Control Alt Achieve

In a recent #tlap chat, #edtech and #GoogleEDU guru Eric Curts blew us all away with tons of ways to use Google Docs, Google Drawings, Google Sheets, and Google Slides in wildly creative ways in the classroom. In addition, many others shared their powerful ideas, as well. We curated Eric's responses and a few others for each question and wanted to share it with you below.

We just recently published Eric's incredible book, Control Alt Achieve: Rebooting Your Classroom with Creative Google Projects... and the reception and feedback has been amazing! Eric's blog has been a go-to resource for years, and now you can have his practical, ready to drop right into your classroom ideas in a beautiful book with tons of images and color throughout. It is gorgeous! More importantly, whether next year is in person, remote, or blended...you will be SET! Go HERE to grab your copy!

Enjoy the ideas and links from the chat below!!

Recap of #TLAP Hosted by Eric Curts

elBeth Crosby @edonald304 A1) when our 3-5 grades became 1:1 with chromebooks six years ago, it was a game changer for me! I did a crash course in flipping instruction and did my best to blend instruction without much training! Baptism by fire, but SO worth it!

Justine Wright @Justymae A1: As a first year teacher, with switch to remote learning, I had to learn to use Gsuite tools and many others in a whole new way to deliver instruction to Ss and their families! We had to take the journey together

Tracie Gerardi @MsGTweetsStuff A1 - Pre-Pandemic, my classroom got a makeover! I had to allow for Ss with sensory issues & attention struggles, so I implemented flexible seating as well as offered brain-breaks. Ss must feel safe & comfortable in order to learn.

Laura @technologylaura A1: Provide more suprises to students by recording @Flipgrid and sending "snail mail" via @GoogleForEdu Classroom. I even reached out to the Mayor to help me!

Caleb Pahl @CalebPahl A1: in March our school closed, but the next week we started virtual learning. Ive been using a variety of online resources: @quizlet @Flocabulary @brainpop Ive tried to give ss more choices in terms of projects like using minecraft or @StoryboardThat

Miss Zipp (Lauren Zipp) @zippinthruelem A2 ESCAPE ROOMS!! So much fun #tlap

Eric Curts @ericcurts A2: With some creative highlighting, students can make Black Out Poetry with Google Docs

Eric Curts @ericcurts A2: Emojis can be used in Google Docs for telling stories, character emotions, solving math problems, and more

Dawn Harris, Ed.S. @DHarrisEdS A2: We love Hyperdocs! We use them all the time. There's just something about the independence they offer. The pacing, the differentiation, the creative ways they can be developed. I can't make them fast enough!

Eric Curts @ericcurts A2: Students can summarize an article in Google Docs by using highlighting for "Black Out"

Lᴀᴜʀᴀ Sᴛᴇɪɴʙʀɪɴᴋ #RockNTheBoat @SteinbrinkLaura A2: On Fun Fridays, Ss can use Google Docs, sit in a circle, and create collaborative timed writing stories. Give the prompt, say go, Ss start story, then when I say pass, Ss share the story with S on right or left, depending on what we pre-decide.

Eric Curts @ericcurts A3 - Some of my favorite uses for Slides include stop-motion animation, comic strips and storybooks, collaborative writing and feedback, and drag and drop activities.

A3 pt2: Google Slides can be used for drag-and-drop activities like "Build a Snowman"

Tracie Gerardi @MsGTweetsStuff A3 - I have made interactive vocabulary activites, Ss have made storyboards and book trailers in slides, digital interactive notebooks. I send Ss Bday cards in slides. Literature circles happen in Slides. Digital workbooks/animated 2D dioramas!

Eric Curts @ericcurts A3: Students can make eBooks and storybooks with Google Slides

Angela Rutschke @ARutschke A3: Slides are my JAM! We use them for journals, agendas, Bitmoji scenes with links, cresting books, adding multimedia pieces to instruction through audio, video, hyperlinks, sign-ups for Meets, scavenger hunts, virtual field trip

Eric Curts @ericcurts A3: Links in Google Slides can let you make non-linear activities like quizzes, Jeopardy games, and branching stories

HJC @HeatherHJC A3 Students created their own Esti-Mysteries (@SteveWyborney ) as one of our last projects and it was awesome!

Sean Fahey @SEANJFAHEY A3 not with students, but created this icon board for teachers to reflect their COVID-19 teaching experience. Inspired by the game of perfection! docs.google.com/presentation/d… @Five_StarTech

Kristine Hodgins @KristineHodgins A4 Go to youtube and watch examples or tutorials. Then apply it. Keep learning until I master it.

Megan Jones @TheMsJones8 A4: If I don't know something, I do everything I can to figure out how to work it! I will watch youtube videos, read articles, and just mess around with it until I know all about it. Never just give up!

Kaylee Baldwin @mskb26 A4: Google it, CLICK EVERYWHERE to just see what happens & test it out, try to find a webinar or some resource if there's a guided portion of a website,

Paloma Padilla @PalomaPadilla01 A4: Go to @ericcurts website!

Eric Curts @ericcurts A5 - Some of my favorite uses for Sheets include random writing prompts, pixel art, self-checking quizzes, learning databases, and Flippity activities.

A5: Google Sheets is great for pixel art for creativity, diagrams, maps, and math!

Michael Taylor @TeacherRunner42 A5: I <3 sheets - I teach MD students how to program them. They HAVE to know the math to get the formula to work. Also have them for picking random items, students, cards. I show them how to color code (conditional format.)

Eric Curts @ericcurts A5: The random feature in Sheets can even be used to generate random writing prompts!

Tracie Gerardi @MsGTweetsStuff A5 - Character growth charts, mapping plot lines and timelines, taking surveys and creating graphs, keeping track of quotes/pg. numbers when tracking theme/figurative language/symbolism Sheets has even been used for vocab charts! Word, POS, Def, Pg.#

Eric Curts @ericcurts A6 - Some of my favorite uses for Drawings include graphic organizers, interactive posters, math manipulatives, green-screen images, and making memes.

Sarah Kiefer @kiefersj A6: I love #GoogleDrawings for making badges !

Eric Curts @ericcurts A6: Google Drawings can be used to explore math concepts such as symmetry, shapes, fractions, pictographs, and more

Eric Curts @ericcurts A6: Google Drawings can be used for drag-and-drop activities like "Magnetic Poetry."

Eric Curts @ericcurts A6 Google Drawings can be used for drag-and-drop activities like "Magnetic Poetry"

Tracie Gerardi @MsGTweetsStuff A7 - Ss "illustrate" & "draw" in ELA, some Ss are not comfortable w/their artistic skills, or physically can not draw/paint, etc. Drawings allows the same creative freedom w/out the fears or restrictions! Posters, book covers, projects, Char. analysis.

Lisa Toebben @teach_n_boots A7: I think of what our end goal is then figure what tech tool will help us get there as well as getting feedback from Ss on what tool would be the best fo what we are doing

Ms. Jachymiak @MsJachymiak A7: As @jmattmiller taught me and @drfalbe, you have to think about the options you have and start with the end in mind. There are a lot of options, but we have to make sure we are using tech in relevant and purposeful ways and work on pushing ourselves further.

Mrs. Allen @h_allen28 A7: start small, but start. I choose one activity/lesson. How can I make it more engaging? What tool will help me to do that best? Use that same tool for a bit so you can get to know it better. Then try something else or use the same tool in a new way.

Thank you, Eric, for hosting #tlap!

Wow! I hope that got your creative juices flowing! Thanks to Eric for hosting and to our #tlap community for their contributions. LOTS of amazing ideas beyond this were shared, but we tried to grab a few for you.

-Dave

PS: Feel free to share your thoughts using #ControlAltAchieve on social media, and PLEASE go check out Eric's book RIGHT HERE. I am convinced it has stuff you will USE!

Transform Your Classroom with Tech Tools You Already Know

With Control Alt Achieve, educational-technology wizard Eric Curts offers you the keys to revolutionizing classroom learning with the Google tools you already use. Dazzle your students by transforming Google Docs into blackout poetry, fire up creative possibilities by using Google Slides for comic strips, and make math more accessible—and fun—by turning to Google Drawings as an unlikely ally. With Eric as your guide to the technological horizons of Google tools, the possibilities are endless.

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Recap of #TLAP Hosted by Eric Curts

Thank you, Eric, for hosting #tlap!

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