Google Team Drive vs. Google Drive Shared Folder

As an Ed Tech Coach, I've had several of my colleagues ask me about using a Google Team Drive vs. using a Google Drive Shared folder. I thought I would share some insights on the matter, and some good rules of thumb:

Here is the short version:

If your group has:
-A relatively stable membership
-A relatively finite time needed to access the files
-A predictable leadership structure in your group
You should consider using a Shared Google Drive Folder.

If your group has:
-a changing group membership
-an ongoing year after year need to access the same files
-a fluctuating or multiple person leadership team
You should consider using a Team Drive.

For the longer version, or if you don't neatly fit into the above categories, ask your self the following three questions:

1. Consistency of the group - "Is it static or consistently changing?"
Team Drives are most useful when you are dealing with a group that is fluid. Because the owner of a document does not always matter in a Team Drive, if a member's account becomes inactive because they leave the entity, their documents will remain in the Team Drive. This can vary based on school, but in general, entire school staffs can be a fluid body, and might benefit from a Team Drive verses a shared folder. On the other hand, a grade level or subject team, or even a department is probably (but not always) a more stable entity, and may not reap as many benefits from a Team Drive, and might want to consider a Shared Folder.


2. Longevity of the need for files - "Do you need them for a year or semester, or will you need to access them over several school years?"
Team Drives are also designed for files that may need to be accessed across multiple time periods - multiple semesters, school years, etc. This is connected to the staffing issue. If one staff member leaves the district or the group, their files remain. Additionally, this folder won't drop to the bottom of your list of folders since your Team Drive list is likely to be shorter than your list of Drive folders.

Google Team Drive Access Levels

3. Access Levels - "Does more than one person need full owner rights to this collection?"
There are multiple access levels in shared folders, but only one "owner" who has ultimate rights over there. Team Drives also have multiple levels of access, and can have multiple people with this top level of editing and access - they call it "full access." Once again, this solves the issue of staff members leaving your group or organization who may be owners of a folder.


Both products help you collaborate and share, and there is no wrong answer to which one to use, but like with most tech tools, there are more appropriate uses for one over the other. Other ideas? I'd love to hear from you.

Not a Novice, Not a Pro - Tips for Intermediate Twitter Users (From an Intermediate Twitter User)

In "The Sound of Music," Liesl tells her suitor Rolf via song that she is not a little girl anymore, but by no means an adult. Brittney Spears sang to us that she is not a girl, but not yet a woman. This reminds me that there are so many of us who are on Twitter, but are not yet experts at Twitter (I include myself in this group). There are tons of posts about how to get started on Twitter, and tons of tips for how to be a "power" user of Twitter, but what about those of us who are not beginners, but not power users - here are some tips/ideas for we, the "intermediate" users of Twitter, based on what I have seen when working and interacting with other teachers and colleagues in person and virtually:

Pinned Tweets-An underutilized feature on Twitter is the pinned Tweet. This will put a tweet at the top of your profile page, and will be the first tweet anyone sees if they visit your profile page. This is a neat way to emphasize a specific message, or draw attention to important content. This pin can be changed as often as you want, so if you want to stick a quote there permanently, or put a new tweet every month to advertise your latest blog post, both are equally as acceptable.
-To pin a tweet, click on the three dots in the lower right hand corner of one of your tweets (can't be a re-tweet unless you have a added a comment), and click on "pin to your profile page"

Why not to start a tweet with "@" (unless you know why you are doing so)
When you start a tweet with a reference to someone, for example "@MRG230," you immediately limit the initial audience of that tweet to yourself, and those whom you have mentioned. If this is your intention, then great, "@" away! However, I mostly see people doing this who do not intend to limit their post in this manner. The common workaround is to place a "." in front of the "@", for example, ".@MRG230". You can also put your "@" references later in your tweet for the same effect.
-If after the fact you discover you have started your tweet with an "@," you can also retweet your initial tweet, and it will then appear in your followers' feeds and elsewhere on Twitter to whom it is visible.

 
Do include "@" when appropriate 
-The above being said, "@" references can be great tools to get your tweets out to others. "@" references will ensure that those individuals have a chance to see your tweet, and could potentially expose that tweet to their followers.
-When you use an "@" reference, make sure your tweets get to the appropriate person. Just because someone's name pops up when you start typing doesn't automatically mean that this is the person you are looking for. People with common names are of course the most problematic, but don't discount how common a name may be - remember Twitter is worldwide!
-You can also create a list if you have a long list of people you want to "@" reference, to tweet them all at once. See instructions here: https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169276

Remember your profile
-Your profile description may be one of the first things that a person will see about you. So it goes without saying that it should be appropriate. Avoid language that can be misunderstood or is too vague.
-Also, do include terms that indicate the kind of people you would like to find on Twitter. If you want to find other teachers who teach the same disciplines, include some form of that specific discipline in your profile. For example, "HS Chemistry/Physics Teacher" is probably a more helpful term than "Science Teacher" if you are looking to connect. Same goes for other professional interests - if you want to find other coaches, include the name of the sport/activity that you coach. 

Hashtags
-If you are looking for your tweets to go to anyone else outside of your followers, hashtags can be a great tool. Use a google search to find a hashtag that is specific for your topic. For instance, some educators use "#edchat" as a way to signal to other educators that their tweet relates to education.
-Try to avoid using common words as hashtags. While you may be a big Chicago Bears fan, #Bears could give you football tweets, animal tweets, zoo tweets, and who knows what else.
-Hashtags can also be rhetorical, or just used for effect or emphasis, such as the once popular "#Sorrynotsorry." These hashtags are usually meant to add to what you have already tweeted, and are most likely to be seen by only your followers, unless they are part of a specific current trend that others are searching for.
-Also, be careful when using these types of rhetorical hashtags. A search for a hashtag will list all the tweets referencing a hashtag, and you could potentially associate your self with some tweets that you probably don't want to if using certain culturally popular hashtags/sayings 

Don't forget to include media - pictures, gifs, polls
-These features are there for a reason. Tweets that have visuals or other extras attached to them often get more attention. Twitter has a series of built in gifs, and recently inserted a polling feature (though this feature probably has the most utility for those who have large follower bases, and a public twitter).

Retweet Wisely
-Before retweeting from a source you are unfamiliar with, make sure that the source is one that is appropriate. One tweet that you are seeing randomly might not be indicative of the nature of a person's tweets. While retweeting does not imply endorsement of any individual or sentiment, you can't stop others from thinking that you have an association with this person. A number of celebrities and politicians have found themselves in a bit of hot water for this very issue.

Unfollowing/Muting
-Don't be afraid to unfollow someone - if they are clogging your feed with information that you find extraneous, unhelpful, too much, or even inappropriate, unfollow them.
-Be aware that Twitter, unlike Facebook, does allow people to use external tools to track this, so the unfollowed person may know the action that you have taken. They may unfollow you back (if they are following you), or give you some kind of trouble for unfollowing them.
-For those you communicate with virtually, you can block them on Twitter (see blocking above). For those you see personally, this might be a more difficult decision. Twitter does allow you to follow someone but not see their tweets - this option is called "muting", and is available in your settings. 

That's all for now. As a fellow "intermediate" Twitter user, I would welcome your suggestions as well! 

Google Classroom and your LMS - Team of Rivals?

Google Classroom and your LMS - Team of Rivals?

In my technology-progressive school district, an excellent dialogue has opened up about what websites to use with our classes. Two main competitors have emerged: 

One of these was Canvas, the powerful multifaceted tool that has been adopted by many colleges as well as 6-12 institutions. In a contest several years ago where teachers were allowed to "kick the tires" on several different classroom websites, Canvas won out over which of these tools we would spend valuable district resources on. When asked why they liked Canvas, teachers appreciated how organized the layout is, the number of features that were all together in the same place, and the grading app, Speedgrader, as significant advantages to this system. 

In the other corner, is the free tool Google Classroom, which was still in relative infancy when we made our Canvas selection, but has proven to be very popular among staff, especially those who are heavily invested in GAFE. When teachers explain why they use this over Canvas, teacher frequently claim simplicity, easy of use, and efficiency in dealing with Google Documents as reasons.

A handful of teachers have found a third way - why not let the two of them work side by side? The history teacher in me likens this to Doris Kearns Goodwin's take on Lincoln's cabinet, a body that was composed of Lincoln's previous political enemies, who ended up being immensely complimentary and helpful to Lincoln. The big question is, can Google Classroom live alongside your more powerful LMS (wether it be Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, Schoology, etc.). I would argue that it can, if it done in a deliberative fashion. I am not the first person to suggest this, for other ideas on this strategy or similar strategies see these posts by Alice Keeler and Caitlin Tucker. I will suggest that your strategy in using both be very well thought out and consistent. Here are some things to think about:

My LMS Homepage Sidebar
Note links to all the sites that
students may need to go to

Have ONE place to start everyday

Google Classroom "About Page". Note the two teacher added
resources that students can access

If you are going to use multiple web sites in your class, you need to have a central landing pad for students to start with. This will create fewer frustrations from students along the lines of "which site are we using today" or "I don't know where to go" If you want students to start from your LMS, place links on your LMS to other sites that they will need to go, such as Google Classroom, your online textbook, etc, that they will need to access regularly. If you want students to start from Google Classroom, use the "About" section to store these links. Students will be appreciative, and you will have fewer missing assignments and student questions about "Where do I go today".  The illustration above is the sidebar for the LMS homepage for the course I taught this last year. Students did not need to know where any of these sites were - all they had to know was that if they got themselves to Canvas everyday, they could get anywhere else required for the course, including Google Classroom. I also post signs in the classroom of the logo of the sites that we will be using everyday, so that students don't have to rely on my verbal cues, but can also use the visual clues posted at the front of the classroom. 

An increasing number of vendors are also integrating their content with Google Classroom's API. This means that assignments that you create on these sites can generate an assignment on Google Classroom as well. Here is a relatively current list, but this count has already grown since the March publication of the article (Nearpod and ActivelyLearn are two that I am also fond of). This may also be a factor for you in determining where to start, especially as this list grows longer and longer. 

Have ONE place to submit assignments

Fewer things will derail your good tech planning and classroom management than an inconsistent way of collecting assignments. If you are going to collect your assignments in Classroom, collect them there consistently. If you are going to collect them in an LMS, collect them there consistently. Going back and forth will result in student confusion and frustration, as well as record keeping issues about which assignments were handed in, and where you can find them. If you have to make an exception for some reason, this is not the end of the world, but just make it clear in both your written and verbal assignment instructions that this is the case. For example, I usually have students submit assignments through Classroom. However, there are a few that I collect in my LMS, for example a discussion forum with embedded content from other websites (Google Classroom can not yet do this), so I have also collected specific, limited assignments in my LMS. Because those assignments were specific to the LMS, and I articulated this early, I had very little difficulty with students trying to turn the assignment in on some other platform.

Feedback is another thing to consider. What platform allows you to give feedback that is both timely and targeted. That is more of an individual decision than one I can give specific advice on, but consider what tools you want to use to give feedback, and then work from there. I mentioned that many teachers appreciated the Canvas "Speedgrader" tool that is built into our LMS. However, you may be be fond of Andrew Stillman's Goobric tool, which is easily integrated into Google Classroom. There are other tools as well that are being built for Classroom, so keep an eye out. Like with assginment submission, keeping feedback in one place will also help students access this feedback more easily. 

Keep a calendar in ONE place

Your LMS (likely) and Google Classroom come with a calendar. Your online gradebook, if it is not your LMS, may also have a calendar. Choose a calendar, and stick with it. It would be foolish, if not impossible, to try to keep three of more calendars updated regularly - I may have tried to do this at one point in time. Whatever place you have established as your starting point is probably a good place to keep your calendar as well. Also, make sure your students know how to read the calendar. Does it list assignment by the day they were given, by their due date, both? This is also something that could potentially be shared with parents - if the calendar can be viewed on a Google Calendar, then you can give that info to families. This is a slam dunk for Google Classroom, but also available in some LMSs and some online gradebooks (Canvas, the LMS my district uses, offers a Google Calendar friendly link to a student's calendar). You may also opt to keep your own calendar on a word processing doc or even a separate Google Calendar or Apple Calendar. Whatever you decide, stick with it, refer students (and parent if publicly available) to it, and keep it updated as part of your daily ritual. Also, remember to update it as events unfold. We all have days when class runs long and something is pushed a day later, a fire drill happens, a snow day is called, etc. Update your calendar accordingly. If your calendar is out of date, then students will not refer to it. 

That's all for now. I would welcome any comments or thoughts you have on using Google Classroom with an LMS, whether you have some additional ideas on how to do this, or even if you think is not a good idea. 

Google Classroom: Ditch your current LMS?

Google Classroom is here... is it worth ditching your current LMS? Maybe, but there are some caveats:

1) It is not an LMS: You need to use other tools to do things like online quizzes, discussion forums, and a calendar.
2) Grading can be difficult: I have tried several different methods, including Goobric, but none of them seem to streamline the process
3) Stream: While some people seem to praise the "stream" format that mimics social media, it does not allow for flexibility. Additionally, there is no "tagging" function, so everything in the stream belongs in the same category.

However, there are some unexpected things that Google Classroom has provided:
1) Easier shared folders: Things I used to do with shared folders, I can do with Google Classroom in an interface that makes both sharing files and finding files more easy and intuitive.
2) "Turning in" - Once students turn files in, they temporarily lose editing privileges. This allows you to have a due date without files getting later additions.

I am still learning the ins and outs, so this are just some preliminary thoughts, but so far, so good. I am still not giving up my LMS, but I am starting to supplement it using Google Classroom.

iMovie - iPad vs. Mac

After using both the iOS and OS X versions of iMovie, it is interesting to see the comparisons that one can make. After all, they both produce the same output, and can be used to accomplish the same assignment or professional task that is required. So why use one over the other? As a novice, I would suggest several factors that could be considered:

Outside Audio and Video Options
The iPad app offers you a no frills experience for your films. There are set sound affects and music options, so unless you want to get creative and start e-mailing yourself files or recording your own stuff, you are stuck with the generic though varied choices that Apple offers. (This is especially true if you are dealing with an iPad Cart as opposed to every student having their own device). So, if your task involves complexity in terms of outside music, you may want to use the computer. Video is the same - cumbersome to import, especially if you are just using a classroom set.
On the Mac, you can more easily import your own music and sounds, via your own iTunes library or internet sources. This allows for much more choice more easily in the kinds of sounds that you want to incorporate into your iMovie.
As far as recording your own voice and video, both devices can do this easily. However, depending upon the kind of computer you have you might have a problem - what if you are in a desktop Mac lab, and everyone wants to record at the same time? Or what if your video involves movement outside of range of the computer. You could use student mobile devices and import the audio later on. This is where using the iOS app could be useful. Students can record their own voice into the iPad, wherever the iPad might be, and insert it into the movie.

Complexity vs. Simplicity
The computer based version allows for a number of additional features that are not part of the iPad version. This can have some advantages, especially from a cinematic or artistic point of view. However, if students get too caught up in the "bells and whistles", then the content of the iMovie could be compromised. So this could actually be an advantage of the "limited" features and difficulty in importing outside sources on the iPad - students can be more focused on whatever content you want them to focus on when constructing their iMovie.

Shared or Individual Devices
If students are sharing devices, whether desktops or iPads, there is a bit more difficulty in saving movies and making sure that they are secure. Shared devices leave open the possibility that files could get deleted or edited by someone else. This is especially true on the iPad. One student did accidentally delete another student's work in my class earlier this year. On a Mac, flashdrives or cloud storage can be an option for storing iMovie files on a shared computer. Individual devices solve these problems.

These are just some initial thoughts on using iMovie in the classroom. I look forward to learning more next year and by reading other blogs and articles.

Using iMovie to Time Travel

Well, maybe you can't time travel, but as educators, we can bring students together who took our courses at different times. I am using iMovie this semester to do just that!

I teach AP US History, which is being reorganized by the College Board around several different themes for the next academic year. I will inevitably have to introduce these new themes to my students next year. The content is the same, but the categorization and organization is different so I thought, why don't I just let my very bright and capable students from this year make sense of and introduce these themes to my students from next year? Sounds like a logistical nightmare - parent permission forms, getting them out of their new classes, dealing with summer brain drain and forgetfulness - unless you involve some clever technology!

This task was facilitated by the presence of iPads in my classroom this semester - isn't being in a 1:1 classroom great! I gave my students a copy of the new curriculum, and assigned each group one of the themes outlined in the curriculum. My students made iMovies summarizing their assigned theme. They introduced the major concepts in the theme, and then found different examples that they could think of to explain the progression of this theme that they learned during the duration of their course. They then added visuals, pictures, videos, and voice narration to bring their explanation to life. By the time they are done, I will play the videos for their classmates - both this year's and next year's. This way, I can have my students from this year talk to next year's students without any organizational. 

Besides connecting two different years of students, this also benefit may current students. This gives my current students the additional skill of taking a body of information that they are familiar with and use their higher level thinking skills to reorganize it. This also allows them to utilize a technology tool, iMovie, that is novel to many of them, as well as producing work for a more authentic audience beyond the scope of their current classmates. 

Using Google Drive as a Basic Wiki

As a longtime user of Moodle's Wiki function, I was reluctant to separate myself from that tool, even given the excitement that I has over the adoption of Google Apps for Education by my district this year. Furthermore, one of my primary uses of a wiki is to review for semester exams, and even to have the students write questions I could use for the final exam (as well as answers with explanations) so given the importance of this function, I was hesitant. After much success with Drive in daily classroom activities, I decided to do it. I found that while Google Drive is NOT a wiki, it can serve many of the same basic functions as a simple wiki can. Here is what I learned and can pass along:

-Like a regular wiki, there should be a common naming convention adopted for each student page. This will make the pages easier to find and sort. You can even create pages for your students via the Doctapus script, or an integrated LMS.
-Creating a folder/folders that mirrors your expectations for access are important. Can everyone edit everyone else's pages? Then adjust everyone's access to the folder to edit. Do you just want to create pages that all students can view, but only a few can edit? Create a view only folder for your class, then have students add their own work to it. They will remain editors, while their classmates can be viewers (and comment makers, if you'd like).
-You can also allow for peer editing if students are working on their own by having students temporarily share editing privileges with someone else. This is great for students who are finished in a hurry, students who need some extra peer support, as well as a covert way of encouraging students to review the work of their peers.

Overall, I would say that Google Docs served the same function as the Moodle Wiki - work was peer edited and shared, available for all my students too see, providing an authentic and important audience for their work - their own peers immediately prior to an important exam.

Possible improvements:
-I would like to utilize Google Sites to better organize my pages in the future.
-I also would like to develop a better system of peer proofreading, but final exam times often lead to deadline issues. Let me know if you have any other advice for using Drive for this purpose!
-I found it easier to organize if students gave "ownership" of their page to me, but in the future, I might leave the ownership to them, and help them understand the nature of using folders to share documents.