Sharing Student Work With Parents in a Paperless Classroom

Currently one of the biggest challenges for Google Classroom or any paperless classroom is, how do I "send" the student's work home to parents. Sure you could print out every assignment the student does, but doesn't that negate the purpose of a paperless classroom? I suppose you could have the student give the parent their password to their Google account, but there have to be better options. Here are a couple ideas about keeping parents in the loop with student work.

IMPORTANT! Before any Google Apps work can be seen by parents, you will need to go to the advanced share setting and change them to, "Anyone with the link can view" This will include people outside of your school's domain.

1. Google Shornters: http://goo.gl/

Google's URL Shornter allows people to condense the long URL that a Google App creates into a much smaller version. This would allow a student to simply write down the shortened URL on paper and pass it along to their parents. It's also simple enough for most students to do without much teacher guidance or help. For example this extremly long URL that goes beyond the legnth of the address bar

becomes this in the Google Shortner: http://goo.gl/UjD7bi infact you can even make it even shorter: goo.gl/UjD7bi A student could easily write this down and take it to their parents!

2. QR Codes

QR Codes are constanly appearing more and more. They are a quick and easy way for buisnisses to guide people to their websites for more information on goods and services. They can also easily be applied to your student's work and sent home to parents. 

Similar to Google Shortner, the URL for the Google App is placed in a QR code generator, I personally use the ShortenMe extension for Chrome and a QR code will appear. 

The student would then print out this QR code and bring it home for their parents to scan on their device. This may take a few more steps than the shortner, but it may be an easier way for a younger student to take something home to mom and dad if the teacher prints it out for them.





Of course these are just 2 ideas on how to keep parents in the loop. I'm sure there are many more! If you have an idea worth sharing, please do so below.

Exploring High Quality Websites and Apps for Common Core Lesson Design

Many teachers and parents are on the never ending search to find productive apps and websites to help students learn. Of course it's great that there are games out there that offer educational value, but teachers also need to know what tech sites and apps can be utilized for high quality lessons. If you feel overwhelmed with the amount of TechEd resources out there, then you should check out graphite.org. This site offers a "Common Core Explorer" for ELA and Math Common Core standards for grades K - 12. 

To use the explorer, you simply chose Language Arts or Mathematics and the grade level you desire. Then a list of common core standards will appear, and apps and sites that can be utilized for those standards will be listed, with teacher and learner ratings. 

You now have a "one stop-shop" for each and every Common Core Standard! Happy Hunting!

Student Collaboration Tips for Docs & Slides

Google Apps for Education have allowed teachers to expand their classrooms in so many ways. My absolute favorite thing about Docs, Sheets, and Slides are the multiple opportunities that students have to work collaboratively within.

Here are a couple simple tips for organizing Docs and Slides for Collaboration.