Advanced Google Tools For the Win

This class blew my mind at least once a week but sometimes more! I definitely became much more familiar with tools such as Google Groups, Chat, Reminder, Tasks, Keep, Scholar, and Books. Of these tools, Google Reminders, Tasks, Keep, and Groups will be incorporated into my routines this fall. 

However, my mind was mostly blown by tools I already felt fairly comfortable with and yet had no idea of some really cool, advanced features. In this blog post, I'll explain three ways I plan to incorporate Advanced Google tools into my classroom this year. 

Sharing Advanced Google Tools at Tech Camp 2022

In August, our school district offers a tech camp. I will be presenting the session, Google Tips To Make Life Easier. I plan to share Gmail features such as labels, tasks, undo send, and keyboard shortcuts. We will also learn the basics of Google Keep, the publish to the web feature, and how to send an email through a Google Doc. These were the features that blew my mind this summer and I think many of these advanced features will be helpful to other teachers when organizing their Gmail, using Google Slides and Docs with Seesaw, and collaborating with co-workers or students on an email. 

New Music Team Website Using Google Sites

My district music team's website is outdated and has missing information. It's a great time to start a new website and reorganize and update the information. We like having a one-stop shop with our district goals, standards, and assessments all in one place. I started a Google Site in this class and plan to build more of the website this fall. I'm hopeful everyone on the team will be on board with the new look and fresh start.

New Common Assessment Using Google Forms

Years ago, our district music team wanted to create a Google Form with images, audio, and/or video. We tried and failed to create the quiz we wanted using Google Forms and moved on to another tool that fit our needs. However, after revisiting the features in Google Forms this summer, I realized we can now create the form the way we want, let the form grade the work, and organize all the data in Google Sheets! So, I went back to the drawing board and started creating the assessment for an assignment in this class. I will finish the assessment with my team since I want to make sure they are on board with the common assessment. If you are interested in our second grade rhythm assessment, take a look! 

Thanks so much, Theresa, for a great class!  I really enjoyed the class and learned so much.