Google Doc Add-On: Wolfram Alpha

Add-ons!! One of the cool features of Google Docs is the ability to add on features to make it work for your needs. Want an easy citation tool? There's an Add-On for that. Want to create rubrics within Google Docs...yup, got ya covered there too.

One of the more powerful add-ons I've seen in some time is Wolfram Alpha. For those that don't know Wolfram Alpha or haven't used it before, its a computational program that aims to collect and curate any knowledge, idea, problem, equation, and provide solutions to it backed by data. The program is excellent across many subject matters and a quick viewing of their website will give you a sense for the sheer vastness of their content reach.

Where it really gets interesting is merging this powerful tool within Google Docs. Students will have the ability to type in research terms and have data returned to them that is accurate and usable by the student. Below is a gif of how to access the add-on store. With a Google Doc open, follow the visual steps, and type "Wolfram Alpha" in the search field. It will be the only on that pops up.

This add-on follows all your documents and your student will have access to it on any Doc they create. Below is a brief screencast of what it looks like in action. Please excuse the lame music...at least ya don't have to listen to my voice though...so....win/win.

Maths, Social Science, Science, ELA, CTE students and more can all benefit from this free easy to use feature.  I did a post last week on Research resources and I would certainly add this to the list!! 

Assessments: Performance Assessment Resource Bank

New State Standards have changed the game in recent years. Teachers and schools are struggling to transition from one paradigm to another. Students are noticing the shift and have been exhibiting a wide range of emotions. Teachers are still unpacking all the standards they must meet. Not to mention some subjects do not have updated standards ready to implement.

One of the biggest concerns for teachers is the assessment their Juniors must take in the Spring and how best to prepare them for the tasks. Coming from an environment in which the test was "THE TEST," this is understandable. For those that have administered the CAASPP tests in Math or ELA, you know its a beast! For years we modeled our assessments around the standardized tests of yesterday. We need a new model for assessment. Now that things have changed, how will we assess our students in a manner that assesses their knowledge, understanding, and application of skills taught in the classroom in an authentic way that also prepares them for CAASPP?


Enter the Performance Assessment Resource Bank out of Stanford University! And its all free!

23 performance task modules when searching "Mathematics" and "11th Grade"

This is an exciting collaborative project between Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE), Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE), and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and was just released to the public. You can browse resources by subject, course of study, type of assessment task, or grade level. The resources provided are stand alone units or can be incorporated into already existing units. Each unit focuses on developing the skills laid out by Common Core and assessed on CAASPP.

Other resources include explanations on how other school districts have implemented the resources to have students create portfolios, resources to help you build your own Performance Tasks, and something called "Learning Progressions and Frameworks" - advice from leading education policy organizations on how to create frameworks for implementation.

Take some time with this site...there's a lot to unpack and explore.  But I think it goes without saying that with CAASPP creeping up as the days get shorter, this is serendipitous timing!!

Great PBL Site: StoryMap

As a History teacher, I was always looking to incorporate more maps into my curriculum. Google Maps & Earth have come a long way throughout the years, but I always wanted students to create visual products that were relevant to them and the concepts we were covering in class, were engaging throughout the creation phase, were easy to use, and looked sharp when complete. I've looked for and utilized products that did a fraction of these requirements. Never really satisfied....until now! Enter StoryMap!

StoryMap, built out of the Northwestern Knightlab, is an easy to use Project Based Learning tool that can be utilized in a slew of different disciplines to develop geography skills in students and allow them to create something they could be proud of and have fun doing it!! It's easy to use, you use your Google Account to sign up for it, it's free, and did I mention it's easy to use??

Everything starts with a map of the world and a search bar. The search feature uses Google Maps and typing the name of a city, country, physical boundary will pin that spot. From there, it acts like Slides or PowerPoint in that you add slides for the order of "flow" and the student can add text, include links, and media to each slide. The media supported are web url & uploaded pictures, gifs, Youtube videos, content from Vine, Twitter, Instagram, and a few others.

Click the pic below to see what one looks like. The following example comes right from the StoryMap website.

Click the pic to see one of the greatest BAs on that show!!!

This opens up opportunities for students to compare and contrast life in the same location at various time periods, built around a concept you are teaching in class, using media native to them. For instance:

• The Visual Arts teacher may want students to research influential Middle Age artists and document their their journey through their life and career - documenting their physical movement, influential works, and a modern day connection (Tweets! Grams! Vids! Vines!) to the area and artist 
• The Physical Education Teacher may want to track the developments of various weight training and exercise programs (CrossFit, Yoga, The Scandinavian Squat...I made that last one up, but it sounds cool) and show media of individuals using it throughout the journey
• The History Teacher may....well....I'm sure if you're a History Teacher you've already left this post and are checking it out on your own
• The ELA Teacher can plot the various aspects of a character's journey through a novel tracking the arch as well as media that is related to their physical and fictional journey

And as with any great story created, it needs to be told!! Presentation skills are essential to be taught and practiced across the curriculum and this product is made for student presentations in mind! It looks slick on a big screen and you can have students create an informal or formal presentation based on their creative product!

Some drawbacks:

• Network issues and access! Building one at home is much easier than at school and they will have access to the media more readily at home
• Work Around: Have them plot each "slide" at school after the research phase, add the titles and text at school, and have them build the media aspects of the project at home
• When presenting, the students will need to present off of your laptop or Chromebook - they'll get stuck as the network here will iBoss them to death having Tweets, Instagram and Vine media on their projects

The possibilities and uses for this product are immense! Give it a shot and if you're interested in working with it but need some help, I'd be happy to sit down with you to show you the nuts and bolts or even conduct a mini-lesson and teach your students how to use it.

Below is an example I created last night with some minor edits today. I've included the link to view it in your browser and also how it looks and functions when embedded on a website.

Link to view it in your browser (Looks better there anyway and you can swipe on your screen if your Chromebook has that ability): Where I've Lived