You and your students can Jazz up your Google Slides!

https://www.slidescarnival.com/category/free-templates/playful-presentations

You and your students can use SlidesCarnival to create fun presentations.  Just download the template and voila you have a new theme to work with!  

More reasons why Google Docs should be your BFF!

Besides the fact that you can access your documents anywhere (as long as you have internet).  I also love the fact that you don't have a million different copies of different documents.  You can edit the same document over and over.  What makes it even better is that multiple people can work on the same document at one time!!  TIME SAVER.

Check out the link for other things and ways you can use your Google Docs.


10 Overlooked Google Docs Features:
https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/08/10-overlooked-google-docs-features.html

Classroom Screen

https://classroomscreen.com/

Very simple text took, just save the link on your desktop and some of your most basic tools are readily available.

Tools and Capabilities:

🖥 choose a background/upload your own
🖥 pick a random name & dice roll
🖥 classroom sound level monitor
🖥 generate a QR-code
🖥 draw in-screen or full-screen
 🖥 type your instructions in the text area and zoom
🖥 choose a work symbol 
🖥 set a timer/stopwatch
 🖥 show the clock & calendar
 🖥 use the traffic light 
🖥 use the calculator
🖥 drag and drop the icons in the right place
🖥 Dual widgets: more than one widget can be displayed at once

🖥 select a language

I love that it has an exit poll built in.  Look on the right side of the screen and you have a quick exit poll.  

Have fun with this website!!

Design School or Classroom Newsletter in Google Slides

https://www.bettercloud.com/monitor/the-academy/design-the-perfect-internal-newsletter-in-google-slides/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWVdNd01qTTBOV1F3TTJObSIsInQiOiJOKytKdVl4Mzl3MW9OWWFBYk1YK000Mzk3S0N5dU91S1dvK1hxTExpeWE2MkR6eDgzY3l5bUlUOUdUMmpyVGU1MWdRRHpueklrczJTQklHMEo5cjNkdGpUdkllN28yWnh4U0FzS2g5cGNQWT0ifQ%3D%3D

Use this Google Doc Add on to create word clouds

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2016/03/skip-spreadsheet-use-this-add-on-to.html#.VwJfY-IrLIU

Tag Cloud Generator Add-on for Google Documents allows users to create word clouds without using a spreadsheet.

If you haven't done so already, I would suggest following Richard Byrne.  

He has some great posts and ideas!!

Word Clouds: Ways to use them with your students...

Word Clouds can be extremely useful.

Here are some examples:
Show it to the students so they can make inferences about what we'll be studying throughout the year. You can also use it on Open House night to show the parents. From time to time, look back at it to remind me which terms and phrases I should be emphasizing with my teaching. It's a great way to think about the necessary vocabulary.

Visit wordle.net to create a word cloud of your own state's standards! Simply copy and paste the standards into the create box and let wordle.net do the rest of the work for you.

OR 

http://www.tagxedo.com/  

5 Chrome Apps that students can used for Project Based Learning

5 Chrome Apps for Student Creation

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1. Canva

Canva is a design tool that I have mentioned several times on this blog and a tool that I use myself almost daily. Canva makes design EASY! With ready-made templates in a host of different sizes, students can create presentations, infographics, images for blog posts, brochures, postcards, collages, and more! These designs can easily be downloaded as .png or .pdf files that can be added to other projects, websites, and easily turned in through Google Classroom. 

https://www.canva.com/signup

2. PicMonkey

Another tool that I use for creating images is PicMonkey. PicMonkey is great for creating images that need a transparent background, and they also have lots of fun, seasonal backgrounds, and special effects. I used PicMonkey to create a vampire version of my avatar for Halloween and to create the background for the Magnetic Poetry templates. Students can create any size image, collage, or poster they want. The app is only limited by your imagination.  http://www.picmonkey.com/

3. Powtoon Presentations Edu

Powtoon offers a wonderful, animated alternative to traditional presentations, which is perfect for teachers, but also a fantastic creation tool for students. Powtoon has a very easy-to-use drag and drop interface, and great tutorials to help any user get started. It also has great templates that make it easy to create and focus on content. Watch the video below to get an idea of what Powtoon can bring to your classroom. Oh, and you can sign in with your Google account! (Note: Powtoon is freemium. Be sure you sign up for the educational version which includes more. 

4. WeVideo One of my favorites <3

WeVideo is a web-based, video editor. Video editing has come a long way in the last few years, and WeVideo means that you can edit the video from anywhere, on any machine. You can also connect it to your Google Drive! There are fun themes and a ton features in the free version. This is a great video editor for student projects.   https://www.wevideo.com/

5. Google Drawings

Google Drawings is one of my favorite Google tools, and an often overlooked powerhouse when it comes to student creations. Google Drawings is an image creation tool, but because it is also collaborative and can remain in an editing phase, it also becomes ideal for interactive lessons. I’ve shared lots of ideas for Google Drawings over the last couple years. See my infographic 10 Ways to Use Google Drawings in the Classroom.

Credit:  Shake Up Learning http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/5-chrome-apps-for-student-creation/