In a few cases students were forced into the Docs app when they selected the file from Classroom. The same click-and-hold trick works in that situation as well.
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
The Google Docs Table Work-Around (iOS)
As was obvious in my last post, my frustration with the Google Docs app and its lack of support for editing a table made in Docs was intense, to say the least. This was only furthered when some of the iPads we use were forcing students to use the app, not allowing them to edit the table in Chrome where it is editable. Today, one of my students discovered the work-around.
To make sure that Chrome opens the Google Doc, simple click and hold on the edit button (as seen in the picture). This will bring up a menu that allows you to choose "Open in New Tab." I can't begin to express how significant this little trick is to my classroom. We use many, MANY tables to organize and show thinking, and without this trick I would have had to reconsider using Google Classroom and my iPads in any significant way.
In a few cases students were forced into the Docs app when they selected the file from Classroom. The same click-and-hold trick works in that situation as well.
In a few cases students were forced into the Docs app when they selected the file from Classroom. The same click-and-hold trick works in that situation as well.
Friday, 5 September 2014
The Inconsistent App- Google Docs
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| Image: http://www.bestappsite.com |
Where things breakdown is in the Google Docs app for iOS. The assignment sheet given contained a few charts (created in Google Docs) which students needed to fill in to show their thinking. What we learned today is that the Docs app does not support the tables created in its own program. It shows up as an unsupported item.
The work-around seems to be opening the document in the iOS Chrome browser where it is editable. This is both frustrating and confusing. Why bother with the app if the browser has more functionality?
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Learning Goals and Media
Although perhaps obvious to most, today I finally caught on to how I think the people at Google envisioned a teacher utilizing the stream in Classroom.
At the beginning of every class I layout our Learning Goals for that class. Typically this turns into a list of the tasks we are going to complete, but when it comes to learning specific skills, I try to articulate those as clearly as possible.
Today I listed my Learning Goals and then attached all of the media and documents for that particular class to that announcement. This allowed everything to be closely tied together and will certainly help prevent the stream from becoming too crowded. I think this will also make it easier for absent students to pick up on what they missed.
I still feel that the inability to create draft announcements (including media), with options for formatting, is a major drawback still to be overcome. If Google allowed me to create draft announcements, attach appropriate media, and format it in a Google calendar, Classroom would become a much more serious player in the Educational platform game.
At the beginning of every class I layout our Learning Goals for that class. Typically this turns into a list of the tasks we are going to complete, but when it comes to learning specific skills, I try to articulate those as clearly as possible.
Today I listed my Learning Goals and then attached all of the media and documents for that particular class to that announcement. This allowed everything to be closely tied together and will certainly help prevent the stream from becoming too crowded. I think this will also make it easier for absent students to pick up on what they missed.
I still feel that the inability to create draft announcements (including media), with options for formatting, is a major drawback still to be overcome. If Google allowed me to create draft announcements, attach appropriate media, and format it in a Google calendar, Classroom would become a much more serious player in the Educational platform game.
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
First day in class with Classroom
The day is finally upon us and I just finished teaching three classes with Classroom integration. I thought I would comment on a few practical points that myself and a few of my colleagues have noticed about Classroom.
- Although I realize that the intent of Classroom is to have students access it from their own devices, I am annoyed that the font is so small that students cannot read what is on Classroom when it is on the smart board. The ability to change font size is a must.
- I also ran into the problem that I know is going to be the most challenging, students needing their Google Ed email accounts. All of my grade tens knew their account info, but only a handful of my grade twelves remembered. I requested their login information two weeks ago, but our Google admin, like most I am sure, is completely overwhelmed this time of year. The required Ed accounts also means that I cannot share what I am doing in my class with parents!!
- A few of my colleagues have also noted that not being able to create drafts of posts makes planning a class much more difficult.
At this point, Classroom is creating more hurdles than it is helping. I have had to make all documents editable by anyone with the link and send students to that link through other avenues because without their Ed account, they can't even see the stream.
Tomorrow we will be co-constructing some documents. At this point I think I am going to have to work completely outside of Classroom to make it work.
Thursday, 21 August 2014
"About"
It is amazing to already see some of the changes that Google is making with Classroom. The additional features are making organizing my courses this semester much easier. Here are three things that I am pleased to see today.
First, the "About" page for each course provides an easy way for me to add all of the first-day-boring-waste-of-paper sheets that students are required to have easy access to. Also, the "About" page allows students quick access to a centralized G-Drive folder and my email address. This makes life much simpler.
Second, my Google admin created a course so that I could see a course from the student side (a function that should be built in to classroom, much like Blogger's ability to "view blog"). On the student page it looks to be one click on a classmates name will allow you to send them an email. This should greatly improve communication and collaboration in the class.
Third, when posting an announcement to a Classroom, you can choose to post that announcement to as many or as few of the Classrooms that you are running. For me this means that if there is an alternate schedule for the day, a reminder of a special day at school, or a need to let students know I am going to be absent, this can all be done with one announcement instead of having to update each Classroom individually. Very pleased.
More to come, including what I think is still missing from Classroom by Google.
Second, my Google admin created a course so that I could see a course from the student side (a function that should be built in to classroom, much like Blogger's ability to "view blog"). On the student page it looks to be one click on a classmates name will allow you to send them an email. This should greatly improve communication and collaboration in the class.
Third, when posting an announcement to a Classroom, you can choose to post that announcement to as many or as few of the Classrooms that you are running. For me this means that if there is an alternate schedule for the day, a reminder of a special day at school, or a need to let students know I am going to be absent, this can all be done with one announcement instead of having to update each Classroom individually. Very pleased.More to come, including what I think is still missing from Classroom by Google.
Wednesday, 13 August 2014
It Begins!!!
It looks like my problem of not being able to access Classroom has been resolved by my Google Admin. She did have to activate the app and informed me that it could take up to 24 hours for it to become live.
I have spent about 30 minutes exploring and so far everything seems to meet the expectations set in the teaser video, but nothing to wow me yet. Here are a few of the things I have noticed so far.
1) The home screen is set up like an social media news feed and allows two options for teachers. You can either add an "announcement" or an "assignment" to the feed. When adding an assignment you can choose whether you want to the students to view, edit, or receive a copy in their drive. What is missing is the ability to collaborate on an announcement. If I wanted to work on a document with my students in real-time, I would have to post it as an assignment, even though it is not.
2) I am very glad to see that there is a pin provided so that students can add the course themselves, as I have always found adding students via their email address to be a frustrating experience. There is the option to add students yourself though, if you prefer.
3) Problem #1. I decided I wanted to look at Classroom from the student side so I tried to add my personal gmail account as a student. I was informed "You cannot add students outside your domain to courses". I believe this means that all of my students must be using their ED account assigned to them by the school board. For me this could already signal the death knell for Classroom. Here is why:
a) We have one Google admin at our board and every September she is overwhelmed with requests for student passwords because many of my students use personal accounts at school instead; which they should. Why would you want to keep logging off and on as a different user all of the time? There is no longer a division between work and personal and there should not be one at school (unless students would prefer. They should have the choice).
b) When a student joins my class from a different school board it will take several days to get them hooked up with an ED account. If I am going to run my entire course on Classroom, this is a major barrier.
c) Google apps are great because they allow for decentralization. This student sign-up procedure forces centralization again. Frustratingly similar to what I feel is wrong with D2L. I have autonomy in my physical classroom, let me have autonomy in my virtual Classroom!
4) Looks and feels light and airy, not overwhelming with buried material like other learning platforms I have used.
5) When you want to make an announcement on your wall, it is very easy to add files from your computer or Drive. Two frustrations I can foresee is that you cannot access files that have been shared with you on your Drive, which means you have to leave Classroom, go to Drive, add the shared file to your Drive, and then go back to classroom. Especially frustrating if you are trying to quickly share exemplars of student work or materials shared by a teaching partner (this will lead to multiple versions of a file). Also, there is no way to quickly add a video or audio announcement. Being able to access your webcam and leave messages in seconds would be amazing and something I had hoped to see.
6) Last comment for today. Assessing assignments looks exactly like it did in the promo video which is disappointing and does not reflect best practices. We mark using a 4 level, 4 category rubric. Classroom allows you to select how many "points" an assignment is worth or leave it as no assessment. I need to be able to attach a rubric as an assessment tool, both when the assignment is given and when it is assessed. Also, the ability for me to record video or audio commentary would allow for better and quicker feedback.
If you are listening Google, please don't make me leave Classroom to upload files to then go back to Classroom to attach them to the proper assignment and/or student!!
So far Classroom appears to be a basic resource for a teacher to post assignments and announcements that allows for easy access to Drive. I do feel that the forced centralization is a major concern, as well as a seemingly unclear sharing/collaboration process. Also, it seems that the purpose of Classroom is to be a resource for students at home and not really a learning hub to be used during class. Perhaps my hopes do not align with Google's vision.
More to be seen and explored.
1) The home screen is set up like an social media news feed and allows two options for teachers. You can either add an "announcement" or an "assignment" to the feed. When adding an assignment you can choose whether you want to the students to view, edit, or receive a copy in their drive. What is missing is the ability to collaborate on an announcement. If I wanted to work on a document with my students in real-time, I would have to post it as an assignment, even though it is not.
2) I am very glad to see that there is a pin provided so that students can add the course themselves, as I have always found adding students via their email address to be a frustrating experience. There is the option to add students yourself though, if you prefer.
3) Problem #1. I decided I wanted to look at Classroom from the student side so I tried to add my personal gmail account as a student. I was informed "You cannot add students outside your domain to courses". I believe this means that all of my students must be using their ED account assigned to them by the school board. For me this could already signal the death knell for Classroom. Here is why:
a) We have one Google admin at our board and every September she is overwhelmed with requests for student passwords because many of my students use personal accounts at school instead; which they should. Why would you want to keep logging off and on as a different user all of the time? There is no longer a division between work and personal and there should not be one at school (unless students would prefer. They should have the choice).
b) When a student joins my class from a different school board it will take several days to get them hooked up with an ED account. If I am going to run my entire course on Classroom, this is a major barrier.
c) Google apps are great because they allow for decentralization. This student sign-up procedure forces centralization again. Frustratingly similar to what I feel is wrong with D2L. I have autonomy in my physical classroom, let me have autonomy in my virtual Classroom!
4) Looks and feels light and airy, not overwhelming with buried material like other learning platforms I have used.
6) Last comment for today. Assessing assignments looks exactly like it did in the promo video which is disappointing and does not reflect best practices. We mark using a 4 level, 4 category rubric. Classroom allows you to select how many "points" an assignment is worth or leave it as no assessment. I need to be able to attach a rubric as an assessment tool, both when the assignment is given and when it is assessed. Also, the ability for me to record video or audio commentary would allow for better and quicker feedback.
If you are listening Google, please don't make me leave Classroom to upload files to then go back to Classroom to attach them to the proper assignment and/or student!!
So far Classroom appears to be a basic resource for a teacher to post assignments and announcements that allows for easy access to Drive. I do feel that the forced centralization is a major concern, as well as a seemingly unclear sharing/collaboration process. Also, it seems that the purpose of Classroom is to be a resource for students at home and not really a learning hub to be used during class. Perhaps my hopes do not align with Google's vision.
More to be seen and explored.
Monday, 11 August 2014
Failure to Launch
It is nearly the middle of August, and I hate to say it, but it is time to get focussed and get back into my classroom. I thought this would be even more exciting because my classroom the year is/was going to be a Google Classroom.
After receiving an email last week from Google welcoming me to Classroom and telling me that "We’re excited to inform you that you have been chosen to participate in the early preview of Classroom by Google!", I finally sat down to login and and see if Google Classroom is as amazing as I hope it will be. I went to the proper web address, logged in using my Google apps email account and was met with:
Having already heard from them, this was disappointing. After some adventures in troubleshooting, it appears the issue may be that my Google Admin hasn't "turned on" the application. That's what I get for starting while the sun is shining!
I guess I should watch a movie instead.
After receiving an email last week from Google welcoming me to Classroom and telling me that "We’re excited to inform you that you have been chosen to participate in the early preview of Classroom by Google!", I finally sat down to login and and see if Google Classroom is as amazing as I hope it will be. I went to the proper web address, logged in using my Google apps email account and was met with:
I guess I should watch a movie instead.
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