Inserting audio straight onto Google Slides

 I have come across a great little extension where you can record straight onto a Google Slide! It is called Mote

You can search for it in the Chrome web store. It does involve a few steps to install it (allowing microphone and access to Google Docs etc). Once you have installed it, refresh the page you are on and the Mote symbol should appear next to your Present button, it will appear up in your extensions as well but you want to use the one by your Present button as it is a one click to record, stop and then the speaker icon will appear on the page.

You can also use it in the comments. I could see teachers using this as a way to mark students' work. It is also a great tool for students to record themselves talking about their work.

I have also used it to record myself speaking Te Reo as a model for children to practise their punctuation.

You can even use it in Google Classroom to record your instructions.

You can ask your Google Admin person to push it out over all students' chrome books.

Sound Recorder and inserting audio into Google Slides

One of the best updates Google gave us late last year was the option to insert audio into Google Slides. Previously you could hyperlink an audio to text or a graphic and when you clicked on it, it would open in another tab on your browser. Now you do not need to leave your Google Slide.

You can only insert MP3 files, and you cannot record yourself. So to insert recorded files you need a sound recorder that records as a MP3.
Macs record as M4a files and Windows record as .wmp. You could download and use Audacity which will allow you to edit and add other high end functionalities but if you want to do a quick recording then use 'Online Voice Recorder' https://online-voice-recorder.com/
This 'free' online voice recorder allows you to record your voice and save as a MP3 file which you can upload to your Google Drive and then insert into your Google Slide. It has an auto silencing trimming effect which picks up the silent parts of your audio and removes it. It also has a basic cropping tool so that you can crop to the audio you want.

How would you use this in the classroom?

• students can record themselves explaining the work they have done on a particular slide
• students can record themselves reading their work aloud
• teachers can add audio instructions on individual slides to explain what the student needs to do
• teachers or peers can add audio feedback on slides
• teachers can read instructions for students who need that support

This is one tool I will be using a lot with the creation of my workshops!

Google Tip: Saving a file to two or more folders

Has there been a time when you have wanted to save the same file to more than one folder and for it to be simultaneously updated at the same time?

1. Go to Drive
2. Click on file to be saved in other folders
3. Press Shift - Z

Add MP4s and .MOV to Google Slides

Google has just recently added a new functionality to Google Slides. Previously the only way to add a movie to Google Slides was through Youtube. You can now upload movies from your Google Drive without sending them to Youtube. You can also set the Movie to Autoplay when in Present Mode and... you can choose where you want the movie to start and end. I can see that is a feature that I will use a lot in my math workshops. Now I will be able to start the movie just at the parts I want the students to see, instead of having to watch it all, or scroll through.
For privacy issues, teachers will like that they don't have to put their school or student movies onto Youtube anymore, and there is less of a process to go through.

Creating Clipart, cartoons and avatars

I like to create my own graphics and I used to spend hours drawing them on my iPad from scratch. Then I found Adobe Illustrator Draw,
a free app. Gradually I discovered loads of shortcuts that cut down my time in creating. You can upload a photo and draw over the top of it and then bucket fill it. Hide the photo and you have a great looking original graphic. Students love this and those who say they can't draw have a real sense of achievement when they finish their graphic. Now they can make their own cartoons and use their own drawings. They look great in Google Slides and Book Creator. It is a good idea to use a stylus as it gives you more control over your drawing. Here are some examples of mine.

 Here is a great tutorial by Tony Vincent that explains the process.

Adding Sound files to Google Slides

I have made several Journal Workshops that teachers can download from my Literacy Workshop page. Level two journals (from the TKI Literacy online website) have sound files so I worked out a way that can incorporate this wonderful resource into a workshop.

1. Download the audio file
2. Upload back into Drive (New - Upload File)
3. Open the file and click on the 3 dots 
4. Click on Share and then click on Shareable Link, copy the link
5. Go back to your Google Slide, find a speaker image by going Tools-Research, type in 'speaker clipart', drag a suitable image on to the slide (or copy my one that I have made by right clicking on image, save image)
   
   
6. Hyperlink the sound file to the image by clicking on the image, click on the Link button
7. Paste in the link
8. When you click on the Present button in Slides, and then click on the speaker icon, the sound file will open and start playing

How would you use this?

Use it as a pre-reading activity, students have their journal story and listen to it, or they can read along with it.

Listen to chunks and then do some follow-up activities.

Students can use it independently to listen to the story.

You could also hyperlink the PDF of the journal story on your presentation for quick access. I like to particularly use the PDF for Group instruction where we can pick out features of text, circle any teaching points (if you are using a Whiteboard) and if you don't have enough journals, everybody can see it on the projector or TV. In my example I have screen captured the first page of the journal story, downloaded the PDF of the story and then the same process as above, click on Share and then click on Shareable link, copy the link and then hyperlink to the screen capture on your Google Slide.

Feel free to click on the Download button of my two level 2 examples of Journal Stories. These are my teaching slideshow/modelling book and follow up activities for students all in one slideshow.

Google Docs and Slide Tip: Make Check boxes in Docs and Slides

For student accountability you may want them to check off what they have been doing in their work on a Google Slide or Doc. Here is how to do it. (Thanks for the tip Amy from Alfriston School.)

Decimals and Money Workshop

I was working in Tracey's class today and she is going to work with her students on adding decimals. She wanted some activities where this could be integrated with money. There are lots of money game websites but they are all either American dollars or UK pounds. 'Change for the Better is hosted on the NZ Maths site and it has lots of great games we can use in our classroom. I have put together this workshop with some of their games and links to other sites that will help with the teaching of decimals and money. To download this workshop so that you can edit it, click on the black download button if you are a GAFE school then just go File-Make a copy and rename it or go File- Download as PowerPoint

Homework in Google Slides

I am not a huge fan of homework unless it is purposeful and authentic to student learning. But if your school policy is to have homework and there is a parent expectation then you can set up an easy homework regime in Google Slideshow.
The example below which you can download by clicking on the Options button - Open Editor (Make a copy) and adapt for yourself, has these components

• Click on the Spelling City link, add your words for the week and test yourself, type in your score
• Double click on the youtube movie to practise your timetables for the week
• Add your spelling list words
• Add your basic facts to learn for the week
• Add to your reading log the books you have read this week

What to do with extra screens in the classroom?

A couple of my schools are experimenting with having an extra TV screen in their room. One of the schools has 4 e-Learning rooms with 1-1 iPads, 12 Chromebooks and 10 Laptops. They have a projector, a large TV and a small TV. The other school has two TVs, one large and one small.

I first came up with this idea last year when I did some demonstration teaching at Alfriston School in a Year 5/6 class. The room had a projector and one TV. I had picked up a 21 inch TV with an apple TV so I thought I would try it as an independent centre. Students were using it for peer editing and collaborative games. So now the class had a main TV for a teaching station where groups would come for their instructional teaching, and a smaller TV that students could use themselves.
Clevedon has put a smaller TV in all their e-Learning rooms and the following are suggestions of ways to use them.

Ways to use the 'extra' small TV in the classroom

It is best placed on a large table that will fit at least 6 students around 

Work Station

• teacher starts an online modelling book with students and then leave them to continue with activities

Writing peer editing group

• students share their writing with each other, five minutes reading and commenting, then use the TV to look at the comments and the author can improve writing discussing comments with others

• collaboratively write one piece of writing and use TV to view with all students contributing ideas

Workshops

• have one computer or iPad mirrored with problem to solve or game to play

• students collaboratively solve together, using other iPads/laptops/maths books to record
• start a workshop or online modelling book with a group and leave them to continue

Games

• one iPad or laptop mirrored, game is passed around with others offering advice

• work through a coding project with a group (students will need to work out their codes on paper, or whiteboard table or whiteboard app

Research

• collaborative research with students looking up information and filling in graphic organisers (students can be using their own devices to look for information and add to collaborative document, collaborative document can be on TV screen for all to see)

• TV screen can be used to show mindmapping, one student typing up what other students are suggesting

Reading

• students sitting reading through text, adding words to collaborative doc, then searching for definitions after the reading