Jan 19, 2016

Multi-Media Text Sets




Do you have a collection of online resources that you would like to share with your students?  Well, one way to make a convenient document containing resources and tasks for students to view and complete is by creating a multi-media text set.  I learned about multi-media text sets while I was reading in the Google for Education Training Center.  A multi-media text set is simply a Google Doc that you can share that contains links to videos and websites that you would like your students to visit.  Also contained on the multi-media text set is a list of activities you would like students to complete.  For example, you can have the students make their own copy of the multi-media text set and have them type answers to questions that you ask them.  You could also link other Google Docs for students to type on, or you could also link Google Forms for students to fill out.  There are many ways that you could create multi-media text sets.

Here is an example of a multi-media text set that I have created on Martin Luther King, Jr.  Feel free to make a copy of the document to use or modify. You can get very creative with multi-media text sets. Entire lessons could be created on one Google Doc and shared and copied on Google Classroom.  The ideas are pretty much endless! Multi-media text sets make it much easier for students to navigate to online resources and complete tasks all in one convenient place.

Jan 12, 2016

Gooru


In this blog post, I am going to tell you about Gooru.org.


What is Gooru?  Gooru is a new free online learning community. Teachers can find, revise, and share web collections on any K-12 topic or standard. Search for videos, interactives, assessment questions, and more. Create collections that you can tailor to meet your students’ needs. You can also upload your own content to create your own custom collections. In Gooru, you can create your own classes, collections, and assessments and share them with your students and colleagues.


Here is a short introductory video about Gooru:  Introduction to Gooru.


Here is an example of a collection that I created about Martin Luther King, Jr. Feel free to use it with your class. You can even post the link to this collection in Google Classroom.  Using Gooru collections will make it easier for students to navigate through Google Classroom because all of the links will be placed into one assignment.
If you would like to learn more about Gooru.org, you can create a free account, and then you can join this class:  Becoming a Gooru Guru.  You can join this class by using the class code RY4XSHP.  This is a short but comprehensive class that will teach you the basics of Gooru.


Here is another great link that gives great ideas about how teachers are using Gooru in their classrooms:  Instructional Uses of Gooru

I have attained Gooru Guru status this school year, so I would be more than happy to assist you with Gooru.org.  Gooru.org is really worth checking out because it just keeps getting better.