Google Slides for ALL

Wow, another year has started already, and I'm trailing behind on some posts! I can't believe it! Coming into the new year, I want to focus on helping transform technology from "what it does" to "what it CAN do."

THIS WEEK - GOOGLE SLIDES!

While on the surface, Google Slides is great for presentations. You can add text, backgrounds, embed videos, add GIFs for a bit of animation, and easily include interactive questions through Add-Ons like Poll Everywhere and Peardeck.

What if you wanted to collaborate across the globe or the room? Google Slides allows many authors and a quick revision history for constant adjustments. So why would this tool not be perfect in the hands of students in classrooms?!

How can we transform this "presentation" tool into a something more?

1. Individual Task - Students utilize copy/paste to create combinations of ice cream scoops. This leads them to discover a pattern. This can be for 5th grade up to high school where the formal combinations formula is introduced. This task is based on Jo Boaler's tasks from YouCubed. This could be shared via Google Classroom where every student gets a copy. This encourages students to quickly visualize math while making observations. Lose the glue and scissors - lose the mess! Provide students individual feedback using the [Comments] feature.

Add a Bitmoji to make your tasks more personal!

2. Whole Class Task - Students look at 4 numbers or expressions to determine which one doesn't fit the pattern. Student select the slide color that matches the one they think doesn't belong, which allows the teacher to quickly view which one(s) the students picked the most. Since all students are editing the same Slides, encourage them to add a comment on another peer's slide to increase collaboration. Check out more puzzles on this site!

Use Master Slides to create templates for students!

3. Discussion Board - Students add a response slide to a prompt. You can add your bitmoji to show what you think of their response or have students do this. Encourage the use of comments to provide feedback from all peers. Use the Grid View to quickly see how many comments each slide has!

This is from an online PD, but same idea!

4. Graphic Organizers - Encourage lots of student reflection by quickly sending a graphic organizer to them. Each student can add a new one every time you need. Creating Master Slides allows them to pick from templates ready to go! This allows students to include images, text, links, and videos to synthesize what they've learned. Share it with students in Google Classroom so you can check progress and provide quick feedback. 

Want your own copy? CLICK THIS LINK!

Don't be afraid to see beyond the tech tool and try something new! Think outside the box, and challenge yourself to see new uses!