From AI assistants to self-grading and guiding tech, there is a plethora of powerful writing-based teaching resources out there. You may want to work on storytelling, or perhaps it's more of a focus on grammar and structure that you need. In any case, there is likely an app for that and it's going to be in this guide, if it's good enough.

This aims to offer a mixture of free and some premium apps, while focusing on those that are widely available as web apps, when possible. That should mean this guide offers the broadest selection of tools to the widest of audiences.

Best tools to teach writing

Best to teach writing skills overall

NoRedInk

The NoRedInk website is a powerful resource for teaching writing thanks to this ELA resource's personalized content. Teachers set up their account and then use student accounts to let them learn based on their interests and abilities.

This asks students to restructure sentences, manipulate multi-paragraph sentences, scaffold essays, do guided reviews, follow writing prompts, and much more. All while offering fun, humor, and subjects that students finds engaging. All that should mean effortless honing of writing skills while enjoying the tasks.

READ: NoRedInk guide

Best AI-assisted writing program

Writable

Writable offers an AI-assisted option that is aimed at helping tailor learning to students while also delivering one-on-one feedback, grading, and guidance to save on teacher engagement time.

For use with students from grade 3 right up to 12, this adjusts to suit individual abilities and lets teachers customize, based on curriculum or rubric learning, to suit goals and progress.

This offers guided learning for students while allowing teachers to control automated feedback and grading.

READ: Writable guide

Best for AR fun

Catchy Words

When it comes to augmented reality fun, Catchy Words is the ultimate choice for working on word skills to help writing. This is simple to understand and starts off using shorter words, making this a possible option even for younger students.

Letters float about in the air and students need to pop a bubble to access each. Then they move the device to grab the ones they need and move them into floating boxes that ultimately make up the correct word.

It's a simple idea of playing a word game, but in this new augmented reality way, to make it truly engaging. This is an iOS app so is available on both iPhone and iPad devices.

READ: Catchy Words guide

Best for digital literacy

ThinkCERCA

The ThinkCERCA platform is a great way to focus on literacy skills. This offers a wide selection of reading materials that students work with to focus on vocabulary, writing scaffolding, sentence stems, and peer-to-peer debate.

Teachers can use the built-in rubrics to make grading a simple process but individual feedback is also an option within the platform -- in real-time. That makes this helpful for use both in class as well as for homework.

The automated comprehension assessments are also a nice feature here for helping students progress comfortably while saving teachers on time.

READ: ThinkCERCA guide

Best curriculum writing aid

Quill

The Quill offering is a totally free tool that appears like a premium feature-rich writing and reading aid. As such, this has been used by more than 7 million students to create more than 2 billion sentences since it launched.

This platform helps students improve writing but also reading comprehension and language skills. This is all Common Core skills-aligned, and offers differentiation for ELL, AP English, and pre-AP.

Select grade ranges and subject types before setting tasks in which students can follow lessons tailored to them. This uses writing prompts and helps build sentence-writing skills with grammar tools and evidencing features to add depth and mastery.

READ: Quill guide

Best for online community learning

Imagine Forest

Imagine Forest is an online platform in which students can write stories, with images, and publish these for others to read. Since this has built up an online community, it's a great way for students to read the work of others and get ideas before working on their own projects.

This is more than a word processor though as it offers guidance as well as challenges and activities to keep things interesting and engaging. The ability to like and comment makes this really interactive even outside of the writing part. Having a gamification option here that makes this immersive, fun, and guided in a way that should have students coming back for more.

READ: Imagine Forest guide

Best for self-publishing

BoomWriter

The BoomWriter platform is purpose-built to help students learn, not only how to create their own stories, but to experience being published, too. Unlike many other tools, this one leaves students with a printed physical book, which they created -- giving a sense of achievement that's quite unique.

This is a collaborative tool that encourages students to work together to create story ideas. Since teachers can set a first chapter, it offers a friendly way to ease into being creative as students can continue that story as they please. The ability to send notes back to students is a helpful teacher feature, as is the ability to specify certain words that need to be used -- ideal for growing vocabulary mastery.

READ: BoomWriter guide

Best for storytelling

Story Xperiential

The Story Xperiential service is quite unlike any other writing teaching tool. This uses writing and video editing combined to teach the creative process. It does this, crucially, with a team of real-world co-creators who feedback through the stages of story development.

This was created and is run by professional writers, artists, and animators involved in Pixar and Disney movies. So this is very much a skills-focused learning experience that can leave students with real marketable skills in storytelling.

This is an online service so it is easy to access both at school and when at home. That should allow students to really get into this and work on their projects as and when they want. Since this is largely self-paced, it's perfect for that way of working. and supports passion at whatever level it's being felt.

READ: Story Xperiential guide

Best novel writing experience

NaNoWriMo

Every November is the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) event. This sets a challenge, for adults and children alike, to write their own novel in that month. Everyone that participates keeps each other accountable and with group interactions possible this can be a great way to motivate everyone.

Using a word-count based goal, students are guided to craft a first draft of their novel, about anything they want. This nonprofit offers resources for educators including class activities and a helpful chart to find the ideal word count goal based on a student's age and level.

READ: NaNoWriMo guide

Best for grammar

Grammarly

When it comes to working on grammar, there are few tools as advanced as Grammarly. This is an online writing assistant that is able to check both spelling and grammar. It now also uses a generative AI to better offer use-specific writing assistance.

Grammarly can help students to write with an active voice, it can eliminate typos, and even offers helpful explanations. Since this can be installed as a Chrome plug-in, this can be used across a wide variety of writing platforms to fit in with how you and your students work.

Most of this is free but there is also a paid version that checks citation errors, proofreads formatting for bibliography, and highlights incorrect comma use and more.

READ: Grammarly guide

While many countries have government-backed stands at BETT, the U.S. is yet to explore this. Spotting that need, Jim McVety has worked with providers of educational tools and software to build their own. The result is a one-stop show for all things edtech.

Consequently, anyone in the U.S. wanting to expand internationally now has a chance. It also means those from other countries have a chance to connect with and get involved with the U.S. market as well.

This year we caught up with Jim and the team to find out some of the best edtech tools to be shown at BETT 2025.

Want to check out more? Head over to the USA EdTech site for full details of everyone involved and your chance to join the community.

The members at BETT this year include: Content2Classroom, ClassLink, Authentica, EdGate, Boclips, Zoe, Slooh, and MakeDo.

Here is some more on a few that were able to share time with us this year.

Slooh

Slooh is a U.S.-based tech platform that spans the globe to offer star-gazing opportunities to students. This exciting offering allows teachers and students the chance to take control of powerful telescopes, dotted about the world, to view objects in the depths of space.

Imagine taking a class anywhere in the sky, be it a planet or astral body, and you can see it -- live -- in just a few clicks. This is what Slooh has achieved and now offers with games and missions that help educate students and teachers alike.

Zoe

Zoe is a VR tool that allows teachers to create their own worlds. That can mean science teachers creating bespoke experiments that students can interact with in virtual reality.

This is designed to be easy to use and offers a variety of options so it can be applied to many different teaching scenarios. No coding experience is needed as this is an icon-based system that anyone can use easily.

The community shares content so other use cases can be edited to suit the needs of that teacher and class. Even students can use this to build virtual worlds.

EdGate

EdGate offers publishers a way to create bespoke education items with a central taxonomy that can make for a quick-and-easy way to find, create, and share resources.

Crucially, this works internationally so publishers can have their current content adapted for varying markets around the globe.

This represents a way to leverage broad concepts, such as dividing fractions, scientific methods, and more, but adapted to the learning standards of that area, school, or subject.

Boclips

Boclips offers more than 2.2 million videos that are specifically tailored for use in education. While that in itself is very powerful, it also leverages AI to make searching for specific results easier and more effective.

This is so smart it will even break down clips into specific areas. So, for example, you may be teaching about a certain scientific process and this will pull out the snippet relevant to that, rather than showing students the entire video.

These curated videos align with many standards, including Common Core, NGSS, CBSE, and more, across curriculums, such as ELA, Science, and Math.

No ads, easy sharing within the LMS, and algorithmic recommendations are just a few of the positives this powerful tool offers.

The system is also filled with more resources than ever too, with plenty of free-to-use tools to help with teaching both in the class and beyond. Crucially, it helps students work on their devices wherever they are. But it also offers teachers a consistent spot to work from, both in assigning work as well as assessing that which is submitted digitally. 

While this isn't a full LMS (Learning Management System) such as Blackboard, it does offer a lot of integration for teachers. Third-party apps are now integrated, plus there are lots of roster-based assignment offerings, and even AI is being used to enhance and streamline the experience. 

Read on to find out everything you need to know about Google Classroom.

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What is Google Classroom?

Google Classroom is a suite of online tools that allows teachers to set assignments, have work submitted by students, to mark, and to return graded papers. It was created as a way to get eliminate paper in classes and to make digital learning possible. It was initially planned for use with laptops in schools, such as Chromebooks, in order to allow the teacher and students to more efficiently share information and assignments.

As more schools have transitioned to online learning, Google Classroom has gotten far wider use as teachers quickly implement paperless instruction. Classrooms works with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites, Earth, Calendar, and Gmail, and can be supplemented by Google Hangouts or Meet for face-to-face live teaching or questions.

What's new in Google Classroom?

Google has announced a slew of updates recently but one of the most significant has to be the greater inclusion of artificial intelligence. This comes with Google's Duet AI being used in certain tools, but also the AI being applied across the Classroom system.

AI advances mean teachers can now create more intuitively in Docs, generate images in Slides, build projects in Sheets and more -- all taking far less time as the AI does a lot of the legwork now.

Google has a host of apps that now work with Classroom, with many listed here, including Schoolytics, Screencastify, and Today.

What devices does Google Classroom work with?

Since Google Classroom is online-based, you can access it in some form from pretty much any device with a web browser. Processing is done at Google's end mostly, so even older devices are able to handle most of Google's resources. 

Device-specific apps for the likes of iOS and Android are available, while it also works on Mac, PC, and Chromebooks. A big advantage of Google is that on most devices it is possible to do work offline, uploading when a connection is found.

This all allows teachers and students to use Google Classroom since they can connect with it via any personal device. 

What does Google Classroom cost?

Google Classroom is free to use. All the apps that work with the service are already free-to-use Google tools, and Classroom simply conglomerates it all into a centralized place.

An education institution will need to sign-up for the service in order to add all its students and teachers. This is to make sure security is as tight as possible so no outsiders gain access to the information or students involved.

Google does not scan any of the data, nor does it use that for advertising. Plus, there are no advertisements within Google Classroom or the Google Workspace for Education platform at large. 

In the wider Google ecosystem, where Classroom sits, there are packages that can offer advantages. The Standard Google Workspace for Education package is charged at $4 per student per year, which gets a security center, advanced device and app management, Gmail and Classroom log exports for analysis, and more.

The Teaching and Learning Upgrade package (no connection to us!) is charged at $4 per license per month, which gets you meetings with up to 250 participants as well as live-streaming to up to 10,000 viewers using Google Meet, plus features such as Q&A, polls, and more. You also get Classroom add-on to directly integrate tools and content. Unlimited originality reports are also available to check on plagiarism and more.

Google Classroom assignments

Google Classroom has a lot of options but, more importantly, it can allow teachers to do more to help educate students remotely or in hybrid settings. A teacher is able to set assignments and then upload documents that explain what is required for completion, and also provide extra information and a place for students to actually work.

Since students receive an email notification when an assignment is waiting, it's very easy to maintain a schedule without the teacher having to repeatedly contact the students. Since these assignments can be designated ahead of time, and set to go out when the teacher wants, it makes for advanced lesson planning and more flexible time management.

When a task is finished, the student can turn it in for the teacher to grade. Teachers can then provide annotations and feedback for the student.

Google Classroom also allows for the export of grades into a student information system (SIS) making it far easier to use automatically school-wide.

Google offers an originality report feature that lets teachers run a check against other student submissions from the same school. A great way to avoid plagiarism.

Google Classroom announcements

Teachers can make announcements that go out to the entire class. These can appear on the home screen of the Google Classroom where the students will see it the next time they log in. A message can also be sent out as an email so that everyone will receive it at a certain time. Or it can be sent to individuals who it applies to specifically. 

An announcement can have more rich media added with attachments from the likes of YouTube and Google Drive. 

Any announcement can be set to either remain like a noticeboard statement, or it can be adjusted to allow for two-way communication from students. 

Should I get Google Classroom?

If you're in charge of teaching on any level and are set to make a decision about online teaching tools, then Google Classroom is definitely worth considering. While this isn't a LMS replacement, it is a really great tool for taking the teaching basics online.

Classroom is super easy to learn, simple to use, and works across many devices – all for free. This means no costs for maintenance since there's no need for an IT management team to support this system. It also automatically keeps you updated with Google's advancements and changes to the service. 

Learn everything you need to know by reading our Google Classroom review.

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YouGlish is a great resource for learning to correctly pronounce words. As the name suggests, this is setup for English speakers and uses YouTube to deliver those guidance videos. But it goes beyond that to many language options.

Crucially, this uses native speakers of the language from which the word originates. This means you can hear how that word is pronounced by someone who can speak it naturally in the local tongue.

Since this uses YouTube as its source, videos are super simple to access and can be played across a host of digital devices.

The option to get the pronunciations from different places around the world is also available. You pick the region you want from multiple options, or all of those, if that's what you select, plus there is an option for sign language.

You can hear the audio playback after you type in the word you want, and it's also written below so you can read if volume up isn't an option -- although this is less helpful of course.

Obviously, all this makes YouGlish a great resource for ELL (English Language Learners) as well as ESL (English as a Second Language) students.

What's New In YouGlish?

YouGlish offers an ever evolving database of words and their pronunciations. At time of update here, the site offers more than 100 million tracks to pick from. The layout is still basic but it just works and that's sort of the point.

Current languages available include: US, UK, AUS, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and New Zealand. 

How Does YouGlish Work?

YouTube has lots and lots and lots of videos -- as of 2020, there are 720,000 hours uploaded daily. So if you wanted to watch an hour's worth of uploaded YouTube videos it would take you about 82 years. Why is this relevant?

YouGlish is smart enough to trawl all that content to find the word or phrase you want to hear. It then offers a video with that word or phrase spoken in the language you selected. 

The video itself could be about anything but the important part is that the word or phrase will be spoken clearly, in many cases multiple times, so you can hear how it is correctly pronounced. 

For example, type in "power" in English and you get a man talking about fighter planes and the power they have, during which he repeats that word several times in the clip. But this is just one of 128,524 English options from which to pick.

What Are The Best YouGlish Features?

Aside from taking the work out of finding relevant videos for pronunciation, YouGlish also offers helpful options to make it even more clear.

You can activate the subtitles to be able to read the words as they are spoken in the video. This can help with spelling as well as recognition of how the word fits into a sentence structure. 

Another really useful option in the menu allows you to control playback speed. This lets you play at "Normal" speed or slow down to hear the words spoken more slowly. You can also go faster if that helps. These options range from "Min" for minimum to "0.5x" to "0.75x" then back to normal before going faster through "1.25x" and "1.5x," "1.75x" and then "Max" for the fastest playback.

A handy button featured below the video allows you to go back five seconds so you can repeat a section over and over without having to use the tracker to find that point.

You can toggle on a thumbnail view to see all the other videos in the list so you can skip to one that looks most relevant. A light icon allows you to play in dark mode for a more focused look.

YouGlish works for a selection of languages and can be played back in multiple accents and dialects for each. The language options are Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and sign language.

Is YouGlish Useful for Teachers?

YouGlish is a very valuable tool not only for individuals, but also for teachers with ELL and ESL students. 

You can narrow down your search by the word, by class, by phrase class, or by context. The tool also provides tips on how to improve English pronunciation – written below the video. This includes the phonetic pronunciation as well as suggestions of other words that help with pronunciation. 

Teachers can use the Restricted Mode to use these videos and guides in the classroom. It's worth noting that educators should be careful about inappropriate words and adult content as YouGlish won't necessarily filter for these. Also it’s a good idea to check the clips before sharing them in a classroom.

YouGlish best tips and tricks

Speak as a class
Use this app on the big screen and have students try to pronounce a word before playing it to the class to hear.

Link words
Explore a language using similar words to show how certain letter combinations are pronounced in that language across different sentences.

Reverse it
Play a word and see if students can work out where that word has come from, despite perhaps it not being as expected.

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Motorway recently discovered that 41 percent of vehicle owners don’t know their car’s worth. Car values change all the time, so people need specialised tools to track them.

This becomes apparent when people sell a car. Some sellers put their car on the market without checking its value, which means they might not be getting the best price for such a valuable asset.

That’s why Motorway created its handy Car Value Tracker tool. It allows car owners to see monthly price movements and track the ongoing value of up to six vehicles at once, all for free. 

Motorway is the UK’s fastest-growing used-car marketplace. The company helps people sell their cars quickly and easily, with its network of more than 5,000 verified car dealers competing to give their best price for sellers’ cars. 

By signing up to Motorway, you can sell your car for a great price in as little as 24 hours. The whole selling process can be completed without leaving your home, and they’ll even collect the car from you for free.

How to value your car

Car Value Tracker is free to use on motorway.co.uk. Using Motorway’s smart technology, the tracker tells you your vehicle’s value over time, giving you up to 24 months of pricing history plotted on a graph. 

You’ll be able to see how your car’s value is changing, whether it’s depreciating, holding value, or even rising. You can check your car’s value at any point on Motorway, and sign up for monthly email alerts.

To use the Car Value Tracker, simply create a free Motorway account and input your reg and mileage for a live valuation. An interactive map will then display the car’s latest valuation, and a graph will show historical valuations, as well as your overall two-year change (e.g. -2.23%). You can turn on (or off) monthly alerts reminding you to confirm your mileage for an updated valuation.

When you scroll below the pricing graph, you’ll see vehicles similar to yours that sold recently  on Motorway, with the prices they fetched. In addition, the dynamic Car Value Tracker webpage shows whether or not your vehicle is compliant with the UK’s Clean Air Zones such as ULEZ in Greater London. Motorway even shares the number of dealer bids from the last month your current valuation was based upon, for total transparency and trust in the numbers.

Why do car values change?

All cars depreciate at varying rates. As demand shifts, so does the rate of change in value.

And sometimes, things actually go in the other direction. In 2021, due to the pandemic and a lack of new cars being supplied, many popular models went up in price year-on-year. 

While some details such as condition, mileage, and the availability of new cars can be easy enough to predict, it’s almost impossible to calculate your car’s value every year using this information alone. 

It’s useful to understand what impacts your car’s value, but even more helpful to visualise how that price changes over time, from month to month.

Motorway’s Car Value Tracker is a first-of-its-kind product that uses advanced data science techniques to analyse data on thousands of cars that have sold through the Motorway platform. It also uses hundreds of thousands of bids from dealers to model each individual car’s valuation history. 

What if a car is on finance?

When a vehicle’s valuation is higher than the remaining balance to pay, normally at least three or four years into contract, this could be a great time to sell a vehicle with outstanding finance – also known as being in positive equity. 

If a seller is in positive equity, they can sell their car to a verified dealer with Motorway. The dealer will clear the outstanding balance directly with the lender, and pay the surplus straight into your bank account.

Vehicle owners can now find the perfect time to sell. They have the ability to track the value of their financed car or van on Motorway’s Car Value Tracker, and monitor their finance settlement as they pay off the debt. 

Motorway’s exclusive and free tool is providing people with more understanding of their car as a financial asset, and is helping car owners make the most of their money.

This guide aims to lay out all the important features of the two platforms to leave you with a clear idea of what they offer, where they fall short, and exactly which features you could use to enhance your instruction with the most ease.

Both tools are digital design platforms that allow you to design and create projects for use in teaching. That can mean creating digital artwork, or pieces you plan to print out and use in the classroom, for example. These can also be used by students for projects and beyond.

While Adobe has that long history of professional design software offerings, Canva has fast become one of the most well-known free online design tools thanks to a combination of ease of use and simple tools. But which is best for you?

Canva vs Adobe Express: Which is best?

Functions

Canva (available for K-12 in two versions: Canva for Education and Canva for Districts) functions as an online and app-based design tool that can be used across a number of devices. The idea is to offer smart digital design tools in a super simple to use way that works even for those totally new to the idea. It does this with a combination of clear icons for controls and step-by-step guidance, plus lots of templates from which to work.

Adobe Express comes from the more complex professional world of design software yet simplifies it for easy use by more people. This uses an app, which you can download to smartphones, tablets, and computers, but stores the creations in the cloud so you can jump between devices as needed. In this way the two are similar as both, when used in app form, allow for offline working. It is only Adobe that won't let you access it via the web without an app -- making Canva more widely accessible out of the two.

In both cases the tools allow you to edit images, text, video, and audio as well as offer pre-built graphics and stock photos, with lots of choice.

Features

Canva is all about the templates, with most project ideas already started in some example format, which can then be edited to suit your needs. You are also able to start from a blank form, if you want, but in most cases it's quicker and easier to use a template -- of which there are more than 250,000. These also make for very professional looking finishes with minimal effort and -- crucially -- time.

Canva is optimized for Chromebooks so can be used even on slower machines and works collaboratively. In this way it's useful for teachers working together but also for students working on class projects with the tool. Or combine the two and work on a brainstorming project as a class using the smart screen and personal devices in the classroom as a group.

Graph tools are a helpful feature, allowing you to create math-focused layouts with ease. The education specific features are also fantastic, allowing teachers to setup a class, invite students, and have everyone collaborate. The comments part here is helpful to make communication between students and teacher simple, even between lessons.

Adobe Express also uses templates to offer a quick and easy way to get started, including a search function. These are wide-ranging and include Posters, Wallpapers, Flyers, Cards, Resumes, Facebook posts, and more. The choice isn't as wide as Canva offers, but is a good way to get started and covers a lot of needs. 

The Adobe Express software also uses AI tech, which makes dragging and dropping super simple. This is able to help you manipulate images with ease, as you'd intuitively expect to with touch controls, removing the complexity for you. Plus, being Adobe, you have more than 20,000 fonts and 175 million images to pick from in its extensive library of resources. 

Other helpful tools include basic filters, enhancements, and blur effects, and the ability to easily remove backgrounds.

Both tools auto save so you don't have to worry about losing work as you progress through -- it also makes rolling back to previous states easy too.

Compatibility

Canva is a highly compatible software platform that is setup for use on most devices. Primarily it is an app, available on iOS and Android so it can be used across tablets and smartphones. You can also download it for Windows or Mac to be used on computers. It is also a web browser accessible software that has been optimized for Chromebooks. 

Adobe Express is also very widely available in app form, although it can't be used via a web browser alone. You can download the app for iOS, Android, Samsung Galaxy, Microsoft, and Mac -- so it will work on most devices. A version is available as an extension for Chrome that has more basic functionality, including, crop, remove background, resize, convert to JPG, and convert to PNG.

Price

Both Canva and Adobe Express offer lots of their services for free. These also have premium tiers that allow you access to more features as required. 

Canva Free gets you more than 250,000 templates, more than 100 design types, hundreds of thousands of photos and graphics, collaboration, and 5GB of cloud storage. 

Canva Pro is charged at $119.99 per year, which offers all the free features and has brand kit upload options, one-click Magic Resize for images, more than 420,000 templates, 75 million images, videos and graphics, design saving for team use, 100GB of cloud storage, and social media scheduling for seven platforms.

You can also choose from Canva for Education (free for K-12), Canva for Districts (free for K-12), or Canva for Campus (for Higher Ed).

Adobe Express is free to use for the basic version, which could be enough for many students. This gets access to the many templates, tools and millions of fonts and images.

That Premium account is charged at $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year, with a three-month free trial. This gets you a lot more content to choose from including images, fonts, refine cutout, resize and graphics groups, plan and scheduling of social media publishing, adding branding and logos in one tap, plus conversion and export from PDFs and other file types.

Uses

There are some great ways to take advantage of these tools in class but to get you started here are a few ideas.

For Adobe Express:

Create a brand
Have students come up with their own branding and logo to represent them, getting creative and having something of their personality they can inject into future projects.

Poster the class
Create visually striking posters for otherwise basic class-based posters such as health and safety, to show students how visuals can enhance content effectively. 

Get social
Don't be afraid to incorporate social media post creations into the class to help get students interested. Just be cautious they don't get too carried away and go off task.

For Canva:

Plan lessons
Use Canva to visually lay out the lesson for yourself as a teacher but also to share with students so they know what to expect and can plan accordingly.

Build student profiles
Have students create learning portfolios so they can see how they're progressing throughout the year -- this can also be a valuable revision and review tool.

Collaborate
With up to 10 members in a project, have groups of students work together, in class and digitally from home, to create a finished body of work.

Chart graphics
Ideal for math and science, Canva can be used to display data in rich charts and graphs to make presenting experiments, and more, visually engaging.

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This guide aims to lay out all the best, and less helpful, features of the tools so educators can work out what it is they could use in class and what, perhaps, they can do without. The end result should be a tool to help connect with students using video, which can mean better learning engagement for a wide range of students.

In the case of each of these tools, these act as digital spaces to host and share media that can be easily accessed by students from most devices. Consequently, these work in the classroom, as a group, or for individual access outside of class, perhaps for a flipped-style class in which the items are discussed in the next lesson.

Flip vs Padlet ultimate comparison guide

Functions

Flip and Padlet are different in their offerings although both do offer a platform for sharing video clips. While Flip lets teachers post videos with accompanying text -- which students can respond to -- Padlet is more like a digital whiteboard that can offer other forms of media too.

Flip lets educators record and post their own videos, which are stored in the cloud so they can be accessed from nearly any device. These can be add to with text, stickers, emojis, and drawings.

Padlet uses virtual walls on which educators can post videos, images, documents and audio. This is collaborative, allowing students to respond by also using the rich media choices -- with controls on how this works reserved for the teacher.

Features

Flip is more video-focused, which means you can upload original video directly and have students interact with ease. Yet with Padlet you can also record videos, or record audio -- or even combine the two with screen recording and guidance, using your device's camera and microphone.

While Padlet creates an open space to upload or share anything you might want, it's Flip that lets you make videos more fun by adding emojis, stickers, writing, or drawings as you might want. So while Padlet might be better for a wider range of media, suited to older students, Flip could be more fun and easy to use for younger students.

Compatibility

While both Flip and Padlet can be accessed using a web browser, meaning they work on most devices, one has more dedicated apps than the other and that's Padlet.

Both work on iPhone, Android, and web, however Padlet also has apps for Windows and Mac machines. Padlet also offers 24/7 live support and comes with many integrations.

Flip works with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Vibe Interactive. But Padlet works across Blackboard Learn, Brightspace, Canvas, Google, Microsoft 365, Moodle, and PowerSchool Unified.

Price

Both Padlet and Flip offer free versions of their software that can be used right away simply by signing up using an email address. However, if you want the full experience with all the features -- in the case of Padlet -- you will have to pay. Padlet does offer a free trial.

Flip is free to use, totally. 

Padlet has a free basic plan for individuals but for teachers there is the Padlet Pro plan at $8 per month, or the school focused plan Padlet Backpack starting at $2,000.

Uses

Here are some great ways to use each of the tools, which may help you decide which could best serve your needs.

Padlet
Brainstorm
Use the collaborative platform on the big screen and have an ideas sharing session with the class -- in a lesson or over weeks of time.

Exit tickets
Use these as a way for students to decompress from the lesson and cement learning and reflection beyond the classroom.

Research
Work on a project as a group and use Padlet as a place to collate research materials with varying media types. Then have students create assignments using the materials as a starting point.

Flip
Stop-motion
Record the stages of a project with pictures and then collate them into a stop motion-style video to show the progress made. This can be done by pausing video recordings as they go.

Use templates
Keep an eye on the #FlipgridWeeklyHits as these offer the top 50 templates from that week, great for ideas to get creative without working from scratch each time.

Get short
Use the three-minute short video limits to create succinct guidance for students, summaries and a space to communicate back and forth with video.

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This year the education world descends upon London for the annual Bett Educational Training and Technology trade show which has been running since 1985. Year after year the show has centered more around technology in the classroom and this year is no different, with robots and artificial intelligence dominating the event.

Expect to hear from huge names such as Google and Microsoft as well as education-specific companies such as WizeFloor, Dobot, LapSafe, and others. 

Here are the very best picks from what we saw on the show floor this year to help education progress in a way that's innovative but easily integrated into schools, colleges and universities.

Best of BETT 2023 top picks

Dobot Magician E6

Dobot Magician E6 is at BETT 2023 this year to show how bot-based learning can help engage all levels of students and enhance both STEM and STEAM lessons. 

This is a six-axis robotic arm which is controlled by bespoke algorithms written with education in mind. As such, this can be used to teach about robotics, coding, production, and more, all from a small space. The desktop robot is small enough to fit on a space the size of an A4 sheet of paper, making it an option for nearly any classroom.

Dobot is working to create more software that answers the needs of educators and currently offers support to help enhance use of this frankly mesmerizing robot educator.

Jamworks AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is well and truly here and how that affects education is being decided already. 

Jamworks is on the front line of this new wave of technology, with a product that uses all the smarts of an AI assistant but in a sandboxed system that keeps students safe, and stops plagiarism and cheating, while serving both student and educator.

Jamworks is able to record a class and automatically transcribe a lesson with concise bulleted notes, images, links, and headings, which combine for easy learning and revision. It can also create quizzes from classes, making cheating far more difficult and helping gauge student learning in class.

Students and teachers can even learn by simply asking the AI to summarize a subject and it will trawl the internet to create a concise lesson that suits their age range. The future has arrived for class.

Veative VR

Veative is a VR company aimed at education specifically. Unlike many others, this brand offers a stand alone headset. That means this has all the content loaded on so you don't need any computer, smartphones, cables, or even internet to use the virtual reality experiences.

There are over 100 hours of content across 670 modules spanning STEM learning, ELL, special ed, physics, chemistry, biology, math and more all made to curricula standards. Plus there is an app backing it up so educators can assess progress of students and analyze data over time to see how effective the VR classes can be.

Older students can also use the VR world to experience careers virtually in order to help them decide on a career path that could be best suited to their needs and abilities. 

With fair rates for use across classes or school-wide, Veative is a very appealing option for any schools considering adding VR to their education portfolio.

MakeKit AS

MakeKit AS was at BETT 2023 to show off its range of educational robots. From bots that blow bubbles when you clap to flying drones -- students can now build and code these smart machines with more ease than ever. 

MakeKit has created a system that works with micro:bit in order to control robotic movements and commands, all within the MakeCode language framework.

All that should mean a far more straightforward experience for educators and students who want to enjoy STEAM learning. Backed by a host of helpful YouTube videos, the MakeKit AS makes teaching and learning of robotics and coding more pleasant and all while using sustainable parts too.

LapSafe Smart Lockers

LapSafe Smart Lockers are the future of laptop storage -- and it's available now. From digital access to built-in charging, there is a lot to be excited about when it comes to these smart locker systems. 

Educators and students can use the touchscreen to access a locker, where there will be a fully charged laptop waiting. Since the bay charges the device it should mean no need to lug about chargers or have unsightly and potentially dangerous cables laying about the building.

Secure, easy to access, and built to be efficient on space, these smart lockers are ideal for schools. But thanks to the 24/7 nature of the accessibility, these are also a great choice for colleges and universities. From fixed units to lockers with wheels that can be moved about, there are several options to suit most needs. All come with a lifetime parts and labor warranty too, for that extra peace of mind.

ViewSonic Universe

ViewSonic, the display manufacturing specialist, has taken to BETT 2023 to show off its new Universe software, which aims to blur the lines between reality and digital engagement.

The ViewSonic Universe is a virtual classroom space in which teachers and students can appear as avatars, signing in from wherever they are, using nearly any device. The idea is to reduce absences while also offering a space that can be adaptable. Teachers can post quizzes or polls instantly, or teach about the stars by turning the ceiling into a virtual observatory.

This platform has huge potential and the more it balances the real and virtual worlds, the more teaching opportunities it can offer.

WizeFloor Interactive Surface

The WizeFloor Interactive Surface is a smart projector system that can turn a floor into a digitally interactive experience for students. In using this, a video is projected on the floor that smart cameras can detect when a foot is placed on a certain point, and the video reacts accordingly. Think giant touchscreen, only on the floor and able to react to multiple students at once.

From presenting quizzes that require students to stamp the right answer to playing virtual soccer games, there is a huge range of possibilities offered by this system. Everything can be scaled to suit the size of the room, or you can go for a mobile option, on wheels, to be used anywhere it's needed in the school.

Crucially, educators can create their own games and tools on this platform, which broadens the possibilities.

EntrySign Login System

The EntrySign Login System has been shown at BETT as a fantastic way to manage the visitors of any education institution. This automated system crams in features while keeping student security and safeguarding at the forefront as it is designed specifically for education institutions. 

This system automates the process, allowing staff to get on with other tasks. Send temporary time sensitive QR codes to guests so they can sign in with their devices, use fobs for regular visitors, and enjoy features such as automatic temperature taking and self sanitizing. All while collecting all the data you need to stay safe and keep records of everyone that signs in and out of your education space.

Technology expectations for teachers are high, particularly when it comes to the media they incorporate in lessons. High-quality video and audio that supports lessons are not just luxuries; they are the standard. Providing teachers with the resources they need to deliver this media is vital to student engagement, helping provide a bridge for unfinished learning and student creativity. 

This student engagement is the aim of Harman’s new AMX Jetpack, a tech management system designed specifically for K-12 classrooms. Using a keypad and wall-plate, teachers can access content and media from a variety of sources using high-quality video and audio, saving precious instruction time and ensuring that every student in the room can follow along with the lesson comfortably.

We recently spoke with Colin Mahoney, product marketing manager of video & control at HARMAN Professional Solutions, about how the new AMX Jetpack is helping educators meet their teaching goals and enhance the learning experience for students. Here is what he had to say about this classroom tech:

Question: In these challenging times, educators need tech tools that save time for what really matters – engaging their students. How can the AMX Jetpack make it easier for instructors to interact with the technology in their classrooms?

Answer: We understand that every second spent fiddling with equipment detracts from the student experience and makes it more difficult to keep the class connected and engaged. The durable, simple user interface makes controlling the system very straightforward, and conveniences, like a USB-C laptop input, which removes the need for easy to lose cable dongles, are engineered to ensure that instructors spend as little time and effort as possible getting their content on the screen.

Q: The ability for a school district to configure and manage large numbers of AMX Jetpack systems remotely is a key benefit of this system. Is the installation process as seamless as the ongoing management?

A: That’s true. Jetpack Manager is a free software tool for PC or Mac that enables an administrator to discover, configure, manage, and control multiple Jetpack systems over the network. Once the systems are connected to the network, administrators can auto-discover and organize them into a logical, hierarchical structure, and configure the audio, video, control, and security settings all at once, or in groups of any size. The keypad, input wall-plate, and receiver are daisy-chained together with only a category cable and a single power supply at the receiver powers the whole solution, making for a simple install.

Q: Is the AMX Jetpack appropriate for educators to incorporate media from existing smart boards, online video or streaming options or even from their own personal device?

A: We included a USB-C input and two HDMI inputs as well as USB pass-though on the input wall-plate for maximum flexibility. Room PCs, document cameras, or streaming devices could be connected to the HDMI inputs and the instructor’s laptop, phone, or tablet may connect through the USB-C port. Devices connected to the wall-plate with either the USB-C port or the USB Type B port can be used with USB smart boards or displays with touch overlays that are connected to the receiver. Jetpack also supports a technology called HDMI ARC. If the classroom has a smart display with a built-in streaming app that the instructor is using, audio from that app will be sent back over HDMI so that it can be played over the speakers connected to Jetpack.

Q: Budgets have always been top of mind for administrators. How does the AMX Jetpack system help keep costs manageable?

A: One of the biggest issues that educational facilities and integrators asked us to solve was that some of the competitor’s packages include too much. No one speaker is ideal for every classroom and if rooms are pre-wired, you shouldn’t be forced to pay for wire you don’t need. Jetpack includes a keypad, input wall-plate, multi-function receiver, and the management software. The multi-function receiver has a lot of built-in technology like an amplifier, microphone input, control ports, and remote mute, but our package does not include speakers, cables, or display mounts. With Jetpack, you only pay for what you need and have the freedom to choose what’s best for your classroom.

Colin Mahoney is the Product Marketing Manager for Video and Control Products at HARMAN Professional Solutions. Colin has over 20 years of experience in the AV industry in technical, sales, and marketing roles. He spent his first few years in the industry as a manufacturer’s rep and has been with AMX and HARMAN since 2007.

About HARMAN

HARMAN is a global leader in audio, video, lighting and control systems for the classroom and beyond. Learn more about the AMX Jetpack and how it creates engaging environments where instructors and students can communicate productively.

The following websites for differentiated instruction offer a wide variety of methods to differentiate teaching and learning for any budget.  

Top Sites for Differentiated Instruction

Top Free Sites for Differentiated Instruction

How to Differentiate Instruction in the Classroom
While it’s simple to say, “Educators should differentiate instruction,” the reality is more complicated. How exactly can differentiation be accomplished in a classroom with 20-30 kids of varying temperaments and development? This article takes a look at the definition, origin, and implementation of differentiated instruction, offering specific methods and examples for classroom teachers. 

Read Write Think Differentiating Instruction
Read Write Think has developed a comprehensive series of guides detailing strategies for differentiation in the classroom, from assessment to cooperative learning to the think-pair-share technique. Each guide includes the research basis for the strategy, how to implement it, and lesson plans. A must-have for your differentiated teaching.

Best Free Formative Assessment Tools and Apps
First things first: Without formative assessment, there’s no differentiation. Explore 14 of the best free sites and apps for helping teachers gauge their students’ skill level in reading, math, science, or any subject. 

Classtools.net
The brainchild of educator Russel Tarr, Classtools.net allows teachers to create games, quizzes, activities, and diagrams for creative differentiated learning. Don’t be fooled by Classtools.net’s simple layout -- this site is a powerhouse of free, fun, and easy-to-use tools for teaching and learning, many of which are not found elsewhere. Try the Tarsia Puzzle Generator, Dice Roller, or Turbo Timeline Generator. Don’t worry: “Fling the Teacher” is all in good fun. 

Breaking News English
A remarkable free site that transforms current events into rich classroom lessons for learners of any ability. Each news article is written at four different reading levels and accompanied by online grammar, spelling, and vocabulary activities as well as printable worksheets. Students can also listen to audio at five speeds for each article. Ideal for ELL students or simply differentiating English lessons.

Rewordify.com
Very cool free site that “rewordifies” by simplifying difficult text, from classic literature (Lewis Carroll, William Shakespeare, Harriet Beecher Stowe, e.g.) to historical documents and modern internet articles. Users can upload their own text or URL, or browse existing content. Be sure to check out the printable vocabulary exercises and quizzes, and the Educator Central department, which allows teachers to add student accounts and track progress.

Top Freemeum Sites for Differentiated Instruction

Quill
The not-for-profit Quill is dedicated to providing free tools to help students improve their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Start with the diagnostic tests to assess your students’ learning. A strong set of tutorials will guide teachers and students in making the most of Quill.

Arcademics
K-8 game-based learning across a wide range of subjects. The educational portal allows teachers to track and monitor students, generate detailed reports, and assess student learning.

Chronicle Cloud
An all-in-one platform for taking notes, assessing students, providing feedback, and more, Chronicle Cloud helps teachers differentiate instruction in real time. 

ClassroomQ
This easy-to-use, innovative platform acts as a digital hand-raising device, making it easy for kids to ask for help and for teachers to provide it in a timely fashion. 

Edji
Edji is an interactive learning tool that engages students through collaborative highlighting, annotation, comments, and even emojis. The detailed heat map helps educators to gauge student understanding and personalize lessons. Still not sure how it works? Try the Edji demo – no sign up required!

Pear Deck  
A Google Slides add-on that allows educators to create quizzes, slides, and presentations with their own content or using templates. Students respond via their mobile devices; teachers can then assess student understanding in real time. 

Actively Learn
Educators can make any reading material their own by adding questions and annotation. The “Extra Help” features supports differentiated learning by offering explanatory text when needed. Integrates with Google Classroom and Canvas.  

Top Paid Sites for Differentiated Instruction

Renzulli Learning
Founded by education researchers, Renzulli Learning is a learning system that differentiates instruction for any student through careful assessment of student learning style, preferences and creativity. Integrates with Clever, ClassLink, and other SSO providers. A generous 90-day free trial makes it easy to try it yourself.

BoomWriter
A unique site that lets students express their creativity by adding their own chapters to an initial story prompt. Classmates can anonymously vote on which ones should be included in the final story. BoomWriter then publishes these stories as softcover books, and can personalize each one to include the student's name on the cover and their final chapter as an alternate ending. Other tools support nonfiction and vocabulary-based writing activities.

IXL   
A popular site for English language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish that allows student progress tracking with detailed reporting. Educators can monitor areas in which students struggle, and then adjust instruction accordingly.

Buncee    
A blended interactive learning tool for creating shareable presentations or digital stories, Buncee includes an extensive multimedia library to enrich your slideshows. Teachers can also flip a classroom by assigning quizzes, plus track and monitor students. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.

Education Galaxy
Education Galaxy is a K-6 online platform that uses gameplay to engage and motivate students to learn a wide variety of subjects. The site also supports assessing student needs and integrating self-paced learning.

Otus
A one-to-one learning management solution and mobile learning environment through which educators can differentiate instruction based on detailed real-time analytics.

Parlay
Teachers can use Parlay to build a classroom discussion on any topic. Browse through a robust library of discussion prompts (with resources), facilitate online round tables, or create a live verbal round table. Use the built-in tools to provide feedback and assess student progress. Free trial for teachers. 

Socrates
A standards-aligned, game-based learning system dedicated to differentiated learning that automatically adjusts content to student needs.

Edulastic
An innovative online assessment platform that makes it easy for teachers to differentiate instruction through timely detailed progress reports. 

• Best Sites for Genius Hour/Passion Projects 
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Meet the USB. A ubiquitous standard with immense potential. USB (Universal Serial Bus) is one of those underreported yet massively relevant technologies. It doesn’t get the glamor or glory of hot-ticket items, but USB ports, cables, and workflows are changing how installers design rooms and how end-users collaborate. 

ProAV USB workflows might seem like a new phenomenon accelerated by COVID’s work/learn from home reality. But the trend was solidifying long before the pandemic shook the globe. Manufacturers large and small have been adding USB ports into their products for years, to connect laptops, mice, microphones, and web cameras. As demand grew, AV pros realized they could optimize USB and do a whole lot more than mere one-to-one connections.

Back to the Basics

To understand the USB workflow, we need to revisit general definitions. Simply put, “a workflow” refers to the chain of events in a process through which a piece of work passes from start to finish. Every employee has a workflow. So does every system. From chip manufacturing to programming to teaching to artmaking.  

What’s a ProAV USB workflow? How AV operations flow through connected USB-enabled devices, from inception to completion of a task.

From Consumer to Pro Use Cases

Before the analog sunset of 2012, little thought was given to USB in K-12 and higher classrooms, or corporate videoconferencing systems. USB connected personal devices—one computer to one phone. Boardroom systems were once the provenance of big, hardwired products with RS-232 and MDUs. Sophisticated software programming was required to link it all together. That one-to-one topography needed to change. 

“The USB workflow evolved because we wanted to put USB in the room for multiple people to utilize,” says Ken Eagle, Vice President of Technology, Hall Technologies. 

USB significantly simplifies operations like presenting, by making it totally plug-and-play by sending video to display and audio to the room’s amplifier. With a unified USB workflow, you can connect to control systems and interact with devices that were not physically part of the room.

USB for Group Collaboration

What if users aren’t in the same room together? They can't access the same USB device because it only plugs into one laptop. How do we widely share USB devices?

With the new USB workflow, there is no need to disconnect. Hall Technologies’ switching solution allows users to “make the switch” as easily as changing inputs during presentations. USB devices change inputs while the video changes input. This is the shift and promise of USB workflows as they graduated from personal devices to shared, corporate devices on a larger AV network of products.

A leader in the field of USB workflows is Hall Technologies. “Our method guarantees that if two, three, four, or a dozen people are in a room, all connected with their laptops to the room switch, and we switch between participant sharing, they can use and switch USB devices,” Ken Eagle explained. “The microphone, soundbar, PTZ camera, computer running Teams or Zoom, all peripherals—everything—in a classroom will follow with whoever the presenter is, so it's always live.” 

There is no need for anyone in a classroom to unplug.

This approach changes the workflow dramatically in classrooms where teachers share USB devices with guest speakers, and many students need to collaborate in real time. 

Universal? Nope.

Despite its acronym, USB is anything but a universal, common language. It seems like a small chain to upgrade, but there are nuances with USB that must be understood to make it work properly. Cabling and changes in switching power must be considered. That’s why Hall Technologies has taken a strategic, scalable approach to ensuring USB workflows. Eagle believes that the company’s three-prong suite of USB workflow solutions make the design, deployment, and management supremely easy while future-proofing classrooms and workspaces.

USB Workflow for a Simple Classroom

At the entry level, the simple classroom calls for a straightforward workflow. This would be a laptop, speakerphone with a USB hub, and a camera. It could also be an HDBaseT product which provides access over a single category cable to a receiver, ensuring an HDMI feed and a camera at the display.

“Over a single HDBaseT connection, I get a USB workflow,” Eagle notes.

USB Workflows for the K-12 Classroom, Hybrid & Remote Classrooms

Today, a hybrid approach is essential for K-12 learning spaces. Schools should expect teachers and students to dial in to class remotely at varying stages of the school year. Installers and onsite AV/IT managers should specify and prioritize strong network backbones and quality internet connections. 

Remote learners benefit tremendously from USB workflows. “With a laptop you can connect locally with users,” Eagle says, “and bringing people in the room remotely is easy through a Teams or Zoom connection.”

AV pros can select to physically wire a room and put in a dedicated Zoom device or connection point, for tying in anyone outside the room. “Either approach is fine. USB workflows are ideal for all scenarios—local or communication across the network,” he adds.

USB Workflows Keep Everyone Connected  

USB workflows are ideal tools in educational environments. Onsite, online, or hybrid USB workflows tie together necessary tools for presentation, collaboration, interactive whiteboarding, mics, and other installed and wireless endpoints. Even casting, window tiling (in larger projects), and live capture “can all be done on the USB stream,” Eagle states.

“That is where USB becomes important in a classroom environment,” says Eagle. “AV products alone can't do all that. We have to use USB peripherals and connect them to our AV products. That's a USB workflow connecting to an AV workflow. We're marrying the two together and making two-way communication between at least three different parties. Students at home using USB devices can still interact and talk to the instructor, and other students in the room and ask questions. Everyone stays deeply engaged.”

For more information, check out. 

About Hall Technologies

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the right technology can prove essential to staying in touch with the outside world. For more than three decades Hall Technologies has been a leader in the Pro AV industry with a longstanding reputation for providing top-quality, highly reliable end-to-end solutions.

From video distribution and switchers/scalers to completely integrated audio, video, and control systems, we aim to strengthen human connection – whether that be in the home, office, or classroom. Hall Technologies: reimagining the way we live, work and play.

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Over the last two years, paper-to-digital transformation has accelerated rapidly as almost all businesses and industries have had to learn how to work in a hybrid world. Fortunately, technology has advanced to make digitization not only more efficient but also easier and more accessible than paper—in fact, the number of digitally signed agreements in Adobe Sign, for example, increased 17x since the start of 2020.

In education, we have seen digital paperwork replace virtually everything—admissions forms, IEPs, waivers and permission slips, student records, device management, student handbooks, and more. While the adjustment to hybrid learning certainly arrived with its share of challenges, these changes have created opportunities to reimagine processes that reduce errors, drive cost savings, and enhance security and compliance—prompting industry leaders to find solutions that better serve those working in education.

To better understand the growth, processes, benefits, and content of the digital agreements, Adobe surveyed 300 enterprise education leaders across the U.S., U.K., and Australia for their insights.  

Eco-friendly and Over 80 Percent More Efficient

Our research found that it takes education employees an average of 70 minutes to chase down signatures. By comparison, it takes only 19 minutes to review and sign eco-friendly digital agreements. This 73 percent time savings adds up and positively impacts morale. As the proud daughter of a teacher, I know education administrators, faculty, and staff are driven by empowering students to take charge of their futures—not shuffling papers. 

We also learned that a shift to digital agreements improves productivity of educators and administrators across critical functions like:

• Better meet deadlines (88 percent)
• Better meet work goals (88 percent)
• Focus more on important things about jobs (88 percent)
• Be a more independent worker (80 percent)

One of my favorite examples of a school benefiting from embracing digitization is De Anza Community College. Joseph Moreau, vice chancellor of technology and CTO at Foothill-De Anza Community College District said, “Not only did the digital workflow save time and money, it also allowed the administration to focus more on students and less on bureaucracy.”

Closing the Inclusivity Gap

 COVID-19 jump-started an important conversation about what is and isn’t working in our current education system—a conversation that has been needed for years. While the shift to automated processes has certainly been a pain point, the research also identified the opportunity for improving diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) in the language used in many forms used in education. Educators and administrators reported seeing the following in agreements and forms:

• Gender-binary language (36 percent)
• Limited fields for signatories to authentically describe themselves (21 percent)
• Inappropriate or outdated language when referring to personal descriptors (12 percent)

Digitization allows institutions and schools to quickly overhaul current processes and easily set up systems to support continuous updates to documents, helping to standardize language updates broadly and immediately. Ultimately, digitized documents allow real-time adjustments, like inclusive phrasing, to reach all students, staff, admins, and families from the moment documents are updated. Paired with effective and clear DEI policies, more schools can update their forms to reflect their commitment to close the inclusivity gap.

The Road Forward

 We have made great strides in furthering creativity and digital literacy in the classroom to improve student engagement and career trajectories—however, this research highlights why more schools must embrace digital transformation to further the student experience with more efficient and inclusive processes that support everyone.

Just to be clear: You're not going to double your download speeds with a few smart tweaks, but you certainly can help speed things along. By making sure your connection speed is at its best you'll be able to enjoy more stable video calls, faster downloads, quicker web browsing, and more.

The key here is that you can get all that, ideal for hybrid teaching, without having to spend money on upgrading your connection.

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Have a faster WiFi connection now

The key is that your network can be running more efficiently in your home so that all your devices will run faster. But also important is that each of those devices is in its best state to take full advantage of the speed available to you.

These WiFi tips will help to make sure you're always running as fast as you possibly can so that you get your money's worth out of your WiFi network.

Router placement is key

The router, which brings in the data from an outside cable, or over the air depending on your type, is where everything bottlenecks. If this isn't sending out the most data at the highest speed, then everything connected after that will suffer.

So, first and foremost, make sure the router is in the best position. That doesn't just mean in the ideal room -- where you use the internet most -- but also positioned well. The WiFi router has to have space around it and is, ideally, placed off the ground level. This way that wireless radio signal can get a good start to reach all over your home.

To do this, get the router away from any large and potentially deadening objects. So think metal fridges or TVs, dense brickwork walls or fireplaces, metallic framed furniture or even other gadgets. Essentially the more space around your router, the more speed that signal can offer.

Also, if your router has antennas, make sure they're pointing in the right direction. That means out toward your devices as opposed to at a wall, or metal object nearby, for example. Antenna send signals omnidirectionally, so a vertical one will send it horizontally. So if you want WiFi upstairs try setting your antenna lying down horizontally to fire that signal upward.

Finally, make sure your router is running the latest software and that you regularly restart it to be sure it's running most optimally.

Go hardwired

WiFi is great, sure, with all the freedom and convenience it offers. But it still can't beat a good old-fashioned cable connection when it comes to speed and stability. This is done using an Ethernet cable that runs from one of the ports, on which most routers have at least four.

From laptops and consoles to smart TVs and stereos, everything can benefit from being hardwire connected. While many devices don't have Ethernet ports these days, you can buy adapters to make sure you're on the best connection speed possible. It also frees up more WiFi bandwidth for the other devices that are connected wirelessly.

Clean your network

You may not have noticed but it's likely you've collected up more and more devices that are now running from your WiFi network. Some may lie dormant while others may be dipping into your network without you even realising. For this reason it can pay to have a clearout every now and then. That leaves your router free to concentrate its connection on the devices you actually use regularly.

One way to have a clean up is to log into the router and see directly which devices are connected. Most routers will have a login and password that can be accessed via a web browser, if your router doesn't already have an app setup on your phone. To go in via a browser, type in "https://168.0.0.1" and you'll be taken directly into the router's local network.

Use a password

Another way to make sure your router isn't unnecessarily serving more devices than it needs to, is to make sure you're not being used by someone else. If you have a decent WiFi signal you may find that other people living nearby are using your network connection.

To stop this you need to make sure you not only have a password on your WiFi but also change it regularly -- should you find devices you don't recognise on your network. This will not only speeds up your connection but will also make sure you're secure and potential threats can't get into your networks and devices so easily.

Get the right bandwidth

Most WiFi routers come with both 2.4Ghz and 5GHz bandwidths. The first is better for range but won't carry as much data, while the second is faster but won't go as far. So be sure to connect the right devices to the right one.

For your basic gadgets such as smart home devices, security cameras, and even smart speakers, use the 2.4GHz band. Then save the faster 5GHz band for PCs, smartphones, consoles, and smart TVs.

If everything is still busy then you may find that everyone living nearby is using the same bands and that's making it congested. You can login to your router and change the band frequency manually, since this is usually automatically set. This may get you some more speed. For a Mac, use the Wireless Diagnostic feature (Option + click Wi-Fi status in the top right); for Windows, use an app like NetSpot.

None Of That Helped. Now What?

If you find that even after all those adjustments to your use of WiFi, you've still got a slow connection, then you have two options, both of which may require spending money.

The first is to invest in a new router -- or a mesh network of routers if you have a larger space to cover. This can vary in price so need not cost too much but generally speaking the more you spend the faster the performance will be.

The other, and most important, is to get a faster internet connection. This can be done, if you're lucky, by contacting your provider and complaining to see if they can improve what you have. Or by finding a faster package. Or by seeking out a new broadband provider completely. Don't avoid this too much though as this can sometimes end up saving you money and getting you more speed if you find a package that works for you.

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Many laptops and all-in-one desktop machines do come with webcams, although the quality of these might not be good enough for everyone. This is especially important if, for example, you're feeding video to a large screen and smartboard, which will show up any poor quality. For any teachers or students running a YouTube feed, it also pays to have the best quality results so you'll be seen clearly on any device you're being viewed on.

To be clear, a good webcam adds higher resolution and better lighting smarts, so the end result is of higher quality. But if the connection is poor it doesn't matter what camera you have, it won't be able to improve that. So be sure to check your connection isn't the issue before turning to webcam fixes.

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Get a better video without buying a new webcam

A new webcam can help improve video quality, with some offering higher resolutions than others and some models even offering lighting. But if you already have a webcam, or even a smartphone, you don't necessarily need to spend money on new hardware to improve the picture quality of video.

Even if you do buy a new webcam you may find that you get it plugged in and the results aren't much better. That's because how you use a webcam, especially with services such as Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet, is really important.

Here are some of the best ways to improve your current webcam quality.

Find the right settings

You may find that your webcam isn't actually being used to its full potential and a quick dabble in the settings could be enough to unlock better quality. While some webcams come with software to make adjustments, you'll find that in many cases it's within the streaming apps that you'll need to make changes.

There are two key metrics to keep in mind here: resolution and FPS (frames per second). The first is how many pixels are captured while the second is how many images are transmitted per second. In nearly all cases, the FPS is more important than the resolution since this is what gives you the smoother result.

Generally speaking, if your webcam is set to 720p resolution that is enough. If you have a 1080p cam and using that higher quality doesn't lower your frame rate then by all means use it -- just beware that you will be using more data than at 720p, which looks fine on even larger computer screens. So in most cases, pick the fastest frame rate over all else for the smoothest and most life-like video.

Use software enhancement

To take the hardware you've already got to another level you can use dedicated software that's created for this exact purpose. Many will allow you to continue using your video chat platform of choice while the smart software works its magic in the background to enhance your video feed quality. 

OBS Studio or Webcam Settings Tool, for example, are free to download and will work with software such as Zoom or Google Meet, integrating to enhance your feed. You can make video adjustments in the broadcasting software; just be sure to change the feed in Zoom, or whatever platform you're using, from Webcam to OBS or Webcam Settings Tool, instead.

If you don't mind spending a bit on the software, for the best results and most options, then the official Windows Webcam Settings app or, for Apple users, the Mactaris macOS Webcam Settings app, are great options.

Another option is to download a program on your smartphone and connect that, either wirelessly or with a cable. This will allow you to use your smartphone's camera as a webcam. Since many smartphones have impressive cameras, this can up quality considerably. Just keep in mind you may need to invest in a stand to hold your phone in place. One of the best apps for this is DroidCam, which is free. For extra features, for which you need to pay, the DroidCamX version gives you things such as better video quality and contrast and sharpness tools.

Light it up

There's a reason the old saying goes, "Lights, camera, action!" Lights are that important. Chances are you're not using dedicated lights at home, and that's okay. But you can get a better picture quality with a little lighting assistance. More light is better. But where it comes from is important.

Make sure any light source, be it daylight through a window, a room overhead light, or a lamp, is placed behind the camera. By doing this, your face will get illuminated and the camera won't have to work to stop you being silhouetted if that light is coming from behind you.

To take this to the next level, you can now affordably invest in some LED lighting. These come in the form of ring lights, which are able to throw an even and balanced light onto your face so you pop on the screen, making you more engaging for students and, helpfully, placing your background into more darkness.

Sound out

Being seen is important but being heard is not to be forgotten. If your listeners are hearing you more clearly they're going to be able to filter out any visual lags to follow along better. That makes audio an important part of quality.

Your device will likely have a built-in microphone but some have multiple microphones and far-field capabilities. Some will detect voices and block out other sounds. Whatever your hardware setup, the program you use for video streaming will work with that for the optimal result. This is something you can tweak.

In Zoom, for example, you can setup how much background noise removal the software does. It's worth noting that Original Audio can also be turned on, which is great if you want to play music or anything beyond your voice alone.

Use back-up

While the foreground is taken care of with all the above tips, that does leave one area to address: the background. Despite not playing a front-and-center role in most video chats, the background is still there and deserves attention. If not, it can be distracting at best and at worst could possibly cause offense.

First up, be sure to keep the background as clutter-free as possible. A more minimal screen will set your students up for a calmer and more focused learning environment. Second, be sure to remove as many personally revealing items as possible, since this is just another layer of distraction and may give away more about you than you want. 

Finally, add in what can help. Some color to keep the screen appealing and perhaps a plant to give a calming natural feel to the image. Of course, if you're teaching a specific subject, then something relating to that shows you've put in the effort, which can help your students feel better welcomed and looked after.

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Edmentum, an innovative edtech organization known for engaging curriculum and research-based learning assessments is committed to building lasting partnerships with educators nationwide through best-in-class programs and services that puts teachers first. By deepening and broadening the blended and virtual learning opportunities through strategic partnerships, the online learning solution provider offers an undisrupted pathway to success for students and their schools, even in the most trying of times. Their latest addition to the family — Apex Learning — is a respected leader in education technology with a rich 20-year history of success. We talk with Edmentum CEO, Jamie Candee, who sees the partnership with Apex Learning as a chance to return to better as we head into the fall.

 
How will these teams join forces to future-proof learning through this next era of hybrid education?

A year and a half of pandemic-era learning has expedited the need to support learners, educators, and administrators in new ways. We have seen students grow increasingly more comfortable with learning via technology. That silver lining exposure to online learning has driven acute awareness of what is both engaging and effective. It is crucial to bring a mode of flexible hybrid learning into classrooms that doesn’t alienate the teacher, but rather amplifies his or her role as an essential learning guide.

Which Apex features have most helped educators during these challenging times?

Apex Learning’s Tutorials Catalog offers a modular approach to adaptive learning designed to fill gaps and provide accessible on-grade instruction. This is key in the Covid-learning era. For students experiencing learning disruptions and in need of additional support, Apex assures that scaffolds and supports enhance learning and even the playing field for all students.

How has Edmentum remained cognizant of equity issues in the classroom?

We know that school and district leaders wake up every day thinking about equity and access to learning for all the students they serve. By bringing together the Edmentum and Apex teams, we are even more laser-focused on delivering a strong combination of flexible, trusted, and comprehensive programming that delivers against these needs.

How have Apex and Edmentum helped students in transition during this unpredictable COVID-19 era of learning?

Like Edmentum, Apex Learning became a partner that was able to deliver scalable online learning that flexes to meet the needs of virtual, hybrid, and in-classroom program needs. As a joint organization, we have and will continue to provide digital curriculum and assessments to support learning anywhere, anytime with a collective commitment to build school around the needs of students.

How do Apex’s credit-bearing core and elective courses complement Edmentum’s long history of excellent education research to pave the pathway into higher learning for middle and high schoolers?

We believe that we can have a greater impact on student outcomes when we come together. Apex demonstrates specific strengths in middle school and advanced placement curriculum, while also offering standards-aligned instruction through tutorials. Given these core competencies, this acquisition enables Edmentum to offer a deeper course catalog and accelerates other initiatives that will better serve the needs of our educator partners.

What made Apex such an impactful addition to the Edmentum family?

We find ourselves at an important inflection point in education. COVID-era learning opened significant opportunities to accelerate flexibility in teaching and learning in ways we have never seen before. One of the reasons that the organizations are coming together is that we share this commitment to flexible learning in our respective cultures. Edmentum and Apex have complementary values in how we develop our programs, how we go to market, and ultimately how we put educators first. Together, our organizations sit at the intersection of innovation, quality, and what teachers need to differentiate instruction for all kids. This alignment is essential to amplifying the great work educators do to impact student outcomes every day.

To learn more, visit the Apex Learning website. 

About Edmentum

At Edmentum, a single mission guides and inspires us as it defines our core purpose and the contribution we make to society: Founded in innovation, we are committed to being educators' most trusted partner in creating successful student outcomes everywhere learning occurs. To help us work toward that mission while operating business, our key values guide our priorities and are evident in everything we do.

Age of Learning, a leading education technology innovator known for the popular ABCmouse, has set their sights on math. Their goal is to help students master essential math skills, while building their confidence along the way – something critical to success. With this goal in mind, the company has introduced My Math Academy, a personalized, engaging, and adaptive game-based math solution for Pre-K through second grade classes. 

Multiple randomized control trials have shown that students using My Math Academy for as little as 45 minutes per week over a twelve-week period experience significant learning gains, with increased engagement, interest, and confidence in learning math. And schools participating in pilot programs across Florida, California, and Texas are already enjoying the benefits of the new resource .

Teachers in a pilot in Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District in Texas are seeing positive results in their students learning gains and experience with math. 

“Our student body in Harlingen is largely economically disadvantaged, and our administrators and teachers care deeply about providing each child the high-quality education they deserve,” says Carmen Alvarez, Director, HCISD Early Childhood. “Our district was focused on addressing math deficiencies with our early learners. When we discovered My Math Academy, we were confident that it would be a powerful tool for both our students and teachers."

The district initiated the program with more than 900 pre-K students, seeing math skills triple for 3-year-olds and more than double for 4-year-olds. The average 3-year-old pre-K student is now approaching kindergarten-level math skills, with the average 4-year-old pre-K student at mid-kindergarten level. A further 25 pre-K students were identified as achieving a second-grade level. With this level of success, the district expanded the program to 240 kindergartners this past spring.

My Math Academy helps educators focus more on teaching and less on assessing, providing real-time insights on student progress, accomplishments, and points of struggle. These actionable instruction recommendations help teachers make data-driven grouping decisions for efficient classroom management. More importantly, it helps uncover blind spots or blips that could have developed during the challenging on-again, off-again schooling experiences of the past year. 

What makes this resource stand out are the organically embedded formative and summative assessments that encourage game-based learning. The learning system uses assessment data to provide appropriate scaffolding, adjust difficulty, and customize learning pathways. 

“We have seen tremendous results across our classrooms with students fully engaged in math and developing a love of learning, and our teachers have been able to utilize the rich data from this program to differentiate instruction for each child and to track learning growth,” says Alvarez. “Despite the pandemic, our students have been positively impacted, whether they have been learning remotely, in the classroom, or both.” 

Bringing learning to life in a stress-free and creative way has never been so important after the challenges of this era, nor have educators had a steeper hill to climb to bring all their students together while compensating for the drastically different environments of the past year. Tools that help achieve both goals can help schools find their way to success.

About Age of Learning

Age of Learning®, is a leading education technology innovator, creating engaging and effective learning resources to help children build a strong foundation for academic success. Based in Los Angeles, the company is Bringing Learning to Life by blending educational expertise, innovative technology, and insightful creativity. Age of Learning’s flagship product in the U.S., ABCmouse.com® Early Learning Academy, is a comprehensive curriculum for preschool through second grade, available on all major digital platforms. In 2019 the company launched Adventure Academy™, the first AAA educational massively multiplayer online game (MMO), serving elementary- and middle-school-aged children with thousands of learning activities in a fun and safe virtual world. My Math Academy® for schools is an adaptive, personalized program that helps students master foundational math concepts. Connect with Age of Learning at www.AgeofLearning.com or on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Having all that data in the cloud means it can be more easily shared so access for the likes of teachers, students, parents and admins is straightforward and paper-free. So that could mean sharing test results, attendance records, appraisal performance and plenty more.

At its most basic, an SIS brings together data points from across the school or college and allows them to be accessed in one place for tracking progress and performance more easily.

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What is a Student Information System?

To be clear, it's an SIS we're talking about here, which can also break down into a Student Management System (SMS), Student Information Management System (SIMS), or Student Records System (SRS) - all created to help keep records digitally.

These systems can be used within a school for student data or information on the school as a whole. But the platforms can also be used to manage multiple institutions district-wide, say, to get a clearer view of how schools compare on very specific metrics.

The key with an SIS, over a more traditional WebCT, SCT Campus Pipeline, Jetspeed, or Blackboard, is that this online platform allows data that might otherwise be spread across multiple locations to be available in one easily accessible place.

What is a Student Information System for?

The Student Information System is there to create a self-service solution for students to get their administrative tasks done in one place. Equally, it is can support faculty and staff by helping to simplify and integrate work processes.

Since the SIS can be used as a digital dropbox of sorts, it's ideal for parents who want to access information on their child, communicate with the school, and even make payments. 

The ability to standardize data formats between divisions means a more unified and clear data readout at a glance, ultimately saving time.

When it comes to student records, an SIS offers high efficiency as all data is automatically organized and stored for easy access whenever it is needed. 

Since the platform is cloud-based, is can be reconfigured as needed to make sure it grows with an institution. Most SIS offer open interfaces and integration with other campus applications and database systems, making for ease of use. 

Student Information System features

Information storage is what an SIS does at its most basic. That means records consolidated all in one place for students, teachers, and parents to access. Reports can be created on anything, from how many students are local to what GPA is in any given class.

In the case of K-12, there are parent specific portals that allow guardians to access information on their student. This allows them to see attendance, academic planning, behavior, and more, as well as to communicate with teachers. At universities this is useful in a similar way to allow students and lecturers communicate privately. 

Administration for students is made easier with a Student Information System. Monitoring student progress and updating profiles often happens in real time. 

Bringing together otherwise siloed departments is a special feature of the SIS that is able to place information, data, and resources in a universally accessible place. This allows for open communication across an institution.

As all this data storage and handling is cloud-based, it means that it is super secure. Setup is often easier, access is wider, technical support is immediate, and adaptations to changes is more easily possible. 

Billing and payments can also be taken care of by the system. Parents or students can be invoiced, payments can be made, and the school can see and control it all from one place. 

How admission works with a Student Information System

Admission is one of the best ways that a Student Information System can help processes find greater efficiency. The entire enrollment process can be tracked in one system, from initial inquiry to acceptance and enrollment. For example, an institution can use an auto reply feature to respond to student queries with a selection of standard responses – saving administrative time. 

This database that is built during the admission process can be used to send admission letters or regret letters to those prospective students. 

For those students inputting information, the system will store all the main and optional subject choices. This is then later used to automatically create subject classes and assignments for teachers.

In most cases, a centralized e-Advising system can send a preregistration notice to students. A web link can provide access to a complete academic planning network that includes information about various programs, courses, fee structures, further progress, and other employment openings. 

Details such as students seeking accommodation in a university scenario are kept separately for assigning rooms.

Centralized accounting and billing with a Student Information System

One of the great ways integration happens using a Student Information System is with billing and accounting. This is also pulled into the administrative process allowing most of the processes to be automated. That, once again, means saving time and money.

Accounting features including maintaining a general ledger, billing for students, all payable and receivable details, and project funding and accounting details.

The inbuilt automated contact management software in the system enables systematic, regular mails with details about any fee paid or not yet paid by students. The shared database provides details of college, housing, or any other fee receivable from a single source for easy follow-up and future auditing.

These systems play a vital role in helping deserving students to apply for financial aid for continuing education. Information, such as various financial aid opportunities, total fund availability, budget allocation, and received applications with eligibility criteria, allows the system module to efficiently verify an application and allot aid. Systems can even be programmed to ensure the periodic and timely distribution of financial aid.

• How to use Google Jamboard, for teachers
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While Jamboard is a helpful way to teach the class for a teacher, it can also be a useful collaborative tool for students. Since this works as a mobile app, or on a 55-inch cloud-connected digital whiteboard, it makes interactivity super simple. And that goes for in the classroom across devices as well as beyond the room.

Despite all this, Google is sunsetting Jamboard on Dec. 31, 2024. In its place, Google recommends users try whiteboarding tools such as FigJam by Figma, Lucidspark by Lucid, and Miro. More on this below.

While it's still available as a Google tool, it's super easy to use, works with lots of other apps, and makes pulling in media from Google searches a very easy process. This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about Jamboard for your classroom.

What is Google Jamboard?

Google Jamboard is an innovative tool that allows teachers to interact with students with a whiteboard-style experience, only digitally without being in the same room. It's essentially a giant digital whiteboard that can be used by any teacher for any subject, making it a great tool for schools to use right across the -- ahem -- board.

Jokes aside, Jamboard does require a hardware investment be made for the full 55-inch 4K touchscreen experience. This offers 16 simultaneous points of touch contact and wifi connectivity, plus handwriting and shape recognition. A Full HD webcam and two styluses are available, with an optional rolling stand that ideal for moving between classrooms.

However, Jamboard also works digitally as an app so it can be used on tablets, phones, and other devices. It'll even work via the web using Google Drive, so it is really widely accessible. Of course, it also runs on Chromebooks, albeit without the shape or stylus support, but it's still a very capable presentation platform.

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While Jamboard was designed with business use in mind, with a presentation kind of feel, it has been adapted widely and works well as a teaching tool. Lots of apps work with the platform, from Screencastify to EquatIO. So it need not be a from-scratch creative effort.

What's new in Google Jamboard?

As mentioned, Google is sunsetting Jamboard on Dec. 31, 2024. In its place, Google recommends users try whiteboarding tools such as FigJam by Figma, Lucidspark by Lucid, and Miro. Starting on October 1, 2024, the Jamboard app will become view-only. You’ll no longer be able to create new or edit existing Jams on any platform, including the web, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Jamboard devices. We will also start converting Jams to PDF.

Over time, Google Jamboard has had regular updates. Recently, the new homescreen update lets you now view all your Jams as a list or as a grid for the easiest access to suit your needs as a teacher. And should you wish to share these Jams, that's easy now with a simple link generated that you can share in whatever way is easiest for you.

Other updates have included redesigned drawing tools, the ability to star or copy a jam from the homescreen, a new homescreen design, and enhanced app usability.

How to Use Google Jamboard

At its most basic, Jamboard is a great way to work through information with a class. This can be done remotely using the app, and could even be used with multiple devices to also incorporate Google Meet, as if you were all in the room together.

Of course Google Jamboard is also a great tool for integrating with Google Classroom since it is able to utilize Google Drive materials that are likely already being used by those who work with Classroom.

To access Jamboard, simply sign into your Google account, or sign-up for free. Then, when in Google Drive select the "+" icon and go down to "More" at the bottom, then down to select "Google Jamboard."

Alternatively, you can download the app for iOS, Android, or using the Jamboard web app. Create a Jam and add up to 20 pages per Jam that can be shared with up to 50 students at once in real time.

Jamboard works with many apps, a process called app smashing. Here are some great examples that can help make teaching more engaging.

How to Create a Jam

To create a new Jam, find your way into the Jamboard app online, via the app, or using the physical Jamboard hardware.

In the board hardware, you simply need to tap the display when in screensaver mode to create a new Jam.

For mobile users, open the app and tap the "+" to get a new Jam started.

When using the web-based online platform, open the Jamboard program and you'll see a "+" which can be selected to get your new Jam up and running.

Your Jam will automatically save to your account, and can be edited as needed.

Getting Started with Google Jamboard

As a teacher using Jamboard it's good to start by being open and being ready to take a risk. This is a new technology that allows you to be creative and to try new things.

Let the class know you're trying something new, that you're vulnerable but you're doing it anyway. Lead by example so they feel they too can express themselves even when it may feel uncomfortable or they risk failure. That's the next tip: Don't be afraid to get it wrong!

Share what you're doing with Google Classroom – more on that below – so that even children away from class that day will be able to see what they missed.

When working in groups be sure to label each frame so that students can refer back and easily find the page they're working on.

This sample Google Jamboard lesson plan is designed to implement the tool into instruction.

Top Tips for Easier Jamboard Use in Class

Using the Jamboard is relatively simple, and there are lots of shortcuts available to help make it more interesting and engaging for students.

Here are some useful tips:

• Use pinch to zoom to make pictures larger to quickly zoom in.
• When searching for an image, look for "GIF" to get moving images that kids love.
• Use handwriting recognition to input rather than keyboard for speed.
• If another teacher accidentally shares to your board, double tap the power button to cut it off.
• Use the palm of your hand to quickly erase anything on the Jamboard.
• Use Auto Draw, which will take your attempts at doodles and make them look better.

Google Jamboard and Google Classroom

Google Jamboard is part of the G Suite of apps so it integrates nicely with Google Classroom.

Teachers can share a Jam as an assignment in Classroom, allowing students to view, collaborate, or independently work on it as with any other Google file.

For example, create an assignment in Classroom, attach a math lesson Jam file as "Make a copy for each student." Google does the rest. You can also select "Students can view," which allows read-only access to a single Jam, if that's the way you need to work.

Google Jamboard and Screencastify

Screencastify is a Chrome extension available from the Chrome Web Store that can be used to record teachers using video. This is a great way to walk through a presentation, such as solving an equation, so the kids get the experience as if the teacher is really there by the whiteboard.

An easy way to use this is to create a new Jam as a whiteboard with a notebook or graph-style background. Then write math problems to be worked through on each separate page. Screencastify can then be used to record the process and that can be attached to each separate page so students have a specific guide video for each separate problem you present.

Google Jamboard with EquatIO

If you go into Texthelp in the Chrome Web Store you can get the extension EquatIO to use with Jamboard. That is an ideal way for math and physics teachers to interact with the class.

Create a Google Doc and name it after a lesson or book chapter. Then use EquatIO to create math problems and insert each into the Google Doc as an image. Then all you need to do is copy and paste the images into page on a Jam and you've got yourself a digital worksheet.

Google Jamboard best tips and tricks

Use shapes to highlight
Integrate the frame boxes to highlight certain words or numbers with color so these pop out at students and draw attention as you need.

Annotate
Use annotation to screen grab text and drag it in with comment boxes created for students to interact and add feedback.

Write as a class
Have students work as a group adding images and text to build a story as a group, in which the ending is a natural and creative effort as a team.

• Best Tools for Teachers
• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Google Jamboard Lesson Plan

An animated GIF is essentially an image file, or more accurately a video, which shows a selection of images, like a slide show, in quick succession and on repeat. Crucially, this can be opened on pretty much any device, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It's also condensed in size, making it ideal for sharing quickly and easily in emails and beyond.

One tool which allows you to convert a Google Slides document into an animated GIF, for free, is Tall Tweets, created by the awesome Amit Agarwal.

• Google Classroom review
• Google Classroom for teachers
• How to setup Google Classroom

With Tall Tweets you can import a Google Slideshow, set the duration for each slide (as well as some other options), and then create and download an animated GIF version of your slideshow. This can be used with many Google Slides projects to export the final product. 

Many tools to make animated GIFs are available, but it is always helpful to find one that is free and super easy to use. See below for detailed directions on how to use this great tool.

Create Your Google Slideshow

First you need to finish creating the Google Slideshow that you want to convert into an animated GIF. For helpful tips on making the slideshow, check out our Best Student Templates for Google Docs, Slides, Sheets and Drawings.

A key factor to keep in mind is that you may want some slides to last longer, and some to be shorter, when playing as a GIF later. Although you can't make a specific slide last longer, you can make it look like it does. One way to do this is to make multiple copies of the slide, without making any changes to it, so it looks like the scene is lasting longer. Here's exactly how to do that.

• Select the slide you want to last longer.
• Make a copy of the slide by clicking "Slide" and "Duplicate slide", or copy and paste the slide, or press "Ctrl" and "D" (for duplicate).
• Repeat this multiple times to make 5 or 10 copies of the slide (for example).

Later when the slideshow gets converted into a GIF, it will look like the slideshow has paused on this slide for longer. Tall Tweets has a limit of 100 slides when creating the animated GIF, so be sure your slideshow does not exceed that amount.

Convert Google Slides with Tall Tweets

Now you can convert your Google Slideshow into an animated GIF at the Tall Tweets website. Yup, you'll need to head over there to have you Google Slides offering uploaded to convert and download as a GIF. This is a simple enough process, but for clarity, these are the steps.

• Go to Tall Tweets.
• Click the "Select Presentation" button.

• Browse your Google Drive to find and select the slideshow you want to convert.
• The site will now make a copy of each slide. This can take a while depending on how many slides are in your presentation.
• When the slides have all been loaded you can now enter your settings.

GIF Image Width (in pixels) 

For this, enter how large you want your animated GIF to be. The wider the GIF, the larger the file size will be. Very large GIFs will take longer to load on websites, and some services have limits on how large of a GIF you can post. For example the maximum file size for an animated GIF on Twitter is 5MB on mobile and 15MB on web.

Slide Duration (in seconds) 

For this part enter a number for how long each slide should last. For some slideshow (such as comic strips or eBooks) you will want the slides to last long enough for people to read the content. However, for stop-motion animation, you may want the slides to move much quicker, such as 0.1 or 0.25 seconds per slide.

• When ready click the "Create GIF" button.
• When done the animated GIF will display.
• You can save your own copy by clicking the "Save" button, or by simply right-clicking on the GIF and choosing "Save image as…"

• Google Classroom review
• Google Classroom for teachers
• How to setup Google Classroom

District leaders are planning for different scenarios when students return this fall—on campus, remote, and hybrid. Whether special education students are on or off campus, Draper and Gentz recommend important areas of focus in special education programs to help get the year off to a good start.

1. Data Privacy. Cybersecurity is important for the complex interactions and flow of data supporting special education. Creating the flow of data, knowing which third-party apps are involved, who has access to the data, and how the intended user gets the data they need to deliver to the right recipients is the most important part of data security. 

2. Data Breaches. Whether teachers and students are on or off campus this fall, it’s important to understand whether software is being used correctly. The largest percentage of data breaches occur due to human error. Of course districts want to keep risk low, but it’s unrealistic to think you will be able to protect against every attack. Avoiding email transmissions of data and reducing data access are a good start.

3. IEP Meeting Software. Virtual meetings will likely continue in the future as it provides an efficient option. But any technology needs to manage meeting access and visibility to ensure trust and confidentiality. Are district personnel adequately trained to use the software? In particular, can they manage a complicated conversation without face-to-face physical cues? 

4. Digital Dispute Avoidance. Draper says that miscommunication is more likely to arise in virtual IEP meetings than during face-to-face ones. “The virtual world requires different skills to disputing avoidance than face-to-face,” he said. “Finding district staff who can handle online dispute avoidance is important.”

5. Assessing Student Needs. It is possible that students will not be able to return to school in the fall as planned, or that students return to campus and then find that schools need to close again due to a resurgence in the pandemic. While the loss of spring assessments puts educators in the dark, it’s important to get students re-integrated quickly into school. Use diagnostic assessments, identify the most vulnerable, and prioritize their needs, Gentz advises. “Try to rethink assessment by finding some flexible alternatives to what you’ve been using,” she said. Also consider the possibility of increasing mental health supports for some students. “This has been a traumatic time for some students and families,” Gentz said. “Take advantage of funding in the CARES Act for mental health and social support.”

The American Enterprise Institute has provided a Back-to-School Blueprint that districts may find helpful as they plan for the new school year. Although there are no waivers from the U.S. Department of Education on the services schools are required to provide to students with disabilities, there is some flexibility in federal funding this year that allows districts to blend funding sources to meet their needs during this extraordinary time.

As such, it's ideal for schools where budget may be an issue but video interaction is needed to support the likes of Google Classroom. For example, educators can now create a unique Meet link and share it in the Classroom Stream or Classwork pages for students to easily access. 

So here are the Google Meet tips and tricks you need to get the most out of the platform.

• 6 Tips for Teaching with Google Meet
• Google Classroom review

How to Use Google Meet Grid View

• Options (three vertical dots) > Change Layout > Tiled

One of the commonly asked about features is Google Meet grid view, aka tile view. In this mode, multiple screens are displayed at once, allowing you to see everyone in the video chat at the same time. While this isn't a feature made for the small screens of smartphones, it is an ideal option for larger laptop and desktop computer screens.

For teachers, this provides a good way to keep an eye on the entire class at once, and helpful for making sure everyone is present and paying attention.

This is also a nice way to keep an eye on certain students while remaining focused on the entire class. It offers a handy perspective of how students, and the class as a whole, are responding to your teaching.

This grid view is actually called "Tiled." To enter that mode you need to click on the options button that is the three vertical dots, then select "Change Layout" before picking "Tiled."

Mute Students in Google Meet

• PC/MAC: On the person's thumbnail select the three vertical dots > Mute
• Mobile: People > Mute

As the teacher leading a Google Meet call with a class, it is possible to control the students' privileges as your participants. One such option is to mute students. Options to pin and remove students are also available, but more on that below.

If you mute a student, they won't be able to unmute themselves. They also won't be heard by you or anyone else in the Google Meet video call. To do this on Mac or PC go to the person's thumbnail image and within that window select options, which is the three vertical dots in the corner, then select "Mute." On mobile, you need to tap the "People" tab then select the participant and select "Mute." 

To pin a participant, which keeps their video always in focus, select the participant's thumbnail and the pin icon. This is a Mac- and PC-only option.

If you want to remove a student so they can no longer participate in the video or audio, this is an option, too. On Mac or PC select the back arrow icon, select the student, then select "Remove." On a mobile you'll need to tap the person's name and then the remove button (–).

Share Your Screen in Google Meet

• PC/Mac: Present Now > Entire Screen > Share
• Mobile: Vertical dots icon > Present Screen > Screen Broadcast

If you want to give a presentation or perhaps show a resource to the whole class at once, screen sharing is a great option in Google Meet. A top tip here is to make sure beforehand you have any personal information or windows/tabs closed so when the screen does share, there is no chance of inadvertently showing more than you plan. Ideally, have the presentation or document open before following these next steps.

On Mac or PC, go to the bottom right of the screen and select the "Present Now" option. Then pick if you want to share "entire screen," "a window," or a "Chrome tab." To confirm, you must then click "Share." To end, you can select "Stop Presenting."

On mobile, you can share by selecting the options button (three vertical dots), then "Present Screen." Tap "Screen Broadcast" to confirm and begin. To end select "Stop Broadcast."

Another really useful option is to join only to screen share. This means your students will only see the presentation and not you. No audio or video will be sent, but you are able to see what the class is doing during the presentation. For this, select "Start a Meeting" from meet.google.com, the enter a meeting code, click "Present," select the window or app you're presenting, then "Share."

Keyboard Shortcuts for Google Meet

If you want to really command your Google Meet experience, it's all about keyboard shortcuts. These allow you to quickly select options without the need to look for and manipulate the mouse – ideal when focused on the class. 

• Turn camera on and off: Cmd (Ctrl) + E
• Mute and unmute your microphone: Cmd (Ctrl) + D
• Announce who is currently speaking: Shift + Cmd (Ctrl) + Alt + A, then S
• Announce current information about the room: Shift + Cmd (Ctrl) + Alt + A, then /

• 6 Tips for Teaching with Google Meet
• Google Classroom review

During a recent presentation at Future Proofing Your District Plan, Susan Gentz, a public policy expert, shared information about the various funding streams available to K-12 schools through the CARES Act.  

The Funding Streams 

The following funding programs are separate programs that are linked through the stimulus bill and are specifically intended for K-12 schools.

Elementary and Secondary Relief Fund (ESSER):  $13.5 billion has been awarded to the states as formula grants based on the same proportion that each state receives under ESSA Title I-A. There are no funding restrictions.

Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER):  $3 billion for governors to allocate according to funding formulas to support students who are struggling the most from the impact of the coronavirus. Districts are encouraged to change their education models. 

Microgrants: $180 million to Rethink K-12 School Models and Continue to Learn grants that are intended for families to help provide access to the technology required to advance student learning. These are competitive grants.

Student-Centered Funding Pilot: $3 million is being made available by USDOE, authorized by ESSA, to allow up to 50 districts to pool their federal, state, and local dollars to focus aid on low-income or other disadvantaged students. 

The other important factor in funding this year is that the cap on carryover funds leftover from Title I, Part A of ESSA has been waived. This means districts can carry over any unused funds and that can be bundled with CARES Act funding. However, Gentz cautions districts to use these carryover funds first so it’s not lost.

Questions District Leaders Need to Ask to Maximize Funding 

Most districts will likely see a shortfall of regular funding due to the pandemic and economic downturn, so it’s important to maximize these funding sources this year. 

Here are some questions that district leaders should consider when planning to ensure they are getting the most out of these stimulus funds.

• By what date must our carryover funds be used?
• How are we planning to use the stimulus funds? Funds must be spent by September 2022. 
• Is our state allowing us to retroactively pay for purchases we’ve already made? If so, how much of that money is already spent?  
• How can we bundle carryover and stimulus funds? 
• What are we doing with funding and waivers to prepare for a fall semester different from any other we’ve ever had? 
• How can we reimagine professional learning and streamline opportunities for our educators? 
• How are we ensuring access and equity for all students? 
• Will we apply for microgrants? 
• What process will we use to consider various diagnostic assessments to be used to understand each student’s academic and social-emotional needs? 

“Future federal funding depends to some degree on how well these initial stimulus funds are used,” said Gentz. “So it’s important to put these funds to good use.” 

Focusing on three main areas can help school boards to achieve this.

1. Direction 

Setting direction for the district is the essential task of a school board, according to K20Connect Senior Consultant Arati Nagaraj. “It’s the ‘what’ that needs to get done,” said Nagaraj, a Trustee of the Saratoga (CA) Union School District Board since 2010 who has served as board president for two years. She fleshed out the distinct role of board members during her “The Role of the Board and Relationship to Staff During a Crisis” presentation at Tech & Learning’s “Future-Proofing Your District” virtual conference. 

One metaphor that Nagaraj finds helpful is that of a news helicopter: Those on the news helicopter (the board) survey the scene from above and share what they see with the newscasters in the studio. The newscasters (the staff) then sift through all of the information and report on what’s important. 

The board has to keep the bigger picture in view. But that can be impossible if they’re also trying to carry out tasks themselves. “It’s very important for board members who are tempted to do the work themselves to exercise restraint and to leave the ‘how’ to the superintendent and staff,” said Nagaraj. This is where trust comes in.

2. Trust 

Trust is a two-way street and requires listening, honesty, vulnerability, and unconditional positive regard for your colleagues, Nagaraj says. It’s important to listen and respect the challenges others voice in the moment—even if they don’t align with your own priorities. 

“The superintendent has the pulse of what’s important, especially during a crisis, and the board does not,” Nagaraj said. The board therefore needs to trust the superintendent and give him or her the power to make emergency decisions. 

“At the moment of crisis, trusting the superintendent to make informed decisions is the key to everything,” she said. If these decisions can’t be made, nothing can be implemented effectively.

3. Implement

“It’s kind of like a pecking order,” Nagaraj said. “The board sets the direction, the superintendent formulates the plan with the staff to implement the work that needs to get done, and then the superintendent reports back to the board. The worst thing that a board member could do is to direct staff to do something. Not only does this violate trust, but it sends mixed messages and throws off the entire system and process.” Nagaraj also notes that it’s very difficult for a staff member to say no to a board member. 

Words and notes of encouragement from board members to staff, however, are always welcome—and especially during a crisis when staff are often spending more time with students and team members than with their own families.

All of these structures are particularly important during the pandemic when there are so many unknowns and the situation is so fluid, Nagaraj says. “Everybody is building the plane as we’re flying,” she said, and in these anxious moments board members have a responsibility and opportunity to be the leaders and role models who set the tone for the district.

Contact Nagaraj at arati@k20connect.net

Nagaraj, who has been a Trustee of the Saratoga (CA) Union School District Board since 2010 and has served as board president for two years, offered insights on how to achieve these priorities during her session “Setting Board Priorities During a Crisis” at Tech & Learning’s recent Future-Proofing Your District conference. 

Since staff is responding in real time during any crisis—and often under circumstances that change rapidly—a school board needs to be aligned with staff in a relationship of trust, says Nagaraj. This can only happen when: 1) channels of both internal and external communication remain open; 2) the board is united in the goals that have been set; and 3) the board gives the superintendent the authority to make decisions (this can be accomplished in the form of a resolution). A crisis is no time for micro-managing. 

Setting concrete and finite goals with measurable outcomes will help to remove distractions and focus stakeholders on what’s most important. For example, one priority might be that the superintendent ensures the well-being of students, so staff and teachers might ensure that there’s at least one touch point with every child (either online or on the phone) every week through the end of the school year. Another example of a goal with clear and measurable outcomes might be increasing the number of hours per day each student spends engaged in online learning.

Working Together

Although everyone on the planet has had to deal with the pandemic, there continues to be many unknowns and situations that are very localized. Establishing clear channels of communication to keep everyone up to date with accurate information and also being flexible enough to adapt as circumstances change, is critical. 

Since instruction doesn’t continue during most crises, the pandemic has presented new opportunities to boards to think through continuity of operations.

Other important considerations for board members during a crisis include setting up a regular cadence of meetings as needed, being engaged with the community, and encouraging and supporting one another, staff, teachers, parents, and students.

Nagaraj emphasizes that at the end of a crisis, after everyone has had a chance to exhale and reset, it’s critical to reflect on the work that’s been done and the lessons learned. This start-stop-reset model can be helpful, for example, as boards begin to think through the difficult questions and strategies around re-opening.

“We all have to figure this out together and chart the course ahead,” said Nagaraj. 

 Contact Arati Nagaraj at arati@k20connect.net 

Miami-Dade County Schools is the nation’s fourth-largest district, serving an extremely diverse population of 348,000 learners and supporting more than 20,000 teachers. 

In her presentation during Tech & Learning’s recent “Future-Proofing Your District” virtual conference, the district’s Chief Academic Officer Marie Izquierdo shared how the district was tackling the challenges of what happens when summer starts in mid-March.  

 The COVID-19 Slide 

According to Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), students in 3rd through 5th grade typically lose 20% of their literacy and 27% of their math knowledge during a regular summer. 

This year, educators fear that “the COVID-19 slide” will be even more dramatic in terms of lost learning gains. According to NWEA research, those 3rd through 5th grade students may now see up to 30% literacy loss and as much as a 50% drop in math skills. The big drop in math is supported by a 2016 Harvard research study that shows most families don’t focus on math over the summer.

As you can see above, in some of the most severe cases, a student could regress as far as a grade level behind where they started. Leaders in Miami-Dade became alarmed when reviewing this data and sought to create a plan to try and stave off such a dramatic slide.

A Mitigation Plan 

Using the tools learned during their Digital Convergence program, leaders and educators began working with the community on a seven-part plan to try and mitigate learning loss. 

1. Communication: Many teachers had already established organic ways of communication, so rather than push them to a single platform, they were allowed to communicate through their preferred tool. Teachers were also encouraged to use Microsoft Teams. 

2. Most fragile students: Focusing on the most fragile students and zip codes became a priority. Migrant, ELL, and homeless students, and students with disabilities, were going to slip through the cracks without proper support. Using Title I personnel, educators reached out to and re-engaged students when they saw virtual absences. Services continued to be offered based on IEPs in the cloud. 

3. Connectivity: Ensuring connectivity was ubiquitous became another priority. “This is a 21st century civil right,” said Izquierdo. Partnering with Sprint and other local Internet Service Providers (ISPs), leaders worked to ensure all families were connected to the web.

4. Maslow before Bloom - Rather than forcing curriculum remotely, teachers focused on meeting their students’ basic needs. This included being fed via food services and partnering with local restaurants in remote areas to provide food seven days per week.

5. Daily monitoring - Using dashboards such as Microsoft’s Power BI, administrators have been able to track student usage and log-ins for virtual attendance, and to check for disengaged students.

6. Engaging parents - Parents need to become partners in their child’s learning while navigating their own anxiety and stress. The district’s online parent academy has seen significant increased traffic, and offers many instructional webinars.

7. Development of summer programs - The continued use of summer programs, both virtual and in-person, will help in preventing summer learning losses. 

 A 3-Step Plan for Recovery 

With all of these tools and strategies in place, Miami-Dade leaders have created a three-step plan to help recover learning loss by use of both traditional programs and a very non-traditional calendar. 

Recover: Students in all grades that either needed course recovery or help with reading were given times during which they could participate in virtual boot camps through mid-July. 

Regain: Students are given a series of E-Learning tools and challenges throughout the summer via their student portal. Additional EOC testing that was missed in the spring was also available for 9th and 10th grade students. 

Restart: Students identified in the lower 25 percentile, as well as students with disabilities and ELL, will begin the school year on July 27. For all other students, there will be a compacted curriculum to review from the previous year and the school days will be extended to allow more time for recovery. 

All of these plans take imagination and dedication to make a reality. While there is no data available on the actual loss of learning this summer, the leaders at Miami-Dade are doing their part to see that the slide is a short one.

Resources

• Summer Math Loss 
• NWEA Research on COVID-19 Slide 
• What is Power BI? 
• Digital Convergence 
• Instructional Continuity Plan 
• ICP 2.0 
• Resources for educators, families, students 
• Virtual training for parents 

Carl Hooker has been a part of a strong educational shift with technology integration since becoming an educator. As Director of Innovation & Digital Learning at Eanes ISD, he has helped spearhead the LEAP program, which put one-to-one iPads in the hands of all K-12 students in his 8000-student district. He is also the founder of “iPadpalooza”- a three-day “learning festival” held in Austin annually. He's also the author of the six-book series titled Mobile Learning Mindset, a guide for teachers, administrators, parents and others to support and embrace mobile learning in our schools. Read more at Hooked on Innovation.

Being able to add audio to Google Slides can be used in so many ways in school: 

• Narrating a slideshow
• Reading a story
• Making an instructional presentation
• Providing spoken feedback on writing
• Having student explain a solution
• Giving directions for a HyperSlides project
• And much more

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The only big pain point still left is the actual recording of the audio. You see, even though we can now add audio to a Google slideshow, there isn't a simple built-in recording button. Instead you need to record the audio separately with another program, then save it to Drive, and then add it to a slide.

So that brings up the big question: What are some easy ways to record audio? When using my Windows PC, I can use a free program such as Audacity. Students often will be using Chromebooks, so we need some web-based options. 

We are going to take a look at four excellent, free options for recording audio right in your web browser, and then how to add that audio to Google Slides. 

• How do I use Google Classroom?
• Google Classroom review
• Chromebooks in education: Everything you need to know

1. ChromeMP3 Recorder from HablaCloud

The first tool we are going to look at is by far the simplest of the bunch: The "ChromeMP3 Recorder" web app from HablaCloud. This tool however is a web app, not a website, which means it only runs on Chromebooks, not other computers such as PCs or Macs. 

If you are on a Chromebook though, this is a fantastically easy tool to use. Here's how it works: 

• First, install the "ChromeMP3 Recorder" web app. You can get the Chrome Web Store link on the site at HablaCloud.
• Once the web app has been installed, you can open it from the Chromebook app launcher when needed.
• When the app opens, simply click the red "Record" button to start recording.
  You can click the "Pause" button if needed during recording.
• When done, click the "Stop" button.
• The app will now ask you where you want to save the MP3 file in your Google Drive. You can also name the file at this point to make it easier to find later. 

That's it! This tool doesn't offer any other editing options. Just a simple way for anyone to record and save audio on a Chromebook.

2. Online Voice Recorder 

If you want another tool that is just about as simple but runs on Chromebooks, PCs, and Macs, then you can use the "Online Voice Recorder" website. 

If I am not on a Chromebook, this tool is is usually my "go to" for anytime I need to record some quick audio on the web. Here's how it works: 

• Go to the site at OnlineVoiceRecorder.
• Click the mic button to start recording.
• Note: You will need to give it permission to use your microphone the first time you use the site.
• Click the "Stop" button when done.
• You will now get a screen where you can preview your voice recording.
  If needed, you can trim the start and end of the audio to remove any extra dead space.
• When done, click "Save."
• The MP3 file will be downloaded to your device! 

Note: If using a Chromebook, you can have the file save directly to your Google Drive by changing the "Downloads" option in your Chromebook settings. 

3. Beautiful Audio Editor

The next tool for recording audio online is the "Beautiful Audio Editor". This tool is reasonably easy to use as well, but offers extra editing features. If you just need to record some simple audio, this might be more options than you need but would be helpful if you plan to do some editing to the recording afterward. Here's how it works: 

• Launch the tool at Beautiful Audio Editor.
• Click the "Record" button at the bottom of the screen to start recording.
  Note: You will need to give it permission to use your microphone the first time you use the site.
• Click the "Stop" button when done.
• Your recorded track will now be added to the editor.
• You can drag the play head back to the start and press the play button to preview your recording.
• If you need to trim out any of the audio, you will need to use the "Split Section" and "Remove Section" buttons in the top toolbar.
• When you are happy with the audio, you can click the "Download as MP3" button to generate a link to save the file to your device. 

Note: If using a Chromebook, you can have the file save directly to your Google Drive by changing the "Downloads" option in your Chromebook settings. 

Editing for this tool includes the option to change the audio speed, combine multiple tracks, fade the volume in and out, and more. You can get detailed directions by clicking the "Help" menu option. 

4. TwistedWave 

If you need even more fancy editing tools, another audio recording option is "TwistedWave". The free version of this tool allows you to record up to 5 minutes at a time. Here's how it works: 

• Go to the website at TwistedWave.
• Click "New document" to create a new file.
• Click the red "Record" button to start recording.
• Note: You will need to give it permission to use your microphone the first time you use the site.
• Click the "Stop" button when done.
• Your recorded track will now be added to the editor.
• You can click at the start of your clip and press the "Play" button to preview your recording.
• If you need to trim any of the audio, you can click and drag with your mouse to select the portion you want to get rid of, and then press the "Delete" button.
  When you are happy with the audio, you can download it my clicking "File" then "Download."
• Better yet, to save it directly to your Google Drive you can click "File" then "Save to Google Drive." TwistedWave will ask you to log in with your Google account and give permission. 

This tool provides other features in addition to simple editing. In the "Effects" menu you will find tools to increase or decrease the volume, fade in and out, add silence, reverse the audio, change the pitch and speed, and more. 

Adding Audio to Google Slides 

Now that you have recorded your audio with one of the tools described above, you can add that audio to Google Slides. To do this, two things must be true for the recordings: 

1. The audio files must be in your Google Drive, so if you saved somewhere else, such as the "Downloads" folder on your computer, you will need to upload the files to your Drive. For easy access, and to help with the next step, you should put all of the files in a folder in Drive.   
2. Next, the audio files need to be shared so anyone with a link can play them. This can be done file by file, but it is much easier to simply change the sharing permissions for the entire folder that contains the recordings.

With those steps completed, you can add audio from your Google Drive to Google Slides as follows: 

• With your Google slideshow open, click "Insert" in the top menu bar.
• Choose "Audio" from the drop-down menu.
• This will open up the "Insert audio" screen, where you can browse for or search for the audio files saved in your Google Drive.
• Choose the file you want and then click "Select" to insert it into your slide.

After the audio file has been added to your slide, you can edit several options for it including volume, autoplay, and loop. Here's how:

• Click on the audio file icon to select it.
• Then click the "Format options" button in the top toolbar.
• Finally click "Audio playback" in the side panel that opens.
• Here you can adjust settings such as:
• Start playing "On click" or "Automatically"
• Set the "Volume level"
• "Loop audio" if you want it to keep playing after it ends
• And "Stop on slide change" if you want the audio to end (or continue) when the user moves to the next slide.

Miami-Dade County Schools is the nation’s fourth-largest district, serving an extremely diverse population of 348,000 learners and supporting more than 20,000 teachers. In 2012, the district passed a major referendum called “Digital Convergence” in an effort to provide more than 200,000 devices to teachers and students. 

With so many learners, educators, and devices, maintaining instruction during remote learning was an enormous challenge. 

In her presentation during Tech & Learning’s recent “Future-Proofing Your District” virtual conference, the district’s Chief Academic Officer Marie Izquierdo (@miamiCAO) shared how the district developed new teaching strategies in response to the crisis. 

Curate and Utilize Existing Assets 

Thanks to the Digital Convergence program, many teachers across the district had already developed best practices around certain tools and blended learning prior to the pandemic. The district goal was to maintain a “rigidly flexible” approach to the use of certain instructional edtech tools as it was not the time to force all teachers onto unknown platforms. 

One of the first things done to support continuity was to curate and evaluate any and all existing digital assets. Looking at software license usage and usefulness, tools were sorted based on value in asynchronous and synchronous environments. Tools that the district had invested in that were not showing high usage was a concern. Do you continue to pay for these tools if they aren’t being used? Or if you know these platforms are valuable for instruction, do you invest more time for training?

District leaders opted for the latter, dedicating two school days for more than 40 live and on-demand professional development webinars for teachers. Many of these training sessions were created in partnership with platform partners while others featured teachers who were already demonstrating optimal online instructional strategies. 

• What is Remote Learning?
• 5 Ways to Support Parents During Remote Learning

A Personalized Plan with Common Messaging 

Now that all staff were remote, a new challenge arose in terms of how to create consistent messaging to all 20,000+ staff in terms of instructional expectations and delivery. Leaders worked with those teachers in the field who showed some early successes to crowd-source a checklist for all staff, which was then shared via powerpoint presentation so that all staff got the same message.

As a result, they were able to publish a set of instructions and readiness checklists:

Checklists for teachers

• Setting up classes 
• Setting up online communication 
• Communicating effectively and consistently 

Checklists for administrators 

• Support the current Instructional Continuity Plan (ICP) 
• Make sure families complete mobile device surveys 
• Hold emergency faculty meetings
• Coordinate the distribution of devices to students  
• Support our most fragile learners (ELL, lower 25%, Low-SES, etc.) 
• Maintain consistent communication 

Building the Plane as You Fly It 

The district already had an ICP, but when the pandemic occurred, leaders realized that plan was only a stop-gap. As they gathered feedback from the first few weeks of remote learning, they knew they needed to pivot. On April 3, just three weeks after the shutdown, they published their ICP 2.0, a guide built for all involved parties to encourage best practices of remote learning.

As the increase of screen time at home became an issue, “Time on Task” cards were built in throughout the guide (see sample below). These cards provide parents, students, and teachers with an overview of expectations for content and instruction. Developing activities for mental wellness checks and curriculum are embedded throughout these task cards. 

The 4th-quarter curriculum was also compressed to make sure that certain key standards were covered during the time away from the classroom. 

Within the plan, three different methods for instructional delivery are outlined: 

1. Teacher-directed
2. Teacher-assigned
3. Hybrid

Building Instructional Continuity Plan Guides (ICPGs) at least two weeks ahead of time kept teachers in the loop as to where they should be heading while creating a space to adapt and adjust, depending on learner needs. 

“In many ways, we were building the plane as we fly it,” said Izquierdo.

Resources

• Miami-Dade Digital Convergence 
• Instructional Continuity Plan 
• ICP 2.0 
• Resources for educators, families, students 
• Virtual training for parents 

On the other side of that triage comes home life. Parents also have been thrust into this with no warning, and many still struggle to balance helping their kids learn and navigating their own obligations and responsibilities. Districts have been connecting with parents for years via websites, but those platforms were largely used to promote events and post board meeting notes. Now, there is much more scrutiny as parents look for support to help with the transition to learning at home.

Districts have deployed these five strategies to ways to support parents during remote learning. 

1. Consistent Communication 

While the occasional general email blast is still valuable, districts need to step up their game when it comes to communicating schedules, platforms, and expectations for students and families. 

In the quick transition to remote learning, many district leaders were caught between a rock and hard place when it came to communication platforms; although many had official ones, some teachers were comfortable with other tools (such as Remind, Bloomz, SeeSaw, etc). Trying to decide between platforms could bring unwanted stress on either the teacher (who would be forced to learn and use the district platform) or on the parents (who could have to navigate multiple platforms for multiple kids), so many districts just got by with whatever method worked.

One of the better approaches I’ve seen is when a district leader promotes a single platform of communication and provides training and support for teachers on that preferred system. They encourage teachers to make the shift without requiring it, which is a softer way to make the transition. 

Social media -- be it Twitter blasts, YouTube channels, or Facebook Live -- have become important secondary methods of providing the same information that is on a district website or email, but in a more digestible form. Interconnecting all of these platforms ensures that the same message is being sent through multiple online platforms, where parents are sure to see.

2. Providing Tutorials and Cheat Sheets 

With the proliferation of digital tools that flooded into homes overnight, many parents felt as if they were being forced to drink from a virtual fire hose. Curriculum-based websites or Learning Management Systems they might have heard their child reference beforehand suddenly became the mainstream interface for learning within the home. 

While some students are adept with these resources, many parents lack the basic awareness of how these are to be used. Teachers are great at giving verbal instructions and just-in-time feedback while in a physical classroom, but providing written or video instructions for students is a new approach for many. Mom and/or dad having to sift through emails for clues as their child tries to decipher what the teacher is asking for can be a stress multiplier. 

Seeing a need for better and more consistent instruction, many districts have quickly spun up websites for distance learning that include simple step-by-step explanations and short tutorial videos on how to access the necessary learning platforms, and even provide expectations around usage. Additional one-page “cheat sheets” can offer easily referenced extra support and respite for parents from the deluge of information infiltrating their home. 

3. Host a Parent Academy 

Parent academies or boot camps are not a new invention in education. Schools have long hosted various events aimed at building a common support structure for students between home and the classroom. When my former district went 1:1 with iPads, we developed an online “Digital Parenting 101” course for parents to take on their own time to educate them on the tools and create awareness of the benefits.

Now that meetings in physical spaces for a “parent night” are currently out of the question, developing such online academies are increasingly more valuable. For example, an academy around strategies for using mandatory edtech tools can help educate parents and ease any confusion caused by the increase of new platforms, websites, apps, and systems at home. 

4. Virtual Announcements 

School administrators have quickly embraced the power of video to get out messages. 

Free and easy-to-use platforms such as YouTube or Facebook Live can provide a quick method for recording and producing videos to put out to the community without a lot of technical logistics to navigate. Self-recorded videos can be embedded in an email or posted on a website, and can include a “joke of the week” or another fun challenge to help support both the mental and emotional health of families. 

Combining these announcements with the communication platforms mentioned in the first strategy can help support parents through multiple modalities.

5. Helping with At-Home Learning 

Most parents are not certified educators. Even those who are educators, know that there are struggles when teaching their own kids. When we shifted to remote learning, some schools went a synchronous approach (live sessions) while others went with an asynchronous approach (prerecorded plans, activities, and instructions). Both of these approaches put pressure on the parents, especially in the case of an asynchronous learning environment. 

In these environments, the students are given their work expectations for the week, and these are also sent to families via an email or LMS (Learning Management System). Parents need a guide or a cheat sheet to follow for the moments when their students are working independently. We don’t intrinsically know how much a student should be struggling and how much we should be helping. 

The following resources can help parents with learning at home:

• The Work-From-Home Parent’s Guide to At-Home Learning During COVID-19 
• Parents Guide to Distance Learning 
• Parents Guide to Online Learning
• How Parents Can Help Kids Learn From Home  
• A Parent’s Guide for Teaching at Home 

The future of what school will look like in the fall is still uncertain. This summer, schools will be planning, preparing, and training staff on strategies to support parents and students regardless of what learning looks like in the future. By thoughtfully deploying some of the strategies above and refining communication platforms, everyone involved will be more equipped to navigate this “new normal” in education going forward. 

• What is Remote Learning?
• 10 Tips to Support Mental Health During Remote Learning

Here is the No. 1 Rule that I share with teachers, parents, and students: Give yourself grace. We are all doing the best we can as we navigate these uncharted waters. We will make mistakes, we will learn from them, and we will get better. 

Here is advice to support yourself and your school community in online learning environments and during times of crisis:

1. Not New, Just New To You 

• Recognize that distance learning may be new to you, but it is not new to everyone. Schools across the country have been delivering quality distance learning for years. 
• Schools have closed many times due to disasters and have learned how to adjust, such as during Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires. 
• Don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, reach out to those who are seen as experts in the field for support. 

2. Look At What You Have and Need 

• Use the supports and current systems already in place (Class Dojo, PBIS, Parent Square, Remind, etc.). You don’t have to change everything. In fact, unnecessary change can cause more stress. 
• Conduct a needs assessment for your entire school community: teachers, parents, students, administration. By collecting data from your stakeholders, you can assess what is working and what is not so you can keep making adjustments. 

3. Use Different Lenses 

• When developing the plan, consider the lenses of everyone involved. 
• Ask students what they would do if they were in charge. The California Department of Education, for example, surveyed their students to ask them what they most needed. Their answers helped better inform the Department’s plan as students revealed challenges that had not yet been considered. 
• Also ask those parents what they need to help manage all of these changes. 
• How do students want to learn? They can also help you understand how they learn using technology. 

4. Use Your Experts 

• Create specialized teams for challenges and solutions. 
• Utilize the strengths of your community. Parents most likely have a wealth of skills you can utilize as you plan your needed support. 
• You may need to create a new job to add in experts. 
• Collaborate with those who any change will impact before a final decision is made. This is critical to reduce the stress that comes with change. 

5. Define What Education Looks Like 

• Do not try to force school traditions and roles. 
• One size does not fit all. 
• This is something new to you, so choose from the many models available what you want it to look like. Use your community voice to define what these new learning models will look like in your districts. 
• Accept that education is no longer the same. It’s not going to go back to “The way it was,” even when the pandemic is over. Yes, school doors will reopen, but we have now discovered new tools to teach and learn. 
• Use this as a learning experience and allow time for a grieving process as your community accepts that the old ways are over. 

6. Build a Sense of Community 

• Focus on school climate, which is more important than ever. Suicide rates are linked to isolation. It is on us as school leaders to keep everyone connected.
• #BeKindFIRST – You may be familiar with the quote: “If you could be anything, be kind.” Being kind FIRST is a movement that will help build community fast. Say hello to people. Try to get over the fear of being the first to say something in a social situation, whether in person or online.  
• Focus on building relationships and making connections. 

7. Monitor Remotely 

• Set behavior expectations and define roles for students, parents, and teachers. Understand that everyone might not know what to do. Do I need to be in the room? Do I need to check on my children as they are receiving instruction? Define who is responsible for what and list those expectations. 
• Create a check-in system for emotional struggles and frustrations. You aren’t always going to be able to see if someone is frustrated. Students do not always self-advocate. For example, the school counselor or school psychologist can follow up with students who have a history of social emotional difficulties. The case manager can do weekly check ins with students on their caseload. 
• Progress monitor and collect data on behavior, participation, attendance, communication, etc. 

8. Provide Trauma-Informed Training 

• Treat every student as if they have experienced trauma. Everyone has lost something. 
• Teachers/staff and parents need to be taught what to look for regarding a student's emotional health. 
• Teach warning signs for suicide/risk assessments. 
• Provide resources and a plan for how to help students, parents, staff, and teachers. Who is the point of contact? Get your school psychologist involved. 

9. Make It Safe 

• Ask teachers/staff/students what they need to feel safe. This is not about keeping six feet apart or putting up plastic sheets, but about mental health. 
• What resources does your staff need to do the job effectively? You don’t know for sure until you ask. This also helps them to feel valued and heard.  
• Establish a point of contact they can reach out to for help. Not just for tech issues, but for emotional support. Your school counselor can help to establish a community of liaisons who can be available for support as needed. 
• Remember this is not just about procedures; it's about feeling protected. Remember Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.  

10. Think Outside The Box 

• There are several different ideas of what distance learning will look like. You can have a blended look. 
• School hours can be in the evening. 
• Consider “looping students” in with their teachers for 2-3 years to help students feel safe. When we did this during the trauma of the California wildfires, the academic achievement of those students who stayed with the same teacher for 2-3 years was much higher than students who switched teachers. 
• Offer mental health support sessions to parents and students. 
• Teachers can have office hours. 
• Organize parent support classes. 

Be humbled, learn through trial and error, and remember nothing is set in stone. The choices and decisions you make are not permanent, and if they need to change it will likely only cost you either more time or more money. Provide reassurance to your colleagues, teachers, parents, and students that you are doing the best you can for everyone. 

No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. 

Based in California, Lindsey Kucich manages Mental Health Therapists, Social Workers, and School Psychologists at Global Teletherapy. Lindsey is also the host of SPEDtalk podcast that airs live on Global Teletherapy's Facebook page. She is dedicated to helping students and their therapists feel successful. She enjoys integrating technology in the mental health field and is currently developing telepractice psycho-educational assessments. She enjoys the teletherapy lifestyle and looks forward to meeting and talking shop with like-minded therapists. Lindsey Kucich presented at Tech & Learning’s Future-Proofing Your District Plan Conference, a one-day virtual conference that helped districts take the lessons learned from current remote learning programs to create a long-term plan that supports effective teaching and learning both online and in person. Find the on-demand content for the conference here.  

Before we get going, check out our guide on the essentials of explaining What is Google Classroom?. Spoiler alert, it's an online space that allows teachers and students to share documents and communicate. But since you're here, you probably already know that. So let's move on.

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Google Classroom is a lot of things but what it is not is a Learning Management System (LMS). So don't think you can ditch the likes of Blackboard just yet. However, Classroom does work alongside class-based learning to help make for a paperless assignments and resources future. 

You might be a teacher looking to set up a class, a student interested in how the platform works, or a guardian looking to learn more. Whatever perspective you're coming from, this guide will help.

Google Classroom setup: Create a class

The first step you'll need to take is to create a Google account, if you don't already have one. If not then head over to Google and sign up for a free one. This will give you a Gmail address, access to Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and plenty more. But, crucially, it'll give you access to Google Classroom.

When on the Google main search page, you'll see your account is signed in at the top right. Next to that is a menu that looks like nine square dots. Select this and you'll be shown all the online apps that Google offers. Scroll down to near the bottom and you'll see Google Classroom. Select this.

That's it, you're in. Now you can create a class, if you're a teacher, or join, if you're a student. This is where the guide will be more useful to teachers from here on as it's about setting up a class.

At the top right there will be a "+" icon. Select this then from the drop-down option pick "Create class."

How to create a class in Google Classroom

Once you've selected "Create class," you'll be met with a message from Google headed "Using classroom with a school/university with students?" This will allow you to link your class to a school or university network, for benefits such as class sharing and student contact easy access, presuming your institution has signed up for G Suite for Education. Agree and move on when you're set.

Next you can enter some basic class details, including the "Class name," "Subject," and "Room" number. You can also add a "Section" if you want to group classes, but it isn't required at this stage. In fact, only the class name is required initially. Then select "Create."

How to personalize a class in Google Classroom

You should now be in your Google Classroom that looks like the above image. You'll notice the large banner image at the top. This can be changed to help personalize the class. This will also apply to the thumbnail class image for your students so they can quickly differentiate your class from the others on their landing page. The same applies to you if you have multiple classes.

Within that top banner image are options, at the bottom right, to "Select theme" or "Upload photo." Choosing the first option is the quickest and easiest, and will offer you various themes that are grouped by class type, including "General," "English & History," "Math & Science," "Arts," "Sports," and "Other." Pick one, hit "Select class theme" at the bottom, and it will automatically appear on your landing page.

The next step you may want to take will be to add work before you invite students to join, so they've got a working class ready for their arrival. This is done in the Classwork section.

How to use Classwork in Google Classroom

The Classwork section of Google Classroom is where assignments can be created and listed.

Select the "Create" icon and then pick what type of work you want to create with options, including assignments and quizzes. The difference is that a quiz can have multiple choice answers that the students complete within Google Classroom, whereas an assignment generally requires the student to fill out or create a separate attachment such as a Doc, Slide, or Sheet.

A quiz allows you to get quickly marked answers whereas an assignment will require marking and grading. That said, you can create self-marking Sheets in which multiple choice answers are offered. (More on tips like that at the final link in this article.)

This work will appear on the Stream that all students can see. You can also set work specifically to certain students, but to do that you need to make sure you have enrolled students by using the People section.

How to use People in Google Classroom

The People tab in Google Classroom is where teachers can add students to the class via their email addresses. This functionality allows you to compile a list of class attendees and share the class entry code. By doing it this way, students will all be emailed the link and code, making it very easy to join. You can add students with a bulk email list or one at a time.

If you've got an account linked to a school or university with G Suite for Education, you may find that this can be more easily populated as the email addresses of students will already be intelligently entered. Presuming those details are available.

Using Google Classroom

You're now all set with assignments lined up and students invited. The next step is to add more detail, update the Stream with announcements and interactive content. But there's much more to do.

Check out some great tips on using Google Classroom in Google Classroom for Teachers: A How To Guide.

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A screenshot is a simple way to capture what's on the screen in an image file format. This can be shared easily or referred to later, making this a perfect way to capture useful information quickly.

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From students to teachers, a screenshot is a great way to grab parts of lessons or snippets from videos and slideshows – making it an ideal tool for revision or assignment support and perfect when using Google Classroom.

So how can you get a screenshot on a Chromebook?

How to Screenshot on Chromebook

• Ctrl + Switch Window for full screen
• Ctrl + Shift + Switch Window to partial screenshot
• Power + Volume Down in tablet mode

The quickest and easiest way to capture a screenshot on Chromebook is to use the keyboard shortcuts for a full screen grab. This can be done by holding down the keys Ctrl + Switch Window, which is the one just above the number 6 key that looks like a box covering another. It's the button between the Full-Screen and Brightness Down buttons along the top.

Alternatively, if you want to capture a specific part of the screen, you can use the combination of Ctrl + Shift + Switch Window. At this point the screen will dim and the cursor will become a crosshair. Use this to mark out an area you want to capture then use your mouse button or tap the trackpad to get the shot.

If you're in tablet mode and don't have keyboard access, you can get a screenshot by holding the Power and Volume Down buttons together. 

Where are Chromebook Screenshots Stored?

Once you capture a screenshot you will see a notification in the bottom right corner that shows a thumbnail of the image. Select this to be taken to where it is stored. 

By default, all screenshots are stored in the Downloads folder. Consequently, all those files are available offline in that folder. Screenshot images also be shared so you can access them from other devices if needed.

How Can I Share Chromebook Screenshots Online?

One quick and easy way to make sure Chromebook screenshots are available online, from multiple devices, is to upload the images into your Google Drive.

Simply navigate to the Downloads folder in which the screenshot is located. In thumbnail view select the screenshot you want, or for multiple items, use the Check icon on each one. Select the "Share" option in the top right then "Save to Drive."

You can now access the file from your Google Drive account on any device you have that installed on, or via a signed in browser window. 

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For a more general overview of everything on the software platform you may want to check out our Google Classroom guide.

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Since Google Classroom uses the well-known Google ecosystem, it's easy to figure out how to use, plus it works for free across a number of devices that both students and teachers already own.

What's useful about Google Classroom for students at home?

Students with a digital device and internet access can use Google Classroom. It's that simple. 

Since this is a service run by Google, all the data crunching is done in the cloud so it will work on most devices, even older ones. Any student with access to an internet-connected laptop, tablet, or smartphone is able to use Google Classroom.

Since the data usage is efficient it can be used from anywhere. That can mean a home internet connection, a WiFi connection, or even use over a phone data network. Since access offline is also possible, it allows students to work from anywhere knowing their efforts will be uploaded when their device connects to a network again. 

How do I use Google Classroom as a student?

First thing to do is get the app, which can be downloaded for iOS or Android, simply titled Google Classroom in the app store. Or you can login using a browser window on a PC, Mac or Chromebook by going to Google, signing in, and finding the Classroom app down the right side.

Once in, click on the plus icon and enter the class code that is provided by your teacher. Or, if joining from an already-sent invite, this step is as simple as selecting the "Join" option. 

Once in, there is a "Stream" tab that shows announcements and offers ways to post comments. If it's a class comment, the whole class will also be able to see that in the thread. A panel on the left shows important dates coming up, including assignment due dates. 

At the top is a "Classwork" tab, which shows any assignments and questions that require attention. Select the question and it's possible to answer directly, often using multiple-choice, so a click to select is all that's needed. Once again, comments can be added here. To communicate directly to the teacher, select "Private comment" on the right – ideal if you're struggling and in need of help, and don't want to ask in a public manner.  

How to complete an assignment in Google Classroom

Head into Google Classroom and select the Classwork tab at the top, which is where assignments will be listed. Select the one that is relevant and read what instructions are included. If an assignment has a template to fill in, select that and you'll be taken to the Google app that lets you edit.

For example, a Google Slides document may require you to add images and text. This should be clearly laid out by the teacher so it's easy to complete. 

Once completed, select "Submit" and the teacher will be notified that the work is done and ready to be marked. You can also select "Unsubmit" if you want to get back into the work to edit it.

If there is no document to work in your Classwork, then you can create one. To the right is a plus icon that can be selected to pick the item to be created. For example, select Google Docs to create a new document in which your work can be entered. When done, at the top right is a "Turn in" option to have it submitted to the teacher.

If the assignment asks for a photo, or file, this can be done by selecting the plus icon, picking the photo or file, and selecting Upload. Then select "Hand in" from the right side menu and the teacher will receive the assignment.

How to communicate in Google Classroom

The main point of contact for class communications is that "Stream" section. This should have posts that you can comment on for everyone to see.

If allowed by the teacher, there may also be the option to create a new post that can become a thread in which others can comment. For example, you can ask the rest of the class if anyone else is struggling with a lesson, of if they know what's coming up, or perhaps if there's anyone who can help troubleshoot a tech issue.

For a more private form of communication, there is the "People" tab at the top. This allows students to directly contact their teacher or teachers. Select the mail icon and it will open Gmail in which a message can be sent directly. 

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At its most simple, Google Classroom is an online space that allows teachers and students to share documents and communicate.

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Google Classroom is designed to work alongside classroom learning, helping to get rid of the use of paper for assignments and resources. That also makes it a great option for going green, and avoiding lugging books and papers around. But it's not a Learning Management System replacement – Blackboard, for example, offers a lot more features.

Google Classroom works well as a classroom tool but also allows teachers to work outside of the school, ideal when stuck at home. While free, your school will need to sign-up to Google's G Suite For Education to use it.

So how does Google Classroom work for teachers and how can you get the best out of it?

How to create a class in Google Classroom

If you don't have a Google account, you need to start there by going to Google.com, clicking the "Sign in" button and following the steps to create an account. You don't need to have a Gmail account, any email address will do. Once you've got that, you can select the nine square block menu in the top right and find Classroom in the list of apps Google offers. 

You're in and it's time to select the plus icon to "Create class." Here you'll be able to enter the class name, subject, and even room number if you like. Students can be added one at a time using the "People" tab, but it's easier to get your students to join.

This can be done by sending a class code to the students so they can all use that to sign-up. It can be found by clicking on the broken square icon on your page.

How to use Stream in Google Classroom

Stream is the landing section for Classroom that allows quick access to all your files and the place where everything going on in your class can be displayed – it's what your students will first see when they sign into Classroom. That's why it's a great tool for posting new assignments. It's also a good way to get the class to interact.

You can upload specific questions to be answered by students in Stream. You can also place resources such as documents, images, and even videos that allow students to get a richer source of information related to your course. 

In the Settings section (the cog at the top right), you can choose how students interact with "Students can post and comment," "Students can only comment," or "Only teachers can post and comment" options.

You can also select what is shown on the Stream with options of "Show attachments and details," "Show condensed notifications," and "Hide notifications." You can also allow this to display deleted items by using the toggle button option.

By providing the option for students to comment, it's possible for teachers to get feedback on how assignments and resources are being received – allowing for future work to be focused in a way that will best engage the students. 

The Stream acts like a timeline, which means both students and teachers can scroll back through the work that's been set, allowing everyone to find older resources. This is a welcome addition when it comes to revising time, as students can find work more independently and free up the teacher to focus on other tasks. We're not saying no students will ever email a teacher despite the work being right there, but it should make it somewhat clearer for everyone. 

How to use Classwork in Google Classroom

Classwork is the section in Google Classroom in which you can create assignments directly. Sounds like the Stream section, right? The difference here is that you can set a points value or select ungraded, and assign a due date for the work and a topic for the assignment.

The really great part about this section is that you can post the assignment immediately or schedule it to go out at a later date. Or simply save it as a draft to complete it at a later time. This means you can line up work ahead of time, which allows you to be more flexible with your time – ideal if you're stuck at home.

A teacher simply has to navigate into Classwork. Then select the plus icon where it says "Create" and pick what is going to be set, from Assignment, Quiz assignment, Question, Material, or Reuse post. In this case select Assignment. 

You then have the Assignment hub to enter a title and what the task is. Put questions right there into the box, allowing students to upload in a Doc, or add your own Doc with the questions in it. Or add a link to a site with the questions, or even embed a YouTube video right there.

Once it's all set, you can add the students who the assignment is for from the drop-down menu on the right, selecting individuals or all students. Set the number of points the assignment is worth and add a due date, also both on the right. Once posted this will appear in the Stream right away.

Also in Classroom you can create a Quiz that automatically offers a Google form template that you can use for your students to fill in. This allows you to lay out questions with a selection of answer options from which students can pick. This is an easy way to have them answer right there within Classroom, rather than using additional Docs. It also allows you to get grading automatically totaled. Simply select Blank Quiz, add in the questions and answer options (if you're using multiple choice), or choose from the other options, including: short answer; paragraph; checkboxes; dropdown; file upload; linear scale; multiple choice grid; and checkbox grid. 

Questions is another creation option that allows you to pose a question and have students respond, and can be open for others to see. Hit the Create button, pick Question. Then add the question and how it's answered, much the same as Quiz above, but with one question rather than multiple. 

Materials is a great option to use to share resources with students. This makes for very easy access to files on your device or stored in Google Drive. Hit Create and you can pick Material, add a title, description and then use the paper clip icon to add any attachments you need from Google Drive, Link, File, or YouTube.

Reuse post is, as the name suggests, a way to take a previous post and use it again – this can mean saving a copy to create a similar piece with a new subject, say, without losing the original. 

There are also Google Calendar and Drive tabs that allow you to see all assignment due dates and any resources that you've attached as you've gone along.

Great ideas for assignments in Google Classroom

While there are many ways to create assignments, there are some methods that work really well. 

You can create an assignment task, with a link for research, then have your students respond to it in Questions or create a template Google Doc for them to complete. Or, have your students create a Doc themselves in which to complete the assignment before submitting.

Link quizzes with Google Forms as a great way to speed up workflow. Forms can be set to be self-grading, meaning once the students have completed the sections and submitted, you'll have the grades without the need to mark.

Slides offers a great way to create work for classes that's easy to grow. By creating a template, say for a vocabulary graphic, you can then Duplicate the template and edit to allow for multiple versions. Just be sure to create a copy for each student so everyone doesn't end up editing the same Slides.

As of August 2020 Google added the originality report feature. This allows teachers to run a check against other student submissions from the same school. A great way to avoid plagiarism. 

How to use People in Google Classroom

The People tab in Google Classroom allows you to add more students or invite other teachers to co-teach or share materials. This is a great way to share templates for assignments or Google Forms so that teachers can work collaboratively to save time rather than create new assignment templates from scratch.

Inviting students from here is simple. Select the person icon with a plus next to it under the Students section. You can then pull them in from your list or type in a new email address. The same method works under the Teacher sub-head to invite a co-teacher. You can then use the three-button menu to the right to email them directly, say to alert them to a class you want them to view.

This is where you can send an email to everyone. Under Students you can select the Actions dropdown and then select the entire class and Email, to open a new message. Note that it automatically places everyone in as BCC, meaning nobody will be able to see who else is going to receive your message.

Parents and guardians can also be invited to receive updates on their child's progress. This gives the guardian a summary of the student's progress and what's going on in the class with weekly or daily updates, as the guardian wants. 

This is also the place you can mute students if you want to limit their ability to post within Classroom, or remove them if they're no longer in your class.

How to use Grades in Google Classroom

The Grades tab, as you might expect, shows all the grades of your students so far, just as with a regular grade book. You can sort by name for quick access and have it laid out in varying units for a clear breakdown.

You are able to edit the grades here rather than going directly into the assignment. You can also click on assignments from here to see the work. Or select the student's name to see all the work that they've submitted across assignments.

In Settings, you pick how grade calculations work with options of "No overall grade," "Total points," or "Weighted by category" available. You can also toggle on and off to set if the grades are shown to students. 

As of August 2020, Google announced plans for Classroom to allow for the export of grades into a student information system (SIS) making it far easier to use automatically school-wide.

How to personalize Google Classroom

You can add themes to classes allowing you to personalize the experience. This lets you pick from a selection of colors and images that Google has for you. Or you can upload your own to use. This sits at the top of the page in a wide image format.

This is a nice way to differentiate between classes, if you're teaching multiple ones, for an at-a-glance way of seeing what's what.

• Google Classroom review
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• What is Google Classroom?

• What is Google Classroom?
• Top 15 tools for self-paced learning
• How to use a document camera for remote learning

A learning management system is a software platform for educators to manage courses online, which allows them to provide students a single location for all course content. This is essentially comprised of a document management component and a communication part.

An LMS allows a teacher to upload assignments, calendars, gradebooks, learning resources, videos and more. The educator can also create chat rooms and forums to communicate with students or allow them to add to a thread.

Some LMS platforms also offer online assessments such as tests and quizzes that  can also be graded online. Many also allow teachers and students to integrate video and images. 

A fast-growing platform is Google G Suite for Education in the form of Google Classroom , which features 100 million users. Thanks to how easy it is to uptake, it's an ideal LMS for K-12, in which there may be less digital infrastructure in place than, say, a university. It's also free, which fits into every K-12 budget. Check out our full review of Google Classroom .

Here are the best learning management systems for K-12 right now, in alphabetical order.

Best LMS 2020

Alma

Supplanting traditional student information and learning management systems with a modern platform, Alma unites student and learning data into an integrated, intuitive experience that empowers educators with increased visibility for data-driven decisions. The platform positions schools for progressive education strategies and models, while simultaneously recovering lost time and expense spread across multiple, disparate systems. Alma provides a flexible, scalable solution that can work for any school and any budget.

Alma combines a student information system (SIS) and learning management solution (LMS) into one streamlined, holistic platform, providing a cost-effective solution for schools and districts and access to timely, meaningful information for all stakeholders. Alma’s intuitive, modern design enables administrators, educators, parents, and students to quickly and easily understand their data and take action. Alma offers schools and districts a flexible technology infrastructure that seamlessly integrates with any system, such as other LMS and data analytics providers, for a custom-made solution.

Blackboard Classroom Unite

Blackboard Classroom is a comprehensive digital learning environment, with Unite specifically designed for K-12 schools and districts to increase student engagement, differentiate instruction, and boost teacher productivity and student achievement. This modern LMS incorporates both synchronous and asynchronous learning and collaboration tools to promote digital literacy and college and career readiness. It includes deep integration with productivity tools such as Google and Microsoft, as well as two-way SIS integration.

Responsive design and offline interactive access to support digital inclusion enable teaching and learning anytime, anywhere. The solution includes two-way integration with the district’s SIS to drive adoption. Real-time data analytics and visualization provide the district, schools, teachers, students, and parents with the information they need to improve student achievement.

D2L Brightspace

D2L’s Brightspace, a next-generation learning platform, helps schools and districts deliver personalized learning in a classroom or online. Created for the digital learner, Brightspace is cloud-based, runs on mobile devices, and offers rich multimedia to increase engagement, productivity, and knowledge retention. Brightspace makes it easy to design courses, create content, and grade assignments. Analytics reports track and deliver insights into the performance levels of departments, classes, or individual students.

D2L’s Brightspace makes it easy for teachers to reach every learner with an engaging and modern experience. Its broad video capabilities and support for game-based learning creates even more compelling ways to keep teachers and students connected and engaged.

Canvas

Canvas is an LMS which is specifically designed for all levels to help teachers use learning tools to enhance the education of students. Thanks to scaled curriculum and instruction tools it makes district level views of school performances clear and easy to see. While Canvas offers specific assessment tools to help get a clear picture of a child or class' progress, it also works to meet the social and emotional needs of the child.

The Canvas Parent App is a sub structure of this platform that allows parents or designated guardians to monitor their children’s education and progress at a glance. As part of that service the Canvas Parent app is available to all iOS and Android users to help parents of K–12 students stay informed on their children’s overall schooling. Canvas enhances the potential for parents to engage in their children’s education and empowers parents to take a greater role in their children’s academic work.

Canvas Parent is designed to lower the barriers to parental engagement. It allows parents who want information regarding their children’s education direct access to their assignments and progress. Using the Canvas Parent app, parents can view assignment descriptions, assignment grades, course grades, and course announcements, as well as set reminders for assignments and alerts for specific grade activity.

itslearning

itslearning’s K-12 LMS is a cloud-based, best-in-class solution for curriculum management and content integration. Its framework is designed in partnership with schools and districts to ensure the platform grows in functionality as it evolves with unique 21st-century elearning initiatives. itslearning connects all the instructional needs of educators, including curriculum development/planning; delivery of course and instructional activities; student assessment; and data analysis, including standards mastery reporting, via its powerful content recommendation engine that facilitates remediation and acceleration.

itslearning offers educators a full searchable content library complete with more than 1.7 million standards-aligned resources, 14,000 collections (organized sets of resources), and 35 full curriculum courses, including assessments, for grades K-12 in core subject areas, including science, mathematics, English language arts, and social studies.

Otus

Otus is more than just an LMS; it’s also an assessment platform (with 65+ question types and a 45K item bank), a data warehouse, and a collection of classroom management tools—all on one platform. As teachers, students, families, and school leaders use Otus, the platform generates and gathers data so that educators can efficiently analyze and take action with the data to best meet the needs of all learners.

Otus allows teachers and school administrators to view all student performance data (third-party tools/assessments and Otus-generated data) in one place and leverage that data to make its LMS features more powerful for learning. Most LMS platforms were designed for higher education but end up being marketed to K-12 schools. Otus was designed for K-12 teachers and students, which means faster adoption rates and better usage by everyone.

PowerSchool Learning

PowerSchool Learning is a learning management and classroom collaboration solution that empowers teachers with real-time student interaction inside and outside the classroom. Teachers can quickly create and deliver rich engaging lessons, electronically collect, annotate, and grade work, and easily collaborate and share with other educators. Schools can leverage the LMS to scale key initiatives, such as 1:1, BYOD, and PD, and streamline communication and collaboration throughout the community.

PowerSchool Learning is an LMS designed specifically for K-12 educators to create interactive lessons and scaffold instruction in highly visual, meaningful contexts. PowerSchool Learning gives students choice and a voice in demonstrating their learning through content creation, Web publishing, and project collaboration with peers and teachers.

Schoology

Schoology puts collaboration at the heart of the learning experience with an easy-to-use LMS. It connects the people, content, and systems that fuel education. Designed with users in mind, Schoology incorporates the best of modern interfaces for easy access to relevant information on any device. Millions of students, faculty, and administrators from more than 60,000 K-12 schools and universities worldwide use Schoology to advance what is possible in education.

Schoology understands that education is complex and requires coordination among many moving parts, both in and beyond the classroom. Consequently, its LMS connects everyone in a single, easy-to-use environment, transforming how they learn, communicate, and collaborate at every level. Recently, Schoology developed the first assessment management platform built directly into an LMS, enabling standards-aligned assessments to be created at the institution level and delivered within the normal course workflow for clearer views of student performance.

Twine

Twine is a combined SIS and LMS developed specifically for K-12 private schools to connect administrators, teachers, students, and parents to the information they need. With Twine, attendance, grades, schedules, assessments, communication, and more are located in one place for easy access. Using Edsby’s rich functionality as a base, Twine is purpose-built to fit the needs of teachers and students in private schools. Twine is simple to integrate in small to mid-size schools and requires no technical staff time to implement.

Twine is centralized so teachers can work together, administrators have insight into everything on the system, and teachers don’t have to do any setup. This allows for community-wide announcements, groups for extracurricular activities and clubs, a detailed student panorama where staff can coordinate on the needs of each student, personalized schedules, and more. As a single platform with a focus on small to medium-sized independent and private schools, Twine offers reasonable monthly pricing based on the size of a school’s student population.

• What is Google Classroom?
• Top 15 tools for self-paced learning
• How to use a document camera for remote learning

Shortcuts are the use of a combination of keyboard keys to quickly interact with the system. As such these shortcuts are only for use with the Zoom apps, rather than when used in a browser window. 

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From controlling audio and cameras to recording and screen sharing, these are the best Zoom shortcuts to make you a video conferencing teaching pro who never needs to look away from the screen, while still remaining in control of your presentation. 

Or perhaps you just want to impress friends and family on your next Zoom meet-up –- whatever your need, these are the Zoom shortcuts for you.

Mute audio in Zoom

• PC: Alt + A (to mute yourself)
• PC: Alt + M (to mute your students)
• Mac: Cmd + A/M
• iPad: Cmd + Shift + A/M

One of the most used features of Zoom is the trusty mute and unmute option. We say trusty, despite some very awkward instances of people failing at just this. That's why it's good to use a solid keyboard shortcut so you know you're definitely muted.

If you're on a PC then you'll need to use Alt + A to mute and unmute your own mic. To mute or unmute the mics of your students it's Alt + M.

For those on a Mac it's Cmd + A for your mic and Cmd + M for your students.

Anyone using an iPad can use Cmd + Shift + A or M as above.

Switch cameras in Zoom 

• PC: Alt + N
• Mac: Cmd + N

If you're lucky enough to have more than one camera connected to your Zoom setup then you may want to take advantage of this, which allows you to show different angles of the same thing. But it can also be great for other perspectives, such as using an attached document camera to show an image or text. Or perhaps you're carrying out an experiment and want to do a walk around of what's going on, with a handheld camera. 

Whatever the need, it's going to be easier if you can quickly zip between cameras using shortcuts. This can be done on a PC by using Alt + N, or on a Mac by using Cmd + Shift + N.

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Grab a screenshot in Zoom

• PC: Alt + Shift + T 
• Mac: Cmd + T
• iPad: Volume up + Power buttons

One of the most useful times to use screenshot, or screengrab as it's also known, is during a Zoom presentation. You may not be sure if the presentation is going to get distributed afterwards and taking notes could be distracting. In that case a quick screenshot, which you can refer to later as an image file on any computer or phone, is a great option. 

Of course this must be used with caution, ideally informing the person you're going to do so. Otherwise the screenshot sound may shock them, or they may not want to share what you're taking.

Presuming it's alright to do so, you can take a screenshot on a PC using the keys Alt + Shift + T or on a Mac by using Cmd + T.

Using an iPad? You can use your usual screenshot technique of pressing the volume up and power buttons at the same time to take a grab.

Record a lesson on Zoom

• PC: Alt + V
• Mac: Cmd + Shift + M
• iPad: Cmd + Shift + M

Presenting a class on Zoom and then having to follow up with lots of questions because people weren't listening properly can end up wasting time. So allowing students to record the class, so they can refer back to anything they're unsure on, is a great option. 

This is easily done using a shortcut and you are notified that a recording is taking place, so if you want to stop it at any point you can.

Record a Zoom video on a PC by pressing Alt + V or on a Mac or iPad by using Cmd + Shift + M.

Start a video on Zoom

• PC: Alt + V
• Mac: Cmd + Shift + M
• iPad: Cmd + Shift + M

Starting a video, while trying to sort paperwork or a presentation can be difficult when you need to factor in a mouse. Keyboard shortcuts can help make this transition from offline to online far smoother -- ideal for getting off to a good start.

Start a video on Zoom with a PC by using Alt + V or on a Mac or iPad by using Cmd + Shift + M.

Screen share on Zoom

• PC: Alt + S
• Mac: Cmd + Ctrl + S

Screen sharing is a really useful part of Zoom that allows you to carry out presentations and share images and videos or files without actually sending any. It means you know everyone is seeing the same thing at the same time, which allows you to speak along in time knowing everyone can follow.

Start a screen share on Zoom with a PC by using Alt + S. On a Mac it's Cmd + Ctrl + S. 

There's no Zoom shortcut for the iPad but you can share your screen by accessing the control center, holding down the record button (solid white circle inside another circle) and selecting Zoom from the options.

Raise or lower a hand on Zoom

• PC: Alt + Y
• Mac: Option + Y

A really great feature of Zoom, which makes it feel more like a real-world meeting, is the ability to raise a hand. This allows you to keep the group muted but still give participants the feeling that they can speak up and interject when they need to, perhaps with a question.

For PC users Zoom lets you raise a hand by pressing Alt + Y and for Mac users it's Option + Y. iPad users will need to use the onscreen icon. 

All other Zoom shortcuts

To get at the entire list of Zoom shortcuts available to you, on whatever device you're using, navigate to Settings. This is a gear in the corner, on the upper right side of the main screen. Then navigate to keyboard shortcuts, on the left, to see the full list available to you. 

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• How to use a VPN to tighten security for remote teaching

For teachers, it allows you to set assignments, post announcements, send out media to learn from, and grade papers with annotations.

For students, it means all your work is in one place, laid out clearly, making it easy to manage. Students can receive notification emails about when work is required making the process very straight forward. 

So how does it work?

• Google Classroom review
• 5 Ways to Prevent Cheating on Your Google Forms Quiz 
• 6 Tips for Teaching with Google Meet 

How do I use Google Classroom?

As a teacher, the setup is relatively simple. Once the teaching institution has signed up and added you, ideally, you can start communicating with your pupils by adding them right away. For face-to-face video, there is the option to use Google Meet, although the video tool isn't that well integrated into the Classroom platform.

What Classroom excels at is information distribution and sharing. A teacher can create an assignment, using a wide selection of templates or from scratch. They can then send this link to students individually, or as a group, at a scheduled time. The students are then notified and able to access the content. 

How can a teacher set work with Google Classroom?

A teacher could set out an assignment in a Google Doc, which the students read. This can be filled with information as well as rich media such as links to Google Drive files or YouTube videos. This will allow the teacher to set the work but also offer additional supporting materials to the students.

For example, a teacher can create a Google Sheet that allows students to complete a multiple choice quiz. The platform offers many templates for these, which make filling in the pertinent details super simple for teachers and for the students working on the answer. Since this is in Sheets, scores can be automatically totaled, so marking is made far more efficient for teachers. A more simplified version of this, Questions, exists within Classrooms, but more on that below.

Since the teacher is able to schedule when the notification email is sent, it allows the freedom to lesson plan ahead of time. The teacher can also choose a due date option. 

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How can a teacher grade with Google Classroom?

Aside from the multiple choice Google Sheets example above, grading needs to be done manually. This means going into the submitted work and editing it, if the teacher wants, using annotations to provide feedback and corrections that allows the student to see what's been addressed and why, helping them to learn from mistakes. Once a final score is decided, it can be manually inputted into a Google Sheet that records all the marks of the class.

The record of marks can be setup to allow for automatic assistance. Grades can be tallied for different aspects, such as paper grades, attendance, presentation marks, quiz scores, and exams. But what's really helpful is the ability to weigh each section with an overall percentage. This allows the teacher to give a grade for the year, term, week and so on, based on the various scores, while the Google Sheets algorithm can do all the work to automatically output the score.

How can students keep up with work assignments?

Google Classroom allows students to log in and see their assignments immediately. The email notification will be just that, more of a signpost to get them onto Classroom where the work is waiting. 

If a teacher has set a question within Classroom itself -- in the Questions feature -- the student may be able to answer right there with either a short answer box to type or a multiple choice option to select.

Similarly a teacher may have left an announcement on the dashboard for students to see. This can be opened with the option to reply, allowing a thread discussion to be created around the post. 

How teachers can make announcements with Google Classroom

Teachers announcements can be sent to the entire class. These will appear on the home screen of the Google Classroom so the students can see it when they log in. 

An email notification can be set to be sent so that everyone will receive the it at a certain time, or it can be sent to individuals. The announcement can have media added with attachments from the likes of YouTube and Google Drive.

This announcement can be set to either remain, such as with a noticeboard statement, or it can be adjusted to allow for two-way communication from students as mentioned above.

Want to learn more? Read out full Google Classroom review.

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• Google Tools and Activities for Music Education 
• Google Tools and Activities for Art Education 
• 20 Awesome Add-ons for Google Docs 
• Create Group Assignments in Google Classroom 
• End-Of-Year Google Classroom Clean-up Tips 

You may already be using Google Classroom as a teacher and want to know how to get even more out of the system. There are plenty of features that Google doesn't advertise that you may not yet know about. Read on to learn all the best Google Classroom tips and tricks.

• Google Classroom review
• 5 Ways to Prevent Cheating on Your Google Forms Quiz
• 6 Tips for Teaching with Google Meet

Check originality in Google Classroom

Students can no longer get away with plagiarizing the work of others. Google introduced a new feature to Classroom in 2020 called Originality Report. As the name suggests, this is about checking to see if the work submitted is by students or if they've simply copied and pasted it from elsewhere.

From a student perspective this is useful too as it will highlight source materials and flag any missing citations that could be added to a quote, for example. 

This tool is free for up to three assignments. If you want more you'll have to pay for the G Suite Enterprise for Education option.

Reuse assignments

Once you've gone through the effort of creating an assignment, make sure it earns its worth. Rather than using and ditching, you can reuse it.

Select the plus icon at the bottom right and choose "reuse post." Then select the assignment, announcement, or question you already setup. This is where you're then able to modify or update it before use – this could be a more time efficient way of creating a totally new quiz topic using the same shell as before. 

Note that it's worth selecting the "create new copy" option so you keep the original as well so you can use that again, as it is, in the future.

Grade faster

One way to get your grading done faster is to work through the assignment submissions in a list. This can be done by selecting the burger menu in the top left (the three lines on top of each other). Then choose "work" and you'll see all the assignments in one place.

To make collecting grades faster, you can use the keyboard rather than the mouse. This is for when entering grades. Type the grade then tap down on the keyboard rather than moving to the next cell with the mouse. It's a simple but very effective time-saving move. 

As of August 2020, Google announced plans for Classroom to allow for the export of grades into a student information system (SIS) making it far easier to use automatically school-wide.

Organize resources better

You could place all your resources, such as documents and videos, in a Google Drive folder. But a better way to integrate the materials to be more visible to students right there in Classroom is to use Topics. 

Create a Topic called "Resources" and place it near the top of the stream for easy access. This is a great place for more than just supporting materials, you can put the syllabus and class rules in here for easy access.

Top tip, make sure you name everything clearly so students know what's what at a glance.

Use private comments

One way to help the student advance is to use private comments. By allowing comments on assignments, which are private, the student can feel secure knowing the discussion is only between the two of you. This can help them to feel comfortable to say where they are struggling and perhaps why they feel they got something wrong.

This also allows students to feel more confident admitting they don't understand and they need more guidance. It also documents the feedback so the student can refer to it in the future.

Some teachers even use this feature as a requisite, asking students to add a reflection to be submitted with the work. A good example is using an open-ended question such as, "What did you find toughest in this assignment?"

Track progress, live

One way to keep a closer eye on your students' work is to attach a blank Google Doc template with the assignment and instruct the students to work in this space.

This allows the ability to click into the document to see if any progress has been made. A great way to keep tabs on students that struggle with deadlines, allowing you to give them a nudge near that time if necessary. 

Get live feedback in presentations

Let your students give presentations and give them live feedback, without the need to solely rely on the video feed. By copying and pasting evaluation templates in each private comment before the presentation, you can communicate in real time.

This lets your student see how they're doing live, but it also means you have marked the work as it happens rather than having to go through all the presentations afterward to give marks. By including features such as star and wish emojis, success criteria and overall evaluation, you can easily provide the feedback as you go.

Share resources to get more

One great way to collaborate with other teachers is to share homeroom Classrooms with those working in the same grade. This allows you to drop in and out of each other class spaces to see how students are doing there and also see how other teachers work.

This also allows you to repost a lesson so you can drop it right into your own Classroom for use if it looks helpful. 

This can even be a way to allow specialist teachers to drop announcements into your classroom so students are more likely to see band meets, or a special art class, for example. 

Just be sure to turn off notifications from classrooms you don't teach or your email could get very busy, fast.

• 4 Free and Easy Audio Recording Tools for Google Slides 
• Google Tools and Activities for Music Education 
• Google Tools and Activities for Art Education 
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Tech & Learning editors spoke with Brian Thomas, Lightspeed Systems President and CEO, for advice on how schools can better ensure online safety as they face long-term closures.

How can a district ensure their students are safe online?

Remote learning needs to start with remote filtering. Schools around the world are closed to keep students safe, and we need to make sure we’re still keeping them safe when we send them to learn online. 

For many schools, this is the first time they’re sending devices home with students at any scale. Even schools that have been 1:1 were typically only sending devices home to their middle and high school students. Now, elementary students have a school device at home for the first time. 

For all of these students, more time at home means more time online. And, suddenly, all of that time is spent off of the school network. 

For this new online learning environment to be effective and safe, schools need a filter that can support these remote devices, often with multiple operating systems, on or off the school network. Schools also need to be able to easily set different policies for these different groups because what’s acceptable for a teenager is different from what’s acceptable for a first grader to access. 

Keeping students safe online is what we’ve been doing for more than 20 years. Lightspeed Systems can help keep this new learning environment safer for all ages with our Relay platform.

How can districts manage all of these devices remotely?

There are a few keys to effectively managing remote devices. 

First, districts need solutions that can support multiple operating systems. One of the things we’re seeing is that, in order to ensure every remote student has a device, many schools are sending home older devices and additional OSes that had not been used as part of their 1:1 programs before. 

They also need solutions that don’t route traffic through the school network since devices are at home now and that just creates bottlenecks. 

Another factor is the safety of the IT teams, so management solutions that are cloud-based and don’t require management of hardware on the network are desirable. 

Schools are also deploying these devices quickly, so management solutions need to be easy to set up over the air–without touching all the student devices. 

Finally, a management solution needs to just work and be easy. Features such as single sign on and one-click settings are important for administrators who are doing so much right now.  

Relay Filter addresses these factors with the following benefits:

• Support for every OS.
• Smart Agents that are installed on any device and work anytime, anywhere.
• Ease of set up and ongoing management with no hardware.
• Powerful YouTube protections that block inappropriate content and comments while allowing teachers to provide access to their own educational  channels.
• Granular controls and the ability to differentiate policies by group, age, user, and time of day.. 
• Detailed reports on user activity and safety.

In Polk County Schools, for example, the Smart Agent was deployed to Windows machines via Group Policy, and to MacOS and iOS devices via Jamf to get multi-OS protection quickly. 

“During these unprecedented times, Lightspeed was able to quickly provide us a filtering solution that our current provider could not,” said Tina Barrios, Assistant Superintendent of Information Systems and Technology for Polk County Schools. “From the time Lightspeed activated our licenses, we had our filter policies in place in under a day.”

How do schools know if the many free resources being used by their teachers and students come from trusted partners? 

This is a big concern. Teachers are dealing with a completely new world of online instruction and looking for tools that can help. Unscrupulous companies are taking advantage of the situation to push products that are not compliant. Even common and trusted products like Zoom can be a concern when it comes to student data privacy. 

And all of it is happening off the school network and outside of normal visibility. 

So the key is providing four layers of protection:

1. Working with vendors you trust.
2. Having visibility into tools being used–actionable information on what apps, applications, and web sites are being used and by whom.
3. Information on which of those tools are not compliant with data privacy and security regulations.
4. The ability to block access to things that violate policies.

Relay Analytics addresses all four layers of protection, giving schools the reports they need to identify tools in use (including what we call “rogue” apps that haven’t been vetted), maintain compliance, and drive adoption and ROI. 

Osseo Area Schools, for example, is seeing these benefits. “During distance learning, Relay has been a vital tool for our school district to provide safe web-browsing off of campus with our district-issued technology,” said Anthony Padrnos, Executive Director of Technology for Osseo Area Schools. “Relay has also been valuable for us to collect daily statistics on how students are engaging with our remote learning and evaluate ROI on the digital learning resources we are investing in.”

How can schools manage Social Emotional Learning remotely? 

Another concern when it comes to keeping students safe is their social and emotional well-being. This pandemic and the changes in routine it brings can be scary–and students are isolated and may be depressed. A holistic safety solution doesn’t just block inappropriate content; it needs to monitor and alert staff about students who may be depressed and considering self-harm. 

We do this with a feature of the Relay Filter called Safety Check. It monitors activity and sends real-time alerts when a student is in crisis. We’ve heard from many schools that this feature has helped them save lives -- both before and during this pandemic. 

What’s ahead for schools? 

Even as schools rush to get remote learning off the ground quickly, they’re recognizing that this isn’t just a band-aid through the end of the year. Solutions need to be scalable and long-term–not just because we have no idea when this virus will pass but also because there’s a realization that remote learning is an essential back-up to the physical school building for natural disasters, extended illnesses, periods of social distancing, or whatever comes next.

During COVID-19 and always, we’re here to help schools and to protect students. We’re proud that Relay has been able to make this challenging situation easier for schools and safer for students.

To help schools through this difficult time and keep students safe during remote learning, Lightspeed Systems is offering free extended trials of its Relay Filter and Relay Classroom solutions. 

Visit www.lightspeedsystems.com to learn more.

Due to social distancing requirements, we had an email conversation in early April about the role of data and communications links in remote learning. 

Tech & Learning: How important is broadband data to curriculum today? 

Mo Katibeh: The nationwide massive shift to eLearning means that broadband data is absolutely necessary for K-12 and higher-ed students. In addition to using technology for homework assignments, our education customers see the need for their students to have broadband access to investigate, explore, research and respond to learning assignments. And, the need is just as important for teachers and administrators, who not only need bandwidth, but highly secure data to conduct their jobs. 

T&L: Should the students’ experience at home be equivalent to the one at school? 

MK: We know that the virtual learning experience won’t always be equivalent to a classroom experience. But there are also many benefits to eLearning. Right now, education experts across the country are trying to determine what is the optimal amount of video conferencing, independent study and use of other online resources. There isn’t necessarily one answer. 

We are seeing teachers who use video applications for teaching classes and also use it during times of independent study for students to ask questions. Other educators are gathering their classes together in the morning and then allowing students to work on their lessons throughout the day. There are many models right now depending on the age, grade and content. 

T&L: Is video an increasingly popular way to teach? 

Yes, at every level of education. Video is extremely popular in higher education and used extensively for online degree programs. Some colleges are even using programs for incoming freshmen with the plan to move students into the classroom in later years. This allows higher acceptance rates without the limitations of on-campus housing. 

Most K-12 teachers use video content to support their own teaching and for occasional collaboration with experts outside the classroom. Yet, direct delivery of instruction via video is not prevalent for K-12. There are many innovative teachers using video content with their students during the COVID-19 crisis. 

T&L: What are the delivery choices these days(LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, phone hotspot, stationary wireless, ...)? 

MK: Yes, all of the above. The right answer depends on where you are, of course. Many students will be using their home Wi-Fi. However, mobile broadband also plays a key role. 

T&L: What is AT&T doing to make the transition to home teaching and learning easier? 

MK: Moving the classroom into the home requires that every student has access to the Internet. We launched an unlimited wireless data offer for new lines, at no cost for 60 days, to qualified public and private K-12 schools, colleges and universities.  

Schools also need to ensure they can block or filter internet content that can be harmful to students. We’ve included a content-filtering solution in our offer to help schools protect the children in their care. 

To further support Internet access to communities across the country, we’ve expanded our low-cost option for home Internet service with Access from AT&T program. And, we’re also offering video conferencing solutions that support students, teachers, and entire administrations.

T&L: Has the company seen a big increase in the use of broadband data since schools have closed? 

MK: Yes. We have seen increases in traffic, for example audio/video conferencing minutes. As of April 6th, we’ve had an overall a 23 percent increase in data traffic versus a similar day in February, but this includes things other than teaching. 

Overall, our network is performing very well. Our employees are working around the clock installing, maintaining and repairing our network so our customers can communicate with each other and stay connected. We are adapting and adding capacity when and where needed to address the minimal congestion resulting from the shift of traffic from work and school to home. 

Make Every Day a Green Day

When it comes to affecting real change toward creating a greener and more sustainable classroom, everyday habits are the first place to start. To encourage student buy-in, carve out time for a brainstorming session on small ways they can contribute to such an important goal. Could they dress in layers to give classroom thermostats (and therefore energy resources) a break? Could the blinds be lifted to save on use of lights? Could digital classroom tools like projectors and smart-boards help cut back on paper, dry erase and chalk use? Reusable lunchbox and snack items could help with waste, could students take ownership of filling and cleaning so busy parents don’t need to rely on convenient single-use options? Invite students into the discussion for creative solutions and greater engagement.

Show and Tell

As in most areas of education, the most impactful way to teach your students is leading by example. Try not only practicing these greener ways of teaching and managing your classroom, but verbalizing your intent as you do so to bring greater awareness in those young, impressionable minds.

The Writing Projected on the Wall

Despite the best day-to-day classroom practices, some schools overlook a serious contributor to the eco-issue: outdated tech. The AV realm has made great strides to design alternatives to mercury-laden lamps and projectors that waste energy with lengthy warm up and cool down periods. It can be challenging to tell which tech is truly progressive when it come to these matters and which options are merely green-washed with misleading marketing. Luckily, TCO Certified, an objective third party nonprofit has created a cheat sheet to help admin and purchasers buy smart and reduce their carbon footprint.

The TCO Certified’s new Generation Eight Seal certifies IT products with sustainability, accountability and transparency throughout their entire life cycle— from the production of raw materials to the production conditions, long service life to safe disposal. The latest list also incorporates energy efficiency in the manufacturing phase, as well as evidence that the minerals used are from socially responsible sources. One of the first to earn the seal is Casio’s Advanced series and the entire new Superior series (featuring a mercury-free Laser/LED light source), while a number of Epson models also got the nod.

“Sustainability has been a focus in the production of our projectors for over 10 years,” said Joe Gillio, Senior Director Strategic Planning and Marketing, of Casio’s Business Projector Division. “Schools and companies in the United States are looking for products that help them with their Green initiatives, and TCO Certified projectors like ours do just that.”

This article has been sponsored by Casio America.

eShift technology

The crisp clear picture of 4K offers intense details and textures and fills the field of vision without discernible pixels, even for students close to the screen or viewing area. Images appear more natural than those of a 1080p device for a more relaxing and immersive visuals. Unlike 4K TV’s, projectors usually use DLP or LCD chips to create the image as individual pixels would be cost prohibitive. eShift technology, which projects two different 1080p images sequentially at 120Hz frequency, makes up the detail of a native 4K display so that viewers get the experience of a full 4K picture without a 4K pricetag.

Convertibility Accessories 

Every classroom is different, so it makes sense that flexibility in where and how you use your projector and display would be a big plus. For some schools, a projector might be shared between learning spaces. Others might want a tabletop display for interactive group projects at some times and standard wall viewing for the class at others. Classes with students at varying levels of abilities and mobility might need to accommodate wheelchairs or other height restrictions. The latest group of convertible stands and mobile carts allows the panel or projector to move from presentative to table with just the press of a button, giving versatility for presentation and collaboration— some even achieve this in cord-free, rechargeable battery mode.

LampFree Gets a Boost

The benefits of a LampFree projector solution have been enjoyed for some time. Cost reduction in replacement lamps, greener footprint without the need to dispose of the old lamps, time and workforce savings in installation and lost teaching time when a lamp blows and mercury-free tech makes everyone feel safer about their choice. But these perks are not new. However, latest of these laser/led hybrid projectors have made the jump into 4K for added clarity and detail. Equipped with a 4K DLP chip, the tech projects images of approximately 8.3 million pixels to mirror the true color and beauty of images at a much higher level than conventional projectors. With 5,000 lumens, it is great for brightly lit classrooms, auditoriums and larger venues.

3D Capability

This new’ish feature is certainly exciting on the face of it. The potential applications for classes and lesson plans are compelling— science by delving into layers of anatomy models, spinning neutrons and solar systems; engineering and architecture as the structures of buildings and cities are analyzed; history with tours of ancient ruins and castles to explore, or art where perspective and angles can be viewed. But despite this intriguing collection of ways the tech could be used, for most districts the financial and practical issues might prove too tough an obstacle to overcome. The cost and logistics of purchasing and holding onto 3D glasses, the health concerns about personal products being used from student to student, and display needs to use the tech properly will keep this cool new feature from widespread use. However, many of the new models of projectors are coming with the ability to be 3D capable, so future-proofing new purchases might make this a consideration for when those other challenges can be solved.

TeachLogic, Pathway Communications LTD and Johnson Consulting Engineers will partner on the project. 

The installation is a continuation of phase I, which was originally designed by Johnson Consulting. The Phase 1 contract was awarded to Pathway in November of 2017. For phase II, Pathway will be installing TeachLogic’s Maxim III™ amplifier/receiver, Sapphire™ teacher microphones, IRH-35 handheld microphones, and SP-628 in-ceiling speakers in more than 400 classrooms.

This brings the total number of classrooms in Palmdale with TeachLogic Sound Field systems to over 800.

If you have ever used Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drawings, and Forms, then you know how easy it is to collaborate and share work with peers and students. Thousands of educators create and share best student templates as part of their lesson plans, activities, and projects, making these resources free through their blogs or on Twitter. 

Using templates saves you and your students a lot of time and stress. All you need to do is copy the template you want your students to use, edit and tweak the template as you like, then share the URL with your students so they copy it and complete the work.  

Below is a list of websites with tons of free templates, tips, and tricks.

• Google Classroom review
• How do I use Google Classroom?

Free Templates for Google

The following websites are filled with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings templates that are ready to use. Edit and tweak these templates as needed. 

You may want to share the activity with your students as a template so they can preview it. To do this copy the template’s long url and change the edit part in the URL, "/edit", to "/template/preview."

• Of course you can find several free templates I share regularly on this blog, Teacher Reboot Camp, in my books, and in my 400+ slide presentations.
• Eric Curts shares tons of templates for Drawings, Slides, Docs, and Sheets in his blog, Control Alt Achieve.
• Kelly Fitzgerald shares tons of Google tricks and templates, including several graphic organizers, in her blog, Edtech Nut.
• Brad Dale shares tips, tricks, and templates in his blog, Time to Talk Tech.
• Ms. Drasby’s Tech Babble is full of tips, tricks and templates.
• The TCEA blog is another great place to find tons of free templates, including Breakout Edu activity templates.
• The educators from Black Gold Regional School Division share tons of creative templates for students to create magazines, newspapers, and more!
• The Instructional Tech Talk blog has several templates, including awesome infographic templates for students.
• Flippity has tons of templates for Google Sheets! Create digital flashcards, interactive quizzes, scavenger hunts, and other cool stuff.
• Check out Slidesmania and Slidescarnival for some colorful themes and templates to make your presentations and lesson plans stand out.
• Pear Deck is an add-on for Google Slides to increase student engagement. The platform features a library of ready to use templates.
• The Google Teacher Tribe has several podcasts, tips, tricks and templates.
• Alice Keeler often shares tips and templates, especially for Sheets.
• Find templates for student choice menus and more at the Shake Up Learning blog.
• The Google Teacher Tribe has several podcasts, tips, tricks and templates.
• Twitter is another way I find tons of useful templates! I recommend these hashtags-#GoogleEDU, #GoogleClassroom, #GoogleET, and #GSuiteEdu.

Highline serves approximately 18,000 K-12 students in the communities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac and White Center in northwest Washington State. Highline sought a new social studies curriculum to support both existing and future social studies standards and fit into the school system’s existing inquiry-focused framework.   

Following a review, Highline selected Discovery Education’s Social Studies Techbook for integration into classroom instruction in the following schools:

•  Sylvester Middle School
• Pacific Middle School
• Highline Choice Academy
• Glacier Middle School
• Chinook Middle School
• Cascade Middle School
• Big Picture Middle School

The Social Studies Techbook pairs core content with essential questions, primary source analysis, and project-based tasks.  Developed for diverse student audiences, Social Studies Techbook’s multimodal content aims to support the improvement of academic vocabulary, break down barriers to learning, and engages students in higher-level thinking. A variety of differentiation tools integrated at point of use help educators meet the needs of each student. Other features include access to two Lexile levels of core content, Spanish translation, as well as strategies for teaching students with special needs and English learners.

To help HPS’s middle school educators integrate their digital textbooks into classroom instruction, Discovery Education is providing district teachers a number of professional learning opportunities. 

HPS educators are also receiving support from the Discovery Education Community. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Education Community connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable networking, idea sharing, and inspiration.  

EmployeeSafe provides schools and districts with access to 600+ online safety courses. This includes courses districts are required to deploy to employees, including Suicide Prevention, Restraint and Seclusion, and more, as well as courses on other important safety topics, including Slips, Trips, and Falls and Armed Assailant.

North Adams partnered with PublicSchoolWORKS this school year to deliver safety training to all of its approximately 300 staff members, including teachers, cafeteria and facilities workers, clerical paraprofessionals, and librarians. 

Pathfinder, one of 26 regional vocational schools in the state,  is now using the EmployeeSafe Suite with all of its 132 full-time employees, as well as with its students. This includes training and reporting on OSHA requirements, asbestos awareness, lead paint, ladder safety, bloodborne pathogens, and more. 

“EmployeeSafe saves us so much time and really makes it easy for us to provide and track the training—we can send out reminders and see who has completed the necessary courses,” said Assistant Superintendent and Principal Eric Duda. “Our staff also really likes how the program gives them much-needed flexibility to complete training at times most convenient for them.” 

In the past, security breaches have happened primarily to consumer organizations. Increasingly, education technology breaches are perpretrated as hackers find district information systems relatively easy to access. To protect their data, districts need a comprehensive data security policy that defines precisely the pieces of student data they keep and why they keep it. This includes a review of all third-party technology vendors. Districts need to understand the terms of each vendor’s privacy policy for every digital tool and online resource they use. It’s a huge task.

At a recent Tech & Learning Leadership Summit, district leaders shared the ways they’re keeping student data safe. These leaders believe it’s the responsibility of districts to be proactive about student data privacy issues. They say all districts should be educating parents and training teachers on the importance of student privacy and personally identifiable information (PII). Federal privacy laws apply to all states, and states are being proactive about creating legislation to protect student data.

KAREN FULLER, director, network infrastructure and communications, Cypress Fairbanks (TX) ISD:

“We started to take data privacy and security seriously about three years ago. Texas State Bill 820 defines what districts need to do to protect PII. Texas also developed a partnership with the Student Data Privacy Consortium, a group of schools and districts, trade organizations, policy makers, and vendors. As part of the partnership, vendors understand their common responsibilities across the state. At Cypress Fairbanks, we’ve established a process that limits information given to vendors. We also know how to identify data breaches, and how those breaches should be reported to the state. Districts should understand that teachers and administrators are your weakest link. They need training. One way to see exactly who needs training is to send out a phishing email.”

Check out the Cypress Fairbanks ISD cybersecurity webpage. It includes links to resources on student data privacy, cybersecurity awareness, cybersecurity current events, and an approved resources database.

PETE JUST, chief technology officer and chief operations officer, MSD of Wayne Township, Indianapolis, IN:

“The state of Indiana has developed grants and CyberSecurity initiatives for K–12 schools. It includes funding for a K12 Taskforce. There is a grant to establish managed security services, and a growing “CyberSec Resource Hub” for Indiana K–12 specific resources. We recently hosted a CyberSec Sim (Cybersecurity Simulation) at our statewide CoSN CTO Clinic with 150 tech leaders and we’re making the Sim available to use with their district teams.

“At the MSD of Wayne Township, we have a student data privacy agreement that we ask all data-related vendors to sign. We’ve done significant cybersecurity marketing and have run phishing campaigns (via InfoSec) with our staff for the past 18 months. These campaigns have improved the ‘water cooler conversations’ and end-user security compliance significantly. For the past two years we’ve also implemented a calendar of CyberSecurity reviews based on standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that include penetration testing from different vendors.”

ELLEN MCDONNELL, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and technology, Tuckahoe (NY) Union Free School District:

“New York state has a new Data Privacy Law (Ed Law 2-d) which is changing the landscape of accountability and responsibility regarding not just student data, but staff data as well. Though the law has passed, regulations from the State Education Department are still in the works and we’re all in a holding pattern on specifics. In the meantime, we’re creating full lists of software used, including those free titles for teachers to use, redrafting our policies, and training our staff on cybersecurity.”

ANDREW WALLACE, director of technology, South Portland (ME) Schools:

“Maine’s Student Data Privacy Consortium is managed by the Maine Educational Technology Directors Association (METDA). We worked with a local law firm to create a common privacy agreement. Once one school gets a vendor partner to sign, any member school can use the agreement.”

District leaders find value in sharing their work with one another at Tech & Learning Leadership Summits. If you’re interested in participating in one of these events, you can read more about them at www.techlearning.com/news/tech-and-learning-leadership-summits.

Data Privacy Resources

Here are some resources to help launch or augment your district data security program:

The US Department of Education website features guidance and resources about data security for districts.
https://studentprivacy.ed.gov

All 50 states have introduced student privacy laws since 2013, although not all laws have been enacted. Forty-one states have passed 126 laws on student data privacy. Find where your state stands here.
www.ferpasherpa.org/state-laws

The Forum Guide to Education Data Privacy from the National Center for Education Statistics outlines how states and districts can support data best practices to protect the confidentiality of student data.
www.nces.ed.gov/pubs2016/NFES2016096.pdf

The Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) is designed to address the day-to-day, real-world, multi-faceted issues that schools, states, territories, and vendors face when protecting learner information. SDPC’s vision is to develop common activities, artifacts, templates, tools, and effective practices.
https://privacy.a4l.org

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) offers policy questions and approaches.
www.ncsl.org/research/education/student-data-privacy.aspx

Pledge commitments align with existing federal law and regulatory guidance regarding the collection and handling of student data and encourages vendors to articulate their practices clearly.
www.studentprivacypledge.org

The Future of Privacy Forum hosts events that are usually free.
www.privacycalendar.org

The CoSN website defines student data privacy as the use, collection, handling, and governance of students’ personally identifiable information (PII). This includes any and all information that can be used to identify, locate, or contact an individual student—such as name, address, student ID, and login information.

Common Sense Education has videos and articles about how parents and teachers can protect students’ data privacy. They also have an information security primer for evaluating edtech software.

One of the most impressive broadcast curriculums in the nation is located in Carlsbad, California – not at a college, however, but at Carlsbad High School. The prowess of the school’s Broadcast Journalism Program, branded CHSTV, is seen in its daily productions, its PBS documentary specials, and at the annual STN nationwide student broadcasting competition – where CHSTV has consistently won “Best Daily Newscast in the Nation” since 2008. 

CHSTV’s newscasts are tightly crafted, visually infectious, professional grade, and produced entirely by students. Packed with live studio and field reports, guest interviews, and special interest features, each show delivers information the students feel their peers need to know. The 12-minute high definition newscast is seen live via the web, in classrooms through closed circuit television, and across the Carlsbad area over local cable systems. 

At 7:30 a.m. students arrive with no content prepared and with no idea of what role they will play in that morning’s newscast. A brainstorming session is held with CHSTV Broadcast Teacher Douglas Green, and the students then begin researching topics, writing copy, gathering imagery, creating graphics, and editing video. By 9 a.m., there’s a quick run-through, and by 9:18 am – without fail – the news goes live. 

The students run the entire show. They work as on-camera talent and news anchors, and execute the live show from the control room.

News Training Ground

Green — named 2016 California Teacher of the Year — formed CHSTV in 2002 as a means to give students who were learning video and broadcasting at the district’s three middle schools a continuing education in the trade. Today, 90 percent of the students in the CHSTV program come from those middle school programs. 

Along with working in each technical position—both in front of and behind the camera—during the grading period, students also take turns delivering an interactive presentation using the Magic Window – a giant touch screen monitor. The students are also expected to produce a feature segment on any topic of their choice every three weeks. On deadline day, several student/content producers evaluate the video clips for use in the newscast as well as grade the work. 

The demand for the program is high, and Green teaches two different classes of students according to a rotating block schedule. This means there may be 12 or more students in the studio serving as anchors, interviewers, camera operators, floor directors, teleprompter operators, and production assistants, with many more in the control room serving as technical directors, producers, and graphics operators. The key, Green says, is they must all communicate clearly and effectively with each other in order to have a successful outcome.

“One reason we’ve been so successful is that we attract students who really have a passion for telling stories, and who embrace this concept that, as journalists, we are the voice for the voiceless,” Green added. 

This is especially true for the documentary films the students have produced on such hot topics as vaccines, food banks for struggling military families, and interesting jobs for the new era of work. 

The result of the curriculum’s educational and technical goals is a combination of real-world skills used in broadcasting and video creation with educational information delivered to the students in the district. Upon high school graduation, CHSTV students typically go on to study broadcast journalism and other media arts at the university level.

Building a Broadcast-Quality Facility

The documentary work is commissioned by professional organizations and corporations. The students pick the projects that interest them, and this work generates vital revenue that funds the CHSTV program. Other sources of revenue include grants, fundraising, and a parents’ booster club. Together, this income helps defray the many onerous, on-going production costs. 

CHSTV also has a 501c3 non-profit designation, meaning it’s easier and more appealing for broadcast technology companies to donate equipment to the program since it’s tax deductible. The region is also rich with broadcast news professionals and engineers that occasionally offer their advice and technical expertise. 

This allows CHSTV’s aspiring journalists to hone their technical and soft skills to the point where they are immediately valuable to any broadcast news, sports, or network TV operation. 

Situated side-by-side in the control room, two “dueling” NewTek TriCasters are used to roll live video opens and packages, and to switch and stream the show. A third TriCaster is used to live stream sports and special events from remote locations, while a fourth is kept in storage as a back-up. A companion TriCaster technology, called Live Text, is used to create broadcast graphics, such as lower third supers. 

“The TriCaster is just a wonderful piece of equipment that gives our kids the opportunity to create freely on the fly. It’s sophisticated and full-featured, yet user-friendly for kids to learn quickly,” Green said. “It’s the foundation of a program that lets kids develop their creativity, character, and collaboration skills as they work in partnership to tell stories that they hope will make the world a better place.” 

The adjacent, 900 square foot studio is equipped with two Panasonic P2HD studio cameras on dollies, a Canon C300 DSLR camera on a crane, two Sony XDCAM 4K camcorders, a GoPro, as well as a wireless, handheld Ronin-S “Fly Cam” that serves as a Steadicam to fluidly follow the action. The studio has a large anchor desk, an overhead lighting grid, two large video wall displays at the back of the set, and ample space for students to conduct guest interviews while seated on the comfy furniture or walking around the set. 

Live feeds are brought in from additional cameras at remote locations—such as local events, restaurants, public places and sports venues—via satellite. This equipment, courtesy of a generous donation by ViaSat Corporation, includes two satellite uplinks that reside on the roof of the high school and its nearby stadium. Using this satellite gear, the students can transmit video signals at high-speed via a satellite. At remote locations, the students also use a Dejero bonded cellular transmission system to back-haul their live video signal to the studio for inclusion in the newscast. 

“The studio is equipped with a full editing lab. Each computer contains Final Cut X and the Adobe Production Suite,” said Student Producer/Journalist Kelsey Beekman. “Students can use these computers to edit their stories, do research, and to find upcoming events to cover. Our newsroom is also furnished with four soundproof editing bays perfect for editing stories and recording voice-overs. We’re grateful to have a studio that helps students produce their best work.” 

“When a student first begins to learn the TriCaster system, they partner with more experienced students, and within an hour they’re operating at full capacity for a live show,” said Nick Francis, a junior in the CHSTV program. “When I was in the control room and switching a live show for the first time, I was biting my nails. I was super nervous…but came out the other side alive! And now, whenever I face a challenging new situation, I’m able to handle myself with so much more poise and confidence.” 

While CHSTV Sophomore Miles Fesler serves as a TriCaster trainer to other students, he’s still discovering amazing things about it. After he trains one student, that student pays it forward by teaching other students. “This shows how great the TriCaster is as a new piece of technology that lets anyone pick it up relatively quickly. We can have eight different cameras that can be switched in an instant. This lets us have a lot of flexibility in our show, and really lends itself to a really great broadcast.”

EQUIPMENT LIST

The following gear is used by CHSTV at Carlsbad High School:

• An on-set video wall display
• An interactive “Magic Window” touch screen
• Four NewTek TriCasters (various models)
• Computer Lab/classroom equipped with Adobe Production Suite and Final Cut X at each station
• NewTek Live Text CG software
• Four soundproof bays for editing, audio and voice-over recording
• A large, 900 square-foot studio with anchor desk and furniture
• A lighting grid suspended from the studio ceiling
• Multiple cameras, including two Panasonic P2HD studio cameras on dollies
• Two Sony 4K camcorders
• A Canon C300 DSLR camera on a crane
• A GoPro 
• Ronin-S Fly Cam wireless camera system
• Microphones, including wireless mics
• ViaSat satellite uplink equipment
• Dejero bonded cellular transmission system

Why Go Short?

A big reason for schools, and even the home theatre crowd, opt for short or ultra short throw projectors in the clarity of picture, sans annoying shadows. No longer will “little bunny Foo-Foo” hop across the algebra equations, thanks to Johnny in the front row. And Uncle Mike crossing the room for a popcorn refill won’t inadvertently black out the screen just as the culprit in the evening’s who-dun-it is revealed. The close placement of the projector to the wall or whiteboard relieves any disturbance of the picture.

For teachers, this is far more than an annoyance. For years, they were relegated to the back of the classroom both to run the projector or slide machine. Not only would it be distracting for students for an educator to stroll front and center (with a face sporting the Doppler effect or periodic table) but the light shining in the eyes inhibits connecting with students to gauge their interest or understanding. Standing in front of the class not only allows teachers to authoritatively impart lessons or lectures, but it allows them to engage fully with the class, using the screen and media behind them to enhance their session.

For some schools lacking room in the budget for interactive whiteboards, the inclusion of a short throw or ultra short throw projector can turn any surface into this engaging tech. Because of a lack of shadow distortion, finger points can be distinguished for group work. The projector can even be ceiling mounted with the ability to point downward, turning a group table into a giant display for students to gather and learn. This can offer a more inclusive experience for students with mobility issues or disabilities. Many interactive projectors recognize multiple contact points, letting as many as 20 students work together on group projects. Clearly, for some — this makes going short the “smart” choice.

The Shortcomings 

So why would any school opt for traditional long throw projectors? Even with all the benefits, a few drawbacks have some schools wavering. For many ultra short throw projectors, the tech does not include a zoom capability. This means the projector must be physically positioned to match the screen size. Another issue along those lines is a lack of autofocus on some models, which could be a problem if the mobile cart, table or floor mounted tech gets bumped. In a classroom of young students, this could mean frequent disruptions as the teacher resets the alignment of the picture.

The bottom line also can have an effect on throw choice. Long throw lenses are generally less expensive due to the quality of glass in the lens. They also work perfectly well for large halls, auditoriums or exhibition spaces. The surface the image or video is being displayed upon gets more important, the shorter the throw. For ultra throw either a light reflecting screen, tension-enable screen or whiteboard is best. All of these can represent pricy hits if they aren’t already in place. Because of the extreme angle of the light stream, distortions/bumps/cracks/building material patterns on a wall will be exaggerated and ripples in a cheaper non-tension rod pull down screen would mar the picture.

Here are the typical breakdowns of projector-to-screen distance: