Friday, September 20, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
School Mode gClassFolders ~ Quick Deployment Video
I am a huge fan of gClass Folders. I want to get the word out because creating a solid work flow for Google Drive in the classroom is the 'secret sauce' to success.
Last year, I was working in a school and observed a teacher and her class working on a Google Document project. Each student was taking a 'template' that was posted online and the directions were to make a copy and then share with the teacher. Sounds pretty simple. The first problem the teacher had was the document was not shared as view only. Some of the students were making a copy and others were typing their answers right in the template. I discovered this 30 minutes into the class ~ thank goodness for Revision History.
Then I asked the teacher how they were 'sharing' and how she would access/assess. Her answer: They are just sharing with me and sending me an email link. So I did the math. 6 blocks that day, approx 20 kids per block. That is 120 emails and 120 random documents shared in her Google Drive account. Her plan was to 'search' for each students document to access and assess. Madness!
gClassFolders combined with a form 'Assignment Collector' solved all of these issues. A teacher can run gClass in teacher mode which is what she did as well as many other teachers that year.
Here is a link to my presentation on how to use the Teacher Mode of gClassFolders.
I've just started working with school mode. I think it is fantastic but recommend you have a solid understanding of how Teacher Mode works first. School Mode would be run by your IT manager, SIS administrator, Google Admin, etc, not by a classroom teacher.
Last year, I was working in a school and observed a teacher and her class working on a Google Document project. Each student was taking a 'template' that was posted online and the directions were to make a copy and then share with the teacher. Sounds pretty simple. The first problem the teacher had was the document was not shared as view only. Some of the students were making a copy and others were typing their answers right in the template. I discovered this 30 minutes into the class ~ thank goodness for Revision History.
Then I asked the teacher how they were 'sharing' and how she would access/assess. Her answer: They are just sharing with me and sending me an email link. So I did the math. 6 blocks that day, approx 20 kids per block. That is 120 emails and 120 random documents shared in her Google Drive account. Her plan was to 'search' for each students document to access and assess. Madness!
gClassFolders combined with a form 'Assignment Collector' solved all of these issues. A teacher can run gClass in teacher mode which is what she did as well as many other teachers that year.
Here is a link to my presentation on how to use the Teacher Mode of gClassFolders.
I've just started working with school mode. I think it is fantastic but recommend you have a solid understanding of how Teacher Mode works first. School Mode would be run by your IT manager, SIS administrator, Google Admin, etc, not by a classroom teacher.
As always, thanks to Bjorn and Andrew for inventing, developing and maintaining this oustanding resource.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
GClass Folders ~ A Set Up Guide for Teachers
If you are teacher using Google Drive and you are not lucky enough to have the Hapara classroom, then gClass folders is a must have for organization that will take formative assessment to a whole new level. The added benefits are an organized classroom in Google Drive and the ability to teach with 'less paper...' That is if you have access to computers. If access is an issue, start using gClass folders right away and demonstrate to your school how Chromebooks could fix your access issue. They are financially pleasing to your administration and really the best product for your Google Apps classroom.
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