In October, Google Expeditions came to Lydiksen, Vintage Hills, Harvest Park, Hart, and Pleasanton Middle School. It provided an opportunity for students to take a virtual field trip to the Great Barrier Reef, Roman Colosseum, Colonial Philadelphia and many other exotic locations around the world. Students were provided an Android smartphone and fold up piece of cardboard for their expeditions which were controlled by the teachers tablet. Google Expeditions is currently being beta tested, but hopefully will be available later this year. In the meantime, many of the 360 photos and videos are available online. Find out more about Expeditions here.
Listening Comprehension like any other skill needs to be taught and practiced to improve student performance. Listen Current is a great resource to help teachers find relevant podcasts that align to their contents. Free accounts allow teachers to search by topic, provide a link to a podcast along with several comprehension questions. There are more features available for a fee, but the free version provides the important resources that teachers need.
360 Photos and Videos can create an incredibly immersive experience for people. If viewing 360 videos through the YouTube app on your smart phone the video will actually turn with your phone. Using a computer you will need to manually move the screen with your mouse.
How To Find 360 Videos
View pictures of locations in 360 or share your own Photospheres using the Photosphere App
EverFi is a leading education technology company focused on teaching, assessing, badging, and certifying students in critical skills. They combine cutting-edge personalized technology, deep education research and data and a dedicated implementation team that allows each teacher to feel as though they have a blended learning assistant in their classroom. Most importantly EverFi partners with the private sector and foundations that sponsor this innovation across the country. The Digital Citizenship curriculum is self paced and gamefiedfor students. It takes about 3.5 - 4 hours to complete.
The Modules
Buying a Computer
Wireless Communication
The Viral World
Internet Resources and Credibility
Creating Multimedia Products
Digital Relationships and Respect
Future of Technology and You
This video is a good preview of what the interface and content look like. Within the modules is a story about how the student is attempting to bring a band to your school for a concert.
Individual teachers can create a class for their students, or one class can be created for the entire school. Once students complete the course and pass the exams, students will earn a certificate. Everfi also has curriculum that deal with Financial Education, STEM Education, Civic Engagement, Health and Wellness, and Career Success.
Google Hangouts On Air is a great way to bring real world experts into your classroom. On 9/15 students at Foothill High School were able to have a conversation about the Syrain Refugee crisis with Melissa Fleming, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commision For Refugees. Google Hangouts is a video conferencing tool built into Gmail and Google+. The "On Air" feature (Only in Google+) allows the video call to be broadcast to any audience in another classroom or around the world. At the conclusion of an On Air Hangout, a video will be created and sent to the creators YouTube Channel. That may be shared On Demand.
How To Create and Brodcast a Google Hangout On-Air
Google My Maps is a fantastic tool to create collaborative maps with your students. With so many amazing things that can be done with My Maps, it is easy to get lost in the "Rabbit Hole". This post is going to help you get started using My Maps to create a space for students to link projects to. Everything takes place somewhere, so this map can be a visual and geographic compilation of any digital project your students are working on. The Map will serve as an access point for students to visit projects created by their peers.
