Google Slides now plays videos from Google Drive!

Yes...you read that right.  For many of us, we have the challenge of our students being blocked from YouTube.  Students and teachers in our elementary schools were not able to add videos to their presentations because there was no way to access them.  No more!

Google Slides now allows all users to add videos directly from their Google Drive avoiding YouTube altogether.  As a teacher, you can now record your video, save it to your Google Drive and insert it as part of your lesson.  Students can now use tools like screencasting or video cameras to show off their reading fluency, explain a concept, record an interview and so much more.

Check out the screenshots below to see where the option is available.  As always, contact your Ed Tech Coach if you have additional questions.

Good Morning Huskies!

Good Morning Huskies! Every morning the 8th grade news team at Heritage Middle School starts their day recording the daily announcements, sports updates and any news of the day.  Daily announcements provide a great way for students to get involved in school, build school community and pride and have a little fun to kick off the day. The team is supervised by Kellie Sheely, Kris Konik and Patrick Acocks who support the project helping the team write and edit scripts, filming and posting the final video daily in Schoology.

Recording daily announcements is not a new concept at Heritage but using tools like WeVideo and Schoology have helped with editing and distribution of the video to the staff and students. In the past, videos were posted to the Shared Drive for teachers to access and show during 1st period.  This year the news team began posting the morning announcements to the Heritage Middle School Group in Schoology.  “Using Schoology to post our videos allows teachers easy access to the videos,” explained Mrs. Konik. “It also provides a reason for our staff to get into Schoology each day and has helped in supporting the transition to building student centered blended learning environments.”