Learning in the Lou

Gmail has some great, experimental add-ons to your emailing services... one really useful one is the UNDO button for sending an email prematurely! You only have 30 seconds to nab it back, but if you're like me, you usually wish for it back the second you hit send!  You can explore the tons of cool options available under SETTINGS > LAB. When I used to send messages, it would just say this: Then, I went to: And I scrolled down to Undo Send: After I clicked Enable and Saved the changes, now I get THIS message when I send emails:

Looking for ways to add some academic reason to the season as we wind down 2013? Here are some great resources to engage students in relevant and rigorous tasks. Explore Snowflakes : Science-themed lessons on shapes, weather, and even   valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory....  Year End Reflections  and New Year's Resolutions offer a great opportunity to introduce CCSS-style writing tasks such as range and/or production of writing:  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.10  Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.4  Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Consider turning content-related data into a seasonal opportunity to visually display statistics with  easel.ly or in...

I hated the days when I was limited by 256 columns and 400,000 cells.  Who can work within those confines?  Seriously!  It was a nightmare.  Now you can create 2,000,000 columns and an unlimited number of cells.  That really will allow me to finally create a comprehensive spreadsheet. Google has updated Sheets to include many amazing new features.  Check this highlight video out. Harry McCracken wrote a great article in Time about some of the changes and new additions to this tool.  I am really excited about the new filter view.  It seems like it might make finding and viewing student data much more efficient. The official post from Google lists some additional information that you may find useful.   What about using sheets for peer review and grading?   Here is an article the came across the twitter feed today.   What do you think?  Is sheets the right solution for you?  (I say yes.)

Dr. Sparks invited LINC to share information on GoogleForms during two sessions during today's half-day. This is what we intend to cover (plus posting on our Blog means the resources are there when you need them)! ________________________________________________________________________ FORMS: Google Forms is a useful tool to help you plan events, send a survey, give students a quiz, or collect other information in an easy, streamlined way. A Google form can be connected to a Google spreadsheet. If a spreadsheet is linked to the form, responses will automatically be sent to the spreadsheet. Otherwise, users can view them on the “Summary of Responses” page accessible from the Responses menu. Google Forms - official Google help page.  Look on the right side of the page for additional form topics. Loading... Possible Roles in the Classroom       - Formative Assessment, HW assignments , WS alternatives       - Data Collection (Science, sta...

THE WORLD'S BIGGEST CODEATHON: Computer Science Education Week started Monday. Check out who's urging Americans everywhere to look into coding (the language behind what makes our amazingly digital tools work.  Interesting in joining 30,000 other schools in taking part in the HOUR of CODE ?  EdSurge's Teaching Kids to Code includes some awesome resources. Code.org also provides some quick lessons that show students all the ins-and-outs of a basic function with some cool graphics. Not ready to take on the challenge with your students? How about a little coding on your own? Check out this opinion piece that stresses the role of teachers as coders and how France and Italy are taking on the coding challenge... and of course, the counter-argument ...

The White House is hosting its first FILM FESTIVAL and your kids could be part of it! The goal is to spotlight innovations in learning and, particularly, how technology is used to support learning--all from the point of view of students. The competition is open to all U.S. students grades K-12 in the U.S. Videos should be no more than three minutes long and should focus on either: How technology is currently used in your classroom or school; The role technology will play in education in the future. Deadline for submissions is January 29, 2014. All the details on how to apply are at the White House site here .

by Joshc Today is a snow day so I am sure you are taking a look at your blog and wondering how you can make it 56% easier for the kids and parents to navigate. You have a lot of great information to share but it can get a bit lost from time to time.  This video show you how some of our teachers have used pages and labels to allow students to click one button and relavent information fast.