Google Forms in the Classroom

In Google Drive you can not only create documents but also presentations, spreadsheets, forms and drawings.

We would like to point out how Google Forms can be used in an educational setting. Google Forms are very user-friendly and allow you to easily send surveys and gather information from students or record your own data. When you (or whoever you share the form with) fill it in, the owner of the form can receive all the responses in a spreadsheet. This makes it easy to view all responses in one place, summarize the data as a graph or even use other plug-ins to “grade” the responses.

To better understand how Google Forms work:

• click here to view a form - please fill it in so that we can gather some data
• click here to view a summary of the responses - this can be set for respondents to see or only for your eyes
• click here to view how data can be presented in a spreadsheet after a form is completed

Forms allow you to ask a variety of questions:

• Text - short answers
• Paragraph text - longer answers
• Multiple choice
• Checkboxes - tick multiple options
• Choose from a list - choose one option from a dropdown menu
• Scale - rank using a scale of numbers (e.g., from 1 to 5)
• Grid — respondents select a point from a two-dimensional grid

There are several websites and blogs that describe many examples of how forms can be used in education. Here are just a few:

1. Tom Barrett has a collaborative list of 80+ Interesting Ways to Use Google Forms in the Classroom that you can peruse as well as add to.

2. Mr. Sapia, describes how he uses Forms in his own classroom in his blogpost about “A ‘Semi-Paperless’ Classroom Using Google Forms and Edmodo”

3. This ed tech website describes how to use Google Forms as an In Box. Students can submit online work to you using a Form so that you can access all student submissions for an assignment in one spreadsheet.

4. On Kern Kelley’s website you can find examples of Google Form Templates that you can download to your Google Drive and use.

5. Molly Schroeder has a brief slideshow about how Google Forms work and then, below the slideshow, links to several examples of educational forms.

6. Flubaroo is a tool that you can use together with Google Forms to automatically grade Forms as students complete them.

If you would like some help getting started with Google Forms before the end of this year (maybe for exam review or a math unit on data handling or literacy assessments?) please don’t hesitate to let Sarah or Lara know and we’ll find a time to meet with you to help.

Update May 15, 2013: Images can now be embedded in Google Forms. Click the down arrow next to "Add Item"--- and images is now an option. (You can also find it in the "Insert" menu). View a sample here.

A Cleaner YouTube Viewing Experience

If you find YouTube's advertising, recommended videos and comments that surround any video distracting - especially to your class - here is a Chrome extension for you.

Chrome is a browser designed by Google (Safari is designed by Apple and Firefox is a Mozilla product). It is gaining in popularity because of the extensions and built-in applications it offers. Many students are choosing to use Chrome.

Here is a reason why you might switch to Chrome too.

Here is the UCC MeriTALKracy video that was produced for Founder's Day viewed in Firefox or Safari. It has the expected description and comments below the video and other recommended videos to the right.

Here is the same video viewed in Chrome once the YouTube Options extension is installed. Just the video and a search bar. Nothing else. All of the extraneous information is stripped away. Additionally, this extension removes any leading advertisements that often play before videos.



How to add the YouTube Options extension:

1. Open the Google Chrome browser
2. Click the New Tab button to open a tab with the Chrome applications.
3. Go to the Chrome Web Store
4. Search for the YouTube Options extension
5. Add this extension to Chrome. All the default settings should work for you.
6. Enjoy watching uncluttered YouTube videos!

Ideas to think about

In just a few months, all our students will have technology at their fingertips every day. Many teachers are starting to think about the different options this will bring to their classrooms. I hear discussions regularly about how some of you are considering changing things for next year.

This is a timely post from Education Week Teacher that offers good suggestions for dos and don'ts with technology integration.

The Time-Tested Dos and Don'ts of Using Classroom Technology

How Strong Is Your Password?

Big thanks to Ryan Archer for this post!

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How strong is your password?

This week's tech tip comes from our network administrator Rob. Check out this website to find out how long it would take a computer with a password cracking program to crack your password. (my password would take 39 days to crack my wife's 52 seconds...)

http://howsecureismypassword.net/

Here is a tip from Rob on how to make a stronger password: (his examples would take millions of years to crack)

Use phrase:

Swap out vowels for special characters for greater strength.

Example:
I Love My Dog > 1 L0v3 My D0g (52 million years to crack)
UCC is a Great Place > UCC 1s @ Gr3@t Pl@c3 (35 sextillion years)

Having tried my password on this site and realizing that it wasn't as strong as I thought it was I have opted to change my password to something stronger. If you decide to change your password to something stronger follow this link to change your password (remember it will take 15 minutes for the password to populate through the system)

http://www1.ucc.on.ca/pm/ (choose the 4th option)

Thanks,
Ryan Archer
@TechnoRy_UCC
https://sites.google.com/a/ucc.on.ca/technology-integration-site/

Setting Up FileMaker 12

We will begin using our updated FileMaker 12 server on Friday, February 1. To be ready to use it, there are a few small steps. The details are in Tim's email and I've shown you how to do it in this tutorial as well.

If you have any questions, just ask!

One-to-One Update

I thought I would take this opportunity to update everyone on the status of our One-to-One computing initiative.

Communication

• The first meeting of the Parent focus group was held on November 26th. Overall, the initiative was well-received by the parents. The major concern was the amount of screen time that the boys will experience on a daily basis. This is an understandable concern and Lara and I will be looking at ways to best monitor and communicate about this next year. Our next meeting with this set of parents is on January 14th. This will be followed by a presentation to the PPO on January 24th.
• Our first student focus group meetings have been held over the past few weeks as well. Students are excited and are voicing some very insightful ideas and suggestions. We will continue to meet with students across all grade levels in the new year and tackle topics like storage and charging, student agreements and classroom expectations.

Laptop Bags

• One of our priorities is making sure that the boys' laptops are stored and transported safely. We know how they tend to treat their belongings, so we are being particularly diligent about this part of our planning. 
• Thank-you to the faculty who are still trying a variety of laptop bags. We currently have 6 different models that are being tried with one more to add to the mix after the break. We have a current favourite, but are waiting for the delivery of one more "always on" bag that is a little slimmer and more compact.

Moving Forward

• Tom, Bernard, Jim LaPlante, Lara and I are meeting regularly to ensure that we are continuing to move forward with our plans for implementation.
•  Here are some items that are in the works:
• Design and building of locked storage & charging stations for Form 4 and 5 classrooms and storage within the music room.
• Planning two spring presentations to parents - the first on the general use of technology at home and the second a formal presentation of the one-to-one program for September.
• The design for the new help desk to be located across from 7C (in the old AV room) has been completed. Construction will take place in the spring.
• In the new year, we will begin to develop a staged take-home policy - what do students need to be able to demonstrate to be earn the privilege of taking their laptop home.

As always, we are happy to discuss this and how it is going to affect you and your students next year.

- Sarah

Using Timeline 3D

Timelines are an effective tool in a variety of subject areas. Here's a tutorial showing you how to set up Timeline 3D and use it with your classes.