Google Sites is a site creator, but not one I had ever used before, and my little experience in designing websites has shown me that there are several out there to choose from. While I found Sites to be a bit limited, it is simple to use, and free.
I decided that, since I am going into middle school education, I would choose a book to cover that I loved when I was in 8th grade, Flowers for Algernon. You can view the website here.
Using sites' interface, I selected a blank template to start with, and later changed the colors of the website to match some of the images I had put in there to make it look a little nicer. The image on the home page is that of the cover of the book. On the page titled "Characters," I listed a few of the major characters from the book, and a short description of who they are. Of the ones I could find a picture of, I searched Google for pictures of the characters as they are portrayed in the movie adaptation of the book, at least the ones I could find!
Finally, I created a page for external links that contain topics related to the themes of Flowers for Algernon, such as medically increasing IQ, and the treatment of mentally disabled people in society.
While Sites is a very simple-to-use and free tool to create a website with, it isn't quite as powerful or sleek as some of the ones I have used in the past. However, it is cheaper than most of those. The sites I have designed before have usually cost somewhere between $8-15 per month, especially if you want to register your own domain. So Google Sites is a free alternative if you're wanting to create a simple site free of charge.
It's easy to see how this could be used in a classroom to help students, or to teach students how to create their own simple websites. Just make sure that your students are old enough to use this tool, and that they aren't posting anything that could get you (or them) into trouble!
Showing posts with label GAIN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GAIN. Show all posts
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
GAIN - Google Forms
I, like many of you, had never used this software prior to this assignment. While I had previous experience with Documents and Sheets, Forms was something that until now I really never even knew existed, or what it even did. Now that I've seen how simple it is to use, and how it can make grading and quiz creating much quicker, it's something that I hope to take advantage of in the future!
I'm really glad we used Sheets before this, as reacquainting myself with the formulas in Sheets was very helpful in the grading portion of Forms. While I did view the tutorials showing me how to do it, most of it was very simple in comparison to what we were doing when we created our gradebooks in Sheets for the previous GAIN assignment.
When I went to create a form, I decided that I would do one on my favorite movies: Star Wars (the original trilogy). I'm a huge nerd, so they aren't the easiest questions for the uninitiated, but if you would like to take that quiz, you can do so here. When you are done, hopefully (if I did it right, anyway), you can view results here.
I do have to warn you, though, that if you pick Greedo for the question of "Who shot first," then it is an automatic fail. I'm mostly kidding.
While the assignment itself had us as teachers creating a quiz for our students to take, it was an idea in the Graham book that caught my attention as one of the coolest ways to use Forms in the classroom. It was mentioned that by allowing our students to create their own Forms and surveys, they can learn how to collect and use and interpret data for their own projects. I don't know why I didn't consider this myself, but this use would be a great way to meet a Common Core Standard, as well as assisting students in things like Science Fair projects, among other things. Taking a survey of their fellow students to see how many of them like different flavors of ice cream, and then using those percentages and numbers to create a pie chart or something similar would also be a cool project to do in class. There are tons of ways to use this software, but by using it this way, we are teaching our students to gather, prepare and interpret information in an easily accessible and simple-to-use way.
I'm really glad we used Sheets before this, as reacquainting myself with the formulas in Sheets was very helpful in the grading portion of Forms. While I did view the tutorials showing me how to do it, most of it was very simple in comparison to what we were doing when we created our gradebooks in Sheets for the previous GAIN assignment.
When I went to create a form, I decided that I would do one on my favorite movies: Star Wars (the original trilogy). I'm a huge nerd, so they aren't the easiest questions for the uninitiated, but if you would like to take that quiz, you can do so here. When you are done, hopefully (if I did it right, anyway), you can view results here.
I do have to warn you, though, that if you pick Greedo for the question of "Who shot first," then it is an automatic fail. I'm mostly kidding.
While the assignment itself had us as teachers creating a quiz for our students to take, it was an idea in the Graham book that caught my attention as one of the coolest ways to use Forms in the classroom. It was mentioned that by allowing our students to create their own Forms and surveys, they can learn how to collect and use and interpret data for their own projects. I don't know why I didn't consider this myself, but this use would be a great way to meet a Common Core Standard, as well as assisting students in things like Science Fair projects, among other things. Taking a survey of their fellow students to see how many of them like different flavors of ice cream, and then using those percentages and numbers to create a pie chart or something similar would also be a cool project to do in class. There are tons of ways to use this software, but by using it this way, we are teaching our students to gather, prepare and interpret information in an easily accessible and simple-to-use way.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
GAIN - Google Sheets
When I was in middle school, I had a computer/keyboarding class where we learned how to use Excel during a 2 or 3 week lesson. It was my least favorite portion of that class. Excel, at the time, seemed obtuse, awkward and like a lot of math formulas that barely made sense to me. I was able to learn most of it, but figured I'd be unlikely to use it again because of how much I disliked it.
Yet, here I am. Using the Google version of Excel, Sheets. And since it has been over a decade since I last learned how to effectively use Excel, I had to start basically from scratch when dealing with Sheets. But I am very glad that I did, because even though there are still a few of the functions and formulas that I'm unclear on, and the overall math portion of the program still looms over me like a hazy cloud at times, I realized how useful this kind of software will be when recording grades in a classroom. It helps to organize, and if a mistake is made, it is easily correctable by simply deleting the former information and inserting the new. No extra math is required, because the program does it for you. That's incredibly convenient.
You can view my gradebook here. And in case you're wondering, yes... those are the names of the Avengers. If you're wondering why I failed the Hulk, it's because he was prone to disappearing for long stretches of time. I live in constant fear of being smashed for this.
Back on topic, I surprisingly ended up enjoying my time with Sheets. It's a program that I will definitely take advantage of in the future, now that I remember how to use it. I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with what I once considered my nemesis.
In the Graham book, it was discussed about how Sheets can be used to help students with Math, especially, but it also can be used to help them digest and interpret information from images with the way that one can make charts and put them in the Sheets document, as well.
I hope everyone else was able to use Sheets effectively. Even if you found it confusing, it is definitely useful. I think it is worth learning and sticking with.
Yet, here I am. Using the Google version of Excel, Sheets. And since it has been over a decade since I last learned how to effectively use Excel, I had to start basically from scratch when dealing with Sheets. But I am very glad that I did, because even though there are still a few of the functions and formulas that I'm unclear on, and the overall math portion of the program still looms over me like a hazy cloud at times, I realized how useful this kind of software will be when recording grades in a classroom. It helps to organize, and if a mistake is made, it is easily correctable by simply deleting the former information and inserting the new. No extra math is required, because the program does it for you. That's incredibly convenient.
You can view my gradebook here. And in case you're wondering, yes... those are the names of the Avengers. If you're wondering why I failed the Hulk, it's because he was prone to disappearing for long stretches of time. I live in constant fear of being smashed for this.
Back on topic, I surprisingly ended up enjoying my time with Sheets. It's a program that I will definitely take advantage of in the future, now that I remember how to use it. I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with what I once considered my nemesis.
In the Graham book, it was discussed about how Sheets can be used to help students with Math, especially, but it also can be used to help them digest and interpret information from images with the way that one can make charts and put them in the Sheets document, as well.
I hope everyone else was able to use Sheets effectively. Even if you found it confusing, it is definitely useful. I think it is worth learning and sticking with.
Monday, May 11, 2015
GAIN - Google Drawing
Google Drawing is a tool used to create images using shapes and lines, along with text, that you can insert into your Documents or Presentations files. Like everything else I've covered so far when it comes to Google's software, Drawing can be opened up for collaboration with others. While Microsoft Office itself doesn't have a standalone piece of software for drawing, there are tools in Word that allow one to insert shapes and lines, even if it is a bit obtuse in practice. There is also Paint, an application that comes with most PCs for free, and while that particular piece of software is a little more free in terms of what one can draw than Google Drawing, it is a little bit similar in nature.
The cool thing about Drawing lies in its collaborative ability. The tutorial I watched depicted one person creating several shapes and aligning them the way that he wanted (which, when I tried it afterward, was very easy and convenient! Much more so than my experiences with the drawing tools in Microsoft Word). It also demonstrated the ability to insert text into the shapes, how to change the colors of the shapes, and introduced to me the ability to chat with others who are able to edit the document. This allows that other person to make their own suggestions, and being able to talk to them in real time about what you are working together to create gives the project an amount of synergy that one would not find in Paint or Microsoft Office.
It is also easy to see how, according to the Graham book, one would be able to use something like Google Drawing in the Common Core standards. Whether it is by using graphs, charts and diagrams to decipher meaning from images, or drawing shapes for a math class using certain parameters Google Drawing offers a great tool to be used in the classroom setting.
The cool thing about Drawing lies in its collaborative ability. The tutorial I watched depicted one person creating several shapes and aligning them the way that he wanted (which, when I tried it afterward, was very easy and convenient! Much more so than my experiences with the drawing tools in Microsoft Word). It also demonstrated the ability to insert text into the shapes, how to change the colors of the shapes, and introduced to me the ability to chat with others who are able to edit the document. This allows that other person to make their own suggestions, and being able to talk to them in real time about what you are working together to create gives the project an amount of synergy that one would not find in Paint or Microsoft Office.
It is also easy to see how, according to the Graham book, one would be able to use something like Google Drawing in the Common Core standards. Whether it is by using graphs, charts and diagrams to decipher meaning from images, or drawing shapes for a math class using certain parameters Google Drawing offers a great tool to be used in the classroom setting.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
GAIN - Google Slides
In the same way that Google Documents mirrors Microsoft Word, Google Slides seeks to provide an alternate version of Microsoft's PowerPoint software. While I am definitely more familiar with the latter, I learned some intriguing new things about Slides through some experimentation. Here are a few of them:
1. The Search Function
This feature is also included in Documents, but I think it is worth mentioning here, too. Slides offers a tool that users can utilize to search the entire internet (in a similar vein to Google's search engine) to find quotes, videos, pictures, and more. So if you're creating a presentation about zoo animals, simply type "zoo animals" into the search bar, and voila... you have hundreds of pictures of pandas, monkeys, and bears to choose from.
This is a much, much better alternative to PowerPoint's offering of ClipArt. ClipArt's limited selection of images pales in comparison to Slides' search function. It's a powerful tool that we can use to spice up our presentations.
2. It is Free and Collaborative
Yeah, we know this already. But seriously, how great is that fact? You can get a piece of software that is a slightly better version of PowerPoint, but for absolutely nothing. Anyone can use it. And, on that note, you can share your presentations with anyone. So if you have a group project you've assigned to your students, they can all easily make changes to the presentation at their own home computers, without the need to meet up together in person.
3. It is an Online-Only Resource
One of the few drawbacks to Slides is that you cannot access it without the internet. So if you're in a jam, and have no wifi hotspot to use, you'll be in trouble if you need to edit your slide at the last second.
4. It is Easy to Use and Accessible
Slides is user-friendly, and offers a very comprehensive interface that anyone can use. For those familiar with other presentation creation software like PowerPoint, you will find the interface even more familiar, yet with a couple of extra, powerful tools like the search function with which to work.
1. The Search Function
This feature is also included in Documents, but I think it is worth mentioning here, too. Slides offers a tool that users can utilize to search the entire internet (in a similar vein to Google's search engine) to find quotes, videos, pictures, and more. So if you're creating a presentation about zoo animals, simply type "zoo animals" into the search bar, and voila... you have hundreds of pictures of pandas, monkeys, and bears to choose from.
This is a much, much better alternative to PowerPoint's offering of ClipArt. ClipArt's limited selection of images pales in comparison to Slides' search function. It's a powerful tool that we can use to spice up our presentations.
2. It is Free and Collaborative
Yeah, we know this already. But seriously, how great is that fact? You can get a piece of software that is a slightly better version of PowerPoint, but for absolutely nothing. Anyone can use it. And, on that note, you can share your presentations with anyone. So if you have a group project you've assigned to your students, they can all easily make changes to the presentation at their own home computers, without the need to meet up together in person.
3. It is an Online-Only Resource
One of the few drawbacks to Slides is that you cannot access it without the internet. So if you're in a jam, and have no wifi hotspot to use, you'll be in trouble if you need to edit your slide at the last second.
4. It is Easy to Use and Accessible
Slides is user-friendly, and offers a very comprehensive interface that anyone can use. For those familiar with other presentation creation software like PowerPoint, you will find the interface even more familiar, yet with a couple of extra, powerful tools like the search function with which to work.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
GAIN - Google Documents
While I am most proficient with Microsoft Word when it comes to word processors, I am becoming more and more convinced that Google Docs is a better service. While both are incredibly similar in most aspects, there are some minor advantages that Google Docs has over Word, and a few things that Documents just does better.
The ability to share and collaboratively edit a document on Google Docs is a great tool. For school purposes, for example, students in a group project can easily get online and contribute to their part of a project without having to get together to work on it all at once. And while Microsoft Word does now include this option, it is definitely clunky when compared to the Documents version of the same service. One of my finals during my senior year of college was done in this manner, and it was very efficient and convenient.
One of the biggest things that always bothered me about Word was how annoyingly difficult it is to add pictures and images to a document. Google Documents has made this process easier in that, unlike Word, one doesn't have to know the ins and outs of the program just to be able to put a picture in the exact spot they want to. Word has an awkward interface when it comes to formatting and arranging the pictures in the document, and I've seen plenty of people get frustrated just trying to perform this simple action without warping their document's text all over the page.
Another benefit of Documents? It's free. Instead of handing Microsoft an entire week's paycheck just to be able to use Word, Google Documents is sitting right there, waiting to be used by anyone and everyone for the cost of nothing. And if that isn't enough to convince most people to use Docs, I don't know what is.
The ability to share and collaboratively edit a document on Google Docs is a great tool. For school purposes, for example, students in a group project can easily get online and contribute to their part of a project without having to get together to work on it all at once. And while Microsoft Word does now include this option, it is definitely clunky when compared to the Documents version of the same service. One of my finals during my senior year of college was done in this manner, and it was very efficient and convenient.
One of the biggest things that always bothered me about Word was how annoyingly difficult it is to add pictures and images to a document. Google Documents has made this process easier in that, unlike Word, one doesn't have to know the ins and outs of the program just to be able to put a picture in the exact spot they want to. Word has an awkward interface when it comes to formatting and arranging the pictures in the document, and I've seen plenty of people get frustrated just trying to perform this simple action without warping their document's text all over the page.
Another benefit of Documents? It's free. Instead of handing Microsoft an entire week's paycheck just to be able to use Word, Google Documents is sitting right there, waiting to be used by anyone and everyone for the cost of nothing. And if that isn't enough to convince most people to use Docs, I don't know what is.
GAIN - Blog Post Comment
I read through TravelinEdMan's most recent blog post from March 29 (which you can find here), in which he discussed some changes coming in the near future when Microsoft finally updates their operating system from Windows 8 to Windows 10 (yeah, I'm not sure what happened to 9, either). Some of the tidbits I personally found interesting were that they're getting rid of Internet Explorer entirely and shifting into a new browser called "Spartan." Hopefully Spartan will perform better than IE does.
As someone who loved Windows 7, and very much disliked 8 (I refused to "upgrade"), I was also very glad to read TEM's comment that Microsoft will be fusing what actually works between both 7 and 8 into one, hopefully good OS when they release Windows 10.
And finally, for those of us who are familiar with, and use, Macs, there was the interesting bit that Microsoft Office 2016 will be nearly identical between the PC and Mac versions of the software, which will be good for those who get confused when switching between the two.
I don't pay a ton of attention to everything Microsoft does, so TEM's blog post was informative for me, and I was glad to know that some positive OS changes will be happening in the near future!
As someone who loved Windows 7, and very much disliked 8 (I refused to "upgrade"), I was also very glad to read TEM's comment that Microsoft will be fusing what actually works between both 7 and 8 into one, hopefully good OS when they release Windows 10.
And finally, for those of us who are familiar with, and use, Macs, there was the interesting bit that Microsoft Office 2016 will be nearly identical between the PC and Mac versions of the software, which will be good for those who get confused when switching between the two.
I don't pay a ton of attention to everything Microsoft does, so TEM's blog post was informative for me, and I was glad to know that some positive OS changes will be happening in the near future!
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