Terry's Tech Tips

Aspen updated with some really great feature enhancements a couple of weeks ago.  Here are a few you might find helpful: The Gems: Integrated Attendance information in the Scores side tab Thank Meredith Fischer for finding this hidden gem - the ability to see integrated attendance information in the  GradeBook>Scores side tab!  Click the Display options and change them to Due Date : You will now see integrated attendance information right in your scores column for each assignment.  This is really handy for understanding if a student was absent for an assignment! Analytics Tab In my opinion the best update, you now have a top tab called the Analytics tab in Staff View. For the first option, select either Semester 1, Semester 2, or Full Year , based on the course you want to view analytics for. (Because we don't have terms that end in Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4, you won't see results here.) The next box allows you to ...

Google Forms are magic - they are so flexible!  They give you an easy way to:     collect information get feedback or check for understanding collect digital assignments gather student reflections of lesson or unit obtain formative assessment data create review packets Click on the caption below the graphic to see some samples of Google Forms hard at work in the classroom.  Many of the examples are from your fellow colleagues! Click here for active links Creating a Form: Navigate to forms.new  to create a new Google Form.  Or go to  forms.google.com where there are Forms templates, or New>Form from Google Drive. (Tip:  You can create any new Google app by typing in Slides.new , Docs.new , or  Sheets.new for example.) Google Forms offer many different question types, allowing you lots of flexibility to accomplish your goal for using the form!  Note that you can  collect student work  u...

Are you teaching a new course during semester 2,  or maybe looking for something new to use in your classroom in the new year?  You may want to consider using a visually engaging and fun tool found on the website Flippity.net .  I was introduced to  Flippity.net  at a workshop I attended in August.  Flippity.net's tools let you build engaging experiences for students based on simple Google Sheets.   The programs are written by a teacher in Western Massachusetts, so they are simple but effective without a lot of extras you don't need.  Here are a couple of options that I found intriguing: Flippity Random Name Picker The Random Name Picker on the Flippity website was the first to catch my attention.  Master teacher Peter Atlas has always used a random name picker in his classroom.  He feels it provides students a safe space to learn.  Students are randomly picked to answer a question, so it feels fair....

The new year brings a welcomed update to the Google Classroom interface.  Google has changed a few things that make a huge difference!  Watch the short video below for all changes: A quick outline of the important changes: Drag & Drop Assignments in a Topic (Classwork tab): A seemingly small thing that has a huge impact on your time!  Easily controlling assignment placement within a topic is life changing. Join Class Code Easily Accessible with the Display Icon (Stream page): Just in time for the second semester (with a surprising number of new courses), the join class code is front and center!  One click makes it display size. Updated look and feel: Google's mantra is to make it clean and simple.  They have updated the font and style to make Classroom less visually cluttered. In addition, Google added 78 new themes to help you easily personalize your Classroom. From the Google Keyword B...

As midterm exams approach, your students are facing the challenge of preparing for them.  Cognitive learning research provides insight into the best practices for studying.   The Top 2 Study Strategies are Retrieval Practice and Spaced Learning: Retrieval Practice  Retrieval Practice is the act of pulling information out of your brain.   For example, you remember what you know about a word, topic, or lesson,  pull it   out of your brain  and then articulate it in some way.  For example, you write down everything you remember.  This is the way your brain really wants to learn!   Retrieval Practice is the opposite of reviewing notes or the textbook and trying to ' stuff ' the knowledge into your brain! Teacher Action:   If you are holding review session(s) or providing review documents, incorporate places for students to write everything they can remember about t...