Google Drive

I'm sure that many of you are already familiar with Google Docs, but it's time to say good-bye to Google Docs and hello to Google Drive.  If you haven't heard yet, Google Docs will be becoming Google Drive.  Current Google Docs users have the option to upgrade to Google Drive now instead of waiting for the full rollout.  Here is a link to Google's Blog that tells you more about Google Drive.

So what's my impression of Google Drive?  To me Google Drive combines the online publishing that Google Docs gave you with the syncing power that sites like DropBox gave you.  You can install the Google Drive program on your computer, phone and/or tablet and then no matter where you are you will have access to the files that you have placed in your Google Drive folder.

I installed Google Drive on my computer at work have have placed many of my folders in the Google Drive folder.  This way, if I leave my computer at home, I can still have access to my files.  In addition, I know that they are backed up if something were to happen to my computer.  I can also create a document in the Google Drive Cloud and when I turn on my computer it will be downloaded there and I have to access to it once again.

As with anything, I say just try it out and see if you like it.  I wasn't sold on it at first (I hate downloading things to my computer), but you have to give it a shot.  I ended up downloading it on my school computer and using it that way with my work Google account, but didn't download the program on my home computer for my personal Google account.  I did download that app for my phone, but then decided I didn't use it enough so I deleted it.  I can still access Google Drive through the web browser on my phone.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Google Drive.  Love it? Hate it?  Don't even want to go near it?

Giving online quizzes or homework assignments

This year I started using Google Docs Forms to give online homework assignments and will (hopefully be giving online quizzes with it soon too!).
I really love it because it's so easy to create assignments and share with others.  I even figured out to to create a formula that would automatically grade the assignments for me (the number one things I was looking for).  The things I didn't like was that there wasn't an easy way to share the results with the kids and to have to the kids see their results as compared to the correct answers.  Then I was reading one of my favorite tech blogs, Free Technology for Teachers, and he wrote an post about Flubaroo.  I tried it out and it was awesome! so I had to share it with all of you.
Not only does it automatically create the formulas for you to grade the assignments, it puts the answers in a second spreadsheet so you don't mess up the original.  In addition it will e-mail the students their grade and there is an option to also include the test questions, with their answers and the correct answers.

Of course there are more robust online assignment programs out there, but not all of them are free like Google Docs is.  I recommend everyone give it a try if only to get the students used to online assignments (as many state and national tests are moving in that direction).

Have you tried Google Docs for online assignments?  What do you think?
Do you have something else that you love?

Glogster - Presentations meet Blogs

Glogster is a website that I came across a while ago, but never thought much of it.  I recently tried with my middle school classes and the results were mixed.  As a teacher I loved all of the posters that they came up with but some of the students thought it was a bit hard to use.

I asked my students to create a Glog as a way of presenting their group's scientific method posters.  One of the reasons I liked this site was that it was web based and each group has a single username and password.  This way there were no issues if someone was absent (you know, the "but my partner saved it on their account and now I can't do anything").

It is important to note that there are two version of this site the regular version and the education version.  The education version is best (in my mind) because it doesn't make the the Glogs public and searchable as the regular version does.

There are paid and free components of the educational version and while I like all of the components of the paid versions, I didn't think I would use it enough to make it worth it (I'll probably only use it 2 or 3 times a year).  As I become more familiar with it I might find more uses for it.  When you sign up for an educators account you do get a trial of the full version to see what it's like.  Overall I would say paid or free, I still think this is a great alternative to the regular paper and marker posters or power point presentations that we are used to.

Have you tried it?  What do you think?

Sites for the Tech Savy

One of the technology teachers at my school shared this site with me and I wanted to pass it on to you.  It has a list of great Web 2.0 sites that you can use in your classroom.  I have tried a number of them and will be writing my reviews of them in the coming days.

I hope these help you and please share any others that you have come across!

Review - Technology Style

I wanted to share with you something that I have been doing with my Chemistry class to help them review for the midterm that is coming up.  Students have been working with partners or by themselves to create review powerpoint presentations.  They can choose to do a simple powerpoint or (and this is what most of the students choose) they could make a Jeopardy, Family Feud or Who wants to be a millionaire powerpoint game.  I gave students four periods to work on this and their presentation had to cover a full topic as defined by the standards (when I teach it I teach each topic as 3 or 4 mini topics, so it's a good chunk of material to do a whole topic).
Then I reviewed their work and put them up on my webpage for kids to use when studying at home.  They are also great to have when you are looking to fill 10 or 15 minutes in class.  Plus the kids love that you use something they made.  Their presentations are often challenging because they want to try to stump their classmates.

What things have you done in your classroom to review for major tests?

Bill Nye Worksheets

If your middle school kids are anything like my middle school kids, they love watching Bill Nye the Science Guy.  I try to show the movies as much as I can because I know the kids like it and I think it's nice to have material presented to them in a different way.  I usually just show them the movie and that's was it, but I found this site that has worksheets to go along with the Bill Nye videos.  The site from Star Materials.  The worksheets are not anything fabulous, but just enough to make sure that the kids are paying attention during the movie.  It also gives you a good follow up to the movie and a closure to the lesson.

I'll be trying them out this year with all of the videos I show in the future....will you try them too?

Regents Chemistry - worksheets, labs and notes

For those of you who teach Chemistry I have a website that has great worksheets on it.  It's called Evan's Regents Chemistry Corner.  While it is geared towards those who teach in NY, Chemistry isn't all that different around the country.  It also some worksheets and activities for those who teacher honors classes and might be preparing their students for the SAT II.
As a new science teacher, this website has helped me out so much when I needed a homework assignment or worksheet to do in class.  Some of the worksheets are better than other...I like the worksheets the best.  The lessons is a good thing to give students who are absent or those who need read a topic in a different way.  It's also a good reading assignment for the students (hello Common Core!), especially when you are going to be absent and you want to leave something substantial.

Check it out and let me know what you think!