You may have experimented with the web-based application, Pear Deck, that allows teachers to create interactive slide shows that are displayed on student devices. With the new Pear Deck Google Slides Add-on, you can incorporate formative assessments and interactive questions without leaving the Google Slides app. The Pear Deck add-on makes it easy to add lesson warm-ups, reflections and exit tickets, text response prompts, drawings, and many more!

While working in Google Slides, you will now notice the Add-ons menu option. To add the Pear Deck add-on, click on Add-ons ⇒ Get Add-ons ⇒ Search for Pear Deck read more

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I heard about this great professional development activity from Matt Miller, the author of “Ditch that Textbook.” It is a nine-day, FREE virtual event that brings together some of the brightest minds in education to discuss technology, pedagogy and more.

There is a new video released each day, and you can watch them online, on your own time. Plus, each session has downloadable notes, and you can receive PD credit for each session you watched. I’ve been watching the videos and there has been some great stuff. So far, I’ve viewed “Where Technology and Pedagogy Collide” with Tanya Avrith and Holly Clark, authors of The Google-Infused Classroom, “The Science of Happiness for Teachers and Students” with Kim Strobel, a Happiness Coach, and “Brain-Friendly Learning That Works” with Dr. Pooja Agarwal, a Cognitive Scientist, and former K-12 Teacher. All of the sessions so far have been excellent! read more

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When sharing a Youtube video, you may want your students to begin watching the clip at a specific starting point. This will save your students from having to watch irrelevant content like advertisements and it saves precious time!

To accomplish this, follow the below steps:

While viewing a Youtube video, pause clip to where you want students to begin watching

YouTube Screenshot

Click on the SHARE button below video

YouTube Share Button

The SHARE screen appears

YouTube URL

Click on START AT. You will notice that the video URL changes. Then, click on COPY to copy the link to your clipboard read more

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No matter what your age is, everyone loves games! This new Mystery Animal Game is one of Google’s experiments with Artificial Intelligence. Google picks an animal, and you have to guess what it is by only asking 20 yes or no questions. This game will work on the website below, with Google Home, and with the Google Assistant on your phone.

Website: https://mysteryanimal.withgoogle.com/

Google Home and Assistant: Use the phrase “OK Google, talk to Mystery Animal.”

Here is what to expect from the website: read more

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Copy comments screen

I love collaborating with my team (and educators all over NW Ohio!) with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. One of my biggest frustrations is that the comments and suggestions don’t transfer when you make a copy. This means you lose your history of all your collaboration when you duplicate a document, spreadsheet, or presentation.. Now Google is making it possible to copy comments and suggestions any time you make a copy of a Docs, Sheets, or Slides file.

To copy your comments and suggestions, simply select “Make a copy” from the File menu as your normally do. Now you’ll see an option for “Copy comments and suggestions” or “Copy comments.” read more

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