflecting on Google Slides

I have been using Google Slides for a while now in my own preschool classroom, in college courses and within the context of the school district. I am a part of a school system where slides are often shared by administration and supervisors for communication purposes. I have utilized slides to create book reports and research presentations for college classes, in addition, as a collaboration tool within the online classroom construct. I have also created assessments and visual prompts for preschool students using Google slides that I use in conjunction with the Phonological and Literacy Awareness Screening (PALS) in my classroom. 

While I am familiar with and have been using slides, I really reflected this week on how I currently use this tool and how I can broaden my usage and deepen my understanding of it. I have realized that I have only been touching the surface of what Google Slides can actually be used for. For the most part, I have been using slides as an informational tool where I plug in the information I want someone to know and then simply present it or turn it in. In the future, I wish to venture into the administration or supervisory aspect of the early education field so I am interested in finding different uses in which to use this presentation tool. I would like to broaden my own understanding and usage of the product so I can better utilize this tool in future positions. 

So, with this in mind, I wanted to focus this week on using more of the tools Google Slides has to offer and use some things I have not previously used. I wanted to take a different approach with Google Slides and use it in a different way. I am currently working on a program evaluation of a Kindergarten Transition Program for another college class so I wanted to incorporate that evaluation with the Google Slides tool. It is my intention to work on the evaluation with the Coordinator of Preschool Services and several preschool teachers during the evaluation process. My hope is to use Google Slides as a platform for which  we can collaborate on the program evaluation together. As we gather information, ideas and brainstorm the process we can then add the information to the presentation slides.  

Using Google Slides

This week I challenged myself to dig deeper into Google Slides. My goals in using slides were to:  

1. Create a slide presentation for a different purpose (different from my usual use)
2. Use more of the tools within slides, i.e. shapes, links, arrange on page, etc.
3. Add visuals to the presentation
4. Insert links to resources--website links, etc. to use as references or info
5. Be able to use the slide presentation for a project based purpose instead of a single use
6. Make it useful for collaborating 

With these goals in mind I set out to create a Google Slide presentation for the Kindergarten Transition Program I am evaluating.  It is my hope that I can utilize this presentation throughout the semester to share, collaborate and brain storm with the program stakeholders--coordinator, preschool teachers, assistants, kindergarten teachers and administrators. 

The Kindergarten Transition Program Presentation

After creating the slides presentation, I revisited the goals I had set out to accomplish and although it is a work in progress, I think I have accomplished the goals I set for myself.
I created the Kindergarten Transition Program slide presentation in order to use as a working document to collaborate with others on the evaluation (different purpose/useful for collaborating/project based). I included visuals and used more Google Slides tools in the presentation with adding a background picture, using shapes, arrows, adding color to some slides and text boxes, and arranging some information in visual form. One of the purposes of the presentation is to use it as a working document where it is revisited and revised as needed, instead of using it as a one time presentation tool. I also utilized more resource based links and information into the presentation including links to websites that can be consulted for further information.

Including Visuals in Slides
To include the background visual in Slides:  
Click the background in the tool bar and then click choose image; I then searched for the image I wanted by typing in "children in line." Select the image and then click insert to use as the background for the slide.

Using Shapes and Arrows
Using shapes and arrows is a great way to create a flow chart of information:
Click on circle and angle icon on the tool bar, when hovering is should say shapes, to select the shapes you want to create with. Click the shape you want and drag it where you want it to be on the slide. You can then enter the text onto the shape directly. Use the same icon and procedure for the arrow options. I used this tool to create the organizational flow of the program I am evaluating. You can use as many shapes and arrows as necessary to create the visual chart you want to display the information. 

Adding Color
Click on the text box you want to add fill color to and click on the icon that looks like a cup pouring, when hovering it should say "fill color." Brings up a drop down box to choose the color you want to add to the text box. 

Videos
To insert the videos for the presentation I clicked on the Insert tab and clicked on video, this brought up a window to search in YouTube. I put in what kind of video I wanted, a description, phrase, etc. and it pulled up videos to choose from. Click on the one you want for the presentation and hit the select button on the bottom left and it uploads to the presentation. You can click and drag it to where you want it on the page.

Overall this was a positive experience and I think I extended my own learning by using more of the tools and options that Google Slides has to offer. 

Kindergarten Transition Program Google Slides Presentation

Week 2: Learning Hyperdocs

Week 2: Learning Hyperdocs

Reflecting on Hyperdocs

Before actually listening to the podcasts and visiting the Hyperdoc website, I was interested in learning more about this to see IF it would actually be a useful tool I could incorporate into my preschool lesson plans. I have to be honest....I was skeptical...I did not really think I was would be able to utilize Hyperdocs as a learning tool with my students; I just could not see a way to use it in a meaningful way that is relevant to my young students. But, alas, I do like a challenge and I do like learning about new things so I went into this with an open mind thinking I should be able to use this tool for something!!

I was pleasantly surprised by each of the podcasts, they gave a lot of information about Hyperdocs in a small amount of time. However, I still was not convinced that I could use this tool in my classroom with preschool students.  Sean Fahey and Lisa Highfill talked about using Hyperdocs in a way that would allow for student exploration before lessons, this sounds great, but my preschoolers do not have access to their own device on a daily basis and personally I would be concerned if they did since they are still learning about school processes anyway. Here again, I put my reservations on a shelf and just focused on learning about Hyperdocs, what they can be used for and how they can benefit students and the classroom as a whole.

What I learned about Hyperdocs

Like I said in the beginning, I did have my reservations about this tool and using it with preschool students. However, after listening to the podcasts and exploring on Hyperdocs.co I now can see how this tool can be used with my preschool classroom!! I was able to see several examples of topics and templates that would be perfect for teaching with preschool students, 😎!

So here are the key take aways from the podcasts with Sean Fahey and Lisa Highfill.

    Sean Fahey Hyperdocs                              Lisa Highfill Hyperdocs Lesson Design

• Hyperdocs can be used to package content, put content in activities and let students be in control of their own learning
• This tool can redefine instructional strategies when designed in a meaningful and purposeful way....it can free the teacher up to work in small groups or one on one with students
• This tool can be used to package instructional lessons, or parts of instructional lessons, in a student-friendly way
• Hyperdocs can be designed in the format of Google Docs, Slides, Maps, Sites, etc.
• Hyperdocs are well designed, student-friendly lesson plans that students can access and come back to and learn from
• An advantage of Hyperdocs is that they have the ability to be shared freely and modified to suit the needs of students
• Backbone of Hyperdocs work is Explore; Explain; Apply
• Leads to "less assigning and more designing" --Lisa Highfill
• Teachers are able to be creative with their lessons and individualize lessons based on student need
• An important part of lesson design that Hyperdocs can help teachers with is allowing students to EXPLORE the content first before the teacher EXPLAINS it
• Enhances inquiry-based learning instead of passive-based learning

After listening to the podcasts, I took some time to review my notes, reflect on the highlights of the podcasts and my main take aways. I really wanted to focus on how I could design and utilize Hyperdocs in my lesson planning that would enhance the lessons I teach and be engaging and relevant for my students. I also focused on how to incorporate this tool within my lesson planning that would not be a lot of extra work and take time that I already don't have. As I read over my notes I noticed that Lisa Highfill made some really great connections between Hyperdocs and teaching/learning, below are some ideas that are a culmination of her ideas and my own reflections based on my classroom's needs. 

• Hyperdocs can be used to update or modify lessons that are outdated or have not been successful in the past
• By using this method, teachers can solve some time management issues by designing a Hyperdoc that is student-friendly that can be used individually or in small groups while the teacher can provide small group or one on one lessons
• Hyperdocs can be used in association with Project Based Learning 
• Teachers can use Hyperdoc processes to help meet additional state/district requirements while providing lessons that are relative in content and tech based
• Teachers can ultimately package several learning standards or requirements into Hyperdoc lessons which will save instructional time
• Students will be able to work at their own pace on the Hyperdocs or could acquire help from classmates
• Hyperdocs could be designed for group projects where students can work together
• Hyperdocs can be utilized to build confidence and autonomy of learning in students by allowing them to explore and work at their own pace if need be
• Hyperdocs could be used as a guide for content learning for whole group instruction, small group and individual learning
• Preschool teachers could design Hyperdocs for many themes throughout the year and incorporate many Foundation Block standards into one document as a weekly lesson guide
• Hyperdocs would be a great way to introduce young students to a variety technological tools they will be utilizing as they progress through grades
• It could provide basic technology skills for young children while working on content requirements in fun and engaging ways

As I reflected on Hyperdocs and how I could utilize this tool with my preschool classroom things started becoming clear. For the Hyperdoc assignment, I reflected on what I want my students to learn and how I want them to learn it. I am in the process of taking the Conscious Discipline Course through my school and I wanted to incorporate something I learned in Conscious Discipline into a Hyperdoc to use with my students. So, the product of this reflection is a Hyperdoc guide that I will use with my students this week to introduce the concept of breathing and relaxing with STAR Breathing. I really had a fun time designing this Hyperdoc and I found it to be easier than expected. Here is a link to my Hyperdoc:

STAR Breathing Artifact

I am excited to introduce the STAR Breathing Hyperdoc to my class this week, I will update with how it goes in the comment section.

Week 1: And So It Begins...

Week 1: And So It Begins...

Reflecting on the Intro

As I reflect on the first class of EDU 585 I keep thinking about why we use technology in our teaching and why it is so important. 

As I reflect, I recall one of the convocations my school district had a few years ago. At the convocation there was a guest speaker, I cannot recall the name of the man but he was known for conducting talks all around the country. During his presentation he showed us many different types of nanotechnology that is currently being developed now and will be introduced to the world in the very near future. He showed us technology from nano bots that are used to fill in holes/cracks in concrete to technology that will allow persons who are deaf/hard of hearing to hear the thoughts of those around them (or something to that effect!).  

At the time, some of these things struck a cord with me, I kept thinking "wow! this is really happening, this is the future of our world."  After he had finished his presentation he left us with just one thought...."consider this, imagine your job now is to teach, but not to teach content necessarily; but to teach in a way so that one day your students can create the next generation of technology."

During this convocation, this was only one of many points made that really stuck out to me.  Another point made was that we are teaching students now and preparing them for the work force, however, what we need to remember is that we are preparing students to enter jobs that do not exist yet. We are teaching students to enter the workforce but not knowing what jobs they may fill.

So as I reflect on our class, the why we teach with technology has become more clear for me. It is important to teach children with the technology we now have to help prepare them for their future...to provide a foundation for them that helps them in the future, where they will be at the forefront of creating new technology.

With that being said, I do think it is important to teach students about technology and use it in a way that promotes dialogue, discussion and cooperation among students instead of using it in isolation.  By promoting discussion among students it presents ways to incorporate much needed social skills and problem solving skills that are just as important for future student success.