Google recently released 3 major updates for Google Docs and Google Sheets!The Google Drive team has been hard at work added some much needed features to the web-based Google Docs and the Docs and Slides iOS Apps! Features that everyone has been longing for!December 1, 2014 - You Can Now MERGE CELLS in Google Docs Tables!This feature has been very very very long awaited! At least by me it has, but I'm sure for many other users as well. It has always perplexed me why Google Docs would not allow you to merge cells in a table. It seems like such a basic feature and a necessity! Well, as of December 1st, we can now merge cells in document tables! This makes me so very happy! I no longer have to worry about converting Word documents to Google Docs and having to fix tables that get royally screwed up!December 8, 2014 - Edit Text in Tables in the Google Docs iOS App!The lack of being able to view and edit tables while working on Google documents on my iPad was always a huge disappointment and frustration for me. On December 8th, the Google Docs app received an update allowing users to the ability to edit text in tables on a Google document! Woohoo!! Unfortunately, you still can't create and edit the actual table in the app. You'll have to create the table on a computer first, and then transfer over to your mobile device.December 8, 2014 - Insert Text Boxes, Shapes, and Lines in the Google Slides iOS App!When the Google Slides app for the iPad was first released, it was very limited in its capabilities and thus pretty useless. You could create a blank Google Slide, but you couldn't choose a theme and you couldn't insert text boxes, shapes, and lines, and images (unless you converting to a Power Point, but who wants to do that?!). So, on December 8th, Google also released a new update for the Google Slides iOS app as well! This new update allows users to insert text boxes, shapes, and lines into a Google Slide in the iOS app! But, it's still missing themes and the option to insert images.Here is the December 8th post by +Google Drive.

Just wrote a piece for the Research for Practitioners series over at Learning Solutions Magazine on some really fascinating research at the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab.  It’s crazy interesting research, and it involves virtual chainsaws, behavior change and crafty research techniques. What’s not to love in that? Go check it out here: Research for Practitioners: When It’s Not a Knowledge Problem

Here's a mid week Hour of Code Update!Since I posted my curated resources last week for The Hour of Code, there have been some updates and new releases that teachers and students might find useful, fun, and engaging!Look at this map. This is a map of events from HourofCode.org for this week! According to the website, there are currently more than 77,000 events planned around the world! That is amazing! And I'm sure more and more are being added every day!I've come across a few more resources since last week that I thought might be useful and enjoyable for teachers and students participating in the Hour of Code (and beyond)! Here they are!Apple App Store Dedicates a Page to the Hour of Code!If you visit the App Store on iTunes, you'll see that a page has been dedicated to the Hour of Code, with all kinds of resources to assist schools with implementation and learning. They have Apps, Apps for Kids, Books, Podcasts, iTunes U Courses, and iTunes U Collections. Lots of resources for all ages!Two New Web-Based Coding Activities!Kodable is a great iPad app for younger students to introduce them to the concept of programming. Just recently, the developers of Kodable released a web-based version of the game! Check it out at: game.kodable.comGoogle released it's Santa Tracker service at the beginning of December! Every day, their is a new game or learning activity. Check the calendar! On December 9th, the learning activity is a coding activity that uses blockly programming to direct Santa to the gifts! Give it a try!2 More iPad Apps that Teach Programming!I came across two more iPad apps that teach programming to younger students.The first app is called Bee-Bot. Use step-by-step directional commands to get the bee to the flower! This can be a fun game for students but it might be challenging for some because it doesn't list the steps you choose. I guess you have to memorize your movements.The second app I found is called Cato's Hike. This is another app for younger students that uses step-by-step directional movements, but there are more complex options as you progress through the levels. There is a free lite version and a paid version for $4.99.Here is my Coding for Kids folder on my iPad!  Join the Google+ Community for Resources Galore!I started a public Google+ Community for The Hour of Code last week and it now has more than 100 members! Please join if you are participating or are interested in the Hour of Code, Computer Science, and Programming in schools! A few of the members shared their resources and I want to pass it on for all of you to use and enjoy!Check out +Nicole Zumpano's Hour of Code Resource Guide. Nicole created this great elementary lesson plan for the teachers at her school, but it's definitely applicable for any teacher!+Shaun Johnson is a Spanish teacher. You might be wondering to yourself: how does Spanish and programming fit together? Well, Shaun made it happen! He uses Scratch with his students to help reinforce the language learning. Check out his blog post to learn how he did it!+Myra Deister created a Smore poster for her high school! It contains a variety of options for participating in the Hour of Code!Share your resources in the comments please!

I should have posted this a few days ago, but I’m doing a webcast tomorrow (Wednesday May 15th, 1pm ET) for ASTD on using the psychology of game design for learning.  Talking about some familiar stuff (flow, hyperbolic discounting) and a few new things (visceral feedback).  Not sure if you need to be an ASTD member to attend, but I *think* you can just sign up: http://webcasts.astd.org/webinar/731#.UZKUcU7gd84.twitter  

Another great new update to Google Classroom was added on December 10th!Teachers now have the right to EDIT during the entire Assignment process in Google Classroom! Another long awaited feature! Thanks, Google!I'm so excited that the Google Classroom team has updated Classroom with this new feature! Since Classroom was first released, the level of access that a teacher would have over student assignment files would differ, depending on where you and the students were in the process.In the past, share permissions during an Assignment changed like this:At the beginning of the Assignment --> Teacher has Commenting RightsWhen student Turns In Assignment --> Teacher becomes the OwnerWhen teacher Returns Assignment --> Teacher has Commenting Rights againMany teachers didn't like the way this worked, mainly because when the teacher has Commenting Rights they can't see the Revision History of the document, and therefore can't see what changes the student has made to their work.The Google Classroom team is so great at listening to users and responding to feedback! Now, the share permissions for the teacher has changed for the better!The new share permissions during the Assignment process are now like this:At the beginning of the Assignment --> Teacher has Edit RightsWhen student Turns In Assignment --> Teacher becomes the OwnerWhen teacher Returns Assignment --> Teacher has Edit Rights againBecause of this change, the teacher now has complete editing rights during the entire process, can also comment and make suggestions, and can always view the Revision History!

Hey folks — am returned from all the San Francisco adventures, and am happy to be home. Now that I have time to draw breath, I’ll actually finish some of those blog posts, but  here’s a round up of stuff that’s been going on, in no particular order: There’s a new Research For Practitioners piece up at Learning Solutions, by the delightful Chris Atherton (Yay! Happy dance!) on how the structure of information impacts learning.  Go ahead and read it now, if you like.  We’ll wait here for you. I wrote a piece for Inside Learning Technologies Magazine on Fixing eLearning’s Big Problem (do you agree? just curious). Just got back from a busy week at ASTD ICE (did a certificate workshop, two panels, speed-mentoring, planning committee meetings and a session) and it was lovely to see and meet so many people. I mentioned that I did a webinar earlier in the week (a shorter version of my session on game design for learning), and if you missed it (and are interested), there’s a recording here. I’m doing a three hour workshop on game design for learning with the ASTD-Middle Tennessee chapter on July 18 in Nashville — if you are interested, this is a BARGAIN at $29/$39 (be sure to read that last sentence in your best used-car-salesman-voice). Also doing a regular chapter session on Narrative Techniques for Learning. Just arranged to do a half-day workshop for UX Week in SF August 21-22 on Change Management.  Really excited about this one As soon as I post this, I’ll remember six more things, but that’s what the edit button is for, right? Update: YES - HERE IS THE THING I FORGOT: ELearning Guild Thought Leaders Webinar on June 11th, 10:30 PT/1:30 ET - the topic will be Design for Behavior Change - registration info here

More updates for Google Classroom!The amazing Google Classroom team added two great new features on January 15th. And now there's even an app for Android and iOS! Read on for a break down of the new features and the iOS app.Archiving ClassesFor teachers who have a lot of classes to manage, the Classroom dashboard can quickly become cluttered, especially as we move through quarters and semesters. One of the great new features that solve this issue is the ability to Archive classes. This new option will remove the classroom from the dashboard for both the teacher and the students and place it in a new location called Archived Classes. Archived classes are still viewable by the teacher and the students, but no changes or edits can be made. All files shared and created within the classroom are still kept in Drive, so rest assured that classroom content is kept safe. Teachers also have the option to Restore and Delete an archived class. Restoring a class will place it back on the dashboard and it will become editable again. Deleting the class will remove it completely from Google Classroom for both the teacher and the students, however, files are still kept safe in Drive.Screenshots of the new Archive FeatureTeacher Assignments PageStudents already had a very useful and helpful Assignments Page where they could easily keep track of all their assignments for all of their classes. But, teachers didn't really have anything similar...until now! Teachers now have their own handy Assignments Page where they can keep track of all of the assignments for all of their classes in one place! You can filter the assignments by class and organize assignments into a Reviewed and Not Reviewed list.Screenshots for the new Teacher Assignments PageAndroid & iOS Apps Now Available!Probably the biggest deal with this most recent update is the addition of a mobile app for Google Classroom. Now teachers and students can access Classroom on their Android or iOS tablets and phones!Be aware though that this app is not currently full featured and does not allow the teacher do everything that can be done on the web-based version. For example, in the app teachers can only create Announcements. Assignments need to be created on the web. Also, the new Assignments Page for teachers is not available in the app as well.However, this app was mainly designed for the student in mind in its initial release. Students are given more options and functionality in order for them to access and complete assignments on the go. One of the added benefits to using the app is that students can attach images from the Camera Roll and use a built-in camera to take pictures all within the Google Classroom app. Teachers and students also have easy access to their Drive files.Screenshots of the new Google Classroom iPad AppThe Google Classroom team is hard at work on future updates but they need your help! If you have any suggestions for how the app can improve (both on the web and for the mobile apps) suggest feedback and create a post on the official Google Classroom forum. You can suggest feedback by clicking on the "?" bottom right corner of Classroom.

I’m working on a change management presentation, and have been looking for some of the social norms research - especially at the practice of using messages that help people understand that the majority of the group is already doing the desired behavior. Before I close the tabs, I thought I’d collect the most interesting links here (that’s all I have time for today!). Wikipedia entry (which defines it, and rightly points out that outcomes are uneven for this approach) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_norms_approach Environmental behaviors and social norms (This is a nice summary paper of using social norms in environmental campaigns, influencing behaviors like littering) - http://195.37.26.249/ijsc/docs/artikel/03/3_03_IJSC_Research_Griskevicius.pdf Thermostats with social feedback (This is one of the actual papers on this pretty widely known example) - http://www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/assets/118375.pdf Social norms and teen smoking (And feet. An interesting television commercial aimed at social norms and teen smoking) - http://nudges.org/2011/06/14/new-social-norm-campaign-on-teen-smoking-in-texas/ Social norms and tax compliance (using a general appeal vs a social norm appeal to improve tax compliance) - http://www.socialnorms.org/CaseStudies/taxcompliance.php More social norms and tax compliance (HBR article, though you need registration/subscription to see the whole thing) - http://hbr.org/2012/10/98-of-hbr-readers-love-this-article/ar/1 Social norms and binge drinking (a write up of one of the earlier studies that looked at perceived and actual norms for college students’ drinking behaviors) - http://socialnorms.org/pdf/socnormapproach.pdf  

Guides were updated on July 15, 2015!Get your FREE user guide for the new Google Classroom iPad App!Google just released an Android & iOS app for Google Classroom. It's not full featured (yet) so it's important that teachers and students understand exactly what you can and can't do with the app. I've created two separate user guides, one for teachers and the other for students. Both give a breakdown of the various screens you'll encounter while using the app, and also what exactly can be done on all those screens. A teacher's view is different from a student's view, so it was necessary to create the two separate guides. It's also very important to understand that the app is not full featured, meaning it doesn't allow you to do everything that you can do on the web version. Although, students do have more functionality than teachers in the app at this point. More features are definitely soon to come. Don't forget to submit your feedback if you'd like to see a specific feature! The Google Classroom team is listening and prioritizes all user feedback!The Google Classroom iPad App User Guide for Teachers!Click to access the Google Doc. Feel free to print or save!Google Classroom iPad App User Guide for Students!Click to access the Google Doc. Feel free to print or save!

My PLN has helped curate this great list of educational Youtube Channels!With the help of my PLN, I've collected some of the best Youtube channels for teachers and students. Below is a publicly accessible Google Document with commenting enabled. I started a list of my favorite Youtube Channels for a presentation I recently gave, and in planning to blog about my list, I thought I'd turn to my #EduAwesome PLN for an even more extensive list. Shout-outs to +Sarah Staudt, +Elizabeth McCarthy, +Kathy Wegley, +Tim Freitas, +Trevor Naidoo, and +Butch Wilson!My favorite channel for educators: +Jeffrey Bradbury's TeacherCast.net. He has some great podcasts and video tutorials specifically for educators!My favorite channel for students: +YouTube EDU's Primary & Secondary Education. I appreciate how they further organize the video content into subject areas.Click to access the Google Doc directly.Create a comment or suggestion to add your favorite channels!

Okay, so I understand that it looks like I just post every Sebastian Deterding presentation on this blog, but really, I don’t.  He’s a prolific guy.  This one is specifically aimed at design for online learning, so it’s double-plus-good, and therefore must be posted here: Gameful Design for Online Learning from Sebastian Deterding

YouTube Kids Android and iOS App Released!On February 23, 2015, Google released a new Youtube app. This time focusing on its youngest users! I've given this new app a spin and here's my review at launch.Who is the intended audience?This app seems to have been designed for very young children, or children that are not yet literate. Although the content can be used with children that are able to read. Some of the most notable content displayed when you first launch the app are Sesame Street, Barney & Friends, and the Berenstain Bears. So that might give you a better idea of who the intended audience is. However, Khan Academy is also available through the app.Design & User InterfaceThe app is very simplified, focusing on the use of large icons and windows to display options and content. The user has 4 categories to choose from: Shows, Music, Learning, and Explore. Each category displays related video content and YouTube channels. And it's all available in a single scrollable screen. Children can swipe left and right to slide through all of the YouTube content.There is also a very simple search option available to children (which can be turned off via the Parental Controls). You can type your search word(s) in the box or use Google voice search! According to the help page on Search in YouTube Kids, they use a variety of methods to gather the search results and it isn't 100% accurate, but I've found it to work pretty well when conducting a few searches myself (see image below). If you happen across any inappropriate content, you should definitely report it using the Send Feedback option in the Parental Controls.Parental ControlsOf course, there are Parental Controls included! To access these controls, the adult needs to type in a random 4 digit number, expressed through words. This is why I mentioned earlier that this app seems geared toward preliterate children, because once they know how to read, they too can access these controls! Parental Controls include the option to turn off the search feature, clear watch history, and create a time limit, which locks the app when time runs out. Implications for SchoolsIf you're at a school that has Youtube blocked or locked down tight, this might be the answer to allowing younger children to access Youtube content. This app would be great as a "centers" activity, or the teacher could direct students to search for a specific video related to the learning.This app is also considered a signed out app experience, meaning there is no option to sign in to a Google account. So no information can be collected on the user. But this also means that there are no options for saving videos or creating playlists.There were reports last year that Google is working on more kid friendly apps, and the YouTube Kids app seems like a good start to the trend! 

So, apparently there’s a chinese version of Design For How People Learn, which is delightful.   Apparently when you take a Cammy Bean quote, translate it into Chinese, and then let google translate turn it back into English, you get this marvelous wisdom: ‘If you let me fall in love with a book, then I would deeply in love with this present. Julie Dirksen prepared for the beginner a most excellent book, so that they can be like the old bird as instructional design. " - Cammy Bean, Kineo, vice president of learning design  How great is that?  Be like the old bird, people. Coming up next: A Russian version in September Update - here’s the Russian Version available for pre-order:   There’s no Cammy Bean quote, but run the title through Google Translate and it comes out: "Art of teaching - How do any training not boring and effective." Well, okay then.

New Updates Released for Google Classroom on February 25, 2015!The Google Classroom Team is at it again with 4 more updates for Google Classroom. Three of them are specifically for the mobile apps. Let's take a closer look!Customize the Classroom Header with Your Own Image!Teacher have been stuck with a premade selection of Classroom header images since the app was officially released in August. The ability to upload your own image into the header has been frequently requested. Teachers love the ability to customize their online space just as much as we do our classrooms! Now you can! With this new round of updates, teachers can upload their own image into the header space of their individual Classrooms and there is a new gallery of Patterns to choose from as well. The image needs to be at least 800 pixels wide and 200 pixels tall. The banner color will be selected automatically, likely based on the dominant color in the image. Happy customizing!About Page Now Accessible in the Mobile AppsWhen the Android and iOS apps for Google Classroom were released in January, one key feature was missing; the About page! Teachers use the About page in Classroom to share important resources and information, and to have it missing from the app was frustrating. Well, freak out no longer! With the newest update of the apps, students and teachers will now have access to the About page. However, the teacher can only view the About page in the app. The option to edit is not yet available.iOS Update Allows Students to Attach Files from other AppsIt's a lengthy process when having students create content in other apps on the iPad and then trying to get it into a Google Classroom assignment. It would involve moving the file from one app into Google Drive and then attaching it to a Classroom assignment from Google Drive. But wouldn't it be nice if your students could just attach a Note in Notability straight into Classroom? With the latest iOS update to the Google Classroom app, this will now be possible. When students are working in another app and they want to export or "share" their work, the Google Classroom app will now appear in the list of apps to share to. Tapping the Classroom app icon takes them into Google Classroom where they can select which Assignment they want to attach it to. This will eliminate those extra steps on the iPad when trying to move a file from one app into a Classroom Assignment.Sharing a Note from Notability to Classroom just got easier!When sending a file to the Classroom app, students choose the assignment.Important note: the list of Assignments is organized by their due date. With the latest assignment shown first.Once the Assignment is chosen, the student can tap "Attach" to finalize.Bonus feature: when students use this new option in the iPad, it will upload the students file into their Classroom sub folder automatically, keeping the students files neat and organized for them!This One is for the Students! Emojis Now Available in the Android App (and iOS!)So apparently students want the ability to use emojis in the Google Classroom app. The Google Classroom Team thought this was a cute idea and wanted to give one update to the students. Gotta love their sense of humor! This feature will now be available in the Android app. Surprisingly, you can already use emojis in the iPad app, and they'll show up in the app. However, they don't translate over to the web version of Classroom. Enjoy a flood of emojis from your students now!!The Google Classroom team continues to listen to its users, both teachers and students! Submit your feedback by clicking the "?" in the bottom right corner of Classroom and choose "Send Feedback".

So I’ve been blogging, just not here:   For ASTD, I wrote about why we aren’t in the information delivery business anymore (and what we can learn from Museums and Libraries): http://www.astd.org/Publications/Blogs/Learning-Technologies-Blog/2013/11/The-Future-of-LD-Is-Not-the-Information-Business For Allen Interactions, I wrote a guest blog about hyperbolic discounting, and why creating a feeling of immediacy is a necessary instructional design skill: http://info.alleninteractions.com/bid/99811/An-e-Learning-Challenge-Why-Should-You-Care-Right-Now For Inside Learning Technologies, I wrote about our responsibilities for motivating learners (and why it’s not just about carrot-like rewards): http://viewer.zmags.co.uk/publication/e49b92f9#/e49b92f9/20 (The last one is based pretty heavily on a blog post that was posted here a while back) And, as a bonus link, I was reminded of Cathy Moore’s L&D manifesto the other day, and I think I should just link to it weekly because it’s that great. I can take no credit for this one, other than to say "Yeah! That!! YEAH!": http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2013/06/learning-development-people-unite/

Apple's Featured Category: Make a Film with iPadI Happened across this featured category while perusing the App Store on my iPad today. It features an assortment of apps to help you create your own "film" on the iPad from planning and pre-production to the end. Here is a closer look at what's available.Although this featured category isn't necessarily focused on education, I think it's particularly useful for student projects that involve producing a movie or film. If your students have access to iPads at school (or maybe they bring their own from home), having the right tools can make a huge difference in quality!As of 2/25/15, Make a Film with iPad is a featured category in the App Store app on the iPad. You can find it in the scrolling categories across the top of the Featured screen. You can also find a web version here.With every featured category, Apple likes to include a list of related apps. What's nice about this category is that the list is organized into topics relating to the production process: Drafting a Script, Capturing Every Detail, Recording Each Sound, and Creating a Signature Look. Here are some screenshots of the apps that are included in these lists. (Most of them are paid apps)Apps for Drafting a ScriptApps for Capturing Every DetailApps for Recording Each SoundApps for Creating a Signature LookWhat apps would you suggest for video production on the iPad? Share them in the comments!

Hey folks, So a couple of quick things.  A few of us launched this today: http://elearningmanifesto.org/ — would love to know if it seems useful And second, I was collecting some resources on writing good multiple choice questions (which is really hard), and thought they might be useful to post here Will Thalheimer has some things on his site - mostly shorter job aids: http://www.work-learning.com/catalog.html He also wrote three articles on scenario-based questions that are here: http://www.immersivelearninguniversity.com/articlethalheimersep13 Cathy Moore also has some good blog posts: http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2007/08/can-you-answer-these-6-questions-about-multiple-choice-questions/ http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2008/03/how-to-fit-the-entire-world-in-a-multiple-choice-question/ A number of universities have guidelines for their faculty — you can probably find several by googling.  For example: http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/writing-good-multiple-choice-test-questions/  

I've been presenting a lot lately on Google Apps for the iPad, and at every workshop and session, I've asked the participants to share their favorite classroom app. Here's what I've gathered so far.Some of my favorite recommendations are:Jorge shared that he's excited to use Youtube Creator Studio to create a mathematics channel for his students.Roselyn said she's excited to use Google Translate with her ESL students.Tina suggested Lego Movie Maker because her students can create awesome stop motion animations. Would you mind adding to the list by recommending your favorite classroom app?Click here to fill out the form. Thank you for your participation!

We often just don't have enough class time for those deep and thought-provoking conversations with our students. Online tools like a Google+ Community and a Google Group Web Forum allow you to extend the conversation beyond the walls of the classroom. But how do you use these tools in conjunction with Google Classroom? Let me show you 3 ways you can have online discussions with Google Classroom!Use the Comment Thread in a Google Classroom AssignmentEvery Google Classroom Assignment (and Announcement) has a built in public comment thread. Any comments made in this thread can be seen by everyone in the Classroom. The comment thread can be the most convenient way to have an online discussion with students. When students are finished with their required portion of the discussion, they can click the "Mark as Done" button to receive a grade from the teacher. If you simply want an online discussion, you don't have to attach anything to the assignment. However, a video or resource link could definitely enhance the quality of the discussion.Some other benefits to using the Comment Thread are:The teacher receives an email notification every time a student posts a comment.The teacher and students can mention each other in a comment. If you are mentioned, you will receive an email notification.After students click the "Mark as Done" button, the teacher can assign a grade.Sample of a discussion in a Google Classroom Assignment comment thread.Link to a Google Group Web Forum PostAnother great option for having an online discussion is to use a Google Group. One of the choices for a Google Group is a web forum, which can serve as a private, online discussion board. Sometimes, using the comment thread within Google Classroom can clutter the Stream. So a space like a Google Group web forum, can minimize the clutter and keep your discussions organized.To set up an online discussion with a Google Group web forum, start by creating a new post in the Group. Every post has it's own unique URL. Copy the URL of the post and paste it as a link into a new Google Classroom Assignment. Student can then click on the link from the Assignment to participate in the conversation.A few more reasons for using a Google Group web forum are:The Google Group can be kept private, so only the teacher and students have access.The teacher can directly add members to the Group, rather than using invitations. This is the quickest and easiest way to get students into the Group.The teacher and students can subscribe to a post, which will send them an email notification every time there is a new comment on a post.The teacher and students can receive a daily digest of all new activity in the Group via an email notification.Sample of an online discussion with a Google Group web forum.Link to a Google+ Community PostIf your students are over the age of 13, they are allowed to use Google+, a social network created by Google. As the teacher, you can create a private Google+ Community for you and your students to have online discussions and share resources. The community can be used in the same way as a Google Group web forum. You can pose a topic or question for discussion in a new post in the community, and the students can add comments to participate in the discussion.Click on the down arrow in the top right cornerof a post and choose Link to post and copy the post URL.Every Google+ post in the community comes with it's own unique URL. To access that URL, click on the down arrow in the top right corner of the post to access the menu, then choose Link to post. You can then copy the URL of the post, and paste it as a link into a new Google Classroom Assignment. Students can click on the link to easily access the post.Some more reasons for using a Google+ Community are:Download the Google+ app (iOS & Android) to access the community on the go.The teacher and the students can mention each other in posts and comments. A mention will create a Google+ notification.When students are finished, they can return to the Google Classroom Assignment to click the "Mark as Done" button. The teacher can then assign a grade.Sample online discussion using a Google+ Community post.Which ever option you choose, consider the benefits of providing your students a venue for online discussions. You're promoting and helping students hone their communication and collaboration skills and encouraging positive digital citizenship. You're allowing them an extra space to express their opinions, ask their questions, and extend their learning. We often miss out on opportunities for deeper conversations in class because of a lack of time. But using an online space to continue these conversations can be powerful and beneficial to student learning.Also, consider the added benefits of opening up your online space, (whether it's a Google Group or a Google+ community), to others beyond the class. Invite another class from somewhere else in the world to participate in the discussion, or invite the author or an expert to participate. Connecting your students to the world around them can redefine teaching and learning.

I have this great little shelf in the bookshelf app on my ipad.  It’s just books by people I know.  I feel genuinely privileged to know so many people with so many interesting things to say. Some of them are drafts for books that are still in progress., but one that’s already out in the world is Koreen Pagano’s Immersive Learning: Designing for Authentic Practice: It’s great, for a few different reasons: Reason 1: The subtitle — Designing for Authentic Practice.  So immersive learning environments can sometimes be shiny objects.  Remember when everything L&D was going to start happening in Second Life?  Yep, that didn’t happen. One of the reason’s it didn’t happen was because there was because the focus was on the technology ("Ooo - we can build a virtual replica of our corporate university!") and not on the really interesting part — the possibility for high-context practice. We remember more if we learn something in the same environment where we will use the information, so virtual worlds were interesting for that reason, but that got lost in the hype cycle. Koreen rightly focuses on the real purpose for immersive learning - high-context practice environments.  It’s about the practice, not the technology. Reason 2: The case studies — So, one of the problems with a lot of L&D books is that they are more about what can be done, rather than examples of what has been done. This naturally happens with new technologies.  When they were brand new, both mobile and xAPI have had to start with the possibilities rather than real examples, until some critical mass built, allowing for case examples. Immersive learning suffered similarly for a long time, but if anybody is able to speak from direct experiences, it’s Koreen.  The book is worth it for the case studies alone. Lots of really good examples of use, with the kind of nitty gritty details you need to help inform your own practice. Reason 3: Underwear Gnomes — how can you not love a book that starts with a really well-played South Park reference?  It’s indicative of Koreen’s overall accessible, entertaining style, which makes the book a really pleasurable read.        

I'm beginning a new blogging series that I'm calling "#EdTechTidBits of the Week" which will consist of EdTech related resource (apps, sites, tips, articles, events, etc.) that I found most interesting from the previous week. As a part of my goal to blog more this year, I hope to post this weekly, and my aim is to publish it every Monday.So here are my #EdTechTidBits for the week of April 13, 2015. Free apps, lesson planning tips, and why you should have more screen time for your child!(These resources are in no particular order.)Article: "10 Questions to Ask When Planning Tech Infused Units+Lucy Gray wrote a great article with 10 perfect questions you should ask yourself while you're planning a lesson or unit that will utilize some form of technology. What appreciate about this article are the lists of resources that Lucy provides for each question. My favorite question has to be #10: How am I connecting my students to others? To experts? To other Classrooms? Learning becomes authentic, meaningful, and more powerful when students are able to connect their learning to the world around them, and experience it and share it with people beyond their classroom. Consider an expert or another class somewhere else in the world, before the textbook.Free Apps! "4 FREE Poetry Apps from the International Reading Association"For National Poetry Month in April, the International Reading Association has made it's 4 poem apps free for the iPad! I learned about this recently from a Google+ post by +G. Lytle on her appydazeblog. She published a post with information and links to the four iPad apps: Diamante Poem, Theme Poem, Haiku Poem, and Acrostic Poem. My favorite of the bunch is the Haiku Poem app! You can customize the design of the print out and it turns out really nice in the end! Here is a link to the original appdazeblog blog post.Article: "No Screen-time Until (free printables)"I happened across this article by YourModernFamily.com on Facebook one day. It contains a free printable poster for parents that suggests 5 activities that a child can do before they are allowed to have screen-time. As I read the items on the list, I couldn't help but think how most of these activities could actually be done on a device with the same (if not more) benefits. A child could enjoyably read a book on a tablet (especially if its interactive), they could type a paragraph about their day in Google Docs or complete some math problems on a digital writing surface like Doodle Buddy, and even play, build, and create something with a myriad of apps (like Minecraft PE, Toontastic, or ScratchJr). Whats wrong with doing these activities on a device? It'd be hard for me to argue with my child if they questioned me. Now, don't get me wrong. I understand the benefits of having your child play outside. And I also enjoy reading a physical book. And it's important to teach responsibility through chores and room cleaning. But let's not shun the "screen-time" so easily. That device resting on the dining room table could be just as beneficial, depending on how you let your child use it.Thank you for reading the first post in my series "#EdTechTidBits of the Week". Follow and use the hashtag on social media and share your own tidbits! Until next week!

Sat in on Karl Fast and Stephen Anderson‘s Design for Understanding workshop at the IA Summit last week, and it was double-plus-good. Here are Stephen’s slides from his IA Summit presentation.  Excellent stuff relating to autonomy in learning environments, and multitudes more: From Paths to Sandboxes from Stephen Anderson

You asked for it! You got it! The Google Classroom Team delivers again! Co-teacher support? Check! Create Assignment and Announcement drafts? Check! Enter grades in advance? Check! Oh, and you now get email notifications for private comments, too! Check all the new features just released! Keep reading!Multiple-Teacher Support Has Arrived!This was one of the most frequently requested features since the inception of Google Classroom, and it's finally here! As a teacher, once you create a class you now have the option to add other teachers to your class from the About page. You invite teachers to your class the same way you would invite students. And you can invite more than one teacher! Any teacher you invite can do everything that you can, except delete the class. All accepted teachers in the class will be displayed in the top banner and along the side of the About page.The invited teacher will see this invitation on the Classroom dashboard.A list of teacher's will be displayedalong the side of the About page.A list of teachers will be also be shown in the top banner of the Create draft Assignments & Announcements!The ability to "hold" Assignments and Announcements has also been a popular request. Teachers love to plan in advance, and especially want to be able to release Assignments at the push of a button. This new feature always the teacher(s) in the class to save drafts of Assignments and Announcements. You can create the entire Assignment, along with the due date and attachments, then choose Save Draft from the list in the corner. It will then be listed in a new box on the stream called Draft. You can go back to a draft at a later time, open it and then post it when you are ready. You currently can't schedule it to be posted at a later time.ADDED BONUS: Your Assignment or Announcement will actually save as a draft automatically as your working on it!Next to the blue Assign button is a new drop down menu with the options to Assign or Save draft.Once you save a draft, it will be listed in the Draft menu on the stream.Your Assignment or Announcement will automagically save as a draft as you work on it!You don't even have to click on Save draft.Assign Grades Without Having to Return Assignment!Another great new feature is the ability to assign grades, without be required to Return the assignment to the student. Saved grades are not yet shown to the students. Students will only see their grade when you have Returned the assignment.Email Notifications for Private Comments!Now when the teacher(s) and the students use the private comment thread in an Assignment, both will receive email notifications (if that featured is turned on in the settings). The email will contain the Assignment name, the actual comment, and a link back to the Assignment page.Here is an example of an email notification for a private comment.Submit Your Google Classroom Feedback!The Google Classroom Team values their users. They read every single piece of feedback they receive and respond accordingly. They are listening! If you think of a feature that Google Classroom desperately needs, Send Feedback! Click the "?" in the bottom right corner of Classroom and choose "Send Feedback".

Hey folks, a couple of things that have been happening lately: The fabulous Janet Laane Effron and Sean Putnam are doing a MOOC on learning design for data.  This is going to be a big deal in our field, and this is really nice, accessible opportunity to learn more. It starts today (May 27th), but it’s definitely not to late to join.  You’ll also get to see the curatr platform, which is one of the more interesting learning interfaces to be developed in the last few years. Also, I did a presentation at the ASTD (erm, ATD) ICE Conference on User Experience (UX) for learning.  Slides are here: UX for Learning Design from Julie Dirksen