Using Google Forms to Create Poems

At Alcott Elementary, Mrs. Amici's 5th graders recently completed a Google Form to answer the question, "What makes you special?" Students were instructed to share the first positive thing they thought of about each of their classmates. This was accomplished by Mrs. Amici creating a Google Form with every student listed.

"Using Google Forms made the process of collecting student responses much easier," said Mrs. Amici.

Under each student name, the class had to write their one positive word to describe their classmate and submit the Form.  Mrs. Amici then shared the collected positive words with each student and they wrote and decorated a "What makes you special?" poem.  The poems were then shared with each student and parents to celebrate how each student is special and unique.

Google Form used to collect Student Responses

Google Sheet used to Compile Student Responses

Google Art Project Combines Art, Life and History

Google Art Project is a collection of digitized art from around the world.  The Art Project provides users with 738 collections from around the world including 13,106 artists and 245,009 items showcased in the collections. Users can search by Collections, Artists or Artworks as well as by featured Projects such as Art Projects, Historic Moments and World Wonders.

For example, search Art Projects, Collections and choose MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art. The Collections gives users a description of the museum, any available Exhibits, a Museum View which allows users to virtually walk through the museum, and all Items available in the digital collection.  The first piece shown is "The Starry Night." When the user chooses the artwork, the artwork appears, a description is available in the details as well as any available videos and audio files and a map of where the artist lived. 

Another example, search World Wonders, and navigate to the Grand Canyon on the map.  The collection will open to show scenery from the area in Street View as well as images including paintings and photographs from the location.  

If you have not checked out Google Art Project we strongly recommend doing so. It is a powerful way to connect art, life and history.

Using E-Portfolios in the Classroom

For years teachers have displayed their students' work on school walls and bulletin boards. However with the new digital age and more schools going paperless student work has become more easily shareable, accessible and more easily organized.  

Both students and educators need to share their achievements and to reflect on what they learn. Portfolios provide them with the ability to quickly and easily collect, organize, and share their work with others.

Schoology makes this feature fun and streamlined with their new e-PORTFOLIO feature. Located in your Schoology personal profile, portfolios make it easy to showcase students’ work, interests, and talents.

Above is a sample collage of items that were easily shared in the student’s Schoology portfolio. 

If you would like to try the ePortfolio feature but would like a help getting started, please contact your EdTech Integration Coach.

EDCITE Digital Content Reviews Are Now Published at SpotOnReviews.org

During the 2014-2015 school year, over 70 Westerville teachers participated in EDCITE:  Evaluating Digital Content for Instructional and Teaching Excellence project.  The intent of this Straight A grant funded project was to address the critical task of transitioning Ohio's school districts from print to digital curriculum. Through the EDCITE collaboration of five school districts, we were able to develop reviews of 300 core course products that will help educators make informed content selection decisions.

After wrapping up the EDCITE grant, we have transitioned to SpotOn™ The Classroom Content Selector (www.spotOnReviews.org). SpotOn is an initiative of The Ohio State University’s College of Education and Human Ecology, and is separate from the Ohio Resource Center, who we worked with primarily during EDCITE. SpotOn will use the reviews and rubrics developed during EDCITE and will continue reviewing digital content through academically validated methods. By fall 2016, SpotOn will host reviews of many types of K-12 digital content including paid and free material, ranging from core-courses to games and apps.

You can see the reviews today at www.spotOnReviews.org. We are adding new reviews continuously so be sure to visit the website often to find ideas for new resources for your classroom. SpotOn is continuing to contract with educators to perform reviews. If you or a certified educator you know is interested, please contact the Director of Professional Learning, Tanya Parisi at parisi.17@osu.edu.