3 Apps Teachers Should Definitely Use on Google Forms

10:08 PM    

October 24, 2014
The big event in the EdTech world today is the release of add-ons for Google Forms. A feature which will enable Form creators to add more functionalities to their forms. I have spent sometime this evening browsing through the add-ons store and tinkering with some of the apps there and I found the 3 add-ons below to be the most useful for teachers and educators. Keep in mind the add-ons for Forms is still a new feature and as such there are only few apps store right now but more will be launched in the coming weeks. We will  keep you posted of new releases. Stay tuned.

1- formLimiter


formLimiter automatically sets Google Forms to stop accepting responses after a maximum number of responses, at a specific date and time, or when a spreadsheet cell contains a specified value. Great for time-bound assignments, event registrations with limited seats, or other first-come, first-served signup scenarios.

2- Form Publisher


Create a Form and a template Doc. Form submission fields must match variables in the template. Then configure Form Publisher. Each time the Form is submitted, Form Publisher creates a Doc, built from your template, and replaces the template variables with Form responses. Each Doc that is output is owned by the creator of the Form, and can be shared. Output Docs can be stored in any folder.You can automate your HR processes, generate invoices and orders, and more.

3- g(Math) for Forms


This is an invaluable tool for any math class or math teacher. Now, creating math items for your Form is possible!g(Math) allows you to create graphs and complex math directly in the sidebar and insert them as Form items.  With the graph creator, you can type in functions and create the graph associated with that function. You can also plot points in the same graph, find the line of best fit of those points, and specify a viewing window.

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A New Google Forms Service Teachers Should know About

9:45 PM    

October 23, 2014
Over the last couple of months, Google has been releasing a series of interesting updates to Google Forms. After allowing users to create and use their own  personalized themes in Forms, today Google introduced add-ons for Forms. Just like add-ons for Docs and Sheets, Forms users will also be able to make use of third party add-ons to enhance the look and performance of their forms.




Add-ons, for those of you not yet familiar with them, are  applications designed by third party developers not affiliated with Google. Anyone with the necessary know-how can draw on Google's Documentation to design  add-ons and publish them on add-on store. The importance of add-ons is that they add extra functions and services to your Docs, Sheets and now Forms. In other words, using add-ons will enable you to do more with your docs, sheets and forms than you would normally do without them. For instance, using the FormLimiter add-on in your Forms will let your survey close automatically after a maximum number of responses is reached or at a date and time of your choosing.

To access add-ons, open your Google Form, click on "add-ons" and select "get add-ons":



As of right now, the Forms add-on store counts only a few apps but more add-ons will be launched in the coming weeks as developers work their way through them.

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3 Powerful Web Tools to Create Whiteboard Animation Videos for Your Class

10:53 PM    

October 23, 2014
Whiteboard animation videos are videos that draw themselves. They involve an animated use of images, shapes, characters, sounds and voice-overs to create a clip. This form of video production has been very popular recently and is widely used by some leading educational YouTube channels such as TED Ed and RSA Animate. Creating a whiteboard animation video is no longer a graphic designer's job. There are actually several web tools that allow you to easily put together an animated video with as simple tools as drag and drop. As a teacher, you can  use these animations to create and share tutorials,  presentations, step by tsp guides, and many more. Below are three  of my favourite tools I would recommend for you:

Example of whiteboard animation taken from Ken Robinson video on Changing Education Paradigms

1- GoAnimate
Go Animate allows you to produce your own professional whiteboard animation-style video using your mouse and your favorite internet browser on GoAnimate! The Whiteboard Animation theme includes thousands of hand-drawn assets like props and backgrounds, plus hundreds of character actions that fit a wide variety of professions and business settings. Whenever you add a whiteboard animation prop, background, or character in a scene, this asset will appear to be drawn by a hand holding a marker pen in the final video. No extra action required. But that’s not all. You can also easily adjust the image by changing its timing and adding a delay to better fit the video’s script.

Watch this video to learn more about GoAnimate



2- Video Scribe
VideoScribe empowers you to create your own whiteboard-style animated videos without any design or technical know-how. All you need is a message, an idea, or something to communicate to the world. VideoScribe makes animated sketches out of the images you choose. Place text and drawings onto a canvas, add a voiceover or soundtrack – then sit back and watch your story unfold.

Watch this video to see how Video Scribe works



3- PowToon
PowToon is aother great web tool that enables you to create powerful video animations and presentations. PowToon provides you with all the necessary animation tools you’ll need to immediately begin creating your own professional-looking animated explainer videos and animated presentations. From start to finish, you’ll be guided through a surprisingly simple process. Watch the video below to learn more about PowToon.


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Here Is How to Easily Cite Papers in Different Formats in Google Docs

10:39 PM    

October 23, 2014
The potential of Google Docs for student researchers is really huge. It has tons of awesome features that will render your academic life such a relief. After we have seen how we can use the research functionality in Google Docs, today I want to highlight the citation feature and show you what you can do with it.

Citing papers and academic articles is something that you can do with one simple click from the research sidebar in a Google doc. The citation styles APA , Chicago and MLA are supported. There are two ways to  can use the citation feature:

1- Cite as footnote
If you click on " Cite as footnote" Google Docs will create a footnote reference at the bottom of your page.

2- Insert
If you click on "Insert" Google Docs will cite the source like a bibliography

Here is how to use both of these features

1- Open your document on Google doc then click on "Tools" and select "Research".




2- Type your search query and select Google Scholar in the search bar


3- When you find the article you want to cite, hover your mouse pointer over it and click either on "Cite as footnote" or "Insert".


4- Click on the arrow under the search bar to select your citation style



Courtesy of Life Hacker

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Inbox Is A New App Released Today by Google

4:01 PM    

October 22, 2014
 In a surprising move today, Google announced the creation of a new app called Inbox. This is a new email app that is designed by the same engineers who created Gmail. Inbox is separate from Gmail and  is, in Google's words, a completely different type of inbox, designed to focus on what really matters.



Some of the features Inbox provides for its users include:

1- Bundles
This function is an extension of the "categories" feature of Gmail. It helps you organize your emails by bundling them into separate categories.You can even teach Inbox to adapt to the way you work by choosing which emails you’d like to see grouped together.

2- Highlights
"Inbox highlights the key information from important messages, such as flight itineraries, event information, and photos and documents emailed to you by friends and family. Inbox will even display useful information from the web that wasn’t in the original email, such as the real-time status of your flights and package deliveries. Highlights and Bundles work together to give you just the information you need at a glance."

3- Reminders, Assists, and Snooze
Inbox makes it easy to focus on your priorities by letting you add your own Reminders. It also helps you create and manage your to-do lists.Inbox helps you cross those off your list by providing Assists—handy pieces of information you may need to get the job done.For example, if you write a Reminder to call the hardware store, Inbox will supply the store’s phone number and tell you if it's open. Assists work for your email, too. If you make a restaurant reservation online, Inbox adds a map to your confirmation email. Book a flight online, and Inbox gives a link to check-in. Also,  Inbox lets you Snooze away emails and Reminders. You can set them to come back at another time or when you get to a specific location, like your home or your office.

Inbox is still in invitation-only phase, you can request an innovation by sending an email to inbox@google.com . Also, Inbox works only on Chrome (for web), Android version 4.1, and  iOS 7 or later.

Watch the video below to learn more about Inbox


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SAMR Model Explained by Students

2:53 PM    

October 22, 2014
Here is an awesome video explanation of SAMR model I stumbled upon today on my Twitter feeds. SAMR model this time is explained by students and provides some very good examples of how technology is being used in each of the four SAMR levels: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The idea to get students working on a video project such as the one below is really inspiring. The web provides a multitude of all kinds of tools that students can use to unleash their creativity and enhance their learning. What is needed is motivation and support from teachers. And as is stated in this video , it is not the tech itself that matters, it is rather what you create with this tech that matters the most.

The SAMR model explained by Students



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A Handy Chart on Traditional Vs Authentic Assessment

10:44 PM    

October 22, 2014
Today I spent sometime reading this white paper from Educause Learning Initiative entitled "Making the Grade:The Role of Assessment in Authentic Learning". While the paper discusses at length the the concept of assessment and its relation to students learning, I particularly found the chart in page 6, see below, of particular interest. It captures the essential differences between two models of assessment : Traditional Assessment model (TA) and Authentic Assessment model.

I am pretty sure  that, knowingly or not, we have all tried these models intermittently  in our own teaching practice. However,  talking about them explicitly and highlighting the key points of each of them will definitely help you better understand how to incorporate them constructively in your instruction. To this end I am inviting you to have a look at the chart. I would also recommend that you read the whole White paper PDF (16 pages long) as it is really so insightful and also provides a  goldmine of resources and links for further research into authentic assessment.

Source: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3019.pdf

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