Know Your Why!

Brain Breaks - Critical Thinking with Google's New Mystery Animal

At some point in our lives we've all played some version of the Game 20 Questions, right?

Recently Google released their own 20 Question Game Called Mystery Animal for Google Home. It also works in Chrome.

"Mystery Animal is a new spin on the classic 20-questions game. The computer pretends to be an animal, and you have to guess what it is using your voice. Ask any yes-or-no question you want, like "Do you have feathers?" or "Do you sleep at night?" Play it on a Google Home by saying "Hey Google, talk to Mystery Animal," or try it on the site."

I am a big fan of Brain Breaks for students. The best brain breaks are collaborative and get students thinking. This new resource could be used by small groups of students or as a whole class activity. Get them thinking critically about the best questions to ask! Get them collaborating.

We've added this resource to our Google Secrets Document. What other Google Tools do you use in unique ways with your students?

Chrome Browser Tab Shortcuts to Enhance Productive Workflow

Enhance your browsing experience by know some of the essential shortcuts connected to Chrome Tabs. For example, if you right-click on a tab in Chrome, you open a tab menu that allows you to manage and recover tabs. You can also pin tabs you use frequently, recover closed tabs, and rearrange the order of tabs. Here are a few more top tips.

Chrome OS Tabs & Windows Essentials

New tab ctrl + t	Reload ctrl + r	Duplicate Right-click on tab
Pin Tab Right-click on tab	Mute tab Right-click on tab	Close Tab Click on the x or ctrl + w
Close other tabs Right-click on tab	Reopen closed tabs ctrl + shift + t	Bookmark all tabs ctrl + shift + d
Open previous page alt + left arrow	Open next page Alt + right arrow	Switch windows alt + tab
See two windows at the same time On one of the windows you want to see, click and hold Maximize. Drag to the left or right arrow. Repeat for a second window. Tip: You can also use the shortcut Alt + [ to move left, or Alt + ] to move right.
Reorder, move, or pin tabs You can put related tabs together, or move a tab into or out of a window. Also, if there’s a webpage you always want open, like your email, you can make that tab easy to find by pinning it. Reorder tabs within the same window: Drag the tab to a different position along the top of the browser window. Move a tab into a new window: Click and drag the tab away from the window. You can make the tab into its own window, or drag it into another window.
Change window size View full screen: At the top of your keyboard, press Fullscreen (or F4). Maximize window: At the top right, click Maximize. Minimize window: At the top right, click Minimize.

Source: Chromebook Help - Multitask with windows & tabs

Formative Assessment and the Growth Mindset

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know." Donald Rumsfeld

We don't know what we won't know and if we don't know how do we grow as a learner?

Formative assessments are essential tools for teachers and students to engage in knowing and not knowing? I was inspired by this article from Edutopia to update our Favorite Formative Assessment Document.

The Power of Admitting What We Don't Know

There are many digital assessment tools that can help both teachers and students know what they know and learn from what they don't know.

Formative assessments should be part of the learning experience in all classrooms, but they are particularly important in 1 to 1 classrooms.
Variety is the spice of life and the same could be said for formative tools. Using 1 tool all the time can become a drag for both students and teachers.
Formative assessments should not be limited to assessment apps or sites. Formative assessment can be incorporated into any activity, digital or not.
Good formative assessments help both the students and teachers gauge understanding and adjust teaching and learning.
The nine featured recommendations below are by no means a represent a complete list. We have added additional assessment resources that we love to this document.
If you have something you are already using that has worked well for your students, please share in our Formative Assessment Padlet.
Before creating your own activities using any of these resources, we recommend exploring the tutorials embed in most of the resources. If you do want to jump right in, get started by searching for assessments that have already been created. (Most of these resources have a library of shared public assessments that you can copy and modify.)

Featured Formative Assessment Web Resources

Quizlet Live Collaboration	Kahoot Game-Based	Quizizz Game-Based
Formative Drawing & Diagrams	Pear Deck Interactive Presentations	Google Forms Exit Slips & Quizzes
Flipgrid Audio & Video Responses	Otus Interactive Questions	TEDEd Video Formatives

Need something more? We have additional recommended Digital Assessment Resources in the full Document embedded on our Assessment Resource Page on the Wicked EdTech Site.

The Power of Teacher Collaboration - Google + HyperDoc Community

Last week I shared some of the incredible resources connected to HyperDocs by incredible educators who love to share and collaborate. Teachers are sharing some awesome HyperDocs on the Teachers Give Teachers Site, Facebook, Padlet, Google +, and Google Drive.

Exploring Additional Resources Connected to HyperDocs

Today I want to focus on the power of Google + Communities. Google + has become one of my favorite places to collaborate with educators around the world. With the blessing of the HyperDoc Girls, 6 months ago we created a community to support HyperDocs on Google +.

Here are some reasons why I believe our HyperDoc Google + Community is a great place to explore and collaborate.

HyperDocs can be categorized by content area.
A public view link can be shared. This means that you are not just looking at a copy that could quickly become outdated. (If you want to learn more about link sharing, please visit this post.)
The shared HyperDocs are secure and can only be removed by the owner of the post or the moderators of the community.
Google + Communities are searchable. I think I heard something about Google knowing search?
Each link to a HyperDoc will include a nice visual preview of the HyperDoc.
The posts can include a description or a question. This is a great way to provide the viewer with a quick snapshot of the HyperDoc.
Viewers can comment on the posts or respond to questions. (This is my favorite feature! - Collaboration is awesome!)
Members of the community can receive notifications when a new post or response is added.

We did not create this community to compete with or replace any of the other great ways educators are sharing HyperDocs. We just wanted one more resource for educators to share and collaborate. The bottom line is that if you have something to share connected to HyperDoc find the place that works best for you, but please find that place to share!

Study Smarter! Not Harder! - Tips for Teachers to Help Students

“The mind is just like a muscle - the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.” ― Idowu Koyenikan

Exams may be just around the corner, so here are a few resources to help students organize, prioritize, and prepare for just about any assessment at any time throughout the year.

Essential Tips for Studying Smarter, Not Harder

Supercharge your Study Guide
It is just as important to think about HOW you study as it is to WHAT students study.
Don't Memorize - ORGANIZE!
Organized learners are more successful on exams. Being organized is the difference between knowing and understanding. Graphic organizers are a great way to make connections.
Podcasts for Learning
Explore how well students can explain a concept. Students can record and share their learning using quick recording resources like Flipgrid, Recap, Screencastify, Soundtrap or another recording resource.

Digital Tools to Support Individual & Collaborative Review

Concept and Vocabulary Review - Quizlet
Start with flashcards, add diagrams, and engage in the learning. Students can create their study sets, or choose from millions of flashcards sets created by others. Students can use several study modes including multiple choice tests, flashcards, diagrams Quizlet learn, and more study games. Visit the Quizlet Blog, for more student study tips.
Collaboration - Google+ Communities and Padlet
Students create online study groups in Google+ Communities or by creating a Padlet.
Organization - Google Keep Google Keep can be a powerful tool for organization and workflow. Create and share notes. Create checklists and reminders. Students can organize study resources and create their own paths for learning.
Video Concepts - Khan Academy and YouTube Video lessons to support math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and almost any topic you are interested in.

Exam Tips and Tricks - Video Resources

Hacks and Habits to Become an Exam Superstar