question | learn | act
TEACHING TOOLS THAT REALLY WORK
The tools on this page are by no means the only ones available out there on the wild, world wide web, but these are the ones that have really come in handy most of the time. I find myself using them more than others because they are so well integrated and they are so darn easy to use!
I have also been introduced to a powerful new tool that, when combined with the software, makes for a formidable 21st Century Teacher's work kit. My new, little Macbook Air 13"! I have spent the last 20 years not-loving-anyhting-Mac and now - I have to confess that my 'Spawn-of-Steve' is a phenomenal little machine.
Find below links that direct you to more information and some training in the apps that I use most often in my lessons prep and classroom. Hope you find them as useful and productivity boosting as I do
GOOGLE CLASSROOM
Google Classroom creates an online space where you can 'hand out' assignments and receive submissions of completed work. It boosts collaboration between students, parents and colleagues, and fosters efficient communication to make teaching more productive and relevant.
My productivity and feedback turnaround time has improved greatly, and which teacher ever said they didn't need more time?
GOOGLE DRIVE
Before I started using Google CLassroom and my students were still getting used to collaborating online, Google Drive was our classroom. A set of shared folders contained all our work and my students could easily collaborate on documents while accessing resources I made available to them.
It also serves as a tool for professional development and sharing ideas with colleagues, while keeping all our files safely in the cloud.
GOOGLE DOCS
A powerful tool for creating documents that are vibrant and alive with rich content. Easy to use and an absolute heaven-sent when it comes to enhanced productivity.
Files are saved automatically and you can easily create bespoke templates for repeated documents.
Share for collaborations or feedback. As advanced as any other word processing platform out there.
GOOGLE SLIDES
While still shopping around for an affordable, yet powerful graphic design app/programme to use on my new Macbook AIr, I stumbled upon the design capabilities of this little app. Aside from creating professional presentations with ease, Google Slides also doubles as a pretty dandy design platform! I also use it to create study and training guides for my students colleagues.. Easy to share or convert to PDF.
GOOGLE SHEETS
As a Languages teacher I don't really work with sheets unless I am capturing marks. But this platform has all the power and elegance of Excel and then some. It is also a useful platform fro collecting Google Forms data!
Have to explore this one a bit more!
GOOGLE FORMS
One of the first Google Suite apps I played around with. Setting up quizzes, questionnaires and entry forms to competitions - perfect!
It is versatile and your feedback is immediate! One of my favourites!
GOOGLE DRAWINGS
This is an extension in Google Chrome that you can add to your creation toolkit. Here you can draw shapes, images and just about any vector image you can think of!
I am also still learning a lot about this little gem and will give more feedback as I play around with it.
GOOGLE SITES
This one has me all excited...
My aim for next year is to have each of my students creating their own site portfolio to showcase their entire year's work in one place! The levels of learning happening in active web design are off the charts!
Looking forward to this one in particular. It is streamlined and easy to use in a drag-and-drop setting. Flexible and professional looking!
TODOIST
I am a compulsive list-maker and I just love the versatility of Todoist combined with my Macbook AIr's interface. My goals are always close at hand and I can edit and tick them as completed with ease. I have had so many other apps for this - but Todoist seems to te the one I keep reinstalling!
I do think that I will be moving over to Google Calendar for this soon, though as it ties in with all my other Google platforms so nicely!
EVERNOTE
A powerful note taking platform for students and teachers alike. It interacts seamlessly with Google apps and is just a breeze to use and organise.