A Low Tech Post - Grab Bag Activity

I am often trying to find a way to re-engage my class or get them to apply the skills/concepts to different problems. Several years ago, I needed a way for my students to practice solving equations without them knowing they were practicing...In other words, I wanted to find a fun way for them to complete a worksheet so "Grab Bag" was born.  The best part of this game/activity is that it is so easy to make from an already created worksheet, and quick "Brain Breaks" are given throughout the activity.
It's an active "game" where students pick mystery "tasks" one at a time out of their group's paper bag and then everyone in the group must complete the task (with or without talking...you pick!).  The completed task is left out of the bag and then another group member takes a turn picking a new "task" for the group to complete.

Students love the anticipation, and I love how the groups are doing different problems at different times so that I can work with them on certain math tasks!  The best part is how easy it is to make and how it can be used with just about ANY worksheet!

A System of Inequalities Desmos Activity

"I'm not going to be here Friday. You will have a substitute teacher," I told my class on Monday. After the obvious question of "Who's going to be the sub?", a few asked why I wasn't going to be in school.   I then realized this was a great opportunity for them to use a system of inequalities to determine where I was going, which was actually an exciting destination.  "You'll have to find out on Thursday when we do an activity." I answered.  Then the kids were off and guessing...a doctor's appointment, Florida, Canada, the high school for a meeting.  They guessed at lunch, in homeroom, after school, and my answer was always the same, "You'll have to wait and see, but I'm pretty excited about going."  You could tell that it was killing them! (And I loved it!)  Finally, Thursday arrived, and in each class, they rushed in, eager to figure out my "exciting" destination for the weekend. 

5 Ways To Use Google Calendar's New Goal Setting Feature With Students

 Oh, the all too elusive wild animal: Studentum Procrastinatus!  Their natural habitat is in the classrooms and halls of numerous schools and educational institutions and are well-known for their last-minute completion of projects, due-date anxiety, and creative excuses.  I know this species well as I have tried to tame it and domesticate it for almost a decade, and I am often a Teacheri Procrastinatus (especially when it comes to grading)!  Although creative and extremely intelligent, they lack motivation and planning skills.  Today, however, I will share with you a tool to help students take more ownership in their project planning and avoid procrastination with the NEW Google Calendar feature:  Goal Setting!

Protecting Cells & Collecting Data

Want your students to record data in a Google Sheet that is shared with the class, but you don't want them goofing off by changing your column headings or row headers?

Let me show you how you can protect or set permissions for certain cells in your Google Sheet so that when you share it with other individuals they don't mess up your organized spreadsheet! 

A Side of Eggs With My Bacon Bytes: An Unexpected Conference Experience

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the Bacon Bytes Conference in Millville, NJ, and I was amazed by the quality of educators and leaders around me. I had never presented before, and I never have been to such an intimate conference. I had no clue what was in store for me...

Think Outside the Study Hall With Google Apps For Education

Remember when study halls were rooms where students studied individually in silence, and teachers were reinforcers of the monotony.  Well, the vision of study halls in that sense is fading. Now, the “study hall” is evolving into a period of collaboration between teachers, students, and experts thanks to technology and resourceful educators.

So let me ask:  How many of you have experienced this: “Are you available during study hall? I don’t get the stuff from class today.  Can I get a pass?”  Have you ever asked a student, “Can you come down to my room in the study hall today to work on topics we covered in class? Here’s a pass if you are.”? Or, had a student who wanted feedback on their project during study hall and lugged their laptop through the halls to show it to you in person?  If these interactions have happened to you then you might be interested in learning more about how Google Apps For Education can make the “study hall” period more productive and efficient. Because I did, my “study hall” has not been the same!

As an Algebra teacher in 8th grade, I knew that some students wouldn’t “get it” as quickly as some of my other students, no matter how effectively I differentiated my lesson.  Student mastery happens at different times depending on the individual; therefore, I knew the “silent study hall” was not going to happen for me.  I wanted to be busy during those “study hall” periods to help those students. I wanted student collaboration. However, I couldn’t waste time in the halls or write one more pass!  So, now...I use Google Apps For Education to make better use of my students and my time.  Here are some of the things that I have used to “think outside the study hall” and take it up a level during that period.

Creating Self-Checking “Scavenger Hunts” Using Google Forms

This is also published on Synergyse's Blog.
I am a huge fan of stations. Always have been. Using self-checking stations has always been a great way that I “tricked” my students into practicing their Algebra. It was great; however, it got old.  

Last year, I wanted to spruce it up, and I wanted a better visual of who was “getting it” and who was not.  This was also the year that my district started the “Bring Your Own Device” policy. Finally, I wanted to cut back on some of my grading. (Time is always an educator’s most valuable commodity.)

Through Google Forms, I created stations for my students. Students travel from one “hidden” Google Form question to the other based upon their responses. If they get it right, they are told by the Google Form where to go to scan the next “hidden” QR code question. If they get it wrong, they are told by the Google Form the location of another “hidden” station where they scan a different QR code to watch a short remediation video and answer a question until they get it correct to move on.

It is student paced, and all of the data is recorded into Google Sheets.  The best part is the visual of seeing some of the students who travel to the “Remediation” stations.  I found this activity to be a great assessment tool, and the students had a lot of fun finding and scanning the “hidden” QR code questions.