Google Docs – EdTech Awesomeness

Cool Tools, Google Docs, Teacher Workflow

Building Blocks in Google Docs

Posted on September 14, 2023 by edtechawesomeness

I am super hyped about the new feature in Google Docs that allows you to create and save your own templates that can then easily be accessed by typing the @ sign followed by the name of your template. I think this new tool will really streamline a lot of my work and the work of other teachers.

Here is a video I created that will give you a quick overview of what building blocks are and how I think you can use them.

There are so many ways I can envision using building blocks:

Any activity or report that you recreate every week by making a copy of the doc you used last time and use by deleting the content you added the last time you used it.
Student reading logs – Use a table. In one column, create a dropdown of genres. In another column, have a dropdown for the number of minutes read. In another column, create a dropdown of emoji reactions for the book.
Group project assignments – Create a template for group projects using the product roadmap as the basis. There is a column on there for status and a spot for related files. Make the template and use smart chips to attach materials students will need to access for the project. Create an assignment in Google Classroom where you assign one page per small group with the “everyone can access” option. Students in the group will then work on the same document and you can track their progress with the progress dropdown. They will submit just one paper for you when they are done with the assignment.
Lab work – Similar to above, create a template for lab partners. You can use the product roadmap as a basis and insert directions, material, and spreadsheets for students to be able to record their data.
Newspaper, magazine or encyclopedia articles – Create a template that you want students to use that mimics any of those types of writing. Leave places for images, create columns, titles and leave spaces for headings. Assign in Google Classroom.
Lesson Plans – Create plans with columns and dropdown menus that have standards or units in them. If you are working with other teachers to create these templates, you can use smart chips to assign responsibilities for each section.

This is just the tip of the iceberg! I am sure you have a lot of ideas on how you could use Building Blocks in Docs, but you probably need to know how to get started with building blocks in the first place. You can use my start up and resource guide to get yourself going.

What will you use Building Blocks for? Leave your ideas in the comments.

If you are looking for additional resources or tutorials on everything Google, feel free to check out the PD website I created for my teachers so that they can get just in time training on all things edtech.

Cool Tools, Google Docs, how to

Video Preview in Docs = Awesomeness For Note Taking or Question Answering

Posted on January 20, 2022 by edtechawesomeness

In education, we often work in video. Fortunately, we have been able to step away from the “whole class watches the video at the same time” method of teaching thanks in part to programs like BrainPOP and Edpuzzle. The problem with those programs though are that they don’t live in Google Classroom and are not portable for students to be able to keep their responses or notes for future use after the video assignment has ended.

That is why I am in love with the video preview feature in Google Docs. Using this feature, you can build a multimedia response activity right on a single doc. The students don’t have to have multiple windows open as they can watch the entire video right there while working on their doc.

As an example, I created an activity focused on invasive species. I wanted my students to watch a short video and answer some questions based on the video. I am planning on having them use the answers to those questions in a larger project, so they will need to be able to access them again in the future. Plus, I want them to have access to the original video in case they need to review it as they are working on the larger project.

I created a doc and placed a table in the doc. On the right side of the table, I wrote the questions I wanted the students to answer. I put it on the right side because when the video is previewed, it will cover up the right side and I didn’t want them struggling to move it to type their answers. On the left side of the table, I left space for the students to write their answers. I used a table because I wanted the space to be able to grow as they wrote but still be aligned to the original question. At the top of the table, I linked the video. I used the smart chip feature in Docs to make the link look prettier, but you could just put the link there.

Students can then mouse over the video link and when it pops open, they simply mouse down to the bottom right of the video and click the preview button. The video will then open on top of their doc and they can play it, pause it, rewind it or skip ahead as they work to answer the questions.

I will assign this activity in Google Classroom with the “make a copy for each student” option. After they turn it in, I can easily return it and students then have access to their notes by either opening the assignment in Google Classroom or by locating it in the Classroom folder in their Google Drives.

This feature makes taking notes so much more accessible for our students! Just an FYI, kids can click the little x in the video to get rid of the commercial bar that covers the video at points. How are you going to use this feature with your students?

Google Docs, Quick Tech Tips

Chips and Docs

Posted on August 10, 2021 by edtechawesomeness

Smart Chips are a newish feature to Google Docs. With smart chips, you can embed Google products like docs, slides, sheets, and drawings right into your doc. I have also had success chipping videos that live in my drive or from the share links on Youtube! In addition to embedding these materials in your docs, you also have the ability to add dates, calendar events or even create a calendar invite right on the fly.

Let’s say that I am working with other teachers or preparing a group project for students. I can create a document that has all of the content that we need and embed it right into the document. In the past, I could accomplish this with hyperlinks but with smart chips, it gives a nicer visual feel and my collaborators can see the type of content I have linked rather than just clicking on a word I have hyperlinked. When you mouse over the smart chip, it gives a preview of the content you have chipped, let’s you know who owns the content, and reminds you to alter your share settings on the original content if you have not done so already. Take a look at an example of a document I built using smart chips.

When you mouse over the chip, you get a preview of the content it represents.

To add a smart chip to a document, type the @ sign and begin to type the title of the material you want to pull in from your Drive. The content the dialog menu box pulls is slightly limited, so if you know exactly what you want, you can always go to your Drive first and grab the share link from it. Once you hit the @ sign in your doc, you can simply paste the share URL in. Docs will then prompt you to hit tab to turn the URL link into a smart chip.

To learn how to add smart chips to your own documents, watch this short video.