QR code is short for ‘quick response’ code. It is a type of bar code that can be scanned by a smartphone or tablet that has the required app installed needed to interpret the QR code. QR codes are being used for:
manufacturing
tracking items
promotions and advertising
product labelling
QR codes in education have been on the fringes of ’emerging’ technology for a while. There are some educators who swear by them and use them in interesting ways to create engaging and effective learning experiences. Now, Google have added a feature to the Chrome app on iOS allowing users to scan QR codes without needing an extra app! This is great for users of G Suite for Education and educators operating in a locked down tech environment that does not allow you to add apps to iPads or iPods.
The great news is QR code technology and ideas are not hard to understand and there are plenty of resources and ideas to have you up and running today. All you need is an iPad, iPod or iPhone and an updated version of Chrome (plus a teeny pit of prep/printing).
Note: other operating systems can also scan QR codes but you will need a separate app that will scan the code.
Using QR codes in the classroom
The good news is many educators have shared their ideas and resources on using QR codes in the classroom so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Below is a Pinterest board of resources to get you started.
One of my favourite QR code activities is the scavenger hunt. It can be used across many subject areas and gets students up and moving.
If you have an up-to-date version of the Chrome app on your iOS device (iPad, iPod or iPhone) you have everything you need to start scanning QR codes – no separate apps needed.
There are 2 ways of accessing the QR code scanning feature in Chrome:
3D touch of the Chrome icon (newer devices)
Using spotlight search and searching for ‘QR’
The short video below takes you through step-by-step on using both of these methods.
Gamification and badges in education have been ideas floating around for a few years now. Some educators have jumped on the band wagon only to abandon the concept soon after. Often, one of the obstacles to effective implementation is proper technological support (1). The good news is Google Forms is a relatively simple (and free!) tool to help implement gamification elements into education.
What are “badges” & “gamification“?
Badges in education and the idea of gamification is one way teachers can help motivate students in the classroom and help students keep track of effort and achievement.
Gamification can be defined as:
the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals.
The idea is much like the concept behind the Scouts movement – achieve something, earn a badge. Many popular video games also use a badge system, and many of our students enjoy and understand this way of measuring achievement. So it makes sense to use a badges systems in the classroom.
To find out more about using badges in the classroom, have a look at this article:
Automating gamification & badges in education on a (very!) limited budget
Gamification and badges in the learning environment has been of interest to me for sometime. However, within the learning environment I have been working with, the concept would be very labour intensive to implement and track. While playing around with Google Forms, an idea came to me – surely Google Apps script could be used in a self-marking quiz to send a badge to a supplied email address if a certain score was achieved in the quiz?
So I wrote an algorithm and found some potential providers on Fiverr.com. I contacted them to outline what I wanted. Within hours I had settled with the wonderful Riyafaahf who provided me exactly what I wanted in less than a day.
And below you’ll be able to grab the code and instructions for yourself.
Automating badges in Google Forms
How it works
The student completes a self-marking quiz in Google forms and provides an email address. If the student achieves a certain mark, they will receive a badge via email.
Here is a simple, sample quiz for you to try out and see how it works (don’t worry, I won’t ever use your email address for anything else):
Access to Google Forms (either through Google Drive or G Suite for Education)
Student email addresses (they do not have to be Gmail)
An image for your badge (this will be emailed to the student should they achieve a certain score) saved to your Google Drive
The code on this page
The file ID for your Google Sheet where quiz responses will be collected and the file ID of the badge file (don’t worry, getting these is easy – see the video if you’re not sure)
Devices for students to respond to the form (works well across most platforms including smart phones and tablets)
Planning
It might be a good idea to start off with a smaller topic area with a few quizzes (and badges). This allows you to test the waters and the technology. Your badges with be based on the required student outcomes.
It might also be a good idea to think about what you would like students to do with the badges they collect. One simple idea is having each student create a simple eportfolio in Google Slides to save their badges in.
Tips for setting up your quiz in Google Form
Watch video tutorial for visual step-by-step instructions.
You need to save your Google Form as a self-marking quiz and make sure the responses are being collected into a Google Sheet.
Make sure you are collecting email addresses. This can be done by asking for an email address in the quiz (use data validation to ensure the address provided appears valid) or selecting the option to collect email addresses in a G Suite for Education school.
Mark all questions as “required”.
Select “Make this a quiz” in the form settings.
Go through each question and add your points and select the correct answer.
Adding the “Send badge” code
Watch video tutorial for visual step-by-step instructions.
This adds the badge ‘magic’ – sending the badge to the student’s email once they submit their responses.
Below is the code, ready for you to insert your information. You will need to copy it, paste it into your Google Form Script Editor and replace the variable information with your information.
If your browser does not select the code automatically, select all the code from line 1 to line 21 and copy it.
function onSubmit(e) {
var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.openById(e.source.getDestinationId()).getSheets()[0];
//var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.openById("REPLACEwithGoogleSheetsFileID").getSheets()[0];
var lastRow = sheet.getLastRow();
var score = sheet.getRange(lastRow, 3).getValue();
var email = sheet.getRange(lastRow, 2).getValue();
var subject = "REPLACE with Email Subject";
if(score>7){
var body = "REPLACE with Your Email Message.";
var id ="REPLACEwithYourBadgeFileID";
var fileBlob = DriveApp.getFileById(id).getBlob();
GmailApp.sendEmail(email, subject, body, {
attachments: [fileBlob]
});
}else{
var url = "https://goo.gl/forms/REPLACEwithYourFormURL"
var body = "Good try at the quiz. Have another try to improve your score and earn your solar system expert badge. You can access the quiz at "+ url;
GmailApp.sendEmail(email, subject, body);
}
}
To paste the code into your form:
Go to your Google Form
Click on the 3 dots at the top right of the screen
Select select <> Script Editor…
File > New > Project
Paste the code
Give your project a name
Replace variable information as required (see table below)
Click on Resources > Current Project’s Triggers
Click to add a new trigger. The triggers should look as follows (should be the default):
Review and authorise permissions
You will need to change all or some of the following information for the variables (depending on how your form and spreadsheet are set up). The table below should help you work out what you need to replace.
[table id=3 /]
Test your form
Watch video tutorial for visual step-by-step instructions.
Make sure you test your form before you unleash it on your students. Use the preview button to respond to the form. Check to make sure you get the badge when you answer the right number of questions correctly and you DON’T get the badge when don’t get enough questions right.
Sharing your form
Watch video tutorial for visual step-by-step instructions.
Once you’ve tested your quiz and everything is working okay, you are ready to share! You can email a link or provide a written link. I find the Google Forms URL shortener pretty clunky so I usually use bit.ly and create a custom, easy to understand URL.
Video tutorial: Automating gamification in education with Google Forms
This is a terrific feature that adds to the flexibility and usefulness of Google Classroom. Users can now annotate PDFs and Google Drive documents distributed via Google Classroom. How might this be used in your classroom?
Students can highlight and annotate their work for study purposes without the need to print it out, saving money and avoiding lost work.
Students can take photos and annotate them for the assignments.
Distribute digital interactive notebooks and worksheets.
For students with poor fine motor skills and difficulty hand writing, the annotation feature in Google Classroom allows them to zoom in and write in a big space rather than having to cram writing into smaller spaces which can sometimes happen with paper based activities.
Annotate with or without a stylus.
As other ideas come up, I will add them to the list. Feel free to share your own!
Below is a video tutorial outlining the features of annotations in Google Classroom from the student’s perspective. The document used is a Google Slides presentation.
One thing I love as much as Google Apps for Education is freebies. And when those freebies are combined with Google Apps – oh, happy days! I like freebies so much I’ve dedicated much of one of my Pinterest boards, The Thrifty Teacher, to free educational resources that are engaging and easy to use.
So I decided to create and share three flexible, fun and easy to use templates. I’ve used these type of templates in the past so I have put them together to offer both electronic and printable options. I always find this kind of flexibility helpful as it means I have options depending on my students and the environment we’ll be in. And sharing the files with you means you can adapt them to suit the needs of you and your class.
These templates were designed to be used with the full version of Google Slides. However, I have tried them with the latest version of the Google Slides app on the iPad and they seemed to work well. I would expect the same would be the case with the Android apps. The mobile versions have the advantage of easily taking photos to add into the templates.
To use the templates, click on the links provided. This will open the document. From here, you will need to save the file to your Drive from the “File” menu so you can use it as want.
Fakebook status template
Inspired by Facebook, this authentic looking template allows students to create a “status” update and add an image.
This template allows for a short “text” exchange between, well, anyone you like! You can shrink or enlarge it based on your student needs and how you will be using it. Duplicate the slide to have an extended text exchange.
I tried to upload the templates to the Template Gallery. This has always been a hit-and-miss endeavour. This time it proved to be a…. miss! Hours after attempting to submit the templates to the Gallery, I am still being advised that my templates will be visible in the template gallery “in a moment”. Maybe they mean a Saturn moment 😉
So the links I have shared are directly from my Google Drive.
Applications for education
Suitable for most age groups and skill levels.
Can be used with many curriculum areas including History, Literature Studies, Creative Writing and Languages.
Customise the templates to suit your needs and the needs of your students.
For electronic versions of the documents, distribute using Classroom, Gmail or Google Drive.
More free Google Drive templates for educational use
I have long been a fan of the ebook and have often created and distributed them to support my training and teaching activities. I have also at different times published and sold ebooks (look me up on the iBooks store!). Google Apps for Education makes it easy for both students and teachers to create attractive ebooks that can be shared in a number of formats.
Here are 6 tips to help you (or your class) create your first ebook using Google Apps for Education. These techniques are just as useful to anyone looking to self-publish an ebook, including general users of the free Google Drive and Google Apps for Work users.
1. Why create ebooks, anyway?
Ebooks can fulfil a number of purposes including:
Creating an eportfolio of a student’s work (or a number of students’ work).
Using students to ‘crowd source’ the creation of resources and text books, created for the target audience by the target audience.
Can be used by students of all ability levels.
Developing relevant 21st century skills.
Easily show evidence of learning to a wide audience (including parents) in an environmentally friendly way.
Create your own text books and resources that you can easily update and distribute.
2. What app should I use?
The app that will provide you with maximum flexibility in terms of presentation and layout is Google Slides, particularly if you are combining text and images.
This is not the perfect book publishing solution but allows for a lot of flexibility and creativity without a steep learning curve.
3. What size should my ebook be?
There is no ‘standard’ ebook size. It’s probably a good idea, though, to set-up the pages in portrait orientation and in you standard printer size, i.e., A4 or Letter depending on what part of the world you are in.
[table id=1 /]
Here is a short tutorial showing you how to change the page size in Google Slides.
4. How can I make sure my ebook looks good?
Do your homework. Investigate websites, books, ebooks, posters, etc, that you like the look of and use them as inspiration for your style, fonts and layouts.
There are also lots of online tools to help you select colour schemes that look good together and even give you the hexadecimal colour code to be able to put in your colour choosers in Google Slides.
Whilst you can have multiple page layouts within your ebook (for example, 1 large picture, 1 large column text, 2 smaller pictures with 2 even columns of text, 1 smaller picture with 2 uneven columns of text, etc) use the same basic elements throughout:
1 font style for page headings
1 font style for subheadings
1 font style for your body text
3 to 5 colours for your colour scheme
Make sure your inside covers are blank and you have the ‘half page title‘ to make your book look authentic.
Below is a video on how to easily create page layouts for your ebook in Google Slides (note: all images used are either my own photos or public domain imaged from Pixabay):
5. What platform should I use to create my ebook?
Although you can create your ebook on mobile versions of Google Slides (e.g., iPads or Android tablets) you will get the most flexibility and creativity using the full version through Google Chrome (e.g., Windows, Linux, Mac and Chromebook).
That doesn’t mean you can’t ‘mix and match’ devices. For example, do most of your editing using a Windows computer but use the iPad version to take photos and add them straight into the pages of your ebook.
The great thing is, you don’t have to stick to just one format!
Share the actual Google Slides file (view only)
Embed the Google Slides file into a website or blog (File > Publish to the web… > Embed)
Save the file as a PDF to easily view on most devices and platforms (File > Download as > PDF document)
PDF results in the most attractive ebook (I don’t know why, try it for yourself and see!) and, depending on the size, can be emailed or made available to download from a website or blog.
More resources
Student-Made E-Books: A Beautiful Way to Demonstrate Learning:
Google+ Collections was added to the Google Apps family in May last year. Google+ Collections is a bit like Pinterest, and allows you to group posts together and share them publicly, with your circles, particular users, only yourself or, if you are using Google Apps for Education (GAfE) of Google
Apps for Business, just within your domain. As well as the browser based version, you can access Google+ Collections on your Android and iOS devices using the Google+ app.
I’ve kind of played around with it but this school year I plan to use it as an integral tool in my Community and Family Studies (CaFS) class. I’ve already started setting up boards for some topic areas and am planning how I will have students collaborate and contribute using Google+ Collections.
Here is an introductory tutorial on using Google+ Collections:
And now for some tips on using Google+ Collections within an educational environment.
1. Google+ Collections is only for ages 13+
Because it is part of the Google+ suite of products, the Google terms of service means it can only be used by students 13 years and over (unlike many of the other GAfE apps used by schools). Also, Google+ might not automatically be enabled within your GAfE environment – check with your administrator if you are not sure.
2. Think about privacy settings when you are creating Collections
Note: you cannot change the privacy settings once you create a Collection.
Be very cautious when setting privacy to ‘Public’. For example, would it be appropriate for the content to be published in the local paper? If the answer is ‘No’, think about setting the privacy to within the domain or to a particular group of users only.
Also, it’s a great opportunity to teach students about digital citizenship and responsible online behaviour by assisting them with the appropriate privacy levels.
3. Encourage communication using the comments feature
Users with access to a collection can add and respond to comments. This is a great way to encourage a dialogue about a particular topic or issue. For many students, it will have a bit of a ‘Facebook’ feel which would be familiar.
For example, in my CaFS Collection, I have added a link to the article You told us what it’s like being 15 in 2015. I love the black and white image with the article that now appears in the collection. I will ask students to discuss what they feel is similar and different in their experiences and why they think this is.
4. Using Collections as a research tool
When conducting research, students can use a private or shared collection to ‘park’ links of interest for a project. They could also reflect on the quality of the sources curated using comments and share the Collection with the teacher. Or, the assessment of the quality of sources could be crowd-sourced, with other students being able to provide comments.
5. Encourage small group collaboration
Currently, you cannot have multiple contributors to a collection the way you can in Pinterest. However, students can still collaborate on a Collection in small groups by working together on the same computer, iPad or Android tablet. One student account would need to be the owner of the Collection but other contributors could be acknowledged in the Collection tagline or even in a post in the collection (selfie time!)
Interested in exploring Collections? Here is a link to a Google Drawing template I created that you can use to create size optimised Google+ Collection covers:
As the Google Drive and Google Apps for Education (GAfE) suites have matured, so have the available compatible apps across mobile platforms. This means you can do more on-the-go and using whatever device available than ever before. It also puts the power of GAfE in the hands of more people as they can be accessed on devices across many price points. And, of course, the apps are free.
It is important to note that not all ‘smart’ devices can access Google Apps effectively – read the post Does Google Apps for Education play nice with BYOD? for more on this. It also has ideas on how to breathe new life into old technology.
Also, the mobile apps tend not to have all the features of the browser based versions; this can be an advantage. Fewer features can sometimes mean greater productivity, particularly for people distracted by ‘bells and whistles’ like hundreds of fonts (yep, that’s me!). You can potentially use the desktop versions through the Chrome mobile browser but I have personally found this to be a frustrating experience.
Below is a quick reference table for many Google Apps across devices. It has already changed from when I first put it together as the mobile apps have improved. Some of the mobile apps are closer to their browser based counterparts than others. You will need to do more research to find out specifically what won’t work on the mobile apps. (I tried to find the definitive Google list but I was unable to).
The great thing is most apps retain their collaborative and commenting ability.
Differentiation in the classroom can be challenging. In theory, technology should make it easier but that’s not always the case. I remember in the not-so-distant past struggling with expensive dictation software and an expensive head-set with a reluctant writer without great success. We were expected to spend hours to train the software to understand him and it felt like we were both getting no-where fast! Instead of empowered, he ended up frustrated and the situation ended up an assistive technology fail.
Fast forward five years and, now, all you need is an iPad and Google Docs (part of Google Drive/Google Apps for Education) and you’re set! No voice training required! No expensive headset! (Although I suspect using a microphone would work even better).
This video demonstrates how easy it is to dictate into Google Docs on the iPad using the built in speech recognition. I recorded it with a wicked cold and no headset connected to the iPad. See the results yourself:
Educational applications
Using voice command dictation on Android or iOS with Google Apps for Education is great for reluctant, struggling and non-writers, e.g., students who may be diagnosed with a learning disability, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD/ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Asperger’s Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, or those with physical or sensory disabilities that impact writing. Depending on student needs it can be an easily implemented assitive technology solution.
This allows for a strengths based approach to learning, focusing on what they can do (talk!) vs what they might not do as well.
For a list of voice commands for Android and iOS see:
No more 2-D photos in digital school projects! With Photo Sphere, students can embed three dimensional ‘tours’ of places or even create their own (warning, there are privacy considerations if students create their own – more on this below).
Imagine: exploring underwater at the Great Barrier Reef or the surreal experience of being surrounded by a spectacular expanse of ancient baobab trees in Madagascar. These virtual mini-excursions are available through the Google Views community (part of Google Maps) and made possible with Photo Sphere.
What is Photo Sphere?
Photo Sphere: 360° panoramic images
Up, down, and all around. Create immersive 360 degree photo spheres, just like you see in Street View.
Photospheres can be created on Android devices with compatible camera apps and on iOS devices (although an iPhone app, you can install it on an iPad but I suspect you would get better results on the iPhone).
Once you create your photosphere you can:
publish it to Google Maps and Views (there is an approval process and you will be notified once your sphere is approved)
share it with selected circles on Google+ (or share it publicly)
share it on Facebook
once it’s published to Google Maps, embed it in a website, blog, etc
save to Google Drive (I suspect this is an Android option as I can’t find it on iOS)
Below is a sphere I created on a recent excursion to Goonoo Forest in Dubbo, NSW, Australia. This was part of a wider investigation of the native Malleefowl whose numbers are in critical decline locally.
Make sure no people get caught in the shot (can you see the part ghost person)
Use my iPhone instead of iPad
Applications for education
If privacy is an issue:
For older students, where Google+ is enabled in Google Apps for Education, have the students share their own photosphere to limited circles with explanation, narrative, etc
Teacher publishes student created photosphere to Google Maps and Views
(Once published) As a class, create a title and description for the photosphere in Google Views
(Once published) Students embed photosphere in their own project (e.g., Google Sites or Blogger) with limited access within a Google Apps for Education domain (e.g., class only) and adds their own commentary, narrative, etc
If privacy is not an issue*:
Have students create and publish their own photospheres and, once published, create their own title and description in Google Views
Share on Google+ (either within a GAFE domain or across wider circles)
Embed in blog or website.
Here is post from Justin K. Reeves with another idea on how to use Photo Sphere in the classroom:
* Of course, students should have a good understanding of digital citizenship and follow principles on how to stay safe online. E.g., maybe have a discussion about why you would not create and publish a photospehere of your own bedroom.
Who needs paid-for comic making apps or subscription services to online comic creators? With any smart device, installed with the Google Slides app, you can now quickly and easily create your own comics on the go! You will need the latest version of the Google Slides mobile app, which now allows you to add your own pictures and photos.
Still not convinced? Have a look at the short video below where I demonstrate exactly how to do it on an iPad Mini in less than 3 minutes (it will work similarly on an iPhone or Android tablet or phone). Thanks to Mike Petty who gave me the idea during a presentation he made during a Google Education on Air session.
The tutorial co-stars my puppy, Spike, who patiently slept the whole afternoon while I made the video.
Applications for education
Create a single cell or a whole comic book
Great for BYOD/BYOT environments because the app is free in both iOS and Android
Can also work with Chromebooks (portable devices make taking pictures easier)
Great for creativity and literacy
Can also be applied to other subjects, e.g., for history, provide a series of pictures around a historic event in a Google Slides document and have the students create a comic
Use instead of posters, narratives, etc.
Encourage collaborations in pairs, small groups or even the whole class
For greater scaffolding, provide the pictures and had students add the captions